10 Dollar Dining

Watching TNFNS finale, I just knew that Melissa was going to win.  And I was thrilled.  Though her Kitchen Survival Guide title looked less than appealing, I like her and her food. Then came 10 Dollar Dinners .

At first I was excited to see this great cook show me luxorious meals on a budget.  Then I came to understand how much we are giving up.  I can make a meal for under $10 almost any night of the week.  If I am going to look up a recipe to cook, it’s usually because I am cooking instead of eating out.  Maybe that’s the difference between D’arabian and I.  My life doesn’t consist of creating menus seven days a week.  I don’t have that kind of patience.

Nonetheless, I expected more from the pilot.  The show confused me and the host hasn’t yet found her groove.  I’ll give it a few more tries, but I hope some executive does a re-design…and fast!

Bridesmaid Blunder

Ok, so I ordered a bridesmaid’s dress for my friend’s wedding.  It fit great and was a size smaller than I expected to wear. That was 12 before the wedding.  Now it’s two weeks before the wedding and the dress came in.

It was SO SMALL.  I told the David’s Bridal people that I hadn’t gained weight, but that the dress no longer fit. “Oh, the sample sizes strecth out.  So if the two fit, you should get the four. The four the six and so on.”  I am looking at her utterly bewildered because no one told me when I purchased the dress. 

So now I need to fit into a dress that is too small because the store doesn’t have time to get me a new one.  It’s mostly tight in the waist and like armpits I guess.  What do I do?  I only have two weeks and the thing barely even zips!

Blue Dog Block

Before this action, I’d always thought of the Blue Dog Coalition as a group that toed the line.  Conservative Democrat.  I hadn’t seen them go against the party on any major issue since I’ve been following politics.  Even though I do support a health care bill, I was glad to see them stand up, even if it did break party lines. 

For me, it strengthens the idea that the Democratic Party is not of one single mindset.  There is diversity of thought here.  Not every Democrat is progressive.  And there are progressive Republicans, however difficult that is for me to swallow. 

I will be disappointed in the coalition if they do not choose to work out some sort of concilatory process with the Democratic part at large.  It would be a big blow for progressives and for the 47 million without healthcare. 

Guess we’ll have to wait until after August to see how this story plays out, but the scene is set.

Birther Baloney

All of this has just gone too far.  Taitz just doesn’t get it.  Even if her claims were legitimate (and they aren’t), her birther inspired bill would only apply to future candidates.  You aren’t going to remove this President from office.  Sorry honey.  Here’s why.  Gibbs and the White House already took care of it.

Thank you Senator Coburn for being honest, even if you don’t like his policies.  Senator Inhofe, please don’t add fuel to the flame.  We know that you are sad to be the minority.  It’s a hard knock life, but please not this nonsense.  Glad to see that at least you backed off.  But of course it would be my Senators even talking about all this.

You’re OK Oklahoma.

Melissa vs. Jeffrey

The Next Food Network Star finale is upon us and I couldn’t be more excited to see what the chefs (and home cooks) have in store.  Until this summer, I’ve never had cable consistently, let alone DVR, so it came as a shock to me when I got wrapped up in this show’s fifth season. 

Last week, I couldn’t help but rejoice to see Debbie leave.  While I feel that I would learn to lov her in person, it seemed like she was always completing to win instead of doing her best.  Gaming, that’s what I’d call it.  Maybe it didn’t settle well with me because I do it so often myself.

This Sunday’s finale is sure to have me glued to my television.  Except for the fact that I will be in Indiana and I’m not sure the hotel even has cable.

I cannot wait to watch and cheer for Melissa.  If she is the winner, I might even have to consider letting boyfriend get a cable package just so I can watch her show.  No, no, nevermind.  That’s just too far, but I do really enjoy watching her.  I’ve already used several of the tips she’s offered on the show.  It would be such a disappointment to see her come all this way, outcook all these people and lose to Jeffrey. 

Only time will tell.

Indiana Here I Come

I’m going there for work.  It’s pretty exciting, especially because I know absolutely nothing about the state.  Wait, I know two things.  1. Whitney worked there during the Obama campaign. 2. It’s near Illinois.  Maybe I should ask Whitney for advice on what to do/bring/wear/see.

I leave on Thursday.

The Remnant – Chapter Five

The Scriptures for the Untaught Church

In Questions to Think About, the first one got to me. “What kinds of things do we sometimes use in place of private study of the Word of God?”

If I had to rate my scripture reading time this summer, well, I wouldn’t want my head chaplain to know about it. The rise of Christian fiction makes it easy to feel like you are reading God’s word. Talking about God makes it easier to feel like you are spending time with Him. 

This is an area where I need accountability. It’s about finding time and making Jesus time a priority. I haven’t been doing that. It’s about the basics. Prayer. Scripture. Fellowship.

The Remnant – Chapter Four

Healing for the Unhealed Church

Reading this chapter, there was a line from a song that kept hearing over and over again. “Only the blood of Christ can carry the weight of sin. Only the father’s heart…” I can’t remember the rest, but those words kept playing.

There’s a line in the chapter about how a “truly well-pastored church is one in which each member’s inner wounds are healed and inner gifts and talents released.” Reading that I couldn’t help but feel that this was an unrealistic measure of a well-pastored church. I feel like it is the goal, but maybe not the standard. 

I do agree that “follow-up is non-existent” oftentimes in the church. How do we change that? Maybe the example of the church in South Korea is a good place to start. Church needs to be based in community and shared experiences. Fellowship is the foundation. Without it, building a community and church is difficult if not impossible.

The Remnant – Chapter Three

Multiplication of the the Unfruitful Church

It seems from reading everything that this was a very popular chapter with you ladies. I must admit that it hasn’t been my favorite, though there is one idea that sticks with me.

In cell replication, good cells [read people] replicate in the same way as bad cells [people]. There are also cells that go around policing the bad cells. Without the police, the bad cells would keep growing and growing and become a cancer. Maybe this principle applies to the church as well.

We have to be very careful of the people we choose to emulate both as individuals and as part of the Christian body of believers. So often the church chooses to copy the wrong leader. We shouldn’t model ourselves after other flawed individuals. Christ should always be our primary example. People are an example, but never the example. How do you make that stick in the minds of believers though? It seems like Christians, like the Israelites in the Old Testament, always want a king to follow.

The Remnant – Chapter Two

Standards for the Uncorrected Church

Sorry, but most of my relational memories of the chapter will be memories and how something relates. Here is goes with my freshberry tart and raspberry topping in hand.

A close friend of mine my freshman year was in a relationship. I knew both her and her boyfriend, but I didn’t really know the details of their relationship. On the wall behind her desk there was a contract of sorts that laid out what they would and would not do in their relationship. The list was really interesting and a lot like what I would have wanted to discuss if I had had a significant other. We started talking about it one day. 

I asked if she had an accountability partner and she said yes. I didn’t think much more about it. Then we talked about it after they had broken up. Discovering that their relationship was unhealthy (and I’m not talking about sex or anything like that) was a kick in the gut.  I wish I had been there and more persistent about being a part of their relationship and making sure she was okay.

It makes sense that it would work the same way for churches. But with a church it really needs to be institutionalized otherwise you have no power behind the accountability. Maybe that power would be helpful in individual accountability scenarios as well.