January 2010 « This Classical Life

The First Year

By kristen, on January 31st, 2010%

This series will be a rambling collection of my thoughts. My intention isn’t to guilt or goad, but to encourage, if something doesn’t resonate with you, feel free to disregard it.

Parenting an infant is a baptism by fire. One day you have this tiny being with a stomach the size of his itty bitty fist, to feed and change and comfort all day and all night. One of the things that gave me clarity as we embarked on those early days with a baby was to think theologically about parenting, and come up with some ideas of family life that we could start to try to live out.

You are your child’s first view of God was one of the ideas I gleaned from Andrew Murray’s Raising Your Children for Christ. The one sentence I wanted to live out was “gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.” (I still think of this daily.) I also meditated a lot on how the girls were not just my daughters, but my sisters in Christ through baptism, the least of these in God’s kingdom in many ways. Having a view of their identity in our family, and to God, helped me to filter different ideas of child rearing and care that I came across. Continue reading The First Year

Holiness by John Webster

By kristen, on January 30th, 2010%

I quoted this book recently, and would be remiss if I didn’t give it a mini-review now that I’ve finished it. If you enjoy theology, this is a must read. The topic of holiness is addressed systematically in a way that applies to all of life. It’s thought-provoking, but readable, not dry in the least. As it was originally delivered a a lecture series, it’s more easily understood than many other theological works of its calibre. I was engaged by every page. The short chapters and many sub-chapters make it easy to pick up and put down if you don’t have hours to devote to reading daily. (9.5/10)

Parental Ponderings?

By kristen, on January 29th, 2010%

I am realizing more and more both how far I am from the baby stage and how much I want to remember some of the things I discovered along the way. Is that something y’all are interested in reading about? I hope we have more children someday and I plan to record these thoughts SOMEwhere sometime soon…

Sleepy

By kristen, on January 28th, 2010%

I’ve been feeling like a zombie for a few days now. Just SO tired. (I often feel tired, but this is crazy-tired.) Caffeine doesn’t cut it. Neither does sleeping more. Ideas?

Lexi’s Jams

By kristen, on January 27th, 2010%

Lexi and I spend a good amount of time alone together in the car. One of our favorite activities lately is to put the ipod on shuffle and let her rate the songs. Here are some of her current favorites (in a “playlist” order.) I find her tastes interesting, somewhat unpredictable, and occasionally annoying (how can she reject Wilco and Ingrid Michaelson, for example?)

LEXI’S LIST . 2010.01
I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown
Video Killed The Radio Star – The Buggles
What I Like About You – The Romantics
I’d Rather Dance With You – Kings of Convenience
Run With All You’ve Got – Jon Black
You Make My Dreams – Hall & Oates
Proud Mary – Creedence Clearwater Revival
When I’m Sixty-Four – The Beatles
Chicago – Sufjan Stevens
The Littlest Birds – The Be Good Tanyas
Wrapped Up in Books - Belle & Sebastian
Three Little Birds – Bob Marley
Peace Like a River – Elizabeth Mitchell
Lovely, Love My Family – The Roots
My Girl – The Temptations
Shoo Fly – Elizabeth Mitchell
Beautiful Girl – Andrew Peterson And Randall Goodgame
Great Big World - Pierce Pettis
This Little Light Of Mine – Elizabeth Mitchell
Bedtime Lullaby – Mark Kozelek

From Fear to Freedom by Rose Marie Miller

By kristen, on January 26th, 2010%

From Fear to Freedom is an account of one woman’s realization over many years of how she was living in a way that contradicted what she thought she believed about God and the world. I had a hard time connecting to this book in some ways, but I think it may be a good thing. The message that was so life changing for Rose Marie, her paradigm shift from an orphan to a daughter mentality, is one that I have been taught well for many years, due in part to her family’s influence.

I’d recommend this book to someone coming out of a more legalistic tradition, or that struggles to believe that they are loved by God. (6/10)

Misconceptions about Disaster Relief

By kristen, on January 25th, 2010%

Over the last few years, I’ve read and learned a bit more about mercy ministry and what has been shown to work and not work, what is and isn’t helpful. I really appreciated this article by the relief director of World Vision debunking some common myths in light of the recent crisis in Haiti.

Tweets of the Week

By kristen, on January 24th, 2010%

+ Tonight will probably be the only time I ever say the words of institution out loud in church. about 5 hours ago from web
+ Tonight’s reception reminded me of my longstanding desire to be a part of a culture with group dancing (e.g. Greek, Lebanese.) 11:51 PM Jan 23rd from Tweetie
+ Fresh air with k+l since school let out. Bikes, bubbles, chalk, friendly dogs. I even adjusted a bike. 5:06 PM Jan 21st from Tweetie
+ I have inherited a mangia mentality from my Italian gma: I show love through food & receive love when people enjoy it. 9:30 PM Jan 20th from Tweetie

There is Love

By kristen, on January 23rd, 2010%

Our friend Jon just posted a new song on his website. It’s beautiful and true.

Holiness in the Church

By kristen, on January 22nd, 2010%

“Realized moral excellence does not necessarily constitute holiness and may contradict it. Holiness is visible as faith’s penitent cry for forgiveness and mercy, its appeal for God to do what the Church cannot do for itself, namely, to keep it without sin and to gather it into the company of the saint in glory.”

| JOHN WEBSTER, Holiness |

Chicken Lo Mein

By kristen, on January 21st, 2010%

I am planning to post more recipes on the blog again, it’s the easiest way for me to keep track of and find recipes I like with my personal tweaks. One of my goals this year is to introduce the girls to more Asian food. We usually eat it and serve them something else. This was a successful first step, Kate ate all of hers, and Lexi ate a good bit as well. This is enough for 5-6 adults as a complete meal, more if you did a side salad, etc. But I wanted to make extra because I figured the leftovers would be awesome and they were.

CHICKEN LO MEIN
12 oz lo mein noodles (in the asian section of the grocery store, can also use linguine)
2 Tbs. canola oil
2 b/s chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
at least 1/2 large sweet onion
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
3-4 carrots
1 cup snow peas
6-8 ounces mushrooms (of your choice)
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. oyster sauce (also found in the asian section)
2 Tbs. sesame oil Continue reading Chicken Lo Mein

Life is a Miracle by Wendell Berry

By kristen, on January 20th, 2010%

Wendell Berry is a prophet for our time, and this is a great introduction to his non-fiction. Life is a Miracle describes how lack of connection to the community, over-specialization and lack of dialogue between the disciplines hurts everyday people, the land, and more. In his novels and essays, membership is a recurring theme. In Life is a Miracle, Berry asserts that true leadership is impossible without membership. The disconnect between leaders and policy-makers and the people they influence would be greatly diminished if there was membership as a basis for leadership instead of professionalism (career politicians, etc.) Though the book is structured as a response to another book, I did not feel like I needed to have read it to appreciate Life is a Miracle. (8.5/10)

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