Why Leviticus?

This is a blog post that got away. I really, really thought I wrote this last year. I went back and looked even, thinking that I wrote it already. And it wasn't there. So much like you think of a really good retort a day later to someone who catches you off guard, this is my, not NO really, I thought that LAST YEAR!

  Oh well! It doesn't matter, really. But, I do realize that I need to get these suckers out when I first feel them writing themselves in my head. Now the two other posts I have rolling around in my head are going to have to come out too! woo hoo!

  So anyway, last January, 2009, God impressed upon me to start reading the Bible through. No problem. I got my little "read through the Bible in a year" Bible and got started. It was all good, until I got through Exodus. God again impressed to me that this was great. Now I should study through the Bible. 

  Um, yeah. Okay. I got LOTS of free time. I actually do love to study God's Word, but I'll admit, it's not always the very first priority of my day. I got a little stressed, wondering when I was going to find this time. I knew I was supposed to get up at 6am and study the Word. 

  Um, okay. I'm trying to obey happily, but I was still dealing with Zane at various times during the night at that time, and sleep was something I longed for and dreamed about. God asking me to give more of that up seemed a little harsh. But I obeyed. And boy was I blessed. So here I go, studying in my own non-theologically educated way. And I was good during Genesis and Exodus. I learned things I never knew, meditated on what I learned, and was just steeping in God's goodness through His Word.

  And I then I get to Leviticus.

  Good grief.

  I skimmed through it, shaking my head, wondering WHY in the HECK I needed to know all this stuff. I reread it, trying not to skim through it. I would read a passage, realized I day dreamed all the way though it, then reread it. Ugh. It was hard.

  So I was walking one morning, after reading it yet again. I came to love my early morning walks, because they because a time of reflection and conversation with God about His Word. So really, honestly, I was just asking Him "Why Leviticus?" There is so much detail. The detail. Oh the detail. I see the Bible as precious real estate. It just seemed like a lot of time and space was dedicated to this book when I would have liked to have seen some other stuff in there more than this book of Leviticus. I mean REALLY.

  So God, in His infinite grace and patience with me, listens to me rail on and on about this book. About my frustrations with this book. All my why's and good griefs and UGH's. Then, I hear it. I hear God say, "You want to know why Leviticus? You want to know why? I'll tell you why..."

  So I started to get a little nervous. As I imagine Moses realized, once he asked God to show him His glory, when He realized God was going to actually do it, though, "Uh oh." I thought, "Uh, maybe I shouldn't have questioned God, the creator of the Universe, about what He decided to put into His Word."

  But God was kind. He said, "You want to know why Leviticus? I'll tell you why. You read it. You read every word. You think about what it was like to live under that law. You think about the people that lived under that law. You think about the priests that obeyed that law to the letter. About the people that needed that law. Think long and hard. Then, think more...

  Then. Think. About. Jesus."

  I do think I literally stopped in the middle of the street. Paused in the middle of life. 

  Jesus, in one fell swoop, wiped out the book of Leviticus. Much like the curtain was torn, so was the book of Leviticus. He. Wiped. It. Out.

  I was blown away. That's why Leviticus. So that while read in the shadow of the cross, the book of Leviticus takes on a whole new meaning. It means a lot to me now. Jesus died, in part, to wipe all of it away.

  And that's why it remains, planted firmly in the Old Testament that I adore so very much. To always remind me of not only why Jesus died, but of what he wiped away when He did. Much like my God, the crucifixion is much deeper, much more complicated that I make it. It's not just "Jesus died so I could go to heaven." I cheapen it when I reduce it to that level. There's so SO much to it. What Jesus gave up, what He washed away, what He wiped out. How He did it and why. It's just so much. So heavy and precious.

So as we study the book of Leviticus in church now, am reminded of these amazing precious things that God revealed to me over a year ago. I am so thankful for God's teaching me through His Word. I stand in awe of Him and His Word.

 

The last recipe

Whew. I loved the new recipe week, but I'm glad it's over. I'm adding all the recipes into the rotation, and I'm glad to be back to the same old boring stuff this week! Here's the last one, though:


http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/pan-roasted-chicken-lemon-garlic-green-beans-10000000780291/index.html


This one was good. It was nice to have it all in one dish. I absolutely adore garlic, so that was a huge plus. The green beans did get a little burned on the bottom, so that was weird. I also didn't cook it as long as I was supposed to, becuase we had chicken tenders instead of breasts. The kids also werent' crazy about the green beans, but I really liked this dish. I'll hang on to it, and maybe just make the kids some mac and cheese and broccoli, but then that defeats the purpose of having everything in the same dish.

Oh well. It was good, and it would make a good "take to someone who just had a baby meal."

That's it. I'm going to rest this week, and then try this again. It was really great to eat some new stuff.

My next goal? Cook with curry. I know I'm the last person in the world to cook with it, but I'm going to try it. Hopefully the kids will be on board... :)

Next recipe - Dijon Chicken

The next recipe I tried was Dijon Chicken. I got the recipe out of a magazine, so I can't post a link, but it's really very easy.
The recipe called for 6 chicken boneless breasts, but I decided to use only 2, to make sure we liked it before I sacrificed all that chicken to a dish we didn't like.
So you brown your chicken breasts in 3T of butter over medium high heat in a skillet for 4ish minutes on each side.
Remove chicken from skillet and brown 1 medium yellow onion and 1 thinly sliced red bell pepper in the butter until vegetables are tender.
In a separate bowl, whisk (that has an "h" in it? Wow) 1 14oz can of chicken broth, 3T of flour and 3T of Dijon mustard together. Return chicken to skillet and pour mustard mix over the chicken and vegetables. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until chicken is done.
This was really, really good! I have also loved having Dijon mustard on sandwiches here lately, so I don't know why I haven't been using it all along. I had extra sauce left over, since I didn't use as much chicken as it called for, so I just froze the remaining sauce for the next time I brown some chicken in the skillet. I'll just reheat the sauce and pour it over the plain breasts.
So this was a keeper. Yay!
One more new recipe tonight, and then I'm taking a week off! Back to the same old recipes next week!:)

Another recipe review

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/cheesy-baked-shells-broccoli-00000000006575/

I tried this one last night. I added two boneless breasts of chicken that I sauteed (Who knew that word had two "e"s? Huh.) in the iron skillet with seasonings. Then I just chunked them up and threw them in with the rest of the stuff before I put it in to bake.

This was a great dish. Warm, easy and cozy good. Even Allen liked it, and he's not a huge fan of cheese. There was even enough for leftovers, which I really liked! A definite keeper!

My kids have comedy writers

Again, feel free to igore this post. It's just for me!

The kids have been hilarious here lately, and I just wanted to write this down somewhere. You know, so I can torture them later with these things.

Jude loves to find the book of Jude in his Bible. He turned there the other day, and he said, "Hey mom. Did a kid write Jude? It's really short."

Laney lost a tooth, and she said, with all sincerity and seriousness, "Mom, when I lost my tooth, did I lose my sweet tooth?" I really thought she was making a joke, but she wasn't. And no, I don't think we'll ever lose our sweet teeth...

Finally, Zane was highly upset when we put in a Veggie Tales movie. We don't watch them much, and I don't think he's ever really seen one. We are studying Esther, so Laney asked to watch that one. I put it in, and Zane got really upset. We asked him what was wrong, and he said he didn't like Veggie Tales. He was pretty upset about it too. I asked him why he didn't like them, and he had a list, that he very emphatically stated: "They don't have arms, they don't have legs, and THAT GUY (pointing at the screen) DOESN'T EVEN HAVE *EYES*...

I should add that he wasn't amused that we laughed after that speech...

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Here's the chicken cacciatore recipe:

(and I fixed the spelling on the precious title. Ugh.)

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chicken-cacciatore-10000001536187/index.html

My review on the Chicken Cacciatore

I'm going through a "I hate everything I cook" phase. I gleaned some new recipes from the Real Simple website set off to Publix to get my ingredients. It was an expensive trip, but I didn't care. I was ready for some new food.

So this was my first recipe I tried. I can't post it from here, but I will later.

This recipe took 2 hours to make. The recipe told me that was going to happen, so I started at 4, and we ate at 6, which is a tad late for us. I was glad I planned ahead!

I saw a lady make a version of this recipe on the news last week, which is one reason I wanted to try this one. She said to use thighs and legs, which I did. I'm not sure I'll use them again, because I was so ready to eat, I didn't want to pull all the meat off the bone! :) I may try boneless breasts next time!

That said, this was SO good. I mean, it was "I can't believe I cooked this" good. So good. I made spaghetti to spoon the meat and sauce over, and just made a spinach salad to go with it. I had too much meat to go into my Dutch oven, so I just roasted some of the chicken legs in the oven for the kids. That was good for them!

I'll definitely make this again!!! Yum!!!

Just checking this out

My sweet friend Jackie found this great app for blogging, and I thought I'd try it. It's easy, so far! It'd be a great way to do a picture a day sort of thing. Hmmm...

As I hang out on the couch this morning, recovering from the sickness that won't die, I had time to play. Here's my iChalky person thingie. It's much cuter when she dances, but you get the idea. I need to get well. Now. ;)



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Just for fun!

http://www.careerpath.com/career-tests/colorcareercounselor.aspx

Take this quick quiz. It's fun, and was scary accurate for me!

Best Occupational Category

You're a CREATOR

Keywords
Nonconforming, Impulsive, Expressive, Romantic, Intuitive, Sensitive, and Emotional
These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination, and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music, and writing or places where they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas. CREATOR OCCUPATIONS
Suggested careers are Advertising Executive, Architect, Web Designer, Creative Director, Public Relations, Fine or Commercial Artist, Interior Decorator, Lawyer, Librarian, Musician, Reporter, Art Teacher, Broadcaster, Technical Writer, English Teacher, Architect, Photographer, Medical Illustrator, Corporate Trainer, Author, Editor, Landscape Architect, Exhibit Builder, and Package Designer.
CREATOR WORKPLACES
Consider workplaces where you can create and improve beauty and aesthetic qualities. Unstructured, flexible organizations that allow self-expression work best with your free-spirited nature.
Suggested Creator workplaces are advertising, public relations, and interior decorating firms; artistic studios, theaters and concert halls; institutions that teach crafts, universities, music, and dance schools. Other workplaces to consider are art institutes, museums, libraries, and galleries.

2nd Best Occupational Category

You're a SOCIAL MANAGER

Keywords:
Tactful, Cooperative, Generous, Understanding, Insightful, Friendly, and Cheerful
This very social type enjoys working in groups, sharing responsibilities, and being the center of attention. Fields of interest are instructing, helping, nurturing, care giving and instructing-especially young people. They discuss and consider feelings in order to solve problems, lead, direct, persuade, guide, organize and enlighten others.

• Section I: You and Your Team
  This personality overview section highlights your natural workplace talents—the tasks you pursue with passion. You'll learn how your natural strengths complement those of your coworkers and how, joining forces, you can resolve on-the-job dilemmas.
• Section II: Your Key To Success
  Here you discover your capacity for dispelling disruption and maximizing profitability. Use this proven, beyond-self-perception advice to create a more positive career path free of detours.
• Section III: Managing Strengths and Weaknesses
  Your evaluation's highest and lowest scores result in this section's recommendations for staying on-track in your career and reversing wrong turns. In focusing on your talents and missteps, you'll re-stoke your energy and enthusiasm for managing costly mistakes.
• Section IV: Leadership Power Moves
  This final section identifies your "street sense," those power moves that turn obstacles into insignificant details. Here suggestions based on your color-ranked evaluations will guide you towards making the most of an interview or harnessing your fast-paced workday.
  

Today

I was thankful to be able to go to the doctor. To have access to medical care. I keep thinking about the people in Haiti who wait, under tents, sick and hurting for care. I think of the doctors and nurses that are working tirelessly to try to treat them.

I heard, as I waited in the waiting room, Chris Tomlin's "How Great is our God," and I heard a lady who was leaving singing it on her way out.

That doesn't happen in a lot of other countries. Heck, it doesn't happened in some parts of THIS country.

I really think there is going to be a day when we can't be free with our beliefs. I think that persecution is coming.

Although I was aggravated that two sinus infections cost us $200 to treat, I am still thankful for the simple fact that we have doctors that we can go see when we need to. And I'm so thankful for a job that can pay those bills.

I think that about sums up my Facebook statuses and Twitter updates for the day. Just wanted to nail those down somewhere. Be a tangible thankful. Or something like that...

Zane

This is one of those, "feel free to ignore" posts. It's really just for me. :)

Zane is officially 3 1/2 now. I can't say things are easy, but I can say that they are easie-R. I can also say that I can look back now, and, with some degree of separation, see why God gave him to me. I don't think I'm quiet ready to put all the reasons down, but I do think I can summarize them by saying that I am at my best when I think I'm at my worst. I seem to create destruction when I'm at my "best." I'm also trying to see how God is going to use me without keeping me beat down. Or maybe He is.

Didn't mean to William Faulkner there. Back to the point...

Zane. Oh yes. I'm starting to see some of the big kid come out in him. It's been fascinating. And reassuring. I see qualities in him that God is going to use in a very mighty way. I'm praying that I'm the mother that he needs me to be. And that He needs me to be.

So on a lighter note, he has been hilarious the last few days, and I just wanted to get these down before they are gone forever.

We were at the McWane center yesterday, and we were hanging out at the shark/sting ray touch tank. One of the sharks, a barracuda shark, I think, was asleep on the bottom of the tank. The nice McWane lady was telling us that they are nocturnal, which made sense to all of us but Zane, and I didn't think to explain it to him. He studied it for a minute, then looked at me and said, "Do they (the McWane center) have him turned off?"

Um, yeah. They do...

This morning we were watching "Monster Jam" and Zane was crawling all over me. I told him that Daddy used to called him "Monster Truck" because Zane just rolls over and knocks down everything in his path: people and objects alike. He grinned and looked at me and said, "Except I don't have wheels."

I can see his critical thinking skill wheels start to turn... ;)

And the last one.

All of my kids have been especially interested in human death here lately. I can't find a reason why-nothing in school precipitated it, nothing in church, and nothing we've really talked about. The older two and I have had numerous conversations about death, heaven and being with Jesus, and I guess Zane has been listening, and processing.

So last night, just after he gets into bed, we have this conversation:

Zane: Mom, where is Heaven?

Me: Up in the sky.

Z: Why do we go there?

Me: Because you love Jesus in your heart. When you die, you go to sleep on earth and wake up in heaven.

Z: But you said we don't sleep in heaven. (This was a conversation in regards to Jude's numerous questions about heaven, one of which was "Do we sleep in heaven?" to which I answered, "No.")

Me: Okay, well, you don't sleep in heaven. You go to sleep here and WAKE UP in heaven.

Z: (he's not done yet) So how do we get to heaven.

Me: (It's late and I'm tired) We fly.

Z: But we can't fly.

Me: (Sensing that I'm going not going to get out of this one easily) Yes, well, our insides fly. You know, like our heart-our spirit. (Holding my breath and wondering how to explain this further to a 3 year old.)

Zane studies me for a minute, and I'm waiting, trying desperately to formulate the answer to the next question he might ask. Then he sits up straighter in the bed and announces:

"Wolverine can't fly either. He just has to poke people..."

Zane got some random Wolverine figure in a bag of toys from the thrift store, and Allen told him what Wolverine's name was. And you can certainly see why Wolverine has to "poke people." As to his inability to fly, I'll have to trust Zane on that one since I have no idea. I do reckon that having those razor thingies would make it hard to fly, never mind trying to brush your teeth. I guess super heroes don't have to brush their teeth, but it seems like I've William Faulknered again.

I am ever so thankful for Zane, and more thankful for what God has taught me through him. I think last week, as I reflected back on some really hard times, I admitted to myself that there were times with him that I really didn't think I could do it. That speaks so much of God's grace and strength that He so freely gives.

Lately

You know how when you drip a drop of paint into some water, and the color is so vivid and bright just for a few seconds? Then the color kind of blends into the water, slowly, and then you can't even see the color anymore?

I tried to take pictures to illustrate my point, but it was a small disaster. So I'm stuck with saying, "you know...?"

That's how my blog posts are in my brain. I get a big glop of a thought, an issue, an idea, and I just plop it on this blog, and then, with the weight of it off my mind, it just kinds of blends way into the other watery parts of my brain.

I like to blog when it's a big blob, because if I wait too long, I don't feel as passionately about it as I did before it got diluted. Sometimes I probably don't wait long enough, and the gloppiness is too evident. Maybe.

Here lately, though, instead of one big glop, my brain as been more like a rain puddle of little glops. Thoughts splash down on my brain and in my soul like little drops, coming so fast and so small that I can't grab hold of any of them long enough to sort through what's going on. The drops hit, then ripple into one another, and I'm left with sort of a rainbow throw up mish mash of all the colors of thoughts that haven't been processed.

You know, like how your kids think they are going to get a new magical, beautiful color when they mix all the colors in their paints together only to find out that what they end up with is a really gross brownish mess.

My brain feels like a gross brownish mess.

So it's been lots of praying and praise, trusting and waiting, loving and adoring. Maybe my brain works better this way. I'm certainly less theoretical this way. Less pondering. More floating and resting. Quiet. Still.

Enjoying all the seasons of my walk with Christ; Even the places we've never been before. Even when, all the while, I'm longing for the comfort of my overthinking.