This is the connection that we need to hear over and over again: we’re not here, in this world, to get ahead. We’re not here to prove how useful we are, and we’re not here to use other people. We’re not beloved by God because of how useful we are to Him! We’re useless. We’re beloved in our uselessness, because God is too big to fit into a simple equation of cost and benefit, debits and credits, loss and gain.... Read more
First, I just wanted to check in with you guys, because I worry. The last thing I wanted to do was make one more place on the internet where women go to feel bad. That’s not what these posts are, are they? It was just supposed to be a place to talk about food: the triumphs, the tragedies, the baloney sandwiches. Not a place to feel bad! If you don’t feel like listing/aren’t capable of remembering/are too ashamed to admit what... Read more
The woman is wrong if she thinks that a great church means a place where atheists and agnostics and Christians should be able to just hang out and be awesome together. (We already have that: it’s called Starbucks.) But she is painfully right when she reminds us that, in too many places, Christian churches are places where you have the choice of being fake or leaving. Read the rest at the Register. Read more
My three-year-old may be the most emotionally healthy person in the world. I came across this old photo, and remembered the day. We were playing in a school gym after a baptism, and she found this half-dead balloon lying under some bleachers. Oh my gosh, she had so much fun with it. So, when it was time to go, I ignored the warning alarms in my head and said she could take it with her. Of course, as soon as we stepped outside,... Read more
Thousands of years after Jesus walked the earth, we need to understand that Jesus wants to put us on the spot, asking us the same question He asked His disciples: Who do you say that I am? If we’re catechized, we’ll know the right answer; but the hard part is putting those words into action. Read the rest at the Register. *** Image via Wikimedia Commons Read more
Today was Roald Dahl Day. You’ve probably read all the famous books by him — James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches (which is seriously disturbing), The BFG, The Twits. I loved them all when I was a kid, and I’m more or less happy to see my kids enjoying them; but as an adult re-reading them, the constant drumbeat of “challenge authority” is worrisome. If you read Dahl’s autobiography of his childhood, Boy, it’s obvious... Read more
Alternate title for this week’s dinner round-up: This Is Why I’m Fat. Hey, if you have to die young, might as well die young while full of cheese. Specifically, feta, parmesan, mozzarella, pepper jack, cheddar, and provolone, all in one week. And we’re not even vegetarians. The cheese was just to help all the meat find its way around. Whee! You can find the first What’s For Supper? post here. Vol. 2 is here; and vol. 3 is here. At the... Read more
The following story is not for the squeamish. You may have noticed that I haven’t written much this week. This is mainly because I, and several members of my family, have been hit hard with a bug that is taking its sweet time meandering its way through our intestines. In short, we have turned into incredible pooping machines. I seriously didn’t know it was possible to poop this much and still function, but there you go. The baby, of course, has it... Read more
If a dumb sheep starts nibbling on the medicine spoon, rather than drinking the medicine, that doesn’t mean that vets aren’t necessary. It means the sheep needs to be redirected to the goal, which is being healed. Read the rest at the Register. *** sheep image courtesy of Pixabay Read more
Born on this lavishly romantic day in 1841. Did you know that he was a devout Catholic, and that his father was an inkeeper, butcher, and professional zither player? Does that explain a thing or two? Or not? Either way, here are a bunch of Slavonic dances to which you can whirl heedlessly around the living room. P.S. This is exactly what a composer should look like. Happy birthday, man. I love you so much and I always will. Read more
I Have to Sit Down
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