I've Been Feeling Disconnected . . .

. . . and reading this gives me peace that I can never stray too far.

Do You Feel Spiritually Dull?

John Bunyan:

Sometimes when my heart has been hard, dead, slothful, blind, and senseless, which indeed are sad frames for a poor Christian to be in, yet at such a time, when I have been in such a case, then has the blood of Christ, the precious blood of Christ, the admirable blood of the God of Heaven, that run out of His body when it did hang on the Cross, so softened, livened, quickened, and enlightened my soul, that truly, reader, I can say, O it makes me wonder!

The Doctrine of the Law and Grace Unfolded (London, 1708), 183.; Taken from the Desiring God blog

Praying a very selfish prayer tonight: asking for passion, growth, repentance, and wisdom.

Quotable Quotes

"Because sin entered the world, there is emotional distress and disappointment with other people and with ourselves too.

We set expectations for what our lives should look like and then stress out when we aren’t as successful as we think we should be, or our bodies don’t look as good as we want them to, or we still struggle with bad habits or addictions that we know we should have overcome by now.

Now that doesn’t mean we should stop striving for Christlikeness; it just means we need to adjust our expectations.

This world we live in is not heaven.

It is not perfect, and it never will be.

We are not perfect, and we never will be while we’re alive on this earth.

So give yourself and everyone around you a break, and remember to thank God for his grace in this broken world."

         - Rick Warren in "The Daily Hope: The Emotional Costs of Sin"

Something Beautiful

Driving back tonight, lost in thought and half listening to the radio, I had one of those tugging of the heart moments when this chorus and song started filling my car's airwaves . . .

Hey now, this is my desire

Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

To touch me, I know that I'm in reach

'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for...

SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

Good Eats

It was a long overdue BFF kind of weekend at some good eateries in Philly.

1st up....a belated birthday dinner for my best friend at one of Philly's top Thai restaurants

TAMARIND

117 South St. 

Philadelphia, PA 19147

T - 215-925-2764

www.tamarindsouthstreet.com

2nd was a pleasant outdoor Monday morning brunch with my other best friend visiting Philly from "oh so glamorous NYC" =P

The restaurant is in a bit of a sketchy area in up and coming Northern Liberties, but a cute place nonetheless.....not to mention it was also in Philly Mag's "Best Brunch Spots in Philadelphia"

Honey's Sit ‘N Eat

800 North 4th Street
Philadelphia, PA
215-925-1150
http://www.honeys-restaurant.com/

The power of POWER

{Side Note: I was going to post something else today (something silly I'll have to share later) and realized I had a few drafts saved that I've never posted....not quite sure what I was waiting for.  I wrote this particular one sometime in March after the Japan earthquake.}

It's terrifying and heartbreaking to listen to the news these days. Currently the world has their eyes on Japan as they deal with the aftermath of a 9.0 earthquake, the tsunami, and now the threat of nuclear catastrophe.  As I was watching the events unfold on TV, tears began to well as they showed images of people and their lives washed instantly away with one shake of the earth and one wave of the sea. Powerful.

Nature is powerful and with these events we get jolted into remembering just how destructive and powerful its forces can be.  Just look at all the craziness planet earth has experienced in the past 10 years, the numerous earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, and so on.  But somehow I compartmentalize these massive powers of nature as something different or more than what the Lords power is....

Recently I was having dinner with a high schooler and she was telling me about some high school drama, and after suggesting prayer as a step to changing her situation, she said, "I don't see how God could possibly change all this and make things better." I instantly thought, "Seriously!?! You don't think God, the ruler and creator of the universe, could change this teeny tiny little problem you're having in school."  Thankfully I didn't say that out loud.

The truth is, I am guilty of thinking exactly the way she does.  I feel like with certain situations, I've gotten to a point where they feel so hopeless, that I don't see how God could possibly change things .....and as a result I stop praying about it.  And if I'm not asking, it's because I don't really believe that He can change things.  Then you see the stories about Japan, and Haiti, and Katrina, and so on and so forth. And you realize the wielding and unyielding power that God possesses.

Just how powerful do I really believe is God's power?  If I believe He's powerful enough to control these events in nature, why do I keep doubting and living like He's not powerful enough to change me, my sins, or my life.

Just as I chuckled when my high schooler was telling me about her woes, I have to believe that God is chuckling quite a bit at silly old me and my woes as well.

Remind yourself that . . .

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.

So love the people who treat you right.

Forgive the one's who don't.

Believe everything happens for a reason.

If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.

If it changes your life, let it.

Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

Quotable Quotes

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops; What if Your healing comes through tears; What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near; What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise.    - Laura Story

A little less than Holy

A few friends were over for dinner last night and I said something like, "It just doesn't feel like Holy Week this year." The silliness of what I said made me chuckle after the words left my mouth.

Exactly what should Holy Week feel like?

Or maybe it's that I'm feeling a little less than holy these days?

But that's the point of today, isn't it?

I AM a lot less than holy.
But because of today's sacrifice, my sins aren't counted against me.....regardless of if I happen to be feeling holy or not.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved (Eph. 2:4-5).

Amen to that.

Good Eats

Had dinner last night out in the boonies of PA at an old world restaurant with a pretty interesting history:

"Over two hundred years ago The Washington House was a small farmhouse built on an ancient Lenni Lenape trail. Owned by Mr. Jan Jenson, it sat on land deeded from William Penn to Mr. Thomas Freame, who transferred 102 acres to Jenson in 1735. The property was later purchased by Samuel Sellers who enlarged the building and made it into a tavern. Henceforth, both the hotel and the town were known as “Sellers Tavern”. The site became a town center, serving as the first Post Office, hotel, and stagecoach stop for the long journey between Bethlehem and Philadelphia. It is rumored that the Liberty Bell and the men who carried it to safety in Allentown stayed here during the Revolutionary War.

In 1856 the tavern was sold to the North Pennsylvania Railroad who added the ornate Victorian bar and the distinctive cupola. The original front bar was destroyed during prohibition and replaced with the current one when prohibition was repealed, the back bar remaining original. Because of the building’s importance in the founding of Sellersville, the property is included in the Pennsylvania Inventory of Historic Homes."

Dinner here was fun last night because in addition to the restaurant's small town charm and good food, we enjoyed a live bluegrass band with quite a bit of personality =)

Washington House Restaurant

136 N. Main Street, Sellersville PA

215-257-3000

http://www.washingtonhouse.net/home/

Good Eats

Sushi AND Karaoke anyone?
Head over to this neat place in the heart of Chinatown....

Yakitori Boy

211 N 11 St

Philadelphia, PA 19107

(215) 923-8088

http://www.yakitoriboy-japas.com/

The Year of "I Do's"

2011 is the year of weddings for me.  After going to so many weddings, and being a person with my own issues and emotions in regards to marriage, sometimes the whole day can make me feel a bit uncomfortable and uneasy.  
Fortunately this year, I really am joyful and thankful for the unions I do get to witness, mainly because these people are near and dear to my heart.  They include old friends, new friends, siblings, and to top it all off, an island wedding =).  I think why I am so excited to celebrate is because in most of these cases, I know how the Lord has worked in bringing these people together, and it’s such a blessing and encouragement to me to see how the Lord does answer prayer.  
I’m attending a wedding (my 2^nd of 5 this year) this weekend, and while I was perusing the website of the beautiful couple, this song from Alison Krauss was playing in the background ….just a beautiful song to enjoy.  

I'm Letting Go

Trying very hard to let go of my life's plans, ideas, and expectations .... and just LIVE

I’m letting go
Of the life I planned for me
And my dreams
Losing control
Of my destiny
Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe
So I’m letting go

This is a giant leap of faith
Trusting and trying to embrace
The fear of the unknown
Beyond my comfort zone . . .

Giving in to your gravity
Knowing You are holding me
I’m not afraid

Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe
Feels like I’m falling and this is the life for me
 
 - "I'm Letting Go" Lyrics by Francesca Battistelli
from the album My Paper Heart

The $625 Cookbook

I love cooking, but I love collecting cookbooks even more. I have a pretty sizeable collection but I don't spend nearly enough time in the kitchen to justify a purchase like this.  That doesn't mean I'm not super curious about what's inside the pages of probably one of the most expensive cookbooks ever . . .

http://modernistcuisine.com/

* 2,438 pages over 5 volumes
* 43 pounds
* 3 years in the making
* 26 chapters covering topics like food safety to the physics of food and water


“A visual roller coaster through the world of food and cook­ing tools ... For the pro­fes­sional chef, mod­ernist or not, it will be an invalu­able ref­er­ence. For the cook­ing geek with $625 to spare ($467.62 online), it will be end­less fun. As a phys­i­cal object it is remark­able; some­times I found myself sim­ply star­ing at the block of books.... Nothing seems to have been spared on the qual­ity of the photo repro­duc­tion, on heavy stock with solid bind­ing.”
—Michael Ruhlman, The New York Times

“A masterpiece...the most impor­tant cook­book of the first ten years of the 21st cen­tury.”
—Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

“To describe Modernist Cuisine as 'a cook­book' is a bit like describ­ing Mount Everest as a hill. With 2,438 pages, 3,216 full color pho­tographs and 1.1 mil­lion words, Modernist Cuisine will surely be the longest, most thor­ough exam­i­na­tion of food ever pub­lished.”
—Kenji Lopez-Alt, Gourmet

The kind of flowers you wanna eat . . .

This was my first attempt at a red velvet cupcake bouquet for a good friend's bridal shower yesterday.  I think I'll definitely be making more of these. =)

Why some, not others?

Early this morning we got a phone call from India that my first cousin was clinging for life on a ventilator after being found passed out on the street.  Late this evening, we received news that he passed away, likely due to severe liver damage.  For the past several years he had been fighting a losing battle against alcoholism and depression.  He was a bachelor in his early 40's, a pilot by trade, and was expected to go places with his life.  I remember him as a smart, handsome, charming guy who was always looking to make people laugh. 

I don't know the details of his life to know what started his downward spin.  But what I think about is that we both come from the same family.  In particular from the same grandfather who really loved and worshipped the Lord.  A prayerful man that would send each of his grandchildren off with a personal prayer and blessing before we would leave his sight.  A man that I distinctly remember praying for his future generations.

So in saying all this, it makes me think about why the Lord chooses to intervene in some lives, and not others? Why has he honored the prayers of my grandfather for a few of his grandchildren, and not all.
I'm not questioning the Lord, because I know His ways are beyond my understanding, but tonight I'm just wondering, why Lord did I hear your call, and not him?

Good Eats

perfect place to relax on a friday night with some good friends, good food, and good wine......

BIBA WINE BAR
3131 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 222-2422
http://www.bibawinebar.com/

Quotable Quotes

"Do you feel more loved by God because He makes much of YOU, or because He enables you to make much of HIM."

- John Piper
Getting to the Bottom of your Joy