Siblings

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again;

rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.

And by him we cry, "Abba, Father".

The Spirit himself testifies with our Spirit that we are God's Children.

Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God

and co-heirs of Christ,

if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Romans 8:14-17

This past week I witnessed some beautiful things. I saw the love of God that my Aunt and Uncle have instilled in their four kids. Staying with B, S, E, and K while their parents were away was a refreshing and blessed seven days for me.

I observed: K helping E find his snowpants, B assisting E with spelling, putting others' stuff away without being asked, S reminding all of making better tv choices, E and S reading their Bibles, sharing, serving, playing, wrestling..........

I had a sociology professor that told our class that, "The Sibling relationship is likely the longest relationship that you will have in life". It is important. I think that God specially designed the sibling relationship...to teach us somethings, to show us more of him.

My time of getting to live in the same household with my own younger sister and brother prematurely ended, and I grieve this. Yet, I am excited knowing that these aren't static relationships and they are not over.I look forward to how God can work in growing these relationships as we get older. I hope that God will mold me a bit more Christ-like in the process of loving and knowing my siblings.

Thank you B, S, E and K for a great week and for the glimpses of God's love shown through your relationships with each other.

Thinking of Warmer Days

It's a snowy wonderland here. I'm watching Gidget and thinking ahead to warmer days at the beach!

hmmm....

But to everything a season, right? I'll try to wait patiently.

Hebrew

I studied Biblical Hebrew for a year in college.
I am 'into' words. Ever since participating in teachings with Ray Vander Laan and Mars Hill Students I have been particularly interested in this ancient text and the traditions of the Hebrew people. I am fascinated by this beautiful language and the complex meanings that these words hold in comparison to our modern English. I hope and plan to continue learning Biblical Hebrew, because like so many things it is a life-long study.

I was super intrigued to find these Ketubah's by Naomi Broudo featured on poppytalk this week. Ketubah's are Hebraic prenuptial agreement documents. Traditionally, they are beautiful pieces of art that are predominately displayed in the home as a daily reminder of the wedding vows. I really like that they include personal details, family names and witnesses.

You don't have to be Jewish to have a Ketubah made to symbolize your marriage. Although, I do not have any current plans of getting married anytime soon (bummer because these pretty ones are on sale); I think Ketubah documents are neat! I also like the Jewish Wedding tradition of Yichud: the bride and groom sneak away for some private peace and quiet (about 10 min or so) immediately after the ceremony. I can imagine this would be special and refreshing, because the day is sure to be so full and busy of guests and celebration.

In relation, my Aunt in Uncle are in Israel this week! I am playing 'little mom' for their four children while they are touring the Holy Land.

Oh, and also on Poppytalk...I plan on making this pizza next week!

Grace and Peace be with you today.

W.A.R and Graduation

Women at Risk International (WAR) is a Grand Rapids based organization that is now all over the USA and supports projects in 14 different countries. Its mission is to unite and educate in areas of human trafficking and sexual slavery. Their website is packed with information, pictures, stories, resources, support blogs, ways to get involved, and goods made by affected women available for purchase.

The Berryhill family gave me an exquisite Egyptian glass ornament from the war chest as a graduation gift.

 

Speaking of Graduation...It's been over a month! Here are a few pictures from that December 18th day:

Books!

During the weeks after Christmas, I have been able to do a bit of reading. Yes! Here is what I've had my nose in lately:


Be Thrifty: How to live Better with Less Edited by Pia Catton and Califia Suntree
This little book is great...it would make an awesome wedding gift or for someone starting out on their own. I learned that the word 'thrift' is derived from thrive: grow, prosper, flourish. Living thriftily is really a way of healthy, prosperous living. This guide is packed with advice: buying in bulk, DIY cleaning supplies (and how to clean just about anything), DIY home maintenance, houseplants, car care, how to start a garden, pets, recipes, DIY games, how to hem, how to cut hair, exercise, how to fold napkins, how to build a campfire....Seriously! Just about everything is covered in this simple and practical book!


Father Fiction by Donald Miller
I picked this up from the library, and soon after I began reading it I realized that it is a new edition of the previously published To Own a Dragon, which I've already read. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book as a read for everyone. The role of a father is so vital, yet our society is suffering a great absence of them. I appreciate Miller's humor stories, honesty and simple way of encouraging. He is a founder and advocate of important male mentorship programs throughout the country.


The Art of Eating In by Cathy Erway
A Knew after just reading the back cover that I was really, really going to like this book. Cathy breaks down the history of restaurant eating and begins telling her Journey of not eating out AT ALL for to whole years...in NYC! IT is easy to read, entertaining, includes recipes, and is very humbling to read someone's story of trying to simplify, save, be healthier, and more sustainable while learning to cook. I especially enjoyed the chapter when Cathy tells of her 'freegan' adventure.


Pocket Posh Puzzles
Okay, not technically a book, but so fun! I bought one of these for my sister last year and she quickly mastered the 100 puzzles inside the pretty and perfect purse size little booklet. She likes to do the word searches and challenging crosswords. I'm tackling the sukendo (a math infused version of suduko).

A Thousand Sisters by Lisa J. Shannon
A Winner! The Rwandan war/ genocide of the 90s has rippled great damage in Congo still today. The war has many complicated forces, but a lot of it is due to Congo's rich minerals. "As of 2008, more than 5.4 million people have died due to the conflict, making it THE DEADLIEST WAR since WWII." The author founded Run For Women Congo, because sexual violence is extremely rampant. Congo has been called "the worst place on earth to be a woman." A really eye opening read, and makes me extremely grateful to live where I do. Being open to ways I can contribute to ending this inhumanity is a necessary action.


Reading Right Now:
White China: Finding the Divine in the Everyday by Molly Wolf
I like this book-it is a collection of little essays. Wolf is talented at relating the academic and wordy language of Christian faith/ religion to everyday life stories, yet it is not 'watered down'.


Reading Next:
Boys and Girls Learn Differently by Michael Gurian
A classic for parents and teachers. I relish books that are based on real research!


Finding my Way Home by Henri Nowen




What are you reading?

Cherries!

I have been drinking this cherry concentrate little by little over the last few weeks. It seems to last forever! I just add 1oz to a glass of ice water and stir. Yum! Each bottle is pressed from over 1000 Michigan cherries.

Also, last Friday I had my bike-riding-friend Rachel over for dinner. We had this---Spicy!

IN weekend in pictures and video

I went to visit my lovely friends at IWU in Indiana over the weekend. They are Awesome!

Grace and Peace to you.

Twenty two

Funfetti cake Emilie baked for previous Bday

Dear Friends,
Yesterday was my twenty second birthday! Being twenty two sounds and feels so much different than turning twenty one. Much more adult and a bit scarier.

As I am beginning another new year of my life....here are some things that I am feeling extra grateful for:

~ God who is constant AND really loves me.
~ My family; Chelsea and her humor, Connor and his adventurism; My mom and her always in-the-know information to share AND also my musical grandparents, encouraging Aunt, Uncle and cousins
~ A comfy, safe place to live, sleep and cook in :)
~ My health; and the people who cared for me when it was a little off
~ A college degree
~ A library only a few miles away
~ Friends that offer fun, love, listening and encouragement
~ The Mars Hill community; and the opportunity to be involved, learn and serve
~ The inspiring Berryhill and Powell families

For a special Birthday dinner, my mom, sister and I went to the Melting Pot and enjoyed a four course French inspired Fondue feast!

It was a very neat experience and I truly enjoyed celebrating with my mom and Chelsea! I even got to blow out my Birthday 'candle' on our waitress' alcohol dipped finger. Unique!

P.S. I woke up very, very early on my birthday and couldn't fall back to sleep (bday jitters?). So, at 4:30 am I made myself pancakes with added vanilla and bran....a pretty tasty breakfast in the very dark early mornin'.

Baby Blanket

I finished one of my knitting projects today. A green baby blanket. It is 3' x 4' and very cozy.

I am looking forward to beginning new projects like my Grandma's fingerless gloves pattern and another baby blanket (my dear Emily is due in a few months!).

Ice, ice baby

Frozen H2O is magnificent.

On Saturday, my mom and I went to the second annual ice festival in Rockford, MI. It was a treat!

Over 30 professional ice sculptures graced the downtown and riverfront area. It was really neat to walk in a refreshingly sunny January afternoon and view the pieces. I heard one of the sculptors say he was working on a chunk of ice that had been shipped all the way from Chicago! Why Chicago? I don't know.

The event had a free mini-golf area; you could try your skill at putting a golf ball/hockey puck though ice obstacles. So cute! This little festival was special...it was so cool to see families all decked out in their snow pants and boots and having fun. The food Network was even filming!

 



Dutch Lunch

On a recent Monday afternoon, I met my Grandma Cher, Aunt, sister and two cousins for Lunch at City Vu Bistro in downtown Holland, MI. The Bistro is located on the tippy top floor of the new CityFlats Hotel. It was so much fun going here for the first time! The building is the first LEED certifited hotel in the Midwest, and boy is it pretty!

We all ate up the lunch buffet: soup, salad, and an assortment of flat bread pizzas. The flat bread is made from flour that is ground in the real DeZwann windmill on windmill island...just a swim away. How awesome is that!

I hope to have more encounters at City Vu soon, and guess what? CityFlats GR is opening this spring!


Oh, and their cute slogan phrase:
"Stay different. Different is fun. It's what keeps things interesting. Different keeps life more orange and less beige. Different leads to creating a LEED Gold Certified hotel. One that doesn't sacrifice style or our planet. After all, the earth has been good to us, so let's return the fave. See? Different is good. We like different".

A blog?

During my first years of college I read Shane Hipps' The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture and Flickering Pixels: How Technology shapes Faith and also Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death. I became fascinated with the history of media and how it evolves and slyly changes the way we live, think and connect with each other. All forms of technology extend or amplify a natural part of ourselves (body, senses, mental processes, social processes) (Hipps, 2005). I have been greatly challenged to question and think about some of the technologies that I engage, and ponder the power and alteration that they may hold for me. Change is of course not all bad and is clearly evident in God's ongoing creation work. None the less, I value learning to have an awareness of media's role in my life.

In 2008, my roommate and I decided to deactivate our facebook accounts. I did this for a couple of reasons. One, I wasn't paying $30000+ a year on tuition to just waste time on facebook....I had schoolwork that was needing more attention. Second, I was becoming discouraged by learning important personal information about the lives of my friends and family members online instead of through them directly. I hoped that by not having a FB account I would be more likely to learn important stuff from 'my people' in person...or at least hear them share with me over the telephone.

My abandonment of FB was quickly replaced with the discovery of...blogs. I cannot begin to express how many hours and probably days that I spent exploring the blog world. It is a curious cycle...you click on one site, read and soon you have been connect to a zillion other new ones. I enjoyed reading peoples' thoughts, craft ideas, gift suggestions, decorating advice, recipes, and beautiful pictures and the diversity of ways to capture the special little things in normal life. So, thank you bloggers-you've hooked me in!

Now that I am done with school for the time being, I have cautiously decided to try out blogging myself. I take pleasure in writing, and when something interesting, special, creative, hopeful, useful, thought provoking or clearly beholds the fingerprints of God---it ought to be spoken and shared.

So, here is the beginning of my simple attempt to do just that. I want to share through writing on this blog, but I also want to be wary of letting communication, time and energy through a pixeleted computer screen replace the irreplaceable real-life relationships and wonder that I am deeply blessed with.

Grace and Peace to you.