Goodbye 2009

Oh New Years Eve...you are the cause of much stress and are sometimes quite the let down and sometimes super fun. Tonight you will be laid back and filled with good food and a glass of wine.  But you are always a good time to reflect on the past year.

Some of my highlights from 2009:

• Threw a successful dinner/birthday party in my tiny apartment.
• Went to Boston (with Cameron and Jonathan!) for the first time and loved it.
• Took an unusual trip to DC.
• Really shared the gospel with a friend...something that is not one of my stregnths.
• Started cooking in a Tangine -- yum!
• Finished my masters degree.
• Made some new friends, most notably in Spartanburg.
• Made my first good furry friend!
• Decided I really do enjoy hanging out with certain tiny tots!
• Fell in love with Pat Conroy.
• Gave someone a Wii -- it was so fun and felt like I was Oprah giving things away.
• Got a job in the midst of a terrible economy.
• Moved back to my hometown of Charleston.
• Started a blog!
• Became obsessed with Twitter.
• Decided I do actually like skinny jeans (sorry for making fun of you years ago, Festa).
• Discovered I actually love red wine. Who knew?
• Am constantly reminded that the Lord is faithful and good even when I don't feel that way...and I must trust Him...

Hump Day Horrors

When I wake up in the morning

And the alarm gives out a warning

And I don't think I ever make it on time

By the time I grab my books

And I give myself a look

I'm at the corner just in time to see the bus fly by...

Ok, no, I didn't join the cast of Saved by the Bell, but I felt like I had this morning.
I was running late due to the fact that I ininadvertently set my alarm to go off at 5:30 PM, I woke up and heard stirring around my house. It was 6:21..that meant no time for a quiet time and no time for a shower. I ran the blow dryer through my hair and put on a cute outfit and off to work I went.

Upon arriving to my office, I got up to set my coat on a chair and noticed something in the corner...ugh...please don't be what I think it is. Yes, in fact it was a mouse! Thank the Lord it was dead. I went downstairs and told a masculine male co-worker that he'd need to get it for me. He shook his head and said he couldn't...he'd do anything for me but mess with mice. We bonded over our common fear. They literally make my heart stop! So I called the work maintenance department and they promptly sent someone over to dispose it. Thank goodness!

No more surprises today...but the day is still young.

Christmas, etc.

So I woke up at 4 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. What a wonderful way to be welcomed back to the daily grind. Haha. I'm feeling ok for now, but I will crash sometime soon. I hope my boss doesn't mind. :)

Overall, Christmas was good. Here are some highlights:

• Hanging out with my brother and his fiance that live in Chicago.
• Lots of downtime with the family.
• Time off from work.
• Watching movies - including Four Christmases (one of my new favorites) and Christmas Vacation - arguably the best movie ever made.
• Serving Chimmi Changas at my dad's Christmas Eve gathering.  They were the hit of the party.  Again!
• Hanging out with an old friend.
• Eating lots of yummy food. Too much yummy food.
• Leftovers.

I do have to say though, that it was hard for me to remember Christ this season. Maybe it is because I've been feeling distant from the Lord, or maybe it is because I get caught up in the people and business of the season. I am, once again, reminded of my sinful nature and how much I do need a savior...even if I don't always feel connected to Him.

Family Funnies

My brother and his fiance arrived in Charleston Monday night.

I had lunch with them yesterday afternoon.

Nathan: What's on your face?
Me: Acne. Thanks.

Last night I went over to mom and dad's to have supper with Nathan, Shannon, and 8 of their friends. Before supper, I changed out of my work clothes and went for a walk. Of course I was wearing my infamous "silly pants." They are royal blue spandex and I LOVE them. Just before the friends arrived:

Mom: Are you going to put real clothes on?
Me: Are you?
Mom: No. I'm cooking.

For some reason my mom thought her old as the hills green sweatsuit, lovingly referred to as her "fry suit" was more acceptable/appropriate then my running pants.

It's not.

A Stolen Post

While Blog Stalking working hard and getting things done at work yesterday, I found this post. I love it.

The Never-Ending Semester

Most days I have no idea what I want out of life, and it is surprisingly scary. I was voted Most Likely to Succeed in 9th grade (oh the pressure!), but no one ever told me how vague the idea of success is. No life looks the same, at least I'm hoping, because the minute I try to follow the pattern of my friends' lives, I fail.

I tend theorize about why we love college so much-yes, it's the friends we make and the freedom, and learning something new each day about life and about ourselves. But lately, I think we like it so much because it has set beginnings and ends over and over again. A new semester brings fresh subjects, teachers, a clean slate, new friends, and the strange comfort that it will end. There will be finals; you'll be evaluated as good, bad, or mediocre, but really it's just nice to be evaluated. In this post-college life, I find my silly self waiting for finals...

...how precious is the Ultimate Hope we have in Christ, otherwise I would be utterly lost and a total failure.

Christmas Cook-Off

So one of my roommates hosts a Christmas Cook-Off party every year. I wasn't exactly sure what this would look like and was on the fence about attending since my two best friends were going to be in town that weekend. Due to a dreadful illness called Mono, one friend wasn't able to join in our weekend festivities. Sad! But my HLP and I were able to carry on. I wasn't too concerned about what we took to the party, yet Courtney wanted to win. So we tossed out a few ideas and decided between Redneck burger sliders (pimento cheese burgers) or chimichangas. Mini Mexican eggrolls won out!

We made the filling and the dipping sauce. Now this dipping sauce is A-MAZING. It will be wondful on chicken, pork, mashed potatoes (I've tried it already) or chips. Basically, anything you eat will be better with this sauce. We rolled dozens of tiny chimichangas. Mine looked terrible, but who cares?!? We had the perfect two bite appetizer.

A special shout out must go to Jacqueline! First, she saved us by bringing an extra package of wonton wrappers so we could use all the filling. Second, she labored along side us in the frying process. Outside in the cold no less. Way to go! We couldn't have done it without you.

The party was fun, the house was filled, the other food was good, but most importantly: our chimis won the overall best food category!!! Such excitement in the air!

(I'm sure the shameless request for votes didn't hurt us either! Seriously, I hounded one girl a little too much. When we won she found out I was the one that made them...of course I'm sitting next to her at this point. She told me I was so humble for not telling her I made them. Humble wasn't exactly the word I would have used, but I'll take it anyday.)

Tex-Mex Egg Rolls With Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Ingredients
1 (5-ounce) package yellow rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground hot pork sausage
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can Mexican-style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 green onions, finely chopped
1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
28 egg roll wrappers
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 cups peanut oil
Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce, recipe follows
Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs

Directions
Cook rice according to package directions, using 1 teaspoon salt. Cool completely.

Cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well. Let cool.

Stir together rice, sausage, black beans, and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon about 1/3 cup rice mixture in center of each egg roll wrapper. Fold top corner of wrapper over filling, tucking tip of corner under filling; fold left and right corners over filling. Lightly brush remaining corner with egg; tightly roll filled end toward the remaining corner, and gently press to seal.

Pour oil into heavy Dutch oven; heat to 375 degrees F. Fry egg rolls, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes or until golden. Drain on wire rack over paper towels. Serve with Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce. Garnish, if desired.

"The recipes for this program, which were provided by contributors and guests who may not be professional chefs, have not been tested in the Food Network's kitchens. They have been tested in the Southern Living Test Kitchens. All brand names have been removed from these recipes, which originally appeared on southernlivingcookoff.com."

Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce:

2 (10-ounce) cans Mexican-style diced tomatoes

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves (about 1 bunch)

1 cup sour cream

3 garlic cloves, minced

Garnish: finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Process first 5 ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Garnish, if desired.

Note: For a beautiful presentation, cut top from 1 large red bell pepper, reserving top; remove and discard seeds and membrane, leaving pepper intact. Arrange bell pepper on a serving plate, and fill with sauce.

Yield: 3 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

FlashForward

So let's be honest, I spent many hours watching TV online this week after work. Ryan Molony mentioned this show to me the other day and I decided to give it a whirl. ABC has all ten episodes online and I have now seen them all. I am hooked. Of course, it doesn't come back on until March and I can't wait!

It's official!

I have a master's degree! Even though I completed my graduate school program in August, the day I defended and passed (praise the Lord!) my thesis, today is the day of my official graduation. I won't be attending, but Clemson will be mailing my diploma to me. Yay!
I had no idea what to expect as I made my way to Clemson in August 2008. I was excited to go back to school and to see what the Lord had in store for me there as I studied economics.

It was a year of really having to trust the Lord with new and unexpected things: moving to a new place where I didn't know anyone, not making very many friends when I was there, being around people that are really different from me, feeling stupid every day, living alone, etc. But I loved being back in school -- the environment, what I was learning, using my brain. Overall, it was a really positive experience and I'm so thankful the Lord had it in store for me!

Dessert in a bottle?!?

Yesterday our office had a white elephant gift exchange. I drew number 1 and made the first selection. I was excited to open a bottle of Chocolate Wine. Of course number 2 stole it from me. So I then opened a Turvis Tumbler with 2 mini bottles in it. (No, this wasn't a booze only gift exchange! It just turned out that way.) Well, number 3 stole the Chocolate Wine from 2 and 2 stole the Turvis from me. My turn again. I took the Chocolate Wine from 3 and it was then retired.

I tried a bit last night and I must say its quite good. A bit strong, but nice. It doesn't taste like wine, but kinda like an alcoholic Yohoo. The perfect after dinner dessert drink. Drink really cold. I think picking up a bottle for the holidays would be a wise decision.

Fat Pants

Are what I'll be needing after eating after this week...and the big meals haven't even begun yet.

So the last company I worked for was known for loving food, having food around, and we jokingly called it the "Cason 15" the first year you work there because you feel like you are eating all the time. (Yet somehow almost all the employees are slim and attractive and stylish. Go figure.) I didn't think I would find another foodie company again. Boy was I wrong. Last week we had a homemade breakfast quiche on Thursday and homemade hot chocolate on Friday. Apparently that was just the beginning. This is our office menu for the week.

Monday
-- Homemade chili.
-- Homemade chocolate cake.

Tuesday
-- Breakfast casserole.
-- Homemade tomato basil soup.
-- Grilled cheeses.

Wednesday
-- Breakfast casserole.

Thursday
-- Breakfast pastry.

Friday
-- Breakfast casserole.
-- Our Christmas party -- more to come on this later.

Potpouri Items
-- Homemade cider.
-- Homemade chocolate chip cookies.
-- Another chocolate cake.
-- Pumpkin roll.

So far everything I have put in my mouth has been absolutely delicious. And I'm expecting more things to appear...

Verdict

Well the office ate the cake after lunch -- delicious homemade chili. It was actually quite yummy. Fell apart on the fork, but tasted great. Especially the icing! And the office enjoyed my story...

Kitchen Explicatives

I have to say that my expectations for the weekend were not only met, but exceeded. I had a blast with Mary Alice and Steven. The bonfire at the Thain's turned out to be an indoor party, due to rain and freezing temperatures. We had such a good time that I didn't leave until 11:30 and ended up staying with friends in Columbia. And then I went to First Pres the next morning (all in the same outfit, mind you). The sermon was awesome! And the Mt. Pleasant Christmas parade was super fun -- good food, good beer, good floats, and watching my mom act as stilly as a 4 year old.

That brings us to last night. I needed to make a dessert for work today. I tossed around a few ideas in my head of recipes that I'd made before. But I decided to try something new. It sounds like the easiest cake in the world to make so I gave it a whirl. It's called "Diet Coke cake" and all you do is mix a box of cake mix with a can of diet coke, and bake as directed. Who could screw that up?

My game plan was to bake 2 round cakes and make some sort of icing. The batter tasted good and the cakes looked good as they came out of the oven. While they were baking, I started making homemade chocolate buttercream frosting. I flipped one cake out on to the cake carrying thing. Disaster. Most of the bottom of the cake was stuck to the pan and then it all just crumbled to several pieces. Ugh. There was cussing. I was on the phone with Mary Glenn, who is the most incredible baker. We had to get off the phone so I could call Mrs. Shelton because I knew she could relate to my kitchen troubles. (I've heard numerous stories of her things not turning out right, burning, etc. and her cussing in the kitchen.) Her suggestion: turn it into a trifoil. That would be great, but I wanted to use the buttercream frosting.

After I calmed down a bit, I tried to turn out the second cake. Now, this will be a small, single layer cake. Result: same thing, but not quite as bad. And, yes, I did grease the pans. So it was cracked and will fall apart as soon as you try to cut it, but I slapped some frosting on there anyway and brought it to work this morning. It doesn't look pretty, but it should taste good. We shall see.

TGIF

I'm so excited about the weekend! Friday night my good friend Mary Alice is coming to stay with me! I can't wait to eat good food, catch up, and enjoy her company. Also...she's bringing her man friend and I'm super excited to get to know him better.

Saturday afternoon I'm heading to Lexington, SC for the second annual bonfire at the Thain's house. Good times are to be had by all.

And Sunday is the Mt. Pleasant Christmas Parade! I briefly saw some of the Downtown Christmas Parade this past Sunday, and I must say, Mt. Pleasant's is ten times better. Real floats. Better bands. Candy. It's at night, rather than during the day. My parents and their friends have a parade party, so I'll be tagging along for the festivities.

In other news, yesterday and today, I sat in on depositions for work. So cool. I really enjoyed it. I mean, its no real life John Grisham or Law & Order SVU, but it is definitely interesting and a nice change of pace. Last night I did some light cooking. I haven't cooked too much lately, so this was fun for me.

• Fried some bacon for the weekend. Only a few pieces were burned in the process. While no one's bacon is as good as my mom's, it smelled awesome and I had to resist eating it right then.
• Made a flour-less chocolate cake. I really had to resist cutting a piece last night. The batter tasted awesome and it was super easy to make! I hope its delicious.
• Concocted supper that will also be lunch for today and then some. Can of chopped tomatoes with garlic and onion, green peas, shrimp, more garlic, and some spices. Turned out to be pretty good. Would also be good over rice.

Great Morning

As I've mentioned before, mornings are not my best friend. Yet, this morning was surprisingly awesome. I woke up a bit earlier and showered this morning so I could straighten my hair. (Yes, I did bring my straightener to work again in case I need to touch up, but hoping I don't have to.) My time in the Word was short, but I had some really good time in prayer which was great and a nice change for me. Prayer is something I really struggle with, so when it is honest and conversational with my Lord, I love it. And I had time to order my parents Christmas present online this morning!

In addition, I look really cute and professional for work today. I'm loving my new winter coat. Go Old Navy!

There were awesome songs on the radio on my way to work, starting with "Jitterbug." This song is peppy and fun and always makes me think of Zoolander. And Zoolander always makes me think of Krissie and Ryan Molony. AND when I got to work a co-worker brought in homemade ham and cheese quiche. It was delicious...I seriously could have eaten the entire thing.

So, all in all, a great morning. I'm sure I'll crash sometime soon. Hoping the rest of the day is equally as fantastic!

Tales of the Townies

So I went over to mom's for supper tonight. Dad's out of town, it was the anniversary of one of mom's best friends (Judy) passing away, and I was in need of a meal that I didn't have to think about -- all in all, a good night to hang out with mom. After a nice home cooked meal, mom and I start debating if we want to go to a friend's daughter's (Lydia) jewelry show. It is part of her high school senior thesis and she dedicated the show to our friend, Judy. While we wanted to support Lydia, we didn't want to drive to North Charleston.

My mother doesn't like to venture outside of her bubble AKA Mt. Pleasant. She'll go to West Ashley, North Charleston, or Downtown for Krispy Kreme or shopping adventures. But most of the time my dad or one of her friends is doing the driving. It's just not her thing. Also note that I did not mention James Island in that least. I'm pretty sure that my mom will have made it to Columbia more than she'll make to where I live now. And I'm 20 minutes away. I digress...

Mom asks me to drive and I kindly decline. We pile in the old Suburban and I ask if we have her GPS. No. We don't because she doesn't like it telling her what to do or punching things in...her typing skills are for another post. 20 minutes later we're on 26 heading down the road. Mom wonders if we're heading in the right direction. Since dad is out of town, we call one of her friends: clearly, we are not heading in the right direction. We turn around at the busiest intersection in North Charleston and get back going the right way.

We continue to get lost and lost and lost. We end up at the tale end of King Street, at which point mom says we are in BFE -- only she says it explicitly. Ha! We are both frightened to ask anyone for directions and are hoping that we don't run out of gas, because of course we are low on gas and lost in the middle of the ghetto at night. After many twists and turns we finally stumble upon the old Navy base where we were headed. Sigh of relief? Not quite. We then get lost on the base and drive around it for a while. Finally, 45 minutes later, we find our destination.

But Lydia's jewelry was beautiful, it was good to see them, and they had wine. Lucky for me, I started enjoying red wine the other day. So I certainly helped myself to a glass.

Lesson learned: Mt. Pleasant townies shouldn't venture outside of their limits. Especially at night. Also, mom should keep the GPS in the car. Just in case.

Serving Others

I read this article last week on CNN.com and thought it was pretty cool. Meeting physical AND spiritual needs -- way to go Salvation Army. I didn't know too much about their organization, but did some research, and think it's solid.

Salvation Army red kettles now accepting prayer requests
McKay Allen KXLY4 Reporter

AAASPOKANE -- The Salvation Army bell ringers bring out the red kettles each Christmas typically to raise money but this year they’ve taken on a new role. They’re also accepting prayer requests now.

They say the Salvation Army has seen an unprecedented need in the community this year and they've had a lot people ask them to pray for them.

It started earlier this fall when the Salvation Army put a prayer request box in their building and received hundreds of requests.

“I was shocked by the need and the intensity of the prayer requests,” Captain Kyle Smith with the Salvation Army said.

The Salvation Army bell ringers bring out the red kettles each Christmas typically to raise money but this year they» More KXLY.com VideoNow the Salvation Army wants people to put their prayer requests in here.

“We're accepting donations from the public to help people, but also helping the public if they want someone to pray for them,” Smith said.

There are simple prayers from a kid requesting “a baby brother” to a parent’s request to “pray for my 15 year old son that he gets some sense.” Then there are the prayers with more serious tones.

“Please pray for my family to find a place to live,” Smith says as he reads one of the requests request. In another, a request for a husband to come home while another is from a woman with breast cancer asking for a prayer as she goes through chemotherapy. Some ask for financial miracles, for their spouse to keep a job, others want a brother at war to come home safe.
“I'm the pastor and director of the Salvation Army and I forgot how much need is really out there and how much people just wanna reach out to God,” Smith said.

So every night Kyle Smith and his special prayer team goes through the stacks of requests and they pray.

“If 1,000 people put in prayers or two, we're gonna pray for them ... its as simple as that,” Smith said.

“They just need his help right now and I believe I can give it ... that's why I'm willing to pray.”

It's the little things in life.

Like Aveeno Positively Radiant that make me smile.

At our past B5 Reunion, last summer, I borrowed Mary Anne's moisturizer. It. Was. Fabulous. I don't even like to use moisturizers, let alone get excited about them, but it made my skin feel fantastic. Now seeing as how (1) I liked this product, but (2) Mary Anne has gorgeous, flawless skin, I should have rushed right out and purchased this bottle of goodness. But I waited until my current moisturizer was almost out and made the purchase over Thanksgiving break.

It's a bit more than I'd typically spend on face lotion, but you can still get it at Wal Mart. Honestly, that has become a must for me these days...getting as many things as I can at one store. Call it efficiency or laziness...

And so far, I have LOVED using it every day. It's light, yet hydrates well. And maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I really do think my skin looks better because of it. (I hope I didn't just jinx myself with that!)

Something to Ponder

My dear friend Cameron sent me this the other day and I loved it. First, let me share a bit about Cameron. I was friends with her older sister, Courtney, at Presbyterian College. Naturally, I was hoping to be friends with the youngest Thain, too. (With humor, style, and honesty, they make quite the dynamic sister duo.) We were in the same sorority, spent a summer together in Myrtle Beach, and had many mutual friends. But the Lord really drew us together in our time studying and learning the Bible together...especially in our season together in Columbia. Even though we no longer live near one another, we email just about every day to keep one another accountable for spending time in the word and to pray for one another. Cameron walks beside me through so many things -- big and small -- in this way. I'm so thankful for her in my life and love seeing how the Lord uses her in my life and watching her grow in the Lord to become the godly lady she was created to be.

Quiet Down

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness to pray.Luke 5:16
Did you know there are cultures in the world that don't have a word for "minute" or "hour"? They simply have no need or desire to measure time in such short increments. Nor do they attempt to maximize every second of every day. Filling their lives to the brink would be unthinkable.

Sound too third-worldish to you? Isn't it easy to see how such words are not necessary in places where people grow their own food and rarely venture beyond their own village?
I'm not suggesting that we all move into the woods and live off the land. But I am encouraging you to consider the benefits of pulling the throttle back just a notch and embracing a more contemplative lifestyle. When you allow yourself time for creative solitude, you can see God at work and begin to rediscover life in all its richness. When you give yourself the necessary time and space to seek clarity, gain perspective and ponder decisions, you find more to savor, enjoy and appreciate.

As I reflect on these two different approaches to life--the rushed and the restful--I force myself to ask, How did Jesus live? Was He frantic or steady? Was He checking the sundial every few minutes, wishing He could cut some time off His commute to the next city? Or was He able to stop and tend to the needs around Him?

Jesus had more pressure on Him than any of us can fathom. His own disciples were always peppering Him with questions. The Pharisees wanted Him dead. The crowds wanted Him king. Many pressed against Him, wanting to be healed.

Yet He got alone to pray. To think. To be strengthened. He sought His Father and enjoyed Him in the quiet moments of life.

ART

No, not the activity you went to in middle school, it's the bus I ride from my parking lot to my office. At first I thought this was going to be a real bummer, but I've come up with the top 5 reasons I enjoy ART:

5. I save over $600 a year by not paying to park. Riding the bus is FREE.
4. I don't have to fight traffic once I get into downtown.
3. It doesn't add any time to my mornings.
2. I don't have to think about what I'm doing, but instead can sit, relax, people watch, and sip my Diet Coke...hoping the caffine kicks in ASAP.
1. Toni. She is hands-down the greatest bus driver ever. Just a cool person. Always friendly in the morning and the afternoons. Huge smile on her face. Really makes my day when I see her.

The Great Flood

Noah would have been better off than me this morning. I wish I had an ark, a canoe, a something other than my compact car this morning. It rained all night last night (and is supposed to start up again soon), thus causing massive traffic issues and most of Downtown to flood. High tide was at 7:20 and thus there was some serious flooding. I mean flooding with white caps. One of my co-workers was literally stranded and pulled into a random MUSC parking lot, where our boss had to go pick her up because she couldn't make it to the office with all of the flooding.

How bad was the traffic? Well, as for the traffic, it took me an over and hour and a half to get to my training meeting. You read correctly. I left at 8:00, became adgitated by 8:35 in the bumper to bumper traffic, and made it to the foot of the James Island connector at 9:00. That's an hour travel time for about 4 miles. I could have walked faster. It was more frustrating, ahem, enjoyable due to the fact that the person in front of me let EVERY car in...and when we FINALLY made it to the connector, he didn't even get on. Really?!? But my boss was chill about it and I made it to my meeting. They hadn't started yet because they didn't think anyone else would show up. We even got off early today in order to beat the next traffic jam/flood situation.

Hump Day Joy

Since I have a training session to attend from 9 to 12 today, and it's on the other side of campus, my boss told me not to come in the office before the meeting. Wa-hoo. That gave me an extra hour in my morning! I was able to sleep in a bit longer, spend a bit more time with the Lord, and just move at a more leisurely pace. It was lovely!

Today

Other than having purchased a product(RED) shirt from the Gap and iPod nano, I cannot claim to be an AIDS activist in any way. However, it is both terribly sad and scary to me how quickly this disease has spread globally in a 30 or so year time span. While many medical advances have taken place and many people are able to live healthy lives with the proper medicines, these medicines are not available to all -- mainly due to cost. And so an estimated 3,8o0 people die each day due to AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.

So, in honor of World AIDS day, I give you this article:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/12/01/koska.syringe.prevent.infection/index.html

One man's quest to make a global change. In summary: this guy created the K1 Auto-Disable (AD) syringe, can only be used once and thereby helps stop the spread of blood-borne diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis. Fourteen licensees now distribute syringes to more than 70 countries, and from sales figures, it is estimated that 9 million lives have been saved. AND these syringes are not any more expensive than an ordinary syringe.

I guess one person really can impact the world...

Better than...anything

A while ago the Lord called me to fast from something in my life...something I enjoy very much. The Lord says all things are permissable, but not all things are beneficial (1 Cor. 6:12,10:23). Sin is the perversion of a good thing. But the best thing is the Lord...and sometimes the way to remember that is by removing some of the good things in our life to focus on the Lord.

I heard this song the other day and it made me think of my time of fasting...can I really say that the Lord is my love? That He is better than anything else this world has to offer? My time of fasting recently ended...now the harder part begins: how do I incorporate trust and reliance on the Lord all the time?


Derek Webb
Better Than Wine

You ravished me with one look of your eyes
You, you are fair, you’re so fair, oh my love
Better than wine is your love
If you can’t find me it’s alright, oh my love
Stay with your friends, I will come speak to you
‘Cause you are mine, oh my love
And better than wine is your love

[Chorus]
Better than wine is your love, is your love
Better than wine is your love, is your love

You are beautiful, eyes like doves, oh my love
You have lips like jewels, hair of gold, oh my love
Wild as a vine is your love
But better than wine is your love

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
I tell you, my beloved
You cannot be replaced
With my left hand beneath your head
And my right arm around your waist
So take a deep breath
Because I feel a little drunk
But I’m in right mind babe
And I know your love is so much …

[Chorus]