So, the FBI just stopped by...

No, seriously. Someone from the FBI just stopped by my place. Apparently there is evidence that someone intentionally set the Islamic Center in Corvallis on fire early this morning, and they are investigating. I am guessing that this happened because this was the place of worship for the man accused of trying to blow up a van in Portland a few days ago. I just think that it is horribly sad that someone did this act of violence to our Muslim community in Corvallis, and so I wanted to just say a few words about this.

First of all, let's be grateful to our government because based on the articles that I read, they did a great job of keeping us safe.

Second, please remember that it is a relatively small number of radical individuals (compared to the entire number of Muslims in the world) who act violently and want to harm our country. When you are in conversations about these or similar events, please consider reminding people that this is just a small group's actions.

Finally, fear and hatred will not solve this terrible problem. It will probably just add fuel to the fire. Try to replace your fear and hatred with more productive emotions and actions. Gratitude for what's good, prayer, and acts of love would be a good start.

Thanks for reading this, and thanks for helping to make Oregon a safe place for all people to live!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I woke up this morning feeling grateful. I had something good happen this week, and I'd like to share it.

There has been one person in my life who I have found it very difficult to love well. Regardless of my reasons, when I thought of this person, there was a stone hanging heavily in my heart.

I read a chapter in Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller this week, and it made it clear to me why I was not loving this person, and why I needed to be. I was not loving her because she was not doing what I thought she should be doing, and I felt like it was hurting her and people around her. I felt that if I loved her, I would be accepting the hurtful things that she did. As Donald Miller puts it, we tend to treat love like money. We give it to those who we think deserve it, and we withhold it from those we think should change. We say we love all people and want what's good for them, but people can tell when we genuinely care about them, accept them, and like them.

However, by reading this book, I was reminded that I am free to love my person despite any differences between us. I can love her because she's a human being, and as such, she is inherently amazing!

After being there for over a year, the heaviness that was in my heart about this person is gone. I still am working daily on changing how I treat this person, and I feel free now.

Here is a verse from a song sung at Matthew and my wedding that expresses the simple beauty of loving daily that I want inside of me:

Praise God for love, praise God for life

In age or youth, in calm or strife.

Lift up your hearts! Let love be fed

Through death and life in broken bread.

Hooray!!!

Please feel free to leave comments letting me know something that you are thankful for!

What I'm Thankful For: Change

As we approach Thanksgiving, I have been thinking about what I am thankful for. There are a lot of things, but currently one of them is that I'm nearing the end of a six-year journey at Oregon State. It has been a challenging six years, but also a very valuable experience. One big thing that I am thankful for is how much change I have experienced in my life! I'd like to explain this...

Leaving high school, I felt like I had religion and morality pretty well figured out. Looking back to high school days, I cringe at how I behaved and the things that I said. I must have been very difficult to talk to because I felt like it was my duty to make sure people knew when I disagreed with them so that I could point out where their faults were. (*shakes her head*) I remember some of my friends decided to try getting drunk, and they couldn't discuss it with me without fear of condemnation. Perhaps even more painfully, I felt like there was a spiritual obligation to insert God into a conversation whenever at all possible. I feel like I didn't accept people as they were. I don't think people would say I was generally unkind, but I certainly didn't embrace people.

It took a couple years, but during college, I think that this started changing. I'm not sure about what all the factors were. I'm sure that some of my classes helped, and moving to a school with almost all new people to me (compared to Newport...) certainly helped a lot. However, perhaps it was really just God helping me to interact with people. I'm sure He was aware that I was in need of some help! What a blessing to me though! (And debatably a blessing to those around me!) How much more full and good life is when I can laugh and enjoy people... ALL people. Not just the people who agree with me.

In a sense, I'd like this to read as an apology to some people that I knew in high school and perhaps early in college. I'm sorry that I didn't love you fully like I should have.

However, mostly I'd like to celebrate the fact that I can look back at the past six years and see that God used my college years to do more than to improve my mathematical logic skills. :)

I'm still working on loving people (as a few of you who have read all of my posts know!) However, whoever happens to read this, I hope that you know I do love you. And that, my friends, is the blessing of change.

Recipes!

I decided to share some of the recipes that we enjoy so much. I tend to change things in recipes a fair amount. I often use whole wheat instead of white flour for much of the flour, and I generally use less sugar than people recommend! Of course, make your own changes, too! :)

Breads:

Bagels

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Homemade-Bagels/Detail.aspx

Honey wheat bread

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Simple-Whole-Wheat-Bread/Detail.aspx

English muffins

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Traditional-English-Muffins/Detail.aspx

Snacks:

Zucchini brownies

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Zucchini-Brownies/Detail.aspx

Pumpkin, banana, zucchini, or other fruit muffins

Find a base recipe, and try things! I like adding apple sauce and/or sour cream pretty often. I also like throwing in oatmeal and extra spices.

Yogurt (I am actually just trying this as I type... waiting for the milk to cool!)

http://fakeplasticfish.com/2007/12/plastic-free-yogurt-well-almost-plus/

Meatless Dinners

Enchiladas

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Black-Bean-and-Rice-Enchiladas/Detail.aspx

Veggie fajitas

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Colorful-Vegetable-Fajitas/Detail.aspx

Eggplant parmasan

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Eggplant-Parmesan-II/Detail.aspx

Macaroni and cheese

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Home-Style-Macaroni-and-Cheese/Detail.aspx

Orzo with parmasan and basil

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Orzo-with-Parmesan-and-Basil/Detail.aspx

Orzo with butternut squash

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/winter-squashes-are-here-try-a-butternut-squash-orzo.html

Household products:

Deodorant (This can be tweaked a little to get the consistency how you like it)

Blend together 1 Tbsp baking soda, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, and 1-2 Tbsp coconut oil

Surface cleaner

Mix 1 part vinegar with 5 parts water

Well, that's a good start, at least. Let me know if I forgot anything! :)