A Review: One Thousand Gifts

I recently finished One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, by Ann Voskamp. Ann recounts her journey of learning to be thankful to God for all of his gifts, whether she would consider it a gift or a set-back. A friend challenges her to make a list of 1,000 things that she is thankful for... and through that journey, she begins to understand the importance of thankfulness and how becoming thankful opens the door to a more intimate relationship with God. One of my favorite passages of the book is actually a quote from Jean Pierre de Caussade,


"You would be very ashamed if you knew what the experiences you call setbacks, upheavals, pointless disturbances, and tedious annoyances really are. You would realize that your complaints about them are nothing more nor less than blasphemies-though that never occurs to you. Nothing happens to you except by the will of God, and yet [God's] beloved children curse it because they do not know it for what it is." (p.125)


There were a few things about the book that concerned me -- for example, I found her writing style distracting. Also, some of her theology and use of Scripture seemed a little fuzzy. However, those issues aren't deal-breakers, and what I gained from the book outweighs the negative. The book encouraged me to pursue thankfulness in all circumstances, and to see the goodness in all of God's gifts. To trust Him with my life.


I would recommend this book, with just a word of caution -- to read wisely and cautiously.

thankfulness list continued...

3. good chai

4. fireplaces

5. afternoons in coffeeshops

reading list update

1. One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp
2. Seven Steps to Healthy Eating, Paul Reisser
3. Calm My Anxious Heart, Linda Dillow [currently reading] 
4. Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, Paul David Tripp
5. Re-Read Feminine Appeal, Carolyn Mahaney [currently reading]
6. A Praying Life, Paul Miller *new addition to list
7. Christian History Made Easy, Timothy Paul Jones *new addition to list

a reading list

Somewhere between graduation from the U of I and burning out at seminary, I lost the desire and motivation to read for pleasure. It's understandable and okay that I'm burnt out, but it's not okay to throw in the towel and use the "I'm burnt out" excuse forever. So I'm going to keep a running list of books I'd like to read. I'm not going to give myself time limits or anything; I think just knowing that I have other books I want to read will help motivate me. 


So I'll keep adding to this as time goes on -- and PLEASE if you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them! -- this is what I have so far.


1. One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp [currently reading]
2. Seven Steps to Healthy Eating, Paul Reisser [currently reading]
3. Calm My Anxious Heart, Linda Dillow
4. Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, Paul David Tripp
5. Re-Read Feminine Appeal, Carolyn Mahaney

It's not November, but I'm thankful for...

Inspired by this book... I'm embarking on my own journey to become more aware and more thankful for everyday gifts of grace.


1. headache-free days
2. headache-free days without medicine

Seasons

This week we've been getting a little break from the bitter cold that is usually February in the midwest. It's also the time when the days are long enough for me to drive all the way home from work before it gets dark. It's the little things. ;)


Today I drove home from work-- without the heat on in my car-- enjoying this little tease of spring. And it made me think of two things:


1. After a winter of dark, gloomy days and bitterly cold temperatures--particularly the past few weeks where we've dropped below zero--makes me more grateful for the little things. During the summer, I would never imagine longing for 40 degree days or the sun not to set until 6pm. But now I'm so grateful for the extra daylight and temperature boost.

2. I know that it will go back to bitterly cold winter in just a few short days, but I'm still glad this weather is here right now. It's reminding me that winter is not forever. The darkness only lasts until the morning. Daylight comes. Spring comes. It reminds me to be thankful that God is in control and He doesn't leave us in one season any longer than we can handle. 


Lord, may I remember to be grateful.

Chicken Pesto Pizza

I made this deliciousness for dinner last night. I made some adjustments to the recipe, so here's what I did...


ingredients
pesto*
whole chicken breast, cooked and shredded
italian-blend shredded cheese (the recipe calls for fontina, but I already had this in the house)
I eliminated the artichoke hearts
pizza crust (I use these crusts from Boboli, because you can freeze them and they don't have to thaw before you put them in the oven to cook!)
optional: garlic clove


directions
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Slice the garlic clove, and rub it on the pizza crust.
3. Spread the pesto on the crust. Place the pieces of chicken on top of the pesto, and sprinkle the cheese.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned at the edges.


**If I had one in the house yesterday, I probably would have sliced up a tomato to add to this. It was a little dry, but still delicious. :) 


*pesto recipe:
I made pesto a few weeks ago (using the recipe below) and froze portions of it in an ice cube tray. So for this recipe, I popped out a few cubes (I think 5) and set them on  a plate on top of the oven while it was preheating to thaw.


2 c. firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 c. pine nuts
3 tbsp. grated parmesan
2 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil


1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients, except the oil. Pulse until a thick paste forms. Add oil until mixture is well combined.
2. Transfer to an airtight container. Press plastic wrap (I used wax paper) directly onto pesto--to keep basil from browning. Cover with lid; refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 months.
(From Woman's Day magazine.)

A modest critique.

I'm no music expert... and I'm hesitant to admit this...

But I think, after a few listens to Taylor's Swifts new album Speak Now, I actually prefer her second album Fearless. 

I think.

is it cheesy to link to my husband's blog?

oh well, i'm doing it anyway.

"If I Die Young", The Band Perry.

I've had this song in my head for weeks....







I think it's honest, and sad, and beautiful... and I really love it.


But I think it's good for me to remember that while this song is sad and beautiful, there's no hope. And I, because I know Christ, have hope at the end of my life on earth. If I die young, nothing's lost, because I have hope beyond this life.

Pre-Wedding Musings... Post-Wedding.

I stumbled upon this post dated August 3rd, that I never published:

"There are a lot of things about marriage that are going to be a significant adjustment for me. 

I mean, duh. Right? That may have been the biggest understatement of the year. But the point is that there are lots of things that are going to change, that will be hard, that I won't necessarily like right away. But there is one that I know will be extra hard. Because it's hard already. Because I feel the stress and the weight of it even in the planning to be married. 

It's that I will no longer be an "I"; I will be a "We". 

For the most part, that's exciting. I'm going to be married! There will be companionship, love, encouragement... I like the idea of being a "we" when it comes to the white picket fence and Saturday mornings with the newspaper and coffee. 

But becoming a "we" means that I no longer get to make decisions on a whim. I am accountable to and responsible for another human being. I can't just walk into the mall and decide to buy a computer. I can't just decide to apply for a job in North Carolina for a summer. I can't pick up one day and move to California. Granted, I wouldn't necessarily move across the country without telling anyone even if I was single. And, obviously, these aren't very important things... mostly they're just outrageous examples. But I'm essentially giving up some of my independence. I'm deciding to be "tied down" in a sense, tied to another person. Tied to his desires and dreams... not just my own. 

Please don't misunderstand me--these are good things. God designed marriage for good reasons. God designed marriage as two individuals becoming a pair, "one flesh", for good reasons--for His glory and our joy, and for so many other things I'm sure I'll learn.

I'm just saying that it's going to be hard, because I've gotten used to being an "I". But, even though I'm a little nervous about the transition, I am excited about becoming a "we". :)"

That was written three weeks before I got married, but a lot of it I think is still true. There's a lot of life-merging that's happening... the two "I"s becoming one "we". There's accountability and humility, learning to be less self-focused. Even just learning to share a bed was more challenging than I expected. :) But there's so much goodness, too. For one, it's so much fun to live with your best friend. And even in the accountability and humility, learning to be selfless... there's goodness. It's sanctifying. This is the way God chose to sanctify us, through marriage to the other person.

And it's good. 

Too good to not pass along.

Last week I was scrambling to find an easy main course for dinner. The meal I had been planning all day fell through at the last minute (I can't remember why), and I didn't have much time (or many ingredients) to come up with a new one.

I'd been given this little cookbook for one of my bridal showers, and so I quickly flipped through it until I found an option for which I had all the ingredients.

1/2 c. mayonnaise-type salad dressing

1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese

3/4 t. garlic powder

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3/4 c. italian-flavored dry bread crumbs

Combine salad dressing, parmesan cheese and garlic powder in a mixing bowl. Coat chicken with mixture; cover each with bread crumbs. Arrange chicken in an ungreased baking dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden and juices run clear when chicken is pierced.

Super easy to make. Pretty common ingredients. And Brett told me it was the best thing I've made since we've been married.

I'd give it an A+ on all counts. :)

remember me?

remember how i used to write on this thing? more than once a month?

yeah, i can barely remember that far back either. sorry about that. well, i'm back in the real world again. i have a new apartment, a new husband, and an entirely new normal. and i'm hoping i'll be able to get back in the habit of blogging.

but, first things first. breaking news: yesterday, i made my own salad dressing. i know, i know. most of you are shocked, in disbelief, and mostly wondering if it was edible. i was all of those things yesterday, too. but it was pretty easy, and tasted pretty great, too. 

stay tuned for more culinary adventures... as well as what i learned from getting married (note: i didn't not say being married), what i'm learning in the Word, and how i'm adjusting to being a mrs.

i'm getting married

in 4 days.




woah.


p.s. yes, i will write a real blog post again. just not tonight.

oh, hi

it's been awhile since i've visited this here blog. i've been caught up in a whirlwind of last-minute wedding planning and it's only getting more last-minute.


here are some of the things that have happened recently, or just things that have been on my mind...

• andrew peterson, dancing in the minefields. yes, brett posted it already and i know there's a lot of overlap in readers, but it deserves another shout out.
• i have been hanging out in 1 peter in my quiet times lately, and 1 peter 2:16 has been on my mind. haven't quite figured out why, or even figured it out... so i'll just keep hanging out there.
• i was baptized on sunday.
• brett and i had engagement pictures taken (yeah, most people get engagement pictures taken right around when they get engaged... we got ours done 2 months before we got married. :) no harm done, right?) you can view them by visiting this website, click "wedding", click "proofing", and use the password "Wendle".
• starbucks started offering free wi-fi.
• i'm coming up on my last week of work. this means two things: 1. i'll have a lot more time to devote to wedding details and packing(!) and 2. we are getting really close to the wedding!
• this is just fun.
  

hopefully my next post will actually have a point and be somewhat significant. until then, i hope this was, at the very least, entertaining. :)


edit: if i had waited just one more day to post, it would have been a full month... i'm not sure how i feel about missing it by one day.

A very honest post.

Some days (if I'm being totally honest--most days) I want to scrap this whole wedding and start over.


Okay, not the whole wedding. I'd like to keep the groom.


I don't know about you, but ever since I learned what a wedding was--so, about six years old--I started planning mine. Granted, it has been an ever-changing sort of "planning"... but it has never been far from my mind. I would see a wedding on TV/in a movie and I would make sure to note what I did or did not like. I would attend a wedding and imagine myself in a pretty white dress. I would help friends plan their weddings and think "I wonder which flowers I would choose..."


So when it came time for me to actually plan a wedding, I thought I was ahead of the game. I knew the flowers, I knew the cake. I was already reading the blogs and the magazines. I'd watched plenty of weddings being planned. I was waiting for me to fall in love with my wedding, the wedding of my six-year-old dreams.


But then, I realized that it wasn't just my wedding. Other people had been planning this wedding! Not only was I getting married to someone who obviously had a say in the plans, but I'm an only daughter! My mother and grandmother had probably been imagining this day longer than I had.


Enter a lot of compromise, give-and-take, and just plain disappointment.


I kept reminding myself that this day is not about me, in any sense of the word. In the littlest sense, this day is about family. Of course my mom and grandma would have dreams about my wedding! Of course I'll compromise with them!


In the biggest sense, this day is about the gospel. It is about Brett and I being joined together in a covenant that is representative of Christ and the church. It is about servanthood, love, humility. It is about tangibly displaying Christ's love to the world. It is not about getting what I want.


And honestly, I think that this is just real life. I think that this is what happens to most of us. Most brides don't choose absolutely every detail--most brides compromise with their family and loved ones. Most brides don't get everything they've ever dreamed of--most brides compromise based on what is practical. Most brides aren't thrilled and in love with every part of their wedding. It's not realistic to think otherwise.


But the wedding blogs and the magazines won't tell you this. They won't tell you that you might not have your six-year-old dream wedding. They won't tell you that after compromising and merging different tastes, styles, and dreams there will be some things you're just... not a fan of. They won't tell you that because it's not as glamorous.


But it is just as beautiful. I am still getting marry Brett on August 21st. I am still getting to stand in front of my friends and family and vow to love him for the rest of my life. I am still going to have the wedding of my dreams because it is going to be my wedding! The wedding in which not only my plans come to life, but my plans and dreams are merged with those of all the people I love; the wedding in which I get to marry Brett and on that day, I probably won't care about any of the other details. :)

Titus 3:4-7

Sometimes... since Titus 2 is such a big deal... I think I forget that there is a Titus 3.


Today was a good reminder. :)

"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Happy Father's Day

Things I've Learned  from my Father

1. Keeping the A/C on while the windows are rolled down creates the perfect blend of wind in your hair and comfortable breeze. 

2. The art of tailgating.

3. That it is okay for your musical preferences to span genres. (e.g. Kanye West and Neil Diamond)

4. To get dressed every morning like you're going to be somewhere important.

5. To laugh. :)

One reason that I'm longing for Heaven.

A few months ago I was in a discussion about longing for heaven. It wasn't just about the fact that we're longing for heaven. It was about the things, people, ideas on earth that makes us recognize that we long for heaven. Some people mentioned that there are certain songs or certain types of music that stir something inside of them--something awakens that realizes there's more of that. Some people mentioned the beauty of nature as that agent of longing.


One person mentioned something that really struck me--obviously, since I've been thinking about it ever since. He mentioned relationships, friendships. We experience this longing for deep relationships with other people. We hear and read about what fellowship in the church should look like, what gospel community should look like, what the body of Christ should look like... so we search for it, we long for it, we attempt to have it. But, we always fall short. Either the frienships aren't reciprocated. Or sin damages the community. Or it just isn't quite what we thought it would be.


So we keep longing.
Not because are friendships aren't good. We're longing for real fellowship. Friendship that isn't hindered by sin. The kind of intimacy in community for which we were created. We long for more.


Honestly, I have no idea what heaven is going to be like. I don't know what "friendships" will look like, or what kind of "community" we'll have. I don't know if these words will even make sense in eternity. But I'm pretty sure that all of our longings for this real fellowship will be met there.
And if there weren't hundreds of reasons to be excited and hopeful and longing for heaven already... here's just another one that keeps me hoping. :)

A little story about my morning.

In the morning I would ALWAYS look in the same drawer for my hairbrush. The wrong drawer, though.

Yesterday, I decided I would just move the hairbrush to that drawer. 

Not to be dramatic or anything, but this has revolutionized my mornings. Obviously, I'm not going to create a life mantra or anything out of this... but I think I should at least take some organizational cues from it.