tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23876565802373290522023-11-15T23:31:36.286-08:00Food for Thought and Thoughts on FoodMusings on what I'm reading and eating...Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-60920926629322522692014-06-25T12:26:00.000-07:002014-06-25T12:26:03.923-07:00Budapest June 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our team</td></tr>
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What an amazing trip to Budapest! I was there with a team from Roswell Community Church teaching English with the <a href="http://www.piei.org/contentstory.php?ministrygroupcode=17&contentcode=59" target="_blank">Paulus Movement</a>. It was incredible to witness first-hand the love and commitment the missionaries have towards the Hungarian people. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Paulus Community Center and Location of English Camps</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">English camp<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">prepping for camp</td></tr>
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These missionaries give so much of themselves in order to show God's love to their neighbors. They are true examples of what it looks like to give your whole self to the work of God's kingdom. They are passionate about the advancement of the gospel in Hungary, and I came away deeply encouraged towards whatever future ministry God has in store for Jordan and me. Thank you for your prayers and support of this ministry. Enjoy the pictures of beautiful Budapest below...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roman Ruins</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parliament </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parliament</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Stirling (friends of my parents since their seminary days)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the market</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOJqWkGiRDIbwKAx_SFpRXz4Kh7oBRS5EIZxWVnAphP-4pG8e8TjD-GoA0YtuOqpcsWUGDzYBp-bZkwp15PS3Ch1Mpg4INwop929r1istt2W5UdAw9MPsabeSqFnJ82D5n213Twe6eRlw/s1600/DSC_0138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcOJqWkGiRDIbwKAx_SFpRXz4Kh7oBRS5EIZxWVnAphP-4pG8e8TjD-GoA0YtuOqpcsWUGDzYBp-bZkwp15PS3Ch1Mpg4INwop929r1istt2W5UdAw9MPsabeSqFnJ82D5n213Twe6eRlw/s1600/DSC_0138.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the market</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the market</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGx7Ucdsw357WNNrpfmfBFwLUq3vpYMPbrmiX7MqWB3B1L1DMIUAbGb00YLo5n5OXHsG9wfPd9CyPb3i3ltgKN4cdD6BgUVcA83DvoXP4KAkBerpxdKdmZjjG2A2elg3xHZQH6PWjy7DS/s1600/DSC_0244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGx7Ucdsw357WNNrpfmfBFwLUq3vpYMPbrmiX7MqWB3B1L1DMIUAbGb00YLo5n5OXHsG9wfPd9CyPb3i3ltgKN4cdD6BgUVcA83DvoXP4KAkBerpxdKdmZjjG2A2elg3xHZQH6PWjy7DS/s1600/DSC_0244.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fountain at the castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fisherman's Bastion</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parliament</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parliament</td></tr>
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Greetings Friends and Family,</div>
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We wish you a Happy Easter season! Jordan and I
are well into our third year in Scotland (now living in St Andrews) as he pushes towards finishing
his PhD in theology. The sun has finally returned to these northern shores, and we are more than eager for Summer. Our days are filled with many good things, and we savour the slower pace of this town and season of life. I am incredibly thankful to be in a job that I enjoy, and Jordan's research is progressing well. Our time in Scotland has been a blessing, and we have learned much. We find ourselves dreaming and praying about the next step as this season draws to a close, and we are feeling eager to serve God wherever He leads, knowing our
deepest joy will be found in serving Him.<br />
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While it has
been my primary role during this time to support Jordan’s study, I have felt
deep stirrings through reading and prayer (particularly reading Augustine's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homilies-Epistle-Augustine-Translation-Century/dp/1565482891" target="_blank"><i>Homilies on the First Epistle of John</i></a>) to step deeper into God’s calling on
His disciples to love and serve the world so that He can be known. God has provided me with an opportunity this Summer to serve in action, and I'm very excited. </div>
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I will be
joining a team in Budapest the week of June 15<sup>th</sup> to serve the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/n5e6yud" target="_blank">Paulus ministry</a> whose
mission is planting churches in Budapest. Roswell Community Church (a church I have rich
connections with back in the States) has been partnering with this ministry for
years, sending teams to help with English camps – a primary means of the church
reaching their surrounding community. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Americans help to draw in participants for these camps by providing the opportunity for Hungarians to practice English with native speakers. </span>
Our role will include teaching children’s
classes in the mornings and adult classes in the evenings. As much as we hope
to provide English skills, our main purpose is to show God's love to those who come.</div>
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I would be deeply encouraged to know that you are praying for me and the team of eight as we travel and minister in June. My hope is that we may put ourselves aside so as to fully step into God's work. What joy it would be to participate in God becoming more known in the city of Budapest. God’s Word does not return
void; may we be faithful witnesses to the hope that He offers. <br />
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Our team is in need of financial support. If you would
like to give to the team’s combined need of $18,000, please send a check
payable to “Roswell Community Church” with “Budapest June 2014” in the memo;
please do not write any names on the check. All
donations are tax deductable. Your support is most appreciated. Send checks to: Roswell
Community Church , 3380 Trickum
Road , Building
1100 , Woodstock,
GA 30188 (USA)</div>
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With much
love and thankfulness,</div>
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Krisi
Hillebert</div>
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Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-52022369370783068412014-02-06T00:13:00.000-08:002014-02-06T10:36:22.796-08:00A Daily Dose of Super Food<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Iw8PI7A66MvWtZMSh2vKUxiMQrmkOslUZOGjgSsXXf5LpTNYmMGC54r3_6VVFaHLdOrOVRXkSTtMvKTwdiK_5U8YvyGtRgv9NajHEjwfse2cg3_eE-3Q6bekCNTXpqsaAlXNevxce-Eu/s1600/09ee2920d344637eda9a487172a57963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Iw8PI7A66MvWtZMSh2vKUxiMQrmkOslUZOGjgSsXXf5LpTNYmMGC54r3_6VVFaHLdOrOVRXkSTtMvKTwdiK_5U8YvyGtRgv9NajHEjwfse2cg3_eE-3Q6bekCNTXpqsaAlXNevxce-Eu/s1600/09ee2920d344637eda9a487172a57963.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uTMFVB71lRtWkXbpYmY51aM98FXw0tixdNBXxu_oZxIwWmtKsEOHTlo8yw66ZgNV0UzlyI0JIXmUbRJkSCpnQlSTEtvvVZ9Qzh5vxxOWBu7R8-lCKHuoq18Y4ImU45YjVNGZosqAU65_/s1600/5f63267d0f2efafba0ddf3d166875e9f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uTMFVB71lRtWkXbpYmY51aM98FXw0tixdNBXxu_oZxIwWmtKsEOHTlo8yw66ZgNV0UzlyI0JIXmUbRJkSCpnQlSTEtvvVZ9Qzh5vxxOWBu7R8-lCKHuoq18Y4ImU45YjVNGZosqAU65_/s1600/5f63267d0f2efafba0ddf3d166875e9f.jpg" height="320" width="192" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rmHLWO6wjn5HoFFXzGp7OOXrZ6GJywrqVIdCxJUBJoksjzeb84lTP_XF3HnRDui5Q8f7TUFaMDuXPp2zMbNDTwqK3BWGCRuSrF1GurhN9gRKGZAe0WzXL7C64fL1RinNKt7pwpbv8Erm/s1600/96ff56fc4c39ce4d9f198b5137333150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rmHLWO6wjn5HoFFXzGp7OOXrZ6GJywrqVIdCxJUBJoksjzeb84lTP_XF3HnRDui5Q8f7TUFaMDuXPp2zMbNDTwqK3BWGCRuSrF1GurhN9gRKGZAe0WzXL7C64fL1RinNKt7pwpbv8Erm/s1600/96ff56fc4c39ce4d9f198b5137333150.jpg" height="312" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our diet and our diseases have a close relationship. Although the origins of diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease, arthritis, etc. may be complex, we know that what we eat either helps or hurts our fight against them.<br />
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Our response to this knowledge usually includes a laundry list of foods to avoid, which more or less can be summed up with the idea that if it comes in a package, don't eat it. A GREAT RULE! However, instead of <i>only</i> telling ourselves what not to eat, we should pay more attention to what we <i>should</i> eat. I find more satisfaction in DOING instead of just NOT doing. So I want to be purposeful about picking foods that I know will go the extra mile for my health.</div>
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Super Foods burst with flavor, color, and recipe opportunity (many of which never find their way into our grocery carts). Maybe because they are unfamiliar, or we can't think on the spot how to incorporate them into a meal, or we don't even realize HOW GOOD THEY ARE FOR US. This year I want these health warriors to become my best friends. Some of these Super Foods may already be well incorporated into your diet, and for that you should feel really good. You are already reaping their benefits. You cannot eat all the Super Foods every day or even every week, but we can slowly shift our diets to include them at our table.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>SUPER FOOD OF THE WEEK:</b></span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Turmeric</span></span></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNwP2aqnHDXxbaMSdhxk3KxiqNxkiBIO1_UJOYJaldf3Do6_XcoDx707_1qK1ihOwUOR4lxkGVw8ahBf9BbD9bHzZlFIi2_toB9JQUOjQf5eRO0zhc2C0G3JKNWebucBv0Iscii5iog40/s1600/4f45c3b456c88cccff12e6e023e3c7b9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNwP2aqnHDXxbaMSdhxk3KxiqNxkiBIO1_UJOYJaldf3Do6_XcoDx707_1qK1ihOwUOR4lxkGVw8ahBf9BbD9bHzZlFIi2_toB9JQUOjQf5eRO0zhc2C0G3JKNWebucBv0Iscii5iog40/s1600/4f45c3b456c88cccff12e6e023e3c7b9.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a>Turmeric is a spice as old as human culture and helps fight over 600 health conditions, including cancer Alzheimer's, and inflammation. Check out this blog to learn about Turmeric's amazing medicinal and health properties.</div>
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(<a href="http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/600-reasons-turmeric-may-be-worlds-most-important-herb" target="_blank">600-reasons-turmeric-may-be-worlds-most-important-herb</a>)<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">How To Use It</span></b></div>
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<b>Breakfast <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">is a quick and easy way to load turmeric into your diet</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">. I enjoy making sweet potato hash browns with fried eggs dousing <i>all of the above</i> in turmeric (by the way, sweet potatoes and eggs are also Super Foods). The turmeric gives this breakfast a spicy kick to wake up your palate in the morning. </span></b></div>
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Make <b>stuffed eggs</b> as part of your lunch or to take to a pot luck. (Usually named <b>deviled eggs</b>, but my mother always said that she did not want to give credit to the devil for something good.) Instead of the traditional Paprika topping, try Turmeric. It will actually have a very similar finish as they both are warm, colorful, and peppery. </div>
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<b>Indian Cuisine</b></div>
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YOU MAY ALREADY BE EATING TURMERIC if you eat Indian cuisine. Turmeric is responsible for the yellow color often found in curries and rice. In India, where this spice is often consumed daily, Alzheimer's disease is among the lowest in the world. If you want to eat a lot of Turmeric, eat a lot of Indian.<br />
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Jordan and I have been experimenting with this cuisine and find it incredibly enjoyable to cook (especially the process of working with whole spices). Madhur Jaffrey's <i>Indian Cooking</i> has been our guide into this new world of cooking, and I highly recommend it. </div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">This rice recipe from her cookbook and has become one of my favorites. (</span><a href="http://www.kitchenriffs.com/2012/09/aromatic-yellow-rice.html" target="_blank">Aromatic Yellow Rice</a>) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Rice usually sits to the side and acts as host to other flavors, but this rice is a dish in itself. It's <i>that</i> good!</span></b><br />
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There are so many ways to cook with turmeric. I've merely offered a few simple ways to quickly incorporate it into your diet. If you have a delicious recipe that includes turmeric, please share with me as I'm always looking for a new way to eat my Super Foods.<br />
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<b>Golden Milk</b> is next on my list to try. </div>
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Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-3666652222534199372013-12-08T23:45:00.000-08:002013-12-09T09:03:08.599-08:00Book Suggestions For Everyone on Your Christmas List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>"Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures..." </b></div>
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- Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Mystery:</span></b></div>
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<i>The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde </i></div>
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<i>-</i>Robert Louis Stevenson</div>
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<i>And Then There Were None</i></div>
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<i>-</i>Agatha Christie</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Romance:</span></b></div>
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<i>Persuasion</i></div>
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-Jane Austen</div>
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<i>Anna Karenina</i></div>
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<i>-</i>Leo Tolstoy<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiND-Dq4oLyLS4fJgtllr6NSlb5PjcTXpCzVaB5UodjJlLltux3pyXEPrYTWBzW_TyILDrWN4D9dG4d0ORpXyyYC3nhvilYY6fLKM0JBAsKlNIjfLBvgIjKdGgvB1NhNFWIgIW8KSrIS-4g/s1600/anna-karenina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiND-Dq4oLyLS4fJgtllr6NSlb5PjcTXpCzVaB5UodjJlLltux3pyXEPrYTWBzW_TyILDrWN4D9dG4d0ORpXyyYC3nhvilYY6fLKM0JBAsKlNIjfLBvgIjKdGgvB1NhNFWIgIW8KSrIS-4g/s320/anna-karenina.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>History:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>A History of the World in 6 Glasses</i></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>-</i>Tom Standage<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9uL74FxuI_5YoWNDGM8Bp9ocjUrWjbCOr6VlRAdQ9Pfc1LaC0t42ZRQ6P4e3tytArwLKSBuyaG81D4Tzaf55t2WKlfBqu4_XRAR2QBQpDfe0c_V2Bk7hXbzuZLwBnyBflYZmPce20zPI/s1600/9780802714473_custom-ea05b4385f173709934fbb44e60826476dc65494-s2-c85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9uL74FxuI_5YoWNDGM8Bp9ocjUrWjbCOr6VlRAdQ9Pfc1LaC0t42ZRQ6P4e3tytArwLKSBuyaG81D4Tzaf55t2WKlfBqu4_XRAR2QBQpDfe0c_V2Bk7hXbzuZLwBnyBflYZmPce20zPI/s320/9780802714473_custom-ea05b4385f173709934fbb44e60826476dc65494-s2-c85.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The Inklings</i></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>- </i>Humphrey Carpenter</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiRwjO1bTWGGCg0pX8nqanpb9uYkFf4St0DVgPPYDeC2NF3Gnvr6w3fXs6-d3QiQdpPb303S7xqYTdteU5-ZmPURaEJEIPyvrTELRihflB0Y3JIdnyzFsnAoWjmNvPr9Cac04peBeVv-L/s1600/033841-FC222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimiRwjO1bTWGGCg0pX8nqanpb9uYkFf4St0DVgPPYDeC2NF3Gnvr6w3fXs6-d3QiQdpPb303S7xqYTdteU5-ZmPURaEJEIPyvrTELRihflB0Y3JIdnyzFsnAoWjmNvPr9Cac04peBeVv-L/s320/033841-FC222.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">Adventure:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Life of Pi</i></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
-Yann Martel<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zM5LWKUTjKFmjqtjODaaf5h7JUsswCXfp-B8lqgx8ftrA6z3MBqHqbpQvMAn_9p_Tulsswmt8nUXFlZu8vdheO0p3zsMTRXz_0vVglcdvtWmTzd2VY83WxGc-RvS5zy_PNfinv7_ebUt/s1600/life-of-pi-199x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zM5LWKUTjKFmjqtjODaaf5h7JUsswCXfp-B8lqgx8ftrA6z3MBqHqbpQvMAn_9p_Tulsswmt8nUXFlZu8vdheO0p3zsMTRXz_0vVglcdvtWmTzd2VY83WxGc-RvS5zy_PNfinv7_ebUt/s1600/life-of-pi-199x300.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Spiritual:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Surprised by Joy</i></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
- C.S. Lewis</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuWMymd2o3oe2X9m9YL9pbLfnrGuEd71NsPAjc-OrJP44rCtGuM-kfHTGCLgzaI0Lw7G-o_9KMITBaZqKdvyNH-pQGfZ-1h37Y70HFDQVtgDixJG4crOGsFlhW_9geG1V-SzbbNNxPV-c/s1600/surprised-by-joy-198x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuWMymd2o3oe2X9m9YL9pbLfnrGuEd71NsPAjc-OrJP44rCtGuM-kfHTGCLgzaI0Lw7G-o_9KMITBaZqKdvyNH-pQGfZ-1h37Y70HFDQVtgDixJG4crOGsFlhW_9geG1V-SzbbNNxPV-c/s1600/surprised-by-joy-198x300.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Homilies on the First Epistle of John</i></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
-Augustine</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RXgffiw4FskXlkLTKM63ZU7PFc7MEFZiHWJX5eLivcfKLk6GS_CznfkQ5aqEbO-KXk_eL_Htp_YIllvOgbYtwI4zu7GkJ72Ha3YFPORwX6s4AE4Sfe_wnZeYEbd4qLjL9Bo3zZ7VAKwa/s1600/482890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RXgffiw4FskXlkLTKM63ZU7PFc7MEFZiHWJX5eLivcfKLk6GS_CznfkQ5aqEbO-KXk_eL_Htp_YIllvOgbYtwI4zu7GkJ72Ha3YFPORwX6s4AE4Sfe_wnZeYEbd4qLjL9Bo3zZ7VAKwa/s320/482890.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Health:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>In Defense of Food</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
- Michael Pollan</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSh91YjZ-oB_gxJAgihT7xIi6L2GWN7q_gYLuigGC6ZuKBy_dzvcUe_HL1YaTm6mDzqfxdgw-ULWDyrBDQEZvAySsxcx9k09g8i0HMWpl7XmAR22UDLTZATee9BbV8DYS3ITeD2VA2ZREx/s1600/In-defense-of-food-387x585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSh91YjZ-oB_gxJAgihT7xIi6L2GWN7q_gYLuigGC6ZuKBy_dzvcUe_HL1YaTm6mDzqfxdgw-ULWDyrBDQEZvAySsxcx9k09g8i0HMWpl7XmAR22UDLTZATee9BbV8DYS3ITeD2VA2ZREx/s320/In-defense-of-food-387x585.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Science Fiction:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
-Jules Verne</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dH-Bw5Swlwbg09IzrpBjSV1619bmDNxUIo0hC2OscoW-XSpGV2QUQQfAK5bb-jLD4wTUp2zFdRijojT1j2oL1sMSaeyMThVkoa8sHZvGG5-O_8QYL3N6N4zcTwZL8l1O5FZcqWUryR28/s1600/20kunderseaverne.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dH-Bw5Swlwbg09IzrpBjSV1619bmDNxUIo0hC2OscoW-XSpGV2QUQQfAK5bb-jLD4wTUp2zFdRijojT1j2oL1sMSaeyMThVkoa8sHZvGG5-O_8QYL3N6N4zcTwZL8l1O5FZcqWUryR28/s320/20kunderseaverne.jpeg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Pre-School Children:</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<i>Creature</i><br />
<i>-</i> Andrew Zuckerman<br />
(<b>Incredible photographs of animals in this book!)</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQrkLpL8EERtxirDU0poeP7cZXLTTnrY1nGL7bphIntjJBfNqHWoZMWkoeUPuABd-4BKdyWgGDaJWRQSekSO_v2fKP1E9BR06LgMV45uuKlkqYiKSglG3GFDZp-LElqpoc7eGDMthNMq_/s1600/creature.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQrkLpL8EERtxirDU0poeP7cZXLTTnrY1nGL7bphIntjJBfNqHWoZMWkoeUPuABd-4BKdyWgGDaJWRQSekSO_v2fKP1E9BR06LgMV45uuKlkqYiKSglG3GFDZp-LElqpoc7eGDMthNMq_/s320/creature.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
-Thornton Burgess</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XrubIdaIw_U7h_WFzcAAja-waaLcmq7eJNLMIROXcClvnUO1HU1Hf0TrF-tfxF3NujEt7kbiZDTkssdq7JX_YEl9FStdu5U0BVcpJSIsydLX3lBY_3r_lZHTlTxucJpbYgv9ScJdwKzl/s1600/518618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XrubIdaIw_U7h_WFzcAAja-waaLcmq7eJNLMIROXcClvnUO1HU1Hf0TrF-tfxF3NujEt7kbiZDTkssdq7JX_YEl9FStdu5U0BVcpJSIsydLX3lBY_3r_lZHTlTxucJpbYgv9ScJdwKzl/s320/518618.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Learning to Read</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>(1st-3rd read themselves):</b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Amelia Bedelia</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
- Peggy Parish</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_rTLIHkBAnsuiqNfxbYEtOLwkZybWD1pQvfpMYzxloU5E1i7_9vrURsXYQSSOzrMWX7sHCqSPTBPtFA3X7y3WG5IiwoZN5mue7UMTAvREH4qw4zGRIDKbItSkoTQ3vWb0-c4u3cL7Lrv/s1600/amelia_bedelia_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_rTLIHkBAnsuiqNfxbYEtOLwkZybWD1pQvfpMYzxloU5E1i7_9vrURsXYQSSOzrMWX7sHCqSPTBPtFA3X7y3WG5IiwoZN5mue7UMTAvREH4qw4zGRIDKbItSkoTQ3vWb0-c4u3cL7Lrv/s320/amelia_bedelia_cover.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The Boxcar Children</i></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
- Gertrude Chandler Warner</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EiRvO15AeFqiclHSUMzEKkQvBrBokbnmeOVC-UunBF3VtOpf2xS79r7GaIFdSu0d_K6BAmWdOtXs_8BOAG8vdvwUtgilMwwDGrq3t3qMxsSMn-jT9jnEbJxdweKGhlwe1vIpr2-8KGQP/s1600/c51d2943bc900e87dd8db5ea0dac5dd3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EiRvO15AeFqiclHSUMzEKkQvBrBokbnmeOVC-UunBF3VtOpf2xS79r7GaIFdSu0d_K6BAmWdOtXs_8BOAG8vdvwUtgilMwwDGrq3t3qMxsSMn-jT9jnEbJxdweKGhlwe1vIpr2-8KGQP/s320/c51d2943bc900e87dd8db5ea0dac5dd3.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Elementary:</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Peter Pan (not Disney, but the ACTUAL book)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
- J.M. Barrie</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_cCphRmF22OxzlSBspHDSYgRM-8AbplYGR1XC-goCO49nF48LP-5Q55A7aMjcU6jARN4iTA3JYKOFFYW5s1d2N_p3d16nJeyc7rhb0me_y6p8t7o0R4l4MucOp71W42qITFvkX-W1Hta/s1600/9781411432895_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_cCphRmF22OxzlSBspHDSYgRM-8AbplYGR1XC-goCO49nF48LP-5Q55A7aMjcU6jARN4iTA3JYKOFFYW5s1d2N_p3d16nJeyc7rhb0me_y6p8t7o0R4l4MucOp71W42qITFvkX-W1Hta/s320/9781411432895_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG" width="208" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The Secret Garden</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>- </i>Frances Hodgson Burnett</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtCVuzWVLKlj6XJ5XcpK4bvDUpBIU-hlftZCHzaASl87Ck8HgVkLnmujRMWcahk-y5ForTfhNx0pyuHSRlzovUFrvrTolVml4waRVZK264XvreEiYbnDBGBtSwyJcCIe6EGShqM8CvfvF/s1600/9781593082772_p0_v4_s260x420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtCVuzWVLKlj6XJ5XcpK4bvDUpBIU-hlftZCHzaASl87Ck8HgVkLnmujRMWcahk-y5ForTfhNx0pyuHSRlzovUFrvrTolVml4waRVZK264XvreEiYbnDBGBtSwyJcCIe6EGShqM8CvfvF/s320/9781593082772_p0_v4_s260x420.JPG" width="207" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<i>Charlotte's Web</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">E.B. White</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGXNpJimlML69yJlfNqPIUjuWT4Ml6x7C6Y6QUfnsJJgdzEO7kh5XHufrJjIXt3xbP4qyOpozCkhWVEQuXjudzPOeCLp_AqfbfgbLxeOUZcXW5XwYr7s9ckkCyhTsTWJda1obid-HE4Qs/s1600/charlottes-web-cover.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGXNpJimlML69yJlfNqPIUjuWT4Ml6x7C6Y6QUfnsJJgdzEO7kh5XHufrJjIXt3xbP4qyOpozCkhWVEQuXjudzPOeCLp_AqfbfgbLxeOUZcXW5XwYr7s9ckkCyhTsTWJda1obid-HE4Qs/s1600/charlottes-web-cover.gif" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"></span>Pre-Teen (9-12):</span></div>
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<i>A Wrinkle in Time</i></div>
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- Madeleine L'Engle</div>
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<i>Little Women</i></div>
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<i>-</i>Louisa May Alcott</div>
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J.R.R. Tolkien</div>
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<b>(The second movie will be in theaters this Christmas!)</b></div>
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<i>1984</i></div>
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<i>Dracula</i></div>
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<i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>What about the person on my list who hates reading??</b></span></div>
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Buy them the book of one of their favorites movies. They may really enjoy reading it!</div>
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Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-71234016662736976202013-12-03T11:28:00.000-08:002013-12-03T11:28:01.431-08:00Why You Should Read this Book at Age 8 and 50<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1soDczM1eH0JDkzNdc0ytp-cv0gLB39d013V5kcY5Yr21TkrvMNNlEPcgFbNjVTFn9obAvuG2zP_HjHO04QwUhEGJJqBbmgAzppTY8Vv1DTpVwllTGNisIKgeZ0WNC8A0YtAt3-ibN16/s1600/arthur-rackham-the-wind-in-the-willows-1940-shove-that-under-your-feet-he-observed-to-the-mole-as-he-passed-it-down-into-the-boat.jpg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1soDczM1eH0JDkzNdc0ytp-cv0gLB39d013V5kcY5Yr21TkrvMNNlEPcgFbNjVTFn9obAvuG2zP_HjHO04QwUhEGJJqBbmgAzppTY8Vv1DTpVwllTGNisIKgeZ0WNC8A0YtAt3-ibN16/s320/arthur-rackham-the-wind-in-the-willows-1940-shove-that-under-your-feet-he-observed-to-the-mole-as-he-passed-it-down-into-the-boat.jpg.png" width="252" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;">I recently read <i>The Wind in the Willows, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> story I have not encountered since it was read aloud to me as a child, and I will join the many admirers who say that this is a book that should be read at age 8 and 50... and perhaps a few times in between. Through the homely and lovable characters of Mole, Water Rat, Badger, and Mr. Toad, Kenneth Graham (who was Scottish by the way) illuminates simple pleasures and simple challenges that adults far too often complicate. Never underestimate the enjoyment of a warm fire over a shared beer or the true kindness of a friend, and beware the destructive power of your own vanity and misguided boasts. These are merely some of the essential lessons that we much teach children and that we must re-learn ourselves from time to time. </span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNYj6pylishYVZunISntcGrezFhIs16YgdzNKotIICUHJiidtsmUhDyKHmY950_exC4bukdJQ2nBUiZsE_nAusoGDsU5ToQt72INN7TFlWPEI4Wr7fvE3DUp4r-1xVYxfQSyDBonQaN1T/s1600/k900122-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNYj6pylishYVZunISntcGrezFhIs16YgdzNKotIICUHJiidtsmUhDyKHmY950_exC4bukdJQ2nBUiZsE_nAusoGDsU5ToQt72INN7TFlWPEI4Wr7fvE3DUp4r-1xVYxfQSyDBonQaN1T/s320/k900122-05.jpg" width="320" /></a>But in case you don't take my word for it, this tale has inspired everyone from the author of <i>Winnie the Pooh </i>to Pink Floyd<i>. </i>Theodore Roosevelt wrote to the author heartily acknowledging his pleasure in his reading and re-reading the tale. A.A. Milne (author of <i>Winnie the Pooh</i>) wrote an introduction in which he describes the book as "...a test of character. We can't criticize it, because it is criticizing us." He goes on to comment, "It is a Household Book; a book which everybody in the household loves, and quotes continually; a book which is read aloud to every new guest and is regarded as the touchstone of his worth."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DUb5xlsAc6tFYYSkMmlVemIbqTDzwGDjm1Zlfh4MlrIz5K-Z7dYmompy-CKHNuRYyiVmXcg26fOxpOQGTmy1KDWN697QRbbgRbsng2hjUEmjGoSsHbTCSRWINz0IPmxX6-fPDB6Sun0x/s1600/arthur-rackham-the-wind-in-the-willows-1940-it-was-a-golden-afternoon-the-smell-of-the-dust-they-kicked-up-was-rich-and-sastifying.jpg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DUb5xlsAc6tFYYSkMmlVemIbqTDzwGDjm1Zlfh4MlrIz5K-Z7dYmompy-CKHNuRYyiVmXcg26fOxpOQGTmy1KDWN697QRbbgRbsng2hjUEmjGoSsHbTCSRWINz0IPmxX6-fPDB6Sun0x/s320/arthur-rackham-the-wind-in-the-willows-1940-it-was-a-golden-afternoon-the-smell-of-the-dust-they-kicked-up-was-rich-and-sastifying.jpg.png" width="257" /></a><br />
Our society has done us great harm in telling us that books about animals are for children only. After all, C.S. Lewis reminds us that "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest!" I like to think that this is one of the books that he had in mind when he so famously stated, "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally - and often far more - worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond."Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-13647974790857071172013-10-06T05:29:00.001-07:002013-10-06T05:29:55.271-07:00We Celebrate with FoodJordan and I were talking about love languages yesterday, and I laughed at myself, because I think mine is food. My favorite memories with Jordan usually include either eating at great restaurants or cooking together in our own kitchen. Most anniversaries and birthdays are always centered around deciding which way to celebrate... Well turning 29 was no exception, and the food did not disappoint.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6rGxTm8IG2PKjlLPGr9SE2gitPa9GhA4XSbO3ePqCJdWo9jGCc8iKt9KUGNUvV4TNODwfSSilZTIFMLZRbOc9Msa5R-D1sgENJeHmXL31kxdE_N9zGCIdtAXcoZbMbcz-Mz7-F-v8Azy/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6rGxTm8IG2PKjlLPGr9SE2gitPa9GhA4XSbO3ePqCJdWo9jGCc8iKt9KUGNUvV4TNODwfSSilZTIFMLZRbOc9Msa5R-D1sgENJeHmXL31kxdE_N9zGCIdtAXcoZbMbcz-Mz7-F-v8Azy/s640/DSC_0018.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfHj6ZI-F2BKEfcLEZkmeHojydcwSuWJXjM-4kTJiwyqZKLlV0cLhcf0wCJmNuB9vIHfs0KGlIDCz4RvnvBI7-JZAvSZ5klFXXYWA-KvmM4HDq26YRgkLk38h4RVYBk0ZXUKwhzXafeLs/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>After Jordan fed me French Toast in bed (which we recently learned the key to French Toast is soaking the bread in the egg mixture overnight - genius!), we went to explore the farmers market that comes once a month to St Andrews. Here we grabbed local smoked trout and a bottle of local Elderflower wine (from Cairn O' Mohr winery). Add some cheese and bread and you have yourself a delicious lunch. The smoked trout was surprisingly good. The fish absorbed that smoky flavor completely. And with no fancy equipment, the fish was smoked in barrels and served hot to our hands.<br />
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After lunch, we walked along the sea in hopes of capturing our beautiful scenery while we still have daylight and warmth (winter is fast approaching). You can't deny that St Andrews is beautiful!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjjPjwgMSvxBAE2zpNa9KkWrAYPI38XbDHydbZka52YAHYT3HJ5YnFdCVMPgP8NjaDvJHiqtXDFk-cJZLTDiKOCnI-l1aaExPxuHvp3TDZfaLIYu5-YPPPFEFRnunQDEH-jfxxtRgC4Gm/s1600/DSC_0006_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjjPjwgMSvxBAE2zpNa9KkWrAYPI38XbDHydbZka52YAHYT3HJ5YnFdCVMPgP8NjaDvJHiqtXDFk-cJZLTDiKOCnI-l1aaExPxuHvp3TDZfaLIYu5-YPPPFEFRnunQDEH-jfxxtRgC4Gm/s400/DSC_0006_2.JPG" width="355" /></a>And then the grand finale of the day - Rocca Grill. When I left my job in Aberdeen, my co-workers gave me a gift card to this highly acclaimed restaurant which we've been anticipating for weeks. So we got all dressed up for what will most likely be our best meal while living in St Andrews (since as poor postgrad students, we can't ever go to a restaurant this nice without a gift card). THANK YOU to DFS!</div>
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Now, as much as I wish that I had pictures of the gorgeous food we ate, we were too embarrassed to whip out our camera at dinner. The food was absolutely amazing and stunning (and every positive word that I could think to say about it), and as we made our way through the risottos and braised meats and lobster and salmon ravioli, we decided that Jordan's Goosnargh Farm Duck with Foi Gras, Peach, and Mead was the <i>best</i> plate of food we have ever eaten <i>anywhere</i>. It's ruined all other duck forever I'm sure. </div>
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Fat and happy, we went back home and watched several episodes of <i>The Big Bang Theory</i>. The perfect ending to a Krisi day. </div>
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Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-27916963967909991542013-09-25T10:58:00.000-07:002013-09-25T11:02:18.159-07:00Life in St Andrews (And Leek and Potato Soup)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Three weeks ago we packed our few belongings and moved an hour and a half south to St Andrews. </div>
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Above is Jordan's office.</div>
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Soon after arriving we were able to watch the local air show.</div>
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We feel at home in our little flat which is situated right in the heart of town.</div>
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There were fireworks on the beach to celebrate St Andrews 600th anniversary!</div>
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I found a local organic farm that delivers my produce for free. That made me so happy! I like to get food from a local farm, not only because it is better for the local economy and healthier (all organic), but also because it helps me cook in stride with the season. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/leek-potato-soup-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">Recipe for Alton Brown's Leek and Potato Soup</a></td></tr>
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I would not have normally picked up potatoes and leeks from the grocery store. But they came in my produce bag, so I made a leek and potato soup using Alton Brown's recipe. I chose this particular recipe, because I was curious that he added buttermilk in addition to cream (something a lot of other recipes did not add). The buttermilk gave it a little tanginess that I thought made the soup much more interesting than a typical cream based soup. I highly recommend it. </div>
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Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-43635222467878050762013-08-26T08:44:00.002-07:002013-08-26T08:44:19.250-07:00A Conviction to Love - Augustine and Mother Teresa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Words preached by Augustine 1600 years ago have recently become a rich source of conviction and challenge to me. In this collection of homilies on 1 John, Augustine simplifies the believers' task to one aim - the call to love your brother. It sounds simple, but it carries much weight. This <i>IS</i> the fruit of knowing God. If we do not love our brother, we are no different from the demons who proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God. Faith without love is dead, and love without action is mere words.<br />
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Simultaneously, and quite randomly, I have been reading a biography on Mother Teresa - a little Catholic nun who made it her mission to love "the poorest of the poor" in the world. She held the conviction that "if there were poor in the world it was not because God had made them poor but because you and I do not share enough."The depth of her self-denial and sacrifice unsettled me. But she understood the fruit of her sacrifice, "God has shown His greatness by using nothingness- so let us always remain in our nothingness- so as to give God free hand to use us without consulting us." Her life reads as a beautiful example of Augustine's call to love.<br />
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But how can I possibly live out the type of love that 1 John demands? How does God grow this fruit in my life? Both Mother Teresa and Augustine offer a suggestion:<br />
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"If you want to write letters," said Mother Teresa, "you have to practice on a typewriter first; same thing - you want to give love to others, first, give love to your own children, your husband, your wife."<br />
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And from Augustine, "How does charity begin, brother? You have heard how charity is perfected, '<i>Greater charity no one has than to lay down his life for his friends</i>' (John 15:13). When can we have this charity? Don't be quick to lose hope for yourself... nurse it so that it won't be smothered. '<i>But he who had the goods of the world and saw his brother hungry and closed his heart to him - how will God's love be able to abide in him? (</i>1 John 3:17)' This is where charity begins. If you aren't yet ready to die for your brother, be ready to give of your goods to your brother... For, if you can't give what is superfluous to your brother, how can you lay down your life for your brother?"<br />
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Both offer a simple place to start. Sadly, even these acts of love are so often neglected by us believers. We all (from the weakest to the Saints) must pray for God's help. We must pray that His love will find a pathway through our lives to touch the world.<br />
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Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-40073749734384435382013-07-24T11:50:00.000-07:002013-07-24T11:50:37.203-07:00What's Better than Bacon? Duck Fat.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our tiny gallery kitchen may be impressively small, but recently it punched out huge flavor with Jamie Oliver's <i>Warm Crispy Duck Salad.</i> Cooking duck is a double bonus. In the first meal, you enjoy a tender juicy meat that has roasted in its own luscious fat for hours. But a <i>second</i> meal will undoubtably benefit from the extra drippings you must save as if they were liquid gold (in this case I used the left-over duck fat to roast sweet potatoes another day - that is a winner!)<br />
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This particular recipe I am adding to the must repeat pile, and here is why...<br />
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It's a salad, so it is crisp and light. But the warm duck on top brings it to another level, satisfying you as a hearty meal. The asian five-spice on the duck pairs wonderfully with the orange dressing and dried cherries. And to top it all off, sourdough bread is soaked in the duck's fat before toasting in the oven. The rich crispy bread served alongside a pile of tender meat drizzled with a light citrus dressing is just a perfect combination.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recipe from "Jamie's Great Britain" cookbook.</td></tr>
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<br />Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-22340357846357223812013-06-15T08:42:00.001-07:002013-06-15T08:42:33.508-07:00We're Moving to St. Andrew's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Big changes ahead for the Hilleberts!<br />
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Jordan's supervisor at the University of Aberdeen, John Webster, has just accepted a chair at the University of St. Andrew's. We were shocked by the news as we had always imagined finishing out Jordan's PhD here in Aberdeen. After much consideration, Jordan has decided to transfer to St. Andrew's in order to continue studying under John Webster. So we will be leaving Aberdeen in September to move to the birth place of golf (and the University where Prince William met Kate).<br />
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It's a bittersweet move as it means leaving behind dear friends, but we are excited about living in such a gorgeous Scottish town.<br />
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Please pray that I find a new job that I can enjoy as my job in Aberdeen has been less than delightful. And also pray that we find an affordable flat close to the campus as we want to continue to live without the expense of a car.<br />
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God has been teaching us much about His sovereignty and our lack of control in our lives over the past few years, and this unexpected move as been another example of Proverbs 16:9 - "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."<br />
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Here are few pictures of where our new home will soon be...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Andrew's is about an hour and half south of Aberdeen.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The University</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oldest golf course in the world!</td></tr>
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<br />Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-18619205974609873232013-06-10T10:45:00.000-07:002013-06-10T10:50:30.440-07:00Favorite Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKBvnf3EGrhPqkz9HWA1aV3gwQuzKH6m_fY4IlDn5bV98xmC9PKxeGCj38R8fRG7azTCP-VpgDBDnvI7__Sy07hclY74G1FjBQwPXHkLyY2INqg7J8vnURF8OGwK0rdD1YF2HIE08ojpP/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKBvnf3EGrhPqkz9HWA1aV3gwQuzKH6m_fY4IlDn5bV98xmC9PKxeGCj38R8fRG7azTCP-VpgDBDnvI7__Sy07hclY74G1FjBQwPXHkLyY2INqg7J8vnURF8OGwK0rdD1YF2HIE08ojpP/s400/DSC_0010.JPG" width="400" /></a>What could possibly bring dry shampoo, local honey, bubble bath, tea, macaroons, tart pans, and special seasoning all to the table at once? A <i>Favorite Things</i> party! Last week I hosted a girl's-night-in, and each friend brought an item (under £6) that represented one of their favorite things. We played White Elephant with our loot, and each took home someone else's favorite thing. This is an incredibly fun and unique way to get to know something new about your friends and try their special secrets for yourself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAsuQuY76SvpO_xiDC5MBPDF-LTelbDo8iR8L78CFlP9GCB8yGbFKpsbaBBRlvSMc_9QVY4322ieFkjNZL8bNYh6e3JlEGdhlqVq3uRKzlD9WSuf0kIcApbg565bzRpTs_KwkuVTDcPIV/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAsuQuY76SvpO_xiDC5MBPDF-LTelbDo8iR8L78CFlP9GCB8yGbFKpsbaBBRlvSMc_9QVY4322ieFkjNZL8bNYh6e3JlEGdhlqVq3uRKzlD9WSuf0kIcApbg565bzRpTs_KwkuVTDcPIV/s400/DSC_0012.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
My contribution to the festivities revealed my secret love of miniature kitchenware. I don't have many mini kitchen items, but I always want to buy them when I see them. When we first moved to Scotland, I had my eye on mini tart pans for the entire first year, but as a poor phD student's wife, I never felt justified in buying them. But one day they were on clearance, so I could no longer resist, and now I adore them! So in getting ready for my girl's-night-in, I decided to buy a set of adorable heart-shaped mini tart pans as my gift offering.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TshRqN6e7pkCQRi7501-vhg_Nz9K7Dc6-9MrecYOn5JbAad7BOlUtGhTj3cDiL4GJ6P9XPH_jm63rmJNDGejPMPbXJbodrGXqAqZL1WvQzs1wS9PskU31RTzNzp2rYiJC6JGnQxGDmQh/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9TshRqN6e7pkCQRi7501-vhg_Nz9K7Dc6-9MrecYOn5JbAad7BOlUtGhTj3cDiL4GJ6P9XPH_jm63rmJNDGejPMPbXJbodrGXqAqZL1WvQzs1wS9PskU31RTzNzp2rYiJC6JGnQxGDmQh/s400/DSC_0003.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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I really enjoy making tarts - both sweet and savory. Jordan bought me my first tart pan for my birthday one year, and I've been hooked on it ever since. I love how the edges come out perfectly crinkled without any artistic input. I am not one who produces beautiful bake-goods, so I like the fail proof result of the removable bottom.<br />
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Sunday afternoon before my party, I turned on some music and started playing with lemons... I made a lemon tart with coconut crust and a few mini Earl Grey infused chocolate tarts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemon Tart with Coconut Crust</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Earl Gray Infused Mini Chocolate Tarts</td></tr>
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The lemon tart was remarkable. I love this recipe. The fresh citrus flavor hits the spot for me. The Earl Grey tarts did not have as much of an Earl Grey undertone as I was hoping/expecting. If I was to try them again, I would steep more tea bags in the cream to try to draw out that flavor. Even still... if you're looking for a chocolaty punch, try these. The mini versions are great, because they are very rich. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This game idea would also function well as an ice-breaker for a new group of women just getting to know each other (bible study, mom's group, book club etc.)</td></tr>
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In keeping with the theme of this blog (books and food), I've just thought... what if I had a <i>Favorite Things</i> party just for books? Each person brings a copy of their favorite book to share, and everyone walks away with a highly recommended new book to read. I think I love it...<br />
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In case anyone is interested, here are the recipes I used for the party plus a few other favorites.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mountainmamacooks.com/2011/03/meyer-lemon-bars-with-a-coconut-crust/">Meyer Lemon Tart with Coconut Crust</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.thejewelsofny.com/chocolate-earl-grey-tartlets/">Earl Grey Infused Chocolate Tart</a> (note: This crust sounds amazing, but I did not make it this time, as I used the same crust I had already made for the lemon tart.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Alsace-Onion-Tart-109199">Alsace Onion Tart</a> (this is a staple dinner in our house)<br />
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<a href="http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2011/01/balsamic-onion-tart-with-goat-cheese-and-thyme.html">Balsamic Onion Tart with Goat Cheese and Thyme</a><br />
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Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-83475929794673086752013-05-06T11:51:00.000-07:002013-05-06T11:51:31.527-07:00The Pain and the Pleasure of Henry James<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Henry James is proof that literary style changes with the generations just like everything else. Most people today would put his book back on the shelf before giving the second paragraph a chance, myself included, until I read <i>The Ambassadors.</i><br />
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As an English Lit. major, I was assigned some Henry James to read, but with long lists of books on the syllabi, he got pushed to the side and skimmed just enough to make it through class.<br />
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But this past year I thought I should give him a real chance, so I picked up this dark comedy, James's most acclaimed work, and his personal favorite. It's the story of a middle aged man from Massachusetts who is sent to Paris by his wealthy and controlling fiance to rescue her son from the wild European lifestyle. He was rumored to have taken up with an indecent woman, and his mother wanted him brought back to America to fulfill his duties in the family business. A tale of American vs. European lifestyle, of duty vs. pleasure, of presumptions and assumptions, and the lived vs. un-lived life. James's inspiration for the story came from hearing one of his friends exclaim that, after having visited his son in Paris, he wondered if his life had "passed him by."It's a fascinating study of the American abroad in the early 1900s.<br />
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If you jump into this world, you will find yourself immersed in a glamorous story with beautiful and complex characters and unpredictable endings that left his contemporary critics swirling with praise or disdain. But you will also find yourself tripping over abstract nouns, too many strings of "thats," and verbs as states of being instead of action... a grammatical traffic jam. Sometimes you can't decide if it's genius or ludicrous! (I must admit there were a few times I referenced Spark Notes to make sure I had correctly ascertained the action of the chapter I had just read. No shame!) After publishing the work, Henry James recommended reading only 5 pages a day "to let its effects properly set in." Although I find that quite priggish of him, perhaps I should try it on my second reading.<br />
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Henry James <i>is</i> hard to read. Some consider him a "futsy literary dictator," but this story is worth the effort. Take it on a beach vacation when you can slow down your attention span and let it absorb and move you. Although according to James's expectations, your vacation would have to be 85 days long.<br />
<br />Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-34727746772622953332013-04-28T12:25:00.000-07:002013-04-28T12:48:03.812-07:00My Turn to Cook Dinner... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jordan does most of the cooking... Partially, because he is super appreciative of the fact that I work a stressful job all day, but mostly because he's just awesome at it! We both <i>love</i> to cook, but he surpassed my skills a long time ago (something I've just recently admitted out loud to him, because I'm too proud). It's a running joke between us who is better at cooking what. For example, he can't beat my roast chicken, but I can't touch his risotto. We of course have our moments of tension in the kitchen. "Don't tell me how to..." is usually how it goes. But then again, our best date nights are perusing the market for ingredients that inspire us and leisurely cooking together, side by side, with a glass of wine and jazz music in the background. But tonight it was just me... together with some beautiful mushrooms... taking my turn to impress my other half... </div>
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I was so proud handing the beautiful little tart to Jordan... waiting to hear him gush with compliments. He takes a bite and the first words out of his mouth were... "It needs salt."</div>
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(<i>Sigh!) </i>He was right. </div>
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Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-60482874498881574612013-04-23T11:14:00.000-07:002013-04-23T11:14:04.535-07:00Paris... Dinner for Two... Wait.. What?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;">A dinner to remember for sure. <i>Relais de l'Entrecote</i><i>. </i>We had been walking up and down the streets of Paris for awhile trying to decide where to eat, not wanting to waste a precious meal in Paris on a restaurant that was not worth our Euros. This restaurant had a line of people waiting to get inside... so we joined in assuming it must be worth the wait. Seated at our table we were surprised to find no menus. Here the waitress asks you one question, "Quelle cuisson?" (How do you want it cooked?) Service was table-side, and they heaped our plates with fries and slivers of sirloin steak covered in a rich green sauce. <i>Delicious!</i> Some of the best steak I can remember eating. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;">Such a charming atmosphere! Everyone being served family style... plates overflowing with steak and fries. It felt like you were in a Parisian grandma's kitchen. Once we scarfed our plates down, the waitress came back asking us if we wanted more... so she heaped our plates full again. Who could resist? Accompanied with a bottle of wine, watching the Paris night life stroll past, we were in heaven.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><i>Then the dinner check came.<b> </b></i>What we had assumed was a family style feast was indeed being tallied on our bill as 4 meals... that's right, we were <i>those</i> tourists... and I'm sure the subject of a great deal of laughter in the kitchen that night. We paid our bill and sauntered back to the hotel feeling quite fat and foolish having eaten for four. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;">So although we <i>highly</i> recommend this restaurant. Be prepared to stand in line (as there are no bookings), and don't be fooled by the friendly face offering you seconds... unless of course you want to pay for it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><b>Address: 20 rue Saint-Benoit, 75006 Paris. Tel: 01 45 49 16 00</b></span></div>
Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-75843515970814879042013-04-21T03:24:00.000-07:002013-04-21T03:24:18.583-07:00Where Angels Fear to Tread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Meh... I've read better. No need to bore you with the details.</div>
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<i><br /></i>Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-42252043972005714182013-04-07T10:00:00.000-07:002013-04-08T12:01:53.631-07:00For the Love of Coconut!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For most of my life I despised coconut, avoiding it at all costs. But I've come to realize that what I don't like is coconut <i>flavoring</i>. You'll never see me sipping a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">piña </span>colada on the beach... I don't like it. (I know I hold a minority opinion on that one, but don't judge me.) But oh the difference between fake coconut flavor and the real deal!! I began to give coconut a second look while eating my mom-in-law's German Chocolate Cake (Jordan's traditional birthday cake). Delicious! And covered in coconut to my surprise! I then started to notice that my favorite Thai dishes were coconut-milk based. I love coconut curries. However, coconut stole my affection forever through the Aberdeen International Market. This street market comes four times a year, and its most anticipated delight is a macaroon. A fluffy warm pillow of coconut. Made fresh and hot right there on the street. Most foods need to be covered in dark chocolate to make me this happy, but somehow, this one has charmed me. </span><br />
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More pictures from our visit to the market today and our spot of tea with friends afterwards. </div>
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Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-35813357401399509632013-04-06T07:59:00.000-07:002013-04-06T07:59:00.766-07:00My Little Act of Rebellion... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Eggs for £3.70, please.<br />
<br />
I consider myself a quasi-green-thumb, partial hippie-wanna-be. How uncommitted does that sound?! What I mean by this is I care about the earth, I wish I had a garden and chickens, sometimes I clean with vinegar (<i>much </i> to Jordan's chagrin), but I don't have dreadlocks, and I prefer to shower twice a day.<br />
<br />
I think living in Athens, GA during my University years started it all (it's quite a hippie town). What drew me in was <a href="https://www.earthfare.com/our-stores/athens">Earth Fare</a><i>. </i>It happened to be the closest grocery store to my apartment, and it was a mini version (but on steroids) of Whole Foods. This is where I became obsessed with organic food. And it's a slippery slope... what started out as a selfish interest (my own health), slowly turned outward, and I began caring about the environment. I started to avoid plastic (milk came in glass bottles at Earth Fare), and I wanted to eat organic meat, not just for health reason, but because I wanted happy cows.<br />
<br />
Not that <i>any</i> of this is unusual. I am, in many respects, a creature of my generation. These issues have become hot topics. <i><a href="http://www.takepart.com/foodinc/film">Food Inc.</a>, </i>and Jamie Oliver's <i><a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/home">Food Revolution</a> </i>(to name a couple) have brought our food crisis in America to the forefront of many people's minds. In Athens I was even using earth-friendly laundry detergent. You vote with your purchases. Yes, that detergent cost more, but I was telling the market that this was what I wanted to see on the shelves.<br />
<br />
THEN graduate school happened. This had two effects. While in Boston for Jordan's Master's degree, we lived near an organic farm. I went from getting my milk in glass bottles (which I did think was pretty cool), to hand-picking my own organic green beans and blueberries. Talk about "vine-ripened!" I was hooked. The other effect was running into the problem of no longer being able to afford all the luxuries of green-living I so wished to choose. And I do mean "luxuries." (As a side-rant, there is a problem with the fact that these healthy choices for body and earth are not widely affordable. See the recent documentary <i><a href="http://www.magpictures.com/aplaceatthetable/">A Place at the Table</a></i>.)<br />
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Now in Scotland, with the Master's degree and farm far behind us, pushing through Jordan's PhD, finding myself with the least amount of buying/voting power yet, I have to set aside (for now) much of what I wish I could do (no more earth-friendly laundry detergent for sure). However, I can't completely suppress the wanna-be green-spirit. I desperately hold onto a few principles. I may have to choose the non-organic or the non-recycled paper products most of the time, but I always buy free-range, organic eggs. Jordan cringes at the price, laughs at me, and turns a blind-eye all at the same time as I reach for the carton of eggs that cost £3.70. I don't know why I can't let this one go. Call it <i>my little act of rebellion</i>...Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-89335222213070072252013-04-04T12:37:00.002-07:002013-04-04T12:37:52.557-07:00A Piece of Pi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Shocked!</i> This is how I felt when I read the last chapter of <i>Life of Pi. </i>Genuine <i>shock!</i> I can't remember a story that took me off-guard as this one did.... and it took me about three days to get over it. The only other story that took me three days to get over was <i>Munich</i> (but that is a movie so I'm not counting it). I read through most of the book enjoying the peek into India and the scenic description of boring unending days at sea (somehow not boring as described), and I assumed the author's hidden (or not so hidden) message was "all religions are the same." Although the story does propagate this message, Yann Martel has something much more poignant to say, and it illuminates so clearly what our increasingly pluralistic culture thinks about God. What fascinates me about this story is that a person will have a drastically different reaction to the end depending on his view of God. It cuts right through a nerve of your belief/non-belief, leaving you feeling vulnerable and adrift at sea...Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-41012295659860003822013-04-01T11:18:00.002-07:002013-04-01T11:22:54.196-07:00Meditation on Mary<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b>Meditation on Mary</b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">(Perhaps a little late in posting, but the following is a meditation Krisi gave at church during Advent.)</span></b></div>
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God always does what He
promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He always follows
through. Our job is to believe Him. </div>
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Mary is a woman remembered and
revered through every generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is no woman more famed than her. Yet our knowledge of her is extremely limited.
She was a poor girl living in Nazareth. She was betrothed to Joseph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And she had found favor with God. Her
story in many ways mirrors the story of Elizabeth, her cousin. Both Mary and
Elizabeth are told by an angel that they will bear a son who will play a major
role in the salvation of Israel. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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However, there are striking
differences to their stories as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Zechariah and Elizabeth in many ways are what we would expect for the
parentage of a divine agent. They were both from a priestly line and were righteous
before God, walking blamelessly in all His commandments. In contrast, there is
no background information on Mary’s life previous to God’s intrusion. We are
not told why Mary is favored - only that God had chosen her for a divine task. Perhaps
the gospel writers are trying to emphasize the free gracious choice of God to
use Mary for His purposes. God is at work here, not mankind, to execute His
salvation. Zechariah and Elizabeth are a picture of Old Testament Judaism, but
Mary is a picture of something new. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is not presented to us in relation to the law. Our
picture of Mary is that God chose her, and she consented to His plan. If
Abraham’s faith was the start of the Old Covenant, Mary’s faith was the start
of the New Covenant. </div>
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Luke’s account of Gabriel’s message
to Mary quickly shows that this Child is unlike any other. Here the story
drastically veers from Gabriel’s promise to Elizabeth. For this Child of Mary
will be called Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give Him the throne
of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of
His Kingdom there will be no end. Mary is troubled and pensive when
she hears this message. Unlike Zechariah who was fearful and required proof of
God’s promise concerning the birth of John the Baptist, Mary ponders this
strange message and tries to understand its meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She does not question God’s fulfilling of the promise; she merely
asks the means by which this miracle would occur since she was a virgin. Gabriel
tells her that she will conceive by the Holy Spirit, and then offers her a sign
– Elizabeth who was barren had conceived in her old age. This would be the sign
to Mary that nothing is impossible with God.</div>
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Mary asked no further questions and
made haste to see Elizabeth. It would have been a 50-70 mile journey for Mary
to reach the hill country where Elizabeth lived. This great distance gave her
time to ponder over all she had heard. But rather than doubt setting in, her
faith grows stronger. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she
reaches Elizabeth, her joy is overflowing, and Scripture records her song:</div>
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“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked on the humble estate of His
servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He
who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And his mercy
is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength
with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; He
has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble
estate; He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent
away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as
He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His offspring forever.” </div>
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Mary believed that what was
happening to her was a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham and Israel. Hundreds
of years had passed since the prophecies were spoken, and she was going to
watch God’s faithfulness unfold. He was going to overturn the dreadful norm.
The rich and the proud would be brought low, and the hungry and poor would be
remembered. God’s grace had come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
she believed that He would accomplish all that He said.</div>
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When we remember Mary and her
belief that ushered Christ into this world, we should consider that perhaps the
most difficult moment of faith was not in accepting the angel’s words initially.
Perhaps even you and I would accept the message of an angel. But Gabriel
departed, and she was left there alone. She was left with a task of telling Joseph
that she was pregnant in a community that could execute her for conceiving out
of wedlock. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had to wrestle
with Simeon’s prophecy that her child was appointed for the fall and rising of
many in Israel and that a sword would pierce her own soul. How difficult it
must have been to understand her twelve-year-old son who stayed behind in
Jerusalem while they frantically searched for him for three days. She watched Jesus
do the miraculous, but she also watched Him called blasphemous and insane. And oh
the struggle to reconcile God’s promise to her while she watched her Son, the
Son whom the angel had promised His kingdom would have no end, executed on a
cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In these darkest moments, with
no angels around her, she had to believe that God would still do all He had
promised. She had to remember all those things she had treasured and pondered
in her heart. This is the Mary that we remember whose faith endured the deepest
crisis. The woman who clung to Gabriel’s promise, “Nothing is impossible with
God.” </div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-32440302101976790782012-05-14T00:24:00.000-07:002012-05-14T00:24:14.712-07:00Abide<i>The following is a copy of the sermon that Jordan recently preached at St. John's Episcopal Church. We have been incredibly blessed by the ministry and congregation at St. John's, and Jordan has greatly appreciated the opportunity to preach every so often (a welcomed repose from his academic work!).</i><br />
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<span style="color: black;">During his final evening with the disciples, in those last,
precious moments before his arrest, Jesus says to them: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">“As the
Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my
commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s
commandments and abide in His love. I have said these things to you so that my
joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. This is my commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn. 15:9-12). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Whenever we come to Scripture—particularly to a passage like this where
we are confronted with the very mystery of God’s love—it is important that we do
so with the hope and the expectation that God’s Word is a word that unsettles
our own. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><b>God’s Word is a word that unsettles
our own</b>. </i>You see, often when we speak of the love of God, we do so in such
a way that, without even realizing it, we limit God—we restrict Him to the level
of our everyday experiences. We come to Scripture with a certain understanding
of “the way that love works,” and then we map that understanding onto the way
that God must love us. There is a certain sense in which this is unavoidable, of
course, for we always bring our prior experiences and understanding with us
when we come before God’s Word or when we offer ourselves to Him in prayer. But
we must be careful not to let our experiences <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">determine</i> the meaning of God’s Word, for it is God’s Word that ultimately
determines the meaning of our experiences. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">God’s
Word is a word that unsettles our own.</i> Thus, we do not come to an
understanding of God by taking what we think we already know of love and then
somehow magnifying that into infinity. <b>Rather, we only truly know what love is
by looking first to the God who reveals Himself in Jesus Christ</b>. For as we read
in the first letter of John, “whoever does not love does not know God, because
God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Our passage begins with a rather remarkable analogy.
Jesus tells his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.”
Now, the Father’s love for Jesus is a thread woven throughout the entirety of
John’s Gospel. We read in chapter three, for instance, that “</span>The
Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand” (3:35).<span style="color: black;"> What’s more, we discover in chapter seventeen that the Father
loved the Son even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before the foundation
of the world</i> (17:24). It is no small thing, then, for Jesus to draw a
likeness between the love of the Father for him and his love for each of us.
Such a love is not only completely beyond our comprehension—for we know that
the Son is of one being with the Father—but it is beyond anything that we could
ever hope to merit. For even considered in his humanity, as a man among other men
and women, Jesus lived a perfect and holy life, without sin, without
selfishness, without blemish of any kind. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Of
course </i>he was loved by the Father—there was nothing in him opposed to the
love of God. But how many of us can say the same? Who among us comes close to
the obedience of Jesus Christ—that obedience that permeates his life and
ministry and eventually leads to his death on a cross? Who are we then, that Christ
has chosen us to be the objects of his love?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><b>We are the recipients of God’s
grace, the vessels of His mercy</b></span></i><span style="color: black;"> (Rom. 9:23). </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">For “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died
for us” (Rom. 5:8). There is a sense then in which Jesus Christ is the mediator
of the Father’s love to us—a love whose only proper analogy is the love of the
Father for the Son. For in Christ, we too are sons and daughters of the Most High
God (Eph. 1:5). And because we are sons and daughters, “God has sent the Spirit
of His Son into our hearts, crying ‘Abba!—an Aramaic word best translated as
“daddy”—and Father!’” (Gal. 4:6). By this, therefore, “we know that we abide in
Him and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit” (1 Jn. 4:13). This is the
God whom we worship. This is the One whom we adore. And in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i> is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us first
(1 Jn. 4:10)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">What, then, are we to make of the following verse? Here, Jesus
tells the disciples, “Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will
abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His
love.” Does not such a verse cut against the grain of God’s gracious love for
us? How are we to reconcile such a statement with the gratuity of the Gospel? I
believe that St. Augustine offers us a helpful interpretation here. According
to Augustine, <b>“i</b></span><b>t is not… for the purpose of awakening His love to
us that we first keep His commandments; but this, that unless He loves us, we
cannot keep His commandments.”</b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2387656580237329052#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Keeping the commandments, therefore, is an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">effect</i>
of the divine love, not its <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cause</i>.
“For from the fact that God loves us, he influences us, and helps us to fulfill
his commandments, which we cannot do without grace.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2387656580237329052#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The correct order here is pivotal for our understanding of the Gospel. We
cannot <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">earn </i>God’s love, as we so
often seek to do, both in the realm of religion and that of human
relationships. All that we can hope to do is to respond to God’s love by the
power of God’s Spirit that dwells within us. And just as the Father’s love for
Jesus is the model of Christ’s love for us, so “Christ wants his obedience to
be the model of our obedience.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2387656580237329052#_ftn3" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
In seeking to respond in faith and with thanksgiving to the love of God, we
look to Jesus for a life lived in perfect obedience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, so
that we do not become overwhelmed at the thought of such a task, Jesus proceeds:
“<span style="color: black;">I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in
you, and that your joy may be complete.” Despite the terrible connotations that
the world so often attaches to obedience, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">especially
</i>obedience to God, “Jesus insists that his own obedience to the Father is
the ground of his joy; and he promises that those who obey him will share the
same joy.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2387656580237329052#_ftn4" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[4]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<b>Whereas we are often made to think that obedience to God is a burden, a cruel
and oppressive limit to our freedom, Christ reminds us that it is precisely in such
obedience that we experience true, lasting liberation</b>. Haven’t we experienced
this in our own lives? Haven’t we tasted the joy of living in accordance with
God’s will? And haven’t we also felt the pain, the guilt, and the isolation of our
own sin and the sin of others? There is no joy in sin; there is only despair.
There is no life outside of God’s love; there is only death. The man or woman
who has experienced the love of God, who knows what it means to be freed from
the captivity of sin, does not consider the Lord’s commandments a burden, but
declares with the Psalmist, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul”
(Ps. 19:7).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">All of this, of course, begs the important question: what is the
Lord’s commandment? What does it actually look like to live in accordance with
God’s perfect will? Christ tells his disciples, “This is my commandment, that
you love one another as I have loved you.” It is with this simple commandment,
therefore, that our passage comes full circle. <b>As the Father loves
Jesus, so Jesus loves us, and graciously mediates the Father’s love to us. And
because we are loved by God, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to obey his
commandments—that is, we are freed to love others as Christ has loved us</b>. Such
a love is not merely an affectionate feeling, but an active commitment to the
ultimate good of another. Such a love is costly, for “by this we know love,
that Jesus laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one
another” (I Jn. 3:16).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To love is
to sacrifice everything for the sake of the other, to place the needs of
another above our own. And yet, to love in this way <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is </i>to abide in the love of Christ and to share in his joy. To love
in this way is to be caught up in the rhythm of God’s love, to participate in His
glorious ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18).</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Let us love then, not in
word or speech, but in truth and action (1 Jn. 3:18), ever mindful that “we
love because He loved us first” (1 Jn. 4:19). <i>In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2387656580237329052#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Tractate 82.</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2387656580237329052#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Thomas
Aquinas, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Commentary on the Gospel of John</i>,
Ch. 15, sec. 2, 2002.</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2387656580237329052#_ftnref" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Ibid,
15.2.2003.</div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2387656580237329052#_ftnref" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[4]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> D. A.
Carson, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Gospel According to John</i>,
521.</div>
</div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-82552013084825761462012-04-26T04:06:00.003-07:002012-04-26T04:06:38.941-07:00Edinburgh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5ILhzneZphyphenhyphenTZcfODskBop_bo9upQauYfAXcMXKVi5TDGZ-VnfsGJEAQNj-nL3tUEggmbo5dyjen8yqL9UeSHWlyBpavUNaA61K9mZddfa1rIwup3wAeHeeIZaLulnMXzQ4eZ1CqsFBa/s1600/DSC04579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5ILhzneZphyphenhyphenTZcfODskBop_bo9upQauYfAXcMXKVi5TDGZ-VnfsGJEAQNj-nL3tUEggmbo5dyjen8yqL9UeSHWlyBpavUNaA61K9mZddfa1rIwup3wAeHeeIZaLulnMXzQ4eZ1CqsFBa/s320/DSC04579.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edinburgh Caste</td></tr>
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Edinburgh. What a beautiful city. Everywhere you turn there are massive old buildings. So much time and history has gone by on those streets. We were standing in Bloody Mary's bed chamber for crying out loud! Your imagination reels as you think of the events, the people, the stories that seem so distant on the pages of history books...<br />
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We roamed through the Castle of Edinburgh (parts of it dating back to the eleventh century). Here we got to see the oldest crown jewels. However I preferred the tour of the Holyrood Palace which is still a royal residence today. You cannot take pictures inside the palace which was unfortunate, because it was grand!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvA3NaWvsQ8xkJu0iThhdk7pgFq0Ot7zfN1unyWYZSUUdzgrvY7Qw3nRRmry5vfK31V-tNxoSI8GkhkOi8wInhce1aEdMpbad68x_vQ7_BN6TfPUfDGKanfkUTSKl_MVYkm0J-rU7U16ES/s1600/DSC04517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvA3NaWvsQ8xkJu0iThhdk7pgFq0Ot7zfN1unyWYZSUUdzgrvY7Qw3nRRmry5vfK31V-tNxoSI8GkhkOi8wInhce1aEdMpbad68x_vQ7_BN6TfPUfDGKanfkUTSKl_MVYkm0J-rU7U16ES/s320/DSC04517.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holyrood Palace</td></tr>
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The site of the palace was originally a monastery, and the ruins are still attached to the palace. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monastery<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">However, our favorite part of any holiday is food. We were able to have lunch at La Garrigue (the restaurant that Gordon Ramsay nominated best French restaurant in the UK). We enjoyed rabbit, sardines, pork belly, fresh caught coley, lavender creme brulee, and something chocolate and delicious! The next day we lunched at The Mussel Inn where I (Krisi) had raw oysters for the first time. The seafood was so fresh. We topped off that afternoon at a local coffee shop (Leo's Beanery) which had been recommended to us as having the best Chai Tea you can imagine. I would say it was definitely not disappointing. For anyone visiting Edinburgh, I would recommend these three spots in a heartbeat. The other places we managed to dash into for a quick bite were not so amazing and must be thriving on the fact that tourist don't know any better. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first bite of raw oyster at The Mussel Inn</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sr5j701RlxRDTd1MdKBmLwer2t07PZPxTITat_t_SnNwcwf49vXVXpKq_35YZBUeW9c9Scwpm5gf_EYpscWms5Xgr0FCG8hyphenhyphendGS9ksv78FALLim8pq-pNGBiHpcN4kQ4Fur0ysArMYGO/s1600/la-garrigue-edinburgh-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8sr5j701RlxRDTd1MdKBmLwer2t07PZPxTITat_t_SnNwcwf49vXVXpKq_35YZBUeW9c9Scwpm5gf_EYpscWms5Xgr0FCG8hyphenhyphendGS9ksv78FALLim8pq-pNGBiHpcN4kQ4Fur0ysArMYGO/s200/la-garrigue-edinburgh-1.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Garrigue<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best Chai Ever!</td></tr>
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I must say I have never seen Scotland so FOR SALE! It probably puts Daytona Beach to shame with the amount of tourist shops. I don't know how so many kilt, cashmere, and whisky shops stay in business. We were lucky to find some real charming streets, however, that seemed to represent more of a real Edinburgh. Enjoy some more pictures...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edinburgh Divinity School</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church of Scotland</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of Edinburgh Castle where crown jewels are kept.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside of Edinburgh Castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ediburgh Castle<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting at The Mussel Inn<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oysters<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying his chai tea!<br /></td></tr>
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The trip ended with Jordan's suitcase breaking so that he could not roll it, but rather had to carry the suitcase 1.5 miles home from the train station (the suitcase that I had STUFFED, because it was the only one that rolled). </div>
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</div>Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-40169695245506642622012-03-20T08:17:00.000-07:002012-03-20T08:17:53.473-07:00Small Pleasures...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEgF2H2OyRxElqvfKfR_maxkVb9qfxp3mbmM4ObCzB_kM2I1C8L3ZAqUT-eM9lcXJZX6mwuJIyNYZZaw4bZwrGHXka9ZV4AfrRXSbFLLp32S9H3PoMcbjat719U980fnteSMfkI8fSwvl/s1600/120330621263762406_ewW3C9eE_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEgF2H2OyRxElqvfKfR_maxkVb9qfxp3mbmM4ObCzB_kM2I1C8L3ZAqUT-eM9lcXJZX6mwuJIyNYZZaw4bZwrGHXka9ZV4AfrRXSbFLLp32S9H3PoMcbjat719U980fnteSMfkI8fSwvl/s320/120330621263762406_ewW3C9eE_f.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Life is made of little pleasures."<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A wonderful thing happened this afternoon... my kettle broke! That may sound bad, but I was delighted. Our flat came with an electric kettle, and I'm an old fashioned girl and prefer the kind that whistles on the stove. However, I did not feel justified buying a new one, since our flat DID come with a device that heated water. But today it BROKE, and I quickly took myself to TKMaxx to purchase a beautiful stainless steal whistling kettle. And now I'm enjoying a cup of tea...<br />
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</div>Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-36598267355970404972012-03-18T12:17:00.000-07:002012-03-18T12:17:58.326-07:00Meditations on Lent<div style="text-align: center;"><i>The following was originally a post by Jordan over at the <a href="http://allsaintswritersblock.wordpress.com/">All Saints' Center for Theology</a>...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19px;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.7em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lent is a hallowed breath taken before shouts of adoration—the Church’s magnificent, collective inhalation.<a href="http://allsaintswritersblock.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/candles.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 102, 51); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #265e15; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-919" height="199" src="http://allsaintswritersblock.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/candles.jpg?w=300&h=199" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://s0.wp.com/wp-content/themes/pub/mistylook/img/shadow.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; display: inline; float: right; height: auto; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 4px; width: auto;" title="candles" width="300" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.7em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lent is a wound, a thorn in the side of the gods-of-our-own-making, an interruption in the ebb and flow of our most revered secular liturgies.</div><div style="line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.7em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lent is the imposition of ashes, a chorus of dust and dry bones, an invitation for living breath. It is an upturned vessel, an empty urn, an invitation for living water.</div><div style="line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.7em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lent is a voice crying in the wilderness, a shaking and steadfast finger pointing ever in the direction of Golgotha.</div><div style="line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.7em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lent is submission to the weight of costly discipleship, liberation from the cost of self-indulged freedom.</div><div style="line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.7em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lent is an interlude, a darkness preceding the terrible brightness.</div><div style="line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.7em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lent is nothing -- worse than nothing, the clatter and clamor of proud religiosity, the futile wailing of a misanthropic martyr -- if not for the one whose destruction and subsequent vindication bid the foe become beloved.</div><div style="line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.7em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.7em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Lent is an affirmation and an invitation. <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i>The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: Come let us adore him</i>.</span></div>Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-67373638355393090622012-03-11T10:07:00.000-07:002012-03-11T10:07:48.785-07:00Reflections on a Favorite Book<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>1043</o:Words> <o:Characters>5946</o:Characters> <o:Company>Student</o:Company> <o:Lines>49</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>11</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>7302</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdW07V9jma53HESw4i08O0mcEWX8bu0BjPBrHhHWOkqac-UTtsHlykODBQo809nTAN02rK28BamUKX1XynfxPWdBEzsrOVA9I9u3EEbOf3lkZG2fU7Sal3kOVIk0YcYMvQZ2nw1zNwdnUS/s1600/image+of+dorian+gray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdW07V9jma53HESw4i08O0mcEWX8bu0BjPBrHhHWOkqac-UTtsHlykODBQo809nTAN02rK28BamUKX1XynfxPWdBEzsrOVA9I9u3EEbOf3lkZG2fU7Sal3kOVIk0YcYMvQZ2nw1zNwdnUS/s1600/image+of+dorian+gray.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Our church has been holding a Lenten Lunch Series. Every week a different parishioner offers a book review as entertainment while we eat a soup lunch. The proceeds are going to help a church in Africa. Today was my day to present one of my favorite books, and here are my eager offerings for anyone who is interested. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have chosen one of my all-time favorite novels, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Picture of Dorian Gray. </i>I have read and re-read this book probably three or four times now, because of its wit, characters, and accurate depiction of human nature. It shows the depths of our human depravity and the costliness of a life led in the pursuit of pleasure rather than of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In short, I like it, because it is funny, and because it is true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>True, not because the story actually happened, but because it is a mirror that reflects the realities of life. As someone once put it so well, “Fiction is the truth inside the lie.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Just as a little background, the author, Oscar Wilde, was born in Dublin, Ireland in the mid 19th century. He studied at Oxford and settled in London where he fell in with an artistic crowd, which included W. B.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeats (the great Irish poet).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oscar Wilde began his published career with mediocre poetry; however, he became famous for his comic plays (the most famous being “The Importance of Being Earnest”). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Picture of Dorian Gray</i> is the only novel he ever published. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Oscar Wilde was immersed in the rising aesthetic movement of his day, which championed the supremacy of beauty and art and advocated the pursuit of all pleasure. This movement became known as the “new hedonism.” His novel, written later in his life, explores these themes and their ultimate ends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To sum it up, it is the story of a man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgND4e_cLNDh9GcnIIxK76KJady5hJ00_hm8XRFououvQnsMgNSTsuI319YT1Dsbt6kFvza4zpMj1d6Y3iAKgA6fnVvw4WVIg4lUD75Lq20zkH32aTpWojUB4VyPlBXF7D_12CLShoBidy/s1600/dorian+gray+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgND4e_cLNDh9GcnIIxK76KJady5hJ00_hm8XRFououvQnsMgNSTsuI319YT1Dsbt6kFvza4zpMj1d6Y3iAKgA6fnVvw4WVIg4lUD75Lq20zkH32aTpWojUB4VyPlBXF7D_12CLShoBidy/s1600/dorian+gray+pic.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">It all begins in a stately London home with Dorian Gray sitting for the well-known artist, Basil Hallward. Dorian is a wealthy, cultured, handsome young man, and he captivates Basil’s artistic imagination. While Basil is painting Dorian, Lord Henry enters. He is a witty devil figure who amuses himself by scandalizing his friends and propagating a life of pleasure seeking. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He admires Dorian’s youth and beauty, but deeply distresses him with a speech on their fleeting nature. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Speaking to Dorian: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Let us go and sit in the shade,” said Lord Henry. “Parker has brought out the drinks, and if you stay any longer in this glare you will be quite spoiled, and Basil will never paint you again. You really must not allow yourself to become sun burnt. It would be unbecoming.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“What can it matter?” cried Dorian Gray, laughing, as he sat down on the seat at the end of the garden. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“It should matter everything to you, Mr. Gray.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Why?”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Because you have the most marvelous youth, and youth is the one thing worth having.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“I don’t feel that, Lord Henry.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“No, you don’t feel it now. Some day, when you are old and wrinkled and ugly, when thought has seared your forehead with its lines, and passion branded your lips with its hideous fires, you will feel it, you will feel it terribly. Now, wherever you go, you charm the world. Will it always be so?... You have a wonderfully beautiful face, Mr. Gray. Don’t frown. You have. And Beauty is a form of Genius—is higher, indeed, than Genius, as it needs no explanation… Yes, Mr. Gray, the gods have been good to you. But what the gods give they quickly take away. You have only a few years in which to live really, perfectly, and fully. When your youth goes, your beauty will go with it, and then you will suddenly discover that there are no triumphs left for you… </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The conversation continues and Lord Henry urges Dorian, “Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for a new sensation. Be afraid of nothing… A new Hedonism – that is what our century wants! You might be its visible symbol.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Finishing their conversation in the garden, they re-enter the studio to see Dorian’s portrait complete. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And “the sense of his own beauty came on him like a revelation.” Staring at his own image, he began to grieve what time would do to his most impressive characteristics.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June… If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that – for that—I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And so he pledges his soul if only the painting could bear the burden of age and infamy, allowing him to stay young forever. Over the next few weeks, Lord Henry’s influence grows stronger over Dorian as he becomes a disciple of the new hedonism and proposes to live a life dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure. Lord Henry enjoys the almost evil dominance he has over Dorian, and thinks to himself, “Talking to Dorian was like playing upon an exquisite violin. He answered to ever touch and thrill of the bow… There was something terribly enthralling in the exercise of influence. No other activity was like it.” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And so the story continues. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande";">Dorian falls in love with a young actress Sibyl, who performs in a theater in London’s slums. He adores her acting; she, in turn, refers to him as “Prince Charming” and refuses to heed the warnings of her brother that Dorian is no good for her. Overcome by her emotions for Dorian, she decides that she can no longer act, wondering how she can pretend to love on the stage now that she has experienced the real thing. Dorian, who loves her because of her ability to act, cruelly breaks his engagement with her. After doing so, he returns home to notice that his face in Basil’s portrait of him has changed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande";">“As he was turning the handle of the door his eyes fell upon the portrait Basil Hallward had painted of him. He started back as if in surprise. Then he went on into his own room, looking somewhat puzzled. After he had taken the button-hole out of his coat, he seemed to hesitate. Finally he came back, went over to the picture, and examined it. In the dim arrested light that struggled through the cream-colored silk blinds, the face appeared to him to be a little changed. The expression looked different. One would have said that there was a touch of cruelty in the mouth. It was certainly strange.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande";">Dorian learns the next day that the actress has killed herself in her grief, and he hides his portrait in a remote upper room of his house where no one can see it. For “it held the secret of his life, and told his story. It had taught him to love his own beauty. Would it teach him to loathe his own soul?” This picture would become his visible conscience, “the symbol of the degradation of his sin. Here was an ever-present sign of the ruin men brought upon their souls.” And so Dorian goes on to delve deeper and deeper into his hedonistic lifestyle, and his portrait bears the image of his choices. “What the worm was to the corpse, his sins would be to the painted image on the canvas. They would mar its beauty, and eat away its grace. They would defile it, and make it shameful.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Grande";">For a brief moment, Dorian wants to repent, but Lord Henry steps in to prevent this. And so the battle for Dorian’s soul will continue to rage, and the bitter lesson will be learned…For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2387656580237329052.post-77744466102743654502012-02-20T15:44:00.000-08:002012-02-20T15:44:03.811-08:00The Hope of Spring...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYy8Ql2hzww2wS1vV-Q1LlAOpZo3oL1xRx-FiQVSgBBGL46L_S98Zadg15sQ5RTNB0mbmSp915SWuh6mb2j9lWsoEFdWaHlRsAND4c2gYMNG3_qmoYKrP0xx9Nlf5foFMhZcDnCvsZuOhS/s1600/DSC04420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYy8Ql2hzww2wS1vV-Q1LlAOpZo3oL1xRx-FiQVSgBBGL46L_S98Zadg15sQ5RTNB0mbmSp915SWuh6mb2j9lWsoEFdWaHlRsAND4c2gYMNG3_qmoYKrP0xx9Nlf5foFMhZcDnCvsZuOhS/s320/DSC04420.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><a name='more'></a>It is almost March, but when you live on the coast of the North Sea, Spring still feels a long way off. It was only three days ago that we had fresh snow fall. But hope of Spring has appeared. I have found my back garden full of budding purple flowers. I have always considered myself a "winter" person. I prefer cold over hot. I like sweaters and sweatshirts and warm socks. Winter makes me enjoy a mug of hot coffee just as much for warming my hands as for drinking it. My home becomes all the more homier for the warmth it provides from the impending cold. But in the Granite City, winter looms large, long, and dark, and tests the resolve of even the wintriest of persons. And perhaps what is missed most of all in these long months is color. So even though they are small, I recognize God's little gift of color to me -- and how kind that the first gifts of Spring arrived in my favorite color.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Kristina Hilleberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096546151019227889noreply@blogger.com0