Mystery

Have you ever read a line in book that has changed you? At least for a season of life? 


Well, I recently did, and it compelled me to be more mysterious, which is why I am taking an indefinite hiatus from this blog. I hope you understand.


"We need more true mystery in our lives, Hem," he once told me. "The completely unambitious writer and the really good unpublished poem are the things we lack most at this time."
-A Moveable Feast, Hemingway 

Josh Made It, I Ate It: Buttermilk Chicken

image via Smitten Kitchen

This is an amazing chicken recipe. It comes out so moist and flavorful. We are having it tonight, yay!

Recipe here.

SEE The Salvation Of The Lord

And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today..."

-Exodus 14:13

The Exodus could have gone down so much easier then it did. Yet God choose to harden Pharaoh's heart over and over again. Why? Was it to make a better children's movie or felt board story? I think not. Then why?

Because His purpose was not only to save His people Israel, but to also show His people Israel He is Savior. If He were to liberate Israel from Egypt with out the plagues, Red Sea parting, etc. Israel would continue to be self-reliant and would not cultivate a heart of trust for their Lord. God wanted them to SEE their salvation and SEE that salvation was a part of who God is and what He is in the business doing. I would even argue (though I am no theologian) that having Israel identify and trust God as Savior was more prominent than their actual escape from Egypt, for Israel would be oppressed again (and indeed they would grow self-reliant once more) but God would never cease to be the Great Liberator.

I feel as if I can often be as Israel, more concerned with the desired outcome of a burdensome situation then with the Lord who IS Savior. The question is never will I be delivered, for I will and always have been. The question is, Do I trust in my deliverer who works for me today?

INSTALEX

My favorite shots of my Instagram career. Gonna try to post my faves weekly from here on out.

Josh Made It, I Ate It: The Softest Scramble

image viabonappetit

You may not think there is much of an art to scrambled eggs, but that's probably because you haven't tried this recipe yet. These eggs are so soft and so flavorful! They kinda resemble polenta and go down just as smooth!


Recipe here.

The Message Of Easter

The message of Easter, then, is neither that God once did a spectacular miracle but then decided not to do many others nor that there is a blissful life after death to look forward to. The message of Easter is that God's new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that now you're invited to belong to it.
-N.T. Wright, Surprised By Hope

Inspired By The Outdoors

My ideal workspace.

viaapartmenttherapy

Sigh.

viahonestlywtf

Josh Made It, I Ate It: Tomatoes Provencal

This is a great side dish or appetizer, especially when you can get really flavorful heirloom tomatos! Essentially they are just baked tomatoes topped with this breadcrumb parmesan mixture. But the synergy between the heat of the oven, the sweetness of the tomatos, the toastiness of the breadcrumbs and nuttiness of the parmesan is brilliant! Did I mention it comes from the Tartine Bread cookbook. Oh, you know it's good!

Recipe here.

Sunday In The City

Spent some time at Crissy Field this past Sunday. Check it out.

It twas a beautiful Spring day.

Wink.

The UC Santa Cruz mascot made an appearance. 

Surfing the bay break, only in SF.

Can you guess where we went next?

Tartine to devour this beaut.

Till next Sunday then!

Hanging In there

You know those days where all you want to do is give up the fight, crawl up in a hole and completely self-indulge with tons of chocolate, shopping sprees, mindlessly good 90's movies and no thoughts or cares about others. I seem to be having a lot of those lately, but I refuse to give in! I wish this losing your life was a one and done decision.

Staring At Vacancy

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

-Genesis 50:20

Even after all the hardship Joseph has experienced in his life, he gives no weight to the evil but instead is focused on the good that God has brought out of the pain. God didn't cause Joseph's brothers to betray him and cast him off, but He did use the situation to show his providence and provision by using Joseph's situation to bring about what He had promised to Israel. God's plan assumes the existence of evil and works within in it. In fact, I won't make a wide sweeping statement, but in this case He depended on it's occurrence in order to carry out His plan.


Lord knows there will always be hardship in life. I may have experienced a bit more this year than usual, but I would be blind and stupid if I thought things would never get harder. I have wasted many months focusing on the pain and injustice of it all. Sure, I caught glimpses of how God was working through it, but I was too focused on the unfortunate situation to give proper admiration to what He was working out in and through me because of (not inspite of) it. 


My prayer today is that I might shift my focus from me to God so that I might have eyes to see the good things that have been there all along. So that I might see the beautiful thing He is making out of the dust instead of the vacant spot on the floor where the dust USED TO lie. For He does not put one thing to death and bring life to another, rather He resurrects and redeems the thing that was put to death. 


image viaAuntieP

Slow Motion Ballet

Isn't the human body amazing.

Josh Made It, I Ate It: The Perfect Roast Chicken

Image vianotquitenigella

This is hands down the best roast chicken I have ever had. Like Michelin Star good. It is so moist and bursting with flavor. You'd never know it only had 4 ingredients.

It is very important to get a small broiler chicken within the designated weight limit and I would highly recommend roasting it in a cast iron skillet. Enjoy! 

Recipe here.

MSGM Goodness

viabecauseimaddicted

Physicians Prayer

Saw this in my Doctor's office yesterday and really appreciated it...



Lord, Thou Great Physician, I kneel before Thee. Since every good and perfect gift must come from Thee:


I pray give skill to my hand, clear vision to my mind, kindness and sympathy to my heart. Give me singleness of purpose, strength to lift at least a part of the burden of my suffering fellow men, and a true realization of the rare privilege that is mine. Take from my heart all guile and worldliness, that with the simple faith of a child I may rely on Thee.


Amen

Soft Spot

What can I say, I have a soft spot for Kate Moss.

vianoteworthy

All Black Everything

viamanifesto

Great Gatsby Poster Released

I really, really, really can't wait.

Is This A Cute Ring? Oui!

viaetsy

Josh Made It, I Ate it: Tender & Crisp Chicken Legs With Sweet Tomatoes

Josh makes this dish all the time and it is one of my faves! The chicken practically falls off the bone when it is done cooking and the tomatoes and basil add such great flavor. FYI: We always opt for the cannellini bean option instead of the potatoes. Recipe here.

Recipe and photo courtesy of: A Cat In The Kitchen