Springtime Festivities

Life just hasn't stopped for one minute to let me catch up this week. In lieu of no time, here are some picture highlights from the last few days:     

 

Every Sunday night, we have a group of friends over for dinner and hearty conversation. We've met most of them at church or college. When we get together we talk about the most recent Redemption Hill sermon. We discuss what we liked, things that didn't make sense, and the vastness of God's wisdom. We share our lives with each other and how our weeks have been. We've been doing this since December and it's just been so awesome. It's nice to have people that know and care about what's going on in my life, week in and week out.

This past week we decided to celebrate Passover for our Sunday night dinner (I wrote briefly about the history of Passover here and my mom just posted about it here!). During the Passover meal, the story of how the Jews were powerfully delivered is told. Each item on the menu symbolizes something from the story. For example, a bowl of salt water represents the Jews' tears as they cried out to God to deliver them from slavery. As Christians, we celebrated Jesus, the Lamb of God, who died as the ultimate sacrifice for sin.

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." 1 Peter 1:18-21


 

Tiny thing miraculously fed us all...$18 later

I made Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb. I said many-a-prayer throughout the day as it cooked. I've never made lamb so I was a bit nervous to serve it to everybody. It ended up turning out! I tucked the recipe away for next year.

Kombucha

My kombucha was finally ready today after ten days of brewing! If you haven't been introduced to this lovely beverage, it's basically fermented sweet tea. As it ferments, the sugar gets eaten up so when it's time to drink, it doesn't leave that sugary film on your tongue. Once you bottle it up and let it sit another few days, it can become bubbly like soda. It has live cultures galore (good bacteria) so it aids in digestion and everything else that goes along with a healthy tummy. It also helps your body detox. I got my starter (SCOBY) from my sweet friend, Jess. One bottle of this stuff at the store is $3.99, so I'm pumped that I'm finally making my own and saving some cash.

yum!

The SCOBY will remain hidden...not too photogenic.

I made some chicken broth last week. I put a whole chicken and some veggies in a slow cooker for 24 hours and out pops this beautiful stuff...

Homemade Chicken Broth

The chicken broth recipe is very easy or else it wouldn't have gotten done. The best part about using a whole chicken is that I also use the meat to make other meals. We've already used it to make chicken pot pie and I'll make enchiladas tonight. Homemade broth is so different from the store bought stuff. You know it's good for you when you put it in the fridge for a day or two and it gets jiggly like jello. All the gelatin concentrated in the broth is vital for your joint/tendon, skin (your very own fountain of youth!), and hair health. It also soothes digestion and gets things moving. It also stimulates the immune system, regulates hormones, and is a natural anti-inflammatory. Got some aches and pains? Heat up some of this and drink it instead of your morning coffee and start your day off feeling well. 

Here's the recipe (from Nourishing Traditions):

• 1 whole organic pastured chicken or 2-3 pounds chicken bones with or without bits of meat, including feet and organs if you have them
• 4 quarts filtered water
• 2 T vinegar
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots coarsely chopped 
• 3 celery sticks, coarsely chopped (Sometimes I omit if I don't have any)

I put mine in a large slow cooker and cook for 8 to 24 hours (Depending on how much time I have or when I need the broth/meat). The longer it cooks, the more nutrient-dense the broth will be.

After it's done, I fish out the chicken with two slotted spoons and take the meat off and reserve it for other meals. Sometimes I also reserve the veggies for dishes like pot pie as well.

Stovetop Directions:

1. Put chicken and/or chicken parts in a pot, add the water, vinegar and vegetables. Let sit for a half hour, then bring to a boil and remove the scum/foam that rises to the top with a spoon. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6 to 24 hours. 
2. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and reserve meat for other meals.
3. Strain the stock into a large bowl. Pour into mason jars or paper cups. Let the glass jars sit until they are pretty cool, then freeze or refrigerate. 

Frozen Chicken broth

I used paper cups covered with foil. I know it's not the most eco-friendly option, but I haven't built up my mason jar collection yet. 

 

DIY Pom Pom Chicks

While nannying this past week, the kids and I made these adorable little guys (get directions here!) They were pretty easy and even the 4-year-old was able to use kiddie scissors to help make the pom poms. We want to try and make bunnies today! 

DIY Pom Pom Bunny

Happy Easter!
 

Table Tales: A Lasting Supper

 

“It’s time to eat!!!” My mom would cry as she clanked the cowbell with her sturdy spoon. By the third time, she could start to make out the barefooted tornado of dirt, curls, and laughter migrating towards her. As hard as it was to pull ourselves away from playing, we knew even as kids, the next part of our day was worth it.

With a fussing baby on her hip, my mom flawlessly flung potato soup into seven bowls. As my dad thanked the Lord for our meal, everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Seated at this table, all was right in the world. This was our safe haven from every storm of the day. As each daughter recounted her day, my parents would intently listen and ask questions. They encouraged us to create and work hard, always inspiring us to use our gifts and talents. The most important thing that happened at that table was how they taught us to trust in something bigger than our family. They told us in how they lived their lives and their words, that Jesus was bigger and even better than these moments together and one day we will all be seated with him at his table.

Mealtime is somewhat magical. Amidst the craziness of the day, every person on the face of the planet must stop and take a moment to refuel. It reminds us of our mortality and forces us to rest. In the Bible, God makes a point to show himself to his people over meals. When the Israelites cry out to God to deliver them from slavery in Egypt, God hears them. He sends awful plagues to exhaust the Egyptians until they release his people from slavery. But when they don't, God sends a final plague that will really shake them up. God sends the angel of death to kill every firstborn child in the land, including Pharaoh’s son. 

God instructs his people to eat a “Passover” dinner that night, which included a lamb and bitter herbs, representing their slavery. He tells them to kill the lamb and spread its’ blood over their doorposts so that when the angel came to kill, he would see the blood and pass over their home. The people had to believe that the lamb was killed in place of their firstborn child and only then would the angel skip their home.

The Israelites left Egypt that night. God commanded the people to eat this meal every year to remind them that it was He who had delivered them from slavery. The people made it a tradition to eat this same meal once a year and tell their children the story of “Passover.”

Skip a few hundred years to when Jesus was on earth. The night before he died, he was celebrating the Passover meal with his friends. They thought he would reign as king of the Jews forever. But Jesus knew the reason he came was to die. As they ate the meal that reminded them of the night when the angel passed over Israel’s homes, Jesus gave them a new dinner tradition. He took a loaf of bread, broke it and told them that it represented his body. He told them to eat it and remember. Then he held up the cup of wine and told them to drink his blood. Yes, that sounds a bit creepy if you didn’t grow up hearing it, doesn’t it? Jesus went on to say that his blood represented the new promise between God and people. No longer was the blood of a lamb needed to pay for their sins. His blood would be the perfect sacrifice for everybody who believes.

The next day, like a lamb he was led to his slaughter, yet he did not open his mouth to protest. And just like the Passover lamb, he was killed.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

Jesus said something during the Passover dinner that I hadn’t noticed before until now,

“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.” Luke 22:15

Fulfillment in the Kingdom of God? What’s that about? I flipped over to Revelation and got butterflies in my tummy as I read about heaven.

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come…Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” Revelation 19:7-9

Another meal! This meal will definitely top all the others. I love getting a glimpse of heaven. It is at the wedding supper of the Lamb that we will find completeness in Christ and see him fulfill his promises in the Kingdom of God! No longer will we be bound by our brokenness and tendency to sin against God. At this meal we will celebrate our redemption as sons and daughters. What a meal that will be as we find our names at the table with God, celebrating that his son, the Lamb, has adopted us into his family forever. 

Photo Credit Kristen Mills

Table Tales: Sunday Supper

This past summer a friend of ours was going through a really rough time and just really needed companionship…and some comfort food. I decided to invite her over for a Sunday pot roast and cherry cobbler because who doesn’t feel better after some cobbler? My parents ended up in Richmond that day so we invited them and my sister, Ellie, to join us for the meal as well. I was so excited to show them the newest addition to our family, the table!

Our friend came to church with us before the meal and I could tell some things from the sermon didn’t sit right with her. During lunch, she admitted she didn’t know much about the whole Jesus thing except for the judgmental attitude she had experienced from his so-called followers. As she told us her experiences, my heart broke. She shared that she felt shameful and assumed God hated her for her sin and was punishing her with a sad and lonely life. She asked us if Jesus was like the “Christians” she knew. Relieved to shed some light on her mounting guilt, I began to explain the Jesus I know. 

I told her Jesus only ever showered the poor and brokenhearted with love, not judgment or hate like so many have falsely done in his name. I told her I was so sorry for all those people and their judgment. Sadly, no one can say they aren’t guilty of judging someone or insulting him behind his back. I will be the first to admit it. We’ve all messed up and have failed to live the perfect lives of love God intended for us. Since we have judged, hated, and slandered our brothers and sisters, God says according to his law this is equivalent to murder. And you know what he says we deserve? Death. This is punishment for breaking his law. Just as a king would act justly and punish one of his subjects if he committed treason, God works the same way. I deserve nothing from God for breaking his law, except death.

"For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity.” Isaiah 61:8

She hung her head low as I spoke so I said, “That’s not the end of the story!”

When he said he loved justice, he wasn’t lying. He was so serious that he sent his son to be fully God and fully human. And because of our innate brokenness, Jesus lived the perfect life we aren’t capable of living. When Jesus died, God accepted his death as payment for all sin—past, present, and future. And now when I believe that Jesus is my “Savior,” I’m saying that he lived and died in my place. By his grace, I’m free from the heavy weight of guilt. Not because I’ve done enough good things, but because when God looks at me, he sees me like he sees Jesus and then smiles and says, “You are perfect, Hannah.” I can confidently say that when I get to heaven, I will be welcomed into the gates with a hug, not a pitchfork.

My friend had lots of questions and was wary of believing too quickly. The one thing she knew she could believe right then was the way we loved her like Jesus would have. As we finished up our cobbler, my mom asked if we could pray for her situation and direction in her life. As my mom prayed, she asked God to overwhelm her with his great, big love. Tears just spilled and spilled from her eyes.

I drove her home and on my way back all of a sudden I realized God had heard me when I first asked for a table! Yeah, yeah…of course he heard me because we now had a table. But the part of the prayer I didn’t really expect to see right away was what surprised me. I had asked him for opportunities to share his love at the table. I didn’t realize that very thing had just happened till it was all said and done. For our very first meal at the table, his plan of redemption for all creation, including this woman, was proclaimed! I thanked him for being faithful and inviting me to share in this life with him.

“When you were dead in your sins…God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”  Colossians 2:13-15

Table Tales: Searching for "the One"

The first two years of marriage, Jake and I lived in a tiny, little birds-nest-sized apartment. We were both in school and funds were tight so we didn’t have much of a choice on the size of our new home. It was cozy and cute but in the way a puppy is cute till he chews your favorite heels. Paper-thin walls, shamelessly vocal neighbors and sociable mice were things I couldn’t wait to leave behind. My least favorite part of living in a small space was not having a table. I wanted so badly to host our friends and family but had nowhere to do so.

I had been praying for a few months that God would deliver us from that tiny, little thing when one day our friend who owns apartment buildings called. He said he had an apartment with a roomy living room available but that we’d have to move within the next two weeks if we wanted to snag it. 

 Needless to say, we were moved out in a matter of days. 

I knew this apartment was a direct answer to my many prayers so the first thing we did once we moved in was dedicate the space to God for his use. Then the search began. I shopped for tables during my lunch breaks, snack breaks, and evenings. I asked God to provide an affordable table. I promised to use the table to share his love.

Look at these tables! How can one resist?!

 

To my detriment, it can be so consuming to collect lots of fun furniture. I convince myself that I need so many things. I really can become obsessed with nesting/decorating and have a hard time turning off my mind once I start imagining all the possibilities for a room. Not that nesting is inherently bad, but when it becomes the only thing I can think about, there the problem\ lies. I wanted the need for this table to be different. I wanted it to have a greater purpose than just looking pretty.

I daydreamed of having a dozen friends over for dinner, eating at a long, rustic farmhouse table. But when I realized it wasn’t a reality for our finances or the space we had designated for a table, I decided to revert to Craigslist for some bargain hunting. The listings were plentiful and so were the hideous tables. After sifting through posts for a few weeks, I finally found something decent. As Jake and I drove out into the middle of nowhere to inspect the table firsthand, we (well, mostly I) wondered if these were the last moments of my life before a serial killer lured us into his garage on account of a cheap table. But when a chatty little redhead rode down the driveway on his tricycle to meet us, we knew this was providence.  

The table turned out to be just what we needed. It didn’t seat twelve but it could seat six with the leaf and came with 6 chairs. For $60, you couldn't beat this deal. I just love finding a steal. It fit in our apartment perfectly. We thanked God for his provision and dedicated the table to him as we had done with the apartment. I asked him to break in the table with an opportunity to share our home and his love. 

The table.

...More Table Tales later this week!