Zucchini relish anyone?

There’s only one thing to do with zucchinis gone wild – make zucchini relish. I checked them one day and it seemed like the next they had turned into monsters. My mom used to make relish with the ones that got away – it’s similar to pickle relish and is very easy to make. Just grate the squash and soak in salt water overnight. Drain, add vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric, salt, pepper and a little cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, can in a water bath and enjoy. My daughter says no one needs as much relish as I made, but I plan to enjoy the fruit of my labors for a long time. It’s great on sandwiches!

 

A canning good time

What do you do with a bumper crop of tomatoes? You can of course. I remember helping my mom can various fruits and veggies – standing in a hot kitchen, preparing the jars and what went in them – but I had never done it myself until this month. Our tomato plants went crazy so we ate some, gave some away and still there were more. So I bought some jars and a canning pot and went to work.

First I did plain tomatoes for soup and other recipes. Then a friend mentioned his mother used to make tomato preserves – interesting, never heard of that. So I looked it up on allrecipes.com and found this recipe. I tweaked it a little because to me, recipes are just guidelines. You can read my tweaks in the review I wrote under the recipe. It turned out to be incredibly delicious. So far we’ve just eaten it on fresh bread, but now that I have 10 pints, we can look forward to experimenting with it all winter.

Oh, did I mention we also have a few zucchini? I’ll post a photo of what I did with them next time.

 

 

Signs of Spring

It’s so nice today I had to get out for a little spring cleaning in the garden. I’m not ready for warm temperatures yet (I know, I’m spoiled living in California) but I love when the flowers start to bloom. Here are the first flowers of the new year: iris, ranunculus, peach and plum trees.

 

Keep going, no matter what

We are two months into the year and most people have already forgotten their New Year’s resolutions, if they even bothered to make any. I made a couple – one to exercise more and the other to be a regular blogger. I’ve done pretty well – so far. But if I’m not as consistent as I would like, I won’t beat myself up or give up. I’m determined to keep going with both, no matter what.

Life is full of distractions and often things happen to derail our good intentions, even when it comes to spiritual matters. It’s frustrating to realize how consistently inconsistent you can be! But the following quotation reassures me God is not a harder taskmaster than I am. He understands our limitations and really only expects one thing of us: to keep going, to keep running the race and cross the finish line (Philippians 3:12-14).

“I would emphasize this one committal, this one great volitional act which establishes the heart’s intention to gaze forever upon Jesus. God takes this intention for our choice and makes what allowances he must for the thousand distractions which beset us in this evil world. He knows that we have set the direction of our hearts toward Jesus, and we can know it too, and comfort ourselves with the knowledge that a habit of soul is forming which will become after a while a sort of spiritual reflex requiring no more conscious effort on our part” (A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, p. 82).

I’m not sure I completely agree with the “no more conscious effort” part, but I love that God knows the intent of our hearts and makes allowances for distractions. So here’s to pointing ourselves in the the right direction and finishing the race!

 

One for me, one for you

When we were little and my sister and I were given candy, knowing we had to share, we would count it out: one for me, one for you, one for me, one for you. We were very careful to divide everything equally, even when pouring orange juice, because we always wanted our fair share.

As an adult, I frequently count my blessings, thanking God for his mercy and generosity. And as a Christian, I don’t need to worry about getting my fair share. God has already blessed me beyond measure in many ways.

It’s wonderful to receive a blessing, but what about being one, by turning around and blessing someone by an act of kindness or service? Some people call this paying it forward, meaning if someone does something good for you, you then do something good for someone else. But we don’t need to wait for someone to start the process, God already did that; all we need to do is keep it going.

It’s something to consider, whatever you want to call it  – paying it forward, being a blessing, showing grace or even – one for me, one for you.

 

I am loved

My daughter thinks it’s amusing to watch me play with my iTouch. To her 20-something mind, gadgets such as iPods, the iTouch and phones that do more than allow you to make phone calls belong in the domain of her age range. Yes, it took me all day to figure out how to use my iTouch and I am still quite slow at texting, but I’m fine with my long learning curve. You’re never too old to enjoy new technology.

One of my favorite songs on my iTouch is by Josh Groban on the Awake album. You Are Loved (Don’t Give Up) is a love song that always makes me think of Jesus. When we feel the weight of the world, Jesus lifts us up. He hears and understands us; when we feel lost, he finds us and when darkness blinds us, he shines to guide us.

The writer of these lyrics may not have been thinking of Jesus when he wrote it, but when I hear it, I hear Jesus singing to me and I know I’m loved (Zephaniah 3:17). And I love that I can take this reassurance with me everywhere I go, thanks to the iTouch!

 

I ate the wrong burrito!

Last week I brought home a couple of burritos for lunch. I opened mine, put on lots of hot sauce and started eating. My daughter took hers upstairs to eat in her room. As I took my last bite, she came down the stairs asking if our burritos got switched. It dawned on me I had eaten the wrong one, the one without the meat and heat. I hadn’t remembered or noticed mine was supposed to be the other one, just ate it without thinking.

How much do we do without thinking? Sometimes it’s because we’ve always done it that way, or because our moms did it a certain way. How many beliefs do we hold without really thinking about them? Like believing Jesus had to die because his Father was angry? Or believing God won’t love or forgive us unless we live up to his impossibly high standards? How many times do we sing the same songs in church without really thinking about the words?

A lot of people think Christians check their brains at the door of a church. They think we’ve been brainwashed or that we drank the Kool-Aid. Being a Christian doesn’t mean you stop thinking – it means thinking even more, about who God is, why we’re here, how we relate to him and our fellow humans. It means becoming more thoughtful and more appreciative of life and all it brings.

We got burritos again a few days later and I’m happy to report I ate the right one – I did some thinking first.

 

Against the Wind

It was calm today, but last week the wind was blowing pretty hard. I don’t like walking when it’s windy but decided I needed to get out and move. So I braved it. As I walked, I played Pollyanna’s glad game, where you try to find something to be glad about in every situation. I was glad it wasn’t snowing or flooding! I also told myself I was burning up extra calories moving against the headwind, which was something else to be glad about.

Going against the wind (I hear music!) is an expression we use when we hold opinions or beliefs different from the majority. I couldn’t help but think about grace. Most Christians will tell you they believe in grace but in real life, are still trying to earn favor with God and even their salvation. Many churches say grace but preach legalism. If you really live a grace-filled life, you often find yourself moving against the wind of legalistic teaching and pressure to do enough, be enough, perform well enough.

Rest in the grace of Christ, but don’t let the wind blow you back into legalism.

 

On My iPod

On my walk this morning, I listened to a podcast of an interview with Steve McVey (www.gci.org, You’re Included). He talked about grace. Here’s a thought from the interview:

When you live in the circle of Father, Son and Spirit,
it’s not about demands but desire;
it’s not about law but love;
it’s not about responsibility but relationship.

Then I listened to a song by Casting Crowns called Who Am I? Did you know it’s possible to get the chills while working up a sweat? It’s a great song about grace (thanks Mary Jo, for introducing it to me).

I love listening to podcasts as I walk, and a little music too! From time to time, I’ll be posting more about what’s on my iPod, to share what’s inspiring me.

 

Sorrow is Lent

“Sorrow is one of the things that is lent, not given. A thing that is lent can be taken away; a thing that is given is not taken away. Joy is given; sorrow is lent.” These words by Amy Carmichael, Christian author and Irish-born missionary to India, remind us pain is not permanent, even though it may feel as though it won’t end.

What happened over the weekend in Tuscon, Arizona, is a heartbreaking tragedy; at the same time, the stories of heroism and selflessness are heartwarming. My thoughts and prayers are for all the victims and families. May God give them comfort, peace, rest and joy even in the midst of the pain and sorrow.