A Call to Christian Artists

A call to Christian artists:

Human beings, in a certain sense, are unknown to themselves. Jesus Christ not only reveals God, but “fully reveals man to man”. (23) In Christ, God has reconciled the world to himself. All believers are called to bear witness to this; but it is up to you, men and women who have given your lives to art, to declare with all the wealth of your ingenuity that in Christ the world is redeemed: the human person is redeemed, the human body is redeemed, and the whole creation which, according to Saint Paul, “awaits impatiently the revelation of the children of God” (Rom 8:19), is redeemed. The creation awaits the revelation of the children of God also through art and in art. This is your task. Humanity in every age, and even today, looks to works of art to shed light upon its path and its destiny.

Pope John Paul II, 1999 Letter to Artists
Quoted by Michael O’Brien, “Subsidiarity in Art”

The O’Brien article comes to me in a timely fashion; just last night I met some sisters for Advent prayer and the theme God put on my heart to pray for was the artists of our generation, a group to which my husband and I belong. We prayed that artists would ask God for the revelation of His heart, for new songs and new paintings, for new stories and new poems. I was led to Deuteronomy 8, where two verses stood out to me:

Deuteronomy. 8:3

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.

and Deuteronomy 8:18

And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

The first verse speaks directly to my heart this Advent, as I have been hungry for the culture of Redemption we are preparing to celebrate in the Feast of the Incarnation. He lets me hunger during this fasting time to remind me that I do not live on bread (read sensuality, the overwhelming of the senses, particularly at Christmastime) but on every word that proceeds from His mouth (and fittingly, the Word made flesh in the Incarnation). The second verse I came across last week in my Bible study about faith, and I have been praying it for Zachary and for me, in the sense of financial blessing. He gives us the power to get wealth so that He may establish His covenant! (And let me tell you the story of how we were blessed with an unexpected $1000 a week after I prayed this!) But last night God showed me that as an artist, He also gives me power to get a wealth of revelation from Him, to put into my music, my lyrics, my stories, my poetry. I find it delightfully interesting that Pope John Paul II also used the term “wealth” in his call to artists.

Fellow artists! Let us pray that the God of all the earth and of all beauty will give us power to get artistic and divine wealth, that we may share it with the world, bringing His words of redemption and love and grace to those in desperate need of it, ourselves included.

Grace to you in the hope of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God,

Amanda

Advent Meditations

Readers, this season is a time of struggle for me. As I shared in my post a few days ago, the Advent season is upon us, according to the Church calendar. But according to the world around me, it is Christmastime.

Anyone else out there having a hard time leaving Christmastime behind and clinging to Advent right now?

I firmly believe that culture is the hinge to unlock the door of the heart (see my very first post here from March 2011). And so I have been ruminating on the idea of the day-after-Thanksgiving-to-December-25th Christmas cultural phenomenon. For the most part, it revolves around Santa and presents and putting up decorations and ‘Advent’ calendars with chocolate each day, etc. For many years I’ve tried the Christian bandaid–making the season from the day-after-Thanksgiving-to-December-25th really about Jesus and not about the secular hoopla. I feel like that’s sort of what the local Christian radio station is doing: repackaging the day-after-Thanksgiving-to-December-25th so that it fits into a Christian worldview.

For those who love this Christmas season or who think I lean toward radicalism (read “my sister” here), please believe me that I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. (Or should I say, the Baby out with the tinsel?) I value American culture even though a lot of it seems past redemption. I have warm fuzzies when I think of movies like Home Alone (specifically the first one) and turning on traditional Christmas carols as my family and I decorate the Christmas tree (on the 4th Friday of November, usually). And there are songs with great Gospel messages about hope and peace to the world that I like, even if not explicitly ‘Christian.’ So I have been riding the fence about listening to Christmas music and getting into the ‘Christmas spirit’ a little bit–not all the way, mind you. I’m trying to be a good Anglican.

This morning as I was listening to a secular radio station with Christmas music, I was thinking about this, my struggle, to embrace both the day-after-Thanksgiving-to-December-25 Christmas culture and the historically Christian season of Advent (see my previous post here). And I felt God speak gently to my heart that most often the way of Life in Him is counter-cultural. Leave it to God to speak things to me that I already know…but somehow it made a little more sense that it ever has before. (Thank you, Lord.)

And so today I have been challenged to truly make this Advent season devoted to preparing my heart for His second coming as we will celebrate His first coming in the Feast of the Incarnation (aka Nativity). I convinced my husband (pretty easily) to invest his Christmas music money into an Advent music playlist. Since we’re both music people, this is one of the main ways we will be focusing our hearts on preparing for Jesus’ second return. That means that from now until Christmas Eve, I will not be listening to traditional Christmas carols (without being a jerk about it, hopefully). And when I miss Bing’s White Christmas and my Ella Wishes You a Swingin’ Christmas album, I will be turning my attention to Jesus and our world’s (and my own) desperate need for Him to come into our hearts in a fuller way and for Him to come back.

Pray for me.

Oh, and here’s our Advent Playlist in an Excel document, if anyone is interested in making one of their own. By Advent songs, I mean songs that anticipate or express the longing of the human heart for salvation, and the hope we have the Christ will return.

Advent Playlist

Advent Song

So, what is Advent anyway?

The word ‘advent’ comes from the Latin word adventus, ‘a coming, approach, arrival.’ In the Christian Church, we are currently in the first week of Advent, which also happens to be the beginning of the liturgical year on the Church calendar. It is probably strange to hear that the four weeks before Christmas are historically a season of fasting (like Lent before Easter)–our culture does not reflect that, Christian or secular. I am with most of you–Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving, carols on while we decorate, etc. (Confession: this year we put up most of our decorations the weekend before Thanksgiving!)

I say this with a little sadness: the church we attend does not sing Christmas carols until Christmas Day. (Sometimes we ‘cheat’ a little at a special service called “Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols,” which in Anglican tradition really shouldn’t happen until Christmas Eve, at the earliest.)

Why all this gloominess before Christmas Day? Shouldn’t we celebrate as long as we can that Jesus came to earth and became human? We know that December 25 isn’t actually the day he was born, but we should celebrate someday…

Well, Advent is a season of preparing our hearts for Jesus’ second coming as we remember the state of the world before His first coming. That means, yes–drawing near to Jesus with repentance and fasting (or abstaining, if what you’re giving up isn’t actually food. For me, it’s Facebook!). We prepare our hearts, like the carol says…and THEN! Heaven and nature will sing! The feast of the Incarnation (aka Nativity) is SUCH a cause for celebration! But it’s like gorging ourselves on the day before Thanksgiving only to be too full on Thursday to take a bite…does that make sense?

And the Church knows how to party. You know the song “The 12 Days of Christmas”? There are TWELVE feasting days, not just one, from December 25 to January 5. And then the season of feasting reaches its climax and conclusion on January 6, known by two names: Epiphany and the Day of the Magi. It is this day that God reveals His salvation to the world through the wise men and also the day we celebrate Jesus’ baptism.

So what do we do with all that jazz?

Zachary and I are torn about how to properly observe Advent while still longing for the ‘Christmas spirit.’ Please take no judgment from me–I’m all about listening to carols during Advent (because my fabulous husband plays them so beautifully on the piano!), but I cannot stomach the Christian radio in our town…it is almost exclusively Christmas music right now. We are focusing on preparing our hearts for Jesus’ 2nd advent by giving up things (like Facebook) to spend more time focusing on our need and the world’s need for Him. We are discussing what it will look like once Lily gets here–a present a day for 12 days instead of all on the 25th?

It’s hard to challenge the culture of my own heart that is practically in love with the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But, because I know there are holy rhythms and timing, I believe that it’s definitely worth struggling through.

And in the meantime, I have written an Advent song. I pray that it points you towards Jesus and His second coming. And oh, will we celebrate then!

Advent Song

Dreamy Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

My husband said, "We never have to go to On The Border again!"

Dreamy Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

It’s so good to have a great Tex-Mex restaurant nearby. But when you live in Gainesville, Florida, it’s slim pickings for such. Try my On-The-Border inspired Chicken Enchiladas in a sour cream sauce.

Serves 5

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, shredded

3 8-oz tubs sour cream (light if you want…but regular is better)

1/2 cup diced red onion

10 8-inch tortillas

1 cup shredded cheese, Mexican blend, divided

fresh cilantro

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

chile powder

cumin

lime juice

Directions

1. Combine chicken and onions in medium-sized bowl with vinegar and olive oil, and add dash or two of chile powder, cumin, and lime juice. Let this marinate for 2-3 hours.

2. In medium-sized pot, heat 2 tubs sour cream and 2/3 cup cheese until well-mixed.

3. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the chicken mixture into the sour cream sauce and stir well.

4. In a 9X13 baking pan 2″ deep (I use Pyrex), fill 10 tortillas with the chicken and sour cream mixture and roll into enchiladas. Sometimes (depending on how full they are filled), all 10 won’t fit in one pan. I use two when this happens!

5. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

6. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes.

7. 5 minutes before the enchiladas come out of the oven, melt the remaining tub of sour cream in a medium-sized pot. Once the enchiladas are plated (2 by 2), pour a generous helping of sour cream sauce on top and garnish with fresh cilantro.

 

Enjoy!

Pork Schnitzel and Red Cabbage

So, in my journeys as a stay-at-home wife and mother-to-be, I have discovered–I’m not a bad cook! In fact, I’m pretty good at it. Thanks to inspiration from my dear friend Lindsey Cazac, whose blog Out of Alabaster is full of beautiful pictures and recipes, I have decided to add a food dimension to my own beloved (and long-neglected) blog.

Here is my take on Pork Schnitzel and Red Cabbage. I got the bones of the recipe from our local Publix, but this is amended.

Pork Schnitzel and Red Cabbage, serves 4

4 pork cubed steaks (1 1/2 lb)
1 Granny Smith apple, diced
1/2 cup diced onions
1 16oz jar of sweet and sour red cabbage*
1 cup plain bread crumbs (or Italian)
2 eggs
1 tbsp butter
4 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon

*for my friends who don’t used pre-packaged things, here is a recipe for sweet and sour red cabbage

Pork:
Coat each steak with beaten egg and cover with bread crumbs on both sides.
Fry in canola oil in large skillet, about 4 minutes each side.

Cabbage:
Combine cabbage, apple, onion, butter and cinnamon in medium pot to simmer, long enough to melt the butter and for apples and onions to get soft.
Chill in freezer for 5 minutes.

Serve pork steaks topped with cabbage!

 

(I’ll post a picture next time I make this…)

 

 

When you’re stranded…long time no read

Dear readers,
Nothing like getting stuck in Groesbeck, Texas, only 80 miles from your starting point when your moving truck breaks down and foils your leisurely cross-country move plans.
So I am at the 3rd nicest of the 3 hotels in Groesbeck, with my dog in his kennel at my feet, waiting for my husband and our dear friend Jarrod to return with good news about our truck.
Observations:
~In a small town, there is still nothing good on tv.
~It is worth it to rent a hotel room for $75 just for the a/c.
~Even though there is apparently great shopping in Groesbeck antiques district, I have no desire whatsoever to leave the a/c I paid $75 for.
~Collapsable doggie kennels are golden for road trips. Dog out in the car, in inside the hotel with no great sacrifice of space.
~DQ, Pizza Hut and Wing Street as the food I’ve eaten today means that I have heartburn. Good thing I have delicious Smoothie Berry Tums. A pregnant woman’s bff.
I am going to post an encouraging song for myself today, and I hope you are encouraged by it as well.

It’s You I Like, by Mr. Rogers. My take.

Ephie and the Problem with Glue

Hi, friends. I’m just sitting here on the couch watching NCIS, healing from surgery. Thanks for your prayers. I realized that in the past few weeks, I haven’t posted. So here is a new installment of the Ephie series.

Ephie and the Problem with Glue

They were staring at a piece of parchment, the both of them.

As Ephie walked on towards the place from where her name had been called, she looked on her side of the river, slightly to her left. There she saw two adolescent boys cocking their heads at the paper in their hands. Have you ever seen your dog cock his head to the side when he’s listening to an unfamiliar sound? These two half-men reminded her of that. Ephie peered a little closer, without being too obvious of course, and saw that they had several pieces of wood, smooth and well-hewn, at their feet.

“I’m not exactly sure what he means by this,” said the fair-haired one. He lifted up a smaller piece of wood and tried to balance it on a larger piece beneath. It fell quickly.

“Well, what if we try it this way?” asked the other, who had a darker head of hair and olive-colored skin. He picked up the larger wood piece and combined it steadily with another of fairly the same size. The two stood perfectly still. “There, that’s something, at least.” He was grinning.

Ephie looked at the fair-haired boy, expecting to seem him scowling at his companion’s success. “That’s how my brother would look at me if I won the building contest,” she thought, but to her surprise, he was smiling too!

“Good job, Harik!” the fair-haired boy said as he slapped his companion across the shoulders in a very manly way. Unfortunately, he did not know his own strength and neither did Harik, who did not brace himself adequately for this show of approval. With that firm pat on the back, Harik lost his balance and fell squarely onto the two perfectly balanced pieces of wood. They collapsed with the weight of the young builder. Harik looked back up at his friend and said, “Well, that’s try number two, Henry. Now on to number three. He said we have all day.” The two friends giggled, Harik picked himself up, and they stared again at the directions, happy to start again.

Ephie heard the faint shuffle of footsteps behind her. It was Lashta.

“What have you seen here?” he asked his ward.

“Not much, really,” she shrugged. The look in his eye, however, told her that there was something deeper. “Um, well,” she started, “they have directions for putting together something…”

“A tree house,” supplied Lashta.

“Right, a tree house. But they don’t really understand how to put it together anyhow.” Ephie looked back at Harik and Henry, still trying to make heads and tails of the inscribed parchment, which by now was getting sweaty and grimy as it traded hands many times between the two amateur carpenters.

Ephie sighed. “Think, Ephie—think!” she thought to herself. She looked up at Lashta, she herself having nothing intelligent or wise to say. Ephie had learned by now not to try to explain anything without having a real idea. Lashta wasn’t too fond of what her friends at school called “bee-essing.” Ephie wasn’t sure what “bee-essing” meant exactly, but she did know that this word referred to her ability to make up an explanation for anything on the spot, regardless of how much she actually knew about it. So, she held out her hands open, her palms up, and said, “Lashta, won’t you help me understand?”

“With great pleasure, Ephie!” He laughed a good, deep laugh. Even though he was laughing at her (or was he laughing with her?), she laughed along.

“You see, child, that the two boys have instructions for how to build their tree house. They are working together for a goal—a place to share their friendship. They’re at their father’s work.” (Ephie thought, “They are brothers?”) Lashta threw her a gently reproaching glance at her thought, and then resumed his explanation.

“You see, Ephie, they are trying to figure out the plans together, but they aren’t getting mad along the way.” His thick accent sometimes threw her off, so Ephie had to concentrate on the words Lashta was saying. “They are a team, working together, not one stronger or better than the other. And they learn from each other’s mistakes.”

Ephie crossed her arms and watched the boys building their masterpiece. They were making progress—however slowly—and she found that she was excited for Henry and Harik as they found out which way of building worked and which didn’t. The ways that didn’t work far outweighed the ones that did.

“You see, child, that physics work here the same way it does in your world. The apple falls when it is ripe. The mist rolls over the water with the wind. And gravity is pulling down at those pieces of wood over there. Gravity isn’t their enemy; gravity is their glue. But they aren’t upset that their glue is working when they don’t want it to. They have a desire in their heart which is built upon hope—find out the way to properly apply gravity, build the tree house, invite father to see what we’ve done…no mumbling or complaining between them. They’re done with that now—such childish ways are behind them.”

—Crash!—

Ephie, who had let her eyes drift to the apple trees (they were apples this month) and the mist on the river’s top, spun around to see the boys on the ground, eyes streaming with tears—of laughter—as they sat amid the pile of rubble of their “tree house.”

“I see now, Lashta. Neither boy is blaming the other for knocking it down.”

“No, dear one. That’s correct. Because, was either at fault?”

“Well, I don’t know,” Ephie replied defensively. “I wasn’t watching closely.”

“I can tell you, Ephie, that neither was at fault. It’s just that the glue of heaven was working too well for their level of craftsmanship today. The boys may not be able to put this into words, but they are on a journey to be complete. And this journey isn’t what some people think of is the norm in heaven…some think that life is the journey to sinlessness—what they consider to be ‘perfection.’ But in truth, it is a journey to completion. And since neither Henry’s nor Harik’s knowledge of carpentry be complete, neither shall their tree house be complete. But it’s no sin that leaves them shelter-less. It’s just the fact of incompletion. Would you hold that against them?”

“No,” Ephie intimated in her heart, but no word passed her lips as she stared on the two half-men.

“Neither does their father,” Lashta concluded.