Beyond Counting Blessings

I'm just as tickled as the next person to read and ponder what people are thankful for. We should practice this every day of the year for certain. Yet, somehow, something deeper has been on my heart this year. I don't know if it's a warning, a precaution, or just a deeper level of being thankful that I'm about to learn.
We, as Americans really do need to gain some perspective. We are all struggling in this economy but the reason we struggle is because of our scale of measurement. The way we define "struggle" would shock a large percentage of the world.

"...research indicates that assets of just $2,200 per adult place a household in the top half of the world's wealthiest. To be among the richest 10% of adults in the world, just $61,000 in assets is needed. If you have more than $500,000, you're part of the richest 1%, the United Nations study says. Indeed, 37 million people now belong in that category.

Half live on less than $2 a day

Sure, you can now be proud that you're rich. But take a moment to think about it, and you'll probably come to realize that the meaning behind these numbers is harrowing. For if it takes just a couple of thousand dollars to qualify as rich in this world, imagine what it means to be poor.

Half the world, nearly 3 billion people, live on less than $2 a day. The three richest people in the world –- Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, investor Warren Buffett and Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helú -- have more money than the poorest 48 nations combined " (gathered from this article)

First of all, doesn't that last bit make you feel like those men should share more!? Just a side note.

Seriously though, we only feel we struggle because we are so pampered. Try these mental punches to your perspective:
1. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than seventy five percent of the people in the world.
2. If you can attend a church or synagogue meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
3. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are more blessed than five hundred million people in the world.
4. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish, you are among the top eight percent of the world's wealthy.
5. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
These are VERY sobering, don't you think?
YET! My mind has been pondering something new this year.....
WHAT WHEN ALL YOU ARE THANKFUL FOR IS STRIPPED AWAY? What will you be thankful for then?

Sometimes we surround ourselves this time of year with reminders to ourselves and our children for the things we should for sure be thankful for. In doing that we sometimes mindlessly define our thankfulness by the many blessings we have. Perhaps even the poorest person on the planet could still do this, and should, in that they are alive and can be thankful for that. So what heart response happens when you read this?:
"Though he slay me, yet I will praise him." Job 13:15

Where are we then when all we say this year we are thankful for is taken out from under our feet. Where will we turn? To what hope will we look. What when the reasons for our thanks become no more? What foundation will our hearts rest upon? Will we then despair and say that we have no reason to be thankful anymore?
There is one thing that even when our very breath is taken from us, we can still be filled with thanks.
GOD IS GOOD

He is defined by complete and untainted goodness. Every pain and loss, every despair and deep anguish will be perfected in his healing hands. I just really want to wrap my head around that this year. What if one day I wake up and all around me, my husband, my sweet children, the walls that protect and warm me, the friends who bless me, the food that feeds me....what if it was all taken away? Would my heart find thanks and praise in that place?

Thanks is a funny thing. The more you have taken away, the more you appreciate what you have. I'm sure many of us are feeling that this year. What is left becomes more precious to us. Should we be reduced to walls and food and each other, just think of how we would cherish more just those things. When even that is gone and the world should turn completely dark for us, in the quiet of human nothingness there is for the repented heart a haven of God's goodness. Nothing can take that away we say right? Ah, but there are things that take it away. There are things that make us forget. When all is gone we are blessed to find it's fullness, but when we have even a few good things they can overshadow God's goodness. The THINGS themselves that we give thanks for become why we feel God is good. For that we should repent. I should repent. God is not good because I have been blessed, I am blessed because God is good. Therefore, my blessing continues till I see him face to face.
So, I do want to get some perspective on how really pampered I am. I DO want to be thankful for so much. I also however want to caution my heart not to put stock into those things for the base definition of who I am and what where my richness lies.

Can I give you something in ending this? Copy this verse and keep it close this Thanksgiving. Put it up somewhere if you like, or even put it on the table. It will make your heart swell more than any earthly thing you find to be thankful for:

"In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls" 1 Peter:6-9

Be thankful for God's goodness, unshakable and unmeasurable.

Banana Walnut Muffin Perfection

Do your bananas talk to you? Mine do. They start by speaking softly and letting me know they are not prime enough for the kids lunchboxes unless I want them to come home uneaten and oozing from their skins after being rejected on site by my children. Then they start to say "time for some baking!". Eventually if my days are busy they end up yelling at me about how I should be more convicted not to waste and let them go beyond use entirely. Finally, I give in and usually that last moment of sparing them for some noble use, they are at peek baking perfection.
Time for quick bread or muffins, but bread gets boring after a while and is not as portable for lunches or snacks. Still, my muffin history has not been a good one.

I love muffins but I don't like the way many recipes come out. Some are too wet and so the tops run, and some are too dry so they don't rise but become little bricks my kids won't eat. I tried this recipe and loved the way they came out. It was thick enough to allow for bigger muffins but not too thick to be dry.

I don't have whole wheat flour right now so I'm still needing to try it out with that but the white flour came out great.

Banana-Nut Bread (or Muffins)

• 1-1/4c. sugar
• 1/4 c. oil
• 1/2 c. butter
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 c. bananas, mashed (very over ripe is best)
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts and chopped them pretty fine in my chopper)
• 1 t. vanilla extract
  

Blend sugar, oil and butter together; mix in eggs and bananas. Set aside. Combine four, salt and baking soda; add to wet mixture. Stir in nuts and vanilla; pour into greased and floured loaf pan (9"x 5") or into muffin cups (for big muffins fill 3/4 full). Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until knife comes clean.

Thankful Thursday On Saturday

I was spending Thursday resting with Rick as he was recovering from a head cold and I was trying to rest a bit for being out all night at the movies. So, I'm going to catch up now.

• I'm thankful we were able to get our car home from it's breakdown point on the freeway. We were both worried we would have to have it towed but Rick got it back by the skin of his teeth and me following right behind to make sure it was okay. I'm so thankful he was okay as it's coolant system is shot and the problem was overheating. I prayed him home for sure. We are on one vehicle but every time that happens to us it makes me so thankful we live so close to school and my little job. God is good.


• I'm thankful my brother was able to come home for Thanksgiving. It was not going to be that way for a long time because my mom could not afford to bring him home for both holidays. (My brother lives on a Christian ranch for disabled adults) She was able to get a great deal and he had been so sad not to be home for Thanksgiving. I'm so glad it worked out.


• I'm thankful again for my little job and the sweet lady I work for. She has been so nice to give me some extra hours so we can have some sort of Christmas this year. I don't think we have ever had such a tight year and my being able to do some extra work that does not take away from my work at home or family time has been a gift straight from God's hand. I am SO VERY thankful.


• Oddly, I'm thankful it is such a tight year. It's making me think harder and get even more creative. I've really been focused in a non-material way this year and am learning some real restraint. I have shopped for NOTHING yet. We probably won't be able to shop until the beginning of December and we will have to be so careful. It's so good for me and I think this Christmas will be the best ever because the sights, sounds and family love will be the greatest gifts. I'm really having a special joy about each little cheap idea I get and that's a blessing.


• I'm continually thankful for the best friend I have in Rick. The past year has been a tough year when it comes to friends for me for many reasons. I'm in that stage of life where my kids are getting a little older and I want to start doing girly things but I have very few spontaneous friends. Rick and I are both spontaneous and though it's hard for us to get out much, I so appreciate that part of him and look forward to the fun we will have more and more. We just love so much in life and getting out and doing stuff. I look forward to doing that more and more with the kids too as we are able. I have wished that I was able to find more girlfriends that way who you could just call up and say "let's go..." and they say "alright! sounds great!". I live up in the middle of nowhere and far away from most of my friends anyway. My best friend here is like a sister to me but she just had baby #5 and I'm just not in that chapter of my life anymore. I guess I'm just so glad Rick totally gets this part of who I am. He totally understands and is so truly anxious that I get the chance to get out. He seems to understand where my head is at this stage of life and he appreciates that I'm there. On our level as husband and wife it's great. As I am restless about friends, he is understanding and becomes so precious to me because as my very best friend, he is the best spontaneous soul I know. Bless you babe.


• I'm so thankful for my maturing daughter. It's scary but exciting to see her growing up both physically and emotionally. I am so proud of her and love that when we sit down and talk about God's perspective on things in her life, she really gets it. Growing up is NOT easy and I know I did not get some things spiritually at nearly 12 that she already gets now. I really look forward to the next few years with her. I know there will be very hard obstacles yet to come but the light at the end of each of those tunnels really brings me joy. She is such a sweet and interesting child. All my kids are interesting. I love that about them.

This week will be a great week to reflect on all those things to be thankful for. We will always be able to find problems in life but we can usually find more things to be thankful for to out shadow them. That's a great gift from God.

My New Moon Review (No Spoilers)

Yes, I stood outside for two and a half hours to see Twilight and New Moon both last night. I did not waste a penny and that is saying something because I'm someone who HATES wasting money at the movies. I was not sure it would be a big thing to see Twilight on the big screen since I had seen it so many times at home. I was so wrong. It was like I had never seen it before. Many people criticized Rob Pattinson's acting in Twilight but when you see it on the big screen you really notice every facial expression and he did an amazing job. Kristen was nothing to scream about but then I have a hard time with the Bella character herself till near the end of the series when she stops wining about everything, and I certainly don't enjoy Kristen's acting. Still, it was so much fun to see it. The baseball scene was great but went to fast!

Now, on to New Moon.

What I loved:

(I will not get into the story so that I don't ruin it for anyone who has not seen it.)

• Yeah to Summit for following the book so closely, even with direct lines that were great in the book.


• Taylor (Jacob)'s acting was so emotionally sound and he allowed us to really get absorbed into the perspective of his character. I was tickled to noticed the poor kid has not fully left puberty as his voice still crackles a bit. That was funny but not annoying. It actually added to it since Jacob is so much a man and yet still a boy in many ways still. The book creates such a long and drawn out pull on your heart strings for Jacob and though the movie did not have the luxury of time they did an excellent job of getting you to make that connection right away and have you feeling so darn bad for Jacob. Those of us who have read the book know that will carry on into Eclipse and I think Taylor has laid some great groundwork for his coming acting. Amazing.


• The wolves were my favorite part of the movie. When I saw the preview I was disappointed that they were not as big as they were in my imagination but on the big screen that all changed. They were overwhelming in sight and sound. Great job.


• Edward is not in the movie much but when he is you feel a maturity in Rob's acting as well as a maturity in the expression of deep love he feels for Bella. You felt his desperation entirely.


• The coloring of the film had a powerful effect. Many of you know Twilight was blue filtered and New Moon was yellow filtered. Their eyes were freakishly more noticeable and made for more intensity in New Moon with every expression. It also mad such a distinction to the Volturi eyes and set the Cullens apart as the different Vampire family they are.


• Kristen's acting got better as the movie went along. This was relief to see as I've been so frustrated with her acting before. Knowing where the Bella character goes in the story, one would hope she could fine tune her acting skills to be able to pull off where she is headed.


• It's cleaner! Twilight bothered me with it's pushing the decency line with Bella on her bed in t-shirt and undies inviting her love to make out with her. Thankfully Edward is all about restraint but it still was more than the book's intensity sexually. New Moon stays more true to the story and we see an appropriate amount of passionate kissing that is very loving and not stepping into sexually explosive.

What I did not like

• I'm sorry but the scene where Bella holds up her finger with the paper cut (which cannot be a spoiler for any who have seen the preview) has bothered me from the beginning. I feel it's VERY bad directing. When an adult gets a paper cut they probably will take their hurt hand into their good hand and look down at it. A toddler would hold it up for all to see and announce it. BEYOND THAT...HELLO! ...how about the fact that you know you are in a room with VAMPIRES! Any smart person would probably try to hide it or pop it in their mouth right away to block the smell. Jasper did not need this dramatic gesture, his senses are heightened enough without it and in the book you don't picture it that way at all. Besides that, the scene was good.


• The movie has to move so fast from one part to another. It does not flow as well as Twilight but Twilight had it's other problems. New Moon as a book is very long and drawn out and although it was fun to see things resolve faster on the screen, there were times I wished it would slow down so I could feel the pull I did in the book. If you had not read the book, I'm not sure you would be able to make the correlations as to what was happening next.


• The music was good but not as good and well placed as Twilight. Twilight got an A+ on score and soundtrack.


• The vision of Alice (I say no more for the sake of some) was ridiculous. I expected a Unicorn to ride in the scene. Please. Gag me. They better be cooking up something much better than that by the time we get to Bella in Breaking Dawn or I'll jump off the wagon entirely.


• Kristen's acting....what can I say? It got better but I would love to see some more emotional reaction out of this girl. Did we see a single tear go down her face? I don't remember one. Bella in the book is sobbing often and heart broken. Kristen acts like her throat is full of cotton when she gets sad but we don't see a normal female love struck reaction to heartbreak. She growls and screams in her dreams but she never weeps. Show me some weeping woman!

In between:

• THE ENDING! Oh, my word. The only part in the movie that played against the rules of the book. BUT! It was not bad. It was astounding. The whole theater had the same reaction "AHHH!"

I'll tell you no more ....go see for yourself.

If Summit follows their pattern of improvement we will be looking for one amazing Breaking Dawn! What a ride!

If you have not read my blog on the Twilight Saga itself as it relates to Christians please click home and scroll down past this post to the next.