The Art of Cooking

I am fortunate to know many artists. These folks share some common characteristics. They are passionate about what they do. They don't follow rules. They share their gifts.

Jenn is an artist in several areas. For obvious reasons, one of my favorite forms of her art is her cooking. When it comes to cooking and baking, she is a true artist.

How does she approach cooking?

She researches
Jenn peruses magazines and tunes into the food network. She even gleaned inspiration from Cook or Be Cooked for Wii. Jenn does the work necessary to learn different techniques and gain new ideas.

She experiments
Most anyone can follow a recipe if they really try. (Okay, some people really cannot follow a recipe, and they should probably stay away from the kitchen. ) Jenn, however, makes nearly every recipe her own. Tonight, for example, she is making Shepherd's Pie. She was not pleased by the quantity of butter in the recipe and is going to try lowering it with some strategies. She is frequently modifying recipes to reduce calories and fat. (Of course, this is difficult with cookies!) Among other areas, she also experiments with color, texture, and seasoning.

She gives
Probably the most delightful thing about Jenn and her art is that she gives. Just this morning, she asked me to invite Troy over for dinner on Wednesday night. She invited her brother as well. When I went to Bremen a few weeks ago for work, she sent cookies for Mom and Dad.

So for my part, I do the dishes and step in on an as-needed basis to chop vegetables and help with cookies. Okay, she used my idea for pears in the salad this week, too! :)

Crossroad

As discussed in my previous post, I was recently running and came to an intersection. Over the past few months, I have encountered this intersection many times while running - sometimes more than one time a day. However, on this particular run, the intersection had much more meaning. In fact, I couldn't get the intersection out of my head and decided to take a picture of it. (Actually, I'd like to try taking a picture again and blur out the background. A nearby dog was barking like crazy so we were creating quite a disturbance. It was not a great time to be artistic!)

You see, on that particular run, I look up and saw a cross created by the two road signs, Mt. Cavalry and Winding. This intersection kind of summarizes life. Life is this kind of winding road with detours, country roads, potholes, and freeways. Eventually, though, the winding path comes to a place call Mt. Cavalry. And at this intersection is a cross. The key, though, is what happens after this encounter. A couple of options exist.

Option 1
Turn around and go back.

Option 2
Keep traveling along that Cavalry road.

Option 3
Stay at the Cross.

Option 4
Move on down a New Winding road with the confidence and freedom of new life.

A Post Coming Soon

I have worked quite diligently this week with the hopes of having time allotted for a blog post for this morning. I'm doubling up for a few weeks with classes because of the wedding and ensuing vacation coming up in June. The nice thing, though, is that I know what the goal is. In other words, yes, these few weeks are hectic, but it is time well-spent in light of the event (and the start of our life together) that's coming. (Kind of a major understatement.) However, it made me pause and think this morning. Goals and a direction are important. They provide an understanding of what we are working towards. I've been doing some inquiring this week and making some observations. This is leading to some new thoughts about goals and direction.

Okay, the real reason for this post is to set up the next post. A few weeks ago, I was out running and came to an intersection. I have encountered this intersection several times but something struck me about it on that particular run. I looked at the road names and couldn't get a thought out my head. It was a thought for a picture. Last Friday, Jenn and I went on a walk and took the picture. The picture didn't end up being anything too special but it captured the point. More to follow.

Pussy Willow

I just don't know why everyone laughs.

The Law

I recently alluded to The Law.

Now, I'm not specifically talking about our current systems of laws. However, they probably in some ways help to understand the concepts shared by Andrew Farley in The Naked Gospel.

Instead, I'm talking about The Law of the Old Testament.

More specifically, as Farley writes, "performance hoops to jump through in order to impress God."

I can relate on a very personal level to what it is like living under The Law.

Sure, it is not a law written down in any ancient text. Rather, it is a self-imposed sort of law that was most prevalent in my early college years. It had to do with grades and performance. I still remember spending hours in the basement of the library (the dungeon as I thought of it) studying for tests, studying quizzes, studying, studying... Why? I was afraid of failure, afraid of losing scholarship money. And my sense of self-value was confined to academic performance. So after coming out of the dungeon, I would then wonder around campus knowing that something was not right but not able to understand what was wrong.

Only now, are the pieces starting to come together.

However, what is clear is that these types of laws - whether self-imposed or rooted in churches or other institutions - don't make much sense. What are some other vestiges of "law-mindedness?" Some things that come to mind are concerns over church attendance and belief that in order to get closer to God we need to do all kinds of activities.

None of this sounds like freedom.

It sounds like prison.

Voices of God

A friend shared that he also has some kind of perhaps semi-spiritual experience in bookstores.

He wrote, "I love entering a book store without a single plan or idea of what I am going to buy."

Several words came to mind when I read this statement.

Freedom.
Open-mindedness.
Spontaneity.

I have often considered the different images of God... God in others, God in nature, God as teacher...

However, the different voices of God have never even been on the radar. Yet, why wouldn't God use a book to share something with us? Why wouldn't God use a gurgling stream or a buzzing wind mill turbine to offer some insights? I have always assumed that the voice of God had to sound like someone talking. Now, this narrow view sounds kind of confining, perhaps absurd.

Pressing On Revisited Yet Again

Jenn and I spent Saturday morning and early afternoon with friends in Lafayette. While Jenn and Katie were shopping, Nick and I headed over to Barnes & Noble.

As strange as it sounds, going to a bookstore has almost become a spiritual experience. Somehow, more often than not, a book just kind of jumps off the shelf. This day was no different. As I looked over titles, a book stood out from all of the rest:

The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley.

I mean who wouldn't be a least a little curious about a title that includes Naked and Gospel?

So I started reading and before long am already at page 55. Why? This is a book that makes so much sense to me. Because it makes so much sense, it is almost like speed reading. Pieces from my ongoing spiritual journey start to make more sense. Questions about what is going on in our world become a tiny bit more clear.

It even applied to a recent decision as related in a previous post.

It has to do with laws.

More specifically, The Law.

Well, time for work, but more to come.