Strength Training for the Christian

As the wife of a seminary student, I am often listening to mini-lectures on the canonization of Scripture, inerrancy, and textual criticism (etc., etc.) In the past I have listened with passivity because I am not well-acquainted with these subjects; after all, I am just a seminary wife. But recently, I have become convicted (most likely through the prayers and encouragement of my dear seminarian-husband) that learning, specifically through reading, is vital to the Christian. Let me give you a parallel to help put this into perspective. 

I write often on this blog about exercise, specifically running. I love it! I devote valuable time to it because I both enjoy it and consider it beneficial. But one aspect of running that I don't so much enjoy is strength training. Strength training, for me, isn't fun. But it yields a great benefit! Fact: it makes you stronger (hence the name). I run faster and can go father when I have devoted time to going to the gym and lifting weights to build the muscles I use when I run. Strength training is also part of injury-prevention. When a runner or athlete has strong muscles, they are less likely to be hurt in their sport. Well, reading is like that for the Christian. For those of us who aren't avid readers, picking up an extra book and spending time actually reading it, can be a difficult task. I just finished a book called "Taking Hold of God" edited by Joel Beeke and Brian G. Najapfour, on Puritan and Reformed perspectives on prayer. I admit that when Chance told me about the book he had just checked out for me from the library, I was a little less than excited. It was not exactly the book I had had in mind to read on the subject of prayer. Boy was I wrong! It was a fantastic read that has challenged and encouraged me in the discipline, study, and practice of prayer. Had I not undertaken to trust my husband's judgment and read this book, I would not now be benefiting from what I have learned. 

To be sure, learning is a process that continues through our entire lifetime. God chose, in his wisdom, to inspire a book to be read so that the man (or woman) of God would be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:17). We would do well to press on in our learning through the discipline of reading and reap the rewards that await us. So just as athletes need strong muscles to perform to the best of their abilities, so we as Christians need strong spiritual muscles that are built as we exercise our minds through reading. 

Reading is also the Christian's defense against injury, because with knowledge there is power. Reading and learning from what we read, prevents us from incurring any injuries to our patterns of thinking. Paul told Timothy, "Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather, train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." I conclude from this passage that training one's mind to protect against error (or "injury") is even more important than training one's body. Certainly, our experiences shape the way we think about issues in life; from them we gain wisdom and the benefit of having been through certain circumstances ourselves. But how much more equipped could we be as Christians to face the world, if we took the time and energy to actually know the ins and outs of our faith. 

To conclude, I believe one of the greatest hindrances to devoting time to reading is busyness. "I'm too busy" is a phrase that I both use and hear too often. While I understand that every individual has a different schedule to keep to, we are all responsible utilize our time wisely. Perhaps we could all re-evaluate our levels of busyness to see if there really isn't time to devote to reading, for the glory of God. I am sure that we could all find time to read that book that we've meant to finish for months, if we checked Facebook less often, and took fewer Instragram photos. If you truly are desiring to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, take the time to read a book; I promise, you won't regret it. 

Food on Friday: Dinner on Average

Dinner on a week night is usually planned ahead of time. I know roughly what I'm going to make in a given week, and buy my ingredients accordingly, but it often changes and I give myself the liberty to modify on a whim. Recently, Chance and I have been eating beef tacos (YUM!) once a week, but after both of us had some inconvenient symptoms we both decided that we needed to lay off the red meat for a while and eat more vegetarian dinners. I get a lot of recipe ideas from The Gluten-Free Goddess and other foodie blogs. Now when I propose to my husband the idea of making a new meal, he usually responds with a mixture of open-mindedness and reluctancy. Such was last night.

Mine wasn't this pretty, but still tasty!

I had been talking about making this quinoa recipe for dinner and when I mentioned it again to Chance he was a little less than enthusiastic. But nonetheless he was willing to try it, so after I got home from work I threw some quinoa in the rice cooker (best investment ever!) sliced some peppers and onions and put those on a baking sheet. While the peppers were roasting/grilling in the oven, I chopped up some scallions and parsley to throw in the quinoa. When the quinoa was cooked, I mixed in my add-ins along with a lemon's worth of lemon juice and some salt. Voila! Our meal was almost ready to be consumed. [While I was cooking, Chance was reading.. not sure what was going through his mind at this point, probably just hunger]. I dished up the quinoa onto two plates, along with the roasted peppers and onions, then put hummus and pesto on the table to be added if one so desired.

I put Chance's plate out first and as he took his first bite, his reaction was well... not that impressed. He made some funny facial expressions and said, "How much lemon did you put in this?" and I responded with a surprised, "Not that much!" After two or three more bites he calmed down and began to actually enjoy the dinner. I sat down and we both dove in. Hummus on roasted or grilled veggies is a-mazing, just so you know. I asked Chance what he thought of the meal (by the way, I had told him before we ate that if he didn't like dinner I wouldn't make it again). His response was that it was good. Then a few bites later the meal was "really good." Then a whole two helpings later, "That was an excellent meal Kathryn!" I love when he loves my cooking, it brings me such joy. So I would say that dinner on average, especially when I am making new recipes, always goes a little something like that.

Last night I also whipped up a soup for us to have for lunch today. Black bean soup to be exact. I have never made black bean soup using the food processor before, but now that I  have I am totally in love with the concept. I used two recipes (here and here too) as my inspiration and then kind of just did my own thing. This was my recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup chicken broth or water
2 cans of black beans, drained
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
2 tsp. cumin (more or less to taste)
1 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
Some onion powder
(if I had had some cilantro, I'd have added about 1/4 cup chopped, but it was good without it too)

Directions:
-Combine all of the above ingredients in the food processor until blended thoroughly.

-In a medium pot on the stove, cook 6 slices of bacon (hardwood smoked was great!) that has been chopped into small pieces. Cook through. Add your soup mixture from the food processor to the pot and heat on medium-low until it begins to bubble.

Mmmm enjoy! This was so easy.. I am going to start making all kinds of bean soups in the food processor! I hope you enjoy your Friday :)

Self-Image: What Men Need to Know

In previous posts, I have spoken extensively about every women's battle with their own self-image. Whether it relates to weight, food issues, one's view of their beauty, I am convinced that every woman has internal struggles about her image. All of us have different degrees to which we wrestle with our own [false] ideas about ourselves and each individual's battle will look different. Admittedly, it takes time and energy to understand our own hearts, and the thoughts that too often plague us, but this is a crucial step in diagnosing the root of our problem and seeking grace from the only One who can truly heal us.

Recently, I spoke with a friend who described an extremely disheartening conversation she had with a guy friend about his response to her openness about her self-image struggles. This guy friend expressed his feelings of insensitivity, frustration, and disinterest in helping my friend deal with these deeply personal issues. It broke my heart to hear. But I believe the reason for this man's reaction was one thing: a misunderstanding of a women's struggle with self-image. I can attest to this reasoning because, 1) I have a husband, and 2) He doesn't always understand. Most men know very little of a woman's constant struggle with her image. It is not that men don't care, but for the the most part because they haven't experienced this to a similar degree, it is hard for them to be empathetic. On Friday, Chance and I were discussing this very topic as I shared some things that I have been dealing lately, mostly due to the trials of pregnancy. From that conversation, I would like to offer some counsel to all men about how to understand a women's struggle, and how to lovingly help her.

I cannot speak for all women, on a specific level, but I can speak for myself and my husband: this has been tremendously helpful. I have realized my frustration when Chance doesn't seem concerned or careful with his words regarding the distorted view I have of myself. I have attempted to be patient with him on recent occassions, to explain a women's desire for attention and for love. Deep inside of us is the innate desire to be wanted and when we feel ugly, we are ashamed and discouragement sets in. Many women struggle with their weight, which makes them self-conscious and timid. Other women struggle with distortions to their eating, problems that can be as severe as anorexia and bulimia, or as common as condemning thoughts about eating 2 extra slices of Papa John's (sound familiar?). The desire to be loved is not wrong, but because of the fallen nature of man, that love seeks its fulfillment in 'unnatural' places: unhealthy relationships, comfort from sweets, finding one's worth in exercise and seeking the 'perfect body.' God has created all of us for the purpose of worshiping our Creator, whose image we were made in the likeness of. But sin has caused our worship to go awry, which is why I believe all women have degrees of struggle with their own self-image.

Like I said before, the reason why most men don't seem empathetic is because they just don't understand. Women, on average, are the ones who most often deal with problems relating to "body issues" or "food issues." The first thing our male counterparts can do to help us women, is to understand the language and specifics. When I say, "I feel gross today," I am probably saying, "I am not believing that I am truly beautiful...in my opinion, the way my body is making me frustrated." Women tend to express feelings of self-pity (not okay) when we are discouraged about our outer appearance. Although the Scriptures address this specifically: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she will be praised" (Prov. 31:30), it will likely not be helpful if you, husband (brother or friend) rattle off this verse and assume that this will solve the problem. Understand the language. When you pray for your wife, don't just say, "Lord, Kathryn is dealing with food." What does that mean to me? Am I having trouble shopping for it? Or am I dealing with self-condemnation in regards to my eating habits? See, the language is important.

Now women, this doesn't get you off the hook either. You need to be willing to explain to your husband (brother, friend, etc.) the specifics of your struggle. Don't just assume that he knows what you are dealing with, and don't write him off or get frustrated when he doesn't automatically 'get it.' Be patient and take the time to explain your heart - trust me, it will do you both a world of good.

Secondly, men, listen to your wife. I cannot express to you enough how much this matters to her. When a woman chooses to open up about her struggle with her self-image or a matter concerning her relationship with food, she means for you to listen to her. She needs you to. Loving her, as a sister in Christ and as Christ loved his bride, means listening patiently and actively. I know that my husband is listening well when he asks me questions to get me to explain more thoroughly, which in turn helps me to open up. I know that he cares, that he loves me, and that he genuinely desires for me to be helped through my battles. So listen up men!

Lastly, I eluded to this in the previous paragraph, ask leading questions. If I am sharing that I am discouraged about how I look today, you might want to ask your wife, "Sweety, what do you mean by that?" or "What kind of thoughts were you having?" I have often been helped when others ask me questions that cause me to think actively about something I have just said passively. I am able to go through my thought process, consider what made me think that way, and likely see what lie I am believing about myself or my situation. A husband will understand his wife better if he listens attentively and asks her questions that explain her heart to him.

In conclusion, our husbands are instruments God uses in our lives to help us see truth, and fight the lies that our hearts believe. Men, please take heed to these instructions and lovingly seek to understand, listen, and ask questions of your wife in order to empathize with her situation. You may not ever fully understand, but she will certainly appreciate your genuine effort.

"By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us." -1 John 3:19-23

[Note: I used husbands as the prime example here, but the principle is applicable to brothers, fathers, uncles, friends, boyfriends, fiances, etc.]

Food on Friday: Tribute to My Healthy Husband

That is hummus.. very garlick-y hummus.

I never thought that the day would come when I would be able to applaud and rejoice at my husband's eating. But that day has arrived! I'll give you a bit of a background story and then tell you why I am so excited. When Chance and I first met, he wasn't a terrible eater. He played soccer in college, and so "Caf" meals were what his diet pretty much consisted of. He grew up in a home-cooked family, where dinner was served every night - what a blessing. But he still had his learning to do. One instance I remember well, on a trip we took to Wal-Mart together, Chance decided he wanted to purchase "grape drink". Yes, that's right "grape drink". To my amazement, Chance was unaware that grape drink had actually NO real grape juice in it, but was basically sugar and water and high fructose corn syrup in liquid form: yummy. Over the years of our friendship, dating, engagement, and finally marriage food/diet has been quite a point of contention. We have had different views on what a "healthy diet" is actually made up of, and argued about whether "organic food" is really better for you. Well in the last few months, I am proud to say that through the education of multiple food documentaries that advocated plant-based diets, showed the health risks of the American diet, and gave us a real look at what is in the food that we put in our bodies, my husband is a convert. No more will he be buying foods with ingredients that can't be pronounced, and no more will we have 'discussions' about my seemingly picky food choices. I am very happy indeed. And I think that our relationship just got a whole lot sweeter. It's great to be able to agree on what is going on the table and into our bodies. I love my husband dearly, and I appreciate the fact that (although it took some well-done documentaries to convince him) he now sees my point of view. We will still have our disagreements, but I am happy to say that our diet will likely not be one of them. Thank you Lord for good food that treats our bodies right! And thank you Lord for my healthy husband!

*Note: even if Chance continued to eat some junk food here and there, I'd still love him unconditionally, it just makes grocery shopping and cooking a whole lot easier.*