Because He First Loved Me

Somewhere back in my college days, when I was at a point of wanting to know God more deeply, I remember an older Christian sister asking me"Why do you love God?" Her question was asked so pointedly and intently that I was momentarily taken off guard and remained silent, thinking, thinking. The answer soon flooded over my soul: "I love God because He first loved me!" (1 John 4:19)

Last week I finished reading the recently published Because He loves Me, How Christ Transforms Our Daily Life by Elyse Fitzpatrick and the memory of that epiphan-ous moment of 20+ years ago came back to me. What I didn't really realize so many years ago, but have been learning the past couple of years or so, is that the gospel, or, the good news of Jesus Christ, is daily, yea, even hourly, the foundation of a transformed life.



Because He Loves Me

Fitzpatrick divides her book into two parts:

I. How God's Love Transforms Our Identity
II. How God's Love Transforms Our Life

The first part of the book is largely a reiteration and exploration of the gospel, and though an older Christian may be tempted to skim through chapters with titles such as Remembering His Love, Identity Gift, Your Inheritance, this temptation should be resisted. For the truths of the gospel to do their transforming work in our lives, we must live by them, and thus, as a forgetful people we must marinate ourselves in them.

This becomes even more clear as Fitzpatrick moves into part II of her book, laying out just how the gospel transforms in chapters such as Be Who You Are, I will Cleanse You, Walk in Love, and Take Courage, Your Sins Are Forgiven. I particularly benefited from the discussion of the indicative and imperative components of the gospel, or the 'gospel declaration' and the 'gospel obligation' from Chapter 10, Be Who You Are. Both components of the gospel must be present or in balance lest we become moralists, over emphasizing the obligation, or libertarians, over emphasizing declaration. I tend to the moralist camp, myself!

Examples of this perfect declaration/obligation synergy are found throughout Scripture:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (indicative). Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (imperative). For you have died and your live is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (indicative). Put to death therefore what is earthly in you (imperative)...

~Colossians 3:1-5a

and another quick example from Philippians 2:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (imperative) for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (indicative).

~Philippians 2:12,13

Fitzpatrick writes, "please remember that your growth in holiness is firmly bound to your appreciation of the gospel and God's love, for it is only an appreciation of his love that can motivate genuine obedience."

Also good is chapter 10, Take Courage; Your Sins are Forgiven, in which Fitzpatrick takes a couple of real-life sin situations and explains how Christ's incarnation, sinless life, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension each can have a transforming impact. Good stuff.

I have a sexist confession to make: I usually don't read or like theological books by women authors. I haven't thought too deeply about why this is but I just don't. Maybe it is the cute illustrations or the overuse of exclamation marks? Anyway, while this book has a few of the illustrations I shy away from, the content of the book is excellent and theologically meaty, yet easily understandable and practical--not in the pragmatic sense, but in the the life-changing-if you apply-it sense. I've already given my copy of this book to a dear friend who was passing through and I plan to re-order for myself and for a few friends. And, as an added bonus, this book could easily replace a number of 'life issues' books--the ones which tell you how to overcome this or that-- you may have sitting on your shelves.

Edit: my links are dead but I'm leaving town early in the morning and don't have the time to fix them now. Sorry.

A Northwest Summer, so far

As we've traveled 'home' this summer, I've been reminded anew just what a beautiful and wonderful place the Northwest is. The weather is near perfect: cool mornings, warm days--okay, hot, but everyone has air!--cool evenings, occasional rain or blustery thunderstorms, the scenery, stunning, and there are abundant opportunities for recreation, if only hiking through breathtakingly beautiful meadows, foothills, etc. We count ourselves blessed to enjoy the refreshment of God's awesome creation this summer and if you've never been to the northwest United States, you must visit sometime!

Dear friends, Tim and Jan, always get us out on the water. Both sons have learned to ski behind their boats and we've all enjoyed lots of water fun during our Idaho summers because of their generous hospitality. Dear husband still has the moves though he agreed to no hotdogging this summer after it yielded broken or at least very bruised ribs two summers ago.

Most of us learned to surf this summer. I enjoyed this; a gentler way to enjoy the water than skiing. Less impact on falls, as well!

My favorite water sport: a wild and crazy tube ride!

Visiting friends in the Olympic peninisula, we enjoyed an afternoon of gorgeous scenery at Hurricane Ridge, Olympia State Park, Washington. They must have had a great winter as there was still a fair amount of snow and the wildflowers were profuse and beautiful, especially the lupine.




The wildlife was not very wild so we enjoyed some close-up viewing and Artist son was able to add some sketches to his newly begun nature journal.


And back to Idaho:

Last weekend Dear Husband and Artist Son enjoyed their first backpacking adventure together, hiking 11 miles up to Baron Lake near Stanley, Idaho. Elevation 8,200 feet.

The backpackers at their campsite in the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains.

Let all creation declare the majesty of its Creator!

A Middle Eastern/North African Meal

One of the things we enjoy when we are back in the States is preparing a Middle Eastern meal for family and friends. This week, I, with the help of my children, dear mother, and a few other friends, prepared and served a lunch for about 120 people. We prepared the main dish on one afternoon, the couscous another morning, and the salad was put together just before the lunch.

This year I chose some recipes which were more North African (Tunisia, Morocco) in origin, though the ingredients and flavors are found throughout the Middle East. All three recipes were inspired from those found in the Australian Women's Weekly Middle Eastern Cooking Class.



Women's Weekly Middle Eastern Cooking School Class

For the main dish we served Chicken Tagine with Dates and Honey. Tagines are slow cooked stews of North African origin, traditional cooked in special clay pots. Ours was cooked in stainless steel pots on electric burners.

Chicken Tagine with Dates and Honey

2 lbs chicken breasts cut in to strips or chunks
2 tablesppons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground tumeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1/2 cup seedless dates, halved
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup blanched almonds, toasted
2 chopped fresh coriander leaves

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a pan, add chicken and cook, stirring, until browned. Remove from pan.
2. Heat remaining oil in the same pan, add onions and garlic. When onions are nearly soft, add all the spices and continue cooking, stirring, until onions are soft.
3. Return chicken to pan with stock and water and simmer covered for one hour. Remove lid and simmer for about 30 minutes or until mixture is thickened slightly and chicken is tender.
4. Stir in dates, honey, and nuts. Sprinkle with fresh coriander (cilantro).

Serves 4-6

The chicken tagine was served with couscous:

Almond Coriander (Cilantro) Couscous

3 cups couscous
3 (or 4) cups boiling water---or better, us the quantities of couscous and water as directed on the package of couscous. I usually decrease the water a bit so that the couscous isn't too wet.
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves

1. Heat water (I add a tablespoon of olive oil) to boiling. Take water off the heat, add couscous, and let sit for about 5 minutes, covered, or until the water is absorbed. Fluff couscous with a fork.
2. Heat oil in a large pan, add garlic and onions, cook, stirring, until onions are soft. Add the onion mixture to the couscous.
3. Stir nuts and coriander into the couscous mixture.

And, the salad:

Tomato, Feta, and Green Onion Salad

1 lb. feta cheese
4 medium onions
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3-4 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
3 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

1. Cut tomatoes into wedges, remove seeds, and chop tomatoes finely.
2. Whisk oil and juice in small bowl until combined; add onions and mint. Mix well.
3. Combine the mint mixture with the tomatoes and let marinate for about 1 hour.
4. Crumble the cheese in (about) 1/2 inch chunks on a plate or platter.
5. Spoon tomato mixture over the crumbled cheese and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts and sesame seeds.

Confession: If I were serve this meal to Middle Eastern friends it would be considered a light meal. Besides the three dishes above I would need to serve at least one other main dish, at least one more salad, olives, and flat bread. And even then, this amount of food would be acceptable only because I am a foreigner.

Sahtayn! (Double your health)

Linguistic Irony

It strikes me as ironic, in this age of linguistic fluidity and relativity, the reply I am receiving from the younger generation in response to my inquiries:

"Absolutely!"

"Mom, You're such a geek."

I received this comment from Artist Son with a smile as it was given with a smile and was not at all pejorative in nature. Truly, I had just enjoyed an afternoon of unadulterated geekiness (except for the M&M's); while the fam headed to the local pool to cool off in the scorching Arizona heat, I stayed at home, afraid to subject my finally subsiding major-allergic-reaction-to-who-knows-what-hives to sun and chlorine, to read philosophy, ponder, and write book notes. At my disciplined best, I try to summarize each chapter I read, but I am not often at my disciplined best. My usual MO is to underline, star and bracket (pencil only) and then, when time allows, to write or type up my 'book notes', adding some summary on the fly where I can.

School's out and I've just begun three books that have been on my shelves for some time. As I prepare to dive into a study of Ancient Literature for our Great Books Course next fall (second time)it think these books will help prepare me, as a tutor to guide my students, Active Son and Artist Son:

The Greek Way, Edith Hamilton



A wonderful book, so far, by the late classicist, Edith Hamilton, explaining the Greek mind and the it's impact on and contribution to Western Civilization. I read the first several chapters of this book on our international flight but left it on our domestic connection--thankfully, Delta has retreived it and it is waiting for me at the baggage claim.

Six Great Ideas, Mortimer J. Adler



I'm about a third of the way through Alder's primer on philosophy and his discussion of the six great ideas of truth, goodness, beauty, and liberty, equality, and justice, which the ancients gave such particular and in depth attention to is sparking lots of teaching ideas for next fall. For some years I have felt that philosophy is the subject or, better, way of thinking, which is sorely absent from education. I am in full agreement with Alder that philosophy is everybody's business:

"It cannot be too often repeated that philosophy is everybody's business. To be a human being is to be endowed with the proclivity to philosophize. "

"It is also necessary to understand why this is so and what philosophy's business is. The answer in a word, is ideas. In two words, it is great ideas..."

Orthodoxy,G.K.Chesterton



Chesterton presents his essays on orthodoxy as autobiographical however he "will not call it my philosophy; for I did not make it. God and humanity made it; and it made me." I'm not completely sure how this one is going to dovetail with the other two, but after just two chapters, I'm pretty confident it will.

One thought I'm pondering, particularly as we re-enter American culture:

..But nearly all people I have ever met in this western society in which I live would agree to the general proposition that we need this life of practical romance; the combination of something that is strange with something that is secure. We need to view the world as to combine an idea of wonder and an idea of welcome. We need to be happy in this wonderland without once being merely comfortable.

Traveling~

Tomorrow morning we leave for the States where we will spend the next couple of months plus connecting with family and friends, 'taking care of business', and taking Oldest Daughter to college. I thought I had preparations pretty well in hand but I was thrown a bit off balance by family illness: Active Son has a tiring cold virus and Tayta was sick to her stomach four times throughout the night. She seems to have stabilized but I put her to bed tonight with a "jiggly" stomach and a fever. As for me, I thought I was handling things pretty well and wasn't feeling too stressed, but apparently, not: this morning I began breaking out in hives. First my face and then my torso. Most annoying, but at least I have been able to carry on.

A special thanks to Dr. Angie who gave Oldest Daughter her two necessary vaccinations this morning, prescribed something for me and gave me advice regarding Tayta.

We'll arrive in Arizona tomorrow night, and then move on to Idaho on the 17th, so probably no blogging until I resurface in Boise.

The Violin Adventure

Caveat: A long story

With all the relief which came with Oldest Daughter's acceptance into music school, we soon began to consider the inevitable issue which we had conveniently and, perhaps, necessarily, put out of our minds: Oldest Daughter would soon need a new violin. There is no question why I didn't enjoy dwelling on this not yet urgent but impending need: 1. It could and probably would be costly. I really didn't want to think about how much it could be but I knew the possibilities and they weren't encouraging. 2. Even if we could afford it, finding a suitable instrument could entail a lot of searching, shipping of violins cross country, etc. One cello mom informed me that it took over a year to find their daughter's last instrument. Oldest Daughter didn't nag or despair but when she mentioned her need and uncertainty I admitted the challenges and encouraged her to pray.

God, in his Goodness, provided.

About three weeks ago Oldest Daughter's violin teacher received a call from his rising-star-violinist-son who studies in Germany. The violinist-son was performing in Spain and knew a Hungarian man who was selling several violins to raise cash. Violinist-son had played a couple of concerts on one of the violins, French-made, which the Hungarian was selling and called his father in Jordan to sing its praises--and to tell him that the violin was valued at at least twice the selling price. In other words, an exceptional instrument which violinist-son wanted to purchase himself but couldn't, for sale at a price far under its value. If Oldest Daughter wanted it, she would have the first option to purchase it.

Now, I am not very experienced in the realm of violin purchasing, however I do know that it is pretty much unheard of for a musician of Oldest Daughter's caliber to purchase an instrument sight unseen and, more importantly, sound unheard. It's just not done. However, we trusted violinist-son implicitly. We agreed to purchase the violin. But how to get the violin from Spain to Jordan?

The first step was easy. Violinist-son brought the violin back home to Germany; however, he was soon leaving for a European tour and couldn't help any further. Shipping really wasn't an option, even with insurance, as there was no telling what would happen once the violin arrived in Jordan. Customs would likely be high and it could be a major hassle to get it out. The violin needed to be hand- carried from Germany, and, before we traveled to the States on June 12.

Next, I sent an email to many friends in Jordan, hoping that someone knew someone traveling through the Frankfurt airport on their way to Amman. On friend wrote back suggesting I call another friend whom I had neglected to include in the group email. I called the second friend, who at first thought said he didn't know of anyone coming this way, but on second thought remembered a friend who would soon be traveling to Jordan on business. I contacted this German businessman via email and he graciously replied that he would be glad to help out by carrying the violin to Jordan--we just needed to get it to him at the Frankfurt airport before departure. The violin was several hours away by train, in Duisdorf, near Cologne.

The next email went to a dear German friend who lived in Jordan for five years and is now living very near the Frankfurt airport. She was thrilled to be included in what was now becoming known as the "violin adventure" and graciously agreed to help however she could. When I told her our dilemma concerning the present location of the violin she wrote back that her sister-in-law, who lives in Duisdorf, was planning to come to Frankfurt that weekend!

So, violinist-son's sister, a harpist also studying in Germany, delivered the violin to my friend's sister-in-law. A few days later my friend came into possession of the precious instrument, which she, in turn, delivered to the German businessman at the Frankfurt airport (I has hoping they wouldn't ask any of those security questions, like "did someone you don't know give you something to take on this flight."). At about 8pm last night we received a call from the German businessman informing us that he had arrived and that we could meet him at his hotel to pick up the violin.

Dear Husband and I drove to the hotel and while he parked the car I waited in the lobby, watching for someone carrying a violin case. Within a couple of minutes, in strode a German couple, carrying hand luggage and a violin case; I approached them and introduced myself. The German businessman told me that he had actually decided not to make this particular trip to Jordan, but had changed his mind shortly before receiving my email--he was sure that God was involved in all the details and was very glad to have helped us. After heartfelt thanks and handshakes, we headed home.

The violin is beautiful and the sound, gorgeous--it produces a much fuller and richer sound than Oldest Daughter's old violin. This evening Oldest Daughter's violin teacher came to inspect and hear the violin and concurred with our conclusion: the violin is perfect for Oldest Daughter. And, she is able to sell her old violin to a fellow violin player here in Jordan, where good instruments are extremely hard to come by.

We are thanking God for this perfect provision. Dear Husband's only lament is that, as Oldest Daughter departs for music school in August, we have only a few short months to enjoy listening to Oldest Daughter practice on this beautiful new instrument.

A Violin Recital

As the lone senior in her homeschool senior class, Oldest Daughter decided that she didn't want to have a traditional graduation ceremony--too much pomp and circumstance focused on just one person, she felt. Instead, she decided to invite all her friends to a senior violin recital, her last before leaving Jordan. She and her teacher planned a delightful program:

J.S. Bach~ Sonata 1 for Solo Violin, Adagio and Presto

J.S. Bach~Double Violin Concerto, 1st movement
(played with her teacher)
E. Lalo~Symphonie Espanole, IV movement
Jean Sibelius~Violin Concerto, Allegro moderato
J. Massenet~ 'Meditation'
Peter Tchaikovsky~'Russian Dance' from the ballet Swan Lake
Rimsky-Korsakoff~'Arabian Song' from Scheherazade
Arr. Fritz Kreisler
Pablo de Sarasate~Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs)

Oldest daughter included this Note to the Audience:

Ever since I was a little girl, I have wished I could sing. I can sing, but I can't 'sing'. Instead, at the age of six, I embarked on a journey which is by no means over. I started taking violin lessons. Throughout the years I've found that the violin, the only instrument which can imitate the sound of a woman's voice, can not only sing, it can laugh and cry, dance and sleep, meditate and pray, speak and whisper, explode in fits of emotion and bursts of passion. It can allow you to hear what it is to be joyful, what it is to love, and what it is to mourn.

The ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, believed that the beauty we sense is merely an imitation of a higher, more perfect immaterial beauty. It is a shadow of true Beauty, which comes only from God, Himself. I hope that I can help you see things with your soul as well as your eyes. Close your eyes if it will help you see the music, and let the music show itself to you. Music is not a common thing; it is a rare treasure. Please enjoy my humble efforts to present a bit of what I've discovered along my journey. Thank God for the beautiful gift of music he's given us, and for allowing us to enjoy it.

It was truly a grand evening, with many friends gathered to celebrate with Oldest Daughter and to enjoy the beautiful music which she shared with us all.

Though difficult to choose which pieces to post here, I've decided on Gypsy Airs and Russian Dance. However, Lalo and the Bach Sonata are lovely too. And, if you've a little time, you'll want to listen to Sibelius--very dramatic and I had to upload it in two clips as it is about 13 minutes long. This was Oldest Daughter's audition concerto movement--though she played only about the first 3-5 minutes of it for most auditions. All nine videos can be accessed via my YouTube page.



Russian Dance, Peter Tchaikovsky


Gypsy Airs, Pablo de Sarasate

Almost Summer

Eagle Scout

Although Active Sons successfully passed his Eagle Board of review in January, it wasn't until his April 29th Eagle Scout Court of Honor that he was awarded the Eagle Scout rank. Active Son shared his Court of Honor with a fellow Eagle Scout--good thing, too, as planning the COH was almost like planning a wedding (invitations, programs, venue, speakers,photographer, gifts, cake, etc.) and I was able to share planning responsibilities with another mom.

In a time in which we don't often celebrate rites of passage for a young man, it was a joy to to see Active son affirmed by other men and leaders in his community for the steps he is taking towards preparing himself to be a leader and servant in his community.

Active Son receives his Eagle Scout neckerchief

All the Eagle Scouts present at the Court of Honor, saying the pledge

Delivering his speech to award his mentor pin to the person who had most helped in along the path to Eagle, Active Son quoted former slave and educator Booker T. Washington, whose biography he had recently read:

"The older I grow, the more I am convinced that there is no education which one can get from books and costly apparatus that is equal to that which can be gotten from contact with great men and women."

Active Son acknowledged not only his mentor, but others who have had a significant influence in his life.


For my part in the ceremony, I had only to receive my 'mom pin' and stand next to Dear Husband as he read a tribute which he had prepared for the occasion:

Active Son. Congratulations on the achievement of Eagle Rank. When you joined Cub Scouts years ago we did not know all that would be involved to complete this high rank. If I had known, to be honest, I would not have believed that you could do it for it has proved to be a journey fit for a man. Looking at a boy, I was indeed short-sighted. How did it happen?

Scouting has contributed to the development of your abilities. You have always tended to be active and athletic. Scouting has given you a place to learn and develop in recreational activities as well as knowledge of the outdoors and many areas of interest. As an athlete, scouting has instilled a confidence in you to lead others. Your budding coaching career is the fruit of this.

Scouting has contributed to the development of your character. You have always enjoyed and appreciated people. When you wanted to join Scouts it was initially to be with your friends. Through Scouting, you have grown to be more loyal in your friendships as well as feel the importance of kindness, courteousness and cheerfulness. You have seen that it is not only to your parents that you need to submit, but to other leaders as well. Older scouts have set a good example for you which you then have followed.

Scouting has contributed to the development of your soul. You have always feared God and been responsive to spiritual things. You like to go to church, youth group and Bible Studies as well as serve others. Scouting has highlighted the importance of reverence for God. With this support, you have grown in your understanding of the Scriptures, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the goodness of life with Him.

These are ways your mother and I have seen you grow from a boy to a man through your Scouting experience. You have done an excellent job at completing the Eagle Scout Rank. May this be the first of many achievements you attain in the development of your abilities, your character and your soul. We are very proud of you our son, Active Son.

Four Eagle Scouts of Troop 806

Next year Active son will have the unique opportunity to share the position of Junior Scoutmaster with a fellow Eagle Scout; the current Scoutmaster will oversee the Junior Scoutmasters as they lead the troop. Congratuations, Eagle Scouts and congratuations to Boy Scout Troop 806, which has advanced seven Eagle Scouts since it was chartered six years ago.

(Thanks to Ashley for the pictures!)

Happy Birthday Artist Son

Artist Son turned 14 last week, and because his birthday falls during our family's high season for activity, he is the only one who didn't receive a birthday tribute on my blog last year. As it is, we've only half celebrated his birthday, with the rest of the celebration on hold until life slows down a bit at the end of the month.

This has unofficially been the year of Artist Son's 'coming out'. Ever the quiet, philosophical, focused child, we, his family, have long delighted in his thoughtful, contemplative nature. Among us, he has long held the reputation as the one who uses the fewest words to say Really Wise Things. And now that he is maturing and and stepping out into the community others are beginning to notice what we've known all along.

Last year he was content to stay at home, but this year he decided he would like to get involved in a couple of small group bible studies. I've received comments from surprised adults who had never really heard Artist Son say much before, that he is the initiator of thoughtful, meaningful comments and interaction. I've observed him become a valued member of the youth group and music team, and he has splashed onto the (very) local art scene by receiving his first commission. He works diligently at his studies and organizes himself so that he has plenty of hours to devote to his art; drawing and painting are slow and careful work. We are so thankful for the aesthetic beauty which Artist Son brings into our lives.

Happy Birthday, Artist Son! You have long been a blessing to our family and it is with joy that we watch God make you a blessing in the lives of others.

Chocolate.Chocolate.Chocolate.

I usually am inspired to post a recipe to my blog when I make something and people other than myself declare its goodness. Such was the case of the Chocolate-Pudding Cake I made this weekend.

Friday was Artist Son's birthday and as he planned to spend the night at his Guys-Small-Group-Bible-Study leader's house with the rest of his small group I offered to make a cake. Artist Son's pick: Chocolate-Pudding Cake. And since on the same evening we were hosting Active Son's small group at our home I made two cakes. Later that evening Active Son reported that one of his friends had exclaimed after eating a few bites of the cake, "this is the best thing I've tasted in my life!" Wow! Quite a compliment, however I defer the compliment to my easy, no-fail recipe.

This recipe makes a generous 9x13 size dessert, however you can halve the recipe for an 8"x8" pan. Very easy, very delicious. Even more delicious served with ice cream.

Chocolate Pudding Cake~
If you're not familiar with pudding cakes they require faith. You pour hot water over the batter before it goes in the oven. Then it forms a cake-like layer on top of a think creamy sauce as it bakes.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (divided)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups hot water

1. Heave oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put flour, sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa, the baking powder, and salt into an ungreased 9 or 10inchx13 baking pan. Stir with a fork to mix well. Add milk and oil. Stir until well blended.
3. Sprinkle brown sugar, remaining 1/2 cup cocoa and the chocolate chips over the batter.
4. Mix vanilla with water and pour evenly over top.
5. Bake 30-35 mintes until surface looks dry and brownie-like.
6. Makes more servings than you probably need to eat so invite someone over to share this!

Salaam/Shalom

Reuters photo by Ali Jarekji

"Children hold black balloons in a rally to mark ‘Nakbeh’ outside the United Nations office in Amman on Wednesday. Palestinians mark ‘Nakbeh’, or catastrophe, as a day of mourning for the establishment of Israel in 1948 after which an Arab-Israeli war brought the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians." Jordan Times, Thursday, May 15

I didn't don a black and white checked keffiah (scarf) in commemoration of Nakbeh Day, as I noticed some youth in our neighborhood had done however I will link to this article by world famous conductor, Daniel Barenboim, brought to my attention by Oldest Daughter. Barenboim, a Russian Jew, was raised in Argentina and Israel and is the 'only Israeli in the world who can show Palestinian passport at an Israeli border crossing'. Together with intellectual and close friend, the late Edward Said, Barenboim began the West-Eastern Divan, an annual orchestral music workshop which brings together Israeli and Arab musicians in an effort to promote peace through understanding. (Oldest daughter at one time hoped to participate in this unique workshop/orchestra and even successfully auditioned for it, however, in the end she wasn't able to participate as she is neither Israeli or Arab. Some of her musician friends have enjoyed their participation in it over the years.)

Barenboim proposes a two-state solution. I share Barenboim's short-term pessimism, and I hope, long-term optimism. And, like Barenboim, and I am both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli. I don't think the two designations must be mutually exclusive.

A Family Affair

On Fridays in April and May, the mostly likely place to find most or all of our family is on the ball fields. With Dear Husband as Commissioner and coach, Active Son as coach and player, Artist Son as player and sometimes ump, Oldest Daughter as Team 'Mom' for the team Active Son coaches, Tayta as player, and yours truly as faithful fan and the-one-who-attends-to-miscellaneous-details, we are usually out of the house by 8a.m., returning home after the Seniors' game in the late afternoon.

The Commish advises a student umpire

Tayta gets a hit for Team Cinnabon and is a valued defensive player in right field

Artist Son makes a call, umping his first Coach Pitch game

Active Son gives running instructions to his player on 3rd base

Team Mom mans the dugout and keeps the players organized

Artist Son helps his team at 2nd base and, after a hit, makes a run for 1st

Coach Dad gives the Secret Signs

This picture isn't out of focus; that is dust, and lots of it. We return from the field tinged a brownish grey and I learned long ago that is futile to buy socks for my players in any color but black.

Active Son pitches his team to a 4-3 victory

Friday, we were able to return home with a good amount of victory satisfaction: Active Son's Kid Pitch team batted like never before to beat a formidable rival and Active Son was on his pitching game through seven innings of a tight game. And, if anyone tunes into Al Jezeera, watch for a feature spot on Amman Little League Baseball; their reporter and camera men were at the fields on Friday to shoot some footage and interview one of ALLA's coaches and a couple players. Perhaps baseball will continue to gain a following in the Middle East.

Field Guide to Jordan

Most unusually, I found myself home alone one evening last week, with nothing that had to be urgently accomplished within the next few hours, so I headed off to a local bookstore for some book browsing--something I hadn't allowed myself the luxury of for months. As I arrived at the check-out counter, I noticed the book below; it took me about 10 seconds to decide to add it to my stack of purchases.


Field Guide to Jordan

This newly published field guide to Jordan is all around brilliant and is just the kind of book I wish had been available ten years ago. Kudos to author and photographer Jarir Maani and to the extended Maani family, an obviously talented and artistic clan judging from the photo and illustration credits (Annes Maani, Sari Maani, Sinan Maani, Habeeb Maani, etc., etc.)

The guide is divided into five color coded sections: Geology, Archeology (by period), Environment, Flora, and Fauna and is packed full of beautiful, high quality photographs. Considering that the only other guide to birds in Jordan cost about JD 30 ($44), I was very glad to find this broader guide for a mere JD 15. The guide has already been thumbed through by various members of the family, has helped us identify a bird we saw in Wadi Dana in March, and has been taken to bed for night-time reading by 13yo nature-loving son. Highly recommended.

--Edit-- Wow! The Field Guide to Jordan just got better. The producers have created a great website for the guide. Go here for the press release and here for some great images found in the guide.

To Obie or not to Obie

That was the question. And last week, Oldest Daughter answered it in the affirmative, deciding to accept Oberlin Conservatory's offer of admission. Much relief and rejoicing has come with the making of this decision and we continue to thank God for all the ways he has provided and continues to provide for Oldest Daughter and our entire family.

Oldest Daughter received offers of admission from three of the four schools at which she auditioned and from those three she narrowed the decision to Eastman School of Music and Oberlin Conservatory. Originally, Eastman was her first pick school, though during the last couple of weeks of the decision process Oberlin rose in her estimation and the full tuition financial package they offered clinched the deal.

And, since the decision has been made we all find ourselves excited about the opportunities God continues to graciously provide for Oldest Daughter. Via facebook she has already met other 'Con' freshman, some of whom share her faith in God and one young woman in particular, a fellow Con student, who is looking forward to being her roomate. Additionally, Oldest Daughter has received a scholarship to attend a faith based chamber music program at Oberlin this summer so she will have the chance to spend some time on campus, get to know some of the faculty and meet a few other Christian Con students before school begins in September.

Thanks to all of you who have prayed for and encouraged us throughout this wild ride!

Running to the Lowest Point on Earth

On Friday, Oldest daughter, another young woman, and myself, joined in the 'fun', participating in a 10K run ending at the Amman Beach, the Dead Sea, Jordan. The stouter of heart, lungs and legs, ran the half marathon (21K), the full marathon (42K) or the ultra-marathon (48K!). I believe over two thousand runners (and a few walkers) from all around the world participated in this increasingly popular race, held annually to raise money for the Jordanian Neurological Society.

Though Oldest daughter and I were in sort of residual shape from our tri-weekly running schedule pre-audition trip, we had just resumed running a couple of weeks before the race. So, we definitely weren't in tip-top shape, but we were all able to complete the run without walking and in just over an hour.

Why run a 10K? A couple of my friends asked that question...and a couple more are inspired to try to run with me next year! One of the college students that ran the race suggested that running to the "Lowest Point on Earth" was definitely one of those things to check off on the to-do-before-I-die lists which seem to be popular with this generation. Hadn't thought about that as a motivation.

My real motivation was ending Oldest Daughters pre-college fitness training on a positive and accomplished note. My, and especially Dear Husband's, goal for our kids is that they will head off into life with the desire and ability to lead a healthy life, of which physical fitness will necessarily play a part. To that end, the kids have learned to do daily exercises and we run, during the school year, three times a week. The running has never been a favorite part of Oldest Daughter's life, and that is putting it mildly. Dear Husband has, not so secretly, desired that Oldest Daughter discover her "Inner Athlete" and I think that participating in the Dead Sea 10K helped her to do it. "That really wasn't too hard," and "That was kind of fun," were words she actually spoke after running the race!

Flowers Holding Hands

(But you already know that I get a little loopy about flowers every year at this time.)

Gardening Woes

I ask you, do these lovely daisies look like weeds? Perhaps they appeared to be in the strict definition of the word 'weed', a plant growing in a place where it is not wanted, in that they were carpeting my front flower garden in a bit of a haphazard fashion, with a few empty patches here and there. They had re-seeded themselves from last year's annual flower. Unfortunately, due to the sporadic nature in which their seed was distributed, and thus growing, our gardener (no we aren't of the upper class; I am odd enough in that I work in my flower garden, but tilling the soil and spraying the trees would be completely unacceptable work for us to do ourselves.) determined these lovely African daisies were weeds, and hoed up the whole lot of them. Glad I had taken a picture first! Not only are they gone, they hadn't matured enough to disperse their seeds for next years bloom.

I am a little embarrassed to admit I had what amounts to a temper tantrum when my husband broke the news to me. I huffed and puffed, and I think I may have stomped my feet a few times. This lasted about three minutes and I recall hearing the kids chuckle as they observed my outburst. Then I settled into my coping-with-life-in-Jordan mindset of 'hayk il' haya', 'such is life', or 'illi fat, mat', 'what's done is done.' On with the day.

Another woeful tale: Pictured above is the last of my beloved foxgloves, and it met its demise last summer. I'm missing it this spring. Once upon at time I, amazingly, found six potted foxglove plants, foliage only, at a roadside garden stand. I had never seen a foxglove in Jordan before and I've never seen one since. I purchased all six and was thrilled when they bloomed the following spring. Five were planted in one spot but one, pictured above, found its way to another corner of the yard. When we returned to Jordan from the States at the end of the summer I found that the group of five foxgloves had disappeared. Not died, but completely disappeared. I'd never had anyone steal plants before! The following spring my lone foxglove bloomed like never before, almost as if it were making up for the others being stolen, sending up three beautiful stalks. That summer, our landlord hired painters to paint the stairwell. Can you guess where they dumped the paint thinner?

This beauty of a Ranunculus was blooming in my garden last week, the first to burst open this spring. Unfortunately an unidentified neighbor has decided they have a penchant for beautiful Ranunculus flowers; it was picked just hours after I took this picture. Three more yellow blooms were picked when they opened a couple of days later and the first white bloom, gone its first day in full bloom.

So, I'm feeling bit mopey about my flowers and, overall, unmotivated to plant this spring. I think I'll just enjoy what is already planted and growing as it will soon be to hot to do any planting anyway. Sigh.

Captain Abu Raed

I've mentioned before that I don't watch many movies. Even less frequently do I watch movies in the theater. Until Friday night, the last time I saw a movie in the theater was when our family went together to see The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. But, Captain Abu Raed (pronounced Ra'ed), the much acclaimed first film by Jordanian producer and director, Amin Matalqa, was definitely a film worth seeing sooner rather than later.

I'm sure that much of the recognition that we, as a family, responded to in Matalqa's artistic endeavor has to do with the fact that we have have lived in Amman for many years; for Dear Husband and I, most of our adult lives, and for our children, their entire lives. Though the lives and struggles portrayed in the film were not ours, exactly, they were lives and struggles which belong to friends or other Jordanians we've lived among and observed--so I guess, in some second party way they have been our lives and struggles as well.

With few exceptions, Matalqa does a fine job of accurately portraying life in Amman, particularly the contrast between lower socio-economic East Amman and Western influenced upper socio-economic West Amman. No exaggerations here. The cinematography, though a bit dramatic in places, was wonderful, and we all enjoyed recognizing familiar places in the film (today when we went on our family run at the park, Younger Son and I marked the exact spot where Tareq had been selling biscuits/cookies).

Though I enjoyed seeing this movie in the theater, I have to admit it is the kind of movie, that when it is over, you wish you were instantly in the privacy of your own home, alone, or with others who had just seen the film. Once we had silently navigated the chaos that is City Mall on a Friday night and were secure in the privacy of our car we began a discussion of the themes of the movie: hope, sacrifice, redemption, which lasted until after we arrived at home. While the film had some sort of resolution and what one might call a happy ending, these were in no way complete.

It was the incompleteness of resolution, among other things that caused me to consider this a good film and a film worth watching. My kids rarely appreciate me applying my analytical judgment to the films they/we watch and my philosophical awareness was only heightened as I had, just last week, read Dorothy Sayer's excellent essay, Toward a Christian Esthetic, published in Letters to a Diminished Church, Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine. In this wonderful essay, which deserves several blogs posts of its own Sayers explains the marks of a true poet or artist:

"A poet is a man who not only suffers the impact of external events but also experiences them (You only experience a thing when you can express it--however haltingly--to your own mind--also Sayers) He puts the experience into words in his own mind, and in so doing recognizes the experience for what it is. To the extent that we can do that, we are all poets. A poet so-called is simply a man like ourselves with an exceptional power of revealing his experience by expressing it, so that not only he, but we ourselves, recognize that experience as our own."

About the recognition of truth that we get from the artist's work she writes:

"I mean the recognition of truth that tells us something about ourselves that we had not been always saying, something that puts a new knowledge of ourselves withing our grasp. It is a new, startling, and perhaps shattering, and yet it comes to us with a sense of familiarity. We did not know it before, but the moment the poet/artist has shown it to us, we know that, somehow or other, we had always really known it."

Matalqa is a poet so-called and his film touches, in some ways, on this recognition of truth as Sayer's defines it. Captain Abu Raed is not a film which merely entertains, provoking the experience of emotion that usually accompanies experience without our having had the experience, nor is it a film of pseudoart, which "seeks to produce the behavior without the experience," but rather it is a film which provokes recognition and thought anew about Jordanian society and the challenges its citizens face.

As Captain Abu Raed recently won the World Cinema Audience Award at the recent prestigious Sundance Film Festival, I'm pretty sure it will be showing in theaters of some sort in the U.S. sometime in the near future.