Meet Mr. Bean, my sourdough starter

During the pandemic and lockdown - Ahh, remember that!  Good times!😒 - many people started making sourdough as a way to pass the time.  But I was too busy watching/reading Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and reading many biographies on C.S. Lewis.  (Love it!)  

But I have recently jumped on the sourdough bandwagon too, and I'm totally loving it!  

Years ago, I tried to start a sourdough starter from scratch but totally failed (I realize now that I was adding way too much water, drowning it).  And so I gave up for years.  But then after hearing a friend rave about how much she loves her sourdough starter (named Calico the Wonder Horse) and loves making sourdough bread, I decided to try again this past January...

Just the other day...

 

It happens more than you'd think

 

"American Noise"

A Skillet CD (yes, I still listen to and prefer Cd's.  I'm that old!) is in the player of our van right now.  And because I hate switching CD's if I don't have to, sorting through dozens of them, trying to find one I'm in the mood for... I leave the Skillet one in the player and just keep listening to the same song over and over again (with a few other songs thrown in too): American Noise.  

I really like this song.

Anyway, it made me think of the post I wrote about it 5 1/2 years ago on my other blog (wow, time flies!).  And after re-reading that post, I decided to print it again, because it stills fits.  In fact, there's even more noise in America now - in the world - than there was then.  (Anyone else getting sick of it all too?)

So here it is, the previous post on it:

I was driving the other day, and this song began playing from a CD my husband had in the CD player.  I had never heard it before, but for some reason, it struck me.  I don't know why, but it did.  It struck me ... and it stuck with me.

Skillet - American Noise

I don't know ... maybe it's about a sense of hope in the middle of the chaos.  The fact that things are going to be rough, but that there is still good there and good can still come out of it all.  

It got to me. 

I think sometimes we all need a little of that hope and love that cut through the American Noise.  

At least, I know I do!

I vote for ...

Here in America, it's election day again.  And I think we can all agree that it's a super-emotional, super-heated, super-critical election this time around.  Everyone's fighting over it.  Everyone's demonizing the other side.  Everyone's absolutely certain that their candidate must get in or else the country's going to go to hell-in-a-handbasket.  (Actually, I bet we're all thinking it's going to hell-in-a-handbasket anyway, no matter who gets into office.)

And as I walk around the neighborhood every day on my prayer-walks, I see all the political signs in people's yards:  Harris!  Trump!  Vote for love and truth!  Don't vote for hate!  Make America great again!  Take back America!  Vote like your daughter's rights depend on it!  Trans-rights!  No one is illegal!  Hate doesn't live here!  Blah, blah, blah.

But in all the political noise, I saw one sign that made me say "YES!":

Jesus 2024 - Our only hope!   

Can I get an "Amen"!?!  

Scariest Halloween decoration ever?

 So it's Halloween time again, huh?  Is it just me, or has there been a big increase in the amount of Halloween decorations in people's yards?

I don't decorate for Halloween, nothing more than maybe a few pumpkins.  But a neighbor and I were talking the other day, and she inadvertently stumbled on what I think would make the best Halloween decoration.  Something truly terrifying.  And if I had more guts, I'd maybe consider doing it someday.

She was reading out loud some reported quotes from famous atheists just before their death, and I thought Now that would make a scary Halloween display in your yard, a collection of tombstones with atheist quotes on them!  

Quotes such as these:

"A gun to my head... I knew I was going to die" (Renee's testimony)

 A dear friend of mine from another state gave me her testimony.  She printed copies of it to share with others in the hopes that sharing her painful story would help others who are hurting too.  It's such an amazing, beautiful testimony that I asked her if she'd like me to share it on my blog, and she said yes.  So here it is, in Renee's own words.  I hope you find encouragement in it like I do.:

Hardest Spiritual Lesson #2: Prunings

 [This is similar to #1 ("Let go"), but a little more specific.]

Throughout our lives, we will find ourselves being pruned over and over again as God continues to weed out anything that doesn’t bring Him glory, doesn't fit His purposes for our life during the season we are in, and isn’t for our best.  And this isn’t always easy.  In fact, it seldom is.  

We like things to be our way.  We like having the control, following our own wisdom, relying on ourselves and our strength, holding onto the things we want.

Well, we like it until we see what a mess we've made of things... and then we cry "O God, why did You let this happen!?!"

But God wants more for us.  And He's got not just the here-and-now in mind, but also eternity, the things that will last.  And in order to help us have the best - the best eternities, the best now, the best relationships, the best Christian witness - He needs to prune us of the things that get in the way, that work against us, that hold us back, that dishonor Him.  And we need to let Him.

"Why does God care about who I sleep with?"

Considering the condition of the world nowadays - with its loosey-goosy morals and lack of a true, stable, meaningful foundation - I think a lot of people might find some encouragement in this sermon from Willow Creek.  For being such a sensitive topic, this pastor did a great job addressing it (though I agree with him that he could've spoken a lot longer and covered a lot more about it): 

"Why does God care about who I sleep with?" 

Hardest Spiritual Lesson #1: Let Go

 I wrote about some of the "hardest spiritual lessons" years ago on another blog of mine, but I am updating and reposting it here.  These are normal, typical (often painful) lessons that we will all eventually struggle with (it's okay to struggle) if we continue to walk with God and to chase after a deeper relationship with Him.  (And I know there are more than I've listed here.)  

In no particular order (and broken up into individual posts), here are some of the hardest lessons I've learned over the years when it comes to faith and walking with God:

1.  Let Go or Hold on?