Hurt in the Earth- Thoughts on the Connecticut Shooting

OOhhh! I feel such anguish. What a tragic, tremendous loss occurred in the US today! There are more details to come, I'm sure, but the basic report is: a young man shot his father, then shot his mother and dozens of little children at a primary school.

The news and facebook and twitter feeds are filled with venting, hurting, crying, and opinions, lots and lots of opinions.... Here in Australia, "Isn't it about time for America to tighten gun control?" , in the Midwest, "Children could have been protected if staff were allowed to have guns in schools.", and "This would not have happened if we had God and Bibles in our schools."

And while all of these points will be the mud trudging in days to come, my personal heaviness lies with the young shooter, Adam Lanza. I feel so deeply sad and sorry for him. Don't get me wrong, I know that sweet, little, innocent babes were murdered at his hands, parents are mourning, and other innocent children and teachers have to learn to deal with the memory of this tragic event.

I used to be the teacher of a pre-k class. I LOVE little children! I love being around that limitless imagination, cheerful chatter, and trusting hearts. But think on this, Adam used to be one of those children.

What happened? How could such darkness be inside of him? People who hurt, hurt people. Did anyone know how deeply he was hurt? Did anyone try to help him?? Did he have no hope or vision for a good future? Who hurt him? What was he like as a child? What dreams did his parents have for him? Was he loved well? Was he ever introduced to the love and freedom that is offered by Christ??

I can't help but be reminded about the story of the good Samaritan. See, there was man (a Jew) traveling along the road when he was met by thieves who stripped him and left him half dead. Then traveling were some religious men, they pretended not to notice, walking on the other side and leaving him for dead. Then came a Samaritan (who were enemies of Jews) and he had compassion on the man, soothing him and binding up his wounds then he took him somewhere to get care and paid for it!

We as the church should conduct ourselves similarly. Value the lives of people who are a mess. Pray for them. Point them in the direction of help and hope.

There is such hurt in the earth today (The name Adam means earth)and the only remedy is this: LOVE.

The best snack~

Energy Bars- Unbaked

By: American Running Association Running and Fitnews
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ (I used Weetabix instead of wheat germ and oat bran)
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup raisins or dried fruit and chopped
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup light Karo syrup (I used honey)

Mix it all well. Freeze in bar shapes
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No Bake Protein Bar

5 tbsp natural peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1/2 cup dry oat meal or whole grain hot cereal (uncooked)
1/2 cup oat flour (double the dry oats if you do not have oat flour)
6 scoops chocolate whey protein (approximately 132 grams worth of low-carb protein powder)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons flax seeds (optional)
1 cup non-fat dry milk
1/2 cup water (depending on what type of protein you use, you may need to add more)
Modifications: Use vanilla protein and replace ~1/4 cup of the oatflour with a variety of nuts, seeds, or dried berries.
PREPARATION:

Spray an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Combine dry ingredients in a medium size bowl and mix well. Add peanut butter and mix - the mixture will be crumbly and dry. Add water & vanilla.

Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, everything until a dough forms. The dough will be sticky. Spread dough into pan using a clean wooden spoon or spatula that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Refrigerate a few hours (or freeze for an hour) and cut into 9 squares. Wrap bars individually (use sandwich bags or plastic wrap) or store in covered container between sheets of wax paper. Keep refrigerated.
Nutritional Information Per Serving:

197 calories, 21 g protein, 7.2 g fat (8% saturated), 13.7 g carbohydrate, 1.6 g fiber
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Banana Coconut Protein Bars
■1 mashed banana
■1 1/2 cups dry oatmeal
■2 Tablespoons flax seed, ground
■2-4 scoops protein powder
■1/4 cup peanut butter
■1/4 cup shredded coconut
■1/4 cup coconut oil or butter, melted
■1/4 cup raisins
■1/4 cup water
■1 large chocolate bar (I used organic dark chocolate) or 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients but chocolate together well (mixture will be somewhat sticky). Line an 8×8-inch pan with foil and spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Melt chocolate on the stove or in the microwave. Drizzle or spread over the mixture in the pan.

Place the pan in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Cut into 10 -12 bars and wrap in plastic wrap and/or foil and store in the freezer.

Thaw slightly before serving.

1/1oth of this recipe = approximately 260 calories and 11 to 13 grams of protein (depending upon how much protein powder you use, per Calorie Count.)

C'mon!

"Come on! Really? Can't I get a break? Talk about two steps forward and three back..." Every now and then I think we all get this moment that reminds us to cinch up and re-prioritize our lives. If your eye sight gets a little blurry, get some help refocusing. Get help. Find someone or somewhere, some organization, a book or whatever and get inspired, encouraged. Readjust your goal and make it real- write it out and let it be known. It's so much more likely to happen when you have it plainly written where you'll see it regularly.

Don't listen to the lies. You can get there! Just pick yourself up (or ask for help!), dust off your knees and get after it! You are a valuable person. You're worth some good to this world so don't sell yourself short. Be blessed and be a blessing! Some goals of mine this year: *Read 1 book per month. (A big one for me! It's April and I'm working on book #4!) *Weigh 62kg by June 15. (I need to lay off the baked goodies and eat more veggies!) I notice that I'm frequently "re-freshing" my goal list and at times it has frustrated me and I'd feel like I was getting nowhere. No matter how I feel, good people have encouraged me and remind me that I'm much further along than I used to be. I'm happier, healthier, and wiser. When you don't notice much happening toward your goal, take in to account the internal things that are being adjusted. What goals do you have? "You may not be where you want to be, but thank God you're not where you used to be!" ~Joyce Meyer

Easter Down Under

It's a beautiful Easter morning here. Strange to think it's autumn. Australian Easter means everything is closed from Good Friday to Easter Monday. Hot cross buns are a hit--Michael had to bake a gazillion of them. Fortunately, I'm not too keen on them. And apparently playing the didgeridoo is important around here because I can hear someone doing that right now :)


It's starting to rain a bit and Tim just headed out to the hot tub, Emily just went to work, Michael is still in bed, and Mike is still in the states. Our truck is dead in our driveway. It died about a day or two after Mike left (he's been gone for about 3 weeks). It's funny how so many things like this have happened as soon as Mike is gone, but all of the different situations have actually caused us to slow down and draw back all the more. We take the bus to Aldi's once a week and gather up as much as we can lug to the bus station. The rest of our shopping is done by walking to Cole's about a 30 min walk. It's nice but I wouldn't mind having a bike when I have that next day "Oh, I forgot to get..." haha.
Yesterday morning the kids and I walked out to the beach before 6am to catch the sunrise. On our way I could hear the laugh of the kookaburra, what a cool sound! The magpies also have an interesting call, at times it sounds robotic, reminding me of the owl on Clash of the Titans.
The sunrise wasn't very spectacular. The sky got a little pink and then it was light. We'll have to try again maybe climb Mt Coolum for a better perspective and on a day that isn't so cloudy.
Last night Michael invited me to go on a walk with him along the beach. It was nice to chat with my boy who's near leaving the nest. We wrapped up our 2 hour ordeal with a good 20 min hard run. And we had the most amazing view of the "moon rise" (is that a real term?) The sky was a beautiful pinky-purple shade, the moon was huge and round, just coming up over the sea's horizon. Camera flashes lined the beach. I wish I had an iphone for camera's sake bc at one point the most framable shot came into view with the moon, a sail boat, and the island, side-by-side on the edge of the purple glittery ocean...ahhhh. Hope to catch a similar glimpse tonight with my camera.


I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12
HAPPY EASTER ALL!! (That's "Resurrection Sunday" to you VF friends! ;) )

On your marks, get set, GO!

Don't waste your time just wishing things would be better. Close your eyes and think of where you'd like to be 5 years from now. Does getting there seem a daunting chore? When I started training for my half-marathon I was a new runner. 13.1 miles seemed incredibly absurd. With a plan in my hand, my first "long" run of two miles seemed a tad more do-able. With my shoes laced up and fierce determination, I thought, "This is where I need to go. Just get to the Waffle House and then back home.Got this!" and then at the end of the block, "whew..it seemed so much closer by car...can I really do this? Will I ever get there?" So I needed an even more attainable goal. "Just get to those trash cans over there. Good. Now you've still got steam, so pick up the pace and just head for that red van down the street. Okay, stop. Take a breather. Now, just trot past the city fountain. Look! You're at the big church! The Waffle House is in sight!" Anyone can do this. Just a little at a time. Baby steps. Fall down? Get up. Keep going. You'll get there!

You have in you these things:
POWER! LOVE! SELF-DISCIPLINE! 1 Tim 1:7

Being anchored to God's truths will help you to remember that you CAN do it!

Freedom to Choose~

Life is full of decisions. Ohhhhh so many decisions. I prefer to shop at Aldi because of the fewer choices. Shopping at Walmart for shampoo or cereal is quite a painful ordeal. It takes me ages! Which brand? What ingredients? How bout the price? The size? Okay, this one. And then you turn the corner and see a whole new display...ughhh. And when I go to get my hair done, the stylist expects some idea of what 'do' to do. My response is usually, "Hey, you're the one with all the experience. You pick." Other than a few core convictions, I just can't think of much that I can firmly decide on.

So what does this have to do with all the tea in China? Well, it's decision time. And this is something which only weeks ago, I would not have even realized was an option, but instead just a child's wishful thinking. Now, I'm actually contemplating a big request. If the request were granted, my boy would make a 15000 mile journey to another country, be housed, fed, and transported by various? friends. And the goal: 14 year old boy giving support and love to his badly injured best friend.

We are all grieved at the thought of the pain that our friend is going through and if we still lived down the street, it would be a no brainer. We'd be there in a flash. So my immediate internal response was, "Awww, that's sweet, honey. But Gray's got loads of support there. Remember the vast ocean and the 30+ hours of travel across it? We're going to do that in a few months anyway. And he'll be much better then."

So what stopped me from responding in that way? Choices. I've chosen to realize that this request is coming from a young man who should know that his needs are important. His desire is valid. And that his father and I have heard his request and will take the time to pray and think it over. I don't want to be a parent that dominates my kids' choices, but instead I hope that my kids will have the freedom to make a few quirky decisions that they can learn from... or I can learn from...

My new thinking was spurred on by a book I was given years ago. I've only just finished it. What a doozie (in a good way!)- Read "Loving Our Kids on Purpose" by Danny Silk -- find it on Amazon.com


Timothy submitted this big request to us and we'd appreciate your prayers for wisdom in this situation. Also, pray for our friends, the Bohlenders as their son mends from severe burns.

Everything's UpSideDown!!!

My LiFe has been turned upside down since I last blogged months ago. Literally. We moved far, far away to the Land Down Under! 16 time zones ahead, away from the below zero temps (even in Farenheit) to the Sunshine Coast of Australia! Wow. I would never have imagined.


(The picture shows us near the summit of Mount Coolum. It's very near our home, a fun climb and provides fantastic views!)

There's a bit of culture shock but it helps that our language is somewhat similar. I think I'll have lots to chat about. That is if I can swing the internet data bills! So different from US.

Headed for a walk on the beach. I'll think about what to talk about. Feel free to ask ?'s or give topic ideas! :) Love and Blessings, Mates!