My Vegan/Vegetarian Experiment

I have truly been considering eating a vegan diet. Since coming from Boston to Singapore, I have started to eat vegetarian. As you know, I am pregnant. So, I have been tracking my daily intake of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients on an application on my iPhone. I have noted that my fat, cholesterol levels have gone down, B vitamins, calcium, and vitamin A, K, C have been going up. So, I started thinking, maybe this is the right direction to lean towards. Now, I am highly influenced by the fact that in most food courts you will find headless chickens and raw fish heads displayed for all to see. Combine that with some morning sickness and you have a recipe for vegetarian eating. But, maybe this truly is the way for us to be healthier.

So, what I will do is post some of my recipes. Hopefully, some with a little Asian flare, and let you know how they taste (with the help of Chris), their nutritional profile, and how I'm feeling. Then, you can try them... Sounds like fun to me! Hope you join in!

Church Hunting or is it Church Culting?

The quest begins on finding a church that we can be a part of while here in Singapore. We attended two churches when we visited in July-August. The first one was very large and did not feel personal. The second was a church plant. And, since we were part of that in Boston, we are unsure if its the best fit.

When thinking about our decision, I feel prompted by the thought that finding a church isn't really how I should be looking at this. You see, saying that I want to find a church implies that there is an urgency in doing things the way other do them. Now, I think that being part of a church is the supreme way to experience God's love for all creation, but saying I go to church does not mean that I am superior to someone that is still searching to find the right fit for church for their family.

There is too much judgement in Christian circles today. People will mention to others that if they are not attending Sunday services, going to Bible study, and serving on a team of sorts that are not fulfilling their religious lives. That is just not right. You see, the church in the Bible is not one with organizational structures for everything from the way people say hello to one another, to the time worship starts and ends, to what captivating topic will be discussed. Actually, church in the Bible is much more fluid than that. People would attend for hours, praying, singing, listening to encouragement from men that witnessed first hand the works of Jesus.

No wonder why so many people stop going to church nowadays! It is nothing like that! Really, I mean, we have a time when things start, the poor kids are carted off to their "special" learning session with snacks, and then the parents learn separately from their kids, and eventually about forty five minutes to one hour later the family is reunited to go home and live separate lives. Not really what I'm thinking the Bible says about church. So forgive me for being so blunt, but when you challenge someone that isn't "committed" to a church you might want to ask them why! Mostly, it has something to do with the way your church differs from the Bible!

We need to do a better job as God's church on earth. We really have to examine our priorities. If we just think church fits in a slot in our lives we are sadly mistaken. Church is our lives. Church is God here on earth. And, if we just think we need to attend a church because its the right thing to do, we shouldn't even enter the door. If you are starting a church, you need to think less about how to impact the people around you and more about the truth of Jesus, the gospel, and his love to save people. Too often we see church as a social justice ministry on happy pills. That is quackery! The church is a place to meet God, learn who God is, and to be transformed by him to love others. If you leave church and you do not feel yourself loving more, something is wrong.

If you are not a Christian, I sincerely apologize for what church looks like to you. But, please give it a chance. We are all imperfect. And, things take time to look the way God wants them to. You do not need to attend church to feel good, you do not need to attend church to make things right with God, you do not need to attend church for any reason other than to know God more. When people that love God get together, there is a connection that is found that does not exist anywhere else. It is a place where God reconciles everyone to him and you realize that you need him to help you love. If that doesn't happen when you enter a church, I would say don't go, keep searching. I know people are raising their arms at me right now, being like, "Danielle don't endorse church hopping." But, I'm sticking my tongue out at them. Do it. Don't settle for a place that doesn't put God in his right place, on the throne of our lives.

So our search will go on here in Singapore. And, we will find a place that honors Jesus above all programs, above all ministries, above all things. We will not settle just to let others know we are still going to church. We will learn many things about God through this process. And, I tell you one thing, I will not do something just because I am supposed to. Ask my dad....my brother...they know I like to rebel! And, for that I am thankful. If we don't question why, we will never learn anything!

What are you made of?

Chris and I have arrived for our Singaporean adventure. Glamorous you may think, but I think it will be a challenge well worth it. Word of advice, if you are married and travel over 20 hours to get some place, you will experience turbulence. The key is to avoid pretending it is not happening and to embrace the other rugged side of your spouse. You see, traveling is a chance to learn patience, trust, and joy in the little things. Chris and I are approaching one month without an apartment to call our own. It is tough to be living out of suitcases and wondering where you can do your next set of laundry. But, at the same time, Jesus did call his disciples to pack very little when they traveled and to relay on him. A stretch for someone as pampered as myself. However, it is a good lesson to be learning. What is really important?

This trip will teach us many things. So far, I am learning that my hair is wavy in 90 percent humidity, that I am quite anxious over very small details, and that I have a high standard of living. In all of these things, God is teaching me that my hair is beautiful no matter the humidity, that he cares about the details so I don't have to, and that I need to give up on living the riches life. I would say these are very good lessons to learn in two days! How much more am I going to learn in 17 months!

To encourage you, I would say that you do not have to travel across the world to figure things about yourself. Sometimes, you just have to take a risk. Get out of your comfort zone and you will find out a whole lot about the heart that lives inside of you. You will learn really good things about your heart. And, you will learn some not so good things. But, the cool thing is that God works on both. Travel or no travel, you should pick up the least of your things, go out into the world with your head held high, and embrace the life before you...no matter how your hair looks! I challenge you today to ask yourself, what am I made of? If its fear, let it go! If its courage, embrace it, step out and reach for the life God is holding in front of you.

Changing Plans

Over the past several months, God has been teaching me about prayer. Recently, he showed me that he can change his plans in response to our prayers. I never used to think that way. I used to believe that we prayed but, really God made the decision. However, after my last post, I was praying fervently for a friend that was facing an upsetting circumstance in her life. I passionately prayed to God that it was not fair, that the circumstance could be moved by his power. I started to believe in my heart that God could change things. And, in those moments of my prayer, God made it clear to me that he can change his mind. He can change the circumstance.

Most of the time when I pray, I feel as though God is listening but, he has the plan already, so really what is the big deal that I am praying. However, through this experience, I learned that when I pray to God it is often like when I talk to Chris about a situation that I want him to change. I will have an idea of how things should go. Chris has an idea of how things should go. Some of the time these things are opposite of each other. However, because he loves me, he listens and is willing to change his plan based on what I share with him. Why can't this be true of God? Why is it that I think God only has one way of doing things?

So, I encourage you today, if there is something that you want God to fix, heal, restore, etc, share it with him. Don't back down. God wants you to share how you feel, what you want, what you think is right, everything really with him. And, sometimes, he hears your plea, and changes the plan.

No more suffering...for now please?

It's okay to tell God you are suffering. And, it is also okay to tell God that you want him to take away your suffering. This morning I found myself crying to God about the many trials and sufferings he has brought into my life over the past few years and months. He did not back away. He stayed with me and listened to my complaints. God does not think any less or more of you when you admit that you would like to see some joy in your life rather than pain and suffering. There is always a place for suffering in our lives but, there are times when enough is enough. And, because we love God, we can trust that we can share that with him. We do not have to be afraid to admit that we want the bleeding to stop. He knows exactly how we feel. As I was praying, I was encouraged and felt like God sometimes needs to hear from us that enough is enough. He needs to know from us that we need his help. If we just try and muscle through all that life throws at us, we miss the strength, hope, and joy that only comes from Jesus.

So, if you find yourself a little fed up today, do not back away from those feelings. Pray and let God heal your wounds. If there are many, today is a chance to say to God, take them away and replace them with joy and hope. God has plans to make us new each day. Today, is a chance for God to give you hope for a future. True, we may suffer in this life, but today I recommend asking God to free some of the space in our lives that has been filled with suffering and replace it with his life and newness. Let yourself go in your time with God. He will bring restoration, healing, and finally joy.

Trusting God

Trusting God can be so challenging. It is hard to trust in something we cannot see. I don't know about you but, whenever I am facing a new, run off a cliff kind of challenge, people usually encourage me by saying, "Trust God." However, there are times when that is nearly impossible. It is like being in an empty forest, trying to find a way out in dense fog. Your eyes just cannot see what is in front of you. But, what I am learning is that trusting in God really just means saying, "I am leaving it up to you God."

If you are anything like me, you imagine the worst and secretly hope for the best. I will think about situations months in advance and create worry in my heart over things I really have no control. This is just wrong. God wants us to be present in the here and now. He wants us to give up our future to him. Trusting and saying, "take it all" is really what he is after. This is hard because we cling to things to provide us security and assurance. We are control freaks! Ok, I am a control freak. And, God wants to break us of that habit.

So, I encourage you today, if you find yourself lacking trust, open your Bible, take a look at the life of Jesus and let it go. There is no magical formula for trusting God. It happens when we spend time listening to God, hearing his truth, and opening our hearts to him. If you are struggling to do so, do not feel like you have to force it. God is amazing and will bring you peace. We just have to push ourselves to spend time with him and let his truth sink deeply into our hearts. Trusting God is a challenge but, not so much of a challenge when we soak in his presence. It is then, that all of our cares are wiped away and our burdens are lifted. Enjoy God today. He will bring the trust you are desperately trying to find.

My Thoughts on Prayer

I have started reading an amazing book on prayer, Philip Yancey's : Prayer, What Difference does it make? This book is full of tweets; so many lines worth quoting and thinking about. I have always enjoyed prayer. However, when I was younger, I think there was a lot of self-righteousness in my prayers. I would talk about how much I loved to pray, and that everyone else should pray too. I probably made a lot of people feel uncomfortable. And, when I look back, my heart was saying, "why don't you pray as much as I do, I am more holy." But, because of God's mercy and grace, I have learned that we should never judge another person's prayer life because that is judging an intimate relationship that we have no idea about. I write to encourage you that prayer is not a transaction. Prayer is how we each have an intimate relationship with God.

Why do you pray? Do you pray because you want to see things happen? Do you pray out of desperation? Do you pray because you have to in order to be a good Christian? When we look at Jesus' life, we see the perfect example of what prayer should be in our lives. In almost every story about Jesus in the Bible, he retreats in prayer. He finds strength to undergo the crucifixion in prayer. And, while he prays for several hours, his disciples fall asleep. Jesus is the perfect example of what our prayer life should look like. Yet, we are completely human, and therefore we struggle with attention in prayer, with motivation in prayer, with giving time to prayer.

If you find yourself like I did feeling like "people just don't pray enough, people don't come to our prayer meetings, or people do not pray like I do." Please be more gracious. Please invite Jesus in your heart to heal you from that attitude. Everyone has a unique relationship with God. He is developing those relationships in his time and in his purpose. Just because someone isn't showing up to your prayer meeting, or using the same language you would use to speak with God, or even interprets the Bible in a different way than you do does not mean they care less about God or have less of a relationship with him. I recommend that we spend more time with God asking him on how to encourage prayer as a relationship rather than a transaction.