God is good

I've found myself uttering these 3 words a lot lately -- "God is good".

We both walked away from a car accident - God is good.
Car is drivable - God is good.
Lots of work for our business - God is good.
Babies were born - God is good.
Tornadoes were avoided - God is good.
House and cars are safe from hail - God is good.

And while true, God IS good, these 3 words are not actually what I want to say. What I mean to say is "this is good for me", "this is comfortable", "this makes things easy for me", "this is what I wanted to happen", "this makes me feel good". It just sounds nice and spiritual to say it all the first way.

So it's time to stop saying "God is good" - not because it isn't true - but because it is dangerous to keep using it in this context. It leads one to interpret that BECAUSE this good thing happened the way I want it to be, I believe that God is good. And this, my friends, is a dangerous spiritual spiral. Because then when bad things happen, I will have conditioned myself to think that He is not good.

When the truth is -
when my vertebrae go back to their painful place - God is still good.
when we have no car - God is still good.
when there is no work - God is still good.
when babies die - God is still good.
when natural disasters strike those we love - God is still good.
when hail destroys material (and expensive) things - God is still good.

So I will stop saying that God is good just because something occurred as I had hoped.

I will choose to say "God is merciful" because that reminds me of my place with a Holy, Powerful, All-Seeing God and that I am spared unfortunate things only by His mercy.

Chickity-China Chinese Chicken

I think the first gluten-free restaurant breakdown I ever had was in a Chinese restaurant. I didn't think I could eat much from the menu and so we were asking all the typical gf questions. The poor Asian waiter couldn't answer any of my questions so he kept running back and forth between the kitchen. It was clear that the messages were getting crossed so we asked to speak to the cook directly. It all made sense then - we were speaking English to the Asian-language-speaking waiter who was trying to communicate with the Spanish-speaking chef... hilarious.

ANYway, soy sauce and flour brought me to tears - what in the WORLD can i eat? and why is Chinese being taken away from me?!?

So now, when I watch sitcoms and they're all sitting with takeout and chopsticks, and we're took broke to indulge in a $20 GF Pei Wei meal for 2 - I whip up this favorite favorite meal here in the Elizalde casa.

( This post is just me acting out this AMAZING recipe - http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/201809/Bourbon-Street-Chicken )

First, I like to chop all my veggies - broccoli is in the original recipe and I add lots of bell peppers and onions.

Then cube the chicken & pop in the pan with some olive oil.

I like to steam the broccoli in my own Elizalde way - the rice cooking in the pot, colander to let the steam in to cook the broccoli and cover. We're nothing if not efficient over here. Watch out when you move it - I've spilled this weird steaming tower a few times ;)

Take the broccoli off when it looks beautiful and bright green!

Then I mix the sauce ingredients all together - make sure you use GLUTEN-FREE soy sauce & corn starch (not all corn starch is gf!). Also, I put in LOTS of red pepper flakes to give it more of a "kick" and a little less soy sauce, per comments on the original recipe's website.

Pour over the chicken (when cooked) and reserve a little sauce for the rice if you want :) Wash a few dishes while you're waiting.

Meanwhile, saute your peppers & onions in a little olive oil (or coconut oil). Pour in a big bowl with the broccoli!

Simmer the chicken, mix it in, and serve!

(I know you're thinking, WOW she must have a BIG family to cook all of that! And while I do double the recipe, there's only 2 of us and I'll be shocked if the leftovers last more than 24 hours in the fridge. I don't know how families of 6 do it!)

Happy Tummy!

This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness week and for all of you who are trying to remember that food is NOT an enemy and calories=energy for your body to live, grow, and move - I have a gluten-free meal for YOU!

Tinga is a favorite in the Elizalde casa - so here is the recipe!

Step one - put some chicken breasts with a little water in the crockpot on LOW. I know you're a busy working lady (or gentleman) so the crockpot (and crockpot liner!) is your friend! When you get home from work, pull out the chicken and shred it.

Take the chicken broth from the crockpot and put in a blender with a few tomatoes, a medium-sized clove of garlic, and some salt&pepper. Blend tomato mixture.

Meanwhile, cut lots and lots of onions into rings and saute in a large pot. (this pot was about 1/2 full of onions before they break down)

When onions are ready, pour tomato mixture in with the onions and add a can of Chipotle. Either kind will work (even the ChiLpotle haha) but if you do the individual peppers you'll want to only use 2-3 and put them in the blender with the tomatoes. Otherwise, just dump the whole salsa kind in there :)

Add the chicken and mix. If it doesn't seem like there's much liquid, you can add another 1/2c-1c of water. Then float some cilantro and 1 whole chile pepper, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for anytime between 30-45 minutes.

Enjoy on top of tostadas or chips. (I always add lime juice, but J tells me that's not Mexican. So consider lime juice the delicious Tex-Mex version)

And of course, remember food is your FRIEND, not your enemy! Happy healthy eating everyone!

You are my Master and I love You

You may recognize this quote for the fabulous movie Up! which is how we celebrated Valentine's Day (seriously have you ever cried so hard at the first 10 minutes of a movie?) But if you live under a rock, this is a quote from Doug the dog, and he's hilarious.

If you have a dog, you KNOW what I'm talking about - chances are you talk to your dog as if they were human and imagine them talking back. "You are my master and I love you!" I converse daily with my girl and this morning I realized how much I could learn from my pup about living with my Master.

Look to your Master for guidance

Trust your Master; He knows the way to go. He can see more than you; He is big and you are so small. He will lead you along the right path.

Crawl into your Master's embrace

He has so much affection to give just because He loves you. You don't have to be perfect or do something to earn it - just crawl into His lap as often as you want!

There's joy just being in the presence of your Master

In your Master's presence, the dullness of the day fades away and there is an explosion of celebration just because HE IS WITH YOU. It doesn't matter if you talk, if treats are handed out, or if you just sit quietly together - nothing can change the JOY of just being with your Master.

Trust Your Master to provide what you need

You may need to sit, stay, or wait, but your Master will give you what is good for you when it's the right time!

Your Master will discipline you

You're not perfect and you will make mistakes. Nothing is hidden from your Master - He knows and sees it all. Sometimes your Master will be kind and forgiving. Sometimes you will be disciplined. It might even hurt. But this is still always for your good.

Your Master is a Safe Place

When the world gets loud and scary, run to your Master. The loud and scary parts may not disappear, but you'll be with your Master and there is comfort there.

You may not always like it

Sometimes your Master will ask you (or make you) do something that you don't want to do. You might want to abandon ship and run away - but typically that just makes more of a mess. Instead, trust that your Master has a reason for the uncomfortable and trust that you are still in His hands throughout the whole process. 

Walk daily

Lift your eyes. Keep them on your Master. Walk like He does. Trust that He's got you.

Whew

I remembered my password to this blog.

*whew*

new post soon.

Kindergarten Hunger Games

The past few entries have been heavy. So today, when a friend made a silly comment about how Kindergarten is like Hunger Games, I thought "that sounds like fun"...

So here you go - 10 Ways that Kindergarten is like the Hunger Games

10. They're always trying to take their clothes off: I had a kiddo once who got so "hot" that he kept stripping down to his undergarments and we had to have the conversation about "please don't take off your pants at school". It took several days before he got the message.

9. There's rebellion: come on, they're 5, are you really surprised they don't want to stop playing computer when I've asked them to stop?

8. There's a lot of kissing: I remember saying my 1st week of Kinder "there is no kissing in kindergarten!"... I was wrong.

7. There's a lot of running: whether it's to get to specials on time, to stop a kinder from putting something in their mouth, to get a ball that's in the street before it rolls even further away, or to stop scissors from cutting a girls' hair - kinder teachers are always on alert and quick on their feet (and usually in slow-motion shouting the word "noooooo").

6. You laugh when people mention painting: let's be honest, we all laughed a little when Peeta's defense strategy was painting. And I do the same when people suggest that kinder is just "painting all day" - ha. ha. ha.

5. Every player is different: just as Katniss sizes up each of her opponents, each kinder teacher has no idea what she's getting each year. Meet the Teacher Night is, therefore, a night of sizing up the new bunch - who's sweet, who's going to be a handful, who's going to make you laugh, and who's going to give you gray hair.

4. There's a lot of blood: paper cuts, knee scrapes, nose bleeds, and even head-wound-blood if you're lucky (yay me!)

3. Conflict. Conflict. Conflict: Ms. Collins can write 3 books on it and she just made it up - us kinder teachers can write our own books based on real life. So. much. drama.

2. Alliances are made (and broken) every day: teachers must always be vigilant to know who's friends with who, who's mad with who, and who will kill each other if they're in the same table group.

Which brings me to
#1 Way That Kindergarten is Like the Hunger Games

Despite the conflict, blood, danger, & drama - you love it like a guilty pleasure.

Waste of time

I've been wanting to write this post for a while now, so here it goes!

I love missions. I love traveling. I love living amongst other people. I love the discomfort of it. I love learning about new cultures and speaking new languages. I love seeing things with fresh and uncertain eyes. It's hard. It's dark. It can get dirty. And I love it.

My husband and I met over this shared passion and we have maintained it despite living "normal life" here in the states until God calls us out again. The thing is, it doesn't matter where you are, we are ALL called to missions. Maybe we're not all called to live in a hut in Africa but we are ALL called to be missional in our speaking, acting, and living. To pray for missionaries. To send missionaries. To be missionaries daily in our community - we ALL have a job to do.

Recently my husband and I were sharing about this passion and we were told by well-meaning Christian people that it was a waste of their time to listen and learn about missions. Now, aside from the clear-cut statements in the Bible negating this opinion, I have something else to share with you, well-meaning, seat-warming, perfectly-comfortable Christian -- your job is not just to WAIT for Heaven.

You see, this world is hard. It's dark. It's crappy. It hurts. It's broken.
Jesus came to rescue us from this hurt. To restore the brokenness.
So, why then, would He leave us in the hurt to just sit around and wait for heaven?
Why not just pluck us up the moment we say "I want you in my life, Jesus" and BAM there we are worshipping Him in all His unspeakable Heavenly glory?

Wouldn't that be cruel of this oh-so-good-God to leave His children hurting, if it were not for a greater purpose?

No, it's not just purely so we can "know and trust Him" better because the Bible is clear that now we see dimly and know in part what we will fully see and understand in Heaven. There is no knowledge that must be attained before receiving our admittance into Heaven.

No, it's not to "do good deeds", grow to a certain stature of Faith, or earn Heaven in any way - that's a foundational pillar in many worldly religions - but Jesus says it is by HIS grace ALONE that we get into Heaven.

No, it's not because He is unkind, unloving, or punishing us. Jesus took the wrath of sin on the Cross and the Father now stands to welcome us with open arms.

So why?
Why leave us here in the world of misery, cancer, divorce, chronic pain, broken governments, hunger, hatred, death, miscarriage, and sin?
So that we may point others to Christ.

So that:
DESPITE the darkness, we can lead others to the Light.
DESPITE the hurt, we can show that there is a PEACE the surpasses all understanding.
DESPITE the hopelessness, we can introduce others to the Author of Hope, who will restore all things.

That we would look to our family, our neighbors, our co-workers, our enemies, and even to our opposites across the globe and say "There is something better than this world!" To take their hands, teach them and lead them to join us at the foot of the cross and worship God together - no, Christian, this is NOT a waste of your time. 

This is your job. This is why you still have breath in your lungs.

This is your mission.
Go in love.