The Vine

The Vine

Did you know that brown is a colour that is associated with belonging. I’ve written about this before – the need to belong.  A need for community. A need for relationship. We were never meant to be alone, but we were made for relationship. I am very content to have relationship with the one who feeds my soul, and cares for me on a holistic level.

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” 
― C.S. Lewis

How do you nurture this human need for belonging?

When We’re Alone

Do you have a special place to go where you know you’ll find peace? Maybe it’s somewhere in nature? Or it could be in a crowded mall where nobody knows who you are?

I often find peace sitting on my living room couch. I go there to have my morning coffee and quiet time. 

Forget-me-not flowers hold intimate meaning. They signify true love. Faithful love. They also symbolize eternal remembrance.  That’s why I chose to paint these flowers to go along with this poem. The peace I have doesn’t come from some abstract, spiritual experience. It comes out of a relationship of true, faithful and eternal love that lives within me.

You can’t buy a peaceful love like that. It’s priceless. It’s a peace that passes all understanding. A peace that isn’t dependent on circumstances or surroundings. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Do you have a special place where you find peace? What does ‘peace’ mean to you? Do you know true, faithful, intimate love?

Star Song

Mixed Media

Just a simple piece to start out the week. I don’t feel like it’s quite finished yet, but this is what I’ve got at the moment.

A very happy Labor Day to all of my Canadian and American friends. As for us down south, it’s Brazil’s Independence Day. I’m off to enjoy a bowl of Acaí cream with my family.

Who’s your star? Who’s your song?

 

Friendship Love (clogyrnach)

 

Philia is one of four ancient Greek words for love, and this specific word implies a love felt between friends. Thomas Jay Oord defines it as an intentional response to promote well-being when cooperating with or befriending others, and that it also gives humans authentic friendship (source). For Aristotle, the object of philia is “another oneself” because one must feel philia for oneself in order to feel the highest form of philia for another (source). CS Lewis describes it as  the least biological, organic, instinctive, gregarious and necessary of loves. It is a type of love that is freely chosen. He believed this type of love to be almost ‘a lost art’ and that modern society ignores friendship, in comparison with examples we have from the past (source).

What do you think? Do you agree with CS Lewis? Do you think that modern society ignores true, authentic ‘philia’? And if so, how do you think that has impacted western, and/or global culture today?

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Clogyrnach is a poetry form of 6 lines. The first two lines has 8 syllables each. Lines three and four have five syllables each. The last two lines have three syllables each. Lines one, two and six must rhyme, and lines three, four and five must rhyme.

Pure Intoxication

I am going to take my liberties and offer a few quotes from the amazing author, “Sarah Young“. Almost every morning I read her devotional book, “Jesus Calling” and I love it. Because I am a Christian, The Bible is very important to me. I’m sad though that so many people look at it like a ‘religious’ book, rather than a love letter. I think that often times it can be misinterpreted or misunderstood. Sarah Young’s book really inspires me, because she brings it all back down to how it is meant to be – Relationship. One of the most fundamental needs of human beings – Relationship. To me, being a Christian is all about that – Relationship.  Relationship, and not religion.

“…My joy and peace. These intangibles slake the thirst of your soul, providing deep satisfaction.”

“The glitter of the world is tinny and temporal. The light of my presence is brilliant and everlasting”

I have to give a quick shout out to my lovely blogger friend and talented poet, Frederic at poems & poèmes. The second last line is inspired by him. I love how he always says ‘Ah’ when he feels for something.

Simple Place

 

(Photo taken from: http://www.themiraclejournal.com/2012/02/04/the-miracle-of-a-broken-heart/)

 

There is, there is a simple place
Where I can go and be myself
Where I can see him face to face
And in, and in that simple place
I can go and hide away
And I can be alone with him

I can tell him all my secrets
That I share with almost no one else
I can be open and honest, without fear
Cause he knows the deepest needs that are in my heart

I can be, I can be simple with him
That’s what he wants, that I be real with him
And I, I would have it no other way
Then be myself, be who I really am with him

I can tell him all my secrets
That I share with almost no one else
I can be open and honest, without fear
Cause he knows the deepest needs that are in my heart

Is there anyone that you can be totally open and honest with?  Anybody that you can share your deepest thoughts and feelings with, and know that you won’t be judged? I do.

Now, I don’t want to sound like a religious freak here, but I’m going to go out on a limb. This song was written about the quiet times I have alone with God.  Being a Christian, I believe in Jesus and that in him I live, move and have my being.  That said, it is very important to me to spend quality time with Him. To have relationship.  Because ultimately, I believe that is why God created mankind.  For relationship.  I love how Sarah Young puts it in her book, ‘Jesus Calling’, “He and I are intertwined in an intimacy involving every fibre of my being.” I love this quote.

Truth be told, this isn’t my greatest recording.  At times I go flat and it sounds like I’m tired (I did have a baby at the time), but this song was written about these times I have alone with God.  He is my safe place. He is where I can unload all of my crap and know I’ll be understood.

So, back to you. I’m interested to know. Is there anyone you can be totally open and honest with? How do you unload your crap? Do you have a secret place where you go to find peace and unload your burdens?

See also:   https://stacilys.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/food-for-thought-friday-zucchini-crust-pizza-and-intertwined-in-intimacy/

Coram Deo – 1st in the song series

 

I was made to know you
to breathe you
to need you
to live you

Coram Deo, Coram Deo
I am always before your face
I want to live reality
Coram Deo

You live in my being
the core of me
possess me
consume me

Coram Deo, Coram Deo
I am always before your face
I want to live reality
Coram Deo

You are my satisfaction
my joy
delight
my life

Coram Deo, Coram Deo
I am always before your face
I want to live reality
Coram Deo

(This song is the first song in the blog series I am doing on the CD, Coram Deo.)

Coram Deo is a latin expression and it means, “before the face of God”.  It implies that my entire life is constantly lived before Him. It takes away the idea of the separation of the secular and the sacred.

The word secular refers to a state that is worldly rather than spiritual and is not related either to religion, spiritual matters or to a religious body, for instance, secular music or secular buildings (http://www.ask.com/question/what-does-secular-mean).  I would like to add that secular activities would include education, work, taking a shower, eating a meal with my family, chores around the house, etc.   

Sacred means to be devoted or dedicated to a deity or to some religious purpose; consecrated (http://www.ask.com/web?qsrc=1&o=0&l=dir&q=meaning+of+sacred).  In other words, church attendance, worship services, prayer, outward religious acts, etc.

I don’t consider myself to be religious, but someone who has a relationship with her creator that is intimate, vibrant and real.  As a Christian, I believe that the way to God is through relationship, and that we were created with that purpose – Relationship.

No one wants to have a relationship that is forced, fake, dishonest or uncommitted.  True Christianity is exactly the opposite of that.  It’s not hypocritical, nor is it a following of a set of rules.  It is being intertwined in an intimacy that involves every fibre of one’s being (Sarah Young-Jesus Calling).  It is living in freedom to be all that one was created to be.  It is having a way to be forgiven and restored.  It is Coram Deo.

How do you see God?  Do you believe that He values relationship or rules?  And if you like, please let me know of what you think of the song.   How does it speak to you?  How does it make you feel?

FFTF (Food for Thought Friday) – Gluten-free Quesadillas & “Do you have a calling?”

FFTF – Food for the body and the spirit

Happy Friday to you!  Who doesn’t love Fridays? I think almost everybody does? It’s the start of the weekend, which means it’s time to relax, have some fun, meet with friends, spend quality time with family, etc. Sooooo, why not start off the weekend with some yummy quesadillas? – but not the ones you may be used to.  Check out this gluten-free recipe.  Then check out the “Food for the Spirit” below.

serves 4

Tortillas (adapted from http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/08/23/simple-paleo-tortillas/)

• 2 eggs and 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 2 tsp ground coconut
• Pinch of salt

Filling

• Some type of meat (shredded chicken, turkey breast, Canadian bacon, etc.)
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• a little olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste (optional)
• 20 spinach leaves

First make the tortillas.  Crack the eggs into a medium-size bowl and whisk.  Then add the butter, baking soda, arrowroot powder, ground coconut (or coconut flour) and pinch of salt.  Spoon an 1/8th of the recipe (about 4 Tbsp) into an 8 inch round non-stick frying pan and swirl it so that it covers the surface.  it will be very thin, as if making crepes.  Cook through on one side (about 1-2 minutes) and then flip and cook the other side (1-2 minutes). This recipe is so easy peasy and delicious.

Now for mounting the quesadillas.  But first you need to sauté your tomato and onion.  Just pour a little olive oil into a frying pan and add the tomato and onion until it is nicely sautéed.  Then take one tortilla and place the meat on first (quantity is up to you). Follow with 1/4 of the cheese, 1/4 of the sauteed tomato and onion and 5 spinach leaves.  Place another tortilla on top and put in a pre-heated oven, just until the cheese is melted.  Or, you could nuke it in the microwave.

These were so good they’ve become a staple in our household now.  Arrowroot is a great option for those that don’t want gluten in their diet.  It is very low in calories and fat free.  It also has relatively more protein than other starchy food sources such as yam, potato, cassava and plantain and is easily digestible.

For the Spirit

Do you have a calling?

Of course you do.  We all do.  We were made with a purpose.  You have a calling in life.

In the Bible – in the book of Genesis – God called Abraham to leave his country and go to a place that He was going to show him (Genesis 12).  He, essentially, was the first missionary recorded in history. Moses also had a calling – to deliver the people of Israel from the oppression they were suffering in Egypt (Exodus 3).  Then there was Gideon (Judges 6), the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 3), the small boy, David, that became King (1 Samuel 16), and the list goes on throughout the entire Bible.

Then there was Staci. Huh?! Wait! There was no ‘Staci’ in the Bible. That’s right. I was born long after it was written. God doesn’t change though.  He’s still passionate about the human race.  He still wants to create, love, impact, inspire, and be known by those he made. He still works on establishing His kingdom here on Earth.  “How does he do that though?”, you may ask. He does it through us. He does it through people. He gives us, His creation, the amazing privilege to co-create with Him. And He gives us satisfaction in fulfilling the mandate he’s given us.

On ‘wiki.answers.com’ I found this definition on ‘What it means to have a calling in life’:

“It is based on the belief that each person is placed on Earth by God to do something.  For some people it may be something great, for others it may be a small and simple thing but it is something that only that one person can do.”

I received a calling from God to go into the nations of the world and minister to the deepest needs of people, which are not always the most obvious needs. Sounds pretty heavy, doesn’t it? I received my calling in such a personal and intimate way. My experience was very supernatural.  Not all people have a strong experience like mine. However, all people receive their calling through relationship with the Almighty Himself.

So, how then can one find their calling in life? The answer is RELATIONSHIP.  You need to first have a relationship with God. And how does one come into relationship with God? Check out this site: http://odb.org/personal-relationship-with-god/.

Please leave a comment and let me know about your calling.  How did you receive your calling?  What has God called you to do?

Check out my facebook page for my newest favorite breakfast recipe, Apple Yogurt Bowl – https://www.facebook.com/godcolouredgirl