Alisa eat your heart out. These may be the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Pastured butter, organic evaporated cane sugar, organic dark brown sugar, and I added a little whole wheat which stass actually prefers now. It gives it a little back bone and more complex flavor (actually can taste the wheat)!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Chocolate Chippers
Alisa eat your heart out. These may be the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Pastured butter, organic evaporated cane sugar, organic dark brown sugar, and I added a little whole wheat which stass actually prefers now. It gives it a little back bone and more complex flavor (actually can taste the wheat)!
Winter food
No local salad greens at the farmers market so I have had to resort to California greens... oh well, at least its only one state away. Used hood river apples and local blue cheese. The dressing was raw apple cider vinegar, olive oil, flax seed oil, and local egg yolk. Yum!!
Some tasty mexican food. Home made tortillas, pinto beans, local green onions, local greens, chicken (not local), raw milk cheddar cheese, and sauce using new mexico chiles, tomatoes and spices.
Listening to our critics
Lately, because of my warehouse job, I have been listening to music all day including (but not limited to) lots of punk rock. One common trait of punk is strong oppisition to government, religion, establishment, capitalism, etc. (which, among other things, is why I enjoy it). Usually when punk bands sing about religion they are specifically targeting Christianity, probably because it has been the dominant religion of the west. Today I listened to a few bands (Bad Religion, All, for example) brashly sing against the violence that many Christians turn a blind eye to, or worse, rally behind.
I think for many Christians it is easy to get defensive and start to make excuses for things, pass the blame onto someone else, or write off the critic as a bad person who is wrong. But I think that what we need to do is admit that our critics are right in their critique of Christianity. Many of the things that our critics say are very true. Some critics aren't always right and can be fairly belligerent but thats not the point. The point is that we need to listen, that we need to admit our problems, learn from them and ask our critics how they think we should correct these things.
I had this revelation a few years ago: That when I had arguments with people, they were usually partly right. This is hard to see of course because when our feelings get hurt or we're offended we usually act defensive and become stubborn beyond reason, and the disagreement never gets resolved. But in retrospect we usually see (if willing) that the person in disagreement with us usually has a point and is somewhat right.
In religion, most of us never make the next step after facing disagreement to actually consider the validity of our opponents' argument. We usually claim something like because our opponents are 'unbelievers' that somehow they just don't understand and will always be wrong. This just isn't true. Many times people on the outside looking in are very accurate in there analysis of us. Now, of course there are many things that we all will not agree on, but next time someone starts criticizing you or your beliefs, stop, listen, and consider their point.
I think we will find that once we come to terms with our critics accusations (that modern Christianity is too violent, too consumeristic, too judgmental, too far removed from Jesus's teachings, etc) we will be able to become reconciled to our critics and our world.
I think for many Christians it is easy to get defensive and start to make excuses for things, pass the blame onto someone else, or write off the critic as a bad person who is wrong. But I think that what we need to do is admit that our critics are right in their critique of Christianity. Many of the things that our critics say are very true. Some critics aren't always right and can be fairly belligerent but thats not the point. The point is that we need to listen, that we need to admit our problems, learn from them and ask our critics how they think we should correct these things.
I had this revelation a few years ago: That when I had arguments with people, they were usually partly right. This is hard to see of course because when our feelings get hurt or we're offended we usually act defensive and become stubborn beyond reason, and the disagreement never gets resolved. But in retrospect we usually see (if willing) that the person in disagreement with us usually has a point and is somewhat right.
In religion, most of us never make the next step after facing disagreement to actually consider the validity of our opponents' argument. We usually claim something like because our opponents are 'unbelievers' that somehow they just don't understand and will always be wrong. This just isn't true. Many times people on the outside looking in are very accurate in there analysis of us. Now, of course there are many things that we all will not agree on, but next time someone starts criticizing you or your beliefs, stop, listen, and consider their point.
I think we will find that once we come to terms with our critics accusations (that modern Christianity is too violent, too consumeristic, too judgmental, too far removed from Jesus's teachings, etc) we will be able to become reconciled to our critics and our world.
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