TheLionRampant.net

Thinking about voting soon, I came across Denis Haack’sblog, which is associated with their magazine, Critique, published by Ransom Fellowship. (As a side note, both Critique and Notes from Toad Hall are distributed for free — of course RF needs donations to survive — but the short magazines are really amazing for Christians developing engagement and discernment with our cultures. Go sign up!)

Back to the topic at hand: Denis Haack recently posted an insightful article by James Skillen. From Denis: “His theme: “Taking Citizenship Seriously: Christian Responsibility in Today’s Political Context.” The three talks were certainly appropriate for this election year, without veering off into topics that appropriate for only this particular election. Skillen, the president of the Center for Public Justice, has spent a lifetime reflecting biblically on Christian faithfulness in the politics and citizenship.” The article can be read in its entirety here.

Denis’ most recent post is in response to a woman sharing this article mentioned above with her friends as a way to stimulate dialogue. Sadly the friends thought the article entirely one-sided and so she wrote to Denis to ask his advice about how to deal with this mess. One part of his reply I find particularly helpful:

First, many Christians have come to believe that conformity is a measure of commitment—in other words, that believers should necessarily share not just identical doctriness and ethics, but opinions and activities. However, having a Christian mind does not mean that there is a “Christian line” on every topic. Life and reality are far richer and more nuanced than that. Second, many evangelicals, having decided that a conservative ideology embraces their political leanings, begin to confuse conservatism with Christianity. It’s a subtle process, but also a deadly one, since no ideology should be infused into the gospel. Third, few understand that political ideologies are not neutral, but are, to use a biblical theological category, idolatries. Each one, conservatism included, takes one aspect of created reality and elevates it to a position where it defines the rest of life—making it into a god, a sovereign.

Yes, it is widely the case that the Evangelical Christian world has associated conservatism with Christianity, while of course there is a whole new generation of Evangelicals — if they even call themselves that — who as a friend has recently posted about (here and here), are voting without reference to standard “Evangelical” issues such as abortion but instead voting Democratic as it (at least on its platform) aids the voiceless in our society.

It’s a muddy soup and frankly I’m still not exactly sure who will get my vote on the 4th. But if you are a Christian, I ask that you would take a step back from your record of voting and consider if you’ve fused liberalism or conservatism into the gospel. Because if you believe that and act like Jesus is King it really doesn’t matter who becomes President.*

(Also, for further reading, Bryce has recently posted a quote from John Piper about voting here as well as including the link to the entire article.)

*I do have to add that yes, it matters and has consequences, but it shouldn’t define us.

Okay, so I was suddenly struck with the urge to play Clue the other day but didn’t/don’t want to spend $20+ on a game that’s probably only exciting for 10-year-olds. (I imagine that it’s simply my childhood remembrances that make the game seem so great still). Anyway, I’d love to hear your game recommendations! I’d like something that’s not super involved but does require thought and can be played by 2 players — something sort of like Settlers of Catan.

Any ideas? What games do you like to play?

Frankly I was dreading this morning. Yesterday was a hard day with Ezra, especially because the night before we were all pretty sleep-deprived. Today Bryce is preaching at a church 30 minutes away which meant he left early this morning and I’d have to do church-duty by myself — which has often meant standing in the foyer trying to listen to the service while entertaining my son, who won’t go to nursery because he’s too sleepy and therefore cranky. So today I dropped Ezra off at the nursery as the service began and get this — sat through an entire service including the entire sermon by myself! Ezra was a bit sleepy/teary when I arrived at the end, but it’s been awhile that I was able to enjoy an entire church service. I am once again reminded of the little graces present in the every day and once again reminded how much I need that time with other Christians not only for my spiritual well-being but also for my sanity. The Sabbath is rest, indeed.

In other news, we took Ezra to the aquarium yesterday. We didn’t bring our camera but did get to see lots of amazing fish and even sharks. Ezra kept on wildly doing the sign for “fish”; it was very cute. But I think Bryce and I were most amazed at a few sea dragons in a tank. Have you ever seen something so crazy and beautiful? And they move exactly as a dragon should. Amazing.

(Image from birdyboo)

Well, I’ve finally purchased a new phone since Ezra ruined my last one. I haven’t been able to get the data switched over (yet?), so please e-mail me (or comment below) your phone numbers! Thanks.

And, I’ll add, this was after a few mouth-wipes.

Bryce said I could make this every night. I think that’s a high compliment.

It’s courtesy of Waitrose, an upscale British grocery store.

Beef and Ale Casserole
Choose a good, strong ale to give this rich, hearty casserole its delicious gravy. [Ashley's note, I used 2 pints of Murphy's Stout and it was delicious!]
Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking time 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours
Total time: 3 hours to 3 hours 30 minutes
Serves: 8 [Ashley's note: If you've got hungry eaters, this will likely only serve about 6]
Ingredients

6 tbsp plain flour
1.5kg Aberdeen Angus leg of beef, or diced braising steak [Ashley's note: I bought London broil as we couldn't get 'leg of beef'; Bryce got the 'You must have 2 heads look' when he asked for braising steak; a cheaper cut would work great too]
5 tbsp vegetable oil
3 onions, cut into wedges
750g carrots, cut into large chunks [Ashley's note: about 6 medium sized carrots]
400g parsnips, cut into large chunks [Ashley's note: Parsnips look like white carrots and most major grocery chains should carry them. I used about 4-5]
2 x 500ml strong ale, such as Thwaites Wainwright Golden Ale [Ashley’s note: we used Murphy’s
¼ x 15g pack fresh thyme
2-3 bay leaves, torn
(more…)

We had a delicious butternut squash soup last night for dinner. In fact, it’s the closest I’ve had to a yummy version of the soup at a little cafe in Montrose, which I absolutely love. Bryce thought it was a little bit too sweet but I think that has more to do with the squash being sweet than any seasonings. Adjust according to your preferences!

We had one squash so I halved the recipe and I have at least a quart container of leftovers.
The full recipe including pictures can be found here, and is courtesy of The Soup Dude.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

2 Butternut squash

3 shallots

2 qt. vegetable stock

1/4 t. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 t. curry powder

1 cup flour

2 red bell peppers

8 cloves garlic

1 1/2 T. brown sugar

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/2 t. cayenne (optional)

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

1 T. cider vinegar (for roux)

1/3 cup butter (for roux)

salt and sweet to taste

*FOR GARNISH:

2 dozen cilantro springs

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup sour cream

pinch each salt, pepper and sugar

Cut the tops off the squash, cut in half and remove seeds. Rough chop the shallots, toss in bowl with the garlic, salt, pepper, and some oil. Hide the peppers, shallots and garlic in the cavity of the squash where the seeds were. Put the squash face down on a baking sheet and brush with a little oil. Bake at 425 degrees until soft — approximately 20-25 minutes. When cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh of the squash off the skins being careful not to get any skin in the soup. Put all the veggies, vegetable stock and spices in a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and blend until smooth. Strain through a china cap and return to stove. Melt the butter and stir in flour to make a roux. Add roux to the pot, stirring frequently. Add the cream. Adjust salt and sweet to taste, add vinegar. For the garnish just throw everything into a food processor and blend until the cilantro is pulverized. Garnish.

I’m feeling crafty and although this doesn’t necessarily translate into any finished products I’m feeling the desire to make our house more holiday-ish — complete with cleaning out unused junk — as well as making things for Christmas, either decor or as gifts.

If you’re making things, let me know. Post picture links or links to project ideas you’ve been dreaming up!

(More pictures here.)

I was supposed to meet a good friend from Pasadena at the Wild Animal Park, but child sickness on her end meant we’re going to have to reschedule. Without much of a plan for the day, I started checking out other options and came across Bates Nut Farm that has a huge pumpkin patch in North San Diego County.

Bryce, Ezra and I had a great time exploring the pumpkin patch and taking loads of pictures. Ezra was especially proud of his newly acquired walking skills and liked to play the drums on all the huge pumpkins. We came home with a 76-pound pumpkin to adorn our doorstep. It should last about 3 months as we don’t plan to carve it.

Apparently it’s unwise to lock your cell phone so that your child can play with it. Ezra decided to use said phone as a teething implement and now there’s water damage. After letting my phone sit in a bag of rice (per the Verizon customer service lady’s recommendation — it absorbs moisture) for 2 days the 8 key still does not work. Of course I need the 8 key to unlock the phone. All this means that I can receive calls but can’t make them until I buy a new phone. So if you haven’t heard from me, that’s why.