Wednesday, November 12, 2014

The Book of Mark


The Book of Mark was written by a young man named John Mark. He wrote down the stories that Peter told about Jesus. It is a common misconception of the Bible that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were each one of the Twelve Apostles, but in fact only Matthew and John were. 

The Book of Mark was written to show us who Jesus is through his life and actions. 

This book was actually intended or the Gentiles. In other words, people who were not Jews. 

In the Book of Mark, Jesus demonstrates his power by performing miracles to help people and he teaches his disciples. 

Jesus is obviously the most important person in this book. 

Jesus worked miracles and taught from 26-30AD. 
Other things that were going on in history:
  • Pontius Pilate is appointed as prefect of Judea
  • Emperor Tiberius retires to Capri, leaving the Praetorian Guard under Lucius Aelius Sejanus in charge of the Roman Empire and the city of Rome. 
  • Romans crush an uprising of Thracian tribesmen, 
  • Lucius Calpurnius Piso and Marcus Licinius Crassus Frugi become Roman consuls
  • Fire in Rome
  • Poorly built ampitheatre in Fidenae collapses, killing 20 000 of the 50 000 spectators. 
  • Roman legions in Germania are transported by fleet to fortress of Flevum on the Rhine to operate against the rebellious Frisians. Frisians negotiate treaty with the Romans at the River Rhine, avoiding conquest. 
  • King Daru of Baekje succeeds to the throne of Baekje in the Korean peninsula
  • Romans captures Serdica (modern Sofia), named after Celtic tribe Serdi
  • Agrippina the Elder is exiled to the island of Pandataria, and her sons (except Caligula) are imprisoned by Lucius Aelius Sejanus
  • Jesus baptized by John the Baptist
  • The Kushan Empire is founded
  • The Holy Spirit filled 120 believers in Jesus of Nazareth. These people tell 3000 Jews about Jesus. 
  • The Sermon on the Mount - Jesus speaks to his disciples and a large crowd. 
Most events in Mark 1-9 happened in Galilee. Most events in Mark 10-16 took place in or near Jerusalem. 

Favorite stories in Mark:
Mark 2:1-12 - Jesus heals paralyzed man
Mark 4:35-41 - Jesus calms a storm
Mark 5:21-43 - Jesus raises a dead girl
Mark 6:45-56 - Jesus walks on water
Mark 8:1-10 - Jesus feeds 4000 people
Mark 9:14-32 - Jesus heals a young boy
Mark 14:12-26 - Jesus holds the Lord's Supper
Mark 15:21-47 - Jesus dies and is buried
Mark 16:1-8 - Jesus is raised again

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Grounding Yourself (Walk-the-Walk series)

Psalm 42:1-4

For the director of music. A maskil* of the Sons of Korah.

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God. 
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Where can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long, 
"Where is your God?"
These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of 
God, 
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving 
among the festive throng.

Psalm 42 is contained in Book II. In many Hebrew manuscripts Psalms 42 and 43 are one psalm. 
*A 'maskil' is probably a title for a literary or musical term.


Hard Times


Sometimes I feel hopeless. Sometimes I feel so alone. The life, the family, the place I live that I picture in my head is not my reality. I question God. I ask him why he placed me here at this time in this time? Why am I unhappy? Can't you just save me? Where are you and why does it seem like all my hopes and dreams are infinite miles away?

When I read Psalm 42, I sympathize with David (presumably). I believe he wrote this when he also was going through a tough time. I admire how honest he is with God about how he feels. Am I ever that honest? I'm usually so focused on being grateful for the things I have been given that I feel guilty for wanting more so I pretend I'm okay with things that I'm not.

Read 1 Kings 18:16-40 and 19:1-18

I am reminded of Elijah. He accuses Ahab of abandoning the Lord's commands and following the Baals. He requests that Ahab summon the people from all over Israel to meet on Mount Carmel, including the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah.

1 Kings 18:21-22

Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him."
But the people said nothing.  
Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the Lord's prophets left..."
Elijah devises a plan to prove that Lord is God - he and the prophets of Baal are to each choose a bull, prepare it, and place it on the wood, but not light the fire. Then, they will each call upon the name of their god and the one that answers with fire is the one true God. The Lord answered Elijah's prayer and sent fire to burn up his sacrifice. When the people saw this, they turned their hearts back to the Lord again. Then Elijah commanded them to seize the Baal prophets and slaughter them in the Kishon Valley. When Jezebel heard what Elijah had done, he threatened to kill Elijah. Elijah ran for his life into the desert. There, under a broom tree, he prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. Take my life" (1 Kings 19:4) But instead, the Lord takes care of Elijah and appears to him to tell him that there are still 7000 godly people in Israel. He is not alone.

I am never truly alone. Another thing I can take from this story: When things seem bad, pray and then get a good sleep. (1 Kings 19:5). Things seem worse when we're really tired. ;-)

From my experience...

It's hard to understand why we suffer. And as much as I think I am suffering sometimes, there are children all over the world that are in much worse positions than I. It's tempting to say that nobody deserves to suffer, yet we are all sinful creatures, so does that mean we do? No. Because the only one who truly didn't deserve to suffer already did for us. The perfect Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice to save us from eternal suffering. Yet I know, sometimes it feels like we really are suffering here on earth. So what do we do? We pray. We tell God we need help. Be honest. Ask him to lead you to someone who can give guidance, because we're not meant to go at this alone. A relative, a counselor, a pastor. Sometimes things happen that we can't find a way out of immediately, but try to remember that you are never alone. God is always with you, just as God was with Elijah in the desert and on the mountain and as he was running ahead of Ahab's chariot. God sees and feels the things you suffer. Don't give up. Keep looking for ways to get the help you need.

After all of that, this is not actually the point of this article. Today I want to talk about discipline. Before you hightail it to the hills at the word discipline, hear me out.


Discipline

Discipline, for many of us, brings back the not-so-fond memories of being a child. Getting grounded for not cleaning your room because you wanted to watch an episode of Full House instead (Guilty as charged!). Getting your phone taken away because your teacher caught you with it in class. Having computer privileges taken away because you were slacking off on homework. Or getting what felt like the longest lecture of your life because you got in trouble at school for giving the teacher sass when she confiscated that really important note you were trying to give to your best friend. I don't have children yet, but I imagine for those of you that do, the word discipline means time-outs for ignoring you, taking dinner away because your 3 year old thought his dinner would look nice on the wall, or pulling your hair out while your child screams bloody murder in her bedroom, where she was sent for biting her sister.

Your list is probably different than mine. This is the short, clean, all-ages version of mine, most definitely. The point is that the word discipline probably has a bit of a negative connotation. It's not typically something we go seeking, right?

The good news!: I'm talking about a different kind of discipline - spiritual discipline. Don't think of it as punishments; think of it as training. It's the kind you choose without anyone forcing you to. You know how when you first moved out of your parents' place you were like, "Whoohoo! I'm going to eat ice cream for breakfast and leave my clothes ALL OVER THE FLOOR!" and now you're like, "WHO PUT THE LITTLE SPOON IN THE BIG SPOON SLOT?!" (Oh, that's just me?) [Just kidding - I still leave my clothes all over the floor...] This is kind of like that. You didn't transition from childhood to adulthood overnight. After time and a lot of trial-and-error, you gradually trained yourself to pick up after yourself and clean your toilet once a month. No one told you to (or maybe they did, but you didn't have to listen), but eventually you felt like you 'should', right?

Spiritual discipline is the kind of training you take on because you want to be closer to God so that you'll always know just what to do, because you don't want to be pressured into doing something just because the rest of the world is doing it, because you want to be full of joy, even when things aren't going so well, because you want to be the person that God wants you to be, and because you want to be free to carry out God's plan for you. [Step one: the Why.]

Yeah sure. We all know why. The question is how. How do we be that kind of person?

  • Spending quiet time with God every day in a special place. Prayer jounaling. Get into the Bible for help with today's struggle. 
  • Decluttering life. Keeping a clean environment so more time and space can be dedicated to God in daily life. 
  • Volunteering for service projects at church
  • Praying. Talking to God about the things we aren't proud of. Confessing, repenting, showing remorse. 
  • Worship. Attending church service
That's Step two: the How. Step three is putting the discipline into practice - the What, When, Where. (The Who would be you, in case that wasn't obvious)
  • A colleague makes a sarcastic comment about you being an ass kisser. Instead of retorting with, "Better than being the office slacker," you say, "Mr. Smith has been very supportive of the project I'm working on. We're so lucky to have a boss that appreciates his employees."
  • Between church, work, family, friends, and keeping fit and healthy, your schedule was getting a little crazy and your house is a bit of a disaster. You decide to drop your piano lesson on Saturday mornings to dedicate time to clean up and finally finish painting that old dresser that's been sitting in the middle of your garage for a month. One Saturday morning a friend from Bible Study calls crying and frustrated and in need of some serious girl-time. You have the time to have her over for tea to talk it out. Not only does she have a place to sit, but you can focus on her instead of being distracted and embarrassed by your messy house. 
  • You're really shy, so volunteering for things at church gives you anxiety. Start small. Offer to bake cookies for the Mother's Day luncheon, which you can do alone at home. Then maybe offer to help serve them. Next month, join the group going to the homeless shelter to hand out meals. Find an activity that you like to do and find a way to use your skill to serve God. If you are doing something you find fun, it will be a little easier to ease out of your comfort zone and meet people that enjoy serving in the same way you do. 
  • Yesterday was not a great day for you. Before you left for work in the morning, you had an argument with your wife about forgetting to put gas in the car and then had to take the bus to work. The driver ignored your stop request and dropped you off several blocks further from your work than you wanted to walk. As you walked away, you muttered under your breath about how incompetent that idiot was. You finally arrived at work half an hour late to discover that another coworker had been assigned to the project that you really wanted. You have trouble focusing the rest of the day. That night when you get home, you veg out on the couch, binge-watching Breaking Bad, keeping your 4-year-old, who isn't allowed to watch the show, out of the den and playing by herself in her room while your wife makes dinner. That night before you go to bed, you prop yourself up on the pillow and pray. You confess about the guilt you are feeling, accept the anger and jealousy, and ask for help and forgiveness. Determined to make tomorrow a better day, you apologize to your wife and offer to get up early to make time to get gas in the morning. You tiptoe into Sophie's room to tell her you love her and that tomorrow you will watch whatever she picks with her. Today you had no trouble concentrating at work. You were proud of what you accomplished by getting up earlier. You actually thoroughly enjoy watching Frozen for the bajillionth time and singing "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" together in a special, before bed performance for the audience of your wife. You enjoyed today because your mind was consumed with the "if only..."s: If only I didn't have such a temper. If only I wasn't so judgmental. If only I wasn't so lazy. Instead you thought, 'God, I'm sorry - will you help me to do better today?'
  • I often work until 3 am on Saturday nights. Or rather, I work from 4 pm on Saturday until 3 am on Sunday, but I refuse to say it's tomorrow until I wake up. Getting up for even an 11 am service seems cruel and unusual punishment for a night owl trying to make a living in this city. I would often sleep through my alarm or tell myself God understands how tired I am and go back to sleep. I made a commitment to go every Sunday now. I sing louder. I laugh at Pastor Norm's jokes. I cry when the sermon seems to be directed just for me, but that's not all. I take a long shower when I get home from work the night before, even though it sometimes wakes up my boyfriend, or he needs in the bathroom to poop. I pray that God will wash away my sins so I'll be ready to receive the spiritual message that will be coming my way in church the next morning. I have a tattoo on my hip that serves as a reminder to surrender to God. I wear a cross around my neck or in my ears and every time I put them on I pray for more faith. And when God helped me with a conversation with my boyfriend that was really difficult, I took my friend Alex out for coffee. And in the near future I will be throwing myself and some church friends - and God - a dinner party. 
The rewards of spiritual discipline are amazing.

What does the Word have to say about this?



Read John 17:1-5. This is the night of the Last Supper. Jesus is telling his disciples what is about to happen and why. Then he prays for them. 

John 17:1, 4, 5

Father, the time as come... I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. 
The assignment that Jesus got from God was a big one. His task was to show the people what God was like and then return to Him by being crucified, dying, on the cross, rising again, and then being lifted back up to Heaven. I'm sure I'm not the only one glad that that wasn't my assignment! How on earth did Jesus do that?

The simple, and obvious answer, is that it was easy for him because Jesus was the Son of God, but that's not completely true. When Jesus came to earth, he took human form. He suffered the same things that we have to suffer through in life. Jesus could feel pain. He probably caught the odd stomach virus or went days without food to eat. He was definitely mocked and taunted. He still had to sleep and pee and poop like we do. He felt happy and sad and angry and scared. He was human with the sole exception that he was without sin. He was our example on how to get our own missions from God accomplished. [We all have a mission, by the way.] Jesus couldn't just snap his fingers and make everything happen at once. Well, he could have, but we wouldn't have learned that way. Jesus had to demonstrate for us.

So what did Jesus do? How did he make it possible to know God, hear God, obey God? How did he resist temptation to just say, "F*** it. I'm hungry" and wave his magic hand to unveil a steaming hot plate of steak and potatoes?

Jesus practiced the same spiritual disciplines that I'm talking about here.

Quiet Time

Despite being busy, Jesus always made time to be alone with God. I remind you that Jesus was almost constantly being followed around by a crowd of people clamoring to have their ailments healed and asking endless questions. He started off his entire ministry by going off into the desert all by himself forty days. I don't know about you, but I don't think I've ever even spent 40 hours in my house by myself, let alone the desert. Jesus was consistently going off on his lonesome to pray. Read Luke 6:12-16.

Luke 6:12

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 

That was the night before Jesus picked his Twelve Apostles. When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been killed, he went off in a boat by himself. He wasn't just trying to get away from humans - he wanted to be in a place where he could hear God better. When he was alone, he prayed, listened, and devoted himself to the Father, and when his solitude time was up, he went right back to his mission - healing, teaching, and forgiving people. It's not just about getting away from your whining son, your nagging mother-in-law, or that buddy that is driving you crazy - it's about giving God your undivided attention.


Simplicity

To put it simply (see what I did there?), Jesus didn't accumulate stuff. Clutter would have distracted him from his ministry and he advised his disciples to do the same. He told them to go out and spread the news that the Son of God had arrived to teach people how to change their lives. He told them not to weigh themselves down with material possessions or stay in fancy hotels; to be happy living modesty and to leave quietly when their message was not being well-received. 

Luke 9:3-5

"Take nothing for the journey - no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them"
The disciplines listened and followed Jesus' example and were successful in their missions. They spread God's news and healed people all over the region. This was exactly what God had wanted them to do.

Service

Jesus was a humble man. Even though he was the Son of God, he still dedicated a large portion of his life to serving others. Read John 9:1-12

John 9:6

Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.
[Side note about this passage: Sometimes bad things happen in the world because of sin, but sin isn't always the reason. Next time you are crippled with the flu or watching your child tortured with chicken pox, pray for God to display his work. If anything, doesn't sickness make you feel so grateful for health after you are healed?]

Jesus didn't mind digging around in the dirt. Now read John 11:38-44. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead for Mary and Martha. Read John 13:1-17.

John 13:15-17

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. 
Jesus meant business. He stripped his clothes, wrapped a towel around his waist, and insisted on washing all every Apostles' feet. I may not be able to give a blind man back his eyesight. I certainly am not capable of raising a man from the dead. But Jesus showed me something I can do. I can roll up my sleeves and wash the gross, caked-on dirt of the feet of my fellow brethren. The world does not decide who is great and who isn't. We are all equal in God's eyes and should behave accordingly.

Confession

Throughout his ministry, Jesus stayed true to his assignment. He never doubted whether or not it was the right thing or whether he was doing it right. [Geez, that would be nice, hey?] On the eve of his crucifixion, however, Jesus grew depressed. One of his best friends was about to betray him. He was going to be nailed to the cross. He was the Son of God, yes, but wasn't there another way to do as God desired? Jesus knew there wasn't, but he didn't hide his feelings of doubt from his Father. Read Luke 22:39-46

Luke 22:42

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done"
Dissect that statement with me:  if you are willing, take this cup from me - there's the doubt - yet - watch how God immediately steps in to take over - not my will, but yours be done - Jesus accepts his fate. Jesus knew what was right. Because of his confession, God was able to help Jesus find the determination to carry out God's plan to die for us to take the burden of all our sins so we could be forgiven and blessed. Wow. Thank God for that!

Worship

Every Sabbath, Jesus went to the temple to worship. And Jesus knew better than just to go and passively listen to the readings and the sermon. He wouldn't have dared to daydream or doodle. He actively listened. He participated. Heck, half the time he ended up taking over! Read Mark 1:21-28

Mark 1:22&27

The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law... The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching - and with authority! He even gives orders to evil* spirits and they obey him."
* Sometimes 'evil' in the Bible can also translate to 'unclean' 

Jesus spent that entire day in the synagogue. [After the destruction of the Jerusalem temples, the Jewish people preferred to worship in synagogues. After the resurrection, Christians began meeting there too, which is why synagogues and churches are so similar] Jesus blew the congregation away with the way he taught the Scriptures. Then he did something similar in Nazareth. Read Mark 4:1-20 and Isaiah 6:9&10. Or how about that time he blew everyone's mind by reading Isaiah the prophet's scroll and revealing that he was about to fulfill that prophecy?! Read Luke 4:16-30. It's so important for believers of Christ to come together to support and encourage each other in our journeys with God. Jesus knew that. The Jewish people began to trust Jesus because he "belonged". He was one of them.

If Jesus put all these things into practice - Quiet Time, Simplicity, Service, Confession, Worship - we should too.

Don't just do it because you're supposed to. You can't just add them to your schedule, do them mindlessly, and somehow attain a ticket into Heaven. You can't just go to church and say a prayer. We need to do these things full-heartedly, and if you do, you'll get to experience the same benefits that Jesus did. You'll get to:

  • Experience being a Christian
  • Change into a happier, more complete person
  • Be freed from the weight of other's opinions and peer pressure
  • Be closer to God
  • Know what God's plan is for your life
We don't reap these benefits by just trying - God gives it to us through grace, just because he loves us. But we do have to prove to God that we are people of integrity and want to do right by him to receive that grace and we get it through spiritual discipline. 

So Check Yourself Out: Do you spend time alone every day, praying and writing in a journal and listening to God? Could you do this more often? Do you have a special place you go to do nothing? Do you have too much stuff? Is your To-Do list too long? Maybe it's time for a trip to the Salvation Army or start saying no to some commitments. Are you always nice? How often do you offer to help someone out? When you waver, who do you talk to? Do you confess your wrongdoings to God? Do you go to church every Sunday? Do you sing there? Do you participate or pray? Do you worship on your own?



Some disciplines are easier than others. And everyone struggles with a different combination. For me, and I think for a lot of other young city folk in this day-and-age, struggle with simplicity. I know I'm surrounded by stuff I don't need and filling my schedule to the max. I'm currently balancing 5 part-time jobs! I feel like I'm constantly getting rid of things and saying no and I hardly ever have money to buy new stuff, but it's never quite enough. My strongest suits are my service and worship disciplines. I genuinely love church (though I'll admit that occasionally my mind wanders during the sermon) and I'm always looking for new way to serve with my spiritual gifts. I usually don't find it hard to be nice to people. I pray often, but I'm usually do something else at the same time, like walking or driving or cleaning (don't worry - I don't close my eyes). I could definitely make time in my life to just sit and listen to God without distractions. It can be so embarrassing to admit when we've done something wrong. I know I can't hide from God, but sometimes I'm tempted to skip the confession and go straight to the part where I don't do it again. It really helps having friends in my community group that will talk through my struggles and temptations with me and encourage me to make right with them. 

As you reflect on this in your prayers tonight, I encourage you to go forward with joy. Spiritual discipline is not just one more thing you have to squeeze into your schedule. It's a good thing that is going to change your life for the better. If you get overwhelmed, pray that God will fill you with the same kind of excitement that you get when you get your haircut, or when you ride a horse for the first time, or just trying anything else that is cool for the first time. 

Here's your Spiritual Discipline PrepCheck:

  • Tell a brother or sister in Christ, someone that you really respect, that this is an area of your life that you would like to work on. Ask them to pray for you and to hold you accountable by checking in on your progress every once and a while. Sharing your journey makes it so much more special. 
  • Make sure your partner knows what is going on and ask for their support. 
  • If you don't already have a journal, get one. If you're an artsy time, personalize it by decorating it with whatever you want. If that sounds like torture to you, a plain notebook will do just fine. Amazing things are going to start happening to you - you need somewhere to jot them down! Like when a prayer is answered or you have a great time during some service. Include pictures if you're into art or photography. If you are musical or literary, you may be inspired to write your own praise song or prayer. 
  • Pray that you will become so spiritually disciplined that God will never feel further away from you than a breath. 
My partner is a non-believer. I just want to point that out because it rises a few challenges for me and maybe my experience will help those of you living with non-Christian parents or siblings and whatnot. I try not to make a big deal out of any of this. It's private - that is kind of the whole point. I don't need to announce 20x that I'm getting rid of a garbage bag of clothes to make room for God in my life. I just do it. It's not a matter of being sneaky, but to be honest, he probably doesn't miss the stuff anyway (or notice that it's gone for that matter...) My relationship with God is between Him and I, not Marty and I, so that gives me permission to develop it quietly. My hope is that Marty begins to notice the changes in me and that could possibly start conversation about what I'm doing and why, but all in due time. God works in miraculous ways. I don't need to involve Marty in my private time (he's not invited!) - I do it after he goes to bed or before he wakes up. I don't need to reschedule our time together. He doesn't need to know where I keep my prayer journal and I don't need to broadcast whenever I volunteer to do a favor for a church friend for free. When I screw up, he's not the person I tell - it's someone in my Community Group. And that's okay for now. 

I struggle with thinking this is just one more thing to add to my schedule so I try to think of my life as a tapestry. It takes many threads of different colors to make a tapestry. Spiritual discipline is just one more thread to weave into my everyday life. My hope is that one day soon it will feel as natural as eating, sleeping, showering, and texting my mom. I wouldn't go a day without eating and once I learn to truly treasure my quiet time, I won't dare to miss that either. I'd die before turning down a great dance opportunity. Soon I hope I'll feel the same about my services. I don't want this to be something I do. I want this to be something I live. Maybe at some point dance and acting won't seem as important to me because feeling close to God has become even more important than everything else. Everything I do is so much better when I do it through God. 



O God, 
I need your help again. Then again, when don't I need your help, huh? I've fallen weak in some of my spiritual disciplines. 
This week I'd like to focus on simplicity. I need your guidance pertaining to which job I need to let go of, which activities to pass on, and distinguishing between clutter and necessity. 
I struggle with diligence, comprehension, time, space, lack of opportunity, feeling alone, and feeling so distant from you sometimes; no matter how hard I try. 
There is one thing I know for sure, however, and that is that you are here with me. As I try to practice these disciplines in my life, you will help me become the person you want me to be. That, my Lord, sounds so incredibly wonderful - I implore you to make this so. 
I love you more than anything. Thank you for loving me even more than that. 
Amen



Being really close to God would be like...




Tuesday, April 22, 2014

How to Do Holidays When You're Broke as @&!$

If you are as poor as I am, you probably recognize the roller coaster of emotions that ensues whenever society approaches a holiday. The anxiety, the guilt, the frustration. So here are my tips to how to get through this Easter (and next Christmas and Valentine's Day) without further damaging your already broken bank account:

1. Lay the groundwork by preaching to everyone the reason for the season. 

If you're even remotely religious, this is easy. Start being pretentious and frown on everyone who conforms to consumerism by dishing out cash to show their loved ones just how much they care. If you are agnostic, this is a great time to "try out" a certain philosophy. Connect with your Buddhist side and preach against materialism. Or, for you atheists, just pull out the "family" card. No one can argue with "[X] holiday is about spending time with the people you love"

2. Celebrate "family time" by suggesting a holiday decoration-making party (hosted by someone else, of course) 

Retro is so in these days. So bring some string and stale popcorn and let your family bring the fancy stuff. Those paper chain things made out of construction paper are always classy. Or it always means more when the Valentine is handmade anyway, right? Make sure you leave with more than what you brought. This is key. "Anyone want this basket of beautifully decorated eggs? Going once. Going tw- I'll take one for the team and give it a home" *stash in coat closet* Use ordinary things you already have but "holidify" them. Cut a Christmas tree out of construction paper and then "decorate" it on your fridge with your magnets. Place tealight candles in a heart-shape. Put out a bowl with eggs. Hang extra toques and mitts off the lampshade. A vase of fake flowers. Bring out your beach and picnic gear. Holiday mugs. Display your in season fruits and vegetables as a centerpiece. 

3. Get creative with your wrapping methods. 

That driver's ed manual you will never read again. Old tests. Newspaper. Clothing store bags. Grocery bags. Think outside the box, literally. Doodles with Sharpie personalize any gift. What you can't make or find around your house, get at the dollar store. 

4. Enjoy city-funded activities

Take advantage of the free activities going on in your community that your taxes paid for anyway. Google "free [insert holiday] activities [insert your city]" and it will come up with loads of ideas. Free ice skating, parades, Easter egg hunts, festivals, fireworks, free admission to certain exhibits and attractions, outdoor movies, train/sleigh/buggie rides, community socials, and more! Also be sure to check your local newspaper and community and recreation center's website. 

5. Winter cleaning

This one is specifically for Christmas as it tends to be the most expensive holiday of them all. Instead of doing spring cleaning, do it at the end of October or beginning of November. Sell anything of value that you don't want or use anymore and then put the extra cash towards your gift fund. Donate the leftovers. Not only do you obtain a few bucks, but you also achieve less clutter and more room for the new stuff you are going to be given. 

6. The gift of time...

This one can go two ways. If you honestly don't want to receive anything (whether because you don't have any more room in your house, you just can't think of anything you want, or you're family is just full of shitty gift givers), make a speech about how it would mean the world to you if instead of gifts this year if you all did something together for someone else. Make sure you make them feel really guilty about being so materialistic. Then pick an activity to do together for an hour: pick up garbage, do a tap dance for an old person, or pet some orphans. Or give everyone a nice card and say that instead of gifts this year, you made a donation to X organization in their name. But then don't give the organization money. Volunteer your time instead and then just say you gave money... No one will know the difference. 

7. Actual gift ideas

  • Offer to do something for the person, like a massage, housecleaning, babysitting, or an uninterrupted afternoon with you where you leave your phone and computer at home and where they get to pick how the time is spent (moms, grandmas, and little siblings will love that one).
  • Pick an activity that is cheap and bring that person along. Then say something cheesy like "I'm giving you a memory/experience/life and that is the greatest gift a person can give" Ideas: Picnics, Tuesday matinee movies (and sneak in your own snacks, House hunting (going to real estate open houses), Playgroung, At-home spa day, Garage saling, A scrapbooking class/workshop at a community centre, Make a time capsule, Go for a walk, Look at the stars, Pick berries, apples, corn, or pumpkins, Work out, Go geocaching, Attend a festival, Gardening, Day trip or quick road trip, Build something or get something from the thrift store and give it a makeover, Build a snowman, scarecrow, or birdfeeder, DIY photo shoot, the Beach, Flea market, Farmers market, Cook dinner together, Museums, Flower gardens, Playing basketball in the park, A pizza or fondue or wings or cookie making competition showdown, Winery or brewery tour...
  • Pick out a cheap gift from a second-hand store based off of nostalgia and call it retro. Board games you used to play as kids, Goosebumps books, 80s workout DVDs, or a movie you haven't seen in forever.
  • Make your own gifts, of course. 

    • Mass produce a batch of jam, pickled beans, tomato sauce, or something like that. 
    • Buy a 26 of liquor, infuse it with something cool, like Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, Lychees, or Bacon, and then pour it into smaller bottles. 
    • Fucking knit something
    • Photo album, Picture frame, or frame something other than a picture, like a movie ticket stub, a plane ticket, an ultrasound, or a newspaper clipping. 
    • Swants, if you have a ridiculous brother or boyfriend who would wear them
    • Baking
    • Compile your favorite recipes into a cookbook
    • Mixed CDs
    • Inspirational art - I call it inspirational because I can't really draw worth shit... So instead I write inspirational quotes in really big letters. Good on ya if talent actually comes out your finger tips
    • Write a nice letter, make some origami, homemade Valentines or cards, a jar of hearts (or eggs or stars) with things written on each (Reason why you love them, a joke, an inspirational quote, etc)
    • Bath products
  • Buy a big bottle of bubble bath and split it into smaller bottles. Buy a big box of chocolates and then wrap 3 or 4 into smaller, fancy bags. Then give a bottle of bubble bath, bag of chocolate, and a book or magazine to each lady in the family. A night of relaxation! Books could be regifted ones you've already read, from the thrift store, or new. 
  • Buy 3 DVDs from the cheap bin at Walmart, a box of popcorn, and a tub of sour keys. Give a couple a DVD, a bag of popcorn, and 1/3 of the sour keys. Repeat for 2 more couples. 
  • If you are camera-savvy, offer to do a family photo shoot
  • A "nice" version of something simple, but used daily. Like a gourmet bag of coffee or tea, honey or jam, a letter opener, ear buds, pen, notepad, mug, shampoo, travel mug, water bottle, hair brush, etc
  • Buy something for the whole family and give it to your parents, like a fondue kit, a tent, or a family
    pass to the Aquarium. Everyone will benefit from it whenever the family can get together. 
  • Search "cheap [insert holiday] gifts" on Amazon and Etsy. It's actually full of stuff that is both cool and cheap. And I'm actually talking only-a-couple-bucks-cheap. 
Happy Holidays everyone!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

What is Love?



My boyfriend and I are coming up on a year and a half now. I've been doing some contemplating lately now that we live together and occasionally talk about making future plans beyond next week - reading journal entries and past posts and other paraphernalia. The question I found that came up again and again was one I think we all ask ourselves at one point or another: What is love? What is it, I mean, exactly? We definitely know what it isn't. We know it's not what is displayed in the movies. We know that portrayed version love is heightened, unrealistic, and over dramatic, but we also know, or at least many of us do, that love - I mean real love - isn't what was displayed at home growing up either. My parents were one of the 30% of marriages that didn't last and finally made the split when I was 17 and before your mind comes to a thousand assumptions and conclusions, please just trust me when I say the following things: I don't care, I'm glad it happened, and the only thing it has changed is that now I have to endure the drama that ensues with who I stay with when I come to visit while everyone forgets that I'm an adult. I've known that my parents were not a good example of a "healthy" marriage for as long as I can remember, so I looked to my best friend's parents for guidance. They always seemed so happy and playful and in love with each other, but I have recently learned that they are headed towards a split too. 

I often feel unjustly criticized by our predecessors.  Maybe it's because I spent too long working in a fine dining restaurant, listening to middle-aged rich people tell me about how lucky I am, how rough they had it, and how my generation is lazy and has doomed our world to fail. May I point out that their generation has FAILED at providing good examples as to the people we should become? The economical "repression" that apparently happened, global warming, the appointing of Stephen Harper, and those divorce rates are all a result of you, my friend, not us. And don't think that we are ignoring your sage advice. In fact, it is quite the opposite. We heard about how you all jumped into marriages that you thought were right and then we watched as they crumbled. We heard about the tough journey that woman have had to climb up their career ladders and we have heard what a shitty job we are doing at living our lives by your definition of "properly" (we, I should add, the children that you raised). Now, every 20-something-year-old lives with the immense pressure to succeed, afraid of failure, and thinking they have something to prove. We are afraid to get married in fear that it will fail like yours did, or because we think we have to establish ourselves as a successful career person before we can even think about something so medial as sharing ourselves with another person. We don't have anything to prove except that we are an entirely different group of people that need to do things in our own way - because we didn't grow up in the same world that you did. Not a world that was better or worse, but a world that was different.


I'm no expert, and granted, I'm just a 22-year-old nobody, but I do have a couple things to say about love that I've learned through my observations of the world. So here you are - straight from the mouth of a babe:

Love is a choice. It's not some inexplicable force that pulls people together, like some magnet working from across the universe. It's the coincidence of seeing someone you were attracted to and it's making the decision to talk to that person. Chemically-speaking, the brain starts to send all sorts of things all over your body - things like dopamine, pheromones, oxytocin, but when the alternative was to walk away, you didn't. You took the risk of rejection. In the animal kingdom, pairing up with a mate is a survival tool. Finding companionship is not just instinctual - it's a defense mechanism. Because nobody wants to go through life alone. Feeling safe and secure and possibly, in the very itty-bitty back corner of your mind, finding parental support for your (future) offspring had enough weight in your psyche to reach out and touch that person in those first fleeting moments. 

Time passes and psychologically your brain sorted out that what you feel for this person is unlike the feelings you have for your mother, your son, your dog, your God, your best friend, your hometown, the world, or even yourself. You process and categorize and eventually opt that this thing, whatever it is, is worth nurturing and developing into something we might call a passionate commitment. This is usually the point where love takes a drive of its own. It leads the way for a little while. It glides over obstacles and feels like a force to be reckoned with. This is temporary, though, as eventually you must enter the paradoxical phase where love feels both freeing and binding at the same time. And you must make the decision to stay. The choice comes to stay and love this person despite all his flaws, and your own flaws, and the flaws you've created collectively. Love is acceptance.

Life is funny. It expects you to be logical when the circumstances it throws at you are illogical, it gives the test before giving the lesson, and sometimes it just doesn't make any sense. Love though, is anticipating that things are going to change and being prepared to reevaluate as time goes on. Love is the choice to stay and change together, but it's also the choice to smile and move on, because love doesn't come with a guarantee that it will last forever. It doesn't owe you anything, but if you got out of it even a single moment of happiness, then I think it deserves at least your best shot at it. Above everything else, love is the respect you have for yourself, all-encompassing. It's the confidence in knowing you deserve happiness, in whatever form it may come it. And then, most of all, it's the decision you make to take a risk on someone.