Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Recipe Roundup


I love experimenting in the kitchen and trying new things, so I collect new recipes like squirrel storing up acorns for the winter. So I thought I'd start sharing some of my collection with you all every week. And every so often, I'll even try to share a few recipes of my own. Here's this week's ideas:

I don't make this recipe anymore since going vegetarian, but I promise that it's super easy and delicious. I recommend substituting prosciutto for the canadian bacon. And even if you're a fellow vegetarian, it's worth checking out the asparagus recipe. It's so tasty!
I make this without the prosciutto, and in order to make this healthier and simpler, I just use a whole-wheat tortilla instead of the pizza crust. It makes a great snack or supplement it with a bowl of soup to make a meal of it. Feel free to substitute spinach for the arugula. Add feta or fontina cheese to make it extra delicious!
These make a delicious topping for almost anything. They're especially tasty on top of a spinach salad and perfect as a waffle topping (though I'd recommend leaving out the balsamic if you plan to use them as a breakfast syrup).
These are unfortunately not a healthy treat, but I'm thinking they might be perfect to take to this weekend's Superbowl party. I have a wealth of fresh lemon juice from my parents' lemon tree, so I'll probably substitute lemon juice and lemon zest for the lime juice and lime zest. Either way, I'm sure they'll be a hit.

Happy Cooking!


Living with Lewis: Picturing God

I've never been able to nail down what God looks like. Every time I seem to have a grasp on what God’s up to or who he is, he always seems to mess it up. I don’t buy the old paintings of an impossibly white-old-man God with a big beard- I know that’s not right. I don’t think a painting could really capture him at all. Nature gives more of a hint, but even that’s an imperfect portrait as well.
Sometimes I have some sort of experience or something happens and I learn something about his character, and my immediate reaction is to pounce upon it and say, “Ha! This is what God is like!” But then he always manages to show me that it is far far more complicated than that. Lewis, I think, captures it best.
“Images, I must suppose, have their use or they would not have been so popular…To me, however, their danger is more obvious. Images of the Holy easily become holy images- sacrosanct. My idea of God is not a divine idea. It has to be shattered time after time. He shatters it Himself. He is the great iconoclast. Could we not almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of His presence? The Incarnation is the supreme example; it leaves all previous ideas of the Messiah in ruins. And most are ‘offended’ by iconoclasm; and blessed are those who are not. But the same thing happens in our private prayers. All reality is iconoclastic” (A Grief Observed, 83).
Would we really want a God who was just what we expected?

Monday, January 30, 2012

Monday's Musings: Reflecting


Repurposed
 
Last night I ate one of the best meals of my life. It wasn't anything particularly special- just some soup and salad- but after not eating for a week it tasted amazing. As I reflect on this week of prayer and fasting, I can't say that I had any massive breakthroughs or earth-shattering moments, but I did learn much and I have much to be thankful for and to continue to be thankful for.

God confronted me again with the reality of my sin, especially of my pride. I have quite a propensity to think of myself more highly than others and to put my ways above all others, even God's. I pray that God will continue to convict me and to chip away at this pride as I seek to put him first above all things and to clothe myself in humility.

Prayer for me this week was such a life-giving source of sustenance and comfort. I think I've rediscovered the joy that comes from frequent intercession, and I've especially loved praying through God's Word in all its depth and beauty and power.

Throughout this week, I've been able to dive so much deeper into the Second Mile community, and it's been wonderful. I can see so many ways I want to get more connected and serve more within this body of believers, and I think that God is beginning to call me towards new avenues of ministry that will continue beyond college.

And, most importantly, I rediscovered that longing within me for Jesus to return. As my body cries out for food, so my heart and soul cry out for the fullness that only Christ can bring, and I long for the day that all things will be set right, when I can turn from the things I love in this world to the Original who created them as small reflections of his glory. And for all of these things, I am so thankful.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

A Song for Sunday: City and Colour

"The Girl" by City and Colour is one of my favorite songs. It's just so lovely...



City and Colour is the stage name for Dallas Green out of Ontario, Canada. Check out his website here.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Friday Links

 It's FINALLY Friday! (It's been a long week.) I hope you all are looking forward to the weekend. I'm going to harvest pecans this weekend for the first time with local refugees through my internship with Iskashitaa Refugee Harvesting Network. Hopefully it will be lots of fun. To wrap up the week, I've rounded up a bunch of artsy-cratsy links for you!

Check out this daring DIY Sharpie wallpaper

Whit & Whistle has another amazing tutorial to make your own typographic pillows

Sandwich Art: can you identify these famous artists?

Beautiful Satsuma orange candles you can make yourself

Amazing toilet paper roll art by Anastassia Elias

Make super-awesome vintage jar pendant lights

Well, that's it for the week. Have a lovely weekend!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Thursday's Short Film: One Step Forward


This fun and quirky short film by Ben Crowell and Joel Marsh made me smile. And it was shot in only 48 hours! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.



one step forward (award winning 48 hour film project) from ben crowell on Vimeo.

Winner: 
**best film**
**best directing**
**best cinematography**
**best editing**
**group c audience award**

directed by ben crowell and joel marsh

written by all
music by luke bradford
cinematography by joel marsh
starring ben crowell and mali macconnell
sound by jake young
production dynamo- andrew wood


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Photos for Wednesday: USS Arizona Memorial

Memorial


I did do a few tourist-y things while I was in Hawaii, and visiting the USS Arizona memorial was one of them. It's a beautiful memorial and tribute to the men who lost their lives on the ship. And of course, I brought my camera, so here are a few of the shots I took:


Coming close
Remnants
Lookin out
Resting Place


All photos taken by Kara Haberstock, January 2012, all rights reserved

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Living with Lewis: Joy in Pain

“The notes have been about myself, and about H. (his wife), and about God. In that order. The order and the proportions exactly what they ought not to have been. And I see that I have nowhere fallen into that mode of thinking about either which we call praising them. yet that would have been best for me. Praise is the mode of love which always has some element of joy in it. Praise in due order; of Him as the giver, of here as the gift. Don’t we in praise somehow enjoy what we praise, however far we are from it? I must do more of this. I have lost the fruition I once had of H. And I am far, far away in the valley of my unlikeness, from the fruition which, if His mercies are infinite, I may some time have of God. But by praising, I can still, in some degree, enjoy her, and already, in some degree, enjoy Him. Better than nothing.” (Lewis, 79-80)
I’m moving through the last chapter of A Grief Observed now. This is the point where he’s slowly putting the pieces back together, the journeying onward and upward.
“I must do more of this.”
This I know is true for me. Because he hits it right on: praise is key in all circumstances. It doesn’t seem natural. Praise flows most naturally in good times, in times of plenty, in the high times. Praise does not come easily in the times of deep and utter despair.
And yet, perhaps, it is in those times when we most desperately need to praise. Lewis notes that by praise we enjoy God. Only by praise can we have joy. Only praise can lift our eyes from the broken mess we find ourselves in, from our own pain and suffering, from the darkness around us, to the light that is God himself. Praise is our reminder, our declaration, our cry that there is still a God, a God in control, a God who has not abandoned us, a God who still loves us. In some ways, it is our way of overcoming, of refusing to let our despair overtake us, our refusal to relinquish our hold on truth. Jesus said in the Gospels that truth will set us free. Praise is the declaration of that truth, the truth that we will be rescued, that this is not the end, that we are not stuck here, that there is hope, that there will come a day when all will be set right, that transformation is coming, that redemption is happening even now, that He has already overcome…

Praise is one vital mode of worship (see the Psalms for proof of this), of recognizing God for who he is and ascribing to him the glory He deserves. And through worship we enter into God’s presence, the presence of the Holy One, the Mighty One, the Redeeming One, the Rescuing One, the One Who Will Never Let Us Go. And we enter into His joy. And through this victory is found.

For more: read Psalm 22

Monday, January 23, 2012

Monday's Musings: Without Pain

Reclaimed

I never thought I'd mourn the lack of physical pain.

Just over a year ago, my body rebelled. I'm still not entirely sure what triggered it, but in the span of a week, I went from near-perfect health with an active lifestyle to something very different, as unpredictable, searing nerve pain ripped through my left shoulder and arm at any given moment. It was always worse in the evenings. I began to plan my life around it. Most evenings were spent curled up on my couch or some other kind friend's couch. The heat pack and painkillers became very close acquaintances. Friendships, along with most other things in my life, changed. A month's worth of doctor's appointments and tests finally brought relief with a cortisone injection, but, a month later, the pain returned. Eight weeks of physical therapy finally put it to rest in late March. Finally, I could return to my life, life without pain. I'd been derailed by this, but now I was back on track, or so I thought.

It's our week of prayer and fasting at Second Mile, a time dedicated to seeking God's will in the next year: What would you have us do next? So, last night, Chad spoke on the purposed of fasting, why we choose to put our bodies through this. We fast, not because we are empty, but because we are full with the Spirit of God in anticipation of Jesus' return. The first set of questions hit me hard:
Are you full? Are you experiencing the beautiful presence of Jesus? Can you honestly say that this world, culture, and life experience, pales in comparison to eternity?
My honest answer at this point had to be "No." In this last year, I could say that my answer was yes sometimes. Maybe it was half and half. But had you asked me a year ago, my answer would have been a resounding "Yes."

In the midst of chronic, everyday pain, I needed Jesus desperately. I cried out every morning. I needed him to get me through the day, I needed my shoulder not to act up during my exam, I needed him to move during Bible study because I could barely focus much less lead. As I began to fear that this pain would be with me every day for the rest of my life, I needed his hope to push back the despair. My longing for eternity grew stronger by the day. I lived in 2 Corinthians 5:
While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.
Everything paled in comparison to eternity. Christ was my comfort, my hope, my joy, my light. I clung to him in the days when I felt worn to the bone, spent, at the end of my endurance. I had no strength- I only had him.

Then God answered my prayers and the prayers of so many around me: he brought healing. And I am immensely grateful. There is not a day that I would wish to go back. But I am a forgetful and easily distracted creature, and it did not take long for me to become complacent. When I have my own strength, when my body works as it should, it's easy to place homework and academics and friends and so much else first, before Christ. I have been incredibly blessed in this last year: I have wonderful friends, wonderful academic opportunities, and a wonderful new relationship with one of my best friends. And in the midst of my plenty, it is easy to be comfortable, to look towards eternity and say: I'm sure it's great, but I'm pretty happy now. It's easy to try filling myself with other things. And, that, unfortunately, has happened a lot in the last few months.

Thus, this week of fasting has come just in time for me. Last night, Chad said that fasting allows us to realize how fragile we are, how much we depend on things outside on us. And I need that. I need to be reminded how to rely on his strength, to long for the day when I will be home, to revel in the presence of Christ.

Please don't be mistaken. I am not fasting because I am spiritually strong, because I have this faith thing figured out, because I am righteous and holy in some special way. It's quite the opposite. I am fasting because I am weak, because I need to be reminded how to be full and completely dependent on God's Spirit. Because I need to be shaken out of my complacency and back to a place of fullness. I pray that in my places of desperate need this week, I will finally turn back fully to him and that this will mark the year when I begin to learn to live in longing for Christ's return, not just in times of need, but in times of plenty as well.


Sunday, January 22, 2012

A Song for Sunday: The Civil Wars

To call my music taste eclectic might be a bit of an understatement, but lately I've really been enjoying a lot of artists that fall in the folk/bluegrass genre. And The Civil Wars have become one of my definite favorites. Here's the music video for their song "Barton Hollow":



Buy on iTunes: http://bit.ly/eUdBqM
Song Title: 
Barton Hollow
Artist: 
The Civil Wars
Album: 
Barton Hollow (2011)
Song Composer(s): Joy Williams / John Paul White / Chris Lindsey
Record Company: 
Sensibility Music
Website: http://www.thecivilwars.com




Friday, January 20, 2012

Friday Links

I don't know how your weeks have been, but it's been a crazy week for me (I just started digging into my first semester of thesis work). But in the midst of all the serious reading I'm doing right now, I did manage to dig up some fun links around the web for you:

I really want to make one of these micro-planters. Weekend project?

This ice typography is absolutely incredible. Talk about creative.

Check out these amazing window displays at Bergdorf Goodman.

Six writers share what makes them feel beautiful.

This looks like such a fun toy...is it for grownups too?

I just discovered an amazing little magazine called Dashing. Their incredibly lovely second issue just came out, and it even highlights two of my favorite blogs: Happiness Is and Bright Bazaar. Go make yourself a cup of tea and enjoy!

Well, that's all for this week (thanks goodness!). I hope you have a wonderful weekend! As for me, I will be buried in the 200+ articles I need to sort through for my preliminary thesis research... But I'll be back next week. Cheers!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Short Film Thursday: The Joy of Books

I love books. Real books, the kind with the pages that smell wonderful and the neat black ink marching across the pages, are the best. So I was quite delighted when I found this awesome film about the secret lives of books:
 


The Joy of Books
By Sean Ohlenkamp and Lisa Blonder Ohlenkamp
Filmed in Type Bookstore in Toronto  (883 Queen Street West, (416) 366-8973)
Music by Grayson Matthews



Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Photos for Wednesday: Omega Station


Omega Station once was a classified military post at the base of the Ko'olaus near Kailua. After its abandonment, the station gained a second life as not only a filming location for the TV show Lost, but also as a canvas for local grafitti artists to practice and paint. At the same time, nature has begun to reclaim the structure as well. Some would call it vandalism, but one could also call it art...

Omega Station Stripped Abandoned Art Life is a canvas
Breaking Through Urban Rural


All photos taken by Kara Haberstock, Oahu, December 2011, all rights reserved

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Living with Lewis: Two to One


I must confess I never saw myself as the “marrying type.” Of course, I always wanted to be married someday. But that someday was somewhere in the distant future so I didn’t really have to worry about it. My plan, as described to a friend about a year ago, was to “run around war zones and other places and maybe when I’m 26 or so and I’ve figured my life out I’ll think about getting married.” I was definitely never one to think about getting married right after college. Never even crossed my mind, in all honesty. And my hesitancy about marriage went a bit deeper than just that. I have major trust issues with men: my past history isn’t quite what I’d like it to be. Up until about a year ago, I was pretty bitter and angry towards men. I honestly didn’t want a whole lot to do with them, much less let any one in any closer than a casual friendship. (I have a few friends who can testify to my frequent “I hate men/Men are stupid/Men are evil” rants.)

But, slowly, God’s been chipping away at that anger and bitterness. He’s used a few people in particular to knock down my defenses. And now, I find that my future is looking quite different than I expected it to. It’s beginning to look like quite an adventure.
I found this description of marriage in Lewis’ book, A Grief Observed, and I really like it:
“There is, hidden or flaunted, a sword between the sexes till an entire marriage reconciles them. It is arrogance in us to call frankness, fairness, and chivalry ‘masculine’ when we see them in a woman; it is arrogance in them to describe a man’s sensitiveness or tact or tenderness as ‘feminine.’ But also what poor, warped fragments of humanity most mere men and mere women must be to make the implications of that arrogance plausible. Marriage heals this. Jointly the two become fully human. ‘In the image of God created He them.’ Thus, by a paradox, this carnival of sexuality leads us out beyond our sexes” (67).
Maybe I’m learning something

Monday, January 16, 2012

Monday's Musings: Remembrance

Suspended in time
Today's thoughts are not mine. Instead this is the concluding chapter of Ecclesiastes:
Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, "Life is not pleasant anymore." Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. Remember him before your legs- the guards of your house- start to tremble; and before your shoulders- the strong men- stoop. Remember him before your teeth- your few remaining servants- stop grinding; and before your eyes- the women looking though the windows- see dimly. Remember him before the door to life's opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint.Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral. Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don't wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. For then the dust will return to the earth and the spirit will return to God who gave it. -Ecclesiastes 12:1-7
Stop, take time, reflect. Remember. As humans, we are forgetful creatures. Thus we must consciously stop, pause, wait, and turn back to the One who made us. 

Sunday, January 15, 2012

A Song for Sunday: Evening Hymns


Perfect for a cloudy Sunday afternoon.


Evening Hymns | A Take Away Show | Presented By La Blogotheque, NxNE, SxSW and ASTW from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.
filmed by Derrick Belcham
produced for La Blogotheque by Sarah Schutzki

Friday, January 13, 2012

Friday Links

Happy Friday! It's the first weekend of the semester and I am looking forward to kicking my feet up a little bit (or at least have some fun times with friends). Here are some fun links for you to check out if you have some time. If you're a fan of big cities I've got some great ones for you!

This table is amazing!


Beautiful photos of Paris (and tips for shooting in snow)


Exploring Tokyo


Los Angeles... in cardboard


Incredible ribbon critters


A penny floor: total cost $3400


Looking for a delicious appetizer?


Well, that's it for this week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Short Film Thursday: Pothound


Brilliantly shot, great pacing, with a likeable main character (and a twist ending), this short film caught my eye (and maybe a corner of my heart). Dogs are awesome.


POTHOUND (2011) - A Short Film from christopher guinness on Vimeo.

Directed and Produced by Christopher and Leizelle Guiness (and their dog)

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Photos For Wednesday: Lanikai


One morning shortly after Christmas, we woke up painfully early to hike the Lanikai Pillboxes at sunrise with some of my boyfriend's friends. Waking up was not easy, but the view was worth it!

Kailua at Sunrise Waiting for Morning Morning Rain at Sunrise

1. View of Kailua
2. Islands before daybreak
3. Sun-up
4. Morning Light


All photos taken by Kara Haberstock, Oahu, December 2011, all rights reserved

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Living with Lewis: Listening


I am a bad listener. I try not to be. I do try quite hard to be a good listener- for my friends, my family. I’ve actually become quite good at sitting quietly, empathizing, sympathizing, throwing in a nod or a murmur of agreement. And really, I’ve become a pretty good listener. Sure, I’m guilty of plotting out my own answer sometimes, or day-dreaming, or getting distracted by someone walking by. But overall, I’m a pretty good listener when it comes to people.
But when it comes to God….that’s a different story. It’s so hard for me to just sit, to be quiet, and listen. I’m terrible at even finding the time. And when he doesn’t speak right away, I get so frustrated. I don’t even give him the chance to start speaking half the time.
And when something is going wrong in my life….forget listening. Usually I’m either shutting God out completely, because I’m pretty pissed off. Or I’m yelling at him, also because I’m pissed off. I have far too much to say or not say to him to actually sit and listen. And because I don’t listen, I don’t hear anything from him, which makes me angrier, perpetuating this vicious cycle that usually continues until God finally steps in and strands me some place where I can’t help but listen to him, or just waits until I’m too exhausted to continue ranting and he can finally speak. And slowly, everything is restored.
So, going back to CS Lewis and A Grief Observed, I was kind of relieved to find that I wasn’t the only one with this problem:
“And so, perhaps, with God. I have gradually been coming to feel that the door is no longer shut and bolted. Was it my own frantic need that slammed it in my face? The time when there is nothing at all in your soul except a cry for help may be just the time when God can’t give it. You are like the drowning man who can’t be helped because he clutches and grabs. Perhaps your own reiterated cries deafen you to the voice you hoped to hear.
On the other hand, ‘Knock and it shall be opened.’ But does knocking mean hammering and kicking the door like a maniac? And there’s also “To him that hath shall be given.’ After all, you must have a capacity to receive, or even omnipotence can’t give. Perhaps your own passion temporarily destroys the capacity.” (64-65)
I think that God tells us to be still, to not fear, to wait, to quiet our souls for a good reason. In our panic, our anger, our anguish, our passion, our grief, we often focus far too much attention on our own pain and problems. We are too distracted to hear that still small voice. Our demanding drowns out all else. But when we turn, even just for a moment, from ourselves, and truly look for him (not to rail or rant, but to listen)….then He can speak.

Monday, January 9, 2012

A New Year

Breaking Through


This is going to be a big year. As I look ahead, there will be lots of beginnings and endings and transitions and other significant happenings. This will be my first year with an internship and possibly a job. It may be my first year where I don't travel in the summer. This will be my last year as an undergraduate college student. It might be my last year in Tucson. It will be my last year as a student leader with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. It might my last year having quite a few different titles and experiences and identities. It will be my last year being underage (oh boy!). And, anyway you put it, it's going to be a year of a lot of risks and uncertainty, which brings me back to my favorite book of Ecclesiastes.

See, every moment is one of uncertainty. Life is uncertain, with the exception of one fact: everybody dies.

“Everyone under the sun suffers the same fate….There is nothing ahead but death.” - Ecclesiastes 9:3-4
In a lot of ways, it’s a good thing. Immortality in a broken world is not something to covet. One lifetime provides quite enough suffering. The brevity of it makes one grasp the preciousness of every moment. My campus group is kicking off the semester with a Carpe Diem theme. Seize the day. Take advantage of everything that you have now and do something meaningful. Don’t waste your life. Don’t take the relationships you have around you for granted. Take joy in your life. Make your days matter.

Risk is essential.
“So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this…Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless day of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil. Whatever you do, do well.” - Ecclesiastes 9:7-10
There’s a balance to be had in the spectrum between rash, emotional decisions and over-planned, tentative living, but I think sometimes I fall too close to the latter. I’d live my life a bit differently if I thought it’d be much shorter, or if the lives of those around me were much shorter. I’d take more risks. I’d probably pursue relationships harder, spend more time with people, and take some crazier trips to places I’ve always wanted to experience.

We were not created to live safely. God calls to each of us: Risk it all. Only when we risk can he reward us. He is our Assurance, our Rock. He will be there to catch us. But He cannot catch us if we never step off the cliff. There is no prize for sitting on the edge all of our lives.

For me, I think now the question remains: What risks should I be taking now?

Back from Hawaii!

I apologize for my long absence. I spent my break in Hawaii with my boyfriend, and I took a much-needed break from my computer (with the exception of the time required to complete some set-up tasks for this semester). But I am back, and I have pictures! Here are a few of my favorites from the first week:

Waikiki
Viewing Honolulu
Sunset on the North Shore


1. Waikiki Beach (taken from Diamond Head)
2. A view of Honolulu
3. Sunset from a beach on the North Shore
4. Waves on the North Shore

All photos taken by Kara Haberstock, December 2011, all rights reserved

Sunday, January 1, 2012

A Song for Sunday: Regina Spektor


Happy 2012! It may be the end of the world, but either way I hope it's a wonderful year.
Regina is one of my all-time favorite musicians. (She's Russian, an amazing pianist, and incredibly creative.) Considering that it's New Year's Day, enjoy her song, "My Dear Acquaintance."


Regina Spektor, My Dear Acquaintance, available on Itunes