Believe

I watched The Santa Clause this week. It is one of my favorite Christmas movies, and it is the only movie that I can quote in its entirety. My dad bought it for me when it first came out on VHS to keep me entertained while my mom was out shopping the day after Thanksgiving. We ended up setting all of our dining room chairs like reindeer just like Charlie did. The movie holds a special place in my heart.

If you'll recall, the plot revolves around the belief in Santa Claus. At one point the main character (Scott Calvin) and his son (Charlie) are at the North Pole, and Scott points out a polar bear directing traffic. "I see it, but I don't believe it," he says. "Seeing isn't believing; Believing is seeing," says Judy the elf (not to be confused with Judy the server from Denny's). "Kids don't have to see this place to know that's it's here. They just... know."

Of course, The Santa Clause is not the only movie that encourages children of all ages to "Just believe!" in Santa. There's also Miracle on 34th Street and every movie on the Disney or Lifetime channels. While they all seem to have hijacked the sacredness of belief, they do seem to mimic and mirror what a lot of us are thinking this season:

The story of the birth and resurrection of Jesus sounds absurd.

There, I said it.

I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe that man is deeply flawed, unable to save ourselves. I believe that God humbled himself and was born into the world as a helpless, fragile baby so that He could show us how to live, free us from the law, and make a way for me to approach the Most High.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

I believe.

But I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that every now and then, the absurdity of this story catches me off guard. It all really does sound weird. Unbelievable, even.

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased." Luke 2:8

I believe.

Because He did exactly what He said He would do. But in a way we never expected. That's the God I serve.

Not unlike Scott Calvin, I sometimes find myself in the North Pole with the traffic-directing polar bears. I also often find myself taking analogies way too far. What I mean is, I have seen and I have tasted the goodness of the Lord. I've experienced too much of His grace to not believe all that He has said and done.

"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:8

Oh, I believe.

"I believe; Help my unbelief!"- Mark 9:24

pioneer party

Have you ever heard of the Pioneer Woman? If you answered "No," I'm going to give you a few minutes to get out from under that giant boulder you've been hiding under for the past few years. I hope you're okay.

If you answered "Yes," then you know exactly how excited we were when we discovered that Pioneer Woman (also known as Ree Drummond) would be having her own cooking show on Food Network.

So excited, in fact, that we decided to have a Ree-themed viewing party, complete with a lasso station (or Rubbermaid tubs with dinosaur hats on top), a hayride, and of course... Pioneer Woman dishes.

With all of this pageantry and hoopla, we almost forgot about actually watching the show (although the guys in the group would have been okay had we never remembered). The show didn't quite live up to our expectations, but we blamed it all on the producers. It could never be Ree's fault. We just comforted our disappointment with more meatloaf, spicy Dr. Pepper shredded pork, and monster cookies.

And we cried "Ree, Ree, Ree" all the way home.

evidence that I am alive

Clockwise from left:

1. Felt dumb when my red velvet heart cupcakes turned into distorted organs.

2. Started a new job. Yep, I'm a pilot.

3. Went to the beach and survived on Nutella. Got embarrassed when my aunt saw me taking a picture of said Nutella.

4. Celebrated my cousin's departure for college while being entertained by my grandfather's impression of Rupert from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

5. Went to the drive-in. Sweat a little. Laughed a lot.

6. Rejoiced in the fact that George W. Bush saved Vivian's life at a rally once. We're glad she's alive to celebrate year 23.

7. Tried to get fancy and make my photos look like other bloggers'. Did not succeed.

GBA

Ah, Independence Day. I love this day for many reasons.

Sure, I like the fireworks and hot dogs.

And yeah, who doesn't like a little obnoxious American elitism here and there?

But what I love most about the Fourth of July is not the food, the Lee Greenwood song, or even those popper things that you throw on the ground (although all of these rank pretty high).

No, I love the unity. For one day each year, it seems like everyone is on the same team. No Alabama or Auburn. No Republicans or Democrats. No Mac users or PC users. This night we are just citizens celebrating the great experiment that is the United States of America.

Yes, this country has some issues. We're still fumbling around and trying to figure how this experiment is going to turn out. We look stupid sometimes, and it's easy to see all of our flaws. Injustice. Political scandals. Inequality. Debt crisis. Obesity. Lindsay Lohan.

But I can't help but be proud of how far we've come in 200 something years. I can't help but be thankful for the trails that have been blazed and wars that have been fought. I can't help but think of the One who "shed His grace on thee."

So as I sit here eating my leftover banana pudding and watching Next Food Network Star, I realize that I am reaping benefits that I did not earn, and I certainly do not deserve. That's something to celebrate.

Goodnight, and God Bless America.

portions

If I have talked to you in the past two weeks, there is a big chance I've brought up the subject of portions. I'm sorry. But I've had a revelation, and I just can't keep it to myself.

I'm on an Elisabeth Elliot kick right now. And yes, you guessed it... I'm about to quote the heck out of her. I know what you're thinking: "Brittany, do you ever have original thoughts of your own?" The answer is "sometimes." But they mostly involve where I'm going to eat for lunch. Elisabeth just puts things so perfectly.

Keep a Quiet Heart is a book she compiled of newsletter articles she has written over the years. The first article of the book is about Jesus sleeping during the raging storm. It wasn't a negligent nap. He wasn't being lazy. He "knew when to take action and when to leave things up to His Father. He taught us to work and watch but never worry, to do gladly whatever we are given to do, and to leave all else with God."

In the midst of these volatile twenty-something years that are full of big decisions and uncertainty, this is an extremely comforting reminder.

Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup,

and have made my lot secure. -Psalm 16:5

Elisa (we're on a nickname basis) goes on to say: "Every assignment is measured and controlled for my eternal good. As I accept the given portion other options are cancelled. Decisions become much easier, directions clearer, and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter... All is under my Father's control: yes, relcalcitrant computers, faulty transmissions, drawbridges which happen to be up when one is in a hurry. My portion. My cup. My lot is secure. My heart can be at peace. My Father is in charge. How simple!"

Now for another kind of (simple) portion.

Strawberry shortcake. Can't stop making it.

Whipping cream However much you want

Sugar Until it tastes good

Vanilla Until it looks good

Put it all in a bowl.

Whip it. Whip it good.

Celebrate good times (come on!)

Now I just need some portion control.

Or not.

Memorializing

This will be short and sweet... just like last weekend.

We celebrated Memorial Day at the lake with my family.

We saluted our heroes,

went fishing (fishing = getting someone else to do the work while I reel them in),

had a classy photo shoot,

and ate entirely too much.

Told you this would be quick.

Welcome, Summer 2011. And God Bless America.

bits and banjos

I'm going to get around to a Memorial Day post soon, but right now there are only three things on my mind.

1) When are overalls coming back in style? I'm ready.

2) Will people at work make fun of me if I bring strawberry shortcake for lunch tomorrow?

3) Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers. I'm hooked. Here's one of the only decent quality videos I can find:

Somebody get me a mandolin STAT. And tell me to ease up on the excessive video posting. Also, you should keep an eye out for Sarah Jarosz in the future. I'm calling it: she's going to be a big deal.

First I was loving Scottish music; now bluegrass.

Next stop: polka.