Do not forget our friends in China

I receive a weekly update on how brothers & sisters in Christ are suffering around the world. Today's post especially hit me:

PERSECUTION INTENSIFYING IN CHINA

Not only has US President Obama's visit to China thrown the spotlight on the authoritarian state's human rights record, it has also highlighted the degree to which China is ascendant. As the US desperately needs Chinese co-operation on climate change, trade, global economics and nuclear proliferation, it will not risk irritating Chinese leaders by criticising China's human rights record. Christian leaders who had been hoping for progress on religious freedom have been disappointed. Large unregistered churches (i.e. not controlled by the Communist Party) in Shanghai and Beijing were targeted with repressive measures leading up to President Obama's visits there. China has the upper hand -- and knows it. Persecution is thus likely to escalate as the regime does whatever it takes to ensure its survival in the face of rising social disaffection. Please pray.

Look for more specifics here. Harrowing and humbling, as I consider my own comfort and peace. May we not forget them.

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. (Hebrews 13:3)

My Heart is Squishy for Squash

I must be a grown up now. I not only like most vegetables... I LOVE them. I crave them. I look forward to eating them. Heavens, what's happened to me?! I was the kid who hated carrots passionately (ok, so... I still do hate raw or cooked carrots by themselves) and successfully lived my entire childhood never ever having eaten brussel sprouts, eggplant, kale, kohlrabi, turnips, radishes, any squash other than zucchini... the list goes on and on. We basically grew up on Birdseye frozen peas, corn and beans. Didn't everyone?

The two crispers in my fridge can barely close each week now with all my blessed vegetables. The other night I made this stew. I got the recipe from Fairview Gardens... who apparently got it from Bon Appetit magazine... who perhaps got it from Epicurious? I wonder if there are any truly original recipes anymore.

All I know is that this was DELICIOUS. Insanely so.

Winter Squash & Chicken Stew with Indian Spices (Bon Appétit | November 1995)

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil
6 chicken thighs, skin removed (I used 2 cage free chicken breasts -- but if you don’t eat meat, feel free to omit)
1 1/3 cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (I like a little more curry and something spicy…)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (this is the key ingredient, in my opinion)
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled butternut or acorn squash (I roasted an acorn squash for 45 minutes before putting it in... cut in half, brush with olive oil and bake at 350)
2 cups 1-inch pieces peeled russet potatoes (I nuked these in the microwave for 3 minutes beforehand)
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth (veggie broth is okay too)
1 14 1/2- to 16-ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in Dutch oven (or large soup pot) over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to Dutch oven; sauté until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plate.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in same pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder, cumin, and cinnamon; stir 1 minute. Return chicken to pot. Add squash, potatoes, broth and tomatoes. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer until chicken and potatoes are cooked through and liquid is slightly reduced, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cilantro. (I liked it topped with cashews and yogurt)

Vote on this Quote

Read this today. Agree or disagree? Why or why not?

The word of God has been so thoroughly tamed that as peddled in the churches there is nothing scandalous, strenuous, or revolutionary about it. It is not even difficult. It is easier to join a Christian church than it is to join Rotary. Whereas in some eras of its history, Christianity was threatened by persecution, in our own American culture, it faces an opposite threat which lies in its very success. Christianity is dying, not of persecution or neglect, but of respectability.
... W. Waldo Beach (1916-2000), The Christian Life

Fall Checklist ... and a New Use for Butternut Squash

I've had a fun and eventful fall already... knockin' down lots o' stuff:

• Returned to Providence Hall -- check
• Worked on consulting projects in So Cal, Illinois, and Washington -- check
• Used video conferencing nearly every day (Skype, iChat, GChat, iCarrier Pigeon, you name it) -- check
  
• Had a perfect vacation on a lake in Olympic National Park -- check
• Went to U2 Concert at Rose Bowl -- check
• Met Rick Warren -- check
  
• Annual flu shot -- ouch & check
• Helped the Smelleys move into their new, post-Tea Fire home -- super double extra check
  
• H1N1 flu shot -- check (oink oink)
  
• Have been eating lots of pomegranates because it's fall and they are pretty but Lord they are messy -- check
• Registered for Urbana 09 -- check
• Became an exhibitor at Urbana 09 for Eden Reforestation Projects -- check
• Started leading a Bible study for new believers for Free Methodist Santa Barbara -- check

I'm grateful for new experiences and relationships, variety, risk, even challenges.

Meanwhile, the ol' standards continue... bike riding, soy lattes in the morning, reading every free moment, NPR podcasts, and my new love since my sabbatical last year - cooking! I test drove another recipe tonight... tasty tasty! I got the recipe from Bicycling magazine, of all places! If you need a new spin on butternut squash, go crazy. It was comfort food tonight.

Butternut Squash Enchiladas
1 large butternut squash
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
2 tablespoons diced roasted chili peppers
1 tablespoon green onion, sliced
1 tablespoon cilantro (wish I'd put in more)
Pinch of salt
Four 6-inch corn tortillas
1 cup enchilada sauce
1/2 cup shredded
Monterey Jack cheese

Halve the squash lengthwise and remove seeds. Bake at 350 degrees until soft, about one hour. Cool. Scrape out the flesh and drain in a colander, using a few plates on top to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. In a bowl, mix squash with cream cheese, cumin, chili powder, roasted chili peppers, green onion, cilantro and salt. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Scoop the filling onto the tortillas and roll them up. Place them seam-side down on an oiled pan. Cover with enchilada sauce and top with cheese. Make sure the tortillas are completely covered with sauce so they don't dry out. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until the cheese melts and turns brown and the filling is hot, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Serves four.

Calories per serving 276
Fat 8 grams
Carbs 48g
Protein 7g

Night Time Radio

Often, as I’m getting ready for bed, I turn on the radio. In a world of iPods, plasma screens, laptops and SurroundSound, it feels a little quaint and old-fashioned to do so. Perhaps that’s why I do it. It feels simple and quiet. It makes the world feel subdued and settled somehow. I hear the news of the day from the authoritative, level radio voices, and it helps me turn my mind off from my own day. Strange, I suppose.

I have faint memories from growing up of hearing the radio on in my parents’ room as I walked upstairs to bed. My dad listened to talk radio at night sometimes, or sports.

This past Sunday night, I caught a few minutes of Bob Edwards’ Weekend on NPR. Near the end of his shows he plays old recordings from a series that was on in the fifties. You might have heard of it. It was called “This I Believe.”

This particular episode really hit me. It was like I had my own personal radio station, and no one could possibly be hearing this broadcast except me. The words were, to steal C.S. Lewis’ phrase, like “God’s megaphone.” They really got my attention. Rather than do my get-ready-for-bed puttering, I leaned against my bed and just gave my entire attention to it. Tell me if you hear something as well.

But before you jump there, do this. Fight the temptation to read the script on the website; rather, just listen. Hit the play button, then close your eyes.

It is incredibly moving, fantastically poignant and lean. Sit close and hear his voice – you'll hear the slight catches at times, the pauses, the marvelous East Coast accent.

Thy Will Be Done.

There were so many arresting sentences and phrases:

I was born to see and experience the love of God…

What if I do start through habit and finish in a half dream?

I believe there is nothing passive yielding my will to God’s.

It keeps me very busy … using the faith He gave me to pass up self-satisfaction for doing something I want to do anyway.

I noticed something: you may notice something quite wonderful in most everybody you meet, even in those who annoy you or frighten you. But each, in his way, is truth–neither to be rejected nor run from.

If you believe “Thy will be done,” there is less temptation to run away from yourself. You can’t escape, anyway.

What a dramatically different world we live in now. Nothing like this would be on the radio or primetime TV today. Each sentence is so dense. It will take me a long time to wade through it. I am left wondering so much about what he is saying... and not saying.

And oh, what a name: Robbins Milbank. It sounds more like a character from a Faulkner novel rather than a real person. We know so little about him. But I hear the grief and years of life in his voice. It gives me pause. It honors my own suffering of these past years, and the suffering of those close to me whom I love. Life is hard. I am so glad I am not alone.

Fried Food on Fridays in the Fall...

I'm in a bit of a food coma right now.... I just fried up 7 chiles rellenos (I'm linking my recipe) and I had some batter left, so I fried up some zucchini as well! These are not my photos, but they are accurate representations of what the finished product looked like... I'm already starting to dream up what else I could fry up in the egg batter of chiles rellenos: mushrooms, butternut squash, sweet potato, onion, potato, eggplant, polenta... Fried Food Fridays might need to be a tradition!

Other fall favorites for me right now, in no particular order:

• acorn & butternut squash
• crisp air
• jackets & sweaters I haven't worn in months, so they feel like new
• scarves
• the smell of baking bread (I found a gluten-free bread machine mix at Lazy Acres that tastes great....)
• using a blanket on my bed
• NBA season is back!
• UCSB soccer games
• coffee brewing in the morning (OK, I like coffee in the summer, winter and spring...)
• pumpkins
• candles
• a cat in my lap
  

What are your favorites?? Let me know.

U2? Me2?

I think that personal stories on big arena concerts often smack of "nyah nyah, I got to go and you didn't..." so I'm going to do my best to avoid that. As my friend told me today, "I'm seeing all the traffic on Facebook today about U2 and it sort of disgusts me..." I get it.

BUT I have to tell you a couple of funny things that happened... not on the way to the Forum, but at least at the Rose Bowl. (Corny... sorry....)

So, me and 96,000 of my BFF's went to The Concert. It wasn't Woodstock, but oh baby, it was pretty great. Stupendous, actually. All the hype about the staging and how it makes the crowd feel like they are each having their own intimate concert experience with the band... well, it's true. My last arena concert experience was, um, before you were probably born -- I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd, Peter Frampton and Santana at the Oakland Coliseum at a "Day on the Green" concert in 1977.

(My friend and I were most likely the only sober people there that day. Crazy time but unforgettable concert. Freebird for half an hour, Oye Como Va when it wasn't old school, Peter Frampton making his guitar talk.... ah, the seventies....)

Given that I hadn't seen a huge concert for over 30 years, I was easy to impress, right? Sure, you could say that, but oh my goodness, the whole night was impressive. Admittedly, I sat for much of the Black-Eyed Peas. I knew they'd play Let's Get It Started. Wut wut bomb diggety. Fergie does her little sexy dance moves thing and I was very ho hum about it, as were most around me.

But I'm not gonna lie to you -- when they brought out Slash and sang Guns 'n Roses' Sweet Child of Mine, I was standing and singing loud with everyone else. It was a rush. Flat out entertaining and fun.

But nothing beat U2. I run out of superlatives. Just a couple of funny observations...

• I found it odd and hilarious that the U2 360 was presented by Blackberry, and um, there was no cell coverage the whole night, and limited texting. Granted, with jillions of people there, all devoted cell phone users, that must have maxed out all the little antennas in the greater LA basin. But Blackberry was not terribly impressive as a result. They handed out freebies and told every Blackberry user (me being one of them) that I could download the entire new U2 album onto my phone. So what, if I can't even make a phone call for 10 hours, let alone check email or find my other friends at the concert.

• The night was Celebrity Central - no surprise. We're in LA. Duh. Cindy Crawford walked down our row and did the "excuse me excuse me" thing past us to get to the floor. That was a trip, mostly because of the reaction that created in every man within 10 seats of us. Ridiculous. But it gets crazier.... not only did we have stellar seats (thank you Ruth!!) four rows from the floor, we managed to sit next to (yes, I really mean, NEXT TO) the one tunnel of the 38 Rose Bowl tunnels through which all the celebs would use to enter the concert after they had a little personal meeting with the band. So right before the show starts, David Beckham passed about 10 yards away from us. Then Barbra Streisand. Then Rick Warren! My friend Ruth yells out, "Hey Rick! Thanks for all that you do!" He smiles at us, says thanks and waves. And not two minutes later, he walks up the steps (our seats are at the top of these 10 or so steps) and asks, "What section is this? I'm trying to find my seats." He was with his son. We tell him, then Ruth says, "Hey, we both love Jesus and we heard you speak at the last Urbana." I'm just nodding my head like an idiot. Overly starstruck at this point by the parade that has just passed us. Rick cracks a big smile and says, "Then let's take a picture!!" We both had our cameras out -- his son says, "I'll take 'em!" They were incredibly fun and nice about it. So yes... I did not meet Rick Warren at a pastors' conference, or any such spiritual thing. I met Rick at U2....
• My favorite line of his was after we took the photo he said, "Just think... I hugged Bono 4 minutes ago, and now you're hugging me. Ain't that great!?"

Priceless.