Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson's Blog, page 5

Mud Season of My Soul

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The Mud Season of My Soul

Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson

On Sunday evening, Mom called. She asked why I hadn’t written about the Holy Spirit in last week’s column because it was Pentecost Sunday. She was right of course, it was an oversight on my part, and I apologize to all of you. Mom suggested that if I continue writing these weekly columns, I should get myself a religious calendar that would provide me a way to plan my thoughts around the seasons of the Church.  

Quite frankly, my thoughts have been on a different seasonal calendar. Mud Season.

When I first heard of it, I thought it was a descriptive term. Sharing my home with two 175-pound Newfoundland dogs, Mud Season means that each day they track in part of the dirt road I live on and render at least one of my five vacuum cleaners helpless.

  I’ve since discovered that experienced residents of Summit County understand Mud Season is a state of mind. People leave town and businesses close. It’s a time to rest, mend bodies weary from ski season, rejuvenate, and ready ourselves for kayaking, SUP, and mountain biking.

Which makes sense, although the unexpected quiet around town is a bit disconcerting. Even the vacuum repair guy hasn’t answered my call.

I may be out of synch with my community, but I also realized these disparate views of Mud Season are a terrific metaphor for how we approach our relationship with God. In faith and Mud Season, some of us know to rest, while some of us feel we must wrestle.

About a week ago I woke on a Wednesday morning, sat down to do my devotions and felt bereft. Physically, I felt weary. Emotionally, I felt without hope.

I have lived with bouts of depression my entire life, so this was nothing new. As I explained to a doctor recently, on the surface my life is going well and I’m happy. I love where I live, I love my career as a writer, but below the surface there is a lake of sadness and sometimes, despite my happy circumstances, the sadness bubbles to the surface without warning.

For example, two weeks prior I was energized and happy and full of plans for the future. But what happened on that particular morning was a build up of small, minor disappointments which caused me to question my belief that things were moving forward.

To be truthful, I didn’t feel like doing my devotions that morning. It felt as if a curtain had descended between me and God and my prayers weren’t being heard.

Nevertheless, I opened my Bible to the book of Romans, where I’d left off in Chapter 4, and began reading.

“’Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him…Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was a good as dead-since he was about a hundred years old…Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith, and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:18-22)

The covenant between God and Abraham is one of my favorite illustrations of God’s amazing grace. Consider this exchange between God and Abraham, from Genesis 15:3-5:

“And Abram said, ‘You have given me no children…Then the word of the Lord came to him…He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars-if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’”

God’s promise to Abraham is an example of the provision I have seen time and again. We present God with a fish and He feeds five thousand. We ask God for a place to rest, and He gives us a mountain view. It seems to please God to exceed our wildest expectations. But we often miss the blessing because we seek it in our timetable, with our idea of how it should look, not God’s.

 Sure, Mud Season is messy, but we know that the beauty of a wildflower-strewn mountain meadow is the reward.  That’s why long-time residents of Breckenridge know that Mud Season is a time to rest and get ready for summer. 

And that certainty is why Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. It is the quiet faith that lets us rest in God’s embrace, even when we do not yet see the outcome.

On the other hand, my first experience of Mud Season and my approach to God, is akin to the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel through the night and refusing to let go until he received a blessing from God.

When faced with the ‘Mud Season’ of my soul, instead of enjoying a time of rest, I wrestle with God and demand answers. I argue my case with such dogged determination that I am exhausted and incapable of hearing God’s gentle assurance.

The irony is that my approach isn’t going to change the outcome. Whether as Abraham or Jacob, I am held in God’s embrace. The difference is whether I choose to rest or not. Whether I choose to trust God, or not.

The good news is that no matter which approach I take; God draws me closer to Him. When I think it is me who will not let go until God blesses me…it is God who will not let go of me until I realize that I am already blessed.

This is our comfort when we feel alone, abandoned, covered in mud and shame and sadness. We don’t have to run to God. We don’t have to wrestle with Him to obtain our blessing. Exhale, surrender, and understand God holds each of us, always. His love does not have to be summoned, God is the Alpha and Omega and His limitless love has no beginning or end.

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

For I will yet praise him,

My Savior and my God.

(Psalm 43:5)

 

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Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson is the author of A Map of Heaven. Join her at www.Facebook.com/suzanneelizabeths or at www.suzanneelizabeths.com

 

Cookbook Reviewers Needed!

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Hi guys!

I need reviewers for my cookbook on Amazon.com!

Have you read my cookbook, Comfort Me: Easy Meals to Bring Your Family Back to the Table?

Would you take a minute to write a sentences and leave a review?

If you haven't read my cookbook and you are interested providing an honest review in exchange for a free pdf copy of the cookbook, please send me an email at suzanne@suzanneelizabeths.com

I'll provide a link so you can download the cookbook. When you have looked at the cookbook, please click here and leave your review on Amazon.com.

Your reviews really do matter!

Thank you!

- Suzanne Elizabeth

 

Make Your Own Chicken Nuggets

I love chicken nuggets...but when I read the list of ingredients my appetite disappears. So, tonight I decided to make them from scratch using all natural ingredients: 4 chicken breasts, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, seasonings to suit your taste, oil for frying.

Make Buffalo dipping sauce from melted butter and hot sauce.

You can do it....watch this video!

Serve with an iceberg lettuce wedge with blue cheese dressing.

Make a pitcher of sweet tea with slices of lemon and call the family to dinner!

 

Pesto Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Vegetables and a Cookbook Review

Pesto Roast Chicken. I promise...this will become your once-a-week-go-to-dinner. It’s so easy and delicious!

 I first taught myself to cook because I didn't want to spend the holidays alone. I was fresh out of college, a neophyte on Wall Street, and too busy to fly home at Thanksgiving or Christmas. So, I used to read the latest issues of Gourmet magazine and plan elaborate meals using the trendiest ingredients and complicated instructions. While my dinners might have been a success, I was a frazzled mess by the time dinner was served.

Over the years, I’ve discovered that what really brings friends and family to the table are simple, delicious meals that allow the cook to enjoy being in in the kitchen and free to talk with guests and to come to the table relaxed and proud of a meal that is reliable time and again.

Today's meal ticks off all of those boxes.

It's the perfect weeknight meal yet special enough to serve when you want to invite friends for a weekend dinner. You can get it into the oven in ten minutes or less. Then, while it cooks for an hour, pour yourself a glass of wine, sit down and enjoy a relaxed conversation with family and friends.

You'll love it, and so will your guests.

Best of all? You can change it up endlessly so that it can become a reliable part of your weekly menu and you’ll never get bored. For instance, instead of pesto, make a paste of butter, garlic, and rosemary. Instead of carrots and potatoes, add Brussel sprouts, or sweet potatoes. Or create a paste of butter, cumin, chili powder, and lime, and roast the chicken with corn on the cob and a colorful variety of bell peppers, serve with rice.  Enjoy the fun of creating  variations that reflect the season and what’s fresh in your grocery’s produce section.

 

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Pesto Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Vegetables

If you like to watch a cooking video of this recipe:

On YouTube: https://youtu.be/MbJwzQpEIoI

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneEliza...

Here's the Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 400F
Create the Kale pesto: In a food processor, add 1 bunch kale leaves, 3 garlic cloves, ¼ cup almonds, salt & pepper, pulse and add olive oil to create a wet paste.
Chop the 4 potatoes and 6 carrots into large chunks. Toss them with the kale pesto.
Cut the backbone out of the chicken and press the breastbone so that it flattens the chicken. Gently separate the skin from the chicken breast and scoop a large tablespoon of kale into the pocket. Then massage the bird front and back with the kale pesto.
Into a large cast iron skillet (or baking dish) place potatoes and vegetables on the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken on top of the potatoes and vegetables, (this will allow the juices from the chicken to flavor the potatoes and vegetables as they roast). Place the pan in the oven and roast at 400F for 1 hour or until the juices of the chicken run clear.

 

This Week's Cookbook Review: My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life by Ruth Reichl

Do you remember Gourmet magazine? If you're someone who loves to cook or enjoys reading about food, Gourmet magazine was probably one of your favorite cooking magazines.

Unfortunately, it became a victim of the economic downturn and was closed down in 2009. At the time, Ruth Reichl, former New York Times Restaurant Critic and author of several food related memoirs, was the Editor in Chief. 

In My Kitchen Year, Ms. Reichl presents a memorable reflection of the shutdown of the magazine and then the year afterward in which she mourned the loss of not only her job, but the difficult transition of creating a new career as an older woman. 

As the title promises, My Kitchen Year includes 136 classic recipes that are bound to bring pleasure to you and your guests. They are easy, accessible, and you can be sure that they are the best versions. 

As a sidenote, I first listened to the audiobook version of My Kitchen Year, read by the author. If you love audiobooks as much as I do, I highly recommend this one! Ruth's voice is perfect. However, I also want to add the paper version to my cookbook library. 

Support your local bookstore or order it from an online retailer.

P.S. If you love food-related memoirs as much as I do, check out Ruth Reichl's other memoirs. They're all good!

Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson is the author of 10 books, including a cookbook: Comfort Me: Easy Meals to Bring Your Family Back to the Table  Join Suzanne at: www.facebook.com/suzanneelizabeths or www.suzanneelizabeths.com

Meet Your Preacher: Father Charlie Brumbaugh at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Breckenridge

 

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The sharing of God’s Word that I experienced two weeks ago at St. John’s Episcopal Church warms my heart, even now.

I can’t decide whether it was the obvious synchrony and affection between Father Charlie and the members of the church, an intimacy that is enhanced by the lovely small historic chapel where services are held every week. Or, whether it was the sermon, delivered by a priest who, although new to Breckenridge, is using his thirty years of experience to discern the present challenges and blessings of his new parish family.

Most likely it is a combination of the two.

For his homily, Father Charlie (most parishioners just call him Charlie) sat facing the congregation holding his guitar, and interspersed his spoken homily with verses from the old Negro spiritual, “Wade in the Water.” 

 Over the course of twenty minutes, Charlie wove together a homily that carried elements of the gospel story of the crippled man at the healing pool, Harriet Tubman’s use of the old song to guide slaves to freedom in the Underground Railroad and musician Ramsey Lewis’ jazz version that enlivened the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement, and finally our modern walk of faith.  (“Wade in the water, children, God’s gonna trouble the water.”)

It was a transformational homily that took three strands and wove them together into an American story that reflects our history and our faith that no matter what our circumstances, God hears our cries,  even in times of greatest suffering or danger, and gives us the strength we need to keep walking in hope.

I am not ashamed to admit that I felt the very real presence of the Holy Spirit hovering over us during that homily.

When I began writing this weekly faith column, I knew that I wanted to challenge my overwhelming introversion by getting out and meeting other people of faith. As I wrote in my first column, it was the locals that welcomed me when I first arrived and helped me to see Breckenridge as a small town with a big heart. That first impression has only grown the longer I’ve lived here.

As I approach the one year anniversary of my arrival, it’s only fitting that I meet people of other faith communities by interviewing their leaders, attending worship services, and meeting the members.

As I go, I will bring you with me, to encourage you to find your own faith home. My hope is that these introductions to faith communities in Summit County will help.

What I discovered in my first foray is that it’s one thing to interview a preacher, but if you really want to get a sense of a person, watch them interact with their church congregation. Which is exactly what I discovered with Charlie.

We first met at one of the weekly Tuesday night community dinners that St. John hosts 52 weeks a year.  We chatted and then agreed to meet a couple days later at Amazing Grace for coffee and a more in-depth interview. I learned that Charlie had been a high school history teacher before his life was dramatically changed by two events: working at a church camp for seven summers (which immersed him deeply in the challenges and joys of community) and the early and unexpected death of his father (which brought him face-to-face with matters of ultimate concern).  These two life-changing events drew him into the seminary and then to become ordained in the Episcopal Church.

I enjoyed hearing his story.  But, after I went to the Sunday service, I realized that a person’s calling is best conveyed in action, not words. Before our conversation, I’d assumed that most pastors were drawn to this position in the church out of a desire to be spiritual leaders. After speaking with Charlie, it was apparent, that he sought the priesthood out of a desire to celebrate, grow, and serve alongside others.

That’s an important distinction. And one which I believe models Jesus’ instruction to his disciples that those who wish to be first, should be last.

After watching his homily, it was apparent that here was a person who would use his mind and heart to share the Gospel of Jesus in a manner that was relatable to a contemporary church.

Over tea and sandwiches, we spoke of Charlie’s thirty years of service in congregations both small and large.  I imagine that both extremes carry their own joys and challenges. But after experiencing the Sunday morning service at St. John’s, I believe the reward of a smaller church is a special intimacy that can develop between the pastor and the people where connecting names to faces is easier and relationships are deeper.

For instance, at the end of the service, when announcements were made, different members stood and announced projects they were working on, or prayers that were needed. One woman was leaving for a medical mission trip to Honduras and would also be bringing much needed computers to a school for learning-challenged children. Another stood and asked for food donations that would be taken to the foodbank at Father Dyer’s.

After the service, most of the congregation gathered in the kitchen for coffee and doughnuts and conversation. All of this felt in line with the Episcopal Church’s reputation for social service. But it also occurred to me that a newcomer to St. John’s would feel immediately welcome and at home here.

I am grateful to Charlie and the entire congregation of St. John’s for welcoming me to join them for a Sunday service and to write this profile.

I hope I will be invited to meet more faith communities in Summit County. Please contact me if you would like to meet. God bless you!

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Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson writes a weekly faith column for the Summit Daily News, has written 10 books, and can be reached at: www.suzanneelizabeths.com or at www.facebook.com/SuzanneElizabeths

 

 

 

 

Your Go-To Cookbook for Entertaining This Year: Sunday Suppers : A Cookbook Review

Need a new menu for your Thanksgiving feast this year?
How about this one...

Menu
Truffled Turkey with White Wine Gravy
Wild Mushroom and Brioche Stuffing
Cranberry Apple Relish
Buttered Brussels Leaves
Mashed Potatoes
Spiced Pumpkin Creme Brûlée

If that sounds good to you, then run...don't walk to your nearest bookstore to buy Sunday Suppers by Karen Mordechai.
This unassuming cookbook is chock full of menus and recipes that take common dishes and give them just enough of a twist to make them fresh, while keeping their comforting familiarity. For instance, how about this breakfast:
Cream biscuits with jam buttersperfectly scrambled eggsgreensblood orange, halvedgreen juiceFrench press coffee 

You'll be vastly popular among your friends if you invite them over for Football Sunday menu:
Whiskey-glazed ribschili, Texas styleThick-cut fries with pink peppercorn aiolidate cake with toffee sauce
Needless to say, I love the simplicity and quirky spins of this fresh and original cookbook. I can't wait to begin cooking from it. I bet you will, too.

Please note: I received a copy of Sunday Suppers from Blogging for Books in exchange for an unbiased review.

How to Change Your Mind

Sometimes we just need to change our perspective...


a complete change of view from where we have been...to help us figure out where we want to go next...


and sometimes our minds need a rest, so that our imaginations can soar to new heights.

A Map of Heaven Preview : Chapter Five

Chapter FiveThe Second Dream: In the Home of the Artist“Hope makes all the difference in the world…it might even save your life.”

–The Artist 


A MAP OF HEAVEN
is available for pre-order
at Amazon.com
just click this link
and reserve your
copy before the December release date!

The Perfect October Dinner - Individual Stuffed Pumpkins - Kid Friendly Yet Elegant Enough for Date Night at Home

Here is a meal that the entire family can enjoy preparing together, has infinite varieties to suit everyone's taste and it's fun to make! 
This recipe was inspired by a recipe for stuffed pumpkin from Dorie Greenspan's wonderful cookbook: Around My French Table. I've adapted the recipe by using individual sized pumpkins and using different ingredients for the stuffing. 
But that's the beauty of this recipe...you can change the stuffing ingredients to what you have in the pantry or your personal tastes...for instance, if you want a vegetarian meal: skip the sausage and add in eggplant, mushrooms, and spinach that's you've quickly sautéed in olive oil. 


Would you believe that this delicious meal can be prepared in just 10 minutes and then bakes for one and half-hours at 350F degrees...which leaves you plenty of time to get the kids to do their homework, while you relax and enjoy a glass of wine with your spouse.


Three easy steps:


1. Clean out the invidual pumpkins...the kids can do this while you cook the spicy Italian sausage.


2. Each pumpkin is stuffed with equal amounts of torn rustic bread, cooked sausage, and cubed cheese. Then you pour cream over the top to moisten the stuffing.

3. Put the top on the pumpkin, place it on a baking tray, put it into the oven at 350F and bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the pumpkin is soft when poked with a fork. During the last 20 minutes of cooking, take the top off the pumpkin so that the cheese and melt and brown.
Take it out of the oven and serve...stir the stuffing in with the pumpkin and enjoy!
A sure way to get the family together for a weeknight dinner.
Please let me know what you stuffed in your pumpkin!
Love xo,
Suzanne

Where Do You Turn When You Need Answers?

Try this: write down your question on a piece of paper, in the form of a letter to God.
Then sit quietly in meditation and prayer and speak your question to God, as if you were speaking with a friend. 
You are.
Then, open up your Bible and see what God has to say to you about your question. 
Can you find a message that He wants to share with you, to give your guidance, comfort, and the answer you're looking for?

                              ~ * ~
“I don’t think the way you think.
    The way you work isn’t the way I work.”
        God’s Decree.
“For as the sky soars high above earth,
    so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
    and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
    and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
    producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
    not come back empty-handed.
They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
    they’ll complete the assignment I gave them. “So you’ll go out in joy,
    you’ll be led into a whole and complete life.
The mountains and hills will lead the parade,
    bursting with song.
All the trees of the forest will join the procession,
    exuberant with applause.
No more thistles, but giant sequoias,
    no more thornbushes, but stately pines—
Monuments to me, to God,
    living and lasting evidence of God.”
Isaiah 55:10-13
I'd love to hear from you, please leave a comment below.
Love xo,
Suzanne