Lo-Fi Faith Meme

sarah tagged me with this.
for those who, like me, didn't know what a meme is
meme n (mëm): A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. From the Greek mimëma, something imitated, from mimeisthai, to imitate.

1: List three (3) words that describe your faith.

foundation, flexible, inquiring

2: Describe a belief you are certain about and one with which you struggle.

certain: those that believe in God, by whatever name, and his power to transform will be saved.

struggle: how much sin we can discard in this life. people are asked to live Godly lives but there are some things we excuse as something out of our control, i.e. someone with a birth defect is clearly not how God intended them to be but there's nothing we can do about that. where do we draw the line at things that God will fix later in heaven (everyone's body is not perfect) and things that we should work with God to fix while on earth?

3: What is your mission in life?

benefit others. earth isn't perfect but we contribute to making it livable and enjoyable through helping others in a variety of ways--emotional support, friendship, conversations of faith, improvement of products, laughter, comfortable living, humanitarian aid...

4: Describe one thing that interferes with authentically living out your faith.

being an introvert. i do not make friends easily or have casual conversations with people and so my ability to help others directly is limited. Jesus was in constant contact with others and although i believe that we don't have to be exactly like Jesus to be who Jesus intends us to be, i do believe that we are designed to be socially dependant on each other and should offer social support.

5: What is your favorite story from the Hebrew Scriptures? Why?

Ruth. loyalty pays off, that makes me feel good about myself.

6: What is your favorite New Testament story? Why?

peter and the sheet of unclean animals. it reveals the complexity of issues that believers are faced with. God could have written down a new leviticus but he didn't. instead He gave peter an metaphor for how we are to behave toward others. why not just say something? because stories communicate more than rules.

7: Describe a meaningful action you took because of your faith.

meaningful action. that could be anything. i suppose the vagueness allows for better personal expression of the responder. i helped someone i didn't know pack up and move in the snow because God wants us to help others. i took my soon-to-be job because i think God opened doors for it rather than a more lucritive job in a place i love living.

8: Does your faith differ from that of your parents? If so, how?

It is difficult to distinguish, for me, the differnce between faith and how personality affects faith. I am definately more libral than my dad and more conservative than my mom in terms of behavior. But if the interpretation of behavioral expressions of faith is due to true differences in faith or personality interpreting faith (proper interpretation does take into account the personality and circumsatances of the reader) i do not know. fundamentally we all believe in righteousness by faith in Jesus balanced by faith without works is dead and a strong belief in the truth of the Bible.

9: Who or what was most important in the development of your faith?

books, the Bible, religious books, non-fiction, fiction, all of them. without question the ability to read other people's opinions, thoughts, and lives without having to talk to them is an amazing impact on my life.

10: Pass it on! Tag at least two other religious/faith bloggers.

because the job i am going to take is from my church i choose two people employed by my church: my mom and alodia.

Less Cheese Lasagna

a loose recipe for lasagna that i adapted from a friend. she makes her own veggie filled tomato sauce, but i am lazy so i just use two premade jars.

1 box no boil noodles
2 jars spaghetti sauce
1-2 packages frozen spinach, thawed
2 packages tofu
16 oz cream cheese
parmesan cheese for top

put cream cheese in microwave for 30 seconds or until easily stirred into drained tofu. use tofu mixture instead of ricotta mixture usually called for in lasagna. layer lasagna, spinach, and tofu mix in layers until pan is full. sprinkle with parmesan if desired. bake 50-60 foil covered at 375, then 5 min uncovered. let sit for 15 min out of oven before serving.

Short Stories

upon my my motorcycle I peered into the small red, 80's car that drove beside me. clinging to the furry black seat cover as it transitioned to the head rest on the passenger side was a striped kitten. It openeded its mouth and i saw the teeth and tongue arch into a plaintive meow. off i zoomed to visit my own cat at home; i'm sure she also was crying right now as she wanted her wet food.

our bank of mailboxes is backward. first off it is on the left side of the street when i am coming home. it should be on the right so i can stop to get the mail. sometimes i go home and walk back to get the mail. other times i pull to the wrong side of the street and get out to get the mail. rarely i'll park on the proper side of the street and walk across. the walking path doesn't actually go to the mailboxes, it just runs behind them so that when they decide to actually put in landscaping there it will be trampled by the few of us that walk to get our mail and use the walking path instead of the street. the key hole is very close to the left side of the door of our box and the key turns to the left, toward the short side of the door.

two trucks that owners projected identies onto using the liscence plates cruised in front of me in the morning cool. one claimed 'oldgold' the other 'bkbeuty'. i wondered what the english black beauty would think of a western truck being named after him. old gold could be ginger from the book as the two pulled away as a team and i remembered something about a movie of black beauty coming out soon, or something. could a movie convey that book? i don't think so.

lumps of paper stack my desk. i should clean them. but they lend some air of importance to what i do. someone with a clean desk either is efficient or has nothing to do. i can't be either of those. their bulk reminds me of how much i should be doing instead of typing here.