kickin’ excuses

this week I have done things I’ve never done before…
I made my first meal ever in a crockpot.  and then I shared it with people.  and it was edible.  like, they ate it.  and I ate it.  and no one got sick.  and we didn’t have to order pizza.  I even messed up and it still turned out (I started it cooking in high instead of low – and remembered about 4 hours later that it was supposed to be on low for 6-8 hours…oops).

I made homemade bread for the first time in my life.  spelt bread.  using a dutch oven.  and it totally turned out.  like, it really looks like a real loaf of bread (except…round…).  actually I messed this up too – I put in 2 1/2 tablespoons of salt instead of 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt…apparently, there’s quite a difference.  ;)  so, my bread’s a little salty – I like to think it’d be perfect for the sodium-deficient people in this world.  it’s still edible, just…you know, if you like salty bread…


and tonight I maybe homemade popcorn for the first time all by myself.  I don’t know if it’s considered homemade.  it’s not like I went and grew the corn, shucked it, and dried the kernels out myself.  but I put oil in a pot and heated it and then threw the kernels in and shook it around for awhile.  it was so fun, especially when I tried what my cousin had warned me beforehand not to do – I lifted the lid a teeny bit to see what was going on inside (ok so I’m a curious individual) and I was nearly attacked by flying popcorn.  quite the adrenaline rush.  I may have let a little squeal of excitement from narrowly missing being accosted by flying kernels. but it totally turned out and is edible and I’m snacking on it right now as I write this.  it’s a little crunchy…I’m not sure why that is, but still – it’d edible!

why all this sudden burst of trying out domesticated things?

it has been brought to my attention recently, multiple times, that I have a lot of excuses.  I give a lot of excuses for not doing things or not trying things.  and I don’t even realize I do it!!  how maddening.  when I start seeing all the areas I make excuses in, I really don’t like who I’ve allowed myself to become (or NOT become, for that matter).

so I’m kickin’ excuses.  and it starts with the small things – like learning to cook/bake/make food other than black beans & rice.

and it moves to the bigger things.  I read this in a Brennan Manning book today, called A Glimpse of Jesus – The Stranger to Self-Hatred:  “Procrastination means that we stop growing for an undetermined length of time; we get stuck… The conscious awareness of our resistance to grace and the refusal to become who we really are brings a sense of oppression.”  the book?  rocking my world.  Oh the compassion and grace of our GREAT and MAGNIFICENT GOD!  maybe I’ll sit down and write a post about all the gracious repair God is doing on my heart thru His Truth in this book.