Why I don't celebrate Halloween

I've been given a lot of grief over the years by people I know about why I choose not to celebrate the holiday known as Halloween. When I was a child I did, I didn't know anything different. But after receiving a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ it's not on my heart to celebrate what is basically a pagan holiday. Rather than go into the history of Halloween and it's pagan roots, I'll simply allow the below Bible verses to enlighten you as to why I don't celebrate it and why I don't think that anyone proclaiming the name of Christ as a Christian should have any part in this holiday.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

If you are interested in the origins of Halloween here are some links to go to:
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween
http://www.allaboutgod.com/history-of-halloween-christian-perspective-faq.htm
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/halloween.html
http://www.montney.com/inspire/halloween.htm

A Giveaway

I love anything that encourages women to be modest and The Modest Mom has now launched a new endeavor that is very exciting! Go over and check it out on her bog to enter as well.

Dinner

Today I woke up to the sound of rain pelting my roof and the roll of thunder in the distance. That all quickly changed as the thunder closed in upon Coupeville as the rain turned into hail and the thunder. Which was then followed by lightening and the first power outage of the season. Fall in the Pacific northwest is never boring and far from predictable. I therefore declared it pajama day for the Pivarnik household and proceeded to commence the washing of the laundry, the purging of the bookshelves and the playing with the dog. I also had enough time to cook a simple and scrumptious fall feast...for one.

It's been a long time since I've posted a recipe and this one I used for dinner was super simple and now my house smells amazing!!!!

Brown Butter Sage Chicken

with Sweet Potatoes

It really doesn't get much easier than this. Sage is my favorite herb too! It's a little slice of fall without a big ol' bird to cook. You can really make any side you want with it, but the sweet potatoes added a nice pop of color to the plate, they have more vitamins then your basic white potato, and they are completely seasonally appropriate (if that matters to you). 

Because the link only takes you to the chicken recipe (which I found on Pintrest BTW) I'll tell you what I did for the potatoes, in case there is a novice cook out there. 

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg.

2. Skin the potato & chop into even pieces

3. Coat with olive oil (any olive oil will do)

4. Season with salt & pepper to taste

5. Put into pan & roast until they are done 

The cook time really depends on how many pieces you have & how big they are. For me it ended up being about 45 minutes, but if u have big pices it can be up to an hour. Check the done-ness of the potatoes and when they are close to done start the chicken so that all items are done close to each other (I'm a stickler for this because I hate anything being served cold if it's supposed to be warm). Enjoy all!!!

Ankle update

Here's what the doctor said yesterday...4 more weeks in the cast and then physical therapy. Doc wants me to start trying to walk around my apt. at night w/o the cast in a couple weeks so I can gauge my pain level, since I don’t really have any pain in my cast because that will gauge the healing process for her since she’s basically trying to keep things as cost effective for me as possible. She did say that she was impressed with the taping job I was doing on my ankle by myself though and that felt nice because, if you've seen my last post on the topic, she was very insistent that I have someone else do it for me. She also gave me the names of a couple island associations that may be able to help offset the cost of my PT, which I hope will be able to help. Also...on the plus side, the doc did say she wanted me to go & buy some boots to help support my ankles when I do start walking again. You gotta love a doc that prescribes shoe shopping as part of the healing process! Just saying. SO all in all that's where my healing stands for now. I'll be very thankful come Thanksgiving this year if I get to walk on 2 unassisted feet.

Weather Update

Well after my post last week I decided to check the weather report for this coming week. It all looks good until Friday, where there is a 20% chance of rain, increasing to 40% on Saturday & Sunday & the Monday the 15th is about a 50% chance of rain.

Dear Lord let it rain in Seattle all you want, but please keep the droplets of moisture away from Coupeville until Monday afternoon...Amen.

It's the Little Things

It really is the little things right now that I'm learning to appreciate. The Lord has shown me a lot in the past two months and is showing me more and more every day. It really is hard to articulate the lessons in their entirety because as with so many things that the Lord does in our lives, in order to understand the "lesson" you have to go through the "class". While going through it though God has been very gracious to provide the little things...friends to listen & help without passing judgement...the right sermon at the perfect time...a parking spot right at the front of the store and Starbucks. Now you've probably all had that moment, you know the one. It's probably Christmas time & the store/mall parking lot is packed and you really hope you get a spot near the front and you do, now that's great. I've had those moments too, but what is better is that ever since my injury 2 months ago, any time I need to go to the store God provides a parking spot for me at the front of the store so I don't have to hobble very far. No lie, I got one Sunday afternoon at Walmart, which is almost unheard of on a Sunday afternoon! So tonight when Shannon and I rolled into the parking lot and I moved forward to look for a parking spot I saw one that was close & it was OK, but then I looked and saw a better one. The one that was right next to the handicapped spot. I smiled/laughed and told Shannon to look as I rolled into the spot that was saved just for me (I say that because I was not the only car moving around in the lot at the time, but yet I was the one that got the spot). Seriously, Shannon must have not really thought I was serious when I initially told her of my recent gifts, but there she was to see it in action & just laughed along with me as I pushed the button to lock the car door as we made out way into the coffee haven.

Another small thing, but pretty big for me right now, is the weather. Thus far in western WA there has been no measurable rainfall for 2 months. That's right since my injury it's been dry as a bone up here. Now do we need the rain? Yes, we do especially in the places that have been affected by the wildfires. But my request, nay my plea, over the past few weeks, especially ever since I realized what a gift the weather has been, is that it won't rain until the doc clears me to wear normal shoes again. Now I know where I live...I'm no stranger to the weather here, but I also know that I just can't handle having to additionally wrap my foot in plastic in order to keep it dry, whereby I can then add the added "fun" of sound to my hobble and so far God seems to be in agreement with that sentiment. And even as I type Steve Poole at KOMO is giving the weather report on the 11 o'clock news and though it shows clouds in the coming days, it's also showing the all clear from rain until next Tuesday...so far. My next doctors appointment (the one where I find out about wearing shoes again) is on Monday October 15, that's 13 days from today. Don't believe me here is the weather according to the KOMO website:








Below is just a portion of Psalm 104, which shows just a fraction of all the Lord is in charge of concerning the elements. If he can do all that then I'm sure that the rain can be stayed off for a little while yet. After all He was the one that caused the rain to cease for 3 years during Elijah's ministry to Israel (1 Kings 17:1-18:1). All I can say is that I'm going to keep the prayer going and I'll let you know what happens when the Lord decides to open up the heavens.

Psalm 104:10-20

Psa 104:10  He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
Psa 104:11  They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
Psa 104:12  By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
Psa 104:13  He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
Psa 104:14  He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
Psa 104:15  And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.
Psa 104:16  The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
Psa 104:17  Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
Psa 104:18  The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.
Psa 104:19  He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
Psa 104:20  Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.