Use Google Calendar to Plan More Interesting Weekly Menus
How to use Google Calendar to plan for meals you'd like to cook and eat more.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1862947/use_google_calendar_to_plan_more_interesting.html

On Zeal in Amending our Lives

Be watchful and diligent in God's service and often think of why you left the world and came here. Was it not that you might live for God and become a spiritual man?

When a man reaches a point where he seeks no solace from any creature, then he begins to relish God perfectly. Then also he will be content no matter what may happen to him. He will neither rejoice over great things nor grieve over small ones, but will place himself entirely and confidently in the hands of God.

It is an excellent reminder to remember why I decided to follow Jesus. I can recall the situation, I can recall the sights and smell and retrace the actual route I took physically as I came to that realization. But it is a good exercise to remind myself what it was I had hoped to leave behind in deciding to throw my lot in with Jesus. I chased the pleasures of the world, chased the approval of man and found nothing and then I felt someone telling me that nothing would suffice except a relationship with God.

Where am I now? why does my bosses approval of my work matter so much? Or my approval of her? Or that of my colleagues? I have found some brick walls when trying to bring faith into the scope of work involving departments, processes and institution - even in a Christian school. I am the Queen of my classroom so that is some consolation. I have found that some approval and affirmation from work, translates itself to money. And it is a useful tool (a very personal, tangible result) to temper one's perception of the work one does (if I keep doing this 'right' thing, I will continue to have such 'results') - but I have found that to be utterly illusionary. Then it can become a burden as well (I received good results, I did something well - so why am I having such difficulty now when I was apparently good at what I was doing?)

But this devotion serves as a reminder that the good result, doesn't come from my work - it comes from God's hand in it. And while man rewards us on earth, God's hand is moving in that too. So, I seriously need to work on pleasing my audience of one and not everyone.

And that's the end of The Imitation of Christ. It's back to the Good Book on monday!

On Judgement and the Punishment of Sin

On that day, the poor cottage will be more praised than the gilded palace; simple obedience will be exalted above all worldly cleverness; a good clean conscience will gladden the heart of man far more than the philosophy of the learned; and contempt for riches will be of more weight than every treasure on earth.

And you, miserable and wretched sinner, who fear even the countenance of an angry man, what answer will you make to the God who knows all your sins?
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How true, I fear the angry man against me and the disappointment of others of me - if only I was more aware of how my deeds might do the same to God.

Thoughts on Death.

Be always ready therefore and so live that death will never take you unprepared... perfect contempt of the world, a lively desire to advance in virtue, a love for discipline, the works of penance, readiness to obey, self-denial and the endurance of every hardship for the love of Christ, these will give a man a great expectation of a happy death.

Do not put off care for your soul till later, for men will forget you more quickly than you think. Try to live now in such a manner that at the moment of death, you may be glad rather than fearful. Learn to due to the world now that then you may begin to live with Christ. Gather for yourself the riches of immortality while you have time. Think of nothing but your salvation. Keep yourself a stranger here on earth, a pilgrim whom its affairs do not concern at all.

At 21, I was ready to die. Now that I am closing 30, why is it harder for me to let it go? I remember then that I had accomplished all that I wanted to and as a landmark, I wanted to dye my hair red and jump off a plane for my 21st. Then, I had nothing left to lose. I loved and lived like I had loved, it would have been a happy death.

Now, it seems to get there I need to work a lot harder at other things - "perfect contempt of the world, a lively desire to advance in virtue, a love for discipline, the works of penance, readiness to obey, self-denial and the endurance of every hardship"- is that the answer to living a purpose-filled life?

This is a very important question for me now. I realize some might mistake it for turning the big 30. But that number is completely arbitary to me. I don't feel my life has come to such a different place because of that number. In fact, its because my life hasn't come to such a place that I am wondering if I am ready to move on to my next life stage which seems to require more patience, more endurance, putting aside youthful pleasures and irreverence for authority. It's true - I hate to see myself turning into a 'proper' grown-up but I can't be foresee how I am going to manage to stay myself, keep my dreams and hopes and move on at the same time. Somethings got to give.

This morning on the drive to work, I wondered - what is stopping me. Is it because I'm afraid of what's to come? Maybe a little - but difficulty and pain have never been such hindering factors as to challenge me to step it up.

I saw the trip to UK as the fulcrum. Some people don't want to give up careers, give up spending power. I came here for a reason and that is starting to wane. Meanwhile, I'm not sure I'm ready to put my dream down - the dream to travel, to live in other cultures. As it is, its so dark I can't see the route that we would take to living cross-culturally in another place. I know. It's possible, I just don't know how. Yet.