Perfection

I came across this blog post this morning (I'm literally not even sure how I found it.... I followed a trail all over the internet before I came to this one) and couldn't resist sharing part of it. Such a good reminder for everyone that sometimes what the world (or even other Christians) deems perfect does not always line up with what our Father says about being like Him.

My God says He looks at my heart and that He loves me sacrificially, and Paul begs of us to be perfect in this way that our Father is PERFECT. (Matthew 5:48, I Samuel 16:7, John 15:13, & Matthew 23:13-28)

Have you missed this? Have you missed what the God of the Universe has deemed as PERFECT?

Perfect is sacrificial love, not shifting blame for a selfishness that ravages through the souls of men, urging them to take take take.

Perfect is knowing we are all sons and daughters, made in the image of God, redeemed and restored and spotless before Him.

Perfect is looking at one another's hearts, and knowing that the outward appearance shows NOTHING of their character, their value, their salvation.

Perfect is living in the freedom that Christ died for. Not under a higher, more impossible list of standards that is so impossibly human it could not have come from our Lover. (Isaiah 28:10)

The rest of the post (which you can read here) is very raw and honest, but thought-provoking. Lauren Dubinsky runs the Good Woman Project blog and a personal blog, laurennicolelove.

Apples

Last night I had a dream that I could split an apple perfectly in half, just by twisting it with my hands. Don't try to tell me that wouldn't be an awesome real life power.
While it may seem like a strange thing to dream about, it is no doubt brought on by the fact that I've been eating apples for lunch basically every day for the last week and a half. My mom and I have been on a Daniel Fast for Lent. It's not a total fast, but more of a super strict Vegan-like diet that is based off of two passages from the book of Daniel in the Bible:

• Daniel 1:12- "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink."
• Daniel 10:3- "I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over."

When you put these two together, you come up with two basic rules: 1. Eat only foods that grow from a seed. 2. Drink only water.

Let me tell you, this is no small feat. While the amount of food you can eat is rather astounding.... the majority of it, you can't. Our diet basically consists of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds. Because the Daniel Fast also takes into consideration traditional Jewish fasting laws, eating anything with yeast is also out of the picture, so no bread. This has produced some really tasty meals--one of my favorites so far has been the Curry Broccoli and Cauliflower. Of course, we've also had some duds... one was some sort of Tofu Frittata (if you're really into that kind of thing, the recipe is the second one on this page).

It's becoming very apparent just how much I think about food... it's crazy. I find myself constantly thinking about how many days I have left until I'm done (about 35). I'm always wanting to eat something sweet (especially chocolate). And craving things I don't normally eat that much of (like cheese curls... how often do I actually eat cheese curls, why am I craving them SO MUCH?!). It's been a great exercise in discipline and control. I've had to retrain myself to start praying when I find myself craving pleasure foods. 

But dang it, I sure do miss my coffee.

Click here if you want more information about the Daniel Fast!

Tell the truth

I came across this quote from C. S. Lewis this morning, from his book Mere Christianity (which is a fantastic book that I would recommend to anybody)...

"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it."

Funny how this seems to keep popping up in my life. What a good reminder for my writing, my acting, my art and my life.

This post is actually a test disguised as a post... to see if this actually works

I've always wanted to write a blog, so I finally decided to do it. I figure it's about time that I start writing again, and letting my creative juices flow. Plus I have so many thoughts about anything and everything.

Fun facts:

1. Favorite movie in the history of ever: Princess Bride. Everyone needs to see this movie.

2. Yes, I'm named after Liesl from Sound of Music. I sang "16 Going on 17" practically every day of my 16th year of life. If you have no idea what I'm talking about then shame on you. Go educate yourself.

3. Hopefully this blog will eventually be a place to chronicle my adventures into a stage management career. Until then it will be chronicling my adventures as a painter of glow-in-the-dark fish at Cherry Crest Adventure Farm.

4. Mom and I have been on a puzzle kick lately. There's something oddly satisfying about completing a puzzle, and seeing it go from 1000 individual pieces to the big picture. We are currently in the middle of a 'Teddy Bears' Picnic' puzzle that we can't seem to find time to work on, even though we thought we'd have it done in two days flat.

5. I am recently a huge Joss Whedon fan (thank you, Ashley). I've worked my way through Doctor Horrible, Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and Dollhouse is at the top of my "TV Series to Watch" list. Also, we saw Cabin in the Woods. Still not entirely sure how I felt about that one. But seriously, the man is brilliant.

6. I make friendship bracelets for my friends like it's nobody's business. Maybe I should start a business. But for real, if you want one, just ask me. I can make cool patterns and stuff. I even made one with penguins.

7. I am currently in the middle of reading Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, for the first time in my life. And I'm quite enjoying them. They are rather strange, but I think I like it.

8.  This past year, I dressed up as Cogsworth for Halloween, specifically for a Disney themed teavning. But also because Beauty and the Beast is probably my favorite Disney movie.

9. I love chocolate. Specifically dark chocolate. Even more specifically, dark chocolate with peanut butter. Or caramel. Or with caramel and sea salt.

10. I'm from Lancaster, PA... Amish country. It's the place to be. No, for real, people really like to come here. It's like a vacation hot spot. Probably second only to any place warm and tropical.