Being a 'Twentysomething'

Who Do I think I am?

Twentysomething. Yup, that would be me. What an interesting, awesome and sometimes confusing time it can be! As a person who is fairly reflective, I have recently found myself feeling like I'm not quite old enough to be doing what I do daily and often wondering what my tomorrows will look like. That is a poorly written sentence, so let me try to give an example of what I'm talking about. . .

While I was driving home last Friday I called Ryan, my husband (that's crazy to me. . .I have a husband and I am a wife), and we were exchanging stories about our work days. I told him about a phone interview I had with a magazine regarding how I solicite positive media coverage for the school district I work for. As I was answering the journalist's questions I wanted to laugh at myself. I hardly feel old enough or professionally experienced enough to be offering answers to be published with the intent of giving PR advice to others. I had half a mind to ask the reporter if they knew how old I wasn't!

I feel like I am just now getting my feet on the ground after graduating college, working full time and getting married nearly simtaneously in spring/summer of 2005. For me, all of these changes dramatically impacted the way that I live my life and have also challenged me spiritually in many demensions. I often find myself feeling like every single decision that I make now could make or break my adult life experience. I'm working on this way of thinking. Becuase really, don't all of our decisions have effects on the rest of our life. I am thankful that I trust God to be directing those for me. . .working on it, anyways. . .probably always will, but hopefully we'll work it out along the journey of life.

The Gift of Marriage

When you are single, you do as you please. You go to bed when you want to, you get up when you want to, you lay around, and there is no one else you are accountable to for your time. Not even your parents anymore. And not your friends. But just yourself. Being single allows one to be as selfish as they like. And I say that from my own experience, though you may disagree. But that is not the case when you are married.

First, I am no longer just on my own, accountable to only myself. Even when you are dating, you still feel on your own. But entering into marriage is a huge thing, and you are now living, two people as one, in this great mystery that God has created, and priorities radically shift. You now have someone else who you are accountable to. You now have someone else who depends on you for certain things. When I was single, I could spend all day doing whatever I pelased, and not do a thing. Let the dishes go. Let the laundry sit another week. Let the bills sit a few more days. Grab food on your way home from work instead of going to the grocery store. But now I can't live that way anymore. Or really, I don't want to live that way anymore. Ryan and I both have things to do, and we have helped take on each other's responsibilities as well. I can't imagine what life is like when a kid comes along!

I love my husband very much and love sharing life with him. Mostly these days I'm thankful for his patience and encouragement, truly and daily example of grace for me.

Closing thoughts

So I'm learning to embrace these 'twentysomething' years, and enjoying the excitement that comes with new things in life; especially enjoying Ryan who I get to share all of these changes with forever.

Related Reading

They Just Won't Grow Up, TIME Magazine

Maybe Not that Kind of Christian. . .

Several years ago I read, and for the most part enjoyed, A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLearn. I do appreciate the vision of McLearn and other emerging church' leaders who are challenging the traditional, modern way of churching.

That said, I do not agree 100% with McLearn and some of his writings. While thought provoking, which is what I feel he generally intends them to be, he is just another man trying to work out his faith and understanding of Christ. I thought this posting from another person's blog was rather interesting, and the writer highlights the importance of sound Biblical teaching. Despite any given church's approach to ministry and proclamation of the Gospel, truth in Biblical teaching is essential.

As myself and others search and experience a new way to church together, I hope we strive to preserve Biblical teaching as the core of all that we do. I believe that truth exsists in the person of Jesus Christ and that God has given us The Bible as tangible truth where we learn more about who God and Jesus are and how we should live our lives in light of that truth. To step away from that truth in an attempt to be 'culturally relevant' makes the church and the Gospel of Jesus completely irrelevant. If the truth of The Bible, Christ or God is ever marked as 'irrelevant' or 'situational applicable', then we offer the world nothing different than they can find on TV, in an idol, etc. Why invest in anything you do not believe to be true?

Capitalism, Starbucks and The Church

I was reading my friend Jon's blog the other day (http://ministryfuel.blogspot.com/) and in one of his more recent posts he cited an article published by Fuller Seminary in California. This particular article discusses how some churches are embracing "new urbanism," essentially moving the nucleus of ministry away from the confines of the church building and into the neighborhoods in which members of a local body lives; taking ministry to the people and not making them come to you. A revolutionary way of thining about the church. These new urbanism thoughts appear to be manifesting to faith based actions of service that introduce people to the Savior.

Philosophy of New Urbanism
Just following WW II suburbs were born, neatly dividing people by economic class and forcing them to drive everywhere -- to the market, to work and to church. Churches followed people into the suburbs and also adapted suburban development patterns, buying sizable plots of land, erecting a church and surrounding it with a surface parking lot. Churches then offered multiple programs to draw members, who drove to the site, leaving neighborhoods behind. The philosophy behind New Urbanism is a possible antidote to the isolation experienced by many churches and Christians.

Slaves to a 'Good Ole' Church Programming'
While some more progressive churches are embracing a new urbanism way of thinking, many still resist. Our church has little programming; in fact, I would say we only have 2 programs at our church. There is a Life Group ministry and a Children's Ministry. This model of church is based on some of Paul's writings in Acts - mainly house churches - and relies on the individual Life Groups from around the city to minister where they're located. Nearly every aspect of ministry develops from and flows out of serving in community and being servants to the people around you; literally taking ministry to the neighborhoods and the nations. This model of church demands that members of the body take responsibility for the ministry that needs to be done. If one is not willing to take initiative and ownership of ministering to the people around them, they may feel that they are not ministering to anyone or being ministered to. This change is scary to manyand has found critics.

The Human Desire for Community
As an undergraduate Advertising major I was often required to research marketing and branding strategies of various companies. Being obsessed with Starbucks like I am, I wondered how they had roped me and millions of other people in to their store time after time. One section of their annual report struck me as quite profound as it talked about the creation of "the third place." Starbucks set out to be everybody's third place, you know, the place you're at when you're not at home or the office; a place where you could come and experience a peaceful community with other persons enjoying a cup of joe. The report said that after much research they had found that many Americans desired a community of people to relate with other than family or co-workers. If Starbucks understands the importance of community, why don't most churches? Why is Starbucks more effectively creating community than most churches? What are they offering that the church doesn't?

Going to the Community
As my post is getting quite long I will just throw one last thought out to answer my last question from above. . .

Starbucks has put themselves on nearly every street corner in urban America; even my small, small hometown in northeast Kansas recently got a 'bucks. People go, I go, because it is totally convieneient for me. I never think to find a Coffee Beanary coffee store because there is only one where we live, but I drive by a dozen Starbucks during my work commute. If the members of local church bodies viewed themselves as the church and not the walls & steeple as the church, then perhaps more of our neighbors would encounter the love of Christ. And whether I'm in dumpy clothes or in my suite, I am appropriately dressed to feel comfortable at Starbucks. Please show me the scripture that says I have to dress up to corporately worship with other believers. Perhaps creating an environment where people feel safe to come as they are is more important than previously realized.

Concluding thoughts
I don't mean this post to be a slam to churches across the U.S. I am excited to see more churches embrace a model of ministry that can look beyond and embrace those outside of their buildings.

I'm Glad I Chose Stainless Steel

Yesterday the EPA released a report that they are increasing pressure on companies to stop using the chemical, called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), by asking DuPont and several other corporations to voluntarily eliminate PFOA and similar substances from plant emissions and products by 2015.

PFOA is most commonly found in Teflon, which is used in many household products, namely cookware.

The EPA plan would classify PFOA as a persistent bioaccumulative toxin--a pollutant that builds up in people and animals and takes years to break down. Substances in that category include mercury, lead and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. The agency says "relatively small amounts" of such substances "can pose human and environmental health threats."

DuPont, currently the only firm that manufactures PFOA in the United States, agreed to join the EPA's voluntary program to eliminate releases of the chemical from its manufacturing plants by 2015, though the company did not commit to phasing out its use of the chemical altogether.

Late last year, DuPont agreed to pay a record $10.25 million fine for failing to tell the EPA what it knew about PFOA, including studies that found the chemical had contaminated human blood and should be considered "extremely toxic."

Obviously these chemicals take years to effect the body, but I am really glad that Ryan and I chose stainless steel cookware. I don't think the masses are going to die from eating food cooked in pans made with teflon (non-stick), but it is good to be informed. And please let me know if you are able to use your non-stick pans without using a little Pam cooking spray. Before we were married I used non-stick hard-anodized cookware and it was never "non-stick." Most professional chefs use stainless steel cookware, so it can't be for the quality of cooking it does. . . what is the point of it anyways?

Foundue Fun

Foundue has a special place in my heart. Growing up, my family ate founde every Christmas Eve before we went to church. While there are many, many versions of founde, chocolate founde is my favorite. Bananas, Strawberries, Marshmallows and Graham Crackers all covered in choclate. . .YUMMY!

Good conversation and a slow paced dinner are just a couple of the wonderful aspects of eating founde. Foudue is not a good meal if you are in a rush, but if you have some extra time to leisurely enjoy good dinner conversation had between friends and family.

A short history of foundue
Long ago, frigid Swiss winters isolated villages and towns and made fresh food a scarce commodity. Native towns people were forced to rely upon locally made foods. This consisted primarily of cheese that was produced during the summer. During the winter, the cheeses became dry and unpalatable. Out of necessity fondue was created. Fondue is a French word that means to melt or to blend.

This was exactly what the stale cheese needed to make it more digestible. The cheese was melted and local wines and seasonings were added to create a creamy cheese sauce that made even stale bread delicious after it was swirled in the fondue. Main course fondues such as beef fondue were first used during the middle ages in France. Local wine makers would send grape pickers out to the vineyards for long hours at a time. Pots would be set up in strategic areas of the vineyard so meals could be cooked as it became convenient. This was done out of necessity because food would go bad during the long day, however it ensured a traditionally leisurely lunch that could be enjoyed hot and fresh anytime.

The modern fondue was born in 1956, when chef Konrad Egli of New York's Chalet Swiss Restaurant re-introduced the fondue method of cooking meat cubes in hot oil. Chocolate fondue followed shortly after in 1964. Today's fondue traditions include meats such as tenderloin of beef, boneless skinless breast of chicken, shrimp, scallops, salmon, and even lobster. Fondue has evolved into a modern dinner where hot fresh food can be enjoyed at a leisurely pace.

And let's be honest folks, a chocolate fountain is simply a rip off of chocolate foundue. . .

Radiant

The publishers of Relevant Magazine , a lifestyle magazine focused on an audience of 20-somethings who are interested in God and progressive culture, are introducing a new project; Radiant Magazine. Radiant will be geared towards the same physiographic group of 20-something Jesus lovin', culturally progressive people, only with a bent towards women.

According to Radiant editor, Cara Davis, Relevant Magazine has a readership comprised of 69% males and 39% females; an anomoly in the gender-nutural magazine industry that typically has a 80% female readership and a 20% male readership. Radiant hopes to reach all of the females that Relevant has missed.

All I cay say is that I am toally pumped! Ryan and I have previously had a subscription to Relevant and we loved it! As I viewd the preview issue online (http://radiantmag.com/sample/radiant_prototype.pdf ), I would describe Radiant as a Christian-worldview on womens career, domestic and spiritual issues. And with a subscription cost of only $10 per year (6 issues), you really can't be it! I've already signed up for my free issue. . .

Sleep Tight New York

So this is simply disgusting to me. My mom always told us not to let the bed bugs bite, and now I know why. NYC is facing a large and nasty problem. . .sorry for the crude post.

Does New York City need a bed bug task force?
(New York, New York)
There is a growing problem in New York City with bed bugs, those creepy, crawly little insects that crawl right out of your mattress and leave bites and welts on your skin. The problem's so bad that one councilwoman says we need a task force to fight it.

What you need to know about bed bugs
It wasn't that long ago that Pest Away Exterminators had never gotten a call about bed bugs. Nowadays they get 60 calls a day. Housing projects have them and Park Avenue coops you and you couldn't get in without a warrant, have them. Some say its time the city started addressing the issue.

So you think it's a poor person's problem, right?
Jeffrey Eisenberg is an exterminator.
Jeffrey Eisenberg, Pest Away Exterminators: "Most of our clientele live in Park Avenue, Fifth Avenue. In fact they have more of a likelihood of getting them because the travel a lot, go to more places with their luggage, their nannies, their housekeepers, and have more a tendency to bring them in. They stay in hotels."

Getting rid of your mattress doesn't help, in fact it spreads the problem, and spraying with off the shelf products is useless, too. Only a professional can get rid of them, and even they have a tough time.

Ben Weissel, Exterminator: "Bedbugs are a parasite and the only food they can survive on is the blood of a victim or host and what will happen is somebody will go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning with bites and they don't know what they are."

To combat the growing problem, City Councilwoman Gail Brewer wants to ban the sale of reconditioned mattresses and create a task force of city agencies to focus on bedbug eradication. But it's a big, and expensive, problem.

So, why is it so hard to get rid of bedbugs? Well, they're hard to kill, it takes a cocktail made of several highly toxic chemicals to do the trick. Females lay 2,000 eggs a year, and they can live up to six months without eating. When they do eat, well remember the two Swiss tourists. It is a big and a quickly growing problem.

Crazy little beans. . .

So I had really wanted to be bananapanckes.blogspot.com, but that was taken. At first I didn't think that name was taken because I am crazy and spelled banana like this; 'bananna.' I quickly realized my mistake and scratched that idea. Finally, at 9:25 a.m. I named my blog and am super excited to have 2coffeebeans.blogspot.com.

I didn't even drink coffee until 5 years ago when I went to college. The next thing I knew I sucked the stuff down like an I.V. so I could stay up longer than humans were made to do. My love for the little beans only increased when a friend introduced me to choclate covered coffee beans. . .heavenly! As college was winding down a cute boy took me out for coffee and told me that he wanted us to start dating. It was that wonderful conversation over coffee at the 'bucks that lead to the building and deppening of my relationship with Ryan, my now husband of 6 months! Now our kitchen is in a cafe decor and we have a master coffee maker and grinder that help get us going most mornings. You just never know what will happen with crazy little coffee beans around. . .

I plan to post random thoughts, facts that are interesting (to me anyways) and probably some fun and crazy stories about things I encounter along the journey that my wonderful husband and I are on.