Wish List

1. Judah to be healthy
2. Jeremy to find a position for next year
3. Jeremy to receive funding for grad school
4. To easily, peace-fully move our belongings home
5. To find a reasonable SUV with low mile-age and a low price-tag
6. To lose weight despite this stressful season of life
7. To be healthy and happy
8. To pursue God without a 'vending machine' heart
9. To pass boards... to rock Boards!
10. For money to grow on trees because it is going to be needed asap
11. For a wonderful time with my bro-in-law & girlfriend when they visit
12. To set a good example for the above
13. To gain a mind that is here and now... not embedded in the future
14. To feel rested and whole

Vegetarian-ish

* Image from Jesusveg.com

Most of my friends know of my disinterest in meat... in particular cooking meat. It is hard to explain but thought of touching raw chicken breast (which looks disdainful) and then eating it is just not pleasant for me. In addition, if some meat product is prepared for me and it lacks a good visual display, I can't help but gag. It is ridiculous, I know and as the daughter of the three-generation beef cattle rancher... very hard to understand.

Lately, I've been questioning if I could become vegetarian and slowly adding substitutes to my diet. J has no real interest in being meat-free, but he has increased his acceptance of veggies in the fridge :) In January, I started a read-the-Bible in a year study [1 chap Old Test, New Test, Psalms, Proverbs a day]. I've been trying to take Genesis very seriously, because I know in the past I've skipped around and missed things. Next time, I'll probably tell you about my desire to be like Enoch... but for today, we'll talk about the Garden of Eden.

[Genesis 1:29]

²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” (*emphasis mine)

I never noticed this before, honestly. I grew up in meat-loving North Dakota Lutheranism where focusing on these words would not be acceptable.

I am often quite cynical about the Portland lifestyle: green, vegan, Bush-hating, coffee-gaga hipsters. But often, when I take a step back and try to view the world in context of the Bible, I can see glimmers of truth in the propaganda. Vegetarianism is semi-Biblical, has many health benefits and could lead to weight loss (which for me, is much needed).

So where does this put me? I think I'm embarking on vegetarian-ish quest for the next month. No strict guidelines yet, but I want to be more cognizant of what I am putting into my body because I know even that matters to God. We'll see where it goes, but for now I'm not telling my dad - he might disown me (which I wish was a joke).

Some links I found regarding Christian vegetarianism (no validity is insinuated by their listing, they were basically just the top results from my query):

• http://www.all-creatures.org/cva/default.htm
• http://www.jesusveg.com/index2.html
• http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2003/05/No-Hamburger-In-Heaven.aspx
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_vegetarianism