Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Making Change: second in a series from visiting blogger Michael Warden

2 of 5 Essentials for Change: You Need a Crystal Clear Dream

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Nothing happens unless first we dream. ~ Carl Sandburg
On a recent trip to Colorado, I came across this massive chess board in a public garden in Pagosa Springs. I loved its clean lines, the crisp colors of its form set against a clouded sky, and the implicit invitation to play that it carried. The way it inspired me made me wonder about its creator. Who dreamed of this? Who walked the grounds, sketched the possibilities, drew up the plans? In whose imagination did this thing I see before me begin?


Take a look around at the room you are in right now. Every single item you see that has been created by human hands began as a dream. It was once just a thought in somebody’s head. An idea. A possibility. That’s how all new realities begin…as dreams. That’s why dreaming is essential to the work of creating change. It’s hard to know which path to take, or which plan to follow, if you don’t have a clear picture of where you’re going, or what exactly you’re trying to create.

To really make change happen you have to have both a clear sense of what you’re saying “no” to (see my earlier post for more on this), and a crystal clear vision of what you’re saying “yes” to. A fuzzy dream produces fuzzy results. Everybody wants to “make a difference” in the world, but what are you going to do with that? It’s all mush and sentimentality. Same goes for “I want to find love,” “I want to be ‘financially free,’” or “I want to lose weight.” Those are not yet crystal clear dreams. They are merely desires. Now, desires can point you in the right direction, but they need to be knocked around a bit, tested and stretched, given 3-dimensional clarity and color, until it is no longer merely a vague pull along a general compass heading but has become a crystal clear image of precisely where you want to go. A new Reality; a very specific outcome that you deeply desire and long to create.

Once you have a crystal clear dream, it becomes like a powerful homing beacon for your soul. You know exactly what you’re aiming for, what “new reality” you are fighting for, and it is that crystal clear image that becomes your chief motivator to keep on track and stay the course when the journey gets hard. (And…it will get hard.) This all points to the difference in power between positive motivation and negative motivation. Negative motivation—knowing what you don’t want and focusing on that—is effective in short spurts only. My distaste for the way things are right now can motivate me to take action…but on its own, that kind of negative motivation won’t last long—certainly not long enough to make any lasting change. To get where you want to go, you need to cultivate positive motivation—that is, you have to see, in rich, vibrant, colorful detail, the new reality you’re trying to create, and you have to let that vision be the fuel that drives you to act and keeps you on the path of change. We change most effectively over the long haul by moving toward something we want, rather than away from something we don’t want.

So, how do you take a desire and make it a crystal clear dream? It’s really pretty simple: You “visioneer” it by combining your imagination and your five senses. Begin by imagining that it’s 10 years from now and you have achieved your deep desire. You’ve accomplished your dream. You’re there. Really use your imagination to put yourself in that vision. Flesh out the vision by connecting with each of your senses in this new reality:
  • Sight: What do you see around you in this new reality? What does the scene look like? What’s happening? What stands out to you? When you look in a mirror, what do you see in yourself?
  • Hearing: What kinds of things are people saying to you in this new reality? What are you saying to yourself? What other sounds are you noticing?
  • Touch: What’s the “feel” of this new reality on your skin? As you use your hands to interact the environment of your imagination, what do your tactile sensations tell you about this new reality?
  • Taste: If this new reality had a flavor, what would that flavor be? How does that flavor inform your experience of this new reality?
  • Smell: What does your new reality smell like? What scents do you notice in this new place?
As you explore each question, write down your responses. When you’re finished, shape those responses into a one-paragraph description of your new reality. Write it in the present tense—“I am…,” “I see myself…,” not “I will be…,” or “Others will be saying…”—and put it on an index card. This card now holds your crystal clear dream. You read it every morning first thing upon awakening; you check in with it at midday; you read it again at night before you go to sleep. You do more than memorize it. You let it get under your skin. You meditate on it throughout the day. You pray about it constantly. You obsess on it so much that you dream about it at night. You connect it to your passion…you let it drive you.

Can you see how designing a plan of action to move toward a crystal clear dream is far more effective than trying to design a plan for moving away from something you don’t want? That’s why it’s so important to push yourself to create a crystal clear dream before you create any action plan. The best way forward usually becomes obvious only after the dream is clear and has had time to settle and resonate in the deep places of your soul.

So…what’s your crystal clear dream? Post your comments below.

NOTE: This post is part of a series on change. Click here for the first entry in this series. And if this has been an encouragement to you, please forward it to your friends, tweet it, or post it on facebook. I’d appreciate it. Thanks!

Advent

As many of you are no doubt aware, the season of Advent began on Sunday.  According to dictionary.com, Advent is defined as "the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas, observed in commemoration of the coming of Christ into the world." 

For me, Advent signifies two things: expectation and preparation.  It is always an exciting time, but this year I'm especially excited about it because my two-year-old can (sort of) understand that something is afoot in the Forgey household.  There is something different - special - about this time of year.  It's not just the presents or the decorations; it's also the attitude and focus.  We spend a lot of time talking about the "reason for the season" at my house and focusing on ways to teach the true nature of gift-giving.  We give because we have received. 

This year I've decided to give God a gift directly.  After an incredibly challenging fall, during which my fleshy nature seemed to win more often than not, I've been struck by how much I like to bitch.  Excuse the word, but there's really no other way to say it.  "Grumble" and "complain" don't quite do what I do justice.  I love to tell everyone how I feel about everything, and, more often than not, that equals bitching about stuff.  During the last few months, when I had legitimate reasons to complain, I noticed how not fruitful complaining is.  I only felt worse after spewing my negativity all over the place, even when I was justified in my opinion.  And I certainly didn't spread love or joy but rather anger, frustration, and anxiety.  Thanks to the Holy Spirit (for I know this idea came from Him), I decided a few weeks ago that it's time to change this behavior.  So, I'm fasting.

During Advent, I'm giving God my complaints.  Quite literally.  I'm trusting that He knows them before I speak them, that He's defending me when I need it, that He's at work for justice in the world everywhere injustice exists.  I don't need to single-handedly change the world by addressing every situation I confront.  I can leave them to Him.  I can simply be...silent.

My fast from complaining will involve choosing not to speak (something that is incredibly difficult for me).  But it will also involve choosing to speak.  "But as I stood there in silence--not even speaking of good things--the turmoil within me grew worse" (Psalm 39:2).  I will turn from anger, dissatisfaction, fear even, and turn toward joy, hope, goodness.  I will choose to spread love and not anger.

I'm really excited about this.  Feel free to ask me how it's going or to tell me if you hear me complaining.  This will be a learning process, so I'm open to feedback.

In the meantime, may you have a blessed Advent season, and may you see Him coming into your life in many ways this Christmas.

[The Advent daily readings in the Episcopal church, of which I'm a member, are: Psalms 5 & 6 (in the morning); Psalms 10 & 11 (in the evening); Isaiah 1:21-31; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Luke 20:9-18.]

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Forward Change: a visiting blog

A new friend has recently posted a blog series that I have found interesting and helpful.  I wanted to share it here.  It's a series, but I'm only reposting the first in the series.  You can navigate to his site if you want to follow/read all of it: http://www.michaelwarden.com/.  I highly recommend that you do!  Enjoy!

From Michael D. Warden's Blog:
"Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better." ~ Richard Hooker
Everybody wants to make a change. Some kind of change. Whether it's to lose 20 lbs (or 50, or 150), or to get out of debt, or to become more "successful" (however they define that), or to find true community, or to encounter God in an authentic, meaningful way, everybody wants something to be different about their lives. Desire--our capacity to want our lives to be something more than they are, something truer to who we are at the core--is one of the common ways we can all relate to one another. "What do you want?" is perhaps the most powerful of all the powerful questions out there. Certainly it is one of the first we should consider when getting to know another person. Or when getting to know ourselves. And especially when getting to know God.


What’s the change you want to make right now in your life? I bet you could list off several without even trying.

But as much and as deeply as we all desire change, we certainly have a helluva time trying to figure out how to do it. Change is really why people hire a coach (the smart ones do, anyway). smile They either want to make a change and don’t know how to make it happen…or else something in their life is changing (whether they want it or not), and they don’t know how to navigate it to arrive safely on the shore of the new thing that awaits them beyond the horizon of all they’ve known up ‘till now. Having coached many clients of both kinds by now, I’ve noticed that the common thing we all do when we want something to change is (you’ve already guessed it, haven’t you?)...we make a plan. We plot a course of action. We create a program. We design a system of next-steps that will get us from here to there.

And the plan works for a little while. But then the plan fails. So we try a different plan. And that fails. So we try a third. And that fails too.

Naturally, having a good solid plan to get you from where you are to where you want to be is essential. So the plan matters. But the problem in this scenario probably isn’t the plan…er, plans. The problem is that the plan is only one-fifth of the solution. If all you’re doing is creating a plan for change, and trying to follow it, you are (potentially) missing four other key elements essential to making change actually happen in your life. If you really want to make that change in your life, you need to seriously incorporate all five.
I’ll be expanding on each of these “essentials to change” in a fresh series of blogposts in the coming weeks, but here is a quick list of the five essential elements you need to make any significant change in your life (or in the world):
  • You need Anger
  • You need A Cystal Clear Dream
  • You need Faith
  • You need A Solid Plan
  • You need Love
I hope you’ll join me as I explore each of these elements in the coming weeks, and join in the conversation with me—either here in the comments, or on Facebook. If you find them interesting, forward the posts to your friends. And if you ever want to talk with a professional coach about a change you’re facing (or want to face) in your own life, contact me, and we’ll set up a time to talk. Next week: Anger!
“We must make the choices that enable us to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves.” ~ Thomas Merton

Monday, November 22, 2010

Manna

(Side note - what I am doing right now: writing while watching a PBS special on the demise of the independent bookstore.  Sigh.)

Thank you.

This is what is on my heart.  When I finally got quiet today - after a lot, a lot of noise - this is what rose to the surface: I am thankful.

There are many reasons I feel this way, but tonight I'll focus on one in particular: money.  Cold, hard cash.  Money has been extra tight since I began my career as a stay-at-home mom (or SAHM, pronounced "sam", as my other mommie friends have told me).  My husband and I had saved a large sum of money in order to provide a safety net after I left work.  But, within two weeks of my leaving work, an unexpected incident happened that forced our financial hand, so to speak. 

Our health care costs skyrocketed, reaching over $1,000/month to cover all four of us.  This does not include copays, deductibles, out-of-pocket costs.  We had been expecting to pay around half of that for health insurance.  On our already thin budget, this extra expense was really pushing it.  We've limped along for a month, trying to hang in there until we got word from my husband's employer.

We were under the impression that his employer would be switching plans soon, in an effort to significantly reduce out-of-pocket costs for the employees.  Today, however, we learned that this new, "inexpensive" option would cost us exactly $998/month.  A net savings of around $50/month.

Okay.  Now what?

My husband called me with the news in the middle of the day.  All of the joy and faith I had been feeling from last week's "manna revelation" (see my post dated November 22nd entitled "Catching Up") leaked out of me like hot air from a punctured balloon.

Panic ensued.  "I know the Lord is calling me to this SAHM-business, and I know He's promised to provide step-by-step, but, really?  This no longer seems wise or prudent.  I mean, I have kids to take care of, regardless of what I think I'm hearing God say."  These are the thoughts that cascaded down the cliffside in my mind. 

After several hours of exploring options and doing, I finally found a moment to sit and be still.  It was in the middle of dinner - a dinner I didn't feel like we could afford but that my husband really wanted to bless his family with anyway (we were using a gift card he had received for his birthday).  I sat outside the restaurant for a few moments in order to listen to my heart, and, like I said, thankfulness is what I heard.  Not fear or anxiety or worry, but true thanksgiving.  I felt like God does and would provide; I reached a place of inexplicable peace.  I knew it would be okay.

I went inside, finished dinner, and asked the waitress for the check.  (My husband and son were in the restroom; I had my one-year-old daughter with me at the table.)  "Um, about that," said the waitress.  "You see, another table bought your dinner."

"Excuse me?"

"I know, right?  I thought it was crazy too, but they wanted to.  I asked them if they knew you and they said no, that they just wanted to pay for your family's meal."

I looked at the waitress and said the first thing that came to mind: "well, thank you Jesus."

The coolest part about this?  We had the money to pay for dinner.  We could have afforded it.  God didn't provide because he had to; He wasn't giving in order to meet a need.  He wasn't even doing it to teach me a lesson (I had already come to a place of trust and peace, remember?).  He provided because He wanted to; it was nothing but love.  It felt like abundance - like He was giving us abundance out of His abundance.  Providing above and beyond.

We don't serve a skimpy God.  That's my deep thought for the night.  Enjoy.

(Side note #2 - what I'm doing now: watching another PBS special, a concert that includes Josh Groban, Sting, Katharine McPhee and many other amazing musicians.  I'm thankful for PBS.  And I'm really thankful I don't have cable.)

Catching up

Wow, I've been away a long time.  Sorry about that!  I have no excuse, really - just life.  And, I've been dealing with some heavy stuff that has pulled me into a withdrawn place.  Not depressed, just withdrawn so that I can process.  Good fruit has come of it.  Can't go into detail here, unfortunately, but there is reason to rejoice.

I've also, I must confess, stayed away because I feel overwhelmed about what to write.  I have a million ideas swarming around in my head but can't seem to make any one of them stick long enough to develop.  So, this will be a random catch-up.  It's my attempt to get back into the swing of blog writing.  Here are some of the things that have been occupying my head/heart space:
  • Christmas shopping.  I'm obsessed.  First, my husband and I love giving gifts, and, second, money is tight.  The confluence of these two realities is making me research, research, research the best deals so that I can make my money stretch.  I am absolutely NOT the crafty type, so making things is out.  Anyway, I've been living on sites like dealmoon.com and blackfriday.com.  Last night I decided I needed to cut myself off.  At least for a day!
  • Thanksgiving.  I'm cooking a traditional Thanksgiving meal for the first time ever this year.  I'm so stressed out about it that I actually dreamt about prepping the turkey last night.  My turkey anxiety dream woke me up!  (Feel free to laugh out loud here.  I'm fully aware of how ridiculous this is.)  Self-talk: "Okay girl, time to take it down a notch."  As my son says, "it will be ooohhhh-kay" (with a pointed finger for emphasis).
  • Manna.  My sweet two-year-old learned about how God sent manna from heaven at his preschool last week.  The school used the story from Exodus to explain why we celebrate Thanksgiving.  So, he came home talking about how God provides during a week when I was particularly despondent about how we're going to make it on just one salary.  I spent the week half-listening and half-answering his questions about the manna story.  "Yes, yes, Gunnar, that's right; God sent down manna so His people wouldn't go hungry."  All the while incessantly checking our bank account and reworking our budget.  Then, FINALLY, one evening after putting him to bed and going over the manna story again, I decided to go read the grown-up version.  I realized God just might be using my son to tell me something (ya think???).  Exodus 16.  It blew me away.  I had forgotten.  The Israelites were to gather enough for that day only and were forbidden to keep any until the next day.  God promised to provide daily and He called them to trust Him.  My heart was convicted.  Since then, I've been chewing on those verses in the hope that I will sincerely digest them.  Praise God for little voices.
  • Writing.  I've submitted four children's stories in the last two weeks.  I'm excited about all four of them.  I need to keep submitting them to other places, but I at least have the process started (on those - there are two other major projects in the works that are still in the very early writing stages).  I am so hopeful that these will get picked up.  More than hopeful, actually - I'm longing for it.  If you'd like to pray for that, I would GREATLY appreciate it!   
  • Raising Godly children.  As my son gets older my desperation in this area increases.  Right now I feel overwhelmed by my inadequacy.  I feel like there are so many things to teach him, on so many levels, and I sometimes think there's no way he'll get it all.  I know in my head this isn't true, of course.  We serve a transcendent God; He explains things that defy understanding at times (and then, often, lets our brains catch up later!).  I'm just sharing that I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the start of this journey.  I can pray - I know how to pray.  I'm just not always that great at teaching.  Lord Jesus, please make up for my lack!
So there you have it - a few of the musings of Jenny Forgey.  Oh, I almost forgot: I've been digging into my fantasty fiction obsession a little bit, reading up on Christopher Paolini** and standing in line for the seventh Harry Potter movie.  That's been fun!*

*For those of you who might have a problem with fantasy, as Christians, I just have to say that, in my opinion (I definitely don't claim to know all on this), God uses all things to point toward Himself.  I find that transporting myself to these elaborate worlds that others create helps me reflect on my own.  And, I also enjoy watching creativity - always a gift from God, whether acknowledged or not - take its many shapes and forms.  I find it leads me to worship the Creator as I stand in awe of his limitless supply of interesting ways of seeing things.

**I recently came across an excellent blog about Paolini's Inheritance Cycle.  I particularly found the interviews under Random Buzzers to be helpful to anyone thinking about becoming a professional writer.  Paolini is very open about his process, and he gives several references for aspiring authors.  Check it out: http://www.shurtugal.com/.   

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Noonday Collection

Hi friends,

You may notice a new button on my blog: Noonday Collection (look to your right and scroll down).  This is my friend Jessica's new company.  She's launched a women's accesory company, accessible via her website and home-based trunk shows, to support women around the world.  All products are made by women in impoverished situations, looking for ways to support themselves and their families.  It's fair trade and its finest.  Also, a portion of the proceeds from every sale help families adopt orphans the world over.  Go check out the site to learn more!

Thanks, Jenny

http://www.noondaycollection.com/

Blissfully Domestic

This week has been about cooking.  In the process of becoming a stay-at-home mom, I've had to learn new things, stretch unused muscles, make my brain work in ways previously unthought of.  So, this week I've been trying to learn how to cook.  More, that is.  Beyond the "dial the pizza place at the last minute" dinners, and the spaghettis and mac-n-cheese's.  I'm trying to learn how to really cook.

I've been inspired by a lot of sources:

1.  The Cheapest Family in America (self-proclaimed).  They have a book out and were interviewed on NBC's The Today Show.  I was inspired by how organized the mom is when it comes to grocery shopping.  She plans out EVERY meal for a whole month, planning around coupons and specials.  She can switch the meals she's cooking which days, but she always cooks those meals.  They are a family of five and their entire grocery bill - staples and all - is around $400/month.  I should be so lucky.  http://www.americascheapestfamily.com/

2.  BlissfullyDomestic.com  I haven't read it as much as I'd like (yet), but the name itself inspires me.  I truly feel blissful that I get to spend time on being domestic.  It feels like I'm giving my family really good gifts every day.  A peaceful home that is not constantly chaotic or on the brink of everything that needs to get done feels like an excellent starting point to help my husband and children face what they need to out there in the world. 

3.  Blogs.  There's http://farmama.typepad.com/ and http://womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/ and http://kendalprivette.blogspot.com/ and http://findingheaventoday.blogspot.com/  I read and feel inspired to be a better mom.  Thanks ladies!

Today, our second full day of cool, fall weather, I'm making crock-pot chili.  With ingredients I bought for my two-week meal plan (I decided to start with planning out two weeks instead of one month.  Besides, my refrigerator isn't that big!).  It's simmering right now and smells delicious.  I've never made chili before.  This is my second first this week (the first was brisket - see the "Juicy Meat" blog entry).  I'm having a blast!  I love making things.  I love feeling like I'm actually striving to be a Proverbs 31 wife and mother.  This is so much fun.

Just wanted to share the joy I'm feeling, especially since my last blog entry was such a downer.  Obviously, I'm doing better.  Fighting through the madness....

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Coping

I'm angry.  I've been fighting it for weeks but the ugly, seeing-red, energy-draining emotion keeps beating me down.  Right now it's winning.  It won't be this way forever, but right now, I'm face down on the mat with the ref calling the count.  We're almost to ten.  Will I get up?

GET UP!  Someone, something shouts.  A voice that lives so deep inside I have to be incredibly quiet to hear it.  GET UP!  It shouts again to fight through the noise and win through the fight.  GET UP!  It calls my name, knows my number, tells me to just move, to will myself to keep going.

Get up, I respond, inside my head.  I will keep moving.  I will keep going.  I will beat this thing.

What the hell is happening? you may ask.  I can't talk about it.  It's so crazy that you probably wouldn't believe me anyway.  There are accusations.  There is injustice.  There is most definitely misunderstanding and undeserved judgment.  We're not talking about everyday bullshit.  We're talking about insanity

"The Lord is my Defender," another voice says.  This voice lives inside my head.

Yes, yes, I know the Truth: I know that it is useless, absolutely USELESS to waste energy on this fight.  When I try to defend myself, I will always lose.  Not because I'm not right.  Not because I don't make valid points.  But because I steal from myself through an effort that should not be mine to begin with. 

"It is mine to avenge (sayeth the Lord); I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them."  (Deuteronomy 32:35, italics and parentheticals mine)

Even as I read this I soften.  I don't want "their foot to slip" or "their doom" to rush upon them.  That would make me sad, honestly.  These people who have made my life a living hell over the last three weeks - well...they're just people.  Just like me.  They have as little as I have and need as much as I do.  I don't want disaster or doom for them.  I just want them to leave me alone.

I keep reading.

"They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support." (Psalm 18:18)

One commentator expands on this verse with this:
They prevented me - They anticipated me, or went before me. The idea here is that his enemies came before him, or intercepted his way. They were in his path, ready to destroy him. In the day of my calamity - In the day to which I now look back as the time of my special trial. But the Lord was my stay - My support, or prop. That is, the Lord upheld me, and kept me from falling.
 
I can relate to this.  I need someone to prop me up.  Everytime I think I've worked through the events of the past few weeks something new gets thrown at me and threatens to topple me over.  I am not strong enough.  I can not do this on my own.
 
"They prevented me, anticipated me, ... intercepted (my) way ...."  A new way to look at this, perhaps.  Perhaps there is a "way", something God might have for my family in this, some purpose that I'm too angry to see or acknowledge.  Perhaps the enemy knew that and wanted to cut if off before we reached our destination.  Before, even, we began the process of moving toward it.
 
I think I find comfort in that.  Hard to tell, though.  I'm still angry.  Angry at a God that lets bad things happen so that his children can learn lessons.  There.  I said it.  What kind of a god does that?
 
I've been here before.  It is the age-old question of suffering.  I know that I will have no other answer than acceptance, faith, belief.  Belief in a goodness I do not always feel.  I will believe because I know better.  There are too many good things, too many good gifts to ignore the Truth: God is good.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Juicy Meat

Today, I made a brisket for the first time in my life.  It was quite an experience.  I started at 9:30 a.m. and only just finished, over eleven hours later.

Now, I have to confess: I didn't do everything a die-hard grillmaster would have done.  For example, I short-cutted the marinade time and cooked the meat in the oven, not on the grill.  I know: gasp.  But, bear with me.  It was, after all, my first time.  For those of you who are still reeling from shock, be encouraged: I did let the meat rest.  Honest engine.

Being a thoroughly symbolic person, I can't resist posting this little rambling about the symbolism I found in the process.  I've avoided my blog for almost two weeks, avoided it because I have been dealing with something I never thought possible.  More on that later.  For now, trust that this little rambling is actually much more: it is my way back, my attempt to fight through a fog that has threatened to consume me, my voice breaking through a lot of really horrific noise.  I'm not giving up.  No, instead, I'm cooking.

Cooking, cleaning, going to the grocery store, these are the daily tasks that occupy my days.  These, and playing with my children.  Playing with my children is my primary job responsibility.  And it's also my most fun responsibility. 

Again, I ramble a little.  Forgive my lack of cohesive thought: it's been a tough two weeks.  My point?  Depression threatened to consume me, but I fought back with the ordinary.  I fought back by performing daily, repetitive, normal tasks.  And one of those tasks was cooking.  Back to the brisket.

Step 1: pick the meat.  Raw material is key.

Step 2: prepare the paste, the rub, and the mop sauce.  (Hmmm.....mop sauce.)  Get your hands dirty.

Step 3: apply the paste.  Rest fifteen minutes.  Apply the paste, second layer.  Rest fifteen more minutes.  Rest is required.

Step 4: rub the meat.  Make sure you reach into all the crevices, hidden places must be revealed.

Step 5: let meat marinade for 4-6 hours.  Patience is mandatory.

Step 6: cook at low temperature 3.5-4 hours, basting with mop sauce once every hour.  Constant attention required.

Step 7: cover meat and cook 4 more hours.  Like I said, patience in mandatory.

Step 8: after twenty minutes of resting, taste meat.  Fall off the fork tender.  So juicy it drips down the chin.  Success, the brisket is ready.

Cooking this brisket is like my life - my life the way I want it to be.  I want to be so raw that I'm worthy of a good, Godly process.  I want to be open to a good rub, the kind that uncovers the cracks.  I want to rest when it's called for, and begin working again when it's time.  I want to be patient for the work to be done.  When the work is done, I want to be so tender that I fall apart at the simplest touch, and so juicy that my life overflows into all the lives around me.

Today, I'm linking up with Finding Heaven.  Stop by and read the musings of my friend Jen and the many wonderful women who have posted there today.