The Contemplative Cottage

On Thursdays of Lent, I’m going to be sharing a vegan recipe as I attempt to learn not only to cook vegetables, but enjoy eating them.  Tonight’s yummy experiment was inspired by reading four different stir-fry recipes.

One of my new loves is rainbow chard–it’s not only beautiful green with veins of red or yellow or purple, it’s flavor is rich and nutty, without the I’m-eating-grass bitterness of spinach.

Tofu Stir-fry

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 bunch of green onion, chopped

3 large leaves of rainbow chard, chopped

1/2 package of frozen vegetable stir-fry (onions, red peppers, brocolli, mushrooms, water chestnuts)

1 cup chopped roasted red peppers

1 1/2 cups extra-firm silken tofu, cubed

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1 tablespoon agave nectar

1/8 cup whole bean tamari (For migraine-sufferers, this is optional. The jury is still out whether tamari will go on my list of susan-unfriendly foods, but I’m hopeful. It smells and tastes so good!)

Saute garlic in sesame oils for a two minutes at medium high heat, stirring constantly. Add frozen veggies and green onion.  Stir until veggies are thawed, about 3 minutes, then add red peppers, chard, tofu, salt, honey, and tamari.  Keep everything moving for 5 minutes or less on medium high heat. Veggies should be bright colored and still crisp.  Makes two meals.

Serve over rice.

In the Celtic tradition, Philip Newell speaks of “listening to the heartbeat of God.”  John, the Beloved Disciple, heard the human blood pumping through Jesus as he rested his head on Jesus’ chest during the Last Supper. Such an image is so intimate, I almost want to shy away from envisioning it.  But, just as John, we are all invited into such deep intimacy with God.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day preparation time before Easter, and an invitation to listen more deeply for God’s heart in and for the world.

Lent used to be a pruning time for me, giving up things I felt were unhealthy or distracting.  Now, I focus on cultivation–how can I feed what good seeds are already sprouting.

Certainly, weeds need to be removed, but sometimes it’s hard to know at first what is a weed and what is a young sprout.

The best fertilizer and water for God-planted seeds is JOY–paying attention for it,  passing it along through little, fun gifts.

Weeds don’t tend to grow well on a steady diet of joy.

One of the ways I see and hear God’s heart is when a person’s face lights up with joy and laughs.  It’s musical and warms all who are near.

What are ways you can bring the light and music of joy into situations and relationships in your life during this Lenten season?

Continuing to count all that I am grateful for…

385. Leading the retreat, Cup Overflowing: Joy as a Lenten Practice, for an amazing and wonderful group of Massachusetts United Church of Christ pastors.

386. The beauty of Ipswich, MA, and the Notre Dame Spiritual Center where the retreat was held.

387. “who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

388. Resurrection joy and the tree with the leaves of healing for the nations…

389. A feathered friend’s home.

390. Watching ducks land. Hilarious.

391. Visiting with many good friends in Boston and being back on campus.

392. Signs of spring when I returned to Seattle.

393.. A wonderful surprise visit from a friend I haven’t seen in a long time.

390. A great birthday,  crowned High Queen Susan, and served a yummy dinner with an amazing dark chocolate cake. Thank you Kimberlee, Doug, Jack, Jane, and the twinfants!

391. Chocolate smiles and dancing.

My posts have been sporadic these past two weeks as I immerse myself in writing my dissertation proposal: “The Role and Practice of Prayer in Theological Education.”  The first draft was completed on Monday night and now I am working through comments from my two readers.  I’m blessed to be working with both of them and for their encouragement of me as I’ve wrestled through the crucible of doctoral work.

My hope is to get into a daily blogging rhythm with a rotating weekly pattern.  For now, I will continue to share This Moment reflections, photos, snippets of reflections, and quotes.

***

In the Celtic tradition, Philip Newell speaks of “listening to the heartbeat of God.”  John the Beloved Disciple heard the human blood pumping through Jesus as he rested his head on Jesus’ chest during the Last Supper. Such an image is so intimate, I almost want to shy away from envisioning it.  But, just as John, we are all invited into such deep intimacy with God.

Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent, the preparation time before Easter and an invitation to listen more deeply for God’s heart in and for the world.

Lent used to be a pruning time for me, giving up things I felt were unhealthy or distracting.  Now, I focus on cultivation–how can I feed what good seeds are already sprouting.  Certainly, weeds need to be removed, but sometimes it’s hard to know at first what is a weed and what is a young sprout.

The best fertilizer and water for God-planted seeds is joy–paying attention for it,  passing it along through little, fun gifts.  Weeds don’t tend to grow well on a steady diet of joy.

One of the ways I see and hear God’s heart is when a person’s face lights up with joy and laughs.  It’s musical and warms all who are near.

What are ways you can bring the light and music of joy into situations and relationships in your life during this season?