Anticipation

Post written by Aaron Bouwens.

photo courtesy of footloosiety

Here I sit at my desk an there are only 6 days until we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. As each day passes the excitement and anticipation build around the big day. Having young children at home, the countdown is a very important activity. I am amazed at the passion coming from my oldest as she waits for that morning. This has caused me to wonder what happened? Somewhere along the line the magic of Christmas was lost. It was more than the loss of Santa, sorry if that was news. The best I can tell it is something within each of us that has been lost.

If I allow myself to do it I can still not only remember, but experience the feelings of Christmas morning when I was younger. That morning could not get here quick enough. My poor parents had to deal with this over excited boy well before the sun made its debut for the day. We would tear through the paper and marvel at the gifts that had been left for us. I must confess while it was a religious experience, there was nothing remotely spiritual about what happened that morning. I am pretty sure we went to Christmas eve services at the local church, I honestly do not remember them. There was too much excitement about what was to come.

That feeling of anticipation is one that we experience at different times in different ways throughout our lives. That night when you are pretty sure you are going to get that first kiss from that someone special. The time before you humbly ask your beloved to be your bride. The day of that great wedding. The arrival of children. You all know the feeling even if it has not been found in those events. There is a measure of excitement, a dash of fear, a sprinkling of anxiety. All of it comes together so we experience something like joy and the feeling that you are going to puke. Ah now that is anticipation. While there are adults who get excited about Christmas, I would guess not many have that level of anticipation.

Where has it all gone? The fact we lose the anticipation of Christmas is evidence we have lost the heart of Christmas. When we get older the love of receiving gifts does not go away, but that is not enough to cause anticipation. In reality it has become a day of expectation, we expect certain things to happen, and rarely are we surprised by much of anything. For the most part mystery is gone. Wonder is left to those who believe the presents magically appear under the tree while we sleep. What would happen if we recaptured the heart of Christmas? I know that the actual date of Christ’s birth is sometime in the spring. I know December 25 was selected to combat a celebration by “pagan” people. The fact remains it is still the day we celebrate when the God of eternity stepped in to creation and changed everything. On that day, humanity, you and I, received an unexpected gift, the means of our salvation. As the people slept that night, they had no idea the gift that was being birthed in a stable. Perhaps we still are not real sure of the gift that was given.

This year as we move closer to Christmas morning, I am working to position my heart and life to feel that anticipation. I guess you could say I am still coming at the day with expectation. It is a different kind of expectation. I am expecting God to show up. I am expecting God will wow my socks off somehow. My attempt is to approach the day with that feeling of joy and being on the verge of puking. Christmas represents the day when everything changes for all time. That is something to look forward to.

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Countdown to Santa

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Yippikia!

photo courtesy of ENTER-FLICKR-OWNER-NAME-HERE

Something happened yesterday…my television began to only project a black and white image.  Many would consider that a bad thing, but considering it hasn’t turned on consistently in over a month makes me feel like a blessed man.  We watched television in pre technicolor and it was glorious.

It reminded me that there are a tremendous amount of black and white movies that were made long ago.  We don’t think about them much, we are usually are only interested in movies with advanced cimeia tography and special affects.  Over half of the movies use special CGI and advanced affects to make their stories work.  I’m not gonna go into whether or not advancement in movies is good or bad, no I’m just gonna talk about a great movie, it just happens to be in black in white.  If you have the chance to watch it in color (thanks to

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From Ecstasy to Empty

Post written by Aaron Bouwens.

photo courtesy of *clairity*

I must confess once again I ate way too much over the past few days. The turkey, rolls, stuffing all the fixings. Over the few days I managed to provide tangible evidence of the abundance in which we live here in the Western world. In the midst of the indulgence I was inspired by watching people sit together at the table. The power of the steaming turkey with all the trimmings seemed to be mystical. At our church we had a Thanksgiving dinner free to the public and people came together from all walks and stations of life. Most of the time the only thing they had in common was the meal spread before them. All I could think was behold the power of turkey.

My experience is not unique. Other places had dinners, and in homes all across this nation the ecstasy was repeated. It is almost cliche to say it, but the true beauty of Thanksgiving is the coming together of people. In that moment the height of community can be found. Many a meal takes place amidst squabbling and bickering, but Thanksgiving seems to provide a reprieve. The sense of togetherness can be quite moving when we allow it to be. In many ways Thanksgiving day can be our American society at its best. People coming together at table fellowship. Not just those eating, I was humbled how many people from our community wanted to come and simply serve. We have service opportunities all the time, this was the first time we had people calling to volunteer a few hours around their family celebrations. What a great picture of humanity.

Then Friday morning comes. We go from the ecstasy of Thanksgiving day, to the empty consumerism of Black Friday. Oh, I know people would not see it as an empty day as they load in their new plasma TV bought at a steal of a deal. Christmas shopping lists are crossed off, and a few extra things just for “me” are purchased. There are few days in the calendar which are a greater ovation to consumerism than Black Friday. I am struck by how quickly we can go from humanity at its best, most generous, to humanity at its greediest and worst in the course of 12 hours. Sure many were buying gifts for other people, so how could that be greed? The level at which we in America consume, for others or ourselves is staggering. When looking around the average house in America, there is more stuff there than any one person or family really needs.

So am I saying we should feel guilty about shopping, or that we should not buy anything for anyone? Nope. What I am am saying is think about what you are doing. What would happen if instead of spending the average 700-800 dollars on Christmas presents, you spent 200-300, and gave the rest to charities helping to feed hungry people? What if that old TV that still worked was sufficient and the new one was left on the store shelf? Might we have a culture that did not move from ecstasy to empty so quickly? Is it possible for us to move from ecstasy to elation? There is no greater joy than sacrificing for the sake of giving someone life. Gandhi said it this way “live simply so others might simply live.”. I cannot help wonder if our lives would be forever transformed is we chose to sacrifice rather than consume. Could we possibly realize the greatest gift we have to offer is community? What if the everyday dinner was like the Thanksgiving dinner. Not the volume of food, but the volume of community and connection. We could serve bread and water as long as the fellowship was rich and authentic. Would we spend so much time empty?

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A Note From Thanksgiving

Post written by Pete Strub.

photo courtesy of carbonnyc

Hi, I’m Thanksgiving and today is my day. I don’t usually get a lot of publicity outside of today, and that’s usually the way I like it, but there are some things going on with the other holidays that I don’t really appreciate. It’s time for me to step up and be recognized for what I am: the best holiday on the calendar. It didn’t used to be this way; there was a time when I was clearly no better than 3rd or 4th on the list, but times have changed.

Normally, I wouldn’t talk badly about others, it’s not what I’m about – usually I’m the thankful sort. But some of the other holidays have lost their way and they need to be called out. Take Christmas for instance. When I was first born on that wonderful fall evening in 1621, I looked up to Christmas as a role model. He was a holiday with such strong values. He was all about Jesus, family, and giving, and everywhere he went, love went with him. Truly, he was an inspiration and I wish you could have known him back then. Today? Well, he seems to be caught up in the material possessions a little too much. He wears thousand dollar suits everywhere he goes; he drives a Bentley; he wears gold watches; and instead of spending time with the rest of us, he just sends us pricey gifts as if that makes up for love. Not only that, but he has also monopolized a good share of the calendar. It used to be that he only had control of December, but over the past few years, he has reached into November, past Thanksgiving, and this year he even reached past Halloween. He now controls all of November and December – that’s 17% of the year! I am not one to complain, so I didn’t say anything when he started taking over my territory, but I’m not sure if Halloween will take it so well – I wouldn’t be surprised to see Santa’s sleigh get TP’d this year. Personally, I’m kind of worried for Christmas. When I talk to him now, he seems distant and sad. He only cares about things and I have even seen him spiking his eggnog at gatherings.

Christmas isn’t the only one who has lost his way, though. After Christmas started getting territorial, some of the other Holidays followed suit. St. Valentine has claimed everything in January and February, and Easter has claimed most of March and April. Materialism is spreading far and wide, too. St. Valentine has replaced true romance with fancy dinners and expensive gifts. Even Easter is getting in on the materialism. Every spring, she worries about finding the perfect dress and insists on pushing her pastel candy on everyone. It makes me sad. She and Christmas used to be quite the pair celebrating the birth and resurrection of our savior, but they barely even speak to each other now. It’s kind of like a couple who used to be really young and in love but kind of forgot each other and married their careers instead. Every time I look at them I feel empty.

There is good news, though: I have stayed true to myself. You may not have noticed because I’m not as flashy as Christmas, as sexy as St. Valentine, not as pretty as Easter, or as mysterious as Halloween, but I am the best holiday you have left. My values are simple – family and thankfulness. I represent the thankfulness that the pilgrims had when God provided them with food and friendly neighbors to help grow the food. Today you are probably gathering with your family to celebrate each other and all of your blessings. You won’t be exchanging expensive gifts, just sharing good food, and you haven’t been stressing about me for the last two months, you’re just appreciating me today. And today, on my day, I’m asking you just one thing: Don’t change me! I like myself just the way I am. Please don’t ever start exchanging presents on my day. Don’t get caught up in shopping for the meal (the food is just a trick to get your families together). Don’t start decorating for me months in advance. And please, don’t lose sight of my values. God has blessed you. Be thankful. Celebrate with your family.

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Take Two of These

when

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Genie on My Dinner Plate

Post written by Bridget Strub.

photo courtesy of Jason Pearce

I love junk food. In fact, I eat junk food so much that it might as well be an added food group in my regular diet. I can’t seem to get enough of it. Inevitably I try to stop eating junk food on the very day that there are donuts left for us at the teacher’s lounge or Pete has a craving for ice cream. I can’t seem to get away from it, and I’m ok with that. I have a fall back plan on the nights when my hand has spent a little too much time in the cookie jar. That plan is Aladdin’s Natural Eatery.

Friday night I felt like a stuffed cannoli, so when Pete asked me where we should go for date night, I immediately thought of my feel healthy fall back. Aladdin’s is a “natural eatery” that serves a large variety of Mediterranean style foods. They offer a vast menu equipped with salads, pastas, pitas, and the many interesting to pronounce foods like spanakopita, souvlaki, and falafel. I developed a craving for Aladdin’s early on in my Rochester experience when my roommates and I stumbled upon it in the infamous Schoen Place along the canal in Pittsford. I’ve spent many memorable meals on warm summer evenings dining in their outdoor terrace, and always come away feeling refreshed by the experience. Pete feels like the inside is a little too crowded, and you often have to wait for awhile on busy nights, so we typically avoid that location. That’s right; there is more than one of these little gifts to the Rochester dining scene.

The second location, on Monroe Ave, is exactly .9 miles away from my house. It’s the best set up in the world. At first it took some time to get Pete to agree to go to Aladdin’s for our date nights. He thought the idea of eating naturally meant that he would leave our meal both hungry and broke. That’s where the magic of Aladdin’s comes in. I don’t know if they have a genie in a bottle or what, but for some reason their prices are ridiculously low, and their portions are impressively large. One of the most expensive items on the menu (A combo of chicken, beef and caramelized onions rolled into a pita) is eleven dollars. The rest of the items on the menu average in the five to six dollar range. With that, I was able to get Pete through the door, but I distinctly remember the vibe of skepticism that radiated from him the first time we ate together at Aladdin’s. I felt the same pressure for him to like the restaurant that most people feel when they introduce their significant other to their family to the first time. I desperately wanted him to like it. I wanted to fuse my Aladdin’s world and Pete world together in seamless bliss. The real test came when he ordered his meal. He ordered something with meat in it, surprise surprise; it was either moussaka (the Greek version of shepherd’s pie) or pastitsio (basically a steak salad). As he dug in I could tell not only were his taste buds happy, but so were his wallet and tummy. I had him hooked. Needless to say, Aladdin’s has been a part of our regular date night repertoire ever since, and that makes me a very happy girl.

So, when Pete agreed to go to Aladdin’s Friday night, I jumped at the chance. The last few times I’ve been there I’ve ordered the chicken salad pita. It’s a beautiful blend of chicken, apples, walnuts and mayonnaise atop a bed of mixed greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes stuffed inside pita pocket bread. The thing that pulls this whole dish together for me is the Greek dressing served on the side. I don’t know what they do to make that stuff, but it’s like heaven in my mouth. It may not sound like much, but I always leave feeling perfectly full. I’ve never left with the “I’m so overstuffed I’m sick” feeling, but at the same time I’ve never had the “I just paid money to eat one leaf of lettuce and a baby carrot” thought either.

If you’ve never been to Aladdin’s you need to try it. It’s one of the Rochester gems that I keep coming back to. Very few things on their menu will break your bank (Our bill with tax and tip came to just over $17) or your scale. I recommend it at any time of year, in whatever mood you’re in, no matter what you’ve eaten that day. Somehow it magically resets your body and sends you on the right path again.

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Adventures in Awful: CSI Miami

Post written by Pete Strub.

photo courtesy of mercuryrising9572000

I am so excited about this week’s Adventure in Awful. CSI Miami holds a special place in my heart. It is one of the most poorly written and acted shows on television, and I can’t get enough of it. It is half drama, half unintentional comedy. It’s kind of like eating Kraft Macaroni and Cheese: you know it’s not high quality, but man is it enjoyable. Most of the plots have more holes than the Bills’ defense (ah, making fun makes the losing hurt less). If the methods they use to catch killers were actually possible, there would be no crime in our world. On a weekly basis, they perform an impossible miracle of science.

Aside from the plots, there is also the wonderful portrayal of Miami. Before we even see a single actor or landscape shot, Bridget and I can recognize a CSI Miami clip by the unmistakable orange tint and the parade of over-made-up, botoxed rich women. Above all, however, the highlight of the show is watching the pure-cheese acting of David Caruso playing tough guy Horatio Caine. I love that he stands sideways in every single scene, never facing anybody. I love how he takes his sunglasses on or off to accentuate every dramatic moment. And I love his one-liners. Man do I love his one-liners. If the show didn’t bother Bridget so much, I would wander around our house standing sideways and throwing out one-liners like Horatio every night. It would never get old.

I honestly don’t even know if I have a point with this whole thing; I just knew I needed to tell you about CSI Miami. I guess the point would be that it’s good to have something cheesy in your life. It makes you smile; It reminds you that there is room in this world for laughter; it reminds you that there are people stupider than you out there. Before you leave this webpage, please watch this YouTube video. It is a wonderful montage of David Caruso one-liners. You will smile – guaranteed.

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How Many Fools Does It Take…

photo courtesy of ndot

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The Tyranny of Mediocrity

Post written by Aaron Bouwens.

photo courtesy of Sister72

One of my least favorite phases to hear come form another persons mouth, or even worse mine is, that is good enough. It seems there is a tendency by the people called the human race to settle for something which is good enough. We know there is better and best still out there. It is easy to see that something worse has already been surpassed. We simply settle into the place where things are not excellent but they are not bad. This place has a name, mediocrity.

In my dream world mediocrity would not exist. It would seem odd that someone would not strive for the absolute best they can. This is not the world we live in, as if I needed to tell you that. Mediocrity is well established in our ways of life in everything from mowing the lawn to our marriages, to our relationship with God. In fact mediocrity is so well established that when an attempt is made to rise above it, the majority try to pull things back. The mediocre majority cannot allow someone to break ranks and put excellence back on the map. When people decide they are just not going to get by any longer, but they are going to thrive, great concern is raised. There is something hauntingly comfortable about mediocrity which holds us hostage.

I wonder what happens if people break free? What happens if people decide to not allow the mediocre majority to exercise tyranny over them any longer? This is where greatness emerges. This is where great works of God are initiated. Have you ever noticed that we do not have a God of mediocrity? Our God puts forth excellence in everything that is done. We do not find stories of God going half way with something. Can you imagine is God would have decided Jesus’ death on the cross was good enough, and forgo the whole resurrection thing? We are to offer the best of who we are and the best of what God has made of us, at every moment. Good enough should not be a part of our lexicon.

So how do we change ourselves and the tyranny? First comes a choice to give more into life. Remove halfway from your line of thinking. In everything you do, pursue perfection. Are we going to be perfect every time, probably not. Our imperfection should not however, keep us from excellence and the best we have to give. In the movie The Last Samurai, Tom Cruise narrates a section saying, from the moment they wake, they commit themselves to perfection. That is it. If we are to overcome the tyranny of mediocrity, we must be on a pursuit of perfection.

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Get Out There and Learn Something

photo courtesy ofmarghe00

I love good science fiction.  Not just science fiction.  You can’t put a ray gun in someone’s hand and impress me, or blow up city with a hovering spacecraft and say this is science fiction.  Science fiction should make you think.  If done well the characters, storyline and themes should intertwine with our own reality and allow us to step aside and ask… could that really happen?

Last week I saw a movie that came out this year.  District 9.  It was a sleeper hit of the summer.  By the way, a sleeper hit refers to a movie that doesn’t have a lot of mainstream hype behind it, it doesn’t have a blockbuster lead actor, a conventional storyline or a major studio backing it up.

The plot follows a civil servant who is leading up a relocation of a site of aliens who’ve  for 20 years have set up a shabby neighborhood outside of Johannesburg, South Africa.  A lot of things happen in this movie, some things unexpected and I won’t doll out spoilers, but this movie made me think.  I can’t remember the last movie that stretched my mind like this one.  The reason behind this was that this story and the short film that started it all “Alive From Joburg” was inspired by  what the writer/director observed in South Africa during the 80’s and 90’s, particularly regarding the problem of apartheid.

Quick tutorial for those who don’t remember their global studies exam.

Wikipedia simply describes Apartheid—meaning separateness in Afrikaans (which is cognate to the English apart and -hood)—was a system of legal racial segregation enforced by the National Party government in South Africa between 1948 and early 1994.

I’m not going into the actual events during this time, things happened here that created an incredible ramification for history and our present.  Things are happening all over the world that we have little knowledge of.  At this moment as you read this there is a at least an 8 hour difference between you an people who do not speak the same language as you, do not have the same customs as you, and do not have the same economic situation as you.

And that is the point of today’s challenge.  I challenge you to look up something of value that is going on in the world today.   If you have no idea where to start click on the “world” section of Google News, or check out a specific country of your family origin.  Do it for a week, there has gotta be more important things going on in world than John & Kate Plus 8.  Also you may want to check out the BBC News.  There is something refreshing about looking at news stories about America that is broadcast by non Americans.

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Tomato, Tomotto

Post written by Bridget Strub.

photo courtesy of quinn.anya

Besides traditional holiday meals, the birthday dinner is by far one of the most important meals shared during the year. It determines the mood of the day, and more importantly sets the tone for the upcoming year. Needless to say, I felt a lot of pressure last Tuesday when my mom offered to treat me to dinner on my birthday; I just had to pick the place. Not only was she going to pay for my meal, she was going to drive an hour on a weeknight just to do it. Like I said last week, my parents have a really incredible way of making me feel special on my birthday.

I decided it would be best if we ate in Victor, because I work there and it’s closer for my mom than Rochester. I tentatively thought I’d choose a restaurant that I had received a birthday coupon to, thinking it made the most sense. But, as I thought of the many chain restaurants I could visit, I was left with that, “eh” feeling. They felt too familiar, not special enough for the birthday meal.

It wasn’t until I brought my dilemma to some of my colleagues that I received the advice that I needed. Most of them are Victor residents, so they spoke candidly about area restaurants. I mentioned that I was kind of in the mood for Italian (I thought I should honor that 25% of my heritage this year), and I was met with a unanimous “Go to Otto Tomottos!” (No, I didn’t just misspell tomatoes).

I had seen Otto Tomotto’s Good Italian Restaurant before and some friends recommended it to me last year. Pete and I had been thinking about trying it for a few months now, so the decision seemed obvious. We had heard nothing but great things about the restaurant, so my inhibitions were very low. As my mom, Pete and I met up to head to our dinner festivities, the sky opened up and hail pelted us from every possibly direction. I got a little nervous, thinking it was a sign from the heavens to turn back, but we pressed on anyway. We walked into the restaurant right behind a family of four. The décor was cheery with yellow walls and bright pictures. The dining room was petite with only ten or so tables that sat four people each. Only one of the tables was occupied, so I knew we wouldn’t have trouble finding a seat. Awkwardly enough, though, the hostess didn’t appear until we had been standing there for at least five minutes. She was an extremely energetic woman who seemed a bit overly excited to serve us.

The menu had plenty of tantalizing options. They had a lot of seafood dishes that captured my mom’s attention right away; she chose Oregano Baked Tilapia. Neither Pete nor I are huge seafood fans, so we kept looking. I was excited to see stuffed shells and tortellini (two of my most favorite Italian dishes) along with plenty of other pasta dishes. Pete was satisfied once he found their Lasagna. Without fail, that’s his dish of choice at Italian restaurants, and Tuesday was no exception. My mind was made up immediately, though, when I read that they offered Gnocchi with my choice of sauce. There are very few restaurants that have gnocchi on their menus, so I’m always super excited to find it especially if it’s homemade. Otto tomotto’s motto (haha, triple rhyme!) boasts, “Any closer to Italy, you’d need a passport” so I couldn’t pass up the chance to indulge in real Italian gnocchi. I was not let down either. They delivered to our table a steaming plate of incredibleness. I ordered blush sauce atop my gnocchi and MAN was it yummy! I wanted to eat the whole bowl, but there were portions enough for two meals.

As I’m writing this, my mouth is watering. I’d go back to Otto Tomotto’s in a heartbeat. Pete, as always, ate his dinner in enough time to have downed three more pieces of lasagna in the time it took my mom and I just to get the rest of our meals put in to-go containers. My mom, the expert in homemade Italian food vouched for their authenticity as well. We were all thoroughly impressed with the food, and so absorbed in it that we barely noticed we were the only ones left in the restaurant by the end of our meal.

Once I did recognize that fact, though, it felt a little too quiet in there for our boisterous conversation. I should state for the record that my mom and I caused the boisterousness of the conversation. It seems that when we’re together, the Italian blood takes over our bodies, but especially our mouths, and we spew words at each other faster than we can think them. (I’ve always loved this about my mom and me). When we’re together, though, Pete rarely gets a word in edgewise. Between you and me I think he likes it that way. I don’t know where he goes when my mom and I are verbally racing each other, but he had his lasagna to keep him company for at least two minutes of that dinner conversation. The rest of the time I think he was just thinking about how good it was.

We will most definitely be back to Otto Tomotto’s, but next time we’ll probably order take out. I think we’d get just as tasty of an experience, with a little less of the awkwardness. Before we exited the restaurant, Pete spontaneously twirled me around in the middle of the empty dining room, and I realized there’s nothing like the charm of a little Italian restaurant to inspire swaying (we don’t really know how to dance) to the cadences of the Italian greats my grandma used to listen to.

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