Let this rattle you today

I'm reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan, recommended by a friend recently. I suspect Pastor Craig has read it too, based on the current message series. It is challenging me and rattling me in a necessary way.

Chan quotes John Piper (who is awesome, by the way) from his book God is the Gospel, in which the quoted author asks whether we are in love with God:

"The critical question for our generation - and for every generation - is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, and all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven if Christ was not there?"

No comments today.

Just give it some thought.

You may need to read it again.

I did.

Indian Food. And I'm NOT Talking About the Cuisine of the Five Civilized Tribes

Wednesday evening I attended a cooking class at our local Vo-Tech with my MIL. Knowing she has an affection for Indian food I thought this might be a fun way to thank her for watching Kid Three during Bible study this fall.

Our instructor, Sitara (maybe that was her name?), was a lovely Indian lady who apparently is skilled in the art ridiculousness of Feng Shui and Numerology as well as cooking. MIL and I both passed on those discussions. Forget the new age hocus-pocus -- we had been lured there with high expectations for an educational feast.

And a feast it was, indeed.

I already knew I didn't like curry (which isn't a particular spice but rather refers to spicy Indian dishes of many kinds) yet I maintained an open mind hoping I may enjoy it this time. I wasn't entirely prepared to handle all those Indian spices... Cumin, Turmeric, and Garam Masala. Let's just say I will be ever-so-violently scribbling through those on my grocery list, especially Garam Masala, the grand nemesis to my happy tastebuds. Maybe these are good individually but combined - not good for me.

The class was fun. I really enjoyed watching her cook for us and tell all about Indian food but I started to get nervous. Not only did she add a very healthy dose of the spices, she added about sixty jalapeno peppers...seeds and all. (It may have been slightly fewer than sixty, my eyes were watering and nose was running so I could have been a little distracted.)

The aroma of all that food cooking was wonderful so naturally when it came time to go through the buffet line I was duped into thinking I suddenly liked Indian cuisine so I didn't deny myself a good portion.

You might be surprised to know it doesn't help to blow on your food to reduce the hot and spicy sensation opening every sinus cavity you never knew you had. Temperature aside, this stuff was HOT. I downed two glasses of water in no time trying to douse the flames of the 6 alarm fire on my tongue.

Not wanting to be disrespectful to the cooking host I did my best to eat what I could and "rearrange" the rest on my plate to give the appearance I had devoured it! Thankfully, my MIL leaned over and relocated some of my Aloo Mater to her plate. (Thank.you.)

The class participants had to clean up and then it was time for dessert. The Invisible Me d.e.s.p.e.r.a.t.e.l.y. begged for a 9 x 13 pan of Duncan Hines double fudge, still-kinda-gooey-in-the-middle brownies. (Yeah, the whole pan.) But I settled for a square of Raas Malai (you know, baked ricotta cheese & sugar with crushed cardamom seeds. Not brownies.)

I went home with an appreciation for Indian food even if I didn't share the same affection for it as the others in the class -- some of them were downright giddy. I also went home with indigestion and a special rumbling in my tummy signaling there may be repercussions from such a cross-cultural indulgence...

Tonight at the Heinecke house, we'll be having an all American dinner of chicken in which no one will need to use their shirt sleeve to satisfy a runny nose because of spicy food. And for dessert? Do you even have to ask? Brownies, baby. Brownies.

...

It really was a fun adventure!

Are you a fan of Indian food?

Hey, that's MY kid you're pushing around

Kid One just finished his first year of tackle football. I aways thought it would be fun to watch him in this sport yet I found it to be a little tougher than I expected. When they dogpiled to sacrifice their bodies for the ball I wanted to see them leap up FAST to prove no bones are broken which silenced the parental gasps from the crowd every time the whistle was blown.

"Hit em low, hit em hard" so goes the battle cry from the sidelines. I'm kinda okay with that until I heard the OTHER team saying it! During the game the Invisible Me pounced on every kid who pushed my baby around. I've imaginarily (let's pretend that is a word) whipped more juveniles since August than I can count. Once I made an invisible kid cry. And his little brother. True.

While I enjoyed seeing him come home all sweaty, dirty and reciting all the plays from begining to end, I didn't like watching him (and his teammates) get shoved around and all bruised up. I just knew someone was going to call DHS on me one day. It looked like I beat him up reeeallll nice like. (Let's get one thing clear. IF I had beat him up AND I DID NOT, MIND YOU I would have won. That's how tough IN MY MIND I am.)

Whew. The season is over and I need a rest.

What have your kids done that once seemed like fun...until they started doing it?

Kid Two on Career Choices

Kid Two: Mom, when I grow up what should I be?

..

Me: Hmmmm. Interesting question, Kid Two. How about a zookeeper?

..

No.

..

How about a ninja so you can karate chop things or a barber so YOU can decide how long someone's hair should be?

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No. Those aren't really any good. [You don't say.]

..

Lawnboy? Chef? Realtor?

..

No. All dumb ideas, Mom. I want a job that I will love.

..

Guitar player? Javlin-ist? President?

..

Mom!

..

Well, honey, why don't you just change the world with the word of God.

..

[Short silence. He's thinking. And he's serious]

Yeah, that's a great idea. I'll just do that.

[Exit Kid Two from the room.]

..

I'll just do that? he says.

..

Oh Father, please give him a heart to pick your Word as his passion of choice.

Please.

Pesky Telemarketers: How To Keep Them Calling

After an exhaustive day, you sit down to a nice quiet dinner with friends and family. Only two bites into the meal the phone rings. “Out of Area” displays on your caller ID but you pick up the phone anyway. The same curiosity that killed the cat lures you to abandon your guests to unveil the mystery caller. The unfamiliar voice blurts out, “Hello, Mr. Hin-… Hinnkie…um, Mr. Heinecke?”

,,,

Another butchered attempt at your last name.

Another annoying interruption.

Another pesky telemarketer.

I've been in this business on one level or another for over 15 years. (Yes, that's 10+5 and it's been a good job.) And because I like you, I'm going to give you some insider secrets on how to keep them calling. (I know, I helped you with popcorn last week and now this?! )

ggg
Follow these simple rules and you’ll never be without an opportunity to buy something you don’t need over the phone.

Never answer the phone. Although you may successfully avoid the initial battle of wills with a telemarketer, you cannot escape the incessant ring. Most automated dialing systems used by telemarketing agencies recycle busy signals, answering machines and unanswered calls. Technology allows for the phone number to be dialed at various times of the day to maximize agencies’ efforts to reach you. You can dodge the conversation but you cannot easily stifle the ringing. Let the phone ring and ring and ring. They’ll keep calling.

Pretend you’re not home. If you answer the phone and pretend the person for whom they are seeking is nowhere in sight, your number will be recycled for calling. You may be asked to provide the best time to call back. Watch out! If you offer a call back time you’ll help the telemarketer pinpoint the optimal time to hunt for you. You can undoubtedly expect another call soon, whether it is in an hour, a day or perhaps a week, if you’re lucky. Pretend you’re not home. They’ll keep calling.

Tell them you’re busy. If you think you can ward off a telemarketing call by pretending to be too busy, you’re wrong. In theory, squabbling children, sitting down for dinner or walking out the door are all great excuses for exiting a call. Be careful. It does not always work that way. The pitch is always the same – just three minutes of your time for the deal of your life – and they will take those three minutes now or later. If you suggest the caller try you again at a better time, they will. Telemarketers are the most dependable work force when it comes to returning calls. Tell them you’re busy. They’ll keep calling.

Decline the offer delicately. Rejecting a telemarketing offer does not have to be rude to be effective but it does have to be clear. If you’re not interested in what they are selling, just politely say so and do it beyond question. Many people are too soft when it comes to refusing a telephone offer. Comments such as “Not right now” “Maybe some other time,” or “I need to think about it” are signals to the caller that you could be persuaded in the future. You can be pleasantly firm and avoid a follow up call for the same offer by saying no – and meaning it. Try this, "I am not interested. Please take me off of your list. Thank you. [click]" If you can’t be clear in your refusal just be wishy-washy about your interest. They’ll keep calling.

Avoid non-solicitation lists. Nearly every state has laws governing telemarketing agencies and their marketing practices. There are national non-solicitation lists to which you can subscribe and curb the number of calls you receive. These lists are offered to the public free of charge and serve to protect consumers from abusive telemarketing practices. While placing your name on a non-solicitation list will not stop all incoming calls, it will eliminate many of them. Avoid the non-solicitation lists. They’ll keep calling.

In a society where companies tirelessly battle for your business you can take control -- or follow these steps and be sure they’ll keep calling.

,,,

And on a more personal note - There are a lot of companies giving telemarketing a very bad name. I'm proud to say my group works very hard to be the exception and provide a good service to our clients and their customers.

I need to sweat the small stuff

There are plenty of things on the list about myself that bug me.

...I don't like roller coasters.

...I really can't play sports.

...I don't like peas. (I'll swallow them whole to make a point to my kids.)

...

There is one personal character flaw in particular that drives me crazy.

...I will sometimes procrastinate things that are not hard or require very little effort. Seriously, it's not the big things that get me, it's the small stuff.

...

By nature I'm pretty organized and on the ball. I love a checklist and structure. However, from time to time I find myself putting off things I need to do. And mind you, they won't be big things either. They are small, sometimes low priority things that start to make me insane.

...

For example: (and sadly, this one goes back a LONG time as my parents could verify) I will have a stack of library books that need to be returned. I'll probably think about it several times before the due date but for whatever reason, I just won't take them back on time. Movie rentals are the same way.

...

I have a list of people I need to call or things I need to do. I know these won't take long but I put them off. A friend's birthday. The insurance man. My kid's teacher. RSVP for a wedding. Deposit a check. Mail my grandma her camera.

...

My list goes on.and.on. ugh! Maybe I'm too selfish with the 15 minutes of time each day that don't involve parenting or working. In any event...

...

The latest event that makes me want to scratch my own eyes out involves my Life Group. Several months ago the Foxy Mr. committed me to organizing our quarterly service project. (I think he has since learned his lesson.) As much as I love to organize or plan something, I kind of forgot about it for a few weeks. Then for a couple more weeks I thought about it but never did anything about it. (What is with that?) Finally when I broke down and decided to tackle it because the deadline was drawing dangerously near, schedules and dates didn't come together and the organizations with whom I was speaking couldn't accommodate us. So I blew it big time on that one. (The Heineckes may get voted off the Life Group island...)

...

This is one of those character flaws I have to surrender to God. For whatever reason, I lack some self-discipline to get little things done that may not be at the top of priority list. I so desperately want to be a person of my word and follow through on things if I make a committment. (Yes, the library is a commitment. to me.)

...

Father, remind me that my word is to be trustworthy and give me the wisdom to make good decisions to follow through on things that may seem trivial.

...

Anyone else struggle with putting off small things?

The best popcorn

Last week was Mad Scientist Day for Kid One.

His science project asked the question, "Which popcorn brand pops the best?"

Being the giver I am, I bought him a wig and helped him paint his face to look like he was in an explosion. I even glued popcorn pieces all over his wig...and then they fell out.

Together we counted EVERY single kernal in the TWELVE bags of popcorn exploding from my microwave. (Each bag had about 400-450 total kernals...who knew.?) At first the buttery aroma made us giddy but by the last bag we were opening the windows and swearing off popcorn forever. (We're over that now.)

Do you know which brand is the best?

I'll tell you.



On average...

Act II pops 88% of the kernals.

Jolly Time pops 88% of the kernals.

Orville Redenbacher pops a whopping 91% of the kernals.



Oh please, hold your applause. We were happy to bring you this public service announcement. Don't say I never gave you anything. Wisdom is priceless.

I voted.

Did you?

The line, at 7:10 am was long. It took an hour and a half but the Foxy Mr and I managed to do our part to make a difference. How long was your wait?

If you didn't vote yet, GO.DO.IT. ...unless you're voting for Obama and then I think the election is NEXT Tuesday.. ;)