When to look back (Prayer devotional for the week of Oct. 2)

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I reckon that most people have heard the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (from Genesis 19), at least in the context that the residents were so depraved and immoral that God destroyed the cities with fire-rain. God’s punishment didn’t happen on a whim, however. Abraham had already bargained (haggled, is more like it) with God to spare the cities if 50 … 45 … 40 … 30 … 20 … even if only 10 righteous people could be found. For a mere 10 people out of the whole metroplex, the Lord agreed to cancel the demolition.

As it turned out, Abraham’s nephew, Lot, may have been the only remotely righteous person in town. He did offer hospitality and protection to the pair of angels who came to investigate the city (but then offered to give his two virginal daughters to the angry mob outside of his house, before the angels intervened). The angels still spared Lot, his wife and his two daughters and ushered them out of town before the downpour began.

Despite the angels’ warning (Flee! Run! Don’t stop! Don’t look back!), Lot’s wife looked back, anyway. Scripture says that she was turned into a pillar of salt, but Lot and his daughters made it to safety. We women tend to become emotionally attached to sentimental things, places and people, don’t we? Regardless of how awful their hometown had to have been, perhaps Lot’s wife was thinking of her daughters’ births, moments from their childhood, their first home … and she looked back as the city went up in flames. In doing so, she turned her back on God’s plan to rescue her.

The next morning, Abraham woke up and returned to the holy place where he had encountered the Lord’s presence just days before (Gen. 19: 27-29). He looked across the landscape toward Sodom and Gomorrah and witnessed the smoldering evidence of God’s wrath. Abraham wasn’t turned into a pillar of salt for looking toward the cities. I wonder if the reason is because he acknowledged Almighty God (by returning to the place where they had spoken) and the merciful goodness that he showed by sparing Lot’s life.

Instead of looking toward the cities longingly, like perhaps Lot’s wife had done, I imagine that Abraham looked that direction with a deeper understanding of God’s purpose for his life. The past is over; there is no changing it. Looking back can only serve two purposes, in my humble opinion: 1) to dwell on what could’ve/should’ve/would’ve been, or 2) to remember how God delivered you and trust him as you move forward. Let us not turn our back on God’s rescue plan. Let us run full-force into his welcoming arms with no regrets!

Foodie Friday: Artichokes

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One of my favorite appetizers is Artichokes Tiganites at Yia Yia Mary’s. Yummy, fried, veggie goodness! My only critique is that it is a little too salty for my taste, but I still love it.

I was craving it recently, and since the only restaurant location is in Houston, I decided to try to recreate the dish with a little less salt and pan-fried instead of deep-fried.

Voila! Allow me to present my own variation of garlic artichoke hearts:

Garlic artichoke hearts

Artichokes are fat-free and contain fewer carbs than an apple (13g – only 1g is sugar), and they pack a whopping 7g of fiber, which brings the carb count down to 6g. A medium artichoke even has about 4g of protein – excellent for a veggie!

My recipe:

  • 1 can Artichoke hearts, drained
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp minced garlic (I actually used about 3T, but the consensus of my sous chefs was that it was “a bit heavy on the garlic,” so I would recommend using a bit less)
  • dash of salt, to taste

Saute the minced garlic in olive oil until aromatic. Add artichokes & salt and pan-fry on medium-high until heated through. Serve immediately.

If you need further convincing to give this unusual veggie a try, consider this: even my picky one liked it! 😉  I think he has finally come to realize that if he’s going to have his own show on the Food Network someday, then he’s going to have to branch out and try new things. He described the dish as “a meaty texture and garlicky.” I made him repeat, “It’s good!” about three times, just to be sure that I heard him correctly. Heehee

Writing Wednesday: Dissertation brainstorming

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I’ve been tossing around some ideas since the spring term about research adventures that might help me narrow down my dissertation topic. Unfortunately, academia moves at the speed of molasses sometimes, and delays that are out of my control have caused my side project to come to a halt. I am still hopeful that we’ll finish the paper eventually, but right now it’s on Pause.

I need to begin seriously paring down my ideas and formulating a dissertation topic. The problem is that I have too many interests! I am curious about the far-reaching impact of philanthropy, but my first foray into the subject didn’t provide the definitive results that I was hoping for. I was trying to see if private philanthropy played a role in driving public funding, but the example I used (Carnegie funding for U.S. libraries) was too disjointed to make a real connection. (Carnegie funding dried up, for the most part, in the early 1900s/teens, but federal funding didn’t begin until decades later, so it’s hard to say whether the former truly influenced the latter.)

I am interested in forecasting techniques and applying models from other disciplines (management, communication studies, etc.) to philanthropy — specifically, charitable giving in synthetic environments. I believe that we are on the cutting-edge of some really spectacular advances in social media types of technology, and philanthropy plays a role in that. It’s an under-researched area — which is challenging, on one hand, because there is little foundation, but it’s exciting, on the other hand, to think of playing a part in laying that foundation!

Monday Musings: It’s just a crush

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Spell “chrysanthemum.”
Gilbert Blythe, do you need a
personal tutor?

I wanted to be Anne of Green Gables when I was younger. Not only did she have freckles and loved to write like I did, but also she had wild, red hair and lived on Prince Edward Island — a place I have yet to visit, but it would be on my bucket list, if I ever wrote one. Personality-wise, I more closely resembled her “bosom friend,” Diana, but secretly I wanted to be Anne. I was also infatuated with Gilbert Blythe. I even vied for “Gil” as one of our boys’ names, but it was vetoed.

Is there a fictional character you once had a crush on?