Cupcakes = Happiness ??

We made cupcakes one night, and it got me thinking how much I loved cupcakes! Oh, how I love a cupcake, and don't we all?!  Cupcakes are precious and delicious - and are very trendy right now.  I keep hearing about cupcake specialty stores - and really fancy cupcakes, and cupcake shows on TV.  Why do we love cupcakes?  Why does this precious little cake bring us so much happiness???

According to this article, the cupcake is symbolic of childhood innocence:

With childhood obesity rates skyrocketing, the New York Times reports that "school districts across the country have been taking steps to make food in schools healthier because of new federal guidelines and awareness that a growing number of children are overweight."

A few school districts have actually banned cupcakes at school birthday celebrations, which has some parents up in arms, because, to many, "the cupcake holds strong as a symbol of childhood innocence and parental love."

Parents in Texas lobbied to get a "Safe Cupcake Amendment" added to the state's nutrition policy. The measure, which passed, ensures that parents may bring frosted treats to schools for celebrations.

Yes, you read correctly - they put a ban on cupcakes.  What is this world coming to??

I found an entire blog devoted to cupcakes - totally worth checking out: http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/2009/06/cakewalk-symbolic-power-of-cupcake.html

I also found this shirt using the symbolic cupcake as if synonymous with PEACE itself!

A few years ago, my friends and I attended an exhibit at the non-profit Visual Arts Center where I was working, Space One Eleven.  The exhibit by Spencer Shoults was simply called: "Cupcakes!"  

His super cute mini cupcakes became kinetic art, as over time he released different substances into each one.  Some substances (water, oil, wine) didn't really affect the cupcakes, others (acid, alcohol) completely disintegrated them.  His installation illustrated how over time life destroys or decays our hopes and dreams.  Sad.  But true for some people - life is hard - so we choose to despair and loose hope, or turn to Jesus.

So, if your happiness comes from a cupcake - you aren't going to have much to hope for when life hits.  My hope is in Christ Jesus, but there are some things in His creation that bring me joy:

Being able to look out over a yard or field, especially in a special place.

And spending time with family.  Good stuff.

Begin with a prayer, end with a BANG!

"We all have pain - we are in a room full of survivors." - Dixie

"And sometimes we laugh." - a widow who had just lost her daughter to cancer.

This amazing attitude comes from the strong survivors or widows in Dixie's Bible study.  Dixie was widowed 12 years ago.  She has taken what the Lord has taught her through her grief and written "The Widow's Workbook."  Now, she is leading a group of widows in a retirement home through her study.

http://widowsworkbook.com/

It was was such a blessing to me, to be able to participate in her ministry.  I have never read her Bible study, as I am not a widow - but after hearing her speak today - I am going to read it anyways.  It deals with loss and grief - and we have all dealt with that in some way.

The women discussed difficult questions, like "is it ok to question God for the circumstance you are in?" "Can someone be forgiven for suicide?" and "Why did this happen to ME?"  It broke my heart to hear about all the tragic and untimely death these women had experienced.  And Dixie's workbook took them through stages of grief - and ultimately brought them to a point of saying - we all have pain ... but are we going to take it to God, or are we going to loose hope and choose to despair and grow bitter?  Sometimes things that seem like great disappointments to us, can just be our appointments with God - and isn't that the point?  

Tears and prayers.  Sharing and connecting happened - and it was awesome.  Yes, God is good.  I left saying, "That was 'church!'" The Bible is clear that the primary responsibility of the "church" or "religion" is to care for widows and orphans (James 1:27) - and I just feel like it is often anything or everything BUT that.  It is good to get to the point - to just love on people.

Then, we did a little shopping and museum going!  Strolling down Park Avenue - I found some great stores selling fair trade and eco-friendly products - VERY fun stuff - and some from Ghana!  I even found a children's book teaching them about fair trade - going to incorporate that into curriculum somehow!

http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/

http://www.earthinspiredliving.com/

Continuing down the road, I visited the Morse Museum.  It had an interesting collection of Tiffany glass and other American art.  The only really interesting part was a chapel that Louis Comfort Tiffany designed.  It was all stained or inlaid glass, very Byzantine reminiscent. What caught my attention was the incorporation of two peacocks on the altar.  The eyes on their wings symbolize immortality and God's all knowing eye.  Interesting.

 http://www.morsemuseum.org/  

Then, we stopped by the Mennello Museum of American Art.  It contained a collection of folk art that was honestly, just not my favorite.  It was mostly flat colonial style paintings by Earl Cunningham.  I love folk art - but prefer art that has personal expression in it.  There were a few nice sculptures outside:)

http://www.mennellomuseum.com/

Then...comes the BANG!

We helped some of Dixie's friends finish off their 4th of July fireworks...in the middle of their neighborhood! Dixie and I were standing far off away - Lydia was much more courageous!  It was fun - and we are all safe :)

End of the Road trip...beginning of a new adventure!

Sadly, Erin and I finished our "We survived cancer and Africa road trip" Monday.  So much to see and do in New Orleans! We went to see this awesome brass band the last night - very New Orleans! Great  sound - hope you enjoy.

The Soul Rebels from Lauren Johnston on Vimeo.

http://www.soulrebelsbrassband.com/

We were in Panama City with my Mom and stepfather on the fourth - we had a nice relaxing time - and got to see some fireworks :)

Also, the BP clean up crew was very interesting - there were pairs of people hired by BP to walk up and down the shore all day long.  Each pair was only 10 yards behind the other.  Maybe it's just me, but that seemed like a total waste of money - couldn't BP being spending their money on the people who are really hurting?  Maybe a helicopter once a day to fly over the whole shore and see where the oil is would be good - check this out:

BP's oil clean up fund at work. from Lauren Johnston on Vimeo.

Then, yesterday my cousin, Lydia and I flew to Orlando to visit our Aunt Dixie! 

 Lydia is precious - and I am so glad we get some good quality time together this week.  She is pretty special because she is so full of life - making friends with everyone we encounter - and as she put it best today - she "un-expects people alot!"  While she is only 13, she towers over little me - so have a great excuse to wear heels all week :)

We have been relaxing and made time to pencil in a spa appointment today! Glorious.

We also were able to visit Nemours Chilren's Hospital http://www.nemours.org/  They have a really great art therapy program for the children going through treatment.  An art therapist comes in and the kids can paint while they are receiving treatment - so awesome.  The stories that come out in their art are remarkable - and really help the children deal with their fears and pain.  Many of the paintings were of vacations or other fantasy scenes - to show where the children wish they were - their "escapes."  They just had an art show at the hospital - here is a great article about it:  http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/os-artwork-nemours-20100630,0,5432648.story

How awesome is it that these kids come back here all the time - and they can see their paintings and pictures and stories hanging on the wall.  It really makes me want to learn more about art therapy...

One great “find” in New Orleans was Mexican artist Rico Salas in the middle of the French Market in New Orleans.  He was making colorful and creative journals out of handmade paper.  They use fibers and recycled paper to make these delightful journals in a Mayan technique.  They were really nice and affordable -- and he was super friendly – and spent time telling me all about it!  Check it out: http://www.homemadediaries.com/  His fibers are unique to Mexico - but his process is similar to how I have been paper making in Ghana.  So exciting to meet people with the same vision - eco-friendly and creative!

Catching up with some of the people I was blessed to be able to teach paper making to, I found this blog article: http://reedsinthewind.blogspot.com/2010/07/stress-and-grace.html  It is written by a missionary family who was an integral part of our school in Accra.  Mrs. Reed has taken what I was able to share with her – to where she has been working two countries away from Ghana, in Liberia.  

Liberia has a very interesting history – which I was not familiar with until I met the Reed family.  My understanding of how Liberia was founded is that at some point, in the early 1800's, while second generation african-american slaves were being freed in the North – AMERICA, namely the American Colonization Society (ACS) decided to send these freed slaves back to Africa.  They had two motives - one to spread Christianity back to Africa and two, to prevent a slave rebellion in America (i.e. - to keep the "freed" slaves away from the people still enslaved - to ensure they wouldn't know they could be free).  Since these second generation african-americans slaves had only known a colonial master-slave relationship during their life, after they voluntarily sailed to Africa, they became the "masters" of the indigenous people and these african-american freed slaves "colonized" Liberia.  Since then, there has been rebellion and brutal civil war.  Today, they are trying to rebuild and recover.  For more specific information on Liberia: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/liberia/essays/history/

I also watched this documentary on the amazing women during the civil war in Liberia.  I can not even imagine the strength they had.  VERY powerful.  For sure worth watching.

http://www.praythedevilbacktohell.com/v3/

It is so cool to see how God can use every little thing we have to give – to bless so many – all for His glory - even in the midst of peace or struggle.

Redeemed!

Just as the Lord redeemed Judah, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…” (Joel 2:25) the Lord God Almighty is our personal redeemer.  Yes, just as Nicole C. Mullens sings it - "my redeemer lives!"   He has already redeemed my life, from things that I have brought onto myself, and also from things, in His sovereign righteousness, He himself has allowed in. 

It’s interesting, after having been in a culture that is so aware of their physical and spiritual needs in life – coming back into American culture, I can see how often we forget our need for God.  We are easily disillusioned by the control we are able to have on our lives, and often simply forget our desperate need for a savior.  The truth is - all of us are in need.  Americans and Ghanaians alike have “wounds” and struggles, but do we take them to God for redemption, forgiveness and peace – or do we hold them in, and continue acting out of our “wounds” and human nature?

Boaz, through his redemption of Ruth illustrates how God ultimately redeems us all.   Ruth is the courageous woman who followed Naomi, her Jewish mother in-law away from her own Moabite (pagan) family, thus pronouncing her faith in Yaweh.  Their husbands pass away due to famine or disease, leaving Naomi, Ruth, and Ruth’s sister in-law Orpah desperate to find a way to survive.  Orpah does as is expected and returns to her Moabite family, while Ruth “clings” to Naomi – and they travel together back to Naomi’s home, Bethlehem.  Here, Ruth takes it upon herself to go to work, gleaning in the fields. 

Interesting side note: In the Law God gave Moses, specifically in Leviticus 19:9-10 and Deuteronomy 24:19-22, Israelites were commanded to leave part of their crops they were harvesting on the trees or in the fields.  This was specifically designed to provide for those who weren’t able to provide for themselves, and so if they were willing to do the work, there was food left for them.  Just an interesting note on philanthropy – we are keen to keeping up with every last cent we are owed, and need compensation for every extra work hour – but maybe there is a way we can “leave” part of our work, for those who are less fortunate and could really use something that may seem so small to us? This is a self-less way to give – but we will need to be pretty creative to implement it into our lives today.

So - as soon as Ruth mentions to Naomi that she was gleaning in Boaz’s fields, and the overwhelming kindness that he had shown her, Naomi says, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead! … This man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.”

A redeemer is defined as the person who is next of kin who is able to “redeem” their family or “the official guardian of the family’s honor.” (John MacArthur, Twelve Extraordinary Women)  The role of the family redeemer was to redeem land that was sold to get out of debt or redeem widows without children to take care of them.  John MacArthur writes, “Every kinsman-redeemer was, in effect, a living illustration of the position and work of Christ with respect to His people: He is our true Kinsman-Redeemer, who becomes our human Brother, buys us back from our bondage to evil, redeems our lives from death, and ultimately returns to us everything we lost because of our sin.”

Praise the Lord He has redeemed our lives!  Just as Boaz redeemed Ruth, and Naomi’s land for these relatives who had remained faithful even though the harshest of trials – our God has redeemed us from the grave.

He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.' - Job 33:28

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. - Isaiah 43:1

Culture Shock...and Happy Birthday America!

How can you have "culture shock" moving into a place where you have lived the vast majority of your life?  And -- how ironic that it happens on the day of your culture's birthday party???  What is "culture shock" anyways?  According to Wikipedia:

Culture shock is the anxiety and feelings (of surprise, disorientation, uncertainty, confusion, etc.) felt when people have to operate within a different and unknown culture such as one may encounter in a foreign country. It grows out of the difficulties in assimilating the new culture, causing difficulty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not. This is often combined with a dislike for or even disgust (moral oraesthetical) with certain aspects of the new or different culture.


Also, Reverse Culture Shock (a.k.a. Re-entry Shock, or own culture shock^[7]) may take place — returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one can produce the same effects as described above. This results from the psychosomatic and psychological consequences of the readjustment process to the primary culture.^[8] The affected person often finds this more surprising and difficult to deal with than the original culture shock.

• Stage 1: The feeling of excitement and eagerness. This stage occurs before leaving to go to the new culture.
• Stage 2: The feeling that everything in the new culture is great. This stage occurs upon arrival to the new culture.
• Stage 3: The feeling of everything in the new culture is terrible.
• Stage 4: The feeling of adjustment. The stage where the visitor begins to feel comfortable and takes steps to become more familiar with the culture.
• Stage 5: The feeling that everything is fine. The stage where the visitor has adapted to the culture and in some ways is embracing it as their own.

I really feel like I am/have been experiencing all of this craziness! Today, well, maybe last night I entered into Stage 3.  Yes, I miss Africa.  I know that there is "bad" and "good" in all cultures, but for whatever reason, right now all I can see is the "bad" here and can only remember the good" there.  I hope and pray that Wikipedia is right, and I will shortly move into stage 4.  Jesus, help me, where I am weak - You are strong.

So, we left New Orleans - what a beautiful city! Full of culture and life - LOVED it - hope to be back again soon.  Our last day we ate beignets at Cafe du Monde MMMMmmmm.....

Walked around the city a little more, through the flea markets, and then to NOMA.  

NOMA was great -  surprisingly beautiful and broad art collection.  http://www.noma.org/

Then we headed East - looking to document the oil spill:

We were unsuccessful at locating ANY oil - although we did see some seaweed :)  Then, we turned off of 10 to get Chick-fil-A for lunch - couldn't find it....but we did find....

Yes, it's the "Beau Rivage" in Biloxi, Mississippi - we couldn't help ourselves! Talk about culture shock :)  We did "loose" some money - but not like you think - we bought coffee - and it was 4 dollars!!!! Ah!

Our oil spillage data became inconclusive as the sun set - but we were committed to documenting so...

Now, I am at the beach again - Happy Fourth of July, America!!!  I am excited to watch the fire works along the beach - and hold a sparkler :)

“The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side.  The sun will not strike you by day, or the moon by night.” Psalm 121 5-6

I am beginning “Stepping Up” by Beth Moore.  I just really love her studies and how they really get you into the Word – searching for truth and understanding.  The scripture we are studying is Psalms 120-134; the “Psalms of Ascent.”  These chapters are songs Israeli pilgrims would sing as they make their way to the temple in Jerusalem.  They describe the journey, physically and spiritually, to the presence of the Lord.  It always amazes me that at the time these songs were written, the presence of the Lord was literally in a box, inside the temple.  How grateful that makes me for the Holy Spirit that we now have through our faith in Jesus Christ!  We have the gift of being in the Lord’s presence where ever we are physically located.

As I have made one decision in my life, to accept a job teaching in Auburn – I am now facing numerous other decisions.  While I have been praying about where to live as I assimilate back into “Auburnite” culture, the Lord began to speak to my heart through these Psalms I am reading. 

God is my shelter.  It does not matter where I live, Auburn or Accra or anywhere else in the World.  God is my home, my shelter, my guide.   What peace it gave me to be reminded of this.

While, I wish I was on a journey directly to Jerusalem, like the pilgrims in the Psalms of Ascent, my journey is through the unknown -  eventually to God’s presence in Heaven.  While passing through Auburn on my life journey – I am comforted by God’s presence that resides in my heart and goes with me wherever I am headed.

Right now, I am on a journey in New Orleans, with good friends.  My friend, Erin and myself packed the car to the brim! We are both used to flying - and having to conserve space and weight for plane luggage - and so we decided to make the most of the road trip and pack everything we might possibly want on this trip!

I felt like a storm chaser yesterday, driving down right into the tropical depression!  Praise God for safe travels! 

We are exploring the city, and then headed along the coast, documenting the oil spill along the way.  We did meet some Coast Guards yesterday - who said there was no oil near New Orleans.  This is the second time I have been to the coast - and seen no sign of oil - I hope it's really just not as bad as everyone is saying it is.