my highway to zion

"...Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." John 13.1 This verse exposes an error in my thinking about my purpose in life. According to this verse, and all the ones before and after it pertaining to the life of Christ, my life is an offering to the Lord to be used as he sees fit. But, you see, somewhere along life's path i've picked up a way of thinking that tells me I must save the world. And not just that I must, but that if i don't, i'm lazy, worthless, and somehow being disobedient to God. In various ways, this incredible mindset has driven me to a certain way of life, to certain behavior, and to certain life choices that I now look back on with a bit of regret. I can see how everything works out for good in the end, but I've been met with much pain, heartache, loneliness, and loss because of this faulty thinking. Don't get me...

This documents Cape Town's annual "Coon Carnival", held on January 2 throughout the streets of Cape Town. My friends and I parked in Bo Kaap to watch the minstrels parade by. This carnival lasts for twelve hours, as the clubs parade through the streets of the CBD three separate times while on-lookers snap photos, smile, wave, laugh, and dance along to the amazingly loud sounds coming from each band. All brass instruments welcome! I'm glad we took the day to go to town, have a lovely lunch (thanks to sweet Elizabeth), and see the klopse. I still remember my first year in cape town, i so badly wanted to be colored like all my friends in capricorn, and i was introduced over the christmas holiday to the klopse. I stood on the sidelines of Lavender Hill watching the clubs rehearse. All i could make out was a deafening sound of instruments, a blinding array of shiny clothes, and a joy welling up in my heart. To me, the annual parade embodies so much that i love about cape c...

our home is a BIG fan of this south african recipe: banana pancakes with nutella and maple syrup! we used to make mass quantities of these, and people would flow in and out of our house for a sugar fix. we'd double the recipe and leave a heaped pile of them on the table, watching the stack dwindle as more friends dropped in. one morning, we had ten people eating pancakes! all nations were enjoying their deliciousness. it's been a long time since we made them, so we decided this weekend to be "eat what penny loves" weekend. last night we had chinese fried rice for supper and chocolate mousse with strawberries for dessert. it would have been even more fun if penny had been here, but she missed out on her favorite meal when she went to a last-minute sleepover! so tonight we redeemed her absence with banana pancakes. we also cook up a healthy batch of nearly-burnt bacon (the streaky kind, for my south african readers) and drink glasses of milk or juice while stuffing our ...