When I opened up my gooreader to read through blogs that I regularly followed in preparation for your first ever Tuesday Youday, I had over 500 unread posts.  No joke.  I guess it’s been a good 2 months, if not longer, since I spent any significant amount of time reading blogs.  Sometime back in December, my tweeple commented on how MIA I had been – I guess that’s what planning a wedding/honeymoon will do to you!  As I perused through blog posts, I came across one at Human 3rror titled “Did the Internet Miss You While You Were Offline?”

Written by John Saddington, Human 3rror was one of the first blogs that I followed regularly.  John probably doesn’t know it, but he has been quite an influence in my blogging life.  I follow his writings closely to come up with ideas for writing, ministry, technology, and sometimes just for fun and giggles in general.  This post, although humorous in nature, was exactly what I needed to be at the top of my gooreader results.  Here’s my translation of his post:

“Crystal, seriously, there is nothing in those 500 posts that you won’t come across at a later date.  Don’t spend hours going through them all.  Mark them all as read.  So what if you’ve been out of the loop?  Don’t waste your time trying to “catch up” – move from where you are now.  There’s more exciting stuff to be had … let the past be the past, and get excited about what’s happening now.  If there’s something in there that’s cutting edge or new and exciting, it’ll come across your desk again.  Live in the moment you’re in, not in the moments you missed.”

So @human3rror, thanks for your words of inspiration and for bringing a huge smile to my face.  This Tuesday’s for you!

It was really hard for me to pick a song for today’s Music Monday.  There have been so many songs that struck a chord over the last few months that it’s hard to narrow it to one.  Here With Me by MercyMe is one that always seems to hit home.  There are some days when all I want is God, in the flesh, to stop by and give me a huge hug.  I want God to literally wrap those huge arms around me and say to me “It’s okay Crystal … I’ve got it all under control.  We can handle this together. Just let go.” It’s so easy to say “Alright God, I’ll surrender to you” but sometimes God feels so far away – so intangible. This song helps me remember that God’s presence is always around me and if I just take a moment to look, God will show me something tangible. Sometimes, God even shows up in the flesh of someone else to give me that hug that I’m desperately longing for. What about you – how do you feel God’s presence?

I long for your embrace
Every single day
To meet you in this place
And see you face to face

Will you show me?
Reveal yourself to me
Because of your mercy
I fall down on my knees

I can feel your presence here with me
Suddenly I’m lost within your beauty
Caught up in the wonder of your touch
Here in this moment I surrender to your love.

One of the things I’ve discovered over the last year as I put more time and emotional investment into blogging and writing is that when I have a specific purpose for writing, I do better at it. As I have been thinking about how to move Soul Munchies forward in a new direction, I decided that each day needed it’s own purpose. So I reveal to you today Soul Munchies’ new daily themes.

Music Monday – This has been a successful post since I began it. Music is near and dear to me, and being able to share a song that has spoken to me has been a great source of good energy. So Music Monday continues – each Monday I will post lyrics to a song that has been an inspiration for me. If I can find a video, I’ll post that too – otherwise, I’ll do my best to find a place for you to hear it online so that it can inspire you as well.

Tuesday Youday – The blogging community is truly a community – I am certain of it. Tuesday will be all about YOU – my blogging community. Each Tuesday, I will either feature a blog post or article that resonates with me OR I will feature a post of a guest blogger. In order for this to be successful, I’m counting on YOU to read and to contribute!

Wordless Wednesday - We’ve all heard the saying that “A picture is worth a thousand words.” We seem to take tons of pictures everywhere we go and when we look back on them we see so much beauty. Every Wednesday I will feature a picture that has stunned me, inspired me, encouraged me, angered me. No words – just the picture. I will then invite you to share your own response to that picture.

Theological Thursday – This is what I do. As someone who “gets paid to work for Jesus” I’m constantly thinking about ministry, Jesus, God, religion, theology, etc. On Thursdays, I’ll share my own thoughts on a certain “theological” topic. Beware – I am broadening the normal definition of “theological” for this purpose … it may be a devotion, a conversation about church and its meaning, a personal story or struggle with religion and/or faith, a ministry idea, or anything else that might have to do with the work of Christ in this world.

Foodie Friday – I am a foodie. It’s been hard for me to admit this. I love food. I especially love good, homemade food. One of my greatest joys in life is to find a super whole in the wall restaurant that makes you feel like you’ve gone to Grandma’s house for dinner. Equally exciting to me is to find a recipe that uses all of my senses and makes me come alive when eating it. Oh food – what a gift! On Fridays, I will feature a hidden restaurant that I’ve found OR a recipe that has knocked my socks off. I hope this will challenge and encourage you to find your own inner foodie!

Quotable Weekend – I get daily quotes from a dear friend of mine and often don’t reflect on them as much as I could. Each weekend I will share a quote that I came across that week and a brief reflection on what that quote means in my daily life. I invite you to share your own reflections in the comments.

Of course, these daily themes will not be Soul Munchies in its entirety.  Soul Munchies began as a place for me to share thoughts, book reviews, personal updates, etc. and will remain a place for that to happen.  It is my intention that these daily themes serve as a purpose for posting each day – but rest assured that the daily themes will not be the exclusive purpose of Soul Munchies.  Book reviews, travel reviews, random thoughts, will still abound!

Soul Munchies has had an unintended leave of absence over the last 6 weeks – I apologize to you loyal readers who are eagerly anticipating a new entry. Life seems to have gotten in the way of writing. Rather than promise you to get better beginning today and not living up to that promise, this post is to let you know that Soul Munchies will be continuing this leave of absence, this time intentionally, until the beginning of March.

So enjoy the rest of your February and check back come March to see our new design and many updates!

Happy New Year!

To get 2010 off to a good start, here’s a very special Music Monday. This is a great song for lovers everywhere. When I first heard it, I hoped that I would one day find someone that this song fit perfectly – little did I know how soon it would happen. My hope for you is that you too will be lucky enough to fall in love with your best friend.

For the official music video for Lucky, one that always makes me smile, click here.

Back in May I began reading Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron. I bought this book because Dewey looks an awful lot like my little Simba.  I knew, from the moment I began reading the first chapter, that this book was destined to bring me great joy.

Although it too me way longer to read than it should have, no words can express the emotion that Dewey brought as I read through the book.  From giggling out loud to shedding tears, this book is a must-read for anyone who has a beloved pet.  The best way to sum up this book is to leave you with a few of my favorite quotes.

“How much of an impact can an animal have? How many lives can one cat touch?”

“What I couldn’t believe was how much Dewey loved us. How comfortable he seemed around strangers. His attitude seemed to be, how can anyone not love a cat? Or more ismply, how can anyone resist me? Dewey didn’t think of himself, I soon realized, as just another cat. He always thought of himself, correctly, as one of a kind.”

“Dewey didn’t put food on anyone’s table. He didn’t create jobs. He didn’t turn our economy aroud. But one of the worst things about bad times is the effect on your mind. Bad times drain you of energy. They occupy your thoughts. They taint everything in your life. Bad news is as poisonous as bad bread. At the very least, Dewey was a distraction.”

“His interest was people. If there was a patron in the library, he’d walk straight up to him and jump in his lap.  Rejection never deterred him. Dewey kept jumping, kept looking for laps to lie in and hands to pet him.”

“People say what’s the big deal, he was just a cat.  But that’s where they’re wrong.  Dewey was so much more.”

I promise this – Dewey was so much more, as are so many of the pets that we all know and love.  This book made me appreciate even more the companionship of my Simba, who, to me, is so much more than just a cat.

Christmas has always seemed magical to me and this year was no different. Maybe magical isn’t the right word. Growing up it seemed magical … I think I realized this year that what seemed magical was really holy.  Maybe, in a sense, holy and magical are very similar.

David & I went to First UMC of Blairsville for candlelight worship Christmas Eve and it was truly a holy experience.  As we sat in a sanctuary where we were practically strangers, it was incredible to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus with people who we knew nothing about.  I experienced community that night – with people who I will likely  never see again.  It’s worship experiences like this that make me love and appreciate the church.  Besides this rejuvenated appreciation for the church as the body of Christ, there were two big revelations for me this Christmas.

As we worshiped I became awestruck at the idea that God – all powerful and incredibly mighty – came to us as a baby.  I can’t really grasp the incredible significance that has.  Now that there are babies in the family, babies that we believe are truly miracles, I couldn’t stop thinking of Jesus as those tiny helpless babies.  God relied on Mary & Joseph to care for Jesus until he was old enough to care for himself.  Mary and Joseph and God were a team.  Mary & Joseph had to rely on God to get them through the uncertain times – they had to listen for God’s guidance all along the way.  And God trusted that they were listening and would follow.  God, in that moment, understood more than ever before, what we humans experience when we have to rely on the help of others.  If God can be so humble as to come as a baby, then I should be humble enough to know that I cannot do all things or be all things to all people.

As the pastor got up to tell the Christmas Message titled “No Room for Jesus” I began to think about how little room babies take up.  In today’s world, babies require a lot of space and things.  Space to play on, toys to play with, diapers, wipes, food, bottles, etc.  But I bet Mary didn’t have any of this stuff.  All she needed was a tiny place to give birth and keep warm.  And yet the only space they could find was in a dirty, smelly stable.  One of the best revelations that came from Christmas Eve worship this year was when the pastor said if Christ came today, as a baby, he wouldn’t be born in our homes, or in our churches, or even in a nearby hotel.  He’d be born in a dirty, smelly truck stop.  Or a homeless shelter.  That got me thinking – where else might Jesus be born if he came today?  In the streets of the projects or the slums?  On the streets of a downtown city?  In a brothel?  Or in one of the other 10,000 places that we’re too afraid to go because it’s dirty and smelly and “we’re worth more than that”?  Not only does God come to us in the form of a tiny helpless baby but this tiny helpless baby comes to us in the dirty smelly places of our world.

These two revelations left me pondering one simple question: “Will I make room for Jesus in my life?”  Sometimes we get so busy with stuff that we forget why we are doing what we are busy doing.  True confession – sometimes I get so caught up in doing the business of the church that I forget why I decided to go into “paid” ministry in the first place.  When that happens, I have crowded Jesus out.  And Jesus is much too precious a gift to be crowded out.

No, it’s not Monday … and yes – you’ve already gotten your Music feature for the week, but Christmas is a’coming!  As we wait (trying to be patient) for Fed Ex to deliver a very special package, we reflect on all the great Christmas music that’s out there.  This one may be my favorite Christmas song of the year. “Sonny Boy Christmas” is sung by Israel Houghton’s little boy and it’s absolutely precious. It makes me smile and giggle all at the same time. His prayer is my favorite. As he says – “Christmas is coming tomorrow!” Merry Christmas all!