Archive for the ‘Special Days (Holidays)’ Category

A Prayer for Solstice, A Prayer for Advent

December 21st, 2010

Today is the shortest day of the year. Today is the longest night of the year. Just typing the words makes my bones hurt and my heart heavy.

Today I feel like I have a number of people in my life who are experiencing a stripping down, a confussion, a “dark night of the soul”. Light feels missing, guidance feels lacking, and darkness feels eminent. The darkening reality of the physical world seems to fit well with the confusion and darkness of the soul.

We need light to break through.

And so today I celebrate Winter Solstice by remembering that light is coming back into the world. From this day forth light will slowly, but steadily, grow. Each day will bring more of its warmth; each day will bring more of its clarity. Today marks the turning of the tides.

And so today I pray this for my friends and for myself…

Lord, hold the darkness at bay.
Say unto the night, “This far shall thou come and NO farther.”
Speak life, and light unto our hearts.
Father, light the path before us, we don’t need to know the whole way,
but give us light to see the next step.
Spirit, break through the cold, the dark, the heavy, and lighten the load.
We moan for light. We moan for grace. We moan for You, Lord, Jesus.
Come, light of the world. Come.
Amen.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Pumpkin Pie Made With Fresh Pumpkin

November 28th, 2010

Ok, I know you’re suppose to post pumpkin pie recipes BEFORE Thanksgiving, but I feel like breaking the rules and posting these now. Besides, I like this pumpkin pie so much I think it should be enjoyed throughout the fall and winter and not just at Thanksgiving.

The trick to this pumpkin pie is to use a fresh pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin puree. It’s really not as hard as it sounds. All you have to do is slice the pumpkin in half, take out the seeds and pulp and place it cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 F until the meat inside is tender and soft. Scrap out the meat and put it in a food processor or blender and blend until you have a smooth puree. That’s it. Now that you have your puree you can use it in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin puree with the result being a much fresher pumpkin flavor.

So, here’s my pumpkin pie recipe…

Pumpkin Pie Made With FRESH Pumpkin

  • 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
  • ¾ cup Unrefined sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla (I recently used maple extract instead because I didn’t have vanilla and that worked well too, although the vanilla is much better)
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 cup milk (or cream or a combination of milk and cream)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 pie crust (if possible make your own – it tastes so much better and it’s not nearly as hard as it seems. If you have kids let them mix the butter in with the flour and roll it out – they will love it and you save yourself the hard work.  I’ve been using this recipe but without the sugar and we like it)

Mix it all together and pour it into the pie crust. Bake at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit until it is not really wiggly anymore. You want it to jiggle just a little though because it will solidify more once you take it out of the oven.

Eat it warm or cold, however you like. It’s great topped with a little whipping cream made from scratch by beating a bit of cream until it thickens (you can add a little sugar and or vanilla or maple syrup to the whipped cream to sweeten it if you desire).

ENJOY!

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

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How I’d Like to Celebrate Halloween in the Future

November 2nd, 2010

I’ve written about it before, but I have to say again…I love Halloween. I have always loved the autumn and any autumn themed experience. I’ve always loved dressing up. And of course I have a massive sweet tooth, so I was always a big fan of any holiday that included lots of candy. But, there was something more too. Something about Halloween felt mysterious and magical and I loved that. I think most of us long for something of the “other”, something mystical and un-understandable. Sure Halloween has become basically just another hallmark holiday filled with mass produced, sugar filled junk, but every once in a while something of the mystical has broken through all that and whispered to me around Halloween time, when the leaves change and the air chills.

This Halloween we had an opportunity to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve a little differently and I loved it. It felt more real, not at all commercialized and more in-tune with the familiar familial magic of fall. So, what did we do? Well, our friends who own some property in Zelivka, right in the middle of a national park in Prague, invited us to hang out there with them for a little outdoor cook out. We each brought some fresh veggies that we threw in a big pot over an open fire. I made some homemade bread and pumpkin pie to share. My husband brought a bottle of homemade nettle champagne (which he made with nettles he picked out on the property). Our friends brought sausage to roast and pumpkins for the kids to carve. We laid out some blankets and talked, took walks around the property, ate our yummy fall inspired food, and carved pumpkins. The kids played hid-and-go-seek and ghost in the graveyard. The weather was clear and crisp, with just enough sunshine peaking through the clouds to leave long shadows through the trees.

Carving Pumpkins with kids

Something about just being out in nature and hanging out with friends around a fire felt so right. It got me thinking about the type of Halloween traditions I want my kid to grow up with. I want my child to grow up celebrating Halloween because personally I love it, but I want them to grow up celebrating something more real that the commercialized holiday the candy industry has put together. I also want them to grow up celebrating it in a deeper way than the church “fall festivals” that are so common in the states – something about those fall festivals always felt somehow fake and contrived to me.

Here’s what I’d like future Stedman Halloweens to be about:

  • Spending Time Outside in nature – somewhere where the trees are changing color
  • Spending time with family and friends and any other wandering souls that happen to be needing a friendly welcome
  • Making our own autumn feast together and cooking it outside over an open fire
  • Drinking homemade beverages such as nettle beer or homemade apple cider
  • Having a bonfire and roasting homemade marshmallows
  • Carving pumpkins and lighting Jack O’ Lanterns
  • Telling stories about saints and martyrs from the past (picking one Bible character, apostle, saint, or historical church figure and telling their story and talking about them with the kids…?? Maybe??)
  • Doing some autumn inspired activities – like bobbing for apples, hay rides, nature walks in the woods, etc.
  • Having a short time of prayer – praying a liturgy like this one or just praying together informally and thanking God for the people who have gone before us and the example they have set

Dressing up and going “trick or treating” could be included if we wanted it to be on any given year, but wouldn’t have to be. With all the other activities I don’t think any of us would miss it. And I can get my dress-up longings filled all year long now that I have kids to play with me {smile}.

Did you have a good Halloween this year? What would your ideal Halloween look like?

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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All Saints Day

November 1st, 2010

Today is All Saints Day, a day when we are called to remember all the saints, known and unknown, who have gone before us. Honestly All Saints Day has never meant much to me in the past. It was just the day after Halloween and I didn’t think much about it. But, this morning as I drank my tea and watched my son play, I started to meditate a bit on All Saints Day.

There is something very encouraging about remembering all of the many people who have followed God before me. They were in some ways normal people just like me, many of them had the same struggles that I have, and I imagine that some of them even had the same doubts that plague me. But, they pressed on and by faith obeyed and followed God. That is very encouraging to me. So, today I celebrate All Saints Day and thank God for the Saints who have walked before me to show me the way.

Prayer for All Saints Day:

God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
you have called many by faith and they have followed.
May we lean into their example and follow you into the unknown.

God of Moses and all the Isrealites,
in your strength many have chosen to shun the pleasures of sin and the treasures of the world.
May their example encourage us to seek first your kingdom, the only kingdom that truly lasts.

God of the judges,
through your wisdom many have sought after and fought for justice.
May we fearlessly follow their example and do the same.

God of prophets and prostitutes,
you come to the powerful and the broken alike, once touched each speaks your truth bravely.
May we remember from their example that your presence levels the playing field and brings truth to all areas of darkness.

God of the disciples,
you stirred hearts and men left everything they had ever known before to be near you.
May we see their example and chase hard after you.

God of all the saints, both known and unknown,
in faith many have given up all they had, to gain what could never be taken away.
in faith many have left their homes, to seek their true home with you.
in faith many have praised you through trials, tribulations and heartache, because they know your love.
In faith many have loved when they could have hated, fought for justice when they could have walked away, and spoken up when they could have remained silent.
in faith many have accepted persecution, mistreatment, and even death.
May their example be for us a light in all our dark places causing us to cling to you in all things just as they have done before us.

God of All,
You have surrounded us by a great cloud of witnesses,
we are not alone and many have walked the paths we now walk.
We thank you for each of them and pray that you would be near to us just as you have been near to them.

Amen.

If you are interested in another prayer for All Saints Day here is a truly wonderful prayer for All Saints Day written by the wonderful Christine Sine.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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4th of July: Random Thoughts from an American Expat

July 4th, 2010

My husband and I have lived in Prague for three and a half years now. I have lived in Prague longer than I have lived anywhere else since High School. We love living in Prague, but there are plenty of things we love about America too. Living in a foreign country has given me a totally new perspective on my own native home.

I love America more because of the time I’ve spent away from her. I respect America more because of the time I’ve spent away from her. I am embarrassed by America more because of the time I’ve spent away from her. I worry about America less because of the time I’ve spent away from her. My feelings towards my home country are far more diverse, varied, and broad then they ever were before I left.

In some ways living overseas has made me much less nationalistic. People are people no matter where you are. Nations don’t really matter. Nations rise and fall. People are what really matter.

But, living overseas has also made me more patriotic. People may be the same wherever you are, but societies are different. Cultures are different. Those differences can be stunningly beautiful and so incredibly valuable.

Random Things I’ve realized about America/Americans/American culture since living overseas:

  • Americans have the best “can do” attitude in the world. Ok, maybe not in the world, but definitely in contrast to the Czech Republic, where the favorite phrase seems to be “not possible” or “no”. As Americans we value making things happen and we are often willing to think outside the box and compromise in order to make things happen for ourselves and for others. That’s not necessarily the case in the rest of the world. I often miss this kind of positive thinking.
  • Everything is available everywhere all the time. There are localists who would say this is a negative thing, but I have to admit that I really miss this about the states.
  • American news coverage is often self-centered and biased. I knew that before moving, but you realize it anew when you are abroad. When people talk about the latest news here it’s not just what’s going on in their own country its stuff that’s going on all over the world. News will always have biases, but the biases seem less intense in news sources from outside the US.
  • The English language is a beautiful thing and I have learned to appreciate it so much more living in a non-English speaking country.
  • The stereotype about Americans being loud is often and generally true, but this isn’t always a bad thing and there are a lot of other loud people as well. British guys in Prague for a stag party have a tendency to be far louder than any group of Americans.
  • Americans in general are truly friendly people. We smile at people we meet, and we enjoy small talk. Sure, not every American does, but on a whole as a culture we do. This became strikingly clear living in a culture where that is not true.

Ok, so there could definitely be more to this list, but these are the first few things that came to mind.

How about you? Have you traveled outside of the US? If so where to? And did you learn anything about your own culture while there?

Happy 4th of July everyone. I hope your day is filled with fireworks, fresh strawberries, BBQ’s, hanging out with friends and family, and lots of gratitude for the positives and the beauty that is American culture.

Rejoicing in the journey-
Bethany Stedman

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