How can I follow Christ when I don't like Christians?

This week I keep asking myself the question "how can I follow Christ if I don't like Christians?" Now it's not all Christians by any means that tick me off. And if you're even reading this post, I'm guessing you probably have been annoyed or mistreated by a few Christians yourself. I think there's a certain subset of judgmental, socially awkward and insecure individuals who do the most damage at any church. Always on their high horses looking down. Sheltered people who know the rules but not the grace of Christianity. A lot of them were raised in a very sheltered atmosphere, but it seems to me that a fear of leaving that safe shelter keeps them from experiencing a lot of things. It's the equivalent of being book smart while completely lacking any street smarts. They know the Bible very well, but they don't understand people. Unfortunately, some people are still feeling intimidated by this group because they might be newer believers and don't know the Bible as well.  To give this subset a name, I'm going to refer to them as High Horse Riders or HHR's. 

The biggest problem with the HHR's is that they have a true desire to serve God, but they usually lack necessary social awareness and are nearly devoid of empathy. They really don't know how to relate to anyone who has made different life choices than they have. This lack of social skills and empathy drives them further up onto their high horses from where they can continue to look down and judge.

The saddest thing is that the HHR's stuck in this cycle realize on some level that they're missing something. I don't know how the church got to a point of nurturing so many socially awkward individuals further into their awkwardness, but here we are. Some feel lonely because they don't know how to connect with anyone. Some are just deep in their own feelings of insecurity that they don't want to admit. They know that as Christians they're supposed to feel whole, healed, loved and accepted. So when they feel less than that, they ignore the emotions. Maybe it's pride. Maybe it's confusion. But it isn't God. God is not calling people to sit on high horses pretending to be the perfect epitome of holiness. He isn't calling them to hide their own hurt.  

If you're not recognizing any of these traits in yourself, you're probably thinking of a short list of people who do these things- you know, the ones for whom you secretly want to slap the smug smiles off their fake faces!

Now, if you were just deeply offended that I would insinuate your desire to slap someone, then GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE! 

In the Bible, we saw these same insecure, judgmental, holier-than-thou high horse riders, and we called them "Pharisees" and "Sadducees." They were the ones calling out Jesus for spending his time with dirty sinners and healing on the Sabbath. How dare Jesus show love and grace to people who weren't already perfect?!

The first step in getting off that high horse is getting over yourself. Get over what people might think of you when you admit that you have faults and negative emotions. Guess what? Most people already knew that about you, but when you admit it two things can happen. 1. People will like you better because you're being authentic, and 2. You can actually process and move past whatever negativity you're experiencing. 

You know that phrase about "the first step is admitting you have a problem"?, that definitely applies here. 

This world does not need one more fake-perfect Christian! We need authenticity. Authentic expressions of our emotions and our problems- even when they seem too ugly to love. God has a deep authentic love for us no matter how deep we are in our own mess. His grace is enough to cover all of us, but the one thing he's waiting for is that we ask for it. So let go of whatever is holding you back. Quit pretending you're perfect-because you weren't fooling anyone anyway! If you really want to serve God, you'll have to know more than the Bible. You need to know people. Go break bread with some heathens!

What to do with itchy eyes

For those of us with itchy,watery, allergy eyes, it can be hard to find relief. Even wearing makeup feels like wasted effort when you're just going to rub your eyes until your mascara flakes and your liners runs!
Here's a couple tips that have helped calm my eyes.

1. Consider switching eye makeup removers if you have a silicone based formula. These are not bad formulas, but they can be irritating to sensitive eyes. They are oil free and usually labeled as "oil free" on the bottle. If your bottle is one that needs to be shaken up before use, it probably has a silicone base. Most brands also have a formula specifically labeled as a "gentle" eye makeup remover. Choose that one if you're eyes are sensitive. Neutrogena, Estee Lauder, and Almay have good gentle formulas.

2. Wash your eyes daily with Johnson's No More Tears baby shampoo or the generic equivalent. Your eyes can hold a lot of allergens in the lash base. Not to mention skin cells and bacteria that collect there, too. Lather a tiny drop of baby shampoo and rub into the lash base on the top and bottom. Rinse or use a wet washcloth to cleanse away the shampoo.

3.  Switch to hypoallergenic mascara. This seems like a simple solution, but a lot of people think all mascara is the same. Lengthening and thickening formulas often have extra fibers in the mascara that make the lashes look great, but it can be extra irritating. Waterproof formulas can also be more irritating-especially because some of them won't come off completely for three days! Gel and gel-mousse based mascaras feel better on the eyes, but not all are completely hypoallergenic. My recommendation would be to try Clinique or Almay because they exclusively make hypoallergenic mascaras. My favorite lately has been Almay One Coat Triple Effect.

4. Give your eyes a day off from contacts and makeup. If you wear contact lenses, take a break and wear your glasses for a day. Let your eyes breathe without anything on them. It'll make it easier to look pretty and dolled up without the rubbing and smudging the next day because your eyes have rested.

Bente's Falafel

Falafel has recently become trendy in the U.S. (It seems to have followed in its big sister, Hummus', footsteps) And in top of being trendy, it's also easy to make it vegan, gluten-free, and dirt cheap! 

I soaked my own chickpeas, which gives it a more authentic texture versus canned which get smoother. Canned is easier for making hummus since that is intended to be smooth rather than the slightest but gritty, but either one works. Try both ways and choose your preference! 

I have modified several recipes into Bente's Falafel. Mine is baked and used a small bit of oat flour so it is free of wheat gluten. I serve it in a pita pocket or on top of field greens. It's wonderful with tzatziki or splashed with balsamic vinegar and feta crumbles. 

My lettuce wraps rival PF Chang's!

It's all hot dish

You can make hot dish with any combination of noodles, potatoes, rice, vegetables, meat, cheese, cream soup...really anything goes! In Minnesota, you could have hot dish every night of the week without eating the same thing twice. Although, most often you'll want to make hot dish to use up leftovers. The above pictures hot dish was made with leftover runza filling,(ground beef, cabbage, and onion) cream of mushroom soup, macaroni, and shredded cheddar.

The Un-dateable Profile Pic

Today's tidbit of wisdom is about online dating. In this day and age, dating online is as common as any other kind of dating. Profile pictures are one instance where you should judge a book by it's cover. After all, somebody specifically chose his profile picture to be his introduction to you. Here are the most disturbing categories of profile pictures AKA the un-dateable list:

-He doesn't own ANY shirts. Every picture has him flexing while using his iPhone to take the pic in his bathroom mirror. Okay, we get it. You workout. You have muscles. I'd like to know that if we go out, you will wear a shirt.

-Only takes pics in the gym. This is not an upgrade from shirtless in the bathroom photos!

-Can't take a pic without a beer in hand. Five different poses with five different drinks? Not impressed.

-Half naked ladies in every pic. It's difficult to picture ourselves as potentially standing next to you when we don't know if you are ever standing without a bikini clad bimbo next to you.

-Child in every pose. What are you trying to illustrate? That you like kids? That you kidnapped this child?

And the winner for most disturbing profile pic is....
-Child ONLY in the pic! Why are people showing pictures of their children/nieces/nephews to strangers on the internet? Give this kid some privacy!