Cooking with Ina Garten

Tonight I made one of Ina Garten's recipes... with a few changes of course.  I made Zucchini Gratin, only I'm pretty "free form" about following a recipe like this one.  Ina's recipes are always amazing, but sometimes I don't have her ingredients on hand (like gruyere cheese) and I just like playing around with things.

These are the ingredients:  Full recipe with all the instructions 

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for topping
• 1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced (3 large)
• 2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup hot milk
• 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup grated Gruyere
  
  
  I used 2 zucchini and 2 yellow squash and a red onion rather than yellow ones, all sliced up super fine on the mandolin.  I used a pint of whipping cream instead of the milk and put in a block of Monterey Jack and one of Extra Sharp White Cheddar and topped it with Panco instead of bread crumbs.  Then I remembered that I had some nice crispy bacon in the fridge, so I threw that in.  Mercy... it came out of the oven all hot and bubbly... I knew it was going to be good.  Actually, it ran over in the oven and so the kitchen and family room at my house had a bit of a smokey haze for a while but everything that was still in the baking dish was fine.  And I'm going to replace this range, so I'm not even going to bother to clean the burnt stuff on the bottom of my oven.
  
  
  My neighbor brings me trout, fresh from the stream in West Virginia.  He is quite a fisherman and neither he nor his wife will cook them so he brings them to me.  Six this time, I haven't even finished all of the last 12 he brought, eight of them are dressed and in my freezer.  Tonight I cooked two of them "Trout in Cartoccio" style sort of like this recipe but without the additional veggies.  It's pretty simple, the fish bakes inside a parchment bag with some fresh lemon, a spring onion, thyme, salt and pepper, white wine and olive oil.  I used foil instead, so there wasn't quite the "OOOh AAAAh" kind of presentation that the parchment is... but when poaching/steaming/baking two whole fish with the bones in... well... it's going to need a little attention before serving anyway.  And who do I need to impress?  (nobody.)   
  

  
  When the fish comes out, lift the top skin and gently lift off the top meat.  Then lift out the entire rib cage, believe it or not most of the pin bones will lift right out with the ribs.  Then just lift the rest of the meat from the skin and top it off with some pan juices.  This takes only a few minutes and can be done quickly while the fish is still hot.  I've done it before the creature was cooked and it takes FOREVER to get the critter out of it's skeleton, believe me!  Especially getting those pin bones out!  And it takes a fraction of the time doing it this way. 
  
  I made green beans almondine and baked a few biscuits and hubs stirred together an impromptu version of tarter sauce.  He used good mayo, pickles chopped fine and some garlic and a little Worcestershire.  It was quite good.
  
  We were both too stuffed to even consider dessert.  And I'm not hungry anymore.  I suspect that was the point.  (Though perhaps overdoing it like I did wasn't exactly the point.)
  
  

  

  
   I've made some small quilts today, photos coming.  And I also got word back from the Doc that I am no longer anemic, so that's really good news.  I need to try to take it easy but I'm not doing a very good job at that.  There is much to be done before I take my work to the gallery on Monday for my one woman show May/June.  Time is tick-tocking right on by, but that's OK.  I've got enough glass and dyed scarves for the exhibit, and I'll be finishing up the rest of the textiles this weekend.  I have a ton of details to finish up... it will all come together.  Somehow it always does.
  
  

  Happy Creating

  (and happy cookin!)

  -Carmen Rose

Randy Shenk, Liturgical Artist

I wanted to show another piece from Randy's exhibit Sunday.  This one is a fountain and it is very cool.

The sign to the side reads: "Handwashing. At this station enjoy the ancient ritual of hand washing (cleansing) as you feel the cold water and hear the sound of running water. Or... experience serving by asking a friend if you can wash their hands." This sculpture is located near the door of the sanctuary and people stop there on the way in. A few nice white fluffy towels are provided.

The fountain itself is a pair of hands with the water coming from them and through the fingers to the chunks of marble in the bowl.

I love the way this is such a multi sensory piece. It's a sculpture of metal, but there is the water element that makes it even more tactile, then of course the sound of running water. I works beautifully as liturgical art, designed to enhance the worship experience. I just think it's VERY cool!

Randy's Facebook fan page

I find myself struck on many levels by this kind of work and I'll keep sharing different pieces with you as I get the chance. I'm a fan!

Happy Creating!
-Carmen Rose

The Quilt Inspired by a Vase

This quilt top that I made the other day... (colors not true)

Today I quilted it and combined it with one of these dimensional frames.... (These have glass and the artwork is raised about a half inch off of the surface and there is a spacer so that the quilt is still not touching the glass.)

This resulted in this piece:

And here it is with the vase that inspired the color choice... a vase that I glazed sometime last year. I LIKE them together! These will be fun to use in my exhibit on Monday.

Happy Creating,

-Carmen Rose

Randy Shenk, Liturgical Artist

I went to an art opening Sunday afternoon in Harrisonburg.  Randy Shenk, my brother, has long worked with a group from his church at a worship service they call "Misso Dei" which they call "an ancient future worship service."  Basically anything from the traditions of the Christian church is fair game, from incense to a live band... it makes a very multi dimensional worship service.  He creates an artwork nearly each week that goes with the theme of Pastor's message.  One piece that has been central over time has been this large chunk of wood in a Celtic cross.  From week to week the carving may progress, or it may not... I wish I could show the detail but the lighting in that place wasn't great for taking photos.  I'll share some other photos from that exhibit along the way here, and maybe some of the things he writes about his work.  Randy is a gifted artist and it was so fun to see how people interacted with his work (and with him) at the opening.  I look forward to bragging on him more in the future! 

Find him on Facebook:  Randy Shenk, Liturgical Artist

Bethany Christian vs. Northridge (Middle School Match)

It was a really interesting day against Northridge Middle School. We had only two practices and a grand total of zero players who have taken lessons, outside of the one who has come to Bethany's summer "Bright Time" camp. And yet, we had a very successful day on the courts.

The most encouraging matches were turned in by 6th grader Thomas Schlabach and 7th grader Ethan Miller. Both were playing singles, at the #2 singles and #3 singles spots. Both were the only ones to win their first round matches, which pitted the best from Northridge against the best that we had available to play.

I say that we had available to play because a full 16 of our players weren't able to make the trip, as they were participating in the MS drama and had to stay back. It will be exciting to have the full compliment of players soon.

As the day wore on, players got to play second round matches as well, and the wins started to be more regular as players found opponents that they matched up well with. Tanner Fervida and Young Kwang Sun enjoyed a fun second doubles match in which they took a nice lead, only to see it slowly whittled away, before finally overcoming their opponents.

As people got into third match-ups, we began to win quite easily. Almost every player ended up winning one of their matches on the day. That is great, because we fielded a young team made up completely of 6th and 7th graders. There is great potential in a lot of these players, and I can't wait to see them continue tennis!

Scores

#1S - Sol Brenneman (7) - 1-8

#2S - Thomas Schlabach (6) - 8-5

#3S - Ethan Miller (7) - 8-6

#4S - Jack Erlacher (6) - 2-8

#5S - Jack Erlacher (6) - 6-1

#6S - Tanner Fervida (7) - 6-2

#7S - Young Kwang Sun (7) - 6-0

#1D - Trent Yoder (7)/Cristian Romero (7) - 0-8

#2D - Tanner Fervida (7)/Young Kwang Sun (7) - 1-8

#3D - Alex Reinhardt (6)/Ian Bomberger (6) - 0-8

#4D - Neel Bhagat (7)/Aadarsh Patel (6) - 2-8

#5D - Dylan Clark (6)/Elijah Lora (6) - 1-8

#6D - Trent Yoder (7)/Cristian Romero (7) - 8-0

#7D - Tanner Fervida (7)/Young Kwang Sun (7) - 8-5

#8D - Alex Reinhardt (6)/Ian Bomberger (6) - 3-6

#9D - Dylan Clark (6)/Elijah Lora (6) - 3-8

#10D - Neel Bhagat (7)/Aadarsh Patel (6) - 6-0

#11D - Sol Brenneman (7)/Ethan Miller (7) - 6-1

#12D - Trent Yoder (7)/Cristian Romero (7) - 6-2

#13D - Sol Brenneman (7)/Ethan Miller (7) - 6-0

#14D - Alex Reinhardt (6)/Ian Baumgartner (6) - 6-0

#15D - Neel Bhagat (7)/Aadarsh Patel (6) - 5-4

Framing more Mini Quilts

I've been looking around for projects to finish up to make my "one woman show" coming up next month. (Next MONDAY to be precise! EEK!) I discovered these four small quilt tops, fused but not quilted.

Misde wanted to help me photograph these, wasn't that nice of her?

I found these frames at TJ Maxx ages ago and when I realized what could happen when a mini quilt was glued on over the artwork... I bought all they had.

So when you put these ready made frames together with these mini quilts...

Then the artist tends to get happy.  Check out how dimensional they are:

Yeah, I like that!
(I should have tweaked the color, they look a bit washed out in these two photos.)

I was back at UVA today for a post op check up.  I'm doing pretty good, still not 100%, Doc tells me maybe another two weeks before I can expect to get my strength back.  They took blood to see how I'm doing with the anemia.  I'm trying to be patient... but putting recovery and prep for a featured artist exhibit together on the same schedule... well... it's not exactly working for the show or the recovery.  Here I am again, pulled in a variety of directions.  I am beginning to think it's the story of my life!  Do you ever just want to stomp your little foot and tell the world to just stop spinning for a dad-blamed second?!  Yeah, I do.

On the way back from my doctor's appt, I stopped by Waynesboro for a little shopping.  I was doing it mostly for the exercise, and because I'm always so happy to get out of the house these days that I have trouble going home before I've had a little adventure, somehow, some way.  Today I happened in the door of Ross, (like TJ Maxx) and I always check the cheesy reproduction "art" section for frames for quilts...  

GUESS WHAT I FOUND?!  

More of these dimensional frames!  I'm so tickled!  I snapped up all they had!  (Only four)  I may have to take a day and just drive to all the TJ's and Ross's in reasonable distance just to see if I can find more of these!  (Put down those car keys, step away from the car!)

Time to get back in the studio again, time's a tick tockin right on by.

Happy Creating,
-Carmen Rose

Wednesday Opponent Overview

All Time Record vs. Churubusco: 17-3

Classic Matches:

Mikey Kelly/Seth Krabill vs. Alex McDowell/Ryan Mey; 2009
While the team match was pretty straight forward for the Bruins, with easy wins at the other positions, this match-up was beautiful tennis. McDowell and Mey ended the season as All-District performers, and while Mikey and Seth usually played singles, this match provided some fun. Mikey and Seth ended up on the losing side, but it took three sets and they looked the equal of the All-District crew.

Top Players over the Years: Ryan Mey, Alex McDowell, Andy Schemm, Elliot Gaff

Last Season Result: Bethany Christian 4, Churubusco 1

Returning Varsity Players:
#1S - Brandon Wormcastle (lost to Ben Mast, 0-6, 0-6)
#2S - Andrew Biddle (lost to Russell Klassen, 0-6, 0-6)
#2D - Jesse Lich/Grant Stephen (lost to Kyle Miller/Austin Loucks, 1-6, 0-6)

Top Returning JV Players:
None.

Outlook:
The outlook here has got to be an easy win. We almost blanked all of their returning players, and those matches were won by underclassmen for us (with the exception of Austin). Mey and McDowell were very good competitors, and Jesse Lich and Grant Stephen made Austin and Kyle play, but their is always inexperience in the mix here. Hopefully the Busco team will have a full complement of players for us to battle against in 2010.

Cooking with Ina Garten

I was hungry today for curried chicken salad and I looked up Ina Garten's recipe and tried it again. The recipe can be found here and it's very simple (and VERY good!)

 Roast the chicken with salt and pepper.  That's easy, I roasted it at 350 and left it in until my meat thermometer comes out at 150 degrees.  I saw that Emeril Lagasse cooks chicken until 140 and most places say 165 (just a liability issue) but Emeril said he liked his chicken moist.  I can't stand underdone chicken but 150 was perfect for this and the meat really did retain it's moisture.  No more over-cooked chicken for me! 

Then let it cool and chunk it up.  It crumbles some as it gets stirred up so there is no point in going overboard on this step. 

Then ya throw in the good stuff:  Mayo, Major Grey Chutney, curry powder, and celery for crunch.  Oh, and don't forget the salt and freshly ground black pepper.  I had red wine but no white wine, so instead I just included the rest of the broth from the pan I baked the chicken in.  A good vinegar would work here also.  Ina puts this all in the food processor and makes it all smooth before adding it to the chicken.  And that is ideal.... however...  Life is short, and I just threw it all right in and gave it a gedge.  (That's a Rachel Ray term for stirring, can you tell I had Food Network on in the house yesterday?) 

Ina Garten's recipe called for scallion, raisins and cashews... I garnish it with grapes (instead of raisins) and spring onions (close enough.)  I sprinkle those on top mostly because they look lovely, but also because these ingredients don't hold up so well if there is some left for the next day so I prefer to have them separate.  I ate all the cashews in the house, so sadly I could not pile those on top yet.  They really are wonderful in this recipe.  If you want to know how much of something to throw in, consult Ina Garten's recipe.  I tend to dump till it looks right and then make adjustments as needed.  Which reminds me, I should add curry powder and cashews to the grocery list.

This would make a lovely main dish for a picnic, then add veggies, crisps and other fun picnic foods.  This time I just served it as a one dish wonder.  (With iced tea made from garden mint and lily of the valley from the poison ivy patch on the table.)  The only comment from the peanut gallery was that it "needs bread or something."  (G, think he's spoiled?!)  It would be good in a wrap or as a chicken salad sandwich, no doubt about that.  I love the combination of the sweet Major Grey Chutney against the curry flavors... YUM!  And yeah, I meant to make fresh biscuits to go with it and just didn't get it done.  But I have leftovers, so there is still time for that.

Best Dishes, (with a nod to Paula Dean)
-Carmen Rose

Tuesday Traditions : The Rundown

As I see it, we have a lot of tradition. And that certainly is a good thing. Today I sat down to make a list, and this is what I came up with...

Match Traditions
- Prayer
- Team Cheer
- Sarasponda

Season Traditions
- Praying the Lines
- Midnight Practice
- Magic Wand
- Night Out

Team Camp Traditions
- Hide and Go Seek
- Pizza King
- Speedball
- Devotions
- Shower Races
- Ruby Tuesday?

So there's a list for today. Next week, we will delve into some of the great stories that come from these traditions. Any favorites? Any requests? Any stories that have to be told? Leave responses in the comments, maybe I'll write about your favorite story!

Middle School Minute

Two more sessions of practice yesterday, two more winners to a game, one big match coming tonight.

Practice was alright, but both groups lacked a bit of the energy that we had last week. It seems to have been a long day. We talked about the form of the serve (racquet back, follow through to your target) and played a couple of games. Sol Brenneman and Hans Miller ended up winning our two sessions of "King of the Court."

So that will place them high for the match tonight against Northridge. We play them at 4:30. It will be interesting, because we're missing more than half of our team as they participate in the play. Oh well...

Framing a Mini Quilt

I had a hair brained idea the other day, why not put this ready made frame together with this small quilt:


And when I tried it, I LIKED it!

Now this is one of my new favorites. Now whether or not I'll ever let it leave my house, I do not know. Right now I think I'd just like to enjoy it myself for a while.

I love the dimensional quality of this frame, I came across it by accident and bought all I could get my hands on.  I love the look of a small framed quilt.  So... I think it works. 

Happy Creating,
-Carmen Rose

Trying to Find my Groove...

I had begun to wonder if my creativity had gone on vacation without me... I was really struggling to get back in the studio.  I wanted to sit on the sofa, or perhaps clean out my fridge, do the laundry and make my kitchen sparkle... but I was having a dickens of a time doing *anything* at all in the studio.  However, getting back into the swing of things is not optional as I have a one woman show that I need to go hang on Monday the 3rd.  Time is ticking away.  Thankfully I was able to look through some of what I have created in the last year and see some things that I wouldn't mind sharing with the public, so that took some of the pressure off.  I still have time to churn out a few things... so I'm hopeful that I can pull this one out of the hat.  We'll see.

Saturday, in between all the housework, I forced myself to spend some time in the studio. It was an exercise in futility as I created this piece.

Only one little problem: I hated it.

I came back to the studio this afternoon looking for redemption I suppose... and ripped apart that thing and created this pair instead:

Much better. They are not quilted yet, but I'll get there.

I saw these at the store and picked them up:

The part where the cheesy photographs are is raised, and I think it will give the quilts a bit of a dimension and yet they are still are covered with glass.  I shall take them apart and place my quilts in there instead of the photographs and put them all back together.  I think it will work, we shall see.  It's always an experiment around here.  Sometimes it works, and sometimes not so much.

Physically I am still struggling to get my strength back.  For the past two days I've been back on some pain meds because I've overdone it a bit.  It just seems that the ol bod is not ready for me to get back to work, and yet my one woman show is there on the calendar... and I feel the demands of putting together a good show.  Soo... I work some and rest some.

It felt good to create something after at least a month out of the studio.  My surgery was the 31st of April and I wasn't putting out much of anything for quite a while before that.  With my choice to end the adoption process and then surgery and everything else, I sat down the other day and wondered why I felt so tired and then had to laugh at the very question!  Why am I tired?  G, I wonder!  Once my show is up maybe I can give myself a few vacation days where I'll do nothing but read a book cover to cover.  Or get an appointment with my massage therapist or something, that sure sounds nice!

My grandmother was known for mispronouncing some words.  When my aunt was recovering from back surgery, she was back to work fairly quickly and Nannie often said that if she didn't take it easy that she would become an "envelope."  The word she intended was "invalid" but she always pronounced it "envelope."  No worries, I shall push myself here and there, but certainly not to the point that I become an "envelope!"  Though if you want to wrap me up, stamp me and ship me to Costa Rica... be my guest! 

Just trying to find my groove,
-Carmen Rose

Monday's Important Things

"The one who is interested in gaining knowledge is asking questions!"

Part One: Goodness

2 Peter 1:5-8
"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. "

You have to start with goodness, concern for the good of all. Without it, anything else will get lost in the void of selfishness. But it is not enough to stay stagnant, maturity is about learning and growing. And learning is the very next step. To your goodness, add knowledge.

For faith, knowledge can go two ways. There is knowledge of what God is doing, who God is, how God acts and then there is knowledge of how we fit into that. Because God created the world and is constantly working to caress the world back into God's original intent, we need to have knowledge of what that intent is and how we can work with God to bring it about.

This is why we read the Bible, this is why we practice spiritual disciplines like prayer and silence, this is why we go to a church service and listen to a sermon.

We are a people called to learn and know.

In knowing the ways that God works, we find confidence in our own lives. We start to know what we are supposed to be doing, and we can find our purpose in that. But this never happens if we stay ignorant. If we don't seek knowledge of God, we will always be pushed around by whatever immediate interests there are at hand, by our own selfish desires, by the devious control of others. Only in knowing can we stand firm with purpose.

And it's the same in tennis, knowledge gives confidence. It allows you to know that you really are doing what is best, as determined by the work not only of yourself, but thousands of coaches and players over decades. When you know the right form, you can be confident that your thousands of serves hit in that form are taking you toward something better. When you line up your aggressive short ball and pound it crosscourt, you know that this strategy has been developed through years of learning, testing, thinking and practicing.

It gives you something firm, a plan with which to attack, instead of just flying by the seat of your pants. Knowledge creates a framework for you to work and build within.

So, whatever area of life, we should be pursuing knowledge. But what does that look like, how can we know if we are pursuing knowledge? That's pretty simple, the one who is interested in gaining knowledge is asking questions! Asking questions is key to maturing and growing as a player and a person.

Daniel Buschert is the king of asking questions. He'd miss a shot and immediately want to know what he did wrong. He'd lose a point in a challenge match and ask me what he should have done. He'd come to practice wondering what lineups were going to be like, what Jared had to do to beat Jonny on a consistent basis, what conditioning exercise the team needed to do better on... he asked a ton of questions.

Because he wanted to improve. He never settled for just where he was. Questions indicate desire.

So, what are you asking questions about? Your grip, your swing, your strategy, your faith?

We will be a team that desires to know. We will be a team that asks questions. And because of this knowledge, we will have a framework of faith, form and strategy upon which we will grow.

Win at Love

READ: 1 Corinthians 13:8a
THINK: What does it mean that “love never fails?”
PRAY: For our team to win at love.

Love never fails.

I cannot guarantee you’ll always play your best. There will be matches where you will fail to bring your “A” game. There will be times when you won’t be able to hit a first serve in consistently. There will be days that are frustrating during the season.

But love never fails.

I cannot guarantee my coaching advice will always work. I may be confusing, I might be wrong, I might have no words to help. I’ll try my best, but sometimes nothing will help your improvement as a tennis player.

But love never fails.

I cannot guarantee that you won’t get hurt during the season. On our best team ever, Luke and Johnny played most of the season with significant injuries. How much better would we have been if they were 100% healthy? Who knows? But your health is not a guarantee.

But love never fails.

I cannot guarantee our on-court success, wins and losses. Our win total will come based on how hard we work, but I can’t tell you we’ll win the Sectional even if we work our hardest. Even if we pray our hardest, God isn’t obligated to give us everything we want. It may turn out to be a great season for us, but I can’t tell you for sure.

But love never fails.

If anything but love is your goal this season, you may end up disappointed. But if love is your goal, and the team’s goal, this season will be unbelievable. Friendships will be forged, brothers will be made, stories will be lived and then the memories told and retold. With smiles, with contentment, with a peace that comes from doing it the right way and never looking back.

This season, we will win.

We will win at love.

Love

READ: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
THINK: Which of the qualities of love describes you? Which does not?
PRAY: For our team’s success to judged on how well we love.

At the pinnacle of Peter’s maturity flow chart of a verse is love. Honestly, it is the pinnacle of many things in Christianity, perhaps culminating in John’s famous statement that God is love. How can it get clearer than that?

Yet, love is often very misunderstood in our culture. We use it to describe a feeling that we have toward a girlfriend, parent or pet. We use it how much we like something. But really love is about motivation and action, what you say and what you do. Ultimately, love is about service.

The characteristics of love in 1 Corinthians should look very familiar after studying 2 Peter this week. Look at the 1 Corinthians verse again. Love isn’t self-seeking? You mean it seeks the good of all? Right, just like the goodness that we talked about on day one. Love always perseveres? Check. We covered that on day three. Love is kind? Perhaps like the brotherly kindness and family atmosphere that we thought about just this morning. Love is really a culmination of many characteristics and the actions that flow from those. If you are practicing the things that we have contemplated this week, then you are practicing love.

Notice that I say practicing there. Not “if you are thinking about how to persevere.” Love requires the action. Without the action, it is nothing.

So how will we put it into practice? We will sacrifice. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” Jesus says. And so we will put others ahead of ourselves and go out of our way to serve them.

We will volunteer to go fetch balls that we didn’t hit over the fence.
We will lay off the people who annoy us and refuse to make things worse.
We will begin to recognize when we are being annoying and learn the service of silence.
We will offer encouragement when needed, even taking our attention off of our own games for a moment.
We will be patient with our beginners, those who can’t keep the rally going.
We will be kind to those who have an obvious flaw in their swing, or in their personality.
We won’t boast or brag when we win a challenge match over a teammate.
We will delight in the success of each other.
We can learn to be a team that is aware of one another, and willing to go out of our normal pattern to love.

Perhaps we’ll love tennis as well. Make a sacrifice of our time to get better at a game we enjoy. Maybe it will be sacrificing our effort, our attitude, our energy to focus better in a practice or match.

We’ll probably love our opponents as well, our “enemies.” We will call the game fairly, sacrificing any advantage we could give ourselves. We will compete with great attitude and effort, no matter the score or situation. We’ll be respectful despite any way that they treat us.

And the season will be a success. I know for sure that if love is the goal, we will succeed.

We will be a team of love, of sacrificing self for others. We will be men of patience, humility, hope and trust. We will persevere. We will mature throughout this season into men of love.

Godliness

READ: Matthew 5:48
THINK: Do you see being like God as a burden or something to strive for? Why?
PRAY: For our team as we seek to move along a path of maturity.

We have considered the good of others, filled ourselves up with knowledge, controlled our actions as to follow through on what we've learned, and then persevered even when things get difficult.

And now we are to have godliness.

The word godliness comes come the Greek word eusebeia, which literally means reverence toward God. Reverence meaning to place as the number one priority. In other words, this "godliness" is that in all things, behaving like God is the number one priority.

This has many different applications to it. It has as many applications as there are characteristics of our Lord. For example, one of God's great characteristics is giving. Our Lord is eternally generous. Therefore, in all situations, we are to be generous and giving. For example, a JV player needs assistance on their serve. We are to be generous and giving with our time, stop and help them. For example, we are unsure of a line call. We are to be generous and giving to our opponent. For example, a teammate runs out of money for food at team camp, we are to be generous and giving with our help, and money, if possible.

God has more awesome characteristics as well. God is love. God is hope. God is peace. God acts on behalf of the weak. God speaks truth and honesty. God is love. These and more are part of the process of godliness, reflecting these values.

Hopefully, as we have gone through this maturity process, we have gained knowledge of what the Lord is like. Hopefully, as we have learned to control ourselves, these values and characteristics are things that we have learned to practice. Hopefully, as we have gone through trials and difficulties, these actions have been practiced even when not its not easy. Hopefully, then godliness is something that begins to flow naturally from us.

We begin to forgive others when they get on nerves instead of reacting in spite. We give our time and energy to the best player and to the worst player. We react to losses with hope instead of desperation. These are just a few ways that we might see ourselves placing God as a number one priority.

The more we get to know God, the more we practice his values with thought and intention, through the rough spots, then the more it becomes our character. We then become defined by godliness.

Christian simply means "little Christ." Each one of us bears that because of the school we have chosen.

We will be like Christ this season, as we learn to let the very nature of Christ define who we are and how we react.

Brotherly Kindness

READ: John 17:20-22
THINK: What would it mean for our tennis team to be “one?”
PRAY: For the unity and brotherhood of this team.

While we begin the maturity process by realizing there is more to life than ourselves, it takes a little while to put that into practice. But now, in the end of the process, we are back around to specifically focusing on others again.

Brotherly kindness (the Greek word is Philadelphia) is literally treating others as if they are family. We extend the kindness to others that we would extend to family.

Another way of saying this might be: we extend our family.

I see the tennis team, throughout the years that I've been coaching especially, as one large brotherhood. You are all my little brothers. I want to see you succeed in tennis, my heart rises and sinks with your matches as it did when I watched my own brother compete.

And I care about more than just tennis in your lives as well. I want to spare you from the heartbreak of bad decisions, support you through your worst times, and celebrate graduation with you. But I'll continue to follow your future success in college, whether playing tennis or not. I love to make contact with players I used to coach: Colin Yoder, Jordan Kauffman, Daniel Buschert, and others.

I tell you this because I hope you will adopt this way of thinking, this brotherly kindness as well. I hope that you will have this family attitude for those who have come before you, who will play with you, and who will play after you. I hope this year's seniors reach out to their little brothers, this year's freshman.

We’re called as Christians to live a life that extends a family type of care to everyone. It is difficult, because there are some people that we don’t like. And we won’t accomplish it all the time. But it doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be on our minds and hearts. And what I’d ask is that today you start small. See the tennis team as a part of your family, then you can work on continuing to extend it when school starts, and on and on through the many years you have left to live!

Tennis brings us together, but we will be a family.

We will look over each other with kindness and concern. We will be brothers.

Perseverance

READ: James 1:2-4
THINK: How do you normally react to difficulty?
PRAY: For you and your teammates, for how we will battle through difficulty, fear and failure.

Last night, we studied about being a team of knowledge and self-control. Being a team that learns and then has the discipline to put our knowledge into practice. As we begin to do what we know is right, we will face difficulty.

Difficulty may come in many ways. One way I’ve seen in the past is DEFIANCE. A prominent member of the team decides that what is important to everyone else, the things that every one else is doing; it's not important to them and they will let everyone know about it. This might be taking practice seriously and working hard to get better. This might be the devotional nature of team camp. It might be my serious commitment to helping us engage the Christian life in a real way. It might be the support of others that they don't want to participate in. This causes a difficulty for the team.

In one of my seasons, we had a prominent member of the team, a senior, decide that working hard in practice was over-rated. They had been successful in the past, didn't need to show up on time for practice, didn't need to actually commit to focusing during drills. At the same time, there were juniors and sophomores who were committed to getting better. This tension was felt throughout the whole season. Could the underclassmen persevere, and stay committed to what they knew was important in the face of defiance?

Another form of difficulty is LOSS. Too many times, we abandon our maturity so that we can win now. We cheat on a line call to win and important point. We stop hitting our second serve the right way because we want to win an early August challenge match. We disregard our self-control and good decision making because we want to do something "fun" with our friends right now. We get caught up in the immediacy of winning, and even more to the point, the fear of losing.

At it's core, perseverance is saying no to fear. Not changing or panicking because we are afraid to lose, afraid of someone who is defying us. Perseverance is a courageous step. It is an ongoing response of faith. Staying committed to the right course of action, even though it appears that you might lose something at the time.

Stay committed to hitting shots with the right form, even though it will cost you some offseason matches. Stay committed to living in love, even though it might require you to make some sacrifices, might even allow you to be taken advantage of. Stay committed to the good of others, even though it might require more of your time and more of your focus.

This spring, I met with your juniors and seniors and simply asked the question, what type of team do we want to be? Their answer was a team that battles. To battle is to persevere. We need this quality of maturity, this season and throughout whatever life brings at us.

We will be a team who stays committed, if for no other reason than we will be a team that refuses to be motivated by fear. Let us choose what is right, let us forge that path, and let us persevere. Let’s battle.

Self-Control

READ: Luke 6:46-49
THINK: Why was the wise man wise in this parable? How are you like or unlike him?
PRAY: For you and your teammates and the ability to learn and mature despite growing tiredness!

And in pursuing knowledge, we arrive at the next step self-control. I don't think I'll waste a lot of words. Self-control is simply making the choice to do what you now know that you should.

If you know that you need to spend more time in conversation with God, schedule some time and do it. If you know that you need to focus during practice to further your game, stop making excuses and do it. If you know that you are to love your neighbor, but you have wronged them, control your emotions and apologize. If you know it is best for the team for you to play #2 doubles instead of #3 singles, adjust your attitude and do your best at it.

Self-control is about bringing action to the knowledge you have gained. It's about doing it. It gives validation to your knowledge and beliefs. If you don't do something, then you obviously don't believe it’s important. Self-control is what helps you to do it.

Like I said, short, simple and to the point.

We will be a team that seeks the best for each other, seeks to know the best way of living and playing, and then puts what we learn into practice.

And that will make for a very joyful and memorable season.

Knowledge

READ: Psalm 46:10
THINK: What questions would you ask God? What would you seek to know?
PRAY: For God to reveal Himself to us throughout this week and season.

You have to start with goodness, concern for the good of all. Without it, anything else will get lost in the void of selfishness. But it is not enough to stay stagnant, maturity is about learning and growing. And learning is the very next step. To your goodness, add knowledge.

For faith, knowledge can go two ways. There is knowledge of what God is doing, who God is, how God acts and then there is knowledge of how we fit into that. Because God created the world and is constantly working to caress the world back into God's original intent, we need to have knowledge of what that intent is and how we can work with God to bring it about.

This is why we read the Bible, this is why we practice spiritual disciplines like prayer and silence, this is why we go to a church service and listen to a sermon.

We are a people called to learn and know.

In knowing the ways that God works, we find confidence in our own lives. We start to know what we are supposed to be doing, and we can find our purpose in that. But this never happens if we stay ignorant. If we don't seek knowledge of God, we will always be pushed around by whatever immediate interests there are at hand, by our own selfish desires, by the devious control of others. Only in knowing can we stand firm with purpose.

And it's the same in tennis, knowledge gives confidence. It allows you to know that you really are doing what is best, as determined by the work not only of yourself, but thousands of coaches and players over decades. When you know the right form, you can be confident that your thousands of serves hit in that form are taking you toward something better. When you line up your aggressive short ball and pound it crosscourt, you know that this strategy has been developed through years of learning, testing, thinking and practicing.

It gives you something firm, a plan with which to attack, instead of just flying by the seat of your pants. Knowledge creates a framework for you to work and build within.

So, whatever area of life, we should be pursuing knowledge. But what does that look like, how can we know if we are pursuing knowledge? That's pretty simple, the one who is interested in gaining knowledge is asking questions! Asking questions is key to maturing and growing as a player and a person.

Daniel Buschert is the king of asking questions. He'd miss a shot and immediately want to know what he did wrong. He'd lose a point in a challenge match and ask me what he should have done. He'd come to practice wondering what lineups were going to be like, what Jared had to do to beat Jonny on a consistent basis, what conditioning exercise the team needed to do better on... he asked a ton of questions.

Because he wanted to improve. He never settled for just where he was. Questions indicate desire.

So, what are you asking questions about? Your grip, your swing, your strategy, your faith?

We will be a team that desires to know. We will be a team that asks questions. And because of this knowledge, we will have a framework of faith, form and strategy upon which we will grow.

Goodness

READ: 2 Peter 1:5-8
THINK: What characteristics do I need to develop to mature?
PRAY: For your heart to be open this week to the goal of maturity.

Camp Verse:
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
– 2 Peter 1:5-8

Day by day we will walk through these traits, mostly two in each devotional. I will try to address both how the characteristic affects faith and tennis. So for day one, goodness.

It's been said by some (Soren Kierkegaard for one, who is a brilliant, confusing, Biblical scholar) that purity of heart is to will one thing: the good in every situation. In other words, whatever situation you find yourself in, you want the best thing possible for everyone involved to happen. This is obviously what God wants, and so it should be what we want to as we strive to be like Him.

Of course, like many Biblical ideals, it is easier said than done. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be attentive to it. The basic idea is the cornerstone of belief and maturity in the Christian faith. To will the good in every situation is simply to face one simple fact:

This isn't about you.

Hard as this is to realize, faith is much more about what we do for others. Sin is nothing more than turning away from faith and going in the other direction, and at the root of every sin, and the root of every thing that makes us head in the opposite direction than God, is selfishness. Just think about the "deadly" sins. Wrath: to want one's own way and attempt to get it through uncontrolled anger. Lust: to want one's own sexual desires fulfilled. Greed: to want money and possessions beyond what is needed. There are more, but you get the idea.

Wanting your own way, this selfishness, almost always leads to the oppression and fear of others as a result. Just think about how American greed affects families around the globe who work under the poverty line to provide us with extra possessions we don't need. Or think of the one who bears the wrath of another. Selfishness tears away at others.

And so goodness is turning away from this tendency to worry only about self. Goodness is putting the good of everyone above the best for you. It is an attitude, an intention, that we all must begin with.

In tennis, this is a huge thing. A selfish attitude tears apart a team and builds stress upon all members of the team. A selfish attitude comes out in wrath towards opponents and teammates, who must live in fear and discomfort or even bear the brunt of the wrath. Selfishness comes out in lust for what others have, their position of #1S that you've always wanted, their brand new K-Factor racquet, or the tennis lessons that they've been taking that you can't afford. These attitudes wear and grate on others, oppress them with stress, and stress affects how we play.

Selfishness also breaks down yourself. The problem is, once you begin to think in term's of self, what is good enough? #1 singles? 6-4, 6-3 wins over good players? Undefeated state champion? Where will you be satisfied, and what will you do if you fail?
What will you do if you fail?

Because you will.

And selfish people will be alone. There will be few there to help after a loss... unless...

Pursuing the good of the team gives you true teammates, but more than that, it takes the pressure off of you.

It takes the pressure off of you.

You don't have to win, because it isn't about you. The more important thing is how do you respond to your teammates. Think about this...

The team match is tied at 2-2, you are playing (or you and your partner), and it is all down to you. You know that if you lose, the team loses. If you win, the team wins. Do you want:

---- A. To know that the team will meet you on the court when you lose, give you a slap on the back. On the way home they will tell you about their favorite points in your match, laugh about how awkward you looked hitting an overhead winner, talk about the next game and how fun that can be. They'll tell you about their match, and you'll listen because you care and want to know their funny stories, their successes, and their failures. You'll arrange to hit on Saturday, because you're all kind of disappointed that you lost and you want to work on your backhand passing shot. They'll stand at the net on a Saturday morning at 9:00 AM and let you pass them over and over and over until you are confident of the work put in. You'll let them serve 50 balls in a row because they double faulted 12 times in their match, which they happened to win, and you're glad because you know that will give them confidence going forward. You leave knowing that you're still disappointed from the loss, but you've worked to put in the time and you've got support and the you will continue to go out and play your best.

---- B. You scream, yell, and curse and no one says anything to you.

Our team will be a team of goodness, of seeking the good of everyone, and it will succeed.

Random Quote

"Our fear of weakness seems to overshadow our confidence in our strengths."

--- Marcus Buckingham, leadership speaker (I saw him at a conference 3 years ago!)

Friday's Thoughts: Alumni Update

A point of pride for me, in assessing the Bethany Christian tennis program's legacy, is the number of players that we have had go on to play collegiate tennis at some level. In the 2009-2010 school year, here are the numbers of players that have played:

NCAA Division III:
Luke Hostetter - Messiah College - #2S & #1D
Johnny Kauffman - Earlham College - #3S-#4S & #3D
Jonny Shenk - Eastern University - #6S & #3D

NAIA:
Joel King - Goshen College - #2S & #1D
Daniel Buschert - Goshen College - #6S & #3D
Jordan Kauffman - Goshen College - JV and some varsity
Michael Steury - Goshen College - JV and some varsity
Matthew Amstutz - Goshen College - JV and some varsity

That's an impressive list, and I expect it to grow. From this year's team, Mikey, Seth and Ben have all received some level of recruiting interest from colleges, with Seth and Ben still having their senior seasons to compete here at Bethany.

So how are our players doing at college?

Our 2005 team members finished out their college careers this fall. Joel King, playing a range of positions, from #4 singles to #2 singles, wrapped up his collegiate playing days with a record of 30-23. In doubles, he reversed that at 23-30. Several times he made dramatic runs in the Mid-Central Conference tournament, taking the higher seeds into long matches and pulling some upsets, but he never ended up with a Conference crown. Michael Steury played two years at Hesston and two at Goshen, and I don't have his Hesston records. At Goshen, he played a total of 4 "varsity" matches, going 1-3 in those matches. It's still pretty incredible for someone who picked up tennis as a sophomore in high school to have played at that level!

Jordan Kauffman is the in the only member of our seniors in 2006 to play at college. Currently, his record is 12-26 at all varsity positions, mostly #6 singles and #3 doubles. This spring, I got to watch Jordan and Daniel Buschert play #2 doubles against Bethel. I was proud of the progress that both players have made, and even though they lost, they had more spirit than any others out on the court. That's sounds hokey, but hearing Jordan give a "c'mon!" while others grumbling and complained their way around the court put a smile on my face.

The 2008 class is loaded with collegiate players.

- Daniel Buschert finished up his first season at Goshen 3-14 in singles, but 8-8 in doubles.
- Matthew Amstutz finished up the season 1-1 in singles, and 1-0 in doubles.
- Johnny Kauffman is currently 5-10 in singles, 6-10 in doubles (though he's won 3 straight!)
- Luke Hostetter is currently 6-7 in singles, 10-4 in doubles (undefeated in his conference!)
- Jonny Shenk is currently 6-6 in singles, 4-7 in doubles (he has also won 4 straight singles matches)

I'm looking forward to hearing stories from these returning alumni this summer. I'm hoping to get to play with some of you this summer, see you playing the current Bethany players, and catch up.

That's the update, have a good Fish Fryday!

Thursday Cartoon: Ben's Dreams

A few things to remember:
- Ben is a Fish Head.
- Kyle and his video group stole (?) "Sheepy" from Ben during Night Out last year.
- Ben used to say "yucky" when he hit a shot in the net.

Click on the cartoon to make it bigger.

The Traveling Jones Theater

And finally, Rachel and Scott of The Traveling Jones Theater: "Anita Reedmore's Rock & Roll Book Report."

Rachel called and wanted to know if I could come right over and snap some publicity photos for the show that she and Scott are working on.  I said "sure!" and made my way up the Massanutten.  It was a fast paced and fun time of working with these two creative people.  Then I sat by the lake and soaked in the beauty of that place since I had some time to kill before a grueling board meeting this evening.

Fun day! And now I'm weary! Rest time, kiddos!

Pleasant Dreams,
-Carmen Rose

Rachel Q

Here are a few more photos from today's photo shoot, this time with Rachel Quagliariello, one of the actors in "Anita Reedmore's Rock & Roll Book Report." 

Isn't she a RIOT?!  (O yeah! And I love her!)  These are some of the quick change costumes for "The Traveling Jones Theater." 

Happy Silliness,
Carmen Rose

Scott Craig Jones

A spontaneous photo shoot today yielded these photos of Scott Craig Jones of The Traveling Jones Theater.

These are costumes from "Anita Reedmore's Rock & Roll Book Report"

travelingjonestheater.com

Here's to a little spontaneous frivolity,

-Carmen Rose