part of the bigger picture

I don’t know if any of you ever visit Stuff Christians Like, but if you’ve never visited it, you should. It’s a blog about the funny things we Christians do. And what they just might reveal about our faith. Like #641: Getting mad when someone interrupts your quiet time with God.

Anyway, this blog got me to thinking about an expression that is often thrown around by Christians that has always struck me as odd.

“I covet your prayers.”

Where did this come from? A quick Bible search reveals to me not a single verse where the word “covet” is used in a positive light. Used to describe sin? Yes. But something we should aspire to do? Definitely not. Then why….why do we think it sounds hyper-spiritual and holy for us to covet prayers? “I know it’s a sin to covet my neighbour’s house, husband, servant, ox, donkey, couch, beautifully landscaped yard, espresso machine, tile backsplash, or anything that is my neighbour’s….but I really have a covetous heart and rather than repenting….oh I know, I’ll covet prayer! That will sound spiritual, won’t it?”

I know, someone’s going to think that was way too harsh. Maybe so. I’m just putting it out there. And I’m not implying that it’s wrong to ask your Christian brothers and sisters to pray for you. I’m just wondering: why use the word covet? I find no one coveting prayer in the Bible.

First of all, don’t ask about the photo. I googled for an image with the phrase, “shampoo in garbage” and this is what I came up with…. :)

After reading on simplemom.net about how to clean your hair without shampoo, I thought it was interesting. It made sense that the reason our hair gets so greasy is because we’ve taught it to do so: the more shampoo you use, the more oil your scalp produces to make up for what you’ve just stripped away. Yeah, there’s the issue of chemicals, and to a degree that concerns me (I guess), but the real kicker for me is that I’m cheap.

I can’t fathom how some women can spend SO much money on their hair care products (cuts are a whole other can of worms….don’t get me started on $200 trips to the salon). But really, just on shampoo and conditioner alone, some will spend upwards of $15/bottle. Are you one of them? Not me. Not ever. $5 is pushing it. So the thought of completely axing shampoo and conditioner from my life is appealing because it will save me money.

Another issue in our house is fragrance. 99% of the shampoos out there, I can’t even bring through the front door. It used to be for the sake of my husband because he had such severe scent allergies, but because I’ve avoided anything with fragrance for so long it seems that I’m even more sensitive to it than he is. If I could get rid of shampoo and conditioner entirely, it would save me a lot of headaches – literally!!

So I’m trying it. Today was Poo Free Day 1. I washed with a baking soda & water solution, and rinsed with an apple cider vinegar & water solution. So far so good! My hair feels incredibly clean and I’m optimistic for what’s to come. I’ll keep you posted.

I grew up with very neat cupboards. My mom has a Tupperware container for pretty much everything. I remember the joy of pulling out the golden yellow canisters filled with flour and sugar, knowing it was time to bake. And out would come the measuring cups, spoons, and mixing bowls. Yes, all Tupperware.

After I got married I was excited to be filling my cupboards with brand new kitchen tools. But some of them….they just weren’t right. Like my measuring spoons. They didn’t have all the sizes Mom’s had, and were cumbersome to handle – they didn’t nest nicely together. Thankfully Mom had two sets and gifted me one. Once I had the right spoons I was even more dissatisfied with my measuring cups, so a little eBay searching found me a Tupperware set that matched my spoons. I was SO thrilled when they arrived!!

That’s how things stayed for the last couple of years, but over the past month or so I have been wanting more Tupperware. I looked on their website and I cannot believe how expensive the stuff is! I’m sure most of my shock was due to the fact that my mom is not a spendy woman. She knows the value of a dollar and will not spend a cent more than she has to for anything. So for me to realize how much money she must have invested in her Tupperware collection was a bit of a shock. But I know she buys quality. Take her cookware for instance. Years ago, someone came to do a demo for her with this cookware. She bought it, and I think Dad almost had a heart attack when he found out how much she had spent. But she’s never had to buy another pot, and I’m sure will never have to. She invests in things worth the investment.

I would love to just buy brand new containers and fill my cupboards with a matching set. As much as I know it would be worth the money in the long run, I just cannot afford it right now. So I spent a couple of hours scouring a few thrift stores today and came out with some awesome finds! They don’t match, but who cares. Each piece looks like something Mom, or Grandma would have nestled in their cupboard somewhere. There’s something so comforting about a cupboard filled with golden yellow, bright orange, and olive green containers :)