what i want them to know about god

To be honest, I have not taught River much about God. I've told him on a toddler level that God created the world and people and everything in nature and loves everyone very much. We recently started going to a new church and River is retaining everything they are teaching him. Last Sunday he told me about "Jesus' friends waving palms and Jesus rode on the donkey." And he has also shared with me that, "Jesus is God, and God is Jesus," which is not something I have taught him. We occasionally pray and thank God for our food, and some nights we pray for protection or healing and thank God for our family, but we as a whole family do not pray often (this is something I want to change).

It's funny how these are not things I really thought about until I had children. I grew up in a Christian family and Easter was always a celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus. I knew this is how I would celebrate with my own children someday, but I thought very little about how I would actually approach the topic. Actually, I didn't really think about how I would approach teaching about the Bible and God at all. Then, when this little soul was given to me to nourish and grow, I sort of began to stutter my way through mentioning God every now and then and answering questions like, "Who made God?" and "Does Santa live in heaven, too?"

Then I think of the stories that I have helped teach to tiny people in Sunday school, stories about mass genocide and slavery and women being treated as property and the Savior of the world being beaten and nailed to a cross, and when the time has finally come that there is some expectation for me to teach these things to my three-year-old, I am horrified that it is expected that this be shared with my very young child, simply because of the prevalence of these stories to the religious side of Christianity. And yes, I know the story of Christ is what Christianity is based upon, but it doesn't settle with me to yet explain the violence and torture of Jesus or even sin and the whole reason for Christ and the cross. I've barely explained life and death to him, and it is only because of death of a gerbil named Macey.

As our little Christian selves grew up these stories were taught to us to show us God's grace, power, strength, and forgiveness. But then I begin chasing my tail, these simple questions to be answered, not so simple anymore, and making me question the faith I've kept close to my heart for twenty-five years. Though the questions don't shake my faith, they leave me confused and unsure of exactly what to teach my children.

So I think, what do I want my children to know about God, right now? I want them to know that God is Love. That Love is everywhere.

And in the coming years, as they chase their own tails and offer questions that deserve answers, I want them to know that theology is not salvation, and salvation doesn't come by repeating facts; facts don't save people.   That the grace God has is bigger than the grace that be contained by man. That you don't get to heaven by believing a donkey spoke or that gay marriage is wrong or that women shouldn't lead. I want them to know that only God truly knows a heart. That if love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are fruits of the Spirit, to look for the Spirit in everyone. That God said "it is good," and every good and perfect gift comes from above. That people are fallible, and that not everything happens for a reason, but God is patient and full of love.

Facts can wait. But these simple things, I want them to hold onto for the rest of their lives.

artichokes, spinach, & sun dried tomatoes cashew cream sauce

Hands down, except maybe for veggie pizza (I really like veggie pizza), this is my favorite vegan meal that I have been brave enough to make. Ever. I have had a lot of vegan recipes that were very, "Eh, that's pretty good. I'd make it again," but never, "Wait, this is made out of cashews?! This HAS to be bad for me, it's SO GOOD!"

Yeah. That good.

I got the recipe from The Gluten-Free Vegan. It seems like a lot of gluten-free recipes rely on cheese or milk (I mean, who wouldn't, it's delicious), and a lot of paleo recipes are meat-based and allow no grains. I want meals that are more plant-based, and hello, I like grains. So I've come to love this blog. I'm often looking for creative, meatless meals, but if I want to add meat to the recipes, I can. But at least I'm getting gluten-free, dairy-free, plant based meals for inspiration. 

The recipe really only calls for four main ingredients: cashews, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and artichoke hearts. And I'm going to assume most people have onions, garlic, and dried parsley on hand. So, vegan and delicious as it is, it doesn't call for any wonky ingredients or a talented hand at cooking. 

Here, I can buy cashews in the bulk section for $12.50 a pound, so I was a little wary of how much this was going to cost. Lucky for me, they were on sale for $9.99, and I got exactly one cup which cost only $3.50. Already, that's cheaper than making a cream sauce with wine, butter, and corn starch, or cream, butter, and Parmesan cheese.

As with most recipes, I adjusted it a bit to fit with what we had on hand, and that is the version I will share here. For the original recipe, visit The Gluten-Free Vegan. Alright, that's enough rattling on about the recipe... I hate it when people do that! Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 cup of raw cashews

1 1/2 cups of fresh water

1 clove of garlic

1 tbs reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes

Half a large onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can of artichoke hearts, chopped (or about 2 cups)

1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp salt

• At least two hours before cook time, soak your cashews. 
• After two hours, drain the cashews. Add the cashews, fresh water, and garlic to a blender, and blend on high for a few minutes until very smooth. 
• Heat the oil on medium heat in a large pot. Saute the onions & garlic until they soften. Add the artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Cook for about five minutes more.
• Add the cashew cream and 1 tsp of salt. Taste it. Trust me, taste it. Isn't that amazing?! Okay, now put down the spoon. You might eat it all if you don't stop. Cook for about 15 minutes on medium low, stirring often. It'll thicken, so just add a little water here and there, totaling one to two cups.

Now enjoy it on top of pasta like we did, or dip your favorite bread in it. Um, or just lick it off the spoon. SO good!