I'll Have The Curry.

Photo by  Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis  on  Unsplash As a kid, I ate a banana before every violin audition or competition I had.  It was inevitable- I would get sweaty palms, shaky hands, and butterflies in the pit of my stomach before my number was called to perform. I was told that eating a banana was supposed to help calm you. I didn’t know why a banana was the cure-all for nervousness (because I really don’t like bananas!) but I was desperate for all the help I could get. If google existed back then, I would have discovered that foods rich in potassium can help regulate electrolyte balance and manage blood pressure. It’s also why they are readily available after a long race. Eating a banana is an easy way (well, only if you like bananas!) to get that much needed potassium to bring your blood pressure down, thus curbing some of those anxiety symptoms.  Instead of telling me to reach for a banana, I wish my violin teacher would have taught me techniques to reduce those feeli

I’ll never forget where I was when I first considered Jesus. It was 2000. I was in Hawaii on an orchestra trip as a sophomore in high school.  My closest friends were on the trip with me, so I suppose it is only natural that we would have more intimate conversations while on a week-long trip to the big island.  Katy started talking about faith, church, and Jesus. As a kid that didn’t grow up going to church, I was unfamiliar with a lot of the things she was saying, but I remember her telling the group that we were sinners, Jesus was the Savior and we needed to have faith in Him alone for salvation.  My 15-year-old brain thought that was ridiculous….and I was a little offended, to be honest, because I wasn’t a sinner! I was a good person. I did all the right things.  I was nice to my friends, followed the rules, and turned in my homework on time.  I didn’t need this Jesus person to do anything for me.  I was doing fine on my own, thank you.  Fast forward a few short m

A Sermon on Micah 6:1-8 written by Carrie Schoenert Houston First Baptist Church of Austin, February 2, 2020 I decided to follow Jesus at youth camp the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school. I didn’t grow up in church, but knew about Jesus, because, well, this is Texas, yall. We’re part of the bible belt. Both of my parents grew up in south Texas, and have lived in san Antonio most of their lives. So, growing up in San Antonio, my mom fell in love with Mexican art and pottery, despite her Czechoslovakian heritage, so when you entered my house, you would see talavera planters filled with yuccas, traditional colorful Mexican fabrics on the tables, hand painted talavera tile mirrors on the walls, Mexican bean pots holding kitchen utensils and  Mexican folk art tapestries hanging as a centerpiece in the living room, where a large family photo typically would be. We rarely had actual photos on our walls, but had unique finds from goodwill decorating our house.