Fun fact: I generally enjoy scraping the remaining meat off a leftover rotisserie chicken. I guess that’s how you can tell I’m not a vegetarian?
In any case, it feels productive. And it usually leads to a convenient batch of “homemade” chicken salad. (“Homemade” becauseI didn’t grow the chicken, so saying “homemade” feels a little fabricate-y.)
When making “homemade” chicken salad, one must have the proper proportion and distribution of mayonnaise and seasonings. (Go ahead and BE your fancy self and ADD those cranberries, ma’am! I just decided to keep it simple…and I don’t think we had cranberries.)
The mayo (doesn’t it feel intimate to give an inanimate condiment a nickname?) was added, and it was time to season.
I’m REALLY thankful my body lets me eat salt, because I have a friend who has to pretty strictly limit her salt intake right now, and I was thinking of her as I added my lil pink Himalayan sea salt and other seasoning mix to the salad.
Can you imagine a world with limited–or NO–salt?
I can’t. (I mean, my imagination is prettttty active and I could probably get there, but that’s not the point.)
Salt is great because it doesn’t just change the dish it’s going into; it shines a light on the flavors already in it.
When you make a bowl of oatmeal and put in your typical cinnamon, sugar, etc, adding a pinch of salt actually helps magnify the cinnamon.
When you salt something, everything benefits.
I think I was about 11 when I started thinking of acting as something I wanted to do for my life, and not just as a “thing” or activity.
One of the reasons I wanted to act and, Lord-willing, expand my platform, was to be a godly role model to anyone who watched me.
Now, that’s a lot of pressure, and I am quite imperfect, but that was such a beautiful opportunity in my mind, and I had a theme verse for acting that really helped illustrate that goal for me:
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16
I love the idea of being the person who gets to shine and point people to Jesus. SO cool!
Right before that verse, in Matthew 5:13, Jesus talks about salt:
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
Christians are “the salt of the earth”.
Most times when I read verse 13, I think, “Ok, I like cooking–so salt adds some flavor to the world and kinda makes it more colorful. Cool.”
But it’s more than that.
Because, when the salt does it’s thing and lets loose, the cinnamon gets to shine brighter, too.
But, when the salt loses its saltiness, it’s not only not seasoning the dish; it’s hampering the cinnamon, too.
I recently made a “Happy Graduation” video (#covidlife) for a sweet friend who just graduated high school. In the video, I felt inspired to share what God had revealed to me lately about the “light of the world” portion of Matthew 5: that it instructs/commands us to “let” our light shine.
“Let” as in “it takes effort, so you have to choose”.
I encouraged my friend to be intentional about letting his light shine. Because, for me, it can be really easy to get lazy or scared or a million other excuses and just not let my light shine. Maybe I feel like it needs to be polished first, or I feel like the room’s so dark that uncovering my light would hurt everyone’s metaphorical eyes too much.
Whatever the case, letting that light do its thing is usually prefaced by a decision on your part. And the same goes for salt. I love how Jesus is just like, “Hey, you ARE the salt and light. Like you just are. So what are you going to do about it?”
So? What are you going to do about it?
Mr. Cinnamon down the street is counting on you–his seasoning needs a little extra salt love.
Do you remember my friend Karissa Wheeler? We got to hear from her experience being a Christian and an actress who was moving in NYC in Dream Big: A Chat w/ Karissa Wheeler.
Well, she’s awesome.
And now she’s living in NYC and doing that acting thing. And I’m so proud of her!
Let’s check back in with her to see how her 1-month acting conservatory at Michael Howard Studios went!
. . .
Quinnterested: How long have you been in NYC now?
Karissa: 3 months!
Quinnterested: Tell us about your acting school experience!
Karissa: It was INCREDIBLE!!! I really can’t even put into words how transformative the experience was. It pushed me mentally, physically, artistically and emotionally in all of the best ways. I was able to make lifelong friends as well, which was a cherry on top of the sundae.
Quinnterested: What did a typical weekday look like for you, while you were in the conservatory?
Karissa: I would wake up at 7am to get to the subway station with my friend Connie by 8:10am and then make it to the studio by 9.
We had three classes a day of everything from improv to clown to animal to Meisner to Alexander…all technique focused. It was really all-encompassing and concentrated at the same time. Incredible training and fantastic instructors.
Quinnterested: That’s so cool! Now that you’ve graduated from Michael Howard, why are you staying in NYC?
Karissa: I really feel like the Lord has called me here. I am ultimately just being obedient to what I feel like He’s telling me to do at this time in my life.
Quinnterested: Love it. Ok, how do you balance being in such a busy, wild city with maintaining decompression time for God and yourself?
Karissa: I’m still in the learning process honestly. I’ve surrounded myself with faith-based relationships, so that’s been a huge source of encouragement to stay rooted in the Word. My new church home is FANTASTIC! Worshipping and the teachings on Sundays have gotten me through the past two months. I’m still going through the Annie Downs devotional “100 Days to Brave” which has been encouraging as well. OH! AND THE DAILY BIBLE READING I’m doing with you!
Quinnterested: Yes! If anyone wants to join us in the daily Bible reading, check out the “Read Through the Bible” plan on YouVersion!
Quinnterested: Now that you’re living in NYC, how do you make friends/build community?
Karissa: I was really blessed to have a community through the studio, but outside of that, I have a really good friend, Allie (also from Nashville), who has been the biggest blessing throughout this season! She and I got plugged into an awesome church which has made Sundays our absolute most favorite days. Aside from that, I’ve moved in with some incredible roommates who have taken me in under their wings and showed me so much love. I’m super grateful!
Quinnterested: If/when you have bad days, what do those look like, and what gets you through them?
Karissa: This last week was really difficult. I was coming out of conservatory and didn’t really have a strict schedule throughout the day, so I really had to turn to my community–my family, friends and mentors. I probably called like 5 or 6 of my mentors and kind of word-vomited my feelings. They were all so gracious and supportive, as were my friends and family. My friend Suxin actually drove into the City to have dinner with me which was super needed–definitely a God thing!
Quinnterested: What advice would you give to someone who’s just getting to the city to pursue acting, like you were three months ago?
Karissa: Just do it…get up, go to the audition, go to the class, meet the people. There will be really hard days…and really good days, but you just have to remember why you’re doing what you’re doing. Keep a vision of your purpose and your end goals in mind. Remember your why.
I hope you’re inspired by this sweet friend’s step of faith! I know I am.
I’m thankful to know and be encouraged by you, Karissa!
Hey guys, show Karissa some love and encouragement today!
Each week of the series, we’ll get to hear from someone in my life who…
1. Has a dream
2. Is actively pursuing that dream
We’ll also hear what they have to say on their relationships with Christ, and on the relationship between God & their dreams.
I really hope we all learn from these fabulous people.
(I might be *slightly* biased, but I think they are indeed fabulous.)
. . .
This week’s interviewee is Margaret Tant.
Margaret is a very dear sister-in-Christ to me. We’ve been close friends for about 3-4 years now, and she is such an inspirational, joyful blessing to have in my life.
This was a super last-minute interview, but I’m so glad I got to interview her!
If I may be so bold (I mean, you literally put this in bold, so that doesn’t seem like a problem for you, Q), please stay until the end. We had some very special guests “hijack” the interview, and their responses are quite good.
I love this family.
Margaret as Rebecca Shackelford in Remember the Goal
Setting the scene: We’re sitting in comfy chairs in Margaret’s living room.
Two very active on-lookers/commentators (namely, Margaret’s 14 and 8-year old sisters) join us.
I’m playing my daily Spotify mix in the background. It’s a lively time to be alive.
Quinnterested: What’s your dream?
Margaret: Pursuing film, something to do with music, and [to] write a book someday.
Quinnterested: How do you feel about those dreams?
Margaret: Really excited. I always have wanted to do stuff in politics, but, the more acting I’ve done, I realize that that might be my dream, more than politics.
Quinnterested: Why?
Margaret: It’s just something about singing and acting [that] is freeing–it’s liberating. This is so cliche, but you just can express yourself in a way that you can’t with anything else.
Quinnterested: Why do you think you gravitate towards those creative outlets?
Margaret: Again, it’s cliche, but I like telling stories and being able to recreate characters in my own unique way. Rather than picturing how a certain actor would portray it, I want to portray it in my own way.
Sometimes acting is not acting. I’m learning how to truly act and respond in a way that’s authentic to yourself. Don’t think about how Chris Hemsworth might read this script–think about how you read it.
Quinnterested: How have you seen God open doors for your dreams?
Margaret: Obviously the first big role ever was RTG (Remember the Goal), and that was honestly a God-thing, because it honestly just fell in my lap. I was busy, and my friend just texted me about the audition, and I was like, “I’ll audition.” …I didn’t think I’d get it. That was honestly the biggest door that opened, and I think I also realized my passion for [acting].
And, since then, [another open door is] just having good people around you and a great network who care about you as an actor–my agent is constantly giving me tips.
Quinnterested: How do you take steps to pursue your dreams?
Margaret: I submit for everything I can find that seems good. I use social media a lot to navigate all that. You have to always be on top of it and seek [opportunities] out.
Quinnterested: How do you find the balance between pursuing acting jobs and letting God lead?
Margaret: I feel like it’s really hard to hear [God leading], unless there are certain circumstances where you can see that. If I got the opportunity to do a film but there were scenes that I wouldn’t want to portray, that would probably be my boundary.
Quinnterested: How do you draw those boundaries?
Margaret: I mean, gosh. I wouldn’t want to portray anything that goes against the Bible. It has to line up with biblical principles, and there’s no compromising on that. But that doesn’t always mean just being in the Christian film industry, because I think you can make an even bigger impact in Hollywood.
Quinnterested: What impact do you want to make?
Margaret: Just a positive, uplifting impact. I want to speak truth.
Quinnterested: Tell me more about the book.
Margaret: Good question. I’ve always wanted to write a book of some sort. I don’t think it would be a biography…*Margaret inserts straight-forward comment about how she thinks her life is, apparently, boring (note: it’s not)*…but maybe about an opportunity I had, or about how something impacted me in a certain way. I don’t know what it would be on. *Margaret continues to brainstorm* Or maybe a devotional.
Quinnterested: Has anyone ever discouraged you from pursuing your dreams?
Margaret: Honestly, we’re all our own biggest critics. I haven’t vocalized that dream [of writing a book] to a ton of people, because I know it’s a dream that will probably happen later, because I’m not focused on that right now.
I don’t think I’ve ever gotten flack from people. But, I will acknowledge it’s not an easy process–making your dreams come alive. You can’t really listen to other outside voices–you just kinda have to go for it and ignore those other people.
Quinnterested: What one word/sentence would you share with someone who’s afraid of pursing their dream?
Margaret: We’ve all been afraid at some point of doing something or starting something new. You can either live in that fear for the rest of your life, or just go for your dreams right now, [saying] “If I fail, I fail.” I don’t even like saying it’s failing. Failing is just [part of] the journey. I would just say go for it. We’re all scared of stuff…don’t be afraid of failing. If you are, you’re not gonna go through with what you’re gonna do.
Quinnterested: Anything else?
Margaret: One more thing about fear: Once you push through your fear, it’s very liberating. There’s a lot of freedom on the other side of that. If you get through one fear, your confidence level goes up.
Quinnterested: How does your faith help you be fearless?
Margaret: Most people who are afraid to fail. But your identity is not in your failures, or in what you’re trying to do. Your identity is in Christ. You fail everyday; That’s inevitable. I think [it’s important to] just realize that, at the end of the day, your failures don’t define you.
. . .
At this point, Margaret’s sisters were pretty much answering every question while Margaret was.
So we thought it’d be a good time to turn the tables and hear from them.
Quinnterested: Anything you have to add?
Lauren (14): My dream is to become an EMT, just because I love it and I want to help the world in this way. I don’t care if I’m famous or not. I’m not very grossed out by the sight of blood.
In the future, I think there’ll be more robots working than people. I could totally like go against everything–how they’re going to change the world. If people right now pursue their dreams, some people have dreams that they can actually help the world stay how it is now.
When you want to pursue your dreams, it will help the world, no matter what you want to do. If you want to become a health inspector at a factory–that can really help the world. Do it. Pursue your dream, no matter what it is. *Spoken from the heart* (Lily Kate, Margaret’s 8 year-old sister, sarcastically comments)
Lauren (cont.): Whenever I have a dream, I go for that dream. I don’t let anything stop me.
Yeah, well, you’ll see. If I fail, *I don’t think I have yet* Lauren matter-of-factly comments, I will start again, and then keep trying until I do it.
Like Thomas Jefferson with the lightbulb. *Wait, did he do the lightbulb?* We then pause and have an anxious discussion about who invented the lightbulb.
Lauren (cont.): He tried 100 times, I think, and then, on the 99th time, he got it right. Look at us now: We’d probably lived in a pitch black world. He literally changed the world. If I stick with my dreams, I could change the world.
*Lily Kate (LK), who, technically, was promised an interview before Lauren was, decides to add her questions to the interview mix*
LK: What would your dream be if you could do it at home?
Lauren: Homeschool your kids
LK: Can you go to private school?
Lauren: Yeah, but they’re still not the best place.
LK: What inspired you to be an EMT?
Lauren: Well, I really like the medical field, and I’ve seen a lot of shows where the nurses are stressed out–I can deal with that stress. I could totally operate surgery. Of course, I’d be scared if the patient I’m operating on died, but I wouldn’t be stressed out–I’d be calm the whole time. Calm is way better than stress. Calm is when you’re thinking about what you need to do and it’s good. Stress is when you’re like thinking about what could go wrong. It’s not the best thing to have on your mind when you’re doing a really serious surgery. Obviously I can’t go work in a hospital right now, but, being an EMT right now—you don’t have to be a trained nurse to do it. If you’re in a situation where you see someone who got in a really bad car accident and you can fix that, and the ambulance won’t get there in time and you know they’re gonna die, helping them could either save their life or not do anything. Like, I could be doing EMT work now–hospitals and ambulances are not everywhere.
We snuck in Lily Kate’s interview before she went to take a bath (and to belt loudly, radiating passionate lyrics from the second floor to the rest of the house, while preparing to bath).
Quinnterested: What’s your dream?
Lily Kate (8): To be a famous gymnast. I do [think I can pursue my dream]. Well, I taught myself how to a cartwheel at four and a round off at four.
*Lauren has now taken over asking similar interview questions, so I can focus on typing…or just because she wanted to…Either way, I’ll take it.*
Lauren: How have you taken steps to pursue your dream? [And maybe another question?]
Lily Kate: Right now, I just want to practice it so whenever I am famous, I can be really good and not mess up. Also, I’m trying to save up [money] to turn our toy room into a gym room.
Lauren: [Something about how being a gymnast will affect LK’s life]
Lily Kate: It’ll affect me by a lot, because you can win a lot of stuff, and I like winning.
Lauren: What do you like about it?
Lily Kate: I really like it because it’s risk-taking, which I love doing, but it’s also safe, because you have mats, but whenever you move up you don’t, so that’s the risk-taking part.
*It’s a little spicy. Got a little kick.* Lily Kate comments on the chicken she’s eating on a fork like a popsicle right now.
Lily Kate (cont.): I want to prove to my sister that I’m actually a good decorator for cupcakes.
*I believe that you’re good, but just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean that accidents aren’t gonna happen. If I have this whole blueprint in my mind, I get very–*
*–protective*
*–protective about it…*
*Back to the interview*
Lauren: When you pursue your dream, what is your end goal? Gymnastics is not really life-saving. What are you gonna do with your dream when you live it out?
Lily Kate: Whenever I live it out, I will probably go into more baking than gymnastics. Just because that’s like the only thing that’s keeping me good. I wanna do baking with my free time, because whenever you do gymnastics and you’re in competitions, you have to do a lot of traveling. If I have the time i will probably bake, but it just depends on how many kids you’ll have. Because, if I’m away, then I don’t have to take care of them.
(Inspired by Lily Kate’s matter-of-fact comment on kids, I extended the interview a little to hear about another dream these three sisters all have.)
Quinnterested: This is a little off-topic, but you all want to get married. What do you look for in a future husband?
Lily Kate: Um, funny. And nice. Cute. Someone I like. *Squeaky giggles*
*Good qualities* Margaret comments
Lily Kate (cont.): Someone that I can have in common stuff with.
Lauren: You don’t want to have too many things in common to where all you do is the things you love. You do want to kinda go off-road and try new things. For example, I want to be a mom, bake, and be an EMT. If he likes other things, then I can like choose to go along with those, if I want, but they’re just more options.
Quinnterested: Other qualities?
Lauren: Sarcastic, like me. But not too sarcastic, where you’re not even sure if he’s being sarcastic or not. I am pretty sarcastic most of the time, but sometimes I am serious. Funny….
Definitely a Christian, but some people are like super Christian; Literally all they do is spend their entire day with this routine. We are given a world to enjoy, and we should actually use the things we are given for praising God instead of all the time praying.
I think the best way to end this most-interesting interview is to leave you with an original (at least, that’s what we’ve been told) quote from—you guessed it—Lily Kate.
“Wishes come true, but not all of us live the dream.”
-Lily Kate, 8 years old
Feel free to do with that what you will. Just remember, you’re on this earth for a reason, and God has given/will give you everything you need to do what He has for you to accomplish.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
What’s your dream? Comment below with how you’re pursuing it!
That’s almost precisely what was written on high schooler John Smith’s medical paper.
Not back in Jesus’ time. (But maybe I don’t need to clarify that…”John Smith” doesn’t have the most biblical-ring to it, does it?)
Note: That sort of thing did happen in Jesus’ time of walking on the earth, and you can read about it more in Mark 5. It’s awesome.
But, yeah, this John Smith story was 4 years ago. In 2015.
John Smith is now alive and is living for Jesus.
But, in 2015, he was dead for 45 minutes.
And Jesus, who heard the prayers of one dedicated mother, brought the boy back to life.
It’s so cool to see a movie about modern-day miracles come out on THE MOST miraculous anniversary of all: the weekend we celebrate what we, as followers of the Way/Jesus Christ, base our faith on:
The resurrection of the Savior of the world
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah indeed.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people,and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strengthHe exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms,far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 1:18-21
Go see Breakthrough if it’s playing near you. It’s a vital reminder of the preciousness of life and the power of Jesus and prayer.
Oh, and maybe bring Kleenex.
I’m thankful to serve and celebrate a miracle-working Savior who rose from the grave, just like He said He would. (Mark 8:31)
The dance production I was in just closed last night.
If you read the Blessing of the Bruise story, this is the production we were rehearsing for.
You guys, God was just ALL over this production. Praise God!
It wasn’t perfect by any means, but God showed up for me…and He just blesses my socks (or, should I say tap shoes? *Rolls eyes*) off.
I asked God for a few things during the run of the show, not least of which was for a continued lack of anxiety and the dizziness that came over me at times last semester. (Again, see Blessing of the Bruise)
One night during tech week (for you non-theatrically-inclined-peeps, that’s when we add in technical elements, like lights, microphones, etc., to the production), I was waiting in the wings to go onstage when the beginning feeling of an anxiety/dizziness attack came on.
No. Please, no. That will ruin everything.
When that pre-dizziness feeling comes, it tries to make you think that the dizziness WILL follow. No exceptions.
Except for God.
Instead of giving into that so-tempting feeling, I pressed into God.
Note: I’m not praising myself here–I’ve grown in this area and will continue to grow, and I’m only sharing this to praise God and because God might use this to encourage you, too.
Note 2: I’m also not saying that God will ALWAYS make a dizziness and/or anxiety attack go away immediately. As you know from Blessing of the Bruise, I had a really scary time of dizziness that did not go away immediately.
I just know that God is all-powerful and all-knowing, so He knows exactly when to yield His power in a way that matches up with our prayers. We can’t see the whole picture, so that timing/use of power may not look like what we have in mind, and that can be really hard to deal with!
I don’t remember exactly what I said to God in those unnerving moments in the wings, but I do remember a thought that came to mind: Our friend Esther.
The thought reminded me of how Esther bravely did what she had to do by going to the King and trusting God to take care of the rest.
My “moment” and my “thing to do” were obviously drastically smaller/less important than Esther. Not even comparable, really.
And yet, the thought of going onstage and possibly risking my sense of balance and mindset of peace to perform seemed pretty daunting.
But God used Esther’s story (like He has so many times in my life) to push me on, in faith, because of one who went before me and showed me that example.
And, guys, I was fine.
And that was only tech week.
For our three performances, when family and friends came and something small in the back of my mind tempted me to open a can of worries (It’ll happen while they’re here, and you won’t be able to perform. You’ll have to run offstage and be embarrassed. You won’t be able to have fun because you’ll be focusing on the anxiety.), God spoke truth and showed His power by protecting me.
So, praise God! Because He is good, and because He allowed me to have fun and perform each night.
. . .
Since I was in a theatre-y mood this weekend and will be until June, thanks to a stage managing job I’m starting, I thought I’d share why I think theatre is amazing!
A little unorthodox, yes, but here’s a messy bullet-point list of why theatre claims a special place in my heart…
Here are a few of my favorite things about THEATRE:
Spending so much time with castmates that you become like a family
Inside jokes from weird backstage moments that aren’t as special out-of-context
When a moment onstage is SO real that it squeezes your throat and brings tears to your eyes
When you walk away from a live production inspired, or changed, or encouraged
As an actor/performer, experiencing someone or something you might never experience in real life
Bonding with people by playing make believe as adults
The unpredictability of live theatre, whether it’s hearing thunderous applause at the end of a tap number, almost breaking character because an audience member sneezed so weirdly, or milking a joke to the last bit because the audience is going there with you
Getting to represent/re-live stories in a unique, real yet pretend, way
The sound of tap shoes about to be danced in
The sound of a bunch of performers breathing so hard while they’re walking offstage because they just gave it their all onstage
Those are a few of my favorite things about theatre.
What are yours?
And how has God shown up in your life and blown your tap shoes off?
*(I can’t take credit for this one…I was looking for examples of real people and saw this, and I stopped because I doubted there’d be a clearer example)*
Quinnterested Note: Mary Poppins is TEXTBOOK type 1. 'Nough said.
“Practically perfect in every way.”
Type 2: The Helper
People-pleasing. Generous. Possessive.
My choice for Type 2: Peeta Mellark, The Hunger Games
“I’ll be the number-two guy here in Scranton in six weeks. How? Name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake. I’m always thinking one step ahead.”
Type 4: The Individualist
Expressive. Dramatic. Temperamental.
My choice for Type 4: Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables
Quinnterested Note: She's 4+, but her creative romanticism is classic 4.
Type 5: The Investigator
Perceptive. Intense. Cerebral.
My choice for Type 5: Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock (BBC)
Quinnterested Note: If you need a leader, it'll probably be an 8.
“I didn’t do anything wrong. All I know is I saw two people struggling to get inside these walls and they couldn’t make it. To ignore that because of some stupid rule seemed selfish, cowardly, and…well, stupid. If you want to throw me in jail for trying to save someone’s life, then go ahead.” -Thomas
Type 9: The Peacemaker
Easy-going. Reassuring. Receptive.
My choice for Type 9: Jane Bennet, Pride & Prejudice
Fun fact: I generally enjoy scraping the remaining meat off a leftover rotisserie chicken.
Quinnterested 