Man, Woman, God Triangle.

The Lord has really blessed me this year!  He gave me a job that challenges me, provided professional experience beyond typical entry-level jobs and has rewarded me.  Little did I know one year ago that when I moved to Boston for my job that I would gain even that much more!  I met an amazing man, Jeffrey, and his wonderful family and friends.  I have grown, matured, and learned that I can be independent, but I still need to rely on others and the Lord to get me through the homesickness I was plagued with for the first 6 months. (Don't worry Mom, Dad, & Kyler- I still get homesick, but it's not painful anymore!)

If the worst of my worries is when I will earn more time off to spend it with my family or Jeff, I'd say that life is pretty amazing! For that, I'm so thankful. 

The past three weeks at church have been about relationships, which are so important now, more than ever.  When it comes to relationships, it's about being humble, gentle, patient, and preserving the peace by navigating conflict.

I would like to share the the passage from today's sermon, Ephesians 4:1-6:

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Verse 2 teaches us that we can choose our attitude, as it's something that we have control over.  Choose to be kind and to bear with one another.  During conflict we must recognize that we don't know everything.  We don't know what the other is going through or what circumstances may be altering a situation.  Choose to be understanding, and to fight for oneness (verse 3). I want to take this one step farther, and you should not only fight oneness with one another, but with God as well.  Take this visual into perspective, the closer man and woman are to God, the closer they are to one another.

Aim to come together as one unit, with God at the center.  Today, we learned that we can work through conflict by  working to collaborate in order to resolve conflict.  Collaborating means to explore multiple options so that everyone's expectations are met, this includes Christ's.  It puts things in perspective to take a look at the issues and problems through another lens, His lens, and I can only imagine that two things will happen.  Either you will realize that the conflict really just doesn't matter, or that the problem has a very clear answer because of what we have learned from our Lord.

Keep Him in your heart and keep Him to mind.  

Blog Shoutout to 'Chocolate-Cover Katie'

I totally have a virtual crush on a blog called "Chocolate-Covered Katie!" 

 

I'm in love with Katie's blog for two reasons. 

One- she takes the whole "Cook-Yourself Thin" phenomenon to the next level for desserts! Imagine a world of delicious 40 calorie ice-cream, 100 calorie brownies, or 120 calorie pieces of pie! It's all possible in your very own kitchen, when you make the right & healthy ingredient substitutions (no matter how odd)!  

Two- Her blog embodies the blog I want to have some day! With 40,000 likes on Facebook, constant original content, and great take-aways most everyone can enjoy, who wouldn't want to be a full-time blogger, writing about stuff that is interesting & fun!!!!

The recipe I enjoyed today: 

Volume Ice Cream
(Makes 1 huge serving)

• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/16 tsp salt
• 2 packets of stevia sweetener
• 1 cup almond milk (unsweetened)

Mix the ingredients together in 1 or 2 shallow plastic containers. Freeze. (You could also use an ice cube tray.) Once frozen, pop the blocks out of the container (I thaw for 30 seconds in the microwave first) and blend.

Healthy Roasted Chickpeas: Sweet, Salty, or Spicy!

Ingredients
Sweet

• 1 (12 oz) can of chickpeas, drained
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• Sugar (or sweetener)
• Pinch of Salt

Salty

• 1 (12 oz) can of chickpeas, drained
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• Salt 
• Garlic Salt

Spicy

• 1 (12 oz) can of chickpeas, drained
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• Salt
• Garlic Salt
• Cayenne Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
2. Blot chickpeas with a paper towel to dry them. In a bowl, toss chickpeas with olive oil, and desired seasonings (sugar, salt, garlic salt, and/or cayenne pepper).  Spread chickpeas on a baking sheet, leaving a little space between each, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.  Bake until browned and crunchy.

Enjoy!