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!

This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine ... Luke 8:4-21

I have to admit, that I caught wind of the Parable that would be discussed in church this weekend-Thanks “JKC!”- in efforts to conceal your identity ;) With that said, this parable is one that has always stood out to me, and I wanted to study it further!

Luke 8:4-21
New International Version (NIV)
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.”

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

A Lamp on a Stand
16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”

My question to you, is what kind of soil are you? What shall be said of your heart? Is it like the wayside? The rocky place? The thorny ground? Or like a good field that has been well prepared for the seed?

The clear theme of the Parable of the Soils is hearing the Word of God. This theme is shown when 8:1 Jesus is traveling from village to city "proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God" to 8:21 where Jesus says that his true family are those who hear God's Word and do it. His disciples are to not skew the message of the Kingdom, but proclaim it openly!

So, why does Jesus warn us again about hearing? This is because self-deception is dangerous. Remember the Pharisees who thought they knew better than anyone else, and "rejected God's purpose for themselves.” Sounding a bit like the seed that fell on hard-packed soil and bounced off?

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." (James 1:22-24)

Lord, let me hear your word and put it into practice. Let me fearlessly spread the Good News and give me strength to be good soil. Let me wholeheartedly believe the truth so much so that I live out your will, not mine, daily. In your sons precious name, I pray, Amen.

iPad Raffle to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Contest has Ended! Thanks to Everyone who Participated! 

My best friend, Janelle, is running her first marathon! While doing so, she is raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, as a proud member of Team in Training. To learn more click here.

To help her reach my fundraising goal she is raffling off a NEW iPad (16GB, Wi-Fi) in exchange for a donation.

Here is how it will work:

She is raffling off 50 tickets. The tickets are available for purchase price of a $30 donation.

Only 50 tickets will be sold, so you can enhance your chances of winning the more tickets you purchase!

The rules:
The first 50 participants and/or tickets to respond to her by e-mail (Contest has Ended!) and pledge a donation will be entered into the drawing. The first 50 participants and/or tickets will be determined by the time stamp in HER email inbox.

She will confirm your participation with a direct message back to you (e-mail, etc.) with instructions on how to donate. If you don’t make it in the first 50 tickets she will let you know if there will be another drawing for another iPad (if so, you’ll be entered for the next one - if you desire).

As soon as all 50 tickets are sold she will post a video announcing the lucky winner!  The winner will be able to select the color and engraving text. The iPad will be shipped directly to your home from Apple.

To read about Janelle's training, fundraising, and cup-caking visit her blog here!

A Cherokee Legend- Fairs Well Spiritual Warfare

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

This Cherokee Legend holds truth when you apply it to Christianity & Spiritual Warfare.  One wolf is Sin & Satan and the Other is Truth & God.  The bible teaches us that we will we face wickedness, but we must hold on to the only thing that can overcome this evil, God.

“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Ephesians 6:10-13, 17.

In this spiritual war, which wolf are you going to feed? Are you going to choose to be sinful, and ultimately “dead in your transgressions?” Not only do we have to battle our own sin, but we also must fight evil spirits working against us.  We are unknowingly under Satan’s control in a fight against God, if we feed the wolf of sin. 

Or are you going to feed the wolf of truth?  By faith, we believe that Jesus Christ has already won the victory on the cross and all our sins are wiped away and we are saved.  And again, like I have said so many times before, truly believing in God means that your actions will be more like him, it’s a “side-effect”, if you will!

I say to non-believers, have you ever thought that maybe Satan is filling your mind with lies?

Most of the attacks of the enemy are aimed at filling the minds of people with lies so that they cannot think clearly about God's truth. Jesus told us that the devil is the father of all lies and there is no truth in him. (John 8:44)

I hope you choose to feed to wolf of God! He is a loving God & his way is a better way that will always overcome evil! So I pray that you will pray this with me.  God, take the wheel, guide me to the truth, keep my eyes focused on you!

Amen! 

 

Working out is not Glamorous!

My “personal trainer” literally kicked my butt this morning!  I was drenched in sweat and really had to work hard to get through the workout! The best part is that my personal trainer is FREE! This is because I recently discovered the best Nike App!   

The Nike Training Club: Your Personal Trainer.  Anytime, Anywhere.

Choose a Goal: Get Lean, Get Toned, Get Strong, Get Focused.

 Choose Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.

Choose Workout: There are 100+ custom- built workouts! You can also unlock exclusive extra workouts, by of course, working out more! 

The best thing about this app is that it guides you through the workout using three techniques.  The first gets you motivated, you can select any playlist you want from your iTunes library.  Second, you can temporarily pause your workout and watch quick instructional videos, if you are not exactly sure how a certain move should be performed.  And lastly, the personal trainer coaches you by giving you important tips (“stay on the balls of your feet, keep your abs tight”) while encouraging you and telling you when it’s time to do the next drill!

The Nike Training Club App also synchronizes with NikePlus to track all your progress in one place.  This is especially helpful if you use other Nike Apps, such as Running!

 I have recently decided to drop the gym- Goodbye $50/monthly bill! Hello Marathon Training and Nike Training Club App!