Optic Nerve

Last weekend I had a special eye appointment. I had my eyes dilated and a field vision test done to test for blind spots in my retina and optic nerve. Basically during the test you are put in an individualized mini-planetarium and told to stare straight ahead at a little golden light. You must keep your eyes fixed on that dot for 3 and a half minutes while little lights flash all around the dome. Each time you see a light, you need to click a button, telling a computer that you saw the light. I asked the eye tech why I had to stare straight ahead. She told me that everyone's eye has a natural blind spot in the same spot. When you stare straight at the light, the computer knows where that blind spot is, since it's always the same. But if you shift your gaze, your blind spot moves as well, and doesn't give an accurate reading. 

As I was thinking about the test later, Jesus reminded me of our spiritual eyes. They have a blind spot, too. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, our natural spiritual blind spot is to all of our troubles, snares, trials, and all the things that would cause us anxiety, fear, and worry. But when we shift our eye to these things, we literally put Jesus into our blind spot. It's kind of like when Peter got out of the boat. When his eyes were fixed on Jesus, he couldn't see the waves and winds around him, only Jesus. But as soon as he shifted his focus, he put Jesus in his blind spot and could no long see how much bigger God is than the storms around us.

Later in the week I went to an evening service at church. One of the guys in the church reminded us of the verse from 2 Chronicles 16:9: "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him." Jesus does this, he told me, because his eyes have a natural "blind spot", too. When God has his eyes fixed on us, our sin is in his blind spot and he is able to see us as totally beautiful, worthy, holy, and fully loved.

Psalm 123:2
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He is gracious to us.

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I can see clearly now...

I never realized how clearly I couldn't see until I could actually see clearly. 

Let me explain. I've worn hard contact lenses since I was a sophomore in high school. Tiny, little, rigid lenses no bigger than a dime which suctioned themselves to just the brown colored iris of my eye gave me the ability to see clearly. That is, at the beginning. Unlike soft contacts, you can wear hard contacts for significantly longer, some times years longer, which is what I did while I was on the mission field. I took meticulous care of my contacts. I "enzymed" them weekly and cleaned them religiously. I took painstaking care to make sure I never lost or dropped one. With no insurance coverage for new contacts or glasses, I just acted like most missionaries and just made do with what I had. I couldn't complain. I could see very well and my eyes never bothered me. 

Then I started my new job. And with that came duh-duh-duh-DAH insurance coverage for eyes!! Oh, happy day!! I went in yesterday and finally got my eyes checked. My prescription hadn't changed, but I knew I needed new contacts. The doctor recommended soft contacts. I was a bit hesitant. I've had hard contacts for almost two decades. I know how to take care of hard contacts. I can pop them in and out like a pro. I know how they are supposed to feel in my eye. I know the routine for how to religiously clean then. But I caved. Sure, why not. You're the doctor.

Man, it's like a whole  new world! I hadn't realized how gradually my old contacts were not serving my sight well. Slowly, without my permission or me noticing, they were no longer as strong as they used to be. WOAH! With these new soft contacts, I now have amazing clarity! And I no longer have to go through the meticulous and constant cleaning, polishing, and enzyming. I just throw these away every few weeks and get a new pair, keeping a constant and instant clarity to my world. 

Then, to my surprise and delight., I was told I am could have lasik surgery to completely correct my vision. No more contacts, no more glasses. I could wake up every day with this same type of clarity. WOAH. Mind blown. I could finally donate all MY glasses to our eye clinics in Costa Rica and Nicaragua...that would be ironic...

So what is the point in me telling you all this? I mean, who really wants to read someone's blog about their new contacts, anyway. Well here's the point:

When we live under the Law, before we know who God is or what he did for us by allowing Jesus to come and die for us, we see the world through hard lenses. They need to be meticulously cleaned and polished constantly. They're rigid and, though we get really, really used to them in our eye balls, they are still uncomfortable and can easily irritate our spiritual eyes.  When we accept Jesus into our hearts, he throws away those old, rigid lenses for softer, more flexible lenses. These lenses don't need the meticulous cleaning like our old lenses. We just repent and throw the past away, looking forward to constant clear vision while never holding on to the fogginess of our past. Then when we start actually living by the Spirit, we have no need for lenses at all! The Lord completely heals and changes the shape our spiritual eyes so they are in the same shape as his! And that, my friend, is complete freedom.

Masterpiece

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." Michelangelo

I was talking to my friend, Sarah, the other day.  Since we're girls, the conversation eventually meandered its way to topic of men. I mean, come on, I think every time two single girls get together sooner or later the chatter is going to go there. So we were talking about what kind of men we would like to marry, what characteristics we would like to have in a spouse, compatibility, etc., etc.

Smack in the middle of the discussion, the Lord showed me a very vivid picture of men and women in relationship. Here's the idea:

Every man is a block of wood. A chip off the old block, to be cliché.  There are different kinds of wood; some exotic and some common, others dense and others soft, a number with intricate grains and many with knots or gnarls. They all have unique features because they all have unique purposes. 

Every women, on the other hand, is a piece of  sandpaper. There are also different kinds of sandpaper. Sandpaper ranges from course to fine grit to either to make the project smoother, to remove a layer of material, or sometimes to make the surface rougher.

Do you get where I'm going? Have you ever seen a couple where the woman just rubs the man the wrong way? Course sandpaper on fine wood. Have you ever seen a woman try to change a man where no change was wanted?  Fine sandpaper that gets quickly burned out and becomes useless on really rough, knotted chunk of wood. It's a mismatch of tool to material. 

However, When the right sandpaper is matched to the right piece of wood, and both are in the hand of the Master Carpenter, you neither get burned out/ruined paper nor rubbed the wrong way. Instead, as the paper compliments the wood, what is left is a masterpiece.

  

This is my new prayer: for more relationships that compliment each other, that bring out the best in each other, and the truly pull of the masterpiece that is inside each of use and bring it to the surface. 

"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it."
Michelangelo   

 

Discipline in a Long Distance Race.

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!  

 In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?

My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline,
    but don’t be crushed by it either.
It’s the child he loves that he disciplines;
    the child he embraces, he also corrects.

 God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.

 So don’t sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!

 Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God’s blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears.

Hebrews 12:1-17

Time Bank

I'm not sure who the original author is of this next story. One of the guys in my Bible study shared it last night and I was really blown away by it. I wish I could give credit to the true author, so if you know who wrote it, please feel free to comment:

Imagine there is a bank account that credits your account each morning with $86,400.
It carries over no balance from day to day.
Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day.
What would you do?
Draw out every cent, of course?
Each of us has such a bank.
It's name is TIME.

 Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds.
Every night it writes off as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to a good purpose.
It carries over no balance.
It allows no over draft.
Each day it opens a new account for you.
Each night it burns the remains of the day.
If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours.
There is no drawing against "tomorrow."
You must live in the present on today's deposits.
Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success!
The clock is running!!
Make the most of today.

To realize the value of one year, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of one month, ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one week, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of one minute, ask a person who just missed a train.
To realize the value of one second, ask someone who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond, ask the person who won a silver medal at the Olympics.

Essential Kale Chips

I LOVE kale chips. Not only do they have that satisfying crunch without any guilt, but they're so easy to make! I've been totally having a blast trying out my new essential oils in creative ways. So I decided to experiment with my favorite snack-y recipe. Enjoy!!

Krispy Kale Chips
2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
2 drops of DoTerra oregano oil
Seasons to taste (I like paprika and chili pepper on mine, plus organic pink salt).
Lots of Kale (1 cup or so)

Preheat oven to 385 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix ingredients in a shallow bowl. You can add more or less of any ingredient, it is really all to taste. You can also add the salt after they've cooked. Totally your call. Once the ingredients have been mixed, coat the kale in the mixture until well coated. Spread out on the parchment paper on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crispy. Cool and enjoy!!

To order your own oregano oil, check out this link: Essential Oils

The Basics of Essential Oils

Oil. We hear about it on the news. Prices of oil per barrel. As those prices go up, the price of our gas goes up. Supply and demand. The amount of crude oil in the world. That's not the kind of oil I'm talking about. Although it is an essential oil in the other sense of the word.

Vegetable oil comes from soy beans. Olive oil comes from olives. Coconut oil comes from coconuts. baby oil comes from babies? No, it's actually mineral oil. Have you ever thought about why you can buy gallons of vegetable oil for cheaps while good quality extra virgin olive oil can be exorbitantly expensive? Supply and demand. It is really easy to plant and grow soy beans. And corn, while we're at it. And lots of it. It's easy and cheap to get oil from these plants, too. Hence it's price. As a plant becomes harder to grow, the price of it's oil increases. That's called the basics of economics. But the is the basics of essential oils. 

Some other oils you've probably heard of include peanut oil, canola oil, safflower oil, sesame seed oil, grape seed oil, and tea tree oil. When we talk about their consumption, they are in the same classification as the common fats of butter, margarine, and lard. These are just a few of the healthy and unhealthy oils and fats that we commonly use. They add flavor to our foods, keep our ingredients from sticking to the pan, and, depending on the type of oil, add nutrition to our diets. 

The latest craze in oils comes in the realm of essential oils. What exactly are essential oils? Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. They can be both beautifully and powerfully fragrant. If you have ever stopped to smell the roses, walked through an apple orchard, or smelled fresh cut cilantro, you have experienced the aromatic qualities of essential oils. In addition to giving plants their distinctive smells, essential oils provide plants with protection against predators and disease and play a role in plant pollination. 

Not only do these oils intrinsically benefit their plants, they have been used throughout history in many cultures for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits. Even the Bible has over 600 references to essential oils. Remember Jesus' birthday gifts from the wise men? Frankincense and myrrh are essential oils. Some other plants that make wonderful essential oils are lavender, oregano, peppermint, lemon, orange, and even black pepper.

For more historical uses of essential oils, check out this article: History of Essential Oils

So why are these oils so essential? Essential oils are used for their very wide assortment of emotional and physical health properties. A single oil can be used at one time for a specific purpose, like helping you sleep, to give a boost of energy, or even to naturally freshen your breath. Or they can be used in complex blends to help rid toxins from the body, balance and regulate blood sugar and metabolism, or even to heal cancer. Essential oils are usually administered by one of three methods: diffused aromatically, applied topically, or taken internally as dietary supplements. 

For more uses, check out this link: Essential Oil Uses 

Interested in learning more about essential oils? Feel free to contact me. I would love to chat. Want to try them? Click this link and begin an adventure into the world of essential oils:
DoTerra Essential Oils 

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Essential Oil Banana Muffins

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Essential Oil Banana Muffins

1 cup white rice flour
3/4 cup Bob'd Red Mill Gluten-free All-Purpose Baking Flour
2 Tbsp Truvia
1 tsp agave nectar
1 and 1/2 tsp blackstrap molasses* (optional)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp organic pink salt
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup coconut, almond, or soy milk (coconut milk in this recipe is very yummy!!)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 drops DoTerra lemon oil
1-2 drops DoTerra orange oil
3/4 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup almond pulp from a recipe of home made almond milk

Grease 12-16 muffin cups, set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, truvia, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and set aside. In another mixing bowl combine egg, milk, and oils. Add in the mashed banana and the nut pulp. Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just moistened. It should be lumpy. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or till golden. Cool in the muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups, serve warm. Makes 12-16 muffins.



*The third boiling of the sugar syrup yields blackstrap molasses, known for its robust flavour. The majority of sucrose from the original juice has been crystallised and removed. The food energy content of blackstrap molasses is still mostly from the small remaining sugar content. However, unlike refined sugars, it contains trace amounts of vitamins and significant amounts of several minerals. Blackstrap molasses is a source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron; one tablespoon provides up to 20% of the daily value of each of those nutrients.

DoTerra Essential Oil Smoothies

I have recently endeavored into the essential oil world. I have to say, I was skeptical at the beginning, but after using them for 3 weeks, I'm a believer! I have more energy, my headaches are gone, and I've lost 5 pounds just by drinking water with oils in it!! So, here are my favorite drink recipes so far. To order the oils for yourself and give it a try, check out the link to my DoTerra website!! More recipes to come!!!

Link: DoTerra Essential Oils
 

Refreshing Mango-Lemon Smoothie

1 cup of spinach
1 cup of sugar-free vanilla coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen chunk mangoes
1&1/2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
3 drops DoTerra lemon oil

Throw all ingredients in a Magic Bullet or blender and blender until smooth!!
If it's too thick, add extra milk as you blend.

Harvest Blueberry-Lemon Smoothie

1 cup of spinach

1/2 cup of sugar-free vanilla coconut or soy milk
1/2 cup blueberry greek yogurt

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
3 drops DoTerra lemon oil

Throw all ingredients in a Magic Bullet or blender and blender until smooth!!

If it's too thick, add extra milk as you blend.

Immune-boosting Ginger Zinger

1 bag Ginger tea of your favorite tea brand
1 Tbsp agave nectar
2-3 drops DoTerra OnGuard oil

Boil water. Pour over tea bag and steep for 5 minutes. Add agave and oil. Sip and enjoy!! 


I have also been experimenting with using the oils while I cook. I've found 2-3 drops of lemon +  2-3 drops of oregano oil added to my jasmine rice while it cooks in my rice cooker makes the BEST aromatic rice. And it gives it a nice flavor, too!!

Gloriously Gluten Free Sugar Free Pumpkin Muffins

MMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... That's how I will introduce my latest kitchen creation. Delicious. Smeared with a little butter and these bad boys melt in your mouth!!

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons molasses

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin purée

1 tsp real vanilla extract

1 cup Bob's Red Mill gluten free all-purpose baking flour

3/4 cups white rice flour

1/2 cup granulated truvia

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan and a 6-cup muffin pan, or line the pan with papers, and grease the papers.

2) Whisk together the eggs, molasses, vanilla and pumpkin purée. Set aside.

3) Whisk together the gluten-free flour and white rice flour, truvia, baking powder, salt, and the spices.

4) Add the oil, mixing with an electric mixer until evenly crumbly. The mixture will look like coarse sand.

5) Add the egg mixture a bit at a time, beating well with an electric mixer after each addition. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy.

6) Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, filling cups 3/4 full.

7) Bake the muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, until the middle springs back when lightly touched. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. Best served warm.

Gluten-Free Awesomesauce Banana Bread.

Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe  Gluten-Free Awesomesauce Banana Bread

20 45 65

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4-5 medium)
• 1 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, bananas, sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
• Transfer to two 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with walnuts if desired. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

Mixed Grain Whole Wheat with Bran Bread from the Breadmachine

Created by Julie Herrmann

• 1-1/3 cups Water (room temperature) 
• 3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil 
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Honey 
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Agave Nectar
• 1 tsp pink Salt
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill All purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour
• 1-1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill High Fiber Oat Bran cereal
• 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
• 2 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Directions

Add all ingredients in the order of appearance in the recipe. Set bread machine for the basic bread cycle according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Enjoy the aroma while baking.
Frequently update your facebook status with the progress of the bread.

Let loaf cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

A Year in the Life

My new Vineyard church in Simi Valley is interested in doing missions to Costa Rica. So I made a little missions video. Enjoy!!

Yummerouski Vegan Bran Muffins

Experimental recipe win of the week: Yummerouski Vegan Bran Muffins. I've had this Bob's Red Mill High Fiber Oat Bran cereal in my fridge for a bit now and have wanted to make something yummy. Tonight was the night. They came out AWESOME!! Enjoy!!

1 & 1/4 Cups Bob's Red Mill High Fiber Oat Bran Cereal
1 & 1/3 cups flax milk (I used flax milk. You could use almond or soy)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened applesause (or you can substitute oil)
1 Tbsp ground flaxseeds + 2 Tbsp milk (flaxseed, soy, or almond if you want it vegan) (or if you don't mind and don't care if it's vegan, you can add 1 egg)
1 & 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Heat over to 400 degrees. Grease the bottoms of muffin tins or use paper baking cups.
2. Mix cereal, milk, raisins, and vanilla in a bowl. Let stand 5 minutes for cereal to soak in milk.
3. Beat in applesauce and flaxseed/milk mixture with a fork. Mix remaining ingredients; stir into cereal mixture just until moistened. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. This batch made 18 muffins for me.

The devil likes to throw snake skins

Fear is a snake that tries to slither it's way into all of our lives. It is as old and crafty as Eden and still uses the same tactics. There are several kinds of fear, just as there are several kinds of snakes. There is the innate fear that keeps us from randomly jumping off buildings or crashing our cars into guard rails at will. That is the garter snake that is harmless and can eat the other mice and bugs that would actually be a problem in our lives. That kind of fear is a natural fear and can be helpful for species preservation. There is the imitative fear that keeps us from trying things because we are tricked into thinking it is dangerous when it reality it is not. This type of fear is the snake that looks like a coral snake, but the color of its stripes are wrong, thus it is an imitation of the real thing that causes confusion and makes us think we should be afraid of it, even though it is in fact harmless. This type of fear is the fear associated with public speaking or trying a new food. I have yet to hear of any one who has clinically died from public speaking, and yet it can paralyze people. Then there is the legitimate, heart-pounding, sweat-inducing fear. The fear of death. The fear of drowning. The fear of losing a loved one. The fear of the dark. Even the fear of missing out. This type of fear is the boa constrictor, the python, the rattle snake of all fear. It bites. It poisons. It incapacitates and murders. 

Here's the good news: in Luke 10:19 Jesus says, "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.". I believe Jesus is referencing fear and the demonic. He has given us authority over fear and the demonic that act like snakes in our lives. That kill, steal, and destroy from the fullness of our lives. We can take that kind of stand in our lives and through the power of Jesus' blood trample fear out of our lives!! We don't have to be afraid of anything any more! Not even death!! Mark 16:17-18 literally says, "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 
  
When we ask Jesus to kill fear in our lives, He does! When we stand in our authority over what makes us afraid in our lives, we also kill fear in our lives. It is dead. It holds no power. But Satan is deceptive. Satan doesn't like it when we are not held captive to fear. He likes to keep us bound to it, trapped, cornered by snakes and scorpions, paralyzed when one crosses our path. He will do anything he can to throw snake skins and snake-look-a-likes in our paths. He likes to try to make us think that fear is not dead, even though the thing he is using against us is, in fact, dead. Have you ever been startled by a rubber snake in a toy store? Rodney has one hidden in by the base of the big tree in the back patio by where we eat dinner with teams. It is a thin, green, rubber snake. It would startle some one on just about every team that would come down. Can that rubber snake harm some one? Only by an associative heart-attack! The enemy loves to use this tactic next because it drives doubt into our hearts about our authority and the promises God has for us. When we linger too long in doubt, it allows either true fear open access to come back into our lives, or leaves us discouraged and feeling like God has some how lied to us. It's a sneaky, low-blow to our confidence in Christ.

Are there major areas of fear in your life? Are you afraid of death? Trying new things? The dark? Losing some one close to you? Have you asked Jesus to trample the fear out of your life? Did you know you have the authority over that in your own life through Jesus Christ? Did you think you had taken care of fear in your life already? But does it occasionally sneak up on you? Is it actually a snake skin pretending to have power and authority over you when it is  really a fake?

The art of self control

If there was any topic I learned the most about in Costa Rica, the thing I learned the most about was the fruit of the Spirit labelled "Self Control". From this fruit  I think lies the key to the seeds for all the other other fruits. It's like what I used to tell the parents of the kids at my feeding program in Michigan: up until a certain age you can make a child do pretty much anything. You can make them get up in the morning, put on a certain shirt, get in the bath tub, buckle up in a car. Granted, there are occasional struggles with these tasks, but in general you can pick a child up and move them where they need to go. But there are two things you can never make a child do: poop and eat. Because even from a young age children learn they have self control over their own bodies. No matter how hard you try, you can never force a child to swallow a bite of food. 

I think even from a young age we can learn to control ourselves. As we grow and come into our own selves, with individual personalities, wants, and desires, no one can control us. We can surely be influenced by other people; influenced for good or influenced for bad. We can allow other people to give us guidance or wisdom. We can allow other people to give us ideas of what we should or shouldn't do. But ultimately, we are the ones who have the choice, the decision for whether or not we will comply with their suggestions or not. We can never really, truly say, "My boss made me do it," or "my brother started it", or "the woman you put in the garden with me is to blame". Eve didn't force feed Adam. We are in control of our own actions. whether we chose to be truth speakers or embellish the facts to make ourselves look better, that too is our choice. We can allow others to influence us for the positive or the negative, but at the end of the day we are still the ones with our actions in our hands. We are the ones to blame for the consequences of our actions, whether good or bad.

Self control is not only a means for controlling our own personal actions in any given circumstance, but also the ability to react to the behaviors of others.  Did so one blow up at you for no apparent reason? What was your reaction? Did you lash back in hot-blooded retaliation? Or realize that maybe their anger toward you was just a symptom of some deeper level issue that they didn't know how to deal with? Our very reactions to the world around us show us just where we are in the growth process of self control.

God also doesn't want to control you, either. He allows self control to grow in us through the power of His Spirit because the freedom of choice is the only place where true love can legitimately exist. As soon as you place force on a relationship, love is taken out of the equation and it becomes a one-sided dictatorship. Did you ever wonder why God put the tree of good and evil in the middle of the garden and not hidden in a corner some where? Did you ever wonder why the fruit was appealing and good for eating? I believe God wanted Adam and Eve to have the freedom to chose their own actions in coordination with self-control because that is where the veracity of God's love for them was demonstrated.

So where are we in our fruit growing process? Has the seed to self control been planted? Am I seeing fruit in my life based on how I act in the world in every day situations? Am I working at my job with integrity or am I manipulating the situation to make myself look better? How am I treating the people around me? Am I over- or under-reacting to the actions of others and then blaming them for my bad behavior? Am I really believing that God has given me the freedom to make choices in my life and to grow self-control? Do I really believe that God doesn't want to control me through rules and regulations but through understanding the positive or negative consequences of my own actions and reactions?

Foot note: this is not to say that there are not victims of others seeking total control. It is true there are people unwillingly sold into slavery every day to this day in the modern world. There are innocent children who are daily exploited all around the globe.There are people who have a significant lack of self control and force their will on others. I am speaking to people who are growing deeper in a relationship with Jesus and want to introspectively go deeper. 

Recipe Win of the Day!

It is no secret. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to bake. And if I can wear an apron while doing it, kudos to me. Trying out new recipes is always fun, but inventing recipes is glorious! I made this one up today and it´s a keeper! Try it out if you would like your taste buds to rejoice;

Coconut Almond Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 beaten egg
1 & 3/4 cups coconut milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
3/4 cup almond pulp left over from a batch of almond milk

1. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, powder, salt, and soda.
3. In a small mixing bowl combine the egg, milk, oil, and flaxseed.
4. Add the egg mixture at once to the dry mixture, add the almond pulp at this point, and stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy).
5. Once it is completely mixed, dip a small spoon into the batter and try it. Does it taste good? Excellent, so will your bread. Put spoon in the sink. No double dipping.
6. Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 & 1/4 hours or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
7. cool on a wire rack.
8. Cut and enjoy!! Take a loaf over to meet your neighbor. Or bring it to work. Or enjoy it over coffee with a good friend.

Go light your world.

You are the light of the world. Jesus said that about us. I'm sure most of us have heard that phrase before, but have you ever stopped to think about exactly what kind of light YOU are? I mean, there are all kinds of lights. Flashlights. Candles. Bonfires. Sparks. Lightning bolts. Romantic dinner-for-two mood lighting. Lava lamps. Glow sticks. Each light has it's own function for a specific event. Think about it: I love blowing out my birthday candles as much as the next person, but if I'm trying to study, I'm certainly not going to try to do it by that kind of light. You may not be the brightest bulb in the lamp, but if you're trying to find the bathroom in the middle of the night a 1,000 watt torch just won't do. 

What kind of a light are you? Are you a lighthouse bringing wayfaring storm victims to safety? Or are you the refrigerator light that always comes on when needed? Are you the faithful light of a spark that ignites the car engine and keeps the vehicle moving? Maybe you're the headlight that spots danger in the distance. Perchance the spotlight on the stage, encouraging others in their performance. Of course there are also the decorative but totally not useful Christmas tree lights. Yup. You guessed it. Their light only comes on around the holidays. 

What is your light good for? Who needs to see by your light? Are you brightening the room so others can see clearly? Are you lighting along the path to keep feet from straying at night? Are you decorative? Have you burnt out?

There is another thing about lights that I find interesting...the darker the place, the less light there is needed to actually see the light, but the more important it is to have good illumination to see clearly. Explanation: If you light a candle outside on a sunny day so you can see better, I would get your eyes checked. It's always in the darkest places that the littlest light shines the brightest. So if you can't notice how bright you are (in the spiritual sense, here, go with me. We're not talking about intelligence....), it's probably because you're always hanging out with other, bright, shiny people.  Maybe it's time to go shine your little light in a dark place. A place where the 10 watt night-light bulb you carry now is exactly what some one needs to see to find their way for the first time out of the darkness. Or perhaps it's just time to figure out what kind of light you are and illuminate accordingly.

 

What am I supposed to do now?

Place Your Life Before God

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.

If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

  


Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody. Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.” Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

 

To Be a Responsible Citizen

Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear. Do you want to be on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you’ll get on just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you’re breaking the rules right and left, watch out. The police aren’t there just to be admired in their uniforms. God also has an interest in keeping order, and he uses them to do it. That’s why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but also because it’s the right way to live.

That’s also why you pay taxes—so that an orderly way of life can be maintained. Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, respect your leaders.

Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.

But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!

Romans 12 & 13: The Message.

Seasons of change

We are no longer seasonal people. No: baseball, basketball, football, and hockey don't count as changing seasons. Sure we're aware of when to pull out the winter boots versus the sandals, but even those seasons have blended with the convenience of heating and air conditioning. But we are not seasonally aware people. We get up at the same time each day and go to bed in the middle of the night regardless of when the sun is coming up and setting. We go through the same cycle day after day and do the same things week after month and year again. Get up. Get ready. Go to work. Get groceries. Come home. Eat. Work out. Watch tv. Go to bed. Repeat. 


We do not eat as seasonal people. We eat "fresh" strawberries in the heart of winter and indulge in pumpkin pie in the spring. We even steal off of other lands' seasons, out of turn, with the year-round availability of mangoes, pineapples, pomegranates, and papaya, bananas, etc. (non of which taste very good as compared to when you actually eat them IN season in their country of origin. It ruins the fruit for ever in the northern hemisphere.) Hunting and gathering now involve who is the best at extreme couponing and stocking our pantries with 50 bottles of shampoo and 186 cans of well preserved Chef Boyardee in case of an impending zombie apocalypse. 

We do not gauge our emotions in seasons, either. We have lost the sense of the flow of how we feel. A time to laugh. A time to cry. A time to sing. A time to dance. A time to scream. A time to mourn. A time to eat chocolate and have another glass of wine. Instead it's "happy face on".

We have completely lost the spiritual seasons. Seasons of feeling far from God, lost, out of touch, not sensing or feeling his presence. Seasons of being on a spiritual high, rekindled love, renewed dedication, deep spiritual encounters. Seasons of learning, growing, deepening faith. Seasons of feeling dry and brittle. Seasons of good friendships and community. Seasons of feeling alone and isolated. Seasons of fervently sharing faith with others and harvesting them for the Kingdom. 

I myself have just come out of an extremely long winter in my life. Both spiritually and naturally. My entire 2-year time in Costa Rica was like an extended fall. The kind of fall where the temperature is perfect to wear whatever you want and be comfortable. The kind of fall where the harvest is coming in and you get fresh apple cider with the donuts you can only get straight from the orchard. The kind of fall where the days where it's light early in the morning, but the sun is starting to set at the perfect time for bon fires with friends. My favorite season. Coming home, regardless of what the calendar said, I was in the dead middle of winter. Isolated in the country feeling couped up and penned in with far too few stores to actually make it through. But like during any good blizzard, at least I was snowed in with my best friend, Jesus. I knew he was right there with me. Through my tears and sorrow. Through my grief of leaving the community that I love. Through the doubt of finding a job and the shock of my passport culture. He stood by me, whispering sweet nothings of a hope and a future. Winter is not the end. It is only a dormancy. A time of patience and waiting. A time of death so new life can sprout on a clean slate. 

I am now officially in a season of spring. Naturally, spiritually, emotionally and in every other way. Not just because it's 80 degrees and sunny (sorry to rub it in, midwesterners and east coasters). It's as if something has shifted. I no longer feel the dormancy of the cave I've been living in for the last 6 months. Six months of winter. Oye. There's a newness of life. A refreshment in my soul. Of birds and butterflies and love in the air. I can feel it. That doesn't mean there won't be unexpected thunderstorms and random cold snaps at the beginning, but it means new growth and hope nonetheless.

What season are you in? Can you put a finger on it? A stretch of dry, rainless summer that feels oppressive to the bones? A time to dig in and get dirty in the field of your soul, preparing for another season yet to come? An interim between epochs? A turning of the tides in the attitude of your spirit? A respite from a long, harsh drought? This is what I am learning in my transition: when you are in a season, regardless of what it is or feels like, there will come a time when this, too, shall pass. No season lasts forever. Enjoy it while it lasts. Take advantage of it for what it is. You may never have a season like that again.