Because I am used to looking for sound bites or noteworthy quotes, often a particular phrase will jump out to me as I read or listen to something.

Occasionally, it might be a whole sentence, but often it is only a few words that leap off the page. Recently one morning as I was reading Ephesians 6, the phrase “having done all, to stand” stood out to me like a searchlight in a dark night.

A few little words. A depth of meaning.

When life throws you a curve ball that you cannot hit back, let God catch it, declare ball #1—-and give you a chance to hit another shot out of the ballpark.

When circumstances threaten your peace and outlook on life, put on God’s armor and stand.

When you are perplexed and confused about the decisions a loved one is making, take it to Jesus and stand.

When the flight mechanism embedded deep in our souls tell us to head for the hills in retreat, run the other direction into Jesus’s arms and stand still while you watch the power of God.

When you feel hit and broadsided at every turn, get up out of your fetal position, cry out to the source of your strength, and stand.

When you have done all that you know God has directed to do in the middle of an impossible situation, stand in God’s strength. Don’t cower. Don’t compromise. Don’t back down. Don’t quit.

Having done all, stand.

For the past four weeks, I have been reacquainting myself with my old friend Jane Austen. One month ago, BBC One unveiled its latest Austen drama, a sweeping, four-part weekly miniseries starring Romola Garai, Jonny Lee Miller, and the always impeccable Sir Michael Gambon as Mr. Woodhouse. Ever since BBC One issued a press release about the series in January, I have been looking forward to watching the new adaptation.

As with other Austen adaptations, I approached the series with a set mental picture—-this time an opinion heavily influenced by Jeremy Northam and Gwyneth Paltrow’s 1996 Hollywood film version. After about ten minutes of Sandy Welch’s new work, I felt my previous mental visions of Emma slipping away. Perplexed, as this was far different from Paltrow or even Kate Beckinsale in BBC’s last adaptation, but determined to stick it out, I kept watching. Four weeks later, I am so glad I did.

Sandy Welch, one of Britain’s best period drama screenwriters, has written a fresh new version of the charming Austen story. Instead of recrafting decades old impressions of Emma, she started from scratch and wrote a light-hearted script about an average, albeit wealthy twenty-one year-old woman learning about life and love.

Romola Garai is brilliant as an immature, but still sensitive Emma, while Jonny Lee Miller shines as Emma’s biggest critic and the man unconsciously holding the key to her heart. Garai’s Emma is far less haughty and imposing than Paltrow’s, which is refreshing as I often found it hard to believe that Gwyneth’s Emma was befitting a girl who was supposedly barely out of her teens. While Miller is far from being as dashingly handsome as Jeremy Northam, his sensitivity to Emma and his quietly faithful love quickly grew on me.

As for the rest of the main characters, BBC has assembled an ensemble cast. Jodhi May, who also appeared with Garai in Daniel Deronda is stellar as Mrs. Weston.

Louise Dylan turns in a fantastic performance as the charmingly silly Harriet Smith. Toni Collette was far too mature in the 1996 adaptation, but Dylan manages to show how muddle brained Harriet must have been to seek advice on her love life from Emma.

Snooty Mrs. Elton is perfectly brought to life by Christina Cole, while her despicable (hate to speak ill of a minister, but there it is) husband is played by Blake Ritson. The two characters that are quite uniquely portrayed in Welch’s adaptation are Jane Fairfax (Laura Pyper) and Frank Churchill (Rupert Evans). While Jane is far nicer than the haughty girl (played by Polly Walker) we met in Douglas McGrath’s script, Rubert Evans brings to life a performance which makes Ewan McGregor look like a nice guy, compared to the trouble-making, selfishly moody fellow who romanced one woman while secretly in love with another. Tamsin Greig brings to the miniseries a whole new perspective in Miss Bates, one that I felt was far better and more emotionally moving that the one of chatty Sophie Thompson.

The miniseries does have a few faults—-it took me a little time to get used to Romola Garai’s portrayal, as I confess that I was comparing her to Gwyneth Paltrow. I was surprised that I didn’t immediately warm to Garai, especially after I thought she would be perfectly cast after her seeing her in other period dramas. Maybe it was the perpetual hand waving in the opening part, or the many wide-eyed and animated facial expressions. Nevertheless, by the third episode, I was hooked and quite forgetful of my dislikes in the previous two parts.

The first two parts, particularly the beginning, are the weakest, but once the halfway threshold is crossed, the series brilliantly shines as the relationship between Emma and Mr. Knightley begins to warm.

I loved the chemistry between the two as Knightley progresses from being a caring, always around neighbor and friend to a suitor in pursuit of Emma’s flighty, yet ever-maturing little heart. Their dancing scene at the ball is beautifully choreographed and will give you goose bumps as they dance together. Emma’s perplexity (and speechlessness) once Harriet declares her feelings for her third gentleman friend in one year is priceless, and several times I laughed aloud at the script’s witty one-liners.

Ordinarily, halfway through a film I start wondering about the ending, and I have spent the last week anxiously waiting to see whether Welch’s strong screenwriting would continue into the final episode, or would too much time be spent on the Box Hill trip, rushing the dawning of Emma’s heart awakening.

I had no cause to worry.

While I have no intention of giving away the ending, I will say one thing, it is the perfect finale after four fantastic hours spent in Highbury.

The new BBC adaptation of Emma will premiere in the United States from January 24-February 7, 2010 on PBS’s MASTERPIECE.

I recently read this short devotional by Max Lucado and felt it was simply too good to not share!

A Life of Service

God has enlisted us in his navy and placed us on his ship. The boat has one purpose—to carry us safely to the other shore. This is no cruise ship; it’s a battleship. We aren’t called to a life of leisure; we are called to a life
of service.

Each of us has a different task. Some, concerned with those who are drowning, are snatching people from the water. Others are occupied with the enemy, so they man the cannons of prayer and worship. Still others devote themselves to the crew, feeding and training the crew members.

Though different, we are the same. Each can tell of a personal encounter with the captain, for each has received a personal call . . . .

We each followed him across the gangplank of his grace onto the same boat. There is one captain and one destination. Though the battle is fierce, the boat is safe, for our captain is God. The ship will not sink. For that, there is no concern.

- Grace for the Moment

Communication is everything.

It may sound like a cliché, but it is a true one. Communication is what makes the world go round—and the lack of it is what makes your personal world come screeching to a halt.

I deal with the need for communication every day whether I am trying to understand the perspective of one of OTB’s writers while editing their work, or just trying to decide with a friend whether we want ice cream from Raos or soft drinks from Sonic. Communication takes part in the workplace, but also in the home with your family. It builds relationships, but the lack of it tears them apart.

Recently, I have been reading a book entitled Guerrilla P.R. 2.0. by Michael Levine, which highlights a few tips on how each of us can communicate better with those around us.

Seven Secrets to Being a Successful Communicator

A successful communicator is confident and unafraid to ask for what they want.
I do not know how many times my mother tried to drill into my head that the worse thing anyone could ever tell me when I asked for something was no. Dare to ask.

A successful communicator is appreciative of those who help them.
Communicating what you need is only half as important as communicating your thanks afterward. Nothing is more discouraging than to help an ungrateful person. Do not overlook those who help you reach your goals. Remember, you would not be there without them.

A successful communicator consistently nurtures relationships.
A relationship worth having is a relationship worth working on. Relationships are not like pet rocks. You cannot set them on a shelf, pour water on them once a blue moon when you remember, and expect them to grow. You have to invest in the life of the individual, spend time with them, and continually nurture that relationship.

A successful communicator is tenacious in going around obstacles.
Do you give up at the first sign of conflict or an obstacle? When the going gets rough, do you hit the road? I love this G. K. Chesterton quote, “An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.”

A successful communicator is an excellent listener.
Do you actually listen to people? On the other hand, does your mouth start racing to reply while someone is still talking? Are you polite, or do you have a bad habit of cutting people off before they are finished? One thing I have been learning recently is to listen not only the words of a person, but also their body language, and ultimately, the heart behind the words. Not everyone is adept at verbal expression and if you ignore their non-verbal communication, you will never be able to understand fully what they are trying to tell you.

A successful communicator rebounds quickly and completely from rejection.
Do your wounds smart for a while after someone takes a jab at you or your project? Has your work become personal? Separate your identity from your work and when someone criticizes your pet project, you will be able to avoid making the criticism personal. Evaluate every rejection or criticism for potential lessons to be learned, and then move on. Do not fester or simmer. You are wasting valuable time and energy.

A successful communicator is friendly and approachable.
Who wants to hang around someone who is not friendly? Regardless of your personality, you can still be pleasant. Even the most seclusion-minded, introverted, Eeyore-like melancholic has a responsibility to be a friendly communicator. As Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly.” If you ever want to succeed at being a skilled communicator, you at least have to be approachable. If no one likes you, you had better believe that no one would want to deal with you.

Lucy Maud Montgomery once wrote that there were two types of people in this world, those who know Joseph and those who don’t. If you haven’t the foggiest idea of what I’m talking about, you are either one of two things—-unfamiliar with the Anne series or someone who just doesn’t know Joseph.

During Anne’s adolescent years, she tended to objectify people into two groups, kindred spirits and well, the rest of the world. While Anne and Diana were the perfect example of kindred spirits, by the time Anne approached her mid-twenties, she was looking for more than just a kindred spirit in a friend; she wanted a friend who knew Joseph.

I’ll let Montgomery do the explaining in a conversation between Anne and Captain Jim in chapter seven of Anne’s House of Dreams:

“We both belong to the race that knows Joseph, as Cornelia Bryant would say.”

“The race that knows Joseph?” puzzled Anne.

“Yes. Cornelia divides all the folks in the world into two kinds– the race that knows Joseph and the race that don’t. If a person sorter sees eye to eye with you, and has pretty much the same ideas about things, and the same taste in jokes–why, then he belongs to the race that knows Joseph.”

“Oh, I understand,” exclaimed Anne, light breaking in upon her.

“It’s what I used to call–and still call in quotation marks `kindred spirits.’”

“Jest so–jest so,” agreed Captain Jim. “We’re it, whatever it is. When you come in tonight, Mistress Blythe, I says to myself, says I, `Yes, she’s of the race that knows Joseph.’ And mighty glad I was, for if it wasn’t so we couldn’t have had any real satisfaction in each other’s company. The race that knows Joseph is the salt of the airth, I reckon.”

The salt of the airth? I couldn’t have said it better myself. One knows instantly when in company with one of the race that knows Joseph. Besides just communicating as friends, you communicate on a spiritual level—-the kinship one instantly feels when spending time with another like-minded Christian.

While thinking about the phrase “the race that knows Joseph”, I came across this excellent explanation that helps us understand just why this is so important in each of our lives.

Exodus 1:8 gives the moment in time that Israel ceased its period of comfort in Egypt, while under Joseph’s rule with the Pharaoh. “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.” So, the reverse being that those who were believers in God, who followed Him, were of the group that “know Joseph”.

All that to say this — One of the most amazing earthly gifts that God has given us is fellowship with other believers. What joy they bring with their “kindred spirits” — we’re one in the body of Christ! Our fellowship with believers at its best encourages us, strengthens us, and shows love to us. Of course, it’s the Holy Spirit living within us as believers that gives us the ability to do all of those things. When we accept Christ as the living Savior of our lives, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within our hearts, and we begin to show fruit of that — love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control. What better qualities could you ask for in a friend?

(source: The Race That Knows Joseph)

Over the years, I’ve met many of the race that knows Joseph. Some I’ve met just in passing, while others have turned into treasured friends. God knew what he was doing when he created the bonds of relationships. Friends do more than just keep us company when shopping in the mall; good friends will influence our lives for Christ—-and ultimately help draw us closer to the truest friend we could ever desire, Jesus Christ.

To all my friends of the race that knows Joseph, thank you. You’ve impacted my life in more ways than you’ll ever know.

I believe in cloning.

Now before you start thinking I’ve finally gone off the deep end, let me clarify. I don’t believe in human cloning, however, I see no ethical, moral, or religious reasons to avoid restaurant cloning. On second thought, scratch religious. Some of these recipes border on sinful and should be accompanied by a Surgeon General’s warning that it might be hazardous for your waistline.

What is restaurant cloning, you might be asking? It’s a little-known trick that has saved me countless dollars through the years and thanks to a new find online, will save me a lot more in the future.

Have you ever eaten at your favorite restaurant chain, for example, Cheesecake Factory, Macaroni Grill, or Red Lobster, and fallen in love with a dish? Wiping your mouth at the table, you vowed that you could eat it every day and never get sick of its flavorful appeal.

That is, until you looked at the bill.

I don’t know about you, but a twenty-dollar entree x seven is a bit much for my budget. Even if I had to settle for once a week that is still $80.00 a month that could have been spent better elsewhere.

This is where restaurant cloning steps in to the rescue. Many restaurant dishes can be prepared easily in your home kitchen and for a fraction of the cost. All it takes is a few ingredients, a little courage, and the right recipe. You don’t even have to figure out the measurements.

EveryLastRecipe.com has compiled a comprehensive listing of some of the most sought-after recipes from popular restaurant chains such as Outback Steakhouse, Benihana, Cinnabon, California Pizza Kitchen, Chili’s, Applebee’s and even Ben & Jerry’s. Due to the restructuring of CopyKat recipes, a site linked to by EveryLastRecipe, some of the links do not work. However, you can find all the CopyKat restaurant recipes at one location under the this category.

Of course, there are a few off-the-wall recipes, but for the most part, everything looks scrumptious. Although why anyone would want to clone food from Taco Bell is beyond me.

Bon Appetit!

[Hat Tip: Lifehacker]

I have a scar on my left ankle. Four scars to be precise.

Instead of looking at them as blemishes, imperfections or even battle wounds, I’ve come to think of them as marks of ownership.

This mental outlook certainly didn’t happen overnight. I’ll never forget how many months it took for me to feel comfortable without a sock on or wear sandals in public.

But each mark is a sign to me of the lessons I learned during some of the toughest days of my life. Quite frankly, I’m not sure I would want to repeat them again, but in hindsight, the road God took me on four years ago was a path my life desperately needed to be on.

Centuries ago when shepherds dotted the hills and country sides of an era long past, there was a particularly effective, albeit painful method that a shepherd would use to guard his flock. If hours of training and repeated attempts to herd a lamb with his staff did not prove successful, the shepherd would resort to a last chance plan. It would not be easy on either party, but out of genuine love, the shepherd knew what he must do.

He would heart-wrenchingly break the leg of his stubborn and resistant lamb. Then tenderly, ever so gently, the shepherd would set the injury and care for his beloved charge.

Sheep are completely dependent, so one with a broken leg was even more helpless.

But the shepherd would not abandon his little troublemaker. Instead, he would take the lamb in his arms, placing it gently upon his shoulders.

This was the sheep’s sole method of transportation. Gone were the days when the lamb could stray away from his caretaker. Now it was wholly under the care and protection of his shepherd.

Over time the break would heal, but through these weeks and months a special bond would form between the shepherd and his lamb. They grew inseparable; he wanting to provide for his charge’s every need and the lamb simply content to abide in his presence. This tender relationship continued even after the leg was mended. Through it all the sheep had finally learned to trust and rest contentedly.

It’s not much a stretch to substitute my name for the sheep in this story. Suffice it to say, it required not one, but two “leg breakings” for me to finally want to abide with my Shepherd. Those days—and often nights—were long and dark, but God was right there with me. His arms encircled me and carried me through two surgeries and a year of painful healing and physical therapy.

At times, it sounded almost too good to be true to think that I’d be able to walk for more than 2-3 hours without pain. But miracles do indeed happen on earth. Although, the lessons I learned during those dark days will stay with me forever.

My scars are not scars.

They are a daily reminder of the love of my shepherd, a Shepherd who loved me enough to give me four marks of ownership as a reminder of the everlasting fact that I am His, and He truly is mine.

Last month I had the opportunity to travel to Indian Wells, California and Miami, Florida for the BNP Paribas Open and the Sony Ericsson Open to co-host On the Baseline’s back-to-back live tennis coverage.

When my feet finally hit the ground back in Houston, I had spent seven days in the desert and seven days on an island, logged over 5,000 miles of car and air travel, and endured nine airline flights.

I enjoy flying, but nine flights in seventeen days were a bit much. But on the flip side, during all my travels I had an opportunity to cross paths with dozens of people from all walks of life and backgrounds.

The mom walking her baby one morning in the beautiful California sunshine turned out to be Gwen Stefani, the gentleman talking to himself next to me during our flight from Phoenix was Hollywood screenwriter Michael Schiffer (Four Feathers and Crimson Tide), and the husband and wife who kept Coconut Grove awake late one Saturday night at my hotel were none other than Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey.

Once I sat with my feet propped up on my luggage for an hour talking with a young lady about the pros and cons of nuclear energy and the Arab-Israeli peace conflict while waiting for a flight in Ontario. A few days later, I marveled at the magnificent East Coast shoreline as the plane followed the coast from Charlotte to Miami while sitting sandwiched next to a 6′5 plus giant who looked as though he belonged on the Miami Heat’s bench. This man literally had a twenty-something lady on each of his arms, but fortunately for us, he was too shy to do anything about it.

I relived fond memories from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with a mother and her young daughter on the way to Albuquerque. One of the most encouraging times during my trip was an opportunity to visit with a pastor of a church from upstate California who was on his way to a conference.

While many of these and countless other encounters could be termed coincidental, I prefer to think of them as divine appointments. Throughout my trip, the Janet Paschal song, It’s Lucky We Met, kept popping into my head as a reminder that God puts people across our paths not for chance circumstances, but for His purposes.

It’s Lucky We Met
She took the seat next to me
And then she took out a book
“Ten ways to move up in life”
Then she gave me that look.
I asked her, “What is your name?”
I asked her, “What do you do?”
She said, “I’m Mary Lynn Jones
But that’s Ms. Jones to you
I got a condo in Paris, got a house in the Keys.
I got an MBA. I got a PhD.”
And then she looked me all over, said, “So, what about you?”
And I couldn’t resist, I said,
“Well, how do you do?”

I’m just a fortunate girl,
Don’t have a thing to my name
Except a whole lot of peace and a life without shame
“I’m just a servant and slave to a wonderful man
Who came to walk on this earth
So we could all understand
Don’t claim a place as my own
Cause I’m just passing through
And I get my degree by loving people like you
And it’s no accident
Though you can’t see it yet
It’s good I ran into you
I think it’s lucky we met

I must have said something right,
Must have shattered a wall
Because she started to cry and then she started to bawl
She said, “I’ve been so lost,
Do you think we could pray?”
Then the spirit came down in a powerful way
And she asked Jesus in, then she smiled at me
And said,
“Maybe you’re right I’m beginning to see
That it wasn’t by chance that i ran into you”
She said, “You’re so amazing”
I said, “That isn’t true”

I’m just a fortunate girl,
Don’t have a thing to my name
Except a whole lot of peace and a life without shame
“I’m just a servant and slave to a wonderful man
Who came to walk on this earth
So we could all understand
Don’t claim a place as my own
Cause I’m just passing through
And I get my degree by loving people like you
And it’s no accident
Though you can’t see it yet
It’s good I ran into you
I think it’s lucky we met

Yesterday morning I woke up with a craving for blueberry pancakes. Pancakes are one of the easiest gluten-free breads to make and are simple to whip up for a quick treat.

These can be made with fresh blueberries, but personally I enjoy cooking with frozen instead. I find them to be juicy and delicate, two things crucial as the pancakes cook in a matter of minutes.

Melt in Your Mouth Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes

This recipe is gluten, dairy, egg and soy free.

1 cup gluten-free flour blend
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup rice milk
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla flavoring
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
Nonstick spray or extra oil for griddle

Mix dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine 2 tablespoons oil, rice milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Pour mixture into dry ingredients and blend until thoroughly combined. Gently stir in blueberries.

Heat electric griddle or stovetop griddle pan. If the pan is not nonstick, prepare it by spraying the pan with spray or wipe it with an oiled paper towel.

Pour between 1/8-to-1/4 cup of batter onto hot griddle. When bottom side turns brown, flip pancake with a spatula.

Recipe makes about 8 medium sized pancakes.

I love baked goods. Name one of my favorite cities and I can give you a verbal essay on the pillow-soft French breads of New Orleans, the chewy bagels of New York City, the light tortillas of Houston, or the delicate pizza crusts of Chicago.

When I was first diagnosed with a wheat allergy, this was my first major roadblock. A life without pastry . . . you have got to be kidding! After the initial shock lessened, I started doing my research and headed for the kitchen. After all, when life gives you lemons make lemon bars. That is, if you can figure out what to substitute for flour.

I quickly discovered that bean flours are definitely not my thing. Garbanzo beans are delicious in a salad. Grinding them up for use as a flour makes your cookies unpleasantly beany—-a little gassy.

Tapioca starch keeps your pastries light, but after a few attempts, I realized that I was even more so allergic to tapioca than I was to wheat. I can justify taking an allergy pill for a slice of my local bakery’s cake, but taking a pill just to swallow a cake made out of potatoes, corn, rice and tapioca is not worth it.

Countless gluten-free companies offer flour blends for sale, but because of the tapioca I’m allergic to most of them. And the others (such as Pamela’s) include buttermilk, a no-no for me because of the dairy.

However, after three years of searching, I finally found a blend that bakes beautifully and tastes close to the real thing. Best of all, it is affordable, and will save you from buying expensive prepackaged mixes. You can buy white rice flour and potato starch in bulk online or at markets like Whole Foods, and although the xanthan gum is somewhat pricey, it lasts for a long time as you need only one teaspoon per batch.

All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend

This recipe is gluten, soy and tapioca free

2 cups white rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup corn starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Thoroughly mix all ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container in the freezer until ready for use. Depending on your recipe, the flour may need to reach room temperature before using.