Life Tr3k

1 Year After My Faith Broke Down

2016-02-16T07:07:00.002-08:00

It is hard to believe that it has been a year already since my last post "Why My Faith Broke Down". Facebook just reminded me today that I wrote and shared that post exactly one year ago today, so of course I went back and read it and really feel like it is time for a follow up.

I wish I could say that having the knowledge that God is my strength through the turbulent waters that I am destined to face helped pull me out of the pit of fear, doubt, and worry right away, but it didn't. I still spent a lot of the year wincing as though waiting for a bomb to drop. I knew of course that God would be my strength no matter what, but for some reason having the knowledge that God would not necessarily keep me and my loved ones safe made me think for some reason that at any time I would definitely lose something. This idea made me stressed to the point that I broke out in cystic acne all over my face. I know you are probably thinking, my goodness! Take a chill pill! Yeah, you are right. I did need to take a chill pill.

Towards the end of the year a change finally took place. It was literally like an overnight revelation. I woke up one day and embraced the verse "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34). It was an amazing feeling to be able to focus on one day at a time. I realized that if I am not guaranteed tomorrow, why spend time worrying about it? Take one problem at a time, pray about it, trust God for His strength and you will overcome. And overcome I have (at least for today)!

And finally a verse that gives me chills and strength when I read it: "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." My Savior has overcome the world and conquered the sin that has corrupted and so I have confidence that no matter what happens in this world "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand," What a wonderful promise!

-Sincerely, an overcomer for today.

Why My Faith Broke Down

2015-02-16T12:17:00.002-08:00

I've Struggled this year. I'm still struggling. I'm fearful. I worry. I've found myself laughing because I realize that I'm just like Aunt Josephine on series of unfortunate events. She is the woman who is worried about everything all the way down to standing in front of the fridge because it could crush you flat. But it really isn't funny-it's frustrating, even angering.

All of this has come from spiritual growth, but now I've hit a wall that is incredibly hard to get over. In previous days my faith in God was challenging at points as it should be in every Christians life, but was easy in the respect that I could claim that no matter what I faced God was there and he will protect me because He wants what is best for me. However, the string on which my faith was hanging, was me. My faith centered around me. My idea of God's best interest was that he would keep me safe and I would be happy no matter what. Because of this kind of faith I was fearless. It was as though God was my impenetrable shield that would let nothing through.

I cannot pinpoint a time at which the first piece of this trust chipped away, but I can tell you that it didn't take long for the entire thing to fall apart. Somewhere in my Bible studying I came to realize that God doesn't offer us impenetrable shields. He doesn't offer us happiness, comfortable lives, and safety for our loved ones.

When I stopped to look at the world around me I saw murder of Christians, starvation, destitution, and sadness. I, like the average American Christian had to stop and struggle intensely with why my God was not being to them what I thought he was being to me-that happiness, comfortable, shield machine?

Then I had to stop again and put the pieces together. God is not that kind of God around me and he is not that kind of God in the Bible, so he must not be that kind of God to me. But why? I took this question to my wise husband saying "isn't God supposed to be my refuge and my strength (Psalm 46:1)?" He said: "How can God be a refuge if there is no trouble?" The end of that verse says "a very present help in trouble." That means that I must experience difficulty!

So in my self-centered mindset I asked myself once again, what about those who are being killed for their faith around the world right now? Why is he not protecting them? I've once again overlooked a word. "Strength." Why would we need strength unless we were going to experience difficulty?

Another verse that comes to mind is Romans 8:31"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died-man than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" This sounds great right? This is the part we remember. God will give us all things! He will give us that safety and happiness, right? Wong. Lets not forget the end of this section:

"Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels no rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

This is the Good that God has to give to us! It is his love. His love is what sent Jesus to the cross, His love is what has given us grace and mercy. This verse tells us that we will be hurt, killed, and condemned, but it doesn't matter because we have Christs love.

I'm not meant to be safe. Sure God might grant me that, but its not his duty. My faith is to be based on the fact that I have Salvation-that is the ultimate protection and no one can take that from me. So the verse "The lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me (Psalm 118:6)?" does not mean that I can't be hurt, but it does mean that man cannot take what is most precious-my salvation and the love of God.

I will have troubles everyday. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:34). God knows that its enough for us to trust him on a daily basis.

Just remember God does not promise to keep you and your loved ones safe, but he does promise you eternal salvation if you've put your trust in him. So please, stop telling your children that God promises to keep them safe because He doesn't. Instead, encourage them to stand strong in their faith despite the turbulent waters knowing that even in death they cannot be separated from the love of Christ if they have accepted Him as Savior. I believe it is this idea that will raise up a generation of strong Christians. Christians whose faith does not waver when things in life don't go the way they want them to. Christians who don't worry about every single little thing because they already know that life isn't a piece of cake and God isn't going to make it that way for them.

-Sincerely, not perfect and still struggling with this myself.

A Year Worth Remembering

2015-02-12T07:55:00.001-08:00

2014 was probably the best year of my married life-it was full of growth, new experiences, blessings, and lots of fun. Before my mind is clouded by new memories made in 2015 here is what happened month by month this past year:

January:
-We didn't have too many fun events in January because it was mostly full of support raising and office work.
-Steven and I started vlogging and though that may not seem like anything big, it has become a daily part of our routine and a fun way for us to record our memories.

February:
-We held our first teen winter retreat and loved the experience of putting the event together and spending time with the teens.
-After the winter retreat I went to Splash Lagoon with my family for a fun two days of water activities.
-We traveled back to our home town to doing some puppet judging for the puppet team we used to be a part of in high school.
-We had two of Steven's friends over for a few days-one all the way from England!

March:
-The very beginning of this month started with a trip to Chicago! It was so fun to be back in our first home (though I'm glad we don't live there anymore).
-We started taking some CEF classes (specifically TCE 1)
-We spoke at our first missions conference and got to meet some really great people!

April:
-We went back to our hometown to watch some of our friends put on a puppet dinner theater.
-We spent Easter weekend with family and had our annual egg painting-it was the first time we got to be together for the Holiday since we got married in 2010.

May:
-We went all the way down to North Carolina for a week long CEF conference. This was a big highlight in my year because it was such a huge spiritual encouragement that set my sights back on the importance of prayer. It was powerful enough that it stuck with me all through the year!
-I got to go home to celebrate my birthday with family.

June:
-In the beginning of June we went camping with some friends and family which we do every year-tis lots of fun.
-Right from camping we traveled a million hours up to Boston to attend my cousins wedding-it was probably one of, if not my favorite wedding I have ever attended.
-Then began CEF training school for the teens. We taught the support track class for the first time and really enjoyed it!

July:
- We went back to our hometown to celebrate the 4th of July with our family. Food and fireworks always equal fun.
-Then began our long summer of driving teens around to 5-Day Clubs.
-My family came up to visit us for a day which is always nice.

August:
-Along with driving teens to clubs we also manned a booth at the Butler County Farm Show.
-A friend of Steven's came to stay for a week.
-We celebrated our 4th anniversary (which we didn't actually do anything for because we were going somewhere super exciting in November)
-We were the child care at a Christian retreat-which was more like a getaway than work.

September:
-We went to Lewistown, PA for a CEF retreat which was a nice relaxing couple of days.
-We went back to our hometown again to celebrate Steven's birthday super early with his family because we were going away for the next couple months.
-We left for Children's Ministries Institute in Missouri. Our departure contains a fairly amusing story. For some reason we thought that we were supposed to be there on a Friday so we were going to take our time getting there and leave on Thursday. So here we are on Wednesday night, already in bed (I was already asleep) and Steven shakes me awake and says "Kayla, I think we are supposed to be there tomorrow!" So after confirming that this was true, we bolted out of bed at 11pm on Wednesday night and finished packing the car (thankfully I had been on the ball and packed pretty much everything that day). So poor Steven drove all night (except for an hour when He was so tired we stopped in a Walmart parking lot and He slept). Good times.

October:
-This month was entirely consumed with classes and homework. I found myself surprisingly enjoying it despite not wanting to go in the first place.
-My parents and brother came out to visit us because my dad also had CEF classes that week (perks of working for the same ministry).
-Steven turned 24-crazy!

November:
-We finally got to go home!
-We had our first Butler County CEF banquet and were blessed by all the support that we received!
-Now for the biggest highlight of the year! We went to Europe! After years of thinking/praying about it and months of planning it, we finally got to go. It was such a God thing the way that everything lined up and came together. We started out in London, flew to Rome, Flew to Thessaloniki and staed with some missionary friends, flew to Israel and stayed with another friend, flew to Romania and stayed with my cousin, flew back to London, and then finally flew home! It was a two week whirlwind trip that I will never forget!

December:
-The second week of our Europe trip went into December and we flew home on the 6th.
-We went back to our hometown for Christmas and New Years and had a great time as always, soaking up all the fun that the Holidays have to offer.

As you can see it was a year worth remembering! I'm so blessed and so thankful for all that God has allowed me to do.

Meditations of a Bug Squasher

2014-08-26T07:23:00.002-07:00

My pet spider who I keep under a candle

While squashing flies this morning and feeding them to my accidental pet spider (that is another story that I'll leave for another time) I was doing some pre-Bible reading meditating and was randomly struck with the reminder that when we ask for God to speak to us through His word He isn't going to say no-He is extremely eager to speak to us it is just a matter of us being able to sit still and listen. So of course being excited about hearing a word from God this morning, I sent up the request.

One of the things I am studying right now in my time with God is a little booklet from "Today In The Word," titled: Work and the Word: A Biblical Survey of Labor. The "applying the word" section said this:

"What tools have you been gifted that make your work possible? If you had a to hire someone to do your job-raising children, managing a team of professionals, reading electric meters-how would you describe the skills and characteristics necessary for a successful applicant? Do an inventory of the tools you've been given with which you work."

Now being in ministry I have taken a million strengths tests and they all focus so much on a description of who I supposedly am and what I am supposedly good at and what I should be doing or not doing. However, none of them asked me to be self reflective in quite this way. I started thinking about everything I do (not just ministry, but life) and the gifts I require to do those things and my eyes began to well with tears ( which usually happens when I am in awe of God and the way He works) because it hit me that God specifically gifted me with certain abilities for a purpose. I wasn't just on the assembly line one day and happened to be the billionth person and line so I was stamped with such and such ability. No, God knew what I would do in this life, who I would marry, what I would do for a living, and places I would go. He knew it all and picked out the perfect tools for me to be able to glorify Him to the best of my ability.

I also don't need to try to replicate someone else's tools and wear myself out doing something that God didn't gift me in. He didn't ask me to do that. He asks me to work to the best of my ability with what I have been given in order to give glory back to Him. Isn't that such a beautiful cycle? And don't we have the most amazing all-knowing God? YES!

Secrets of the Vine

2014-03-20T08:37:00.001-07:00

A day or two ago I started reading through "Secrets of the Vine" by Bruce Wilkinson. This isn't the first time I've read through this book, but as I look through the passage again and his notes on it, a new idea has come to light. One of the things He says we can learn from this passage in John is:

"The vineyard shows you God's purpose for you. Jesus wanted His followers to remember that we have one overarching purpose on earth-to bear fruit for God's glory."

Of course I have previously known that our purpose is to glorify and honor God, but it came through in a
different light for me, now that I am in full-time ministry. I can often get caught up in the idea that spreading the gospel is God's purpose for me-working for Him is my life's calling. I think every missionary is in danger of getting caught up in the idea that we are working for God and that is good and that's all we need to do-work at it with all your might and God is pleased. However, upon reading this passage again I came to the realization that no one's life purpose is to spread the gospel. God has not called anyone to put all their energies into bringing people to Christ. Although Jesus does tell us to "Go make disciples of all nations," he doesn't tell them that it is their purpose or calling. If this were the case there would be no martyrs-people die for the gospel not to bring people to Christ, but to glorify God and to stand up for what they believe in. Our sole purpose on this earth and into eternity is to glorify and honor God. So in whatever you have decided to do with your life, that thing that you are doing is not your life's purpose, God has not called you to it, but rather you are supposed to glorify and honor God while you do it. This should be a tremendous attitude changer in your life-because it is in mine right now. Doing work is not pleasing God, it's my attitude while I'm doing it that is pleasing to Him.

How Have I made a Difference Today?

2014-03-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

At the end of the day I have to ask myself a sobering question:

What have I done today and how have I made a difference?

Just a Quick Love Story

2014-02-21T12:36:00.002-08:00

I know Valentines Day is over, but it's never too late to share a love story, right? Steven and I celebrated 3 1/2 years of marriage on Valentines Day and I am still happily married and more in love than I was on my wedding day.

I really started to take an interest in Steven when I was fifteen and we became pretty good friends thanks to good ol' AIM, E-mail, and church/missions activities. As I have mentioned before, I have an E-mail folder labeled "Steven" that contains over 4,000 E-mails from him. Every once in a while I go back and read those E-mails and well, because I am sick, it seemed like the perfect activity. It is so fun to look back and see the beginnings of our relationship, even though I was the "dumb blonde" and Steven was the "dumb blonde police". He picked on me quite relentlessly and I may have to admit that I probably played it up a bit just so I could keep his attention (he he). In one of the E-mails I just read from 2007, he writes "i honestly am trying to be nice. its really really hard. i'll do it though. u just wait".

It's funny to think that three years after he sent this we were married. Yeah, I'd say he found a way to be a little nicer. He is still my favorite person, my best friend, AND the nicest guy I've ever known.

Thanks babe for being the best husband a girl could ever ask for!

Low Fat Raw Vegan Valentines Chocolates

2014-02-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know the title is a mouthful, but every part of that phrase is important! In light of the coming holiday for lovers (and also me and Steven's half year anniversary) I decided to come up with a yummy alternative to the junk that stores of to offer. No, obviously it isn't the same as what the store sells, but that is because it's better! Your body will thank you, and it tastes amazing. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

-2 Ripe Banana's

- 30 Sweet Drops

-2 Tbs carob powder

-1/4 cup of blueberries

-little bit of water

Tools:

-Blender

-Heart candy mold (or whatever you prefer)

-candy liner

-box

Directions:

1) Blend together 1 banana, carob powder, 15 sweet drops, and a little bit of water (just to make the mixture blend well. Hopefully you will end up with a pudding like consistency 2) Scoop the mixture into your candy mold and make sure that it covers the bottom and a little ways up the sides. 3) Put it in the freezer of the the mixture is at least slightly frozen. 4) Meanwhile put your second banana, 15 sweet drops, and blueberries into the blender and blend into a smooth consistency. 5) Take your candy mold with the chocolate base out of the freezer and scoop a small amount of the blueberry filling into the center

6) Put it into the freezer again 7) when it is at least slightly frozen, pull it out and cover with another layer of chocolate. 8) Put it back into the freezer until solid 9) Take them out of the freezer and pop them out of the molds. 10) situate them in the candy liner and place it in the box. 11) Now your finished! If you want to add bonus points for presentation, tie up the box with a little ribbon.

For an easy tutorial on how to make these, check out my Vegan Tr3k channel <here>.

Magical Snowy Day

2014-01-21T19:02:00.001-08:00

Once the holidays are over, winter just seems to be cloudy and gloomy. Spring is always so fantastic because our vitamin D deprived bodies are sighing with relief as they refuel. However, there are a few days during those cold months where the sun shines and makes the snow sparkle. It's those days that make winter magical! Today was one such day and we spent a portion of it cross country skiing. It was a gorgeous and relaxing experience that I hope to relive again soon!

Mmm Kombucha

2014-01-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year when I was still living in Chicago, I tried a vegan restaurant called Karen's Cooked *insert salivating* i'm pretty sure I blogged about it before, but it was amazing! Anywho, to drink, I had a bottle of strawberry kombucha. I can still remember drinking that wonderful fizzy, fermented drink for the first time and reading the ingredients which said 100% pure love. They totally nailed it. I fell in love and continued to buy the $4.00 (in Chicago) drink whenever I could. In December Steven bought me a scoby and I have been able to make it myself. It's a delicious drink and it's so good for you! Here's a list of healthy benefits: http://www.foodrenegade.com/kombucha-health-benefits/ Don't worry, it has less alcohol in it than NyQuil. For those of you who want to start making it yourself now that I've convinced you that it's the best thing in the world, I've made a tutorial! Woohoo! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGQh9TtINjE Check it out!...Even if it's only to watch me hold a giant fungus!

Saved Praises

2014-01-13T16:01:00.000-08:00

Life is full of beautiful things, both simple and extravagant. However, those things, those moments, and those experiences only last for a time. In that time and place I praise God for His awesome creations and life experiences He has given me, but then that moment is gone. When those moments are over we are left with a memory that slowly turns black and white over time. It is said that pictures are worth a thousand words- as they should be! We have ability to freeze a second in time and save it for an earthly eternity. Pictures are like saved praises. I snap a moment in time where I am thankful and praising God for His gifts to me and the life He has allowed me to live. It is a blessing to look back through old pictures and begin those praises once again.

I am considering making a photo journal to catalog my everyday life. We will see if it actually happens, but I like that idea.

Christmas Bliss

2013-12-15T13:19:00.002-08:00

A snowy Sunday afternoon cuddled up in a blanket with Steven next to my twinkling Christmas tree is how I have contentedly spent my afternoon. We have been running here and there so much lately that doing absolutely nothing but wallow in contentment is pure bliss.

So far, this Christmas season has already been full of fun and family as we have spent many weekends back home for various activities. However, right now I am happy to be home and enjoying my own little Christmas wonderland.

A Vegan Thanksgiving

2013-12-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo......uh, I haven't blogged in a while....whoops. My Thanksgiving was great! How bout yours? I started my holiday season off on Friday the 23rd by decorating for Christmas and then I made a delectable little Thanksgiving dinner for Steven and myself. ~~to consume. with our mouths...and now I'm hungry and kind of want peanut butter. RANDOM. I'm feeling incredibly random right now. Ignore this.~~ This was my first Vegan thanksgiving and I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out. I know for a lot of people it probably seems like a daunting task to make vegan foods that will measure up to the traditional holiday delicacies-but really it isn't a problem! I made large portions for our little dinner because when we were finished I put the leftovers in the fridge and then took them to my other two Thanksgiving dinners with family. Below are a few of my holiday dishes that I ate all weekend long (and didn't get tired of them)...

Our Vegan Feast

Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole (I left out the earth balance
butter because it wasn't necessary)

Vegan Green Bean Casserole (Super yum!!!!!)

Gardein Holiday Roast (Fantastic meat replacement!)

Vegan Stuffing (I made mine without the oil and used Ezekiel bread)

Cauliflower potato mash. This is a great lower fat version of mashed potatoes.
There is no sacrifice in this version because you still get that chunky homemade mashed
potato feel.

Ingredients:
1 Head of Cauliflower
2 Potatoes
Salt

Directions:
1)Steam cauliflower until it is super soft. 2) Boil potatoes until they are super soft as well.
3) Blend the cauliflower in a blender. 4) Mix the potatoes in a mixer and slowly add in the pureed cauliflower.
5) Sprinkle in your desired amount of salt.

It makes nice moist "potatoes" with no milk or butter!

Don't worry, I didn't forget about dessert. For my dessert I made a Vegan Pecan Pie (but I used a GF crust instead of the raw crust) and a Tofu Pumpkin Pie (I used a GF pie crust for this one as well)

Mmmmm Hummus

2013-11-19T12:15:00.000-08:00

I love hummus. I'll it in a bowl with spoon or with veggies or pita chips or any other reasonable combination-it is an amazing food! I feel like I am always craving this creamy spread-I could be midway through a chocolate chip cookie and I'd still be interested in changing over my taste buds to consume a bit of hummus. Today for lunch I concocted a mouth-watering combination that I'm sure to try again soon.

Open Faced Hummus Sandwich

Hummus Ingredients:

1/2 can Garbanzo beans (Chick Peas)

1 tbs lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

water

Directions:

This is a lower fat hummus when you leave out the oil, so if you were wondering, that is why it isn't there.

1) Blend all the ingredients together and add water as needed to make it smooth

Sandwich Ingredients:

Hummus (previously made)

1/2 red pepper

1 slice of Ezekiel bread (or whatever whole grain bread you choose)

Capers

Directions:

1) Cook peppers in a frying bad with a bit of water until soft

2) Spread hummus on your slice of bread

3) Top with roasted red peppers and capers

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

2013-11-19T11:58:00.000-08:00

In light of the quickly approaching Thanksgiving, I will post a this tasty little breakfast treat. Its wholesome, slow burning (so you won't get hungry mid morning), energizing, and not to mention equipped with sweetness to satisfy those who just can't stray to far from that box of frosted or sugar pumped cereal.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup water

1/4 tsp pumpkin spice

1 tsp honey

1 tbs peanut butter

1/2 tsp flax seeds

Directions:

1) Heat oats and water in the microwave for 2 minutes

2) Mix in the rest of the incredients

Today I am Thankful

2013-11-19T11:46:00.001-08:00

Every November my Facebook feed is brimming with the "what I'm thankful for, countdown to Thanksgiving". I love to see what people are thankful for and to be honest, I like to be impressed with the fact that people actually find things to be thankful for. As soon as Thanksgiving passes, my Facebook feed once again fills up with complaints and depressing song lyrics. Anyway, the point of this post is not to rant

about Facebook, but rather to say that I am not a "thankful only in November" kind of person. No, this is also not a woohoo look at me post, just hang in there. What I mean is that I wake up every morning of the year and thank God for all the good He has blessed me with. I thank Him for an amazing husband who loves me, a loving family who raised me, a great church family, a house, a car, food, health, ministry and anything else that comes to mind. However, it's not often that I wake up and say thank you for the things I don't like in life. This morning I was studying my lesson for Good News Club (a children's Bible club that I teach in one of our public schools) and it was a lesson on thankfulness. The story was about a boy who moved away from everything he knew and loved. In the end of the lesson he learned to say "thank you" for the place God had put him in. Though it may seem repulsive to give thanks for the things we hate the most in life, it is pleasing to God and we may find that the more we thank Him, the less terrible those things may seem. So today I am thankful for both the good and the bad. "In everything Give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."-1 Thessalonians 5:18

Scary Food

2013-11-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot! That was the sound I made yesterday when I finished the two classes I have been taking for the past couple months. So for those of you who were wondering where I've been, well, just imagine a dimly lit attic room with empty cans of seltzer water leading to a futon where a disheveled girl is sitting among books and strewn about papers while furiously typing on an overheated laptop. Yeaaaaaaah…that’s where I've been. Now that I have emerged from that world I am ready to get back to a bit a blogging.

A few days ago I watched a film called Food Inc. and I had my eyes opened to a world that I

knew was there, but didn't understand. I know I can’t do it justice by simply explaining it so I would recommend watching it yourself, but it deals with the subject of mainstream food and how unhealthy it is and how it is produced. To be honest, it is quite scary to see what goes into your food. The film talks about how we think there is so much to choose from in the grocery store, but really there are only a few producing companies that own everything. They choose what goes into your food and quite frankly, it isn't good. Mostly it is corn that has been genetically altered to make all kinds of things.

I think it is funny how there are all these initiatives to make America healthier so they tell us to eat more fruits and vegetables. While those things are good, most of our fruits and vegetables have been genetically modified and sprayed with chemicals that don’t agree with our bodies and therefore more diseases are born and American health continues to go down the drain.

The film deals largely with animals, the way they are treated, and the meat that comes from them. I don’t disagree with eating meat, but the way the animals are treated truly is wrong. “Whoever is righteous has regard for his beast” (Proverbs 12:10). We are allowed to eat animals, but we are not allowed to torture them and make their lives miserable till death.

There is just so much wrong with the way our food is produced and I have determined not to support it. Despite the larger cost of organic food, I have decided that this is what I will purchase. If it saves me from immune dysfunction, insulin disorders, organ damage, infertility, allergies, toxins, disease, nutritional problems and hey, even death…it’s worth it.

I know that this life is not all about food, but it is about becoming Christ-like and living in a way that would please Him. “To Adam he said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from,’ ‘Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life’” (Genesis 3:17). Mans punishment is difficulty growing food, and no amount of genetic modification is going to eradicate that punishment. Obviously it is only adding problems as we get sicker and sicker by trying to get out of the punishment. I want to take care of my body by eating things that are good for it so that I will have many healthy years to serve my Savior.

When you go the drug store you don’t just pick out any old drug to treat your symptoms because that could fatal! You have to know the ingredients to know if it is going to help you. In the same way, we need to be aware of the ingredients in our food because there are many chemicals in them that will harm us rather than help us. I’m not judging you if you don’t eat organically. It is expensive and I may not always be able to afford it either, but when I can I will. Just be aware of what it going into your body.

Corn Bread Stuffed Acorn Squash

2013-09-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

I always do a little happy dance inside when I am able to take a food that Steven is not a huge fan of and make it into something he could take seconds of. One of those foods happens to be acorn squash. I personally love it all coated with coconut oil and maple syrup or honey, but he one the other hand is content to eat it once every blue moon.
Well it's squash season once again and I had a few acorn squash sitting in the back of my fridge waiting to be consumed. Finally, today I had a recipe come together in my head which included those delectable sweet fleshed squash. Here is what happened:

Corn Bread Stuffed Acorn Squash

Corn Bread Ingredients

1 Cup cornmeal

1 Cup flour

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1/2 Cup Raw Sugar

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Soy Milk

2 Tablespoons ground flax mixed with 6 tablespoons water (egg replacement)

1/2 Cup Earth Balance Butter

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and store in the fridge

Squash Ingredients

2 Acorn Squash

2 Tablespoon Coconut Oil

2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup

Directions

1) Cut the acorn squash in half and scrape out the seeds 2) Fill a crock pot with about 1 inch of water 3) Put the acorn squash in the crock pot 4) Divide the Coconut oil and maple syrup evenly and place in each acorn squash 5) Cook on low for five hours or high for 2 hours or until the squash is soft 6) Fill squash halves with corn bread batter. 7) Cook at 400 degree for 15 minutes or until cornbread is cooked through.

Optional Toppings

Toasted walnuts

Maple Syrup

Super yum!

Animal Frenzy

2013-09-09T07:49:00.001-07:00

Finally, a moment to breathe! I have been up to my ears in work these past few weeks, so leisurely activities have not played a role in my life lately. At the end of August Steven and I started some online classes for Child Evangelism Fellowship® (CEF) and that paired with actual ministry, meetings, and retreats has kept us pretty busy. However, I do love keeping busy, so I can't complain ;).

On a different note, I am fairly convinced that nature is out to get me. Here is my proof:

1) One activity that I have managed to squeeze to my daily routine is running. I run a mile and a half every morning and occasionally lift some weights. So this morning I rolled out of bed, put on my sneakers and started running down through the neighbors orchard. When I got close to the barn I heard the cows going crazy, it was evident that were upset about something, but I figured eh, doesn't bother me any, so I kept running. Then I heard a rustling noise in the cornfield right beside me and I looked to my right and not five feet from me was a black bear! Ok, so I've always heard you don't run away from a black bear, so I wasn't going to do that. However, no one ever said you couldn't slowly back away from one, so I did. Thankfully he was content to munch on his corn instead of my head, but I'd still rather not have that happen again.

2) When we first moved to the area I was running back the same path and I heard loud, heavy, running footsteps behind me. I turned around and I was being chased by an angry mother cow. Apparently her and her calf had managed to get out out of the barn and I didn't see them and somewhere along the line she thought I got too close.

3) Reason number two happened two more time....

4) Also, while running I encountered some dogs running around in the field, thankfully they were content to just stare me down and not eat my legs.

5) While biking I had a large group of dogs run after me for a good quarter of a mile. It was not a fun time.

6) While I was still living in Chicago I had this tiny little dog who was somehow always outside (not in a fence or on leash) and it would come and bite my heels. Again, not a fun time.

Or maybe I'm like Doctor Dolittle and have a lot of animal fans...

At any rate, if you wouldn't mind sending a message to all you pets for me, tell them to tone down excitement a little bit and I'm not signing any autographs if they bite my heels!

Living for Another Life

2013-07-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

I have frequently been finding myself running a certain verse of scripture through my head. It is one of those challenging scriptures that you have to remind yourself of everyday lest you forget altogether. The passage I am referring to is is Matthew 6:21-22, which says "For where your treasure is there will your heart be also. But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
This has increasingly been brought to my mind with our recent move and slight increase in income. It is so tempting to go crazy and buy all kinds of stuff and spend all my time making the house nicer and building and ect.. I have to stop and remind myself that my treasure cannot be found anywhere on this earth, but is stored up in heaven. Whatever I build for myself on this earth will only last for an incredibly short time and only brings temporary happiness.
I desperately want to exert my energies into eternal rewards. This life is so distracting! Though it is a daily battle, I will continue to strive towards building my Fathers kingdom, serving Him, pleasing Him, and making sure it is my sole focus.

Reaping the Harvest

2013-07-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

The first day I met the family I was going to nanny for in Chicago, I went to their house for dinner. Despite the fact that I was a ball of nerves because I wasn't actually sure if I had the job yet (though I found out later I did and it was just a come and meet us dinner), I managed to relax over a delicious meal of corn on the cob, chicken and a really good salad. I'm not entirely sure what all was in the salad anymore or what dressing it had, I just remember it was really good and it had fennel in it (which is something I had never had before, but quickly fell in love with). Needless to say fennel started appearing in my grocery shopping list.
Anyway, while we were eating dinner she had mentioned something about being part of a program where you get fresh produce sent to your house in a box every week or couple weeks (I don't remember exactly how often). I remember thinking that was a really cool option for those living in the city. Not really having the funds to do something like that myself, I usually resorted to shopping at one of the various farmers markets hosted around the city, which was fun for me, but not always convenient.
When I started nannying I noticed a cook book laying open on their counter top and became intrigued by the uniqueness of it. It was called Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables. It is a really cool cookbook organized by season. It has stories and information all about the different fruits and vegetables that come out in each season and then of course recipes. I was interested in the cookbook in the first place because I thought if whatever was in it was as good as what she served for dinner then I was going to be hooked! Sure enough, I was. I went home and bought the book for myself on my kindle and exhausted many the recipes in it.
Though I enjoyed being able to cook with fruits and vegetables from the farmers market, I was always wishing I could grow my own plants and be a part of the entire process. There is something very satisfying about serving foods that you raised and cooked. Well God surely knows the desires of my heart because He brought us to a place in the country and gave us landlords who are very into growing things (they have an orchard, a corn field, a big garden, and all kinds of berry bushes). I asked if I could plant a garden and they loved the idea and even helped me till it! I think I wrote somewhere before that they probably thought I was a little silly planting a garden before my house was unpacked, but I was so excited to get a garden going!
So now here I am a month and a half later reaping the harvest. I have been pulling tomatoes out for a couple weeks now, but today I harvested some zucchini, yellow squash, and radishes as well! I should also mention that I have been blessed with generous neighbors who have let me pick all I want from their cherry tree and raspberry bushes, so I have fruit in plenty as well. I am certainly a blessed little lady, and I am very thankful.

Reaping the harvest is a wonderful thing!

Summer Sushi Bowl

2013-07-12T13:24:00.001-07:00

I love sushi. For years I hated it and then one day my taste buds grew up and realized it is quite delicious. Of course now that I'm vegan, I'm that weirdo that sits there at the Chinese restaurant poking out half the ingredients, but it's still quite tasty. The sweet rice combined with the seaweed and the crunch of veggies-it's lovely.
Anywho, I've made my own sushi on several occasions because it is really inexpensive and it makes a nice light meal. However, this last time I tried to make it, I used brown rice which really didn't work because it never got sticky. If you have ever tried making sushi before you know that without sticky rice, it's a lost cause. Not wanting to give up on that wonderful sushi taste, I decided to make a "sushi bowl". Upon completion I realized it's a nice quick alternative for when I don't have time to make a bunch of rolls (because it is quite time consuming). It is also a great summer food for when you just need to eat something cool and refreshing.

Sushi Bowl

Ingredients:

2 cups Brown Rice

2 tbs Vinegar (whatever you choose) I used white vinegar

Cucumber

Nori sheets

2 tbs honey (it calls for sugar, but I use honey)

1 tbs salt (I used sea salt)

Cucumber

Coleslaw Bag mix (aka cabbage, red cabbage and carrots)

Directions:

(1)Make rice like you would for the sushi, something like <this>. (2) put a nori sheet in the bottom of your bowl. (2) Fill the nori sheet with rice. (3) Mix in coleslaw mix. (4) Top with matchstick sized cucumber. (5) Rip up a nori sheet and sprinkle it over top. You can eat this alone or serve it up with some <homemade spring rolls>.

Homemade Spring Rolls

2013-07-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of our time in Chicago (or rather Cicero), we started eating at this little Chinese take out place across the street. We had always walked by it and said we should try it sometime, but there are so many restaurants in Chicago that the tiny little take out place just never seemed all that exciting. However, when the countdown to our departure started and we began packing and the house was a mess and chaotic and I no longer felt like cooking because of the disastrous condition of my kitchen, the little take out place regained it's appeal.
I must admit that this particular little take out place became a mainstay for our apathetic movers syndrome. After that first time we fell in love. They had this biggest and most delicious egg rolls I think i have ever had. I'm sitting here drooling over my computer at the memory (it doesn't help that it's lunch time and I have no access to food).
Now that I have expressed my love of Chinese and egg rolls, lets get to the point. Egg rolls are really not that hard to make, so I've made them on several occasions. I guess I mine are actually spring rolls, because I don't add egg, but spring rolls are just as yummy.

Homemade Spring Roll

Wrapper Ingredients:

2 cups flour (I usually use a combination of whole wheat white and whole wheat flour)

Vegan "egg" (1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with two tablespoons of water)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup ice water

Olive oil for coating

Directions:

(1) Mix all the ingredients together. (2) Roll it out thin and flat. (3) Cut into equal sized square pieces.

Filling Ingredients:

It's simply a bag of coleslaw mix.

Directions:

(1)Place a good sized pinch of the coleslaw mix into the center of each wrapper. (2) Fold in the sides and roll. (3) Coat each roll in olive oil. (4) Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

I found a really yummy sauce at Trader Joe's called "Sweet Chili Sauce" which is really good to dip them in. It's a bit spicy unlike duck sauce, but it's quite yummy. It also pairs well with my Sushi Bowl recipe which you can find <here>.

100

2013-06-30T15:24:00.001-07:00

100 is the number of years in a century, the number of tiles in a standard scrabble set, the number of pennies in a dollar, the number of yards in a football field, the number pounds the average woman would like to weigh, and as far as percentages go, it is a full amount. Obviously this is only a short list of the importance of the number 100, but you get the idea. One Hundred seems to be a very monumental number, so having said that, this is my 100th post!

I feel that it is only appropriate to take a moment to thank you all for reading my blog. I really started this blog for myself because it seems so much easier to combine my thoughts, ideas, and recipes all in one place on the internet, where I know I won't lose them, as opposed to scattered all through my house or trash. However, after a while I received comments from people saying that they were reading my blog and enjoying it, so it become a little more-not only a way to organize my thoughts, but also a way to share and encourage others.

I love to write, it is my most comfortable form of communication. I feel like written words are so much more powerful! A lot has happened in the last two years, between several moves, a sick brother, adjusting to marriage, adjusting to city, changing jobs, and changing eating styles. I'm so glad I took the time to write down my thoughts and ideas and I'm so glad you all have taken the journey with me! I occasionally find myself reading back through posts and being encouraged by what I was learning and seeing how God was working in my life to bring to the place I am at now.

I hope my first 100 blogs have encouraged you, weather it was spiritual, through something I was learning or even encouraging you towards a healthy lifestyle. If not, stick around, maybe something in the next hundred will inspire you. You can follow me by clicking the "join this site" button under "followers" or you can type in your email where it says "follow by email" and you will get my blog sent straight to you whenever I post it.

May the next leg of the journey begin...

Decorated Banana

2013-06-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

It would seem that I am still dwelling on my banana fetish and so of course a blog must follow. I am constantly trying to come up with creative and healthy snack ideas because I live with and am related to many people who feel they need to have a snack every five minutes. I'm starting to think maybe I'm the one that has a problem? Either way, it's a good thing I like culinary ventures. When my brother was visiting I made this banana concoction (does that word make it sound bad? It's really isn't...) and Steven really liked and it was super easy, so I made it a few more times as well. I think I just created a staple recipe. It chose my ingredients so as to make it look pretty-like decorating a banana

Decorated Banana

Ingredients:

Banana

Peanut butter

Honey

Dark Chocolate

Almond Meal

Ground Flax

Directions:

(1)Drizzle the peanut butter and honey on top of the banana (2) Sprinkle almond meal, ground flax and grated dark chocolate on top. Simple, eh?