Can you hear it? You know, the thoughts, fears, and worries that awaken you at night. The fear that looms so large you can’t go back to sleep. That one concern on your mind seems so much worse in the dark. It grows larger and larger by the minute. And, then it goes bump. (If nothing else, the bump is in your imagination.) The bump gives way to continual chewing on the doubts and fears. Examining them. Stewing over them. And you wish you could turn it off and stop thinking about it! When we were young, it was monsters in the dark that scared us. Now it’s our thoughts…
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Salsa Beef Stew
I visited our kiddos in Atlanta in early June for a wedding and a week of R&R. The following week after the wedding, I visited the bride’s mother (a dear and treasured sister) with another dear and treasured sister. We call ourselves “The Birthday Club”. “2 AM Sisters”. As we travel through life’s seasons, our name list grows to too many to list here. The wedding was beautiful and a very special day! The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. (Proverbs 27:9) In the picture above, G (Mom of bride) is on the left, and D is on the right. There is so much…
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The Power of Understanding . . .
Have you ever encountered someone who asked how you were doing and then they dismissed your honesty? You usually say “fine” and then go on about your day, but that one time with someone you know well, you chose differently. Finally for once, you chose to be honest about your “fine-ness”. You exposed yourself and were a little vulnerable. And it blew up in your face. Stunned you. You weren’t understood. Did you feel that person didn’t care to even try to understand? Where was their empathy? Why should we expect empathy, even from other Christians? Humans have the innate ability of letting us down. I’m not saying we shouldn’t…
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The Journey To Brave
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 God wants us to be brave, not timid. 2 Timothy 1:7 has become a favorite verse since sudden changes in my life occurred eighteen months ago. On June 16th, I posted on Instagram a picture of Annie F. Downs’ book, 100 Days to Brave. And so it began. I was four days into it when I shared my recent favorite books and Bible studies. I wanted so much to tell you about this book at that time. But I’d barely begun. Still only a fourth of the way through,…
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Truth Sisters For Support in Faith, Fitness, and Fellowship
“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:16 How we need our Christian sisters. Rather, I should say, how I need my Christian sisters! I appreciate very much all the prayers and support you give me here. It is such a blessing. YOU are such a blessing! I have wished for more energy (and time), for ways to support you and encourage you in the tough seasons. And also for ways to support you in the healthy lifestyle journey we all need to take for caring for our temple in the way God desires. Do you find…
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Healthy Berry Crunch Recipe
“I saw the Lord always before me … therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope.” Acts 2:25-26 NIV Of all the foods from my healthy friends in my high-school girl’s trip group, this one is my summer favorite. I’ll share some savory recipes like Turmeric Soup later as weather gets cooler. You know . . . when it feels more like soup weather. 🙂 Fresh blueberries are now in season (yay!), but they won’t last forever. The organic frozen fruit medley from the grocer makes the perfect quick and easy berry crunch, no matter the season. Breakfast Ideas with Berry Crunch…
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Favorite Books and Bible Studies
As some of you know, I love to consume books using the Audible app. I turn up the volume and pleasantly vacuum my house in mental escape mode. No more complaining about running the vacuum after months last year of finding it difficult to vacuum. Now I joyfully vacuum and praise God through it! I cannot count the number of books and Bible studies I’ve worked my way through since January. I wanted to tell you about my favorites in case you’d like to read them, too. This all ties in with examining where we need to be, spiritually, and how God would have us seek Him through His word…
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Amaze Your Dentist In 3 Steps With This Tooth Brushing Powder
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols.” (Ezekiel 36:25) I went to the dentist last month for my yearly oral check-up. It was the same story this year as it was last year. As my dentist examined and dug all around in my mouth, trying to find anything worthy of clearing or scraping away from my teeth, he commented on how well I clean my teeth. And then he said the most surprising thing. I’ll give you the obligatory teeth cleaning as part of your normal yearly exam, but you really…
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Are You Where You Need To Be?
“You make known to me the path of life; you fill me with joy in your presence. (Psalm 6:11) I saw this Facebook post by someone I follow on Instagram as a health enthusiast: I am exactly where I need to be. In every aspect of life – physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally. (by Erin Parekh) It hit me. Maybe what she said is something I should ask – of God. Lord, am I exactly where You want me to be – physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally? If I had asked this question a couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have been so sure. In many ways, God did me a…
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Good Morning, Blueberry Muffins!
“Kind words are like honey — sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Proverbs 16:24 In this post that I published after my high-school girl’s trip, I told you I was inspired by my healthy-cooking friends to try their recipes and share them with you. As always, life happened, and I have not had time to get into the kitchen for those projects. But, I wanted to share this recipe that was on top of my “want to make this” stack even before the girl’s trip. I’ll get to the other recipes as soon as possible (pinkie promise). You’ll love these refreshing blueberry muffins I’m sharing with you…
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Book Title Reveal
I hope you had a blessed Memorial Day as we paused to ponder the gifts of life and service from our military service men and women. It’s hard to imagine our thanks being enough for the sacrifice of so many. Thank you all who added to my list of hard seasons we face in life (in this post). After adding your suggestions to my list, it grew from fourteen to twenty one! You’ll see the finalized list in the book when it’s finished (hopefully later this year). God first gave me this book title in January of 2015, only it was to say “Scared to Sacred (with the stroke of…
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What’s Your Tough Season Score?
I’ve missed you! I apologize for being quiet for longer than usual. Yes, we got our daughter “graduated” and moved to another state for her internship. We had fun celebrations with her! Soon after, I had a ten-day jaunt to see family and friends. So, you can see that my absence was for good reasons. But, I did miss you and I’m happy to be back – hopefully with a more evenly-spaced blog posting schedule. 😉 Part of my time away was for our high-school girl’s trip we take each year – a group of seven women of which I’m blessed to be included. I tasted new recipes from some…
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Embracing Joy in the Hard Seasons
I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day! When it comes to embracing seasons, we don’t want to miss out on the beauty of our calendar seasons when we are in the midst of a hard season of life. We can get so bogged down with the tough seasons that the beauty in our surroundings can escape us if we’re not intentional with our focus. After missing the joy of spring last year, I was somehow surprised at the blessing of our daughter visiting two weeks ago and planting my porch pots with beautiful flowers. I wasn’t able to do that last year, and I’d nearly forgotten how much I…
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Are You One Of THOSE People?
Not too long ago, I realized I might be one of THOSE people. Do you know to whom I’m referring? Those people are extremists about whatever is their thing. Whatever your area or thing, are you afraid people see you as one of those? It occurs to me that, when people don’t quite understand why we do the things we do, they may see us as extremists. When we are serious enough about our Christianity, our health, or any other area of life, to make serious changes in our actions, people notice. As the saying goes . . . Actions speak louder than words. There was a time in my…
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7 Healthy Layers For Flavor-Filled Green Smoothies
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6) Now that spring has brought warmer weather, I’m back into making smoothies again – especially with my favorite ingredient – Chocolate. If you don’t want chocolate every day, the orange-flavored creamsicle smoothie is a flavorful option. It was a little harder to get excited about drinking these frosty, frothy concoctions during winter, but it’s not hard AT ALL in warm weather. I think you’ll love these green smoothie recipes featured today – two chocolates and the creamsicle. Yes, greens go into these smoothies, but they don’t all turn out to be green in color. …
