God is Faithful ALWAYS!
During this month we have been emphasizing “Faithfulness”. I sat down to write my post yesterday when I came upon this article. As soon as I started reading it, I knew that it was something I needed to see. And, if it was something I needed to see, then someone else out there may need this encouragement, too! So, today I have decided to share with you an article from Relevant Magazine to remind you that…God is faithful ALWAYS, He can help us face all our fears and he will remain loyal and steadfast forever.
“God is far more gracious, more gentle and tenderhearted toward our anxious hearts than we understand.”
Anxiety Is a Spiritual Issue
by RACHAEL DYMSKI MAY 26, 2015
One of the easiest ways to disable a person, I think, is to make them anxious.
I am not talking about an anxiety disorder, a diagnosable mental disorder that can be treated by doctors, therapy or medication. (To learn about about anxiety disorders and how to receive help, you can visit NIMH.NIH.gov.) I am talking about a general anxiousness, worrying, asking what ifs that are a part of everyday life. I am talking about the discomfort caused by the mind racing faster than mouth or logic, worrying about tomorrow, worrying about all that we don’t know or about what could happen.
The Bible is far from silent on the topic of anxiety. It says so much about worry, the faithfulness of God, and how we are to respond to it. Here are a few ways the Bible addresses anxiety.
We Are Cared For
Often in the Church, worry is looked upon as a sin. Often, people don’t like to talk about it because it’s almost taboo; those who …
Read MoreGluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
For some of our friends and loved ones, the days of delicious chocolate chip cookies like grandma used to make seem to be a long ago luxury, never to be enjoyed again. During this “Clean Eating” month I have been searching for an option for those who need to be gluten free for whatever reason when it comes to their clean eating desserts. I started by researching recipes for homemade gluten free flours and found two that sounded quite reasonable. I will share both of them with you and the sites where I found them so you can do your own evaluation. In the end I happened to have one bag of “Bob’s Red Mill” Gluten Free All Purpose Flour on hand so I used it today in my recipe for the sake of time and convenience.
I adapted a recipe I found online from Michelle@MyGluten-freekitchen.com
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups gluten free flour blend
½ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if Gluten Free flour blend you are using already has xanthan in the recipe)
1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter melted
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperate
1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 egg yolks, room temperature
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
In a medium bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt. In your mixer bowl, put cream cheese and melted butter and begin to mix. Add brown and white sugar and blend on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add the flour mixture and blend on low until just mixed. Add the chocolate chips and mix in by hand. Cover the cookie dough with saran wrap and …
Read MoreFaithful Pursuit
Today I want to encourage you to stay faithful in the pursuit of your goals.
There will be days when you feel like progress is slow, or even non-existent. However, those are the times when you must push through!
So often we don’t see change when we are in the middle of our journey. When you want to give up– take a step away from your BIG goal and take a minute to remember that every step forward (Even after a few steps back) is teaching you skills and lessons to prepare you for the journey ahead and future paths you take.
I hope this encourages you today to stay strong, recharge, and get ready to continue to faithfully in your pursuit.
…
Faithfulness of One
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How many different things do you say yes to? What are those things? What things do you say no to? How do those every day little decisions end up affecting your whole life?
We make yes and no decisions all day long, every day. Life is all about choices. Will you say no to getting out of bed and hit snooze one more time, will you say yes to driving the speed limit, will you say yes to another cup of coffee, will you say no to watching just one more show… Some decisions are methodically thought out over time, others are quick and hasty. Some have instant feedback, others have slow results. Some affect only you, others affect numerous people. But regardless, our lives are filled with decision after decision that determine our steps, actions, and ultimately lives.
But don’t be overwhelmed by this seemingly endless cycle of choices… I can think of a pretty amazing way to make it less of a swamped feeling. God has called us to say yes to Him. Saying yes to Christ, yes to following Him, yes to love, yes to His truth. And the rest of the decisions can just flow all determined by the one overall decision. It’s not always an easy process, but it is a simple solution. And it is not just one way, it is THE way. Yes to Christ is the most important part of any decision. It is the thing we have to remember and cling to. It isn’t about saying no to the other things. It is about saying yes to pursuing Christ, pursuing what the Lord wants, and having everything in your life revolve around that one important decision. And other decisions are decided upon by this yes. Rather than all …
Read MoreChinese Chicken Salad a Faithful Clean Eating Friend
The beautiful evenings in spring invite a desire for lighter dinner options. This hearty dinner salad gives you a delicious option for those warmers nights as spring turns into summer. And with many folks wanting to get into better shape before the beach weather is here….this salad is worth adding to your repitoire of light and healthy clean eating dinner options.
Chinese Chicken Salad
2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded or cubed
2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 head napa cabbage
2-3 cups chopped kale or spinach
3 stalks celery sliced thin
2 carrots peeled and sliced thin (you can spiral slice them with a messermeister peeler or a Paderno spiral slicer-see below)
1 zucchini sliced thin
3 green onions sliced
1 can water chesnuts sliced
1 cup toasted almonds or cashews chopped
1 jicama peeled and cut into small cubes
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 cucumber peeled and sliced (no need to peel if using english cucumber)
1 yellow or orange bell pepper cut into small chunks
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
Dressing
1 cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon honey
Cook chicken.
Shred or cut into cubes and mix with hoisin sauce.
Mix shredded napa cabbage, chopped kale or spinach, celery, carrots, green onions, water chestnuts, jicama, cilantro, cucumber and peppers in a large bowl.
Mix all dressing ingredients and set aside.
Add chicken and toasted almonds (or cashews) and sesame seeds to greens.
Toss dressing into salad and mix thoroughly. chill and serve.
Serves 8-10
Developing Faithfulness in Friendship
Faithfulness in friendship is a gift! How many of us truly cherish the friends we have that are willing to risk loving us? It is costly to love someone enough to open up our heart, to be vulnerable, to let them in. But the risk is totally worth it because the benefits are life changing! Love takes grace and forgiveness. Faithful friendship take commitment. Commitment can be inconvenient. But we need friends, friends who will listen to us share our hearts, challenge us to be better wives and mothers…..people who hang in there when we are struggling and show us compassion when we are hurting. “We deeply want to have our people. Close friends and mentors don’t fall in our laps. You search and invest and then you allow them to be imperfect versions of what you were hoping for in your head. Most of us are waiting to be invited, waiting to be pursued, waiting for friends to come to us. But this is not the way it happens.” (quote from a book by Jennie Allen called Restless) We need to take action. Pursue friendships with a passion, show kindness, patience, meekness, humility, gentleness, compassion and selfless willingness to serve. (Colossians3:12-15)
Love is action. Initiate deep conversations by asking great questions, actively listen and give honest answers. Share your struggles, ask for wise counsel and listen when advice is given. Pray together with your close friends as this habit takes your friendship to an even deeper level! So ask God for insight and discernment as you seek out faithful friends. Pray for guidance. Ask deep questions. Share your own struggles. Think of ways you can meet the needs of your friends.
Today I witnessed the blessings that come from faithful friendship. Bethany invests in people. She is willing …
Read MoreFaithful and Consistent
This month we are focused on the theme of FAITHFULNESS. The definition of faithful that struck me the most was these words: steady, loyal, constant.
I thought of how we can easily apply faithfulness to our lives and that is by being CONSISTENT.
Consistent in moving forward and allowing God to work in us and through us with devotions and prayer.
Consistent to see God’s hand working in our daily life by keeping a gratitude journal.
Consistent in our marriage by devoting time to connect and grow together.
Consistent in goal setting and daily actions that move us forward.
Consistent in our health by choosing foods to fuel us, and fun things that move us.
A mindset of consistency motivates me because it is a focus on progress, forward progress, NOT perfection. So embrace the hard days, embrace the crazy times, and know that God is always with you and when you are faithful and steady He will use you for greatness because we were made to THRIVE!
Need help getting started?
Set up a consistent morning routine
Join our Clean Eating challenge
Share with us: What helps you stay consistent?
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Read MoreBanana Peanut Butter Cookies
Red Lentil Stew
Lentils are legumes, seeds of a plant whose botanical name is Lens ensculenta. They grow in pods that contain either one or two lentil seeds. Lentils are classified according to whether they are large or small in size with dozens of varieties of each being cultivated. While the most common types in the United States are either green or brown, lentils are also available in black, yellow, red and orange colors. Lentils are low in calories and high in nutrition, lentils are the perfect legume to eat in the summer in salads, spreads and are a perfect protein on a vegetarian dinner plate. Lentils are a hassle-free compliment to any meal. Nutty and earthy in flavor, lentils have a high nutritional value.
Their health benefits include:
1. Lowering Cholesterol – Lentils can help to reduce blood cholesterol because of their high levels of soluble fiber.
2. Heart Health – Several studies have shown that eating high fiber foods like lentils reduces your risk of heart disease. Lentils are also a great source of folate and magnesium, which are big contributors to heart health. Folate lowers your homocysteine levels, a serious risk factor for heart disease. Magnesium improves blood flow, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.
3. Digestive Health – Insoluble dietary fiber found in lentils helps prevent constipation and other digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis.
4. Stabilizing Blood Sugar –The soluble fiber in lentils traps carbohydrates, slowing down digestion and stabilizing blood sugar levels. This can be especially helpful for those with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.
5. Good Protein – Of all legumes and nuts, lentils contain the third-highest levels of protein. 26 percent of lentil’s calories are attributed to protein, which makes them a wonderful source of protein for vegetarians and vegans.
6. Increase …
Read MoreHigh Protein Arugula Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
This month we are experimenting with new “Clean Eating” recipes. Rachel found an App on her phone called Mealime. The other day she tried an Arugula salad that she loved and so I decided to change it up and add a few things to make it our own. So here is a revised version of the Mealime Arugula salad…….a High Protein Arugula Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette. The amounts listed make a salad that will serve 8-10. I made ¼ this recipe and it was perfect for 2 people.
Ingredients
8 cups arugula
3 cups spinach
1 avocado cut into small pieces
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup feta cheese crumbles
1 cup pistachios
½-1 cup raw sprouted pumpkin seeds
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup dried golden berries, golden raisins or chopped dried apricots
4 cups fresh raspberries
½ cup white balsamic
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon honey
Cook 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups chicken broth. Combine in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer for 20 minutes until quinoa is soft. Cool until ready to serve salad. Make dressing by putting 1 cup raspberries, ½ cup white balsamic, ¼ cup olive oil and honey into a blender and blend until completely mixed. Chill in refrigerator until ready to toss salad. Shell pistachio nuts and set aside. Cut arugula and spinach up a little bit into bite sized pieces and combine in a large salad bowl. Add avocado, garbanzo beans, feta cheese, cooked and cooled quinoa and stir to combine. Add 3 cups raspberries, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, dried golden berries and gently toss to combine. Pour ½ chilled raspberry vinaigrette dressing on salad and toss to coat. Taste and add remaining dressing as desired.
This delicious …
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