Real vs. Fake

Many times when I exercise outdoors I see this...

Heart shaped leaves and twig crosses are my little love notes from God. They're always dropped perfectly in my path. I never have to search for them; they're just there.

This morning, I saw this...

If I looked hard enough, I could see a tiny indent on the leaf that could possibly count as a heart. The twigs are together and if I nudged the twigs just so, they'd form a cross. But you don't have to be a genius to see that this leaf and two little twigs are pale imitations of the "real" ones I've been given so many times. The leaf has a little indent, but it isn't really a heart. The twigs are together, but definitely don't form a cross.

Sometimes, when we are vulnerable, dry, or thirsty, we want to grab ahold of the first thing that will quench the thirst. We'll settle for something close to the real thing because we want it to be real. We're parched for whatever that thing is. But I believe God gives us the real thing enough times for us to know the truth, so we can't be deceived. Satan is the master of illusion and deception. He has the ability to make something look real and genuine, but if you know the real thing, you can tell where the master illusionist has gone wrong in his deceptive recreation.

My heart wanted to grab on to the feelings and emotions of receiving my little love notes from God. It's been a while since I've had a heart shaped leaf or a twig cross, primarily because I haven't been exercising outdoors (or exercising much at all, but that's a story for another day). God gave me a gift greater than a heart shaped leaf or a twig cross on my walk today; He showed me how to be alert, to really look for Him, and not to settle or be enticed by cheap imitations of His gift. He showed me to always grab ahold of the truth.

No matter how badly you want something, no matter how thirsty you get, never trick yourself or allow yourself to be tricked into settling for less than God's best for you. The more time you spend with the Author of perfection, the easier it will be to spot the imitation things that pale in comparison to the real, best thing.

-- Erin

Criticism: Good, Bad, and the Difference Between the Two

Criticism isn't always a bad thing.

It can be something that helps a person/organization grow. It can help you view a task, job, or thought process in a different light through an opposing view point. It can even help a person course correct and positively put them on a fresh, uncharted path personally and professionally. Criticism shows that someone cares. Unfortunately, criticism is typically the adult form of throwing a temper tantrum and crying out for attention.

The trick is to recognize that there are two forms of criticism and then expressing it appropriately.

1) Good, (constructive) Criticism
When expressed, doesn't tear a person/organization down and encourages them to grow personally/professionally. This criticism focuses on helping the other person/organization. It's like turning on a flashlight in a dark room and pointing the beam towards the exit to help guide the person.

2) Bad Criticism
When expressed, is done in a way without regard for the feelings of the person/business. It's all about the criticizer expressing their irritation towards the person/business. It's like being in a bright room and someone comes along, switches off the lights, leaving you in pitch black darkness, struggling to discover the exit.

One type of criticism builds up; the other tears down.

"Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." - Ephesians 4:29

"So encourage each other and build each other up..." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11a

"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." James 1:19-20

"If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless." - James 1:26

The next time you have the opportunity to express criticism, ask yourself, "Is this about helping the other person/business, and can I say it in away to be helpful to the other person/business? Or is this about helping me express my frustration?"

You'll find your answer very quickly if it's criticism that can and should be expressed.

 - Erin

Decadently Different Chocolate Pudding

I'm not going to lie... I made this the other night for myself and ate the wholllllle thing. It's supposed to serve two people. But if you're a woman who needs chocolate, this is the perfect serving size just for you! I loved it so much, I decided to make it for Jack to see if he could tell that it wasn't traditional chocolate pudding. His words were, "This is the finest chocolate pudding I've ever had." And then he kept going on about how amazing it was. I'd say he liked it ;-)

If you want to be decadently different, trying adding extra salt and to turn it into a salted chocolate pudding. Seriously... it's my new favorite thing.

- Erin


Decadently Different Chocolate Pudding

1 ripe avocado, peeled and pit removed
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup real maple syrup (or agave)
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt (helps bring out the chocolate flavor)

Put in a food processor and blend until completely smooth. Best if it's had the chance to sit in the fridge for at least an hour and get cold... if you can wait that long. Serves 2.

Single and Overwhelmingly Loved

Sometimes, being single and having a Facebook account doesn't mesh for me.

For the most part, I can handle seeing the engagement announcements, the pictures of the sparkly ring on the left hand, the pictures of the new bride and groom, the sonogram pictures, the happy family pictures, etc.

And then there are times when I can't handle it.

I suppose it's no different for the man or woman who is struggling in their marriage who sees their friends post seemingly happy pictures of their marriage. Or the couple struggling with infertility and feels heartache when seeing pictures of their friends/family having fun with their children. Or the jobless man or woman being reminded daily that they don't have a job by their friends' incessant whining about the job they have but hate.

At the root of all these feelings, I think, are the opposites of contentment: jealousy and fear. Jealousy of what others have that I don't; fear that I won't ever get the things I want the most.

Instead of being content where God has me and the opportunities He's given me, there are times when I can't stop focusing on the opportunities He HASN'T given me.

I try hard to drive in the lane that God has me in, but every now and then I have the tendency to get over into someone else's lane. And when I do that, I crash. Big time.

No surprise there.

And so when I crash and burn, I do what I usually do... I go for a "therapeutic walk" have it out with God. I tell Him how I feel. I regroup. I apologize for my ingratitude. I thank God for the joys and successes He's bringing into my friends' lives. I thank Him for the story He's writing in my own life. I ask Him for patience as I read the story He's writing for me. I also ask Him to help me not to jump ahead and make conclusions about the chapters I haven't read yet.

God knows, at the heart of my discontentment, is that I just want to be loved and feel love. I want to be singled out by someone's love for me.

"You know what I long for, Lord; you hear my every sigh." Psalm 38:9

And so God, ever knowing and ever patient and ever kind and ever loving towards me, singles me out and shows me how much He loves me. Not because He has to. But because He wants to. Because He loves me.

When He goes to such great lengths to create a leaf shaped heart and drop it on the sidewalk in the perfect place for me to see like he did last night...

When He takes two little twigs and arranges them perfectly on the sidewalk in the shape of a cross, making sure that I'm looking down at the exact moment to see it, like He did for me last night...

...how can I not know that I'm loved? How can I not feel loved? A heart... the perfect example of feel-good-squishy-kind-of-love. A cross... the perfect example of sacrificial love. "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." - Romans 5:8

God does give us the desires of our heart; sometimes, it's just in ways we don't expect. But isn't that the fun of a relationship? Being surprised by your loved one with tangible expressions of love in ways and at times when you least expect it?

I'm no different from my engaged/married friends. They have someone to surprise them with sweet gifts and reminders of their love. I always appreciate it when my Someone takes time to surprise me too... and He literally moves heaven and earth to do it!

-- Erin


PS - If you're married or have a special someone and haven't surprised that someone with a gift in their "love language" in a while, would you do that for me today?

Here's a sweet video of a military dad who dresses up as Captain America to surprise his son. Just try to watch this without getting a little misty!


 


 And here's another video Jack loved of these dogs saying grace before mealtime.

 

Mercies In Disguise

So as I lay here in bed - bandaged and recovering from surgery - let me share a little of what's going on with me.

 I've been in pain for awhile now. In January, I decided to make a visit to the doctor after a personal training session left me with extreme discomfort and pain in my lower abdomen (the pain was not the personal trainer's fault). After several sonograms, the conclusion was that I had a cyst in my lower abdomen, and it was not going away. Surgery was going to be necessary. During this time, I also hurt my back (I was sitting down, reached over to get a pencil, and felt a "twinge" in my back).

I opted to keep what was happening in my world to a very small circle mainly because I didn't know what the outcome would be. With the exception of one person, I seemed to only run into women with cysts in the same area where mine was located, and it turned out to be cancerous. I wasn't sure if that was God preparing me in advance or what. Regardless, I didn't want to needlessly worry others or have rumors spread about what was happening to me, so I kept things very quiet so that I could also try to process what was happening. The past three months have been nothing short of a physical and emotional roller coaster, and it was finally time to hop off the roller coaster.

I went into St. Agnes early Thursday morning to have the cyst removed, and I was ready to go. No fear! The team at St. Agnes was fantastic and made me feel so comfortable. Knowing that many of the people who took care of me are listeners especially put me at ease - it made me feel like I was with friends. The surgery went off without a hitch, and a softball sized, non-cancerous, cyst was removed laparoscopically from my lower abdomen. Amazingly, within a few short hours, I was at home.


Sleep has been a welcome relief from the pain. I have five holes across my stomach, and I look like I'm 6 months pregnant, thanks to the swelling and the bandages. My throat is still a bit sore from being intubated. The swelling and bruising on my hand from the where they put in the IV is starting to go down. I still need help getting up, but I'm needing less and less help. I'm tired though. Really tired. It also hurts to laugh...and you know that I like to laugh. Laughter is how my family handles problems. We turn everything into a joke. I've had to kick my parents and my brother out of my room multiple times for making me laugh. My mother insisted on giving me a bell to ring for when I needed help. Except we don't have a bell that I can ring. A wild look appeared in my father's eyes, he dug around on a shelf, and pulled out... a rubber chicken that squawks when you squeeze its belly. Yes. My bell is a rubber chicken. Every time I squeeze the chicken for help, I laugh. Painful, but so funny! What's even weirder...I'm growing attached to the rubber chicken. I woke up from a nap cuddling it like it was a stuffed animal. This is a sign that I am returning to normal.

As I've been laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, with plenty of time with my thoughts, the lyric from Laura Story's song, "Blessings," keeps floating through my head: "What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?" This entire "trial" has really been God's mercy in disguise. Without the struggle of trying to get in shape, I wouldn't have known as soon as I did that I had a cyst. Without the back pain, I would have continued to exercise with the cyst, unaware that the cyst had attached itself to other organs in the general locale - the back pain kept me immobile and from further damaging myself. Right now, I have no back pain. Amazing, isn't it? I'm sure even more mercies will come out of this. Maybe an added mercy is that I get to share what I went through with you. If things don't feel right, go to the doctor. Don't wait around. You may have to go to a few doctors to find the right one who will listen to you - I sure did when I was being diagnosed with hypothyroidism. But please, pay attention to the warning signals your body is giving you!

So, as I'm sure you can expect, I'm going to be out for a little while. I'd greatly appreciate your prayers for a fast recovery. Hopefully, I will return next week. Until then, I'm very grateful to Jack for towing the line and being patient with me as surgery day approached, and to Tiffanie from our promotions department who will be filling in for me while I'm out. I'm sure you'll enjoy her - she's bright, fun, and bubbly. Thanks in advance for your prayers. See you next week, Lord willing!


 Erin

Resurrection Cookies

Resurrection Cookies are another fun way to communicate the Resurrection story to your children. It'd be great to make these Saturday evening so they'll be ready for you Easter morning. We hope this creates a fun, family experience built around the Gospel! Enjoy!

- Jack & Erin

---

Resurrection Cookies

1 cup whole pecans
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
a pinch salt
1 cup sugar

You'll Also Need:
1 large Ziplock baggy (or a couple of small ones depending on how many children you have)
Crab mallets, rolling pin, or whatever you want to use to crush the pecans
masking tape or electrical tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300F. You'll need to do this before you start the recipe and not halfway through. The cookies must be placed inside a hot oven. Also, make sure to start with a clean bowl/beaters that are free of any grease. It's a good idea to wipe the bowl and beaters down with vinegar or lemon juice before you begin.


Put the whole pecans in a Ziplock baggie (or divide among multiple baggies for each child) and let your children beat the pecans with a crab mallet to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
Read: John 19:1-3



Allow each child to smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink.
Read: John 19:28-30



Add the egg whites* to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.
Read: John 10:10-11

*Mom Tip: Crack each egg white separately into a small bowl and then add the egg white into the mixing bowl. You don't want any egg yolks to mix in with the egg whites. The fat from the yolk will keep the egg whites from becoming fluffy. You can freeze the whole egg yolks for something else or just toss them.



Put a little of the salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. If you have a lot of kids, put the pinch of salt into the bowl and then measure a little bit of salt into each of their hands to taste and then discard. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read: Luke 23:27



Turn the mixer on to medium/high and begin whipping the egg whites until they are frothy.



Slowly pour 1 cup of sugar into the egg whites while the mixer is running. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.
Read: Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16



Beat egg white mixture with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks form*. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read: Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3

*Mom Tip: You'll know the egg whites are ready when the whipped egg whites stand up straight when the beaters are lifted from the bowl (stiff peaks). The mixture will be glossy and look like marshmallow creme.



Fold in the broken nuts.



Drop teaspoonfuls of mixture on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.
Read: Matthew 27:57-60



Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door, and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed.
Read: Matthew 27:65-66

*Mom Tip: Make sure to leave the oven door open for as little time as possible. The hot air trapped in the oven is going to cook the cookies. This is one time being full of hot air is a good thing! Ha ha ha.

Now, go to bed. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.
Read: John 16:20,22



On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.
Read: Matthew 28:1-9

Resurrection Rolls - An Easy Way To Tell The Easter Story

Here's a fun and hands on way for your children to learn the story of the Resurrection. All you need to make Resurrection Rolls are some basic ingredients and a Bible.


Resurrection Rolls

1 package crescent rolls
8 large marshmallows
2 TBLS melted butter
1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon together for homemade cinnamon sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper (it will make clean up soooo much easier!).

Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls (you'll want to flatten the wide end slightly).

The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.

Give each child a marshmallow.

This represents Jesus and His purity.

Have your child dip the marshmallow in melted butter.

This represents the oils of embalming.

Roll the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar.

This represents the spices used to anoint the body of Jesus.

Fold up the sides to tightly seal the marshmallow.

This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.

Place in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. The marshmallow may ooze out the side!

The oven represents the tomb (pretend like it was 3 days and nights!)

While the rolls are baking, you can read Matthew 27:57-61 and Matthew 28:5-8.

When the rolls have cooled slightly, the children can open their rolls (cloths) and discover that Jesus is no longer there. HE IS RISEN! The marshmallow melts and the cresent roll is puffed up, but like the tomb - IT IS EMPTY!

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dip

"This stuff is awesome! It's like eating peanut butter frosting!" Jack said as he popped a second bite of the peanut butter cookie dough dip in his mouth.

"So you really like it?" I asked him as I was gearing up to break the news to him.

"Definitely."

"GOOD!" I clapped my hands. "Because now I'll tell you what's in it."

Jack's face froze.

"It's got dates that soaked to release their sweet juiciness... and garbanzo beans. And natural peanut butter!"

Jack's face started to lose color, "I can taste the beans now. I feel like I've been hoodwinked."

"You cannot taste the beans," I chided him. "It's awesome. You loved it. It's OK to admit it."

He rolled his eyes and admitted that he would never have known this dip was actually healthy if I hadn't told him. Tee-hee!

This deliciousness passed the Jack test. I'm sure it'll pass your family's taste test too. You will seriously never guess the base of this dip is protein and fiber packed garbanzo beans. For reals. But you don't have to take my word for it... :-D


--Erin


Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dip
recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

1 15oz can of garbanzo beans (also called chick peas), drained and rinsed
1 1/4 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Place dates in a small bowl and cover with water. Let sit for 6-8 hours (or overnight).

In the bowl of a food processor, place the dates and liquid. Process for 30 seconds. Add garbanzo beans, vanilla extract, and peanut butter and process until very smooth. Spoon mixture into a bowl and stir in chocolate chips.

Serve with apple slices, cookies, crackers, or just eat straight up outta the bowl!

Puffed Cereal Bars

Have you ever looked at the ingredients listed in the boxed granola bars? Even the healthy ones? It seems like it should be much simpler than what's listed. I just want ingredients I can pronounce. I've been playing around with some recipes to try to find something that would cure the snacky/sweet craving that the healthy granola bars cure.

This recipe is completely adaptable and forgivable. You can truly make this your own concoction. When I made this recipe, I used almond butter, honey, puffed millet, oat bran flakes, wheat germ, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds. The bars received two thumbs up from everyone here at the station... and it only took around 5 minutes to put these together! Winner!

Puffed Cereal Bars

recipe adapted from here

Combine the following in a large bowl:
1 1/4 cup puffed cereal (rice, wheat, millet, kamut, etc)
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
2 Tablespoons quinoa flakes (or wheat bran flakes, oat bran flakes) - optional
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed (or wheat germ) - optional
1/3 cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, cherries, blueberries, etc)
1/4 cup cup chopped nuts or seeds (pecans, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, etc)


Combine the following ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until melted and the edges begin to bubble:
1/3 cup liquid sweetener (honey, agave, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, etc)
1/2 cup nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, soy butter, hazelnut butter, etc)

Pour liquid mixture of dry mixture and stir until completely coated. Press mixture firmly into a greased 8 inch square pan. Cool in pan and then chill for 30 minutes so bars can set. Cut into 16 bars, wrap bars in plastic wrap, and store in refrigerator... if they last that long!

Ravens Game Day Menu

It's the playoffs.

Therefore, special food is essential.

So, in honor of today's Ravens game, I decided to make myself a Baltimore Ravens lunch: Haloti Hawaiian BBQ, Flaco Fennel Salad, Purple & Gold Roasted Potatoes, and Black Bean Brownies.

Now that the Ravens get to play another week... I've got to figure out next week's menu. And, yes, thanks to everyone's suggestions, Ray Rice Pudding WILL be on the menu.







Haloti Hawaiian BBQ
recipe slightly adapted from here

3lbs chicken breasts or thighs
1 18oz bottle of BBQ sauce (Jack Daniels is my fave)
1 20oz can crushed pineapple
1 cup chopped onion (frozen or fresh)

In a slow cooker, layer the ingredients in this order: chicken, diced onion, BBQ sauce, crushed pineapple. Place the lid on top and cook on high 4-6 hours or low 8-10 hours. About an hour before serving, pull chicken out, shred, return to sauce, and cook until the shredded chicken has absorbed the sauce.



Flacco Fennel Salad

1 fennel bulb
1 small apple
1 naval orange

Thinly slice fennel and place into a small bowl. Core, halve, and thinly slice apple and add to fennel. Use a sharp knife to cut away orange pith and cut the orange into horizontal slices. Reserve two orange slices and squeeze over fennel and apples. Cut remaining orange slices into fourths. Add to the fennel and apple. Toss together and serve.



Purple & Gold Roasted Potatoes

1lb Purple Majesty potatoes (or any purple potato)
1lb Yukon Gold potatoes
1-2 Tbls olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a large sheet pan with foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Wash and dry potatoes and cut into bite sized chunks. Place on prepared sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Toss together to mix. Arrange the potatoes so they are in a single layer. Place in oven and bake for 25-35 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown.



Black Bean Brownies
recipe adapted from here

15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans)
2 ripe bananas
3 large eggs
1/3 cup agave or honey
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbls instant coffee granules
1/4 cup instant/quick oats
2 Tbls mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick cook spray. In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth (you may see some flecks of black bean skins). Fill muffin tins with mixture until muffin tins are almost full (this makes 16 brownies, so you won't use all the mix the first time around). Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove from muffin tin when cool.

Yield: 16 brownies

The Gift Card

The minute your feet hit the ground this morning, you were handed two gift cards.

The first gift card is loaded with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The second gift card is loaded with little white lies, gossiping, sharp words, eye rolling, short tempers, anger, pride, jealousy, doubt, and hate.

Both gift cards are unlimited, and you will use them multiple times today. Which gift card you choose to use, however, is entirely up to you. Choose wisely, because the recipient will know which gift card you reached for today. But only you will know which one you reached for more often.


-- Erin

God Won't Give Us More Than We Can Handle...Or Will He?

‎"God won't give me more than I can handle."

It's a popular saying that I've said many times and no doubt you have too. While it sounds good, I believe it's wrong. Why? Because the implication is that God is walking alongside me as *I* shoulder the burden.

Here's a thought:

...Do you really think Mary could handle finding out she was a virgin about to give birth to the Son of God?

...Or that Moses could handle leading the Israelites out of slavery?

...Or Daniel could handle the pressure of prison and sitting in a pit with lions?

...Or Noah could handle being ridiculed by neighbors for building a boat and gathering every animal on the planet when he didn't even know what rain was?

God put these people - and so many more! - in positions and places and situations they couldn't handle on their own. Why? So His power could be shown in their weakness and that more could be brought to Himself through their example as they let Him lead. You weren't meant to handle it on your own. You were meant to be a portrait of His grace.

So... where exactly does that leave you when you're sitting in the middle of a mess?

It leaves you right where God needs and wants you. As you're going through it, God PROMISES that HE will handle it.

"When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." - Isaiah 43:2-3a

Be strong and ask God how you can give Him the glory in your struggle. Maybe the struggle you're feeling right now is because you haven't done that yet. That's typically how it works for me. There's a sweet release that happens when I invite God into the problem and take my hands off of it. I know it sounds tough, but you can do it, and you will be rewarded for it.

--Erin

Just Stay Calm

The Israelites were a bunch of whineys, weren't they?

God rescued them over and over again and they whined at the slightest hiccup.

Not like I can identify with that or anything.

Whatever.

Anyway, I came across this Bible verse and it resonated with me.

Quick set up: Pharaoh had just released the Israelites when he changed his mind and decided to go after them. The Israelites were at the edge of the river with no place to go. They could see Pharaoh and his army behind them, barreling down on them. So, naturally, they did what most people would do. They lost it. They'd been through so much... but this was the final straw. So they berated their leader, Moses:

"'Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” Exodus 14:11-12

But Moses, being the ever patient leader, said to them:

" ...'Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.'" Exodus 14:13-14

I love that - "just stay calm."

I lose it when I get to the proverbial "water's edge." God's rescued me so many times, yet I still lose it when I can't see what God sees. If I was in the same place as the Israelites, I'd probably see a river too. Who would have envisioned God parting the river so they could walk through it? Yet that's what He does every time I get to the water's edge. He parts the waters to make a way out for me.

My takeaway after reading those verses is something that I needed to be reminded of. Frequently.

It's this: don't lose it. The person or thing that I feel like I can't escape from will go away. I may feel defenseless, but my feelings aren't telling the truth. God's taking care of it. He's fighting for me. So I just need to take a chill pill and let God do the thing that He does. Because He always comes through.

Such a simple lesson that I need to be reminded of over and over again.

I don't know where you are today or what you're facing, but don't lose it. God's fighting for you. Just stay calm. Get ready to watch God do something amazing...like part a sea before your very eyes.


Erin :-)

Standing At the Foot of the Cross...Really

It was a cold morning for a walk.

47 degrees cold.

I'm not quite ready for these temps. It doesn't even smell like autumn to me yet.

Nevertheless, I laced up my shoes, started out on my walk and promptly turned around to go back home and get my fleece jacket. I almost changed my mind at that point and thought about staying inside, but I told myself I needed to stick with it. I needed to go on my morning walk.

Straight up: I've been slacking. Slacking in my exercise, slacking in healthy eating habits, slacking in maintaining my stress levels... slacking in at all, it feels like.

My morning walk is my alone time. My me time. My time with God. My time where no one and no thing is pulling at me. I don't listen to music when I walk or run because I like to observe the things around me. I like to pray. This morning it was so quiet, I could hear the squirrels in the trees munching on acorns and dropping the shells to the pavement below. I nearly got dinged on the head by a squirrel mindlessly chucking an acorn shell.

Maybe I'm not as one with the squirrels as I originally thought.

But this morning, I was feeling "it." I was feeling tired of the pressure ...the pressure of not doing the things I know should be doing ...the pressure of doing the things I know I shouldn't be doing.

I felt guilty for asking it. Almost afraid...maybe because I didn't want to be disappointed. But I asked God if He could leave a heart shaped leaf or stick smiley face for me (as He's done before) because I needed one today. And so I started looking, scanning the sidewalk and the trees for a sign.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

I started to doubt. I thought maybe I was asking too much of God, even though I know He is perfectly able to do way above anything I could hope or ask for (Ephesians 3:20). Then I thought, "What if I was putting Him in a box? What if He had a different way of showing me that He loves me and I was too busy looking for Him in my own way?" And so I asked God to do His own thing and help me not be blind to see it when He did it.

And that's when I saw it.

He gave me something infinitely better than a heart shaped leaf or a smiley face made out of twigs and bark.

He gave me Himself.

I was literally standing at the foot of the cross.

It was such a clear reminder that the pressure and stress that I've been carrying around...I need to lay them at the foot of the cross.

His cross.

The cross that Jesus died on so that I could have life and freedom (John 3:16; Galatians 5:1), not stress and pressure because of my own selfishness.

And so, today, my goal is to lay the things weighing me down at His cross...and to leave them there. Once again.

Because I know when I do give those things to the Lord, He says He'll do this (italics mine):

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28


"He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40:29-31


"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7


"Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." - Psalm 55:22

So what's weighing you down? What's holding you back from feeling freedom today? I'm being reminded, for the bajillionth time, that a pretty miraculous thing happens when we give those things over to God: rest, strength, and peace.

-- Erin :-)

DIY Laundry Detergent

Aaaaah...laundry.

My nemesis.

I've mentioned that I hate doing laundry before, right?

That was a joke.

I'm hopping on a plane to Orlando for a radio conference first thing Wednesday morning. Whenever I go away, I do every single scrap of laundry so it's not waiting for me when I get back.

And so I have clothes to pack. I don't think my radio friends would appreciate me walking around...never mind.

So I spent my Labor Day doing the only appropriate thing: laboring.

Now, here's the thing, you've probably noticed along with me that the price of laundry detergent is ridiculous. RIDICULOUS. And I'm a single person noticing this! I can't imagine how much detergent a family goes through in a week.

I've seen a couple of folks online who have begun making their own laundry detergent. They appear to be perfectly normal people. There are no twigs in their hair. There are no pictures of them hugging a tree. They appear to be normal, hard working folk who are tired of paying for a label. I'm with them. Being raised in a home school environment has made a bit of a rebel when it comes to labels. I don't like to pay extra $$$ to wear or advertise someone's name. Frankly, the marketer in me says THEY should pay ME to advertise their biz, but that's a whole different topic.

Back to making your own detergent.

EASIEST THING EVER.

Seriously.

It took me less time to make this then it does to make chocolate chip cookies. For reals.

What I like about this is that it uses all natural ingredients, it's easy to make (grating soap is the hardest part), it can be fragrance free, and it's CHEAP. All you need is three ingredients that should be found at your local grocery store. My nearest grocery store is about 20 minutes away, but Target and Walmart are closer. I found the Borax at Target and the Washing Soda at Walmart.

Washing Soda
Washing Soda is not the same as baking soda, so let's get that out there right away. They are two different things but they are in the same family. Washing Soda can be used with your regular detergent to boost its cleaning power. For instance, to help with a heavily soiled load of laundry, add 1 cup of Washing Soda, along with the usual amount of your detergent, to the beginning of the wash cycle. It can literally be used all over the house - Arm & Hammer has more ways that you can use it around the house here.

Borax
Borax is not boric acid. They are two completely different things, so let's set the record straight, just in case you've been wondering about that. Borax is a mineral, so it is all natural, but you should know up front that this is something that needs to be kept up high away from kids and pets, just like you would any other cleaning agent...because it IS a cleaning agent. I've always had this fear that Borax was like bleach or chlorine, and it's not. It's been used for over 115 years in laundry and can clean just about everything. Check out the uses at the 20 Mule Team website. AOL also shows different ways to use it here.

Bar of Soap
That's pretty self explanatory. Some folks use a bar of Fels-Naptha, which is a heavy duty laundry soap. Some folks use a bar of Ivory or Castille soap. I decided to use what I had on hand. My grandmother gave me some milled soap for Christmas, so I decided to grate that. The Fels-Naptha bar label says it's 5.5 ounces and the Ivory bar is close to five. I have a food scale, so I weighed my bar of soap - it was only 2.5 ounces. I had two of them, so I grated both bars to equal one regular bar of soap. On a side note, I grated my wrist and the knuckles of my thumb and middle finger right after I took this picture. That wasn't awesome. But I'm sure Edison didn't come away unscathed while inventing the light bulb, no?

The recipe for DIY Laundry Detergent is simple:

2 cups Washing Soda
2 cups Borax
1 4-5oz bar of soap, grated on the small holes of a grater

Stir it up and use. The usage varies, I've discovered, but most seem to lean towards using one tablespoon for regular loads or two tablespoons for large or super dirty loads. When I was buying the ingredients, I also picked up the fancy jar for about $8 at Walmart - definitely should have purchased the smaller size. I also picked up the grater for $3 (thought it was better to have a grater that was just for grating non-food items since I grate non-food items all the time...not) and the scoop for $2. The scoop is a coffee scoop that holds two tablespoons. Since I only do super loads, that's perfect. The cost of the Borax and Washing Soda was around $6 total. Using my own soap was free. The savings are huge here. There's still QUITE A LOT left in the boxes, so I'll be able to make more. It comes out to somewhere around a nickel to do each load of laundry. That makes me happy. I did three loads yesterday using my DIY mix, and so far so good. The whites were white, and everything smelled clean and fresh. While the bars of soap that I used had a fragrance, it didn't carry over into the clothing. I do miss the fragrance, but I'm reminding myself that fragrance doesn't mean that it's clean.

So, DIY detergent was made VERY fast, it works, and I'll keep using it. Now that I've got all of this Washing Soda and Borax on hand, I'll see what else I can do with that!

--Erin :-D

My Secrets To The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. Ever.

My Facebook friend, Patty, posted on my wall that she needed my best - think state fair winning - chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Naturally, I have such a thing.

Well, kind of.

It hasn't won any ribbons, but if compliments were ribbons, you'd have to find a truck large enough to haul all of them.

So, I've got a couple of secrets to my cookie making that I'd like to share with you.

These secrets, I'm only sharing with you, my closest friends, because that's what friends are for.

And I am that kind of friend.

And I'm hoping I can help Patty win a blue ribbon.

My secret to the best chocolate chip cookie are as follows...


FIRST...it's the recipe. It's called "The World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookie." It's seriously the world's best. I don't know who came up with it. If I did, I would write them a letter, add them as a friend on Facebook, stalk them on Twitter or any other social media outlet. It's just that good. It's so good that I've given this recipe to two friends who have made them for their boyfriends. They received marriage proposals within two weeks. Uh-huh. Yes. I'll occasionally call this recipe "Man Snagging Cookies" or "Seal the Deal Cookies." Ladies, if you are interested in a guy or it's about time he gets to gettin' with the proposal...make these.

This is the recipe:

2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup of light brown sugar
3/4 cup of sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten (it's worth the extra bowl to lightly beat the eggs)
1 TBLS vanilla extract
3 cups of flour, sifted (very important step!)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter with sugars.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

Add (in small increments) to the butter mixture.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scoop that holds 2 Tbls of dough, scoop dough, roll into a ball and gently flatten into a patty. Place patties about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 11-13 minutes until top of cookies are dry but very light in color.

SECOND...you must use good vanilla. The cheap $2 a bottle that says "imitation vanilla" or "pure vanilla" extract needs to be tossed from the pantry.

You get what you pay for.

Spring for the good stuff like Madagascar or Tahitian vanilla. You will be able to tell an immediate difference. Trust me on this one.

THIRD...sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Don't skip this step. And don't cheat by stirring it together with a whisk.

My brothers, who don't know the difference between semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips, can tell a difference in the texture and freely offer their opinion. "These don't taste like the last ones you made. Whaddja do wrong??" Yeah...thanks for making me feel great guys.

Sift the flour. It makes a difference.

FOURTH...a medium sized cookie scoop is a must.

It makes each cookie into the perfect portion, and the cookies bake uniformly because they're all the same size.

You can also use the scooper for other things like measuring out a serving of peanut butter. Scooping sorbet with this scooper makes sorbet look dainty and cute. And who doesn't like cute sorbet scoops? Unless, of course, you're using a spoon and eating the sorbet straight out the ridiculously small container. Not like I've done that or anything.

FIFTH...roll the cookies into a ball, flatten them into a patty, and put them on a parchment paper lined pan.

Parchment paper will save your life when it comes to cleaning up. It's the best stuff ever. Everrrrr. Skip the foil and use parchment paper. And no, you can't use wax paper. They look alike, but wax paper is an entirely different thing.

Rolling and flattening the cookies makes them awesome. I don't know why, but it just does.

SIXTH...don't bake them too long. Watch them like a hawk and bake them until they are light brown. The sugars in the cookies will continue to cook after you take the cookies out of the oven.

What makes these cookies so good is that they are SOFT, so 11-13 minutes is the perfect time. If you're used to baking cookies until they are deep brown, it will feel weird, but trust me that this is the perfect amount of time.



And now you have my best chocolate chip cookie recipe and my cookie making secrets. I use this chocolate cookie recipe as a base to make other cookies like...

Turtle Cookies (pictured above)
2 cups milk chocolate chips (1 12oz bag)
2 cups chopped pecans
1 11 oz bag KRAFT caramel bits

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries
1 Tbls lemon zest

Nuts For You Cookies
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

S'mores Cookies
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup graham cracker pieces
1 cup dehydrated marshmallows

Tropical Cookies
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup toasted coconut
1 cup chopped, dried pineapple
1 tbls lime zest
1 tsp cinnamon

Chocolate Covered Pretzels
omit salt from original recipe
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup lightly crushed pretzels

Strawberries and Cream
2 tsp strawberry extract
1 cup chopped, dried strawberries
2 cups white chocolate chips

Apple Walnut Cookies
1 cup walnut pieces
2 cups dried apples
2 tsps cinnamon
replace vanilla extract with rum extract

Caramel Apple Cookies
2 cups Kraft Caramel Bits
1 cup dried apple pieces, chopped
1 cup chopped peanuts


Think of how many more amazing combinations there are! Different extracts, spices, the possibilities are endless. I'd love know what new combinations you discover.

And that's my secret to chocolate chip cookies and cookies in general. Here's hoping any one of these varieties will wow the judges in the cookie competition Patty is entering!

Erin




***UPDATE***


The chocolate chip cookies took  1st Place at the Maryland State Fair!!  Congrats Patty!!

Beauty In The Struggle

Yesterday, Jack talked about the butterfly garden his daughter was growing. They had been waiting for their three caterpillars to begin their metamorphosis and finally it was happening. One butterfly emerged from its cocoon easily. The second butterfly struggled a bit, but made it out. The third butterfly tried but gave up.

It made Jack wonder why the last butterfly died - why it couldn't have survived. God brought to mind a conversation he heard between Rick Warren and Larry King. Larry asked Rick why "bad things happen to good people."

This was Rick's answer, "Well, Larry, it's because we live in a broken world. This is not perfect world. This is not heaven and that's why we're depraved. 'Thy will be done on earth as it is heaven.' Why? Because in heaven, everything's done perfectly. Things are not done perfectly on this earth. God gave us a freedom to choose. As a result of choices, we make mistakes, we blow it -- and when ever I make mistakes, when ever I sin, it always causes damage and causes hurt. The Bible teaches that since sin entered the world, way back with the very first human beings, we have lived in an imperfect, broken planet, and that causes hurricanes and tornadoes, and all kinds of things. This is not a perfect planet. So, we should not be surprised that it's not paradise. And also, life is not fair. In fact, the Bible says life is not fair. It's just not fair. We are in a flawed world, everything is imperfect and it won't be perfect until Jesus comes."

After we shared this, we received an email from SHINE-FM listener, Tamsen, in Baltimore. She had been going through a rough time and at the end of that time, she wrote herself this beautiful piece of encouragement as a reminder to herself. She graciously has allowed us to share it with
you. Hope you are as encouraged reading it as we were!


~ Erin :-)

Beauty In The Struggle
(c)2010 Tamsen Mongelli DiBlasio

I know that you are struggling.

Struggling because you do not understand what God, in His infinite wisdom, never-failing love, and ultimate sovereignty is doing in your situation.

What He's doing TO you.

What He's doing FOR you.

What He's doing ...IN you.

Maybe you feel like a caterpillar...faithfully inching along over the rough, lonely, winding path, watching the sky grow overcast, wondering what God has in store.

Could it be that the Lord has prepared you and brought you to a special place where your Creator has now simply asked you to rest so that He can work a miracle within you?

We know that it is through the struggle that this delicate creature’s unseen beauty is ultimately revealed. Through the many nights of darkness, the silent, agonizing wait, the metamorphosis, the painful emerging... all culminates in the caterpillar not finding herself in a different place, but in realizing the far greater miracle of discovering herself somehow mysteriously, completely, and utterly changed.

And so, when it is least expected, ever so quietly, it comes.

Not in spite of the struggle, but rather because of it, the miraculous transformation is finally revealed.

Her Creator has changed her from the inside out...and from the outside in!

Still the same, but altogether different.

Renewed.

Stronger.

Better.

She is a NEW CREATION.

The struggle has made her beautiful.

And now she has wings...

And she can FLY.

Start Over: Encouragement For Tomorrow

When you've told your friends what you plan to do

When you've trusted them and they didn't come through

And now you're all alone and it's up to you,

START OVER

When you've failed your kids and they're grown and gone

When you've done your best but it's turned out wrong

And now your grandchildren have come along,

START OVER

When you've prayed to God so you'll know his will

When you've prayed and prayed and you don't know still

When you want to stop cause you've had your fill,

START OVER

When you think you're finished and want to quit

When you've bottomed out in life's deepest pit

When you've tried and tried to get out of it,

START OVER

When the year has been long and successes few

When December comes and you're feeling blue

God gives a January just for you,

START OVER

Starting over means "Victories Won"

Starting over means "A Race Well Run"

Starting over means "The Lord's Will Done"

Don't just sit there.......

START OVER

By: Anonymous

Lemon Cream

Three ingredients and 5 minutes.

That's all it takes.

Three ingredients, 5 minutes, and you'll get a lifetime of compliments if you make this recipe.

Promise.

Every time my mom or I make lemon cream people rave. They BEG for the recipe. You know the mark of a great recipe when people hand you paper and pen to write it down. This, my friend, is one of those recipes. Try it out for yourself. We'll be enjoying it over fresh strawberries and blueberries this 4th of July :-)


Erin

--------------------

LEMON CREAM

1 lemon (zest and 1/4 cup lemon juice)
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 8oz container Cool Whip

Directions:
Zest the lemon into a medium sized bowl.

Juice the lemon to equal 1/4 cup juice.

Stir in can of sweetened condensed milk until the mixture becomes thick.

Fold in Cool Whip.

Chill in the fridge for an hour and serve over fresh fruit.