The Bandwagon -- not my favorite

So, I did it. Though I do not enjoy doing something when that something is popular, I did do it.

I did it intentionally, though, and thought about it for a long time. I really did not need one when I first became aware of them. Then my crockpot’s crock cracked – the second one in two years. Replacing my crockpot with an Instant Pot was an easy decision.

Yes, I do have a pressure cooker already – which means I could use both the Instant Pot and the pressure cooker, if I needed to do so. I do like the many ways the IP can be used, especially the saute and then cook in the same pot option. Stainless steel is also a winner. The convenience of setting it up and walking away is another great selling point.

So far I have made “boiled eggs” (pressure cooked) and tilapia (from frozen filets). Both turned out great. Someone had commented to me that after cooking eggs in the IP that I would never boil another egg – so, so true. No need to watch over the boiling pot!

My goal for at least the coming week is to make every supper meal in the IP – like an IP boot camp. I do not eat grains and rice as a rule, so we are mainly talking about cooking meats and or slow cooking things. Should be fun.

Enjoy this article? Receive email alerts when new articles are available! Just click on the Follow button or subscribe above.

Courage

I have been neglecting my blog - even the Theme Song Thursday posts are left behind; and they were my "consolation."

While taking a walk in the brisk Indiana "spring" air this pre-dawn morning, I was pondering about things He is showing and teaching me. Certainly He is showing me how He answers my prayers, something of which it seems I need continual reminding.

Additionally He has been teaching me about being vulnerable, about showing up authentically, about the journey being the point. And courage has been a theme throughout. I am thankful that He is showing me the ways I have been vulnerable, shown up as me and been courageous in the process. Being of the ilk to be harder on myself than I am on others, I need to see myself through His eyes.

And then there are the people around me who are also being courageous. Being courageous has many possible outward appearances. Without hearing someone's heart, I cannot begin to judge whether or not that person is being courageous, and it really isn't my place to judge. But I can observe and notice when they are being courageous. The women I spent Tech Week with were all walking courageously.

I am uncertain if they realize it about themselves or about each other, but I saw it. As I had opportunity to connect with them and hear a piece of each one's heart, I began to see them a bit more clearly through the lens of God's mercy. The gold in each one shined through. As a leader, I struggle sometimes because I want to defend my team members, but often the information I have that would be used for the defense is not mine to speak.

Praying together and for the other person, asking how I can help and loving each one is the best I know to do in those situations. Because I see each one as courageous, I want each one to see the other one as courageous. The Cy activity of writing down the facts, then editing for just the facts seems like beneficial for processing. And then ask, "how can I help?"

Courage.


Enjoy this article? Receive email alerts when new articles are available! Just click on the Follow button or subscribe above.

Trim Healthy Mama Blast and Good Intentions

The scoop is that I decided to join the members site at TrimHealthyMama.com; I chose the three month membership, because I want to see if I will visit there enough and utilize the resources there enough for me to feel like I have spent that money wisely.  As of this day, about 12 days in, I can say it has been well worth the money.

So far I have found answers to some of my recent questions, along with the Stubborn Losers Menus and some delicious recipes.  The Chocolate Milk, and the Eggs and Hash recipes are repeaters, and the FP Peanut Butter Cookie Muffin will be. I enjoyed the muffin this morning, completely surprised at how delicious it was and how much I enjoyed the texture as well.  I do so love it when I follow a recipe as written, taste it tentatively, and then blissfully inhale the end product.  Thanks so much, Pearl and Serene!

While out running this morning, I was reminded that I should start thinking about blog posts for the week.  I remember promising updates about some things, one of which I covered above.

I am still school planning, although I added in a major writing project to this month, which is requiring lots of my discretionary time.  Alongside of that I have had some wonderful, amazing ministry opportunities open up to which I have said yes and run after.  Nonetheless, albeit slowly, I have been working my way through a library book by Cathy Duffy and feeling inspired and motivated.  That in itself is worth the investment of time reading the book and doing the exercises.

On the employment front, I have not heard back a second time about an interview, at least not as of yet.  I am praying about following up somehow.  HE knows how much I would love that job, as well as all of the other details that would be affected by me working part-time.

And that's the scoop as of today.


Enjoy this article? Receive email alerts when new articles are available! Just click on the Follow button or subscribe above.

Theme Song Thursday repeat

Enjoy this article? Receive email alerts when new articles are available! Just click on the Follow button or subscribe above.

Bread for Today

In the natural, I made a loaf of THM Sprouted Wheat Bread, something I have not taken the time to do for months.  The process was simple, yet fulfilling; the resulting loaf was delicious and nourishing -- truly a BLISS, which I need to pursue more regularly.

Supernatural bread for today started as a musing about how to love the broken in our world.  Jesus' wise instruction to love others as I love myself reminded me that self love is the beginning of pouring the Father's heart upon others. Every one of us is broken and traumatized to some degree and in need of a Physician.  Tenaciously pursuing wholeness and healing for myself truly must be a priority; our family's beloved first pediatrician continually exhorted me to take care of me/Mom, so that I could take care of our kiddos.  The flight attendants remind us to put our own oxygen mask on before we try to help someone else. Yes, current culture understands this concept.

Why is it so difficult for Christ followers?  One reason, I believe, is the stigma, the SHAME, that religious culture affixes to people "who don't have it altogether."  The enemy loves this lie and works with religious culture to perpetrate it far and wide.  The TRUTH is that we all are in need of the Physician -- that's why He came to save the WORLD.  Shine the light on SHAME, dare greatly and run after personal wholeness and healing.  You will be amazed at the good that will result.

When I mentioned "religious culture," I was not meaning the church, the Body of Christ.  Nope.  I was speaking of a mindset that is empowered supernaturally.  At itmes this culture/mindset does show up in our local churches, though. Sadly church people will sometimes treat other church people worse than a stray dog, despite the model we see in how Jesus loved His disciples and those who followed Him. (You might want to read up on how He dealt with the religious culture of His day chronicled in the stories of most of His interactions with the Scribes and Pharisees, too.) Christ also said to love each other as He loved us.  Unfortunately, the church is known as being the only army that shoots its own wounded.  This should not be!  Come alongside those in the Body of Christ who are pursuing wholeness and healing.  They are part of the group of people that you and I are meant to love as we love ourselves.

The other part of that group are those who are not part of His Body.  Guess what?  The same instructions apply in regard to them.  Love them as you love yourself.  Because it's the kindness of God that leads people to Him, we are to be the conduits of His Kindness.  Be famous for love, as Sherri Silk says.  See people the way He sees them -- created in His image and likeness.  Honor, respect and love everyone around you, brokenness and all.


Enjoy this article? Receive email alerts when new articles are available! Just click on the Follow button or subscribe above.

Tech Week 2015, Wednesday

 Peacefulness and order seem to be reigning so far this week.  The costume crew has worked hard to be prepared and has found themselves ahead of the plan.  Tonight is the first dress rehearsal, which will birth new projects.  It will continue to be a GREAT week.

 While labeling and sorting through my thread spools in preparation for their appearance at the theater today, I found myself reflecting upon the various projects associated with those thread colors.  I felt warm, happy and comfortable as I pondered, despite my knowledge that none of those projects were accomplished without mistakes and frustration.  Is it maturity and wisdom that empowers us to remember the entirety of the experience, including the messy and painful bits, and yet still find it a satisfying and even comforting memory?  Perhaps the added bit of knowledge that everyone struggles, makes mistakes and gets frustrated in the process is the "vitamin" that keeps this kind of jumbled rumination healthy?

 And then mix in the wonderful revelation that though now we see dimly, one day we will SEE clearly because we are face-to-face with KINGDOM REALITY.

 When dim seeing is this satisfying, how much more incredibly is what lies ahead?!

  What threads, colors, revelations are you seeing these days?


Enjoy this article? Receive email alerts when new articles are available! Just click on the Follow button or subscribe above.

 More than once of late (duh!) I have been told that this is a new creative season for me.

 It has been some time since I wrote an actual post.  Awhile ago, I gave myself the nod to plant Theme Songs on Thursdays for growing seed.  Time to tend the shoots.

 So what do my eyes see in the natural world?  Impossibility.  Where do the hours go?  And then when I have some discretionary minutes -- energy and motivation have evaporated.

 My faith eyes counsel me to believe and to walk.  Off we go. . .

 I have resisted mentioning our kiddos directly in blog posts for a number of reasons, which I will not enumerate here.  Just chalk it up to my desire for privacy for them and for me.  From now on I may or may not be more direct in my references to them.  But I won't default to never referencing them.

 That being said, they do inspire and teach me things often.  Many of them write constantly and consistently.  I want to be like them.

 Then there are my friends who inspire and teach me, also.  One such woman made a comment about all of us having "perceived obstacles."

 Recently a saw a meme that said something about when we see obstacles we have taken our focus off of Him.

 Kris Vallotton shared that God is looking for one person to stand for Him and to step out and do what He has called him/her to do.  With God on my side, what can man do to me?  He is the majority!

 My heart also sings to this tune:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

 The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again,

because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;

who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, is he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. . ."  (Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic") 

  After years of shying away from the arena all too often, I am daring to step in and strive valiantly.  Will you join me?

 What are you being challenged to do differently?

Enjoy this article? Receive email alerts when new articles are available! Just click on the Follow button or subscribe above.