Rescued.

Sometimes, God flat out tells me that I’m wrong. That I shouldn’t doubt Him, and that I should embrace quiet times in the wilderness.

My parents told me the other night, “You know… lots of people are praying for you”, and of course in my cynicism I said, “Well, I guess they aren’t praying hard enough, because nothing is happening”.

I turned to community. You know, the people that I live life with. Who I confess sin to, and who I need to serve more often. I told them my struggles, my cynicism, my desire for God to rescue me.

I read the story in the bible about when God empowers Moses to part the Red Sea. And I prayed, “Jesus, you do miraculous things. You rescue people. You promise to rescue people. You used Pharaoh & his army to put YOUR glory on display. Jesus, please. Deliver me. Rescue me.”

The next day, I was literally bombarded with people sending me messages, emails, texts, etc. about how they were praying for me. How I was loved & cherished by the King of the Universe. How he had not forgotten me. How he loves me.

I try to imagine how the Israelites felt while they were running from the Egyptians. Stressed, worn out, afraid, and wanting to give up, I imagine.

“They cried out in terror to God. They told Moses, ‘Weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? Back in Egypt didn’t we tell you this would happen? Didn’t we tell you, ‘Leave us alone here in Egypt—we’re better off as slaves in Egypt than as corpses in the wilderness.’’ ¹³ Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again.” – Exodus 14:12-13, MSG

I stand in awe. God fights for me. He fights for my heart, and my joy. I have never felt so much love from the God of the universe.

Expecting Jesus

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

For the first time in my life, I am participating in lent. My church has never encouraged lent, because I have gone to Baptist & Non-Denominational churches since I started attending Church.

Last year around Easter, I better understood how long expected Jesus was. People looked forward to the birth of Jesus. They looked forward to God in human form. And when they least deserved it, Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice.

I decided to participate in lent for the first time because I really want to meditate on Jesus. I want to grow closer to Jesus more than ever over the next forty days. I want to see my need on Jesus. Where I depend on material things, I want to begin trusting Jesus for those things. A verse that comes to mind is Romans 12:2 which says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

 

The Face Mask of Doom

Well, Here I am. I survived! I’m alive! Tonight, after coming home from running errands, I decided I needed to get rid of this unwanted acne that kept popping up once a month or so…

I got on Pinterest (ah, where “great” stories start!) and looked for a new face mask that I could make out of things I already had. And I found this one. I’ve put nutmeg and milk on my face before… so I thought it would be a good idea.

So I mixed together the ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

This didn’t exactly make a “paste”, so I added a smidge more of both of the spices.

Then, I put it on my face:

And then I waited. I went into my living room, sat down and tried to enjoy a television show. And then…

DRIP.

A huge, big, messy, runny, piece of honacinameg on my chest. And then…

DRIP.

A huge, big, messy, runny, couple pieces of honacinameg on my eyelashes.

Eventually, I had enough. So I went in the bathroom…. and the honacinameg was everywhere. On my shirt. On my hands. It was everywhere.

So, I decided to wash it off. I heated up some water, and started washing it off my face. It took me awhile to do this. Maybe about a minute in… I literally thought that my face was on FIRE. I started screaming, and rubbing harder to get it off faster. That made it worse.

Needless to say, I finally turned on the cold water and got it off. Whew. Finally. My face stayed on fire for at least ten minutes.

Sure, now my face “feels soft” — probably because it ripped off a couple of layers of skin in the process.

So, there’s that. Be careful what you put on your face.

Friday Favorites : Part 2

It’s Friday! Everybody loves Friday, RIGHT?

These are a few of my favorite things. I forgot to number them, so here we go:

CUTIES: Oh my soul. “Cuties are for kids”… well, I’m either a kid or cuties are for me. I just bought a 5lb bag of cuties for my roommates and I. Yum.

CARROT JUICE: Ah yes. I normally juice real vegetables with a juicer, but when I don’t have time, I get Bolthouse Carrot juice. If you’ve never tried carrot juice, I’m telling you right now: You are missing out. It’s sweet & delish… and oh so good for you!

MINI SWEET BELL PEPPERS: Okay, so… miniature oranges and miniature bell peppers. But for real. These sweet bell peppers are good by themselves, and they are also good as stuffed appetizers! (And… they’re sweet!)

PUFFS PLUS LOTION WITH THE SCENT OF VICKS: I currently do not have a cold. However, I picked up these wonderful kleenexes yesterday. The smell is awesome. Every time I blow my nose, I get a whiff of menthol.

Mason Jar Lamp

Here’s something I am about: saving money.
I went into this store that was similar to a crafter’s mall last week. I saw this lamp… and I wanted it. It looked like the perfect lamp to brighten up a room that has no lights because it’s old, like my house. I picked it up, and looked at the price tag… and sighed…

$40.00.

For real. I wouldn’t pay $40 for a lamp ever. Not worth it.

So, I got to thinking… “Self, why don’t you make it??”. So I did. I had all the supplies at my house and didn’t have to buy any of it. Here’s what I used:
An old lamp stand (no shade).
A large, wide-mouth mason jar
A light

I drilled a hole in the top of the lid of the mason jar…. and….

VIOLA! My new, mason jar lamp.

Friday Favorites

1. Blood Oranges – Oh my soul. Imagine the mixture of a grapefruit and an orange. You have a Blood Orange! They recently changed my life.

2. Boy Meets World – I got all of the boy meets world seasons for Christmas, and I’m having so much fun watching them. I’m reliving my childhood memories!

3. Kombucha with Chia – Okay, but for real. This stuff is GOOD… and good for you! You can pick it up at Whole Foods, Sprouts, or other healthfood stores.

4. Cashmere Glow from Bath & Body works – Smells so good.

5. Meaning of Marriage – I’m currently reading Meaning of Marriage. It’s really opened my eyes to see what marriage is about. And how it’s not easy.

In Review: Paleo No Bake Cookies

Let’s talk about something serious: CHOCOLATE.

I’m not kidding about it. I LOVE chocolate. In fact, when in my decision process to take on the Paleo Lifestyle, I thought, “Man. It’d be nice to have some chocolate every once in awhile…”.

And then, I found these cookies. Heaven was practically shining down on me. I could hear the harp, and the angels singing! (Okay, maybe this is a slight exaggeration). So, here’s my review of these cookies… which are 100% healthy for you:

Whole Food No Bake Cookies (PALEO!)

2/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 cup sun butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup shredded or flaked unsweetened coconut

Over medium heat, combine maple syrup, coconut oil, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and turn down heat to a simmer. Stir constantly for 3 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in sun butter, vanilla, and coconut. Place by tablespoonfuls onto waxed or parchment paper and set in the refrigerator to set up (about 30 minutes).

However, when I make it again, I will use only 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder, and maybe a little less coconut oil. I also ended up using more coconut to hold the cookie together. Even my friends who are not Paleo & were extremely skeptical when I said, “There’s no sugar or flower!” Fell in love.