To somebody who does not enjoy tomatoes (like myself) this may LOOK too tomato-ey for you... but let me assure you, IT IS DELICIOUS!!! TRUST me... I do not like tomatoes, but I really really really enjoyed this recipe!!
Ingredients:
-1 large Tortilla (recommended: Use La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb/High Fiber tortilla)
-2 tablespoons fat-free shredded cheese (I used cheddar but mozzarella works too!!)
-2 slices extra - lean turkey bacon
-Half plum tomato diced (recommended: Use a Roma Tomato)
-Half cup shredded lettuce
Sauce:
-1 tablespoon fat-free Mayonnaise
-1 tablespoon Ketchup
Directions:
-Cook bacon according to the package directions, either in the microwave or in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop bacon and set aside.
-Bring a pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat and lay the tortilla flat in the pan. Top evenly with cheese.
-Once cheese begins to melt, cover half of the tortilla with bacon and tomato. Using a spatula, carefully fold the cheese-only side over the other half, pressing down with the spatula to seal. Cook side 1 for about a minute. Flip and continue cooking for about 1 minute or until both sides are toasty. Remove from heat.
-To make the sauce, combine mayo and ketchup in a small dish. Cut quesadilla into triangles, top with shredded lettuce and serve with sauce on the side.
MAKES 1 SERVING
PER SERVING (entire quesadilla): 175 calories, 4.5g fat, 1,026mg sodium, 26.5g carbs, 12.5g fiber, 7g sugars, 18.5g protein.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Recipes 1 & 2: Stuffed Chicken & Stuffed Peppers
I'm going through this phase lately where all I want to do is try new recipes and test the cooking skills. So far, so good... minus the fire alarms going off the night I steamed veggies on the stove. Anyways, I thought I would start sharing recipes!!! Here are the first two I have tried that taste fantastic!!! I, of course, change them a little or leave some ingredients out... but I will let you know what I change or what can be added.
------------------------------
Recipe 1: Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients:
-4 chicken cutlets, split (8 pieces)
-1 8oz package cream cheese
-Chives
Coating Mix:
-1 cup of bread crumbs
-1 teaspoon of garlic powder
-1/2 a teaspoon of basil
-1/2 a teaspoon of oregano
-2 teaspoons of Parmesan cheese
Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
-Lay 8 pieces of chicken flattened on wax paper. Divide cream cheese into 8 slices, placing a slice on each piece of chicken. Sprinkle with chives, roll up, and secure with a toothpick. Roll chicken rolls in coating mix and place in a slightly greased baking dish. Drizzle with melted butter. Shake on the Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.
------------------------------------------
Recipe 2: Super Stuffed Peppers
------------------------------
Recipe 1: Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients:
-4 chicken cutlets, split (8 pieces)
-1 8oz package cream cheese
-Chives
Coating Mix:
-1 cup of bread crumbs
-1 teaspoon of garlic powder
-1/2 a teaspoon of basil
-1/2 a teaspoon of oregano
-2 teaspoons of Parmesan cheese
Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
-Lay 8 pieces of chicken flattened on wax paper. Divide cream cheese into 8 slices, placing a slice on each piece of chicken. Sprinkle with chives, roll up, and secure with a toothpick. Roll chicken rolls in coating mix and place in a slightly greased baking dish. Drizzle with melted butter. Shake on the Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.
------------------------------------------
Recipe 2: Super Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
-1 large red bell pepper
-1/2 a cup of browned ground beef
-1/4 of a cup of chopped onion
-1/4 of a cup of chopped green bell pepper
-1/4 of a cup of tomato sauce
-2 tablespoons shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
-1/2 a teaspoon of dry taco seasoning mix
-1/4 of a teaspoon of minced garlic
(I substitute ground beef for the 1/2 cup frozen ground-beef-style soy crumbles; I also leave out the 1 deseeded and chopped plum Roma tomato and the 1/2 a cup of chopped mushrooms.)
Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
-Slice off the top of the red bell pepper and slice it in half length wise. Remove seeds and place in a lightly greased baking dish with the cut side up. Place in the oven for 25 minutes.
-While peppers are baking, bring a medium pan to medium high heat on the stove. Add the onion and pepper (and mushrooms if you so choose) and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Move the ingredients to a bowl and add the beef (or soy crumbles), tomato sauce, cheese, and taco seasoning (and tomatoes if you want them). Mix thoroughly. Remove the pepper halves from the oven and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Soak up any excess moisture with a paper towel. Evenly spoon mixture into the peppers and bake for 20 minutes.
Per Serving (2 stuffed pepper halves): 303 calories, 5 grams of fat, 407 grams of sodium, 21 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fiber, 21 grams of protein.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
A New Blog
Hey all!!! My new blog is http://wonderfullybeautifulyou.blogspot.com . I added this for some of my newest posts/thoughts. Hope you enjoy it!!! Thanks!!!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Operation Africa
So I'm working on going through Operation World..... starting from the beginning and daily reading about countries with my Bible nearby. Today was part 3 of a week on Africa. It went through the "Trends to Watch" in Africa. Now, I love Africa. Been there, left a chunk of my heart there, and the rest of my heart is wrapped in an African blanket. But it is so sad when I'm reading. Lately, my trip to Africa has been on my heart. I've struggled with lately with the rather bad and selfish attitude I had when I was there. Granted, I had only accepted Christ 2 short years before going and was still growing and learning (and still am) but I can definitely say there has been more maturing in the last year of my life than there was those first 2 years. Africa just sticks in my heart. I wanted to share what I wrote this morning as a reflection from reading through trends in Africa... and partly a reflection of the past few weeks of Perspectives and some things that were said recently about a trip to Kenya taken by some friends of mine.
There is so much that we could do but so little that has been done by us. There is so much that we, as "rich Americans", Christians and non, so much we can do so why don't we do it? We live "lavish" lifestyles here even though society says some of us are "poor". We have medical needs that are met instantly if needed. Education on EVERYTHING is so readily available and we have a "stable" government that is TECHNICALLY not stealing from its people... at least not stealing and taking advantage of its people the way some of the governments in other countries do. We are blessed and by the "world's standards" we are free.
Man, do we take advantage of that in innocent, selfish ways. I say innocent because we don't know what it is like to be truly "poor" with political corruption, HIV/AIDS/Malaria running rampant. On average, malaria takes the lives of one child every THIRTY SECONDS. Innocent because of the "religious freedom" any way you can have it. I say innocent because for the most part it is how we are raised, brought up, and taught in our culture and therefore we don't necessarily know any better and we don't always recognize it. I know I didn't. God is showing me so much NOW from a trip to Africa that I took almost two years ago. I say selfish because we are. There is enough food available to feed every single person on the face of this planet 4.3 POUNDS of food every day, and yet there are still elderly, mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews.... babies.... dying of hunger every single day. More than 25,000 people die DAILY from starvation. Selfish because we could do so much and yet we do so little.
Open my eyes Lord. What can I do? Take care of the poor, impoverished people that we ignore until you open our eyes to do more. Open our hearts to shatter the "social stigma" associated with AIDs and HIVand tell the world how to take care. Provide a was for us to care for malaria ridden countries and countries corrupted by the love of power and money. Raise up people to start a revolution, laborers to work for your glory in the corrupted politics in Africa. Only you, God, can work the hearts of the "advantaged" to go and work for you good in the "disadvantaged". Sustain and strengthen them daily. Keep them safe and reach out to those who need you as a shelter. Work out your will for those people in need. What CAN I do? More than I can probably even imagine. What WILL I do? On my own, nothing. With God, whatever He wants me to do because He can do anything and everything for anyone. I pray for humility. I pray that we, as a selfish and rich country, humble ourselves. If we don't, then the truth is, God will humble us in one way or another.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Heart Check - Matthew 6:21
"Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." ~*Matthew 6:21 (NLT)*~
What is it that consumes my life? What drives my mind, sustains my soul, motivates my heart, and controls my every belief, though, emotion, and action? What am I living for? What am I working toward? What goal am I running after? What fuels and drives me? What is the purpose of life? What am I doing with my life? What do I want to do with my life? In the eyes of those around me, how am I living my life? How do my motives, words, and actions affect those around me? Am I doing everything in my power to live a biblical, obedient life to God? Do I allow what people say to me affect me? Is it worth getting upset, excited, or down about?
Overwhelmed yet? (or maybe just bored... I don't know)
A word of warning: those of you who know me pretty well will know I enjoy brutal honesty and tough love and I have no problem dishing it out from time to time. Don't worry, I do this to myself before I even BEGIN to type or even think about posting such things. I'm moved to share some of my random, rambling thoughts with you and have debated on whether or not to do it, partly because I don't think people read these things and it's a waste of my time even putting it up here... but also because I don't want to offend anybody. Of course, I'm doing it so we'll see if it was a good idea or not. Please don't let any of what I write offend you and sorry this is ridiculously lengthy as usual. If you have some concern over what I say, let me know. It's pretty much all opinion...... from my heart.
All of this is written from a recent heart-check. I've been convicted and have called myself out on all of it (and am still doing so). It's all from the Holy Spirit convicting me on thoughts, emotions, and actions. We all need a reminder every now and then. We all need a heart-check. I've needed several and recently God has delivered them through some pretty difficult situations as well as some pretty small and unimportant happenings. I think you'll see what I mean and pray you understand my thoughts and convictions. I will admit this whole rambling of my thoughts just happened to occur with KU losing to K-State last night. My heart-check came when I realized how upset I was about something that should not be so significant to me. It came when I realized that I was upset about some form of entertainment not fulfilling my expectations for a day.
So what are some of the answers? The questions above have been racing through my mind all day... so I may have kept a journal throughout my work day today, jotting notes here and there in between approving art files for production. Matthew 6:21 is definitely the verse of the day for me. What is my heart set on? Are you set on Earth or Eternity? Do I have my heart set on higher things, greater and more important things than the things of this earth? I hope that I can say that my heart isn't set on a basketball game or a specific team or my job. I caught myself last night and I don't want my heart set on those things but sometimes we just get caught up in it all and I understand that. I refocused and that was the heart-check: My heart is set on God, his love for me and in me, and how that may affect those around me. This also just HAPPENED to be the devotional for February 15th in "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. It, of course, talked about being my brother's keeper, but more importantly how the way we act and speak to those around us affect them spiritually.
I have all of these thoughts and a few more that have come to the surface. Part of it is courtesy to the class I'm taking "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement." The rest of it is courtesy to Ol' KU and a basketball game, believe it or not. I wondered how the result of a game could affect me and realized how consumed we become in such small, irrelevant things in life. What is even more silly to me is how we are consumed by things that we have no real control over at all, such as the outcome of a college basketball game and how players play in that game. I thought about how much people trash talk each other and a team they really have nothing to do with.
I have to bite my tongue and 95% of the time I do a great job. That other 5% came out in a message to a friend pointing out why smack talk irritates me. To me it is a great thought though and may cause you to think a little bit as well. Ponder this: How much of the world would be evangelized if we spent as much energy and air on telling unreached people about Jesus as we do smack talking one another over something insignificant that we play no real part in? I'm calling myself out on this too so, really, please take no offense to it. If we had as much passion and energy spent on missions and evangelism as we do for cheering on "our team" or trash talking, how many unreached people groups would have been reached by now? Think about it. Isn't there some truth to that? It gets on my nerves sometimes how much passion we have towards sports/entertainment in our society. What would happen if we had that much passion for aids awareness in Africa or for putting an end to sex trafficking of young girls and woman in places like Thailand or India? Wouldn't that be awesome? Think about it. I know I have.
Then I also think about how we treat each other and the things we say to each other in regards to such unimportant things. How Biblical is that? We can find out by looking in Hebrews, Ephesians, James, and Proverbs pretty quickly. We don't have to look far into Hebrews to see how words give and take away life and how our tongue is sharp like a double-edged sword (ch 4 verses 12 & 13). We don't have to look far into Ephesians to see that we are only supposed to speak words that build up, not tear down (ch 4 verse 29). We can find how to tame our tongue in James (ch 3 verses 1-12). Proverbs also refers to words as swords, but also bringing healing (ch 12 verse 18). I'm nowhere near perfect, but honestly it's a great thing to think about.
I want to live my life the way God wants me to live (I hesitate to say the way God EXPECTS me to live). What does that look like? Pretty sure the Bible paints a pretty detailed and vivid picture through us. God send His son as a PAYMENT for the WRONGS that WE have done. How are we supposed to live? We are supposed to live how God wants us to live. We have this tendency, as humans, to try to make God the way we want God to be. A lot of us pray expected granted wishes. God isn't a wish granting genie, but He does answer prayers. They may not be answered the way we want them to be or how we expect them to be but that is the beauty and adventure of God. We wouldn't have to look far for the answers to many of our questions. A friend and I discussed a pretty cool thought: If there is a decision to be made, ask yourself what the Bible says. There is an answer in the Bible. There has always been an answer there, we just haven't always looked for it or we don't like what the Bible says because it doesn't say what we want it to say. It isn't possible for us to live perfectly but it is possible for us to follow Jesus and live with a purpose. It is possible to line our lives and purpose up with that of the Biblical truths that Jesus taught and gave to us. How do we know if something is "right" in God's eyes? Truthfully, we won't know until we meet Him face to face. I can't give you an answer but I can point you to the Word and you can seek it for yourself.
Are we living life with the purpose of following Christ? Will God take care of us? I've been asked lately what I want to do with my life. It didn't necessarily become a reality to me until my mentor mentioned something the last time I met with her. It set off alarms but also made my heart smile because the thought of it...... it is what I want to do with my life. BUT the question is, how do you tell your parents you want to be a missionary when you grow up? Who really does that? How do you expect them to react? I've wondered what I am doing with my life, why am I still in Manhattan, and what does God want me to do. I want to work for God. He is my boss. He is also my provider. What does that look like, to have God be the one in control of your life? I don't know. So far, I've seen Him open doors here in Manhattan. I haven't been able to get a job anywhere else even though I've applied for a ridiculous amount. I'm not even going to give you a number it is so ridiculous. The only opportunities have popped up in good old Manhattan, KS. God has planted roots for me here. I have a spiritual family and church community that I love. He's blown doors open for me to share Him with people at my job. Will life continue to look like this for me? Probably not but only God truly knows the answer to that question. I'm okay with that most days. He will take care of me and that is TRUTH (like the kind you find in the Bible).
Do you have your sights set on eternity or the short amount of time we spend here on earth? A good friend used the comparison of life to that of a vapor: one minute it's here, the next it's not. Life on earth is like a vapor compared to all of eternity. Do we set our sites on the beauty of our Lord and the life He offers or that of materialism here on earth? How are you living your life? What things have a hold on your heart? I pray for a heart check for all of us very often. Is your living lining up with what God defines as obedience in the Bible? I answered "for the most part I guess". If your answer is similar, check your heart to see what is keeping you from following completely. (FYI: just because it is in the Bible doesn't mean it is easy. It will be quite difficult but definitely worth it).
My prayer is that God does a number on each of our hearts, that the Holy Spirit moves in us and convicts us to reprioritize our lives.
Where did you bury your treasure? That's where your heart is going to be. Think about it.
What is it that consumes my life? What drives my mind, sustains my soul, motivates my heart, and controls my every belief, though, emotion, and action? What am I living for? What am I working toward? What goal am I running after? What fuels and drives me? What is the purpose of life? What am I doing with my life? What do I want to do with my life? In the eyes of those around me, how am I living my life? How do my motives, words, and actions affect those around me? Am I doing everything in my power to live a biblical, obedient life to God? Do I allow what people say to me affect me? Is it worth getting upset, excited, or down about?
Overwhelmed yet? (or maybe just bored... I don't know)
A word of warning: those of you who know me pretty well will know I enjoy brutal honesty and tough love and I have no problem dishing it out from time to time. Don't worry, I do this to myself before I even BEGIN to type or even think about posting such things. I'm moved to share some of my random, rambling thoughts with you and have debated on whether or not to do it, partly because I don't think people read these things and it's a waste of my time even putting it up here... but also because I don't want to offend anybody. Of course, I'm doing it so we'll see if it was a good idea or not. Please don't let any of what I write offend you and sorry this is ridiculously lengthy as usual. If you have some concern over what I say, let me know. It's pretty much all opinion...... from my heart.
All of this is written from a recent heart-check. I've been convicted and have called myself out on all of it (and am still doing so). It's all from the Holy Spirit convicting me on thoughts, emotions, and actions. We all need a reminder every now and then. We all need a heart-check. I've needed several and recently God has delivered them through some pretty difficult situations as well as some pretty small and unimportant happenings. I think you'll see what I mean and pray you understand my thoughts and convictions. I will admit this whole rambling of my thoughts just happened to occur with KU losing to K-State last night. My heart-check came when I realized how upset I was about something that should not be so significant to me. It came when I realized that I was upset about some form of entertainment not fulfilling my expectations for a day.
So what are some of the answers? The questions above have been racing through my mind all day... so I may have kept a journal throughout my work day today, jotting notes here and there in between approving art files for production. Matthew 6:21 is definitely the verse of the day for me. What is my heart set on? Are you set on Earth or Eternity? Do I have my heart set on higher things, greater and more important things than the things of this earth? I hope that I can say that my heart isn't set on a basketball game or a specific team or my job. I caught myself last night and I don't want my heart set on those things but sometimes we just get caught up in it all and I understand that. I refocused and that was the heart-check: My heart is set on God, his love for me and in me, and how that may affect those around me. This also just HAPPENED to be the devotional for February 15th in "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. It, of course, talked about being my brother's keeper, but more importantly how the way we act and speak to those around us affect them spiritually.
I have all of these thoughts and a few more that have come to the surface. Part of it is courtesy to the class I'm taking "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement." The rest of it is courtesy to Ol' KU and a basketball game, believe it or not. I wondered how the result of a game could affect me and realized how consumed we become in such small, irrelevant things in life. What is even more silly to me is how we are consumed by things that we have no real control over at all, such as the outcome of a college basketball game and how players play in that game. I thought about how much people trash talk each other and a team they really have nothing to do with.
I have to bite my tongue and 95% of the time I do a great job. That other 5% came out in a message to a friend pointing out why smack talk irritates me. To me it is a great thought though and may cause you to think a little bit as well. Ponder this: How much of the world would be evangelized if we spent as much energy and air on telling unreached people about Jesus as we do smack talking one another over something insignificant that we play no real part in? I'm calling myself out on this too so, really, please take no offense to it. If we had as much passion and energy spent on missions and evangelism as we do for cheering on "our team" or trash talking, how many unreached people groups would have been reached by now? Think about it. Isn't there some truth to that? It gets on my nerves sometimes how much passion we have towards sports/entertainment in our society. What would happen if we had that much passion for aids awareness in Africa or for putting an end to sex trafficking of young girls and woman in places like Thailand or India? Wouldn't that be awesome? Think about it. I know I have.
Then I also think about how we treat each other and the things we say to each other in regards to such unimportant things. How Biblical is that? We can find out by looking in Hebrews, Ephesians, James, and Proverbs pretty quickly. We don't have to look far into Hebrews to see how words give and take away life and how our tongue is sharp like a double-edged sword (ch 4 verses 12 & 13). We don't have to look far into Ephesians to see that we are only supposed to speak words that build up, not tear down (ch 4 verse 29). We can find how to tame our tongue in James (ch 3 verses 1-12). Proverbs also refers to words as swords, but also bringing healing (ch 12 verse 18). I'm nowhere near perfect, but honestly it's a great thing to think about.
I want to live my life the way God wants me to live (I hesitate to say the way God EXPECTS me to live). What does that look like? Pretty sure the Bible paints a pretty detailed and vivid picture through us. God send His son as a PAYMENT for the WRONGS that WE have done. How are we supposed to live? We are supposed to live how God wants us to live. We have this tendency, as humans, to try to make God the way we want God to be. A lot of us pray expected granted wishes. God isn't a wish granting genie, but He does answer prayers. They may not be answered the way we want them to be or how we expect them to be but that is the beauty and adventure of God. We wouldn't have to look far for the answers to many of our questions. A friend and I discussed a pretty cool thought: If there is a decision to be made, ask yourself what the Bible says. There is an answer in the Bible. There has always been an answer there, we just haven't always looked for it or we don't like what the Bible says because it doesn't say what we want it to say. It isn't possible for us to live perfectly but it is possible for us to follow Jesus and live with a purpose. It is possible to line our lives and purpose up with that of the Biblical truths that Jesus taught and gave to us. How do we know if something is "right" in God's eyes? Truthfully, we won't know until we meet Him face to face. I can't give you an answer but I can point you to the Word and you can seek it for yourself.
Are we living life with the purpose of following Christ? Will God take care of us? I've been asked lately what I want to do with my life. It didn't necessarily become a reality to me until my mentor mentioned something the last time I met with her. It set off alarms but also made my heart smile because the thought of it...... it is what I want to do with my life. BUT the question is, how do you tell your parents you want to be a missionary when you grow up? Who really does that? How do you expect them to react? I've wondered what I am doing with my life, why am I still in Manhattan, and what does God want me to do. I want to work for God. He is my boss. He is also my provider. What does that look like, to have God be the one in control of your life? I don't know. So far, I've seen Him open doors here in Manhattan. I haven't been able to get a job anywhere else even though I've applied for a ridiculous amount. I'm not even going to give you a number it is so ridiculous. The only opportunities have popped up in good old Manhattan, KS. God has planted roots for me here. I have a spiritual family and church community that I love. He's blown doors open for me to share Him with people at my job. Will life continue to look like this for me? Probably not but only God truly knows the answer to that question. I'm okay with that most days. He will take care of me and that is TRUTH (like the kind you find in the Bible).
Do you have your sights set on eternity or the short amount of time we spend here on earth? A good friend used the comparison of life to that of a vapor: one minute it's here, the next it's not. Life on earth is like a vapor compared to all of eternity. Do we set our sites on the beauty of our Lord and the life He offers or that of materialism here on earth? How are you living your life? What things have a hold on your heart? I pray for a heart check for all of us very often. Is your living lining up with what God defines as obedience in the Bible? I answered "for the most part I guess". If your answer is similar, check your heart to see what is keeping you from following completely. (FYI: just because it is in the Bible doesn't mean it is easy. It will be quite difficult but definitely worth it).
My prayer is that God does a number on each of our hearts, that the Holy Spirit moves in us and convicts us to reprioritize our lives.
Where did you bury your treasure? That's where your heart is going to be. Think about it.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
"More Like Falling in Love"
I absolutely L-O-V-E this song and the message the Jason Gray sends to listeners. The message in the song is so much truth it is amazing!!!
More Like Falling in Love
By: Jason Gray
Give me rules, I will break them
Show me lines, I will cross them
I need more than a truth to believe
I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes
To sweep me off my feet
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, Ohhhh
It's like I'm falling in love
Give me words, I'll misuse them
Obligations, I'll misplace them
'Cause all religion ever made of me
Was just a sinnger with a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, Ohhhh
It's like I'm falling in
Love, Love, Love
Deeper and deeper
It was love that made me a believer
In more than a name, a faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, Ohhhh
It's like I'm falling
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, Ohhhh
It's like I'm falling
In love
It's like I'm falling
I'm falling love
It's like I'm falling
In love
More Like Falling in Love
By: Jason Gray
Give me rules, I will break them
Show me lines, I will cross them
I need more than a truth to believe
I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes
To sweep me off my feet
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, Ohhhh
It's like I'm falling in love
Give me words, I'll misuse them
Obligations, I'll misplace them
'Cause all religion ever made of me
Was just a sinnger with a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, Ohhhh
It's like I'm falling in
Love, Love, Love
Deeper and deeper
It was love that made me a believer
In more than a name, a faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, Ohhhh
It's like I'm falling
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, Ohhhh
It's like I'm falling
In love
It's like I'm falling
I'm falling love
It's like I'm falling
In love
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Fuel
What fuels you? I sometimes ask myself and wonder where I find the energy and strength I have to keep going. Sometimes I question where it all comes from, as I know it isn't something that comes from me. It comes from something more. Something more powerful fuels me.
Today I had a lot of time to think. We are really slow at work so I currently have a three day work week and a four day weekend which gives me a lot of time to think and ponder questions like the one above (and yes you read that correctly--a FOUR DAY WEEKEND). It snowed a lot yesterday and frankly our apartment complex takes thier time shoveling off the snow and they don't do the greatest job clearing the parking lot. I didn't have much to do so I decided I'd go shovel out some of the parking spots for my roommate, myself, and our neighbor. For three hours I shoveled snow for the neighbors (I ended up doing more like seven spots, not just our three). I had time to think about what fuels me and, in addition, thought about yet another question: why was I doing what I was doing when nobody even asked me to do it in the first place?
Thoughts were beginning to fly through my head about God and Jesus and love and the Cross. I was beginning to think about how I somewhat ENJOYED doing this for others. I ENJOYED serving them without somebody having to ask me to do it. I was somewhat finding JOY in something I would have complained about, and probably would not have done, just a few years ago.
It's God who fuels me. It's the blessing God has given me and what I'm doing with them in my life. It's love that keeps me going, God's love for me that is. It's Christ dying on a cross for all of mankind, so that we all may know His Father in Heaven. That fuels me. Dying on a cross is a lot harder to do than shoveling snow is, at least in my mind. Christ said to pick up our cross and follow Him -- a promise of salvation even through suffering, no matter how hard it may be. I am blessed with a "young, vibrant, and able" body and spirit, even if I don't always feel young (like right now and probably most of tomorrow). I am blessed with the health do do what I get to do. I am blessed by God in order that I may be a blessing for others. I am a child of God which adds a bit extra fuel to the flame. I am blessed with ample amounts of time on my hands, so why not use that to serve others? That small action may mean more than I know to a single mother of three, a family of a military man who is deployed, working college students or somebody who may not be as able bodied as I am. God blessed me more than I can count. God sent his son to live as a man so that He could die for all of mankind. Christ came so that He could glorify God his Father and so that all people may know our Father in Heaven and how much He loves us. How am I using my blessings to glorify God above anything else I do? How am I using God's fuel to live every single day? God is my fuel, providing more than I could have or ever even imagine having on my own. God's love and promises of life and salvation fuels me; those are things I cannot do or attain on my own. The heart to serve others fuels me. It comes from a Master who commands obedience, holiness because He is holy, from a Prince who came to SERVE NOT TO BE SERVED. I am fueled by love for a King who was born of flesh into a world of sin in order that He would die to save and make God (and his love for the world) known. I am fueled by God.
What fuels you?
Today I had a lot of time to think. We are really slow at work so I currently have a three day work week and a four day weekend which gives me a lot of time to think and ponder questions like the one above (and yes you read that correctly--a FOUR DAY WEEKEND). It snowed a lot yesterday and frankly our apartment complex takes thier time shoveling off the snow and they don't do the greatest job clearing the parking lot. I didn't have much to do so I decided I'd go shovel out some of the parking spots for my roommate, myself, and our neighbor. For three hours I shoveled snow for the neighbors (I ended up doing more like seven spots, not just our three). I had time to think about what fuels me and, in addition, thought about yet another question: why was I doing what I was doing when nobody even asked me to do it in the first place?
Thoughts were beginning to fly through my head about God and Jesus and love and the Cross. I was beginning to think about how I somewhat ENJOYED doing this for others. I ENJOYED serving them without somebody having to ask me to do it. I was somewhat finding JOY in something I would have complained about, and probably would not have done, just a few years ago.
It's God who fuels me. It's the blessing God has given me and what I'm doing with them in my life. It's love that keeps me going, God's love for me that is. It's Christ dying on a cross for all of mankind, so that we all may know His Father in Heaven. That fuels me. Dying on a cross is a lot harder to do than shoveling snow is, at least in my mind. Christ said to pick up our cross and follow Him -- a promise of salvation even through suffering, no matter how hard it may be. I am blessed with a "young, vibrant, and able" body and spirit, even if I don't always feel young (like right now and probably most of tomorrow). I am blessed with the health do do what I get to do. I am blessed by God in order that I may be a blessing for others. I am a child of God which adds a bit extra fuel to the flame. I am blessed with ample amounts of time on my hands, so why not use that to serve others? That small action may mean more than I know to a single mother of three, a family of a military man who is deployed, working college students or somebody who may not be as able bodied as I am. God blessed me more than I can count. God sent his son to live as a man so that He could die for all of mankind. Christ came so that He could glorify God his Father and so that all people may know our Father in Heaven and how much He loves us. How am I using my blessings to glorify God above anything else I do? How am I using God's fuel to live every single day? God is my fuel, providing more than I could have or ever even imagine having on my own. God's love and promises of life and salvation fuels me; those are things I cannot do or attain on my own. The heart to serve others fuels me. It comes from a Master who commands obedience, holiness because He is holy, from a Prince who came to SERVE NOT TO BE SERVED. I am fueled by love for a King who was born of flesh into a world of sin in order that He would die to save and make God (and his love for the world) known. I am fueled by God.
What fuels you?
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