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Hahah... how awesome of a picture is that! Just so you know, VJ did catch the garter and he did hang it from his rear view mirror. I guess this means he will be getting married before me!
Heheh!!
So this is what my gauge looked like while I was sitting in a 30 minute line waiting for gas...
I just kept praying that I wouldn't run out in the line. And thank God I didn't!! I have never been so happy to pay so much for gas.
When is this gas shortage going to end??
How to Get Past Regrets
by Rick Warren
Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. Isaiah 43:18-19 (MSG)
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How often do you play the “If only” game?
· If only I could do it over again.
· If only I had listened sooner.
· If only I could erase the past.
· If only I could forgive myself.
The thing to remember is that no one is perfect. We all have regrets; we’ve all made bad choices, and said foolish things; we’ve all wasted time, and hurt ourselves and others.
How do you release your regrets? In my experience as a pastor, I’ve seen several strategies we tend to use that simply do not work:
· You try to bury your past. But burying the past will never help you get past your regrets. You can try to minimize (“It wasn’t a big deal”), rationalize (“Everyone does it”), and compromise (lowering standards), but your regrets are still there, and if unresolved, they’ll keep coming back to haunt you over and over again like a creature in a horror movie.
· We blame others. This tactic is as old as Adam and Eve. When Adam sinned, he took it like a man: he blamed his wife!We use blame to balance out our guilt.
· We beat up on ourselves. We try to pay for our guilt unconsciously through illness, depression, setting ourselves up for failure, and other forms of self-punishment. The problem with beating up on yourself is this: your conscience never knows when to stop!Some people spend their entire lives in self-condemnation.
What does God want you to do with your regrets?
· Admit your guilt. Own up to it.Don’t make excuses. “A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful.But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance”(Proverbs 28:13 LB).
· Accept Christ’s forgiveness. He’s waiting to clean your slate.Ask him to clear your conscience. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV).
· Forgive yourself and focus on the future. “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands” (Isaiah 43:18-19 MSG).
Hmmm... does God work in some crazy ways or what! It seems that the day I need to hear something in particular, that is what is in the devotional.
It's amazing!!
There are three things that will endure – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT)
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The most important lesson God wants you to learn on earth is how to love. Here are three simple truths about love:
1. Life without love is really worthless. We often act as if relationships are something to be squeezed into our schedule. We talk about finding time for our children or making time for people in our lives. That gives the impression that relationships are just a part of our lives along with many other tasks. But God says relationships are what life is all about.
Jesus summarized what matters most to God in two statements: love God and love people. He said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart. . . . This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40 NLT).
The point of life is learning to love God and people. Life minus love equals zero.
2. Love will last forever. Another reason God tells us to make love our top priority is that it is eternal: “These three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NCV).
Love leaves a legacy. Mother Teresa said, “It’s not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters.” Love is the secret of a lasting heritage. In our final moments, we all realize that relationships are what life is all about. Wisdom is learning that truth sooner rather than later.
3. We will be evaluated on our love. One way God measures spiritual maturity is by the quality of your relationships. In heaven God won’t say, “Tell me about your career, your bank account, and your hobbies.” Instead he will review how you treated other people, particularly those in need.
Jesus said the way to love him is to love his family and care for their practical needs: “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40 NRSV).
People need to understand that when you transfer into eternity, you will leave everything else behind. All you’re taking with you is your character. That’s why the Bible says, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6 NIV).
Knowing this, I encourage you to pray this simple prayer every morning: “God, whether I get anything else done today, I want to make sure that I spend time loving you and loving other people – because that’s what life is all about. I don’t want to waste this day.”I have some sad news about our fellow teammate, Ashly. She hadn't felt Brooks move much today so her and Denny (the husband) went to the Doctor to make sure everything was ok. And unfortunately it wasn't. Brooks has gone to be with the Lord. She and Denny are very upset.Ashly is one of my friend and teammates at work. She was in her last week of pregnancy and lost her baby. I laid there, cried, and prayed. I didn't know what else to do. Maybe this is why I couldn't sleep. So I pray about Ashly, her husband, their baby, the life they were expecting and will never know. I pray for them to cling to God and to remain strong in their faith but how hard is that to do in a time like this. I have/will continue to pray for her and please join me in the prayers.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place sheet of aluminum foil on a work surface and place lima beans on it and top with olive oil, chopped parsley, and a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper on each pile of beans and gently toss to combine. Place fish over pile of beans. Pour white wine over the fish and sprinkle a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Seal up the foil packets.
Mango Puree = 1 mango pureed with little sugar, cinnamon and water.
Place the foil packet on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. Gently transfer the beans and fish to a serving plate. Add the mango puree on the baked fish. Serve immediately.
I woke up this morning really wanting a waffle and since I hadn't used my waffle maker in forever I decided to give it a go. I found a few recipes that looked good but the one that really caught my eye was for a pumpkin waffle here. I had to change up the recipe a bit because the original would have made a ton and I needed to use the ingredients I have on hand. Here is what I came up with...
Ingredients
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flower
little less than 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
couple shakes of nutmeg
a shake of ground cloves
1 Tablespoon applesauce
1 cup soymilk
7 oz pureed pumpkin pie filling (all natural, no preservatives), canned
little less than 1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
Sift together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, vigorously whisk together wet ingredients until well emulsified. Pour wet into dry and combine. I let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes while I put the ingredients away and got my Belgian waffle maker out and let it heat up. I made 7 Belgian waffles, but most will be frozen.
To top, I used 1 tablespoon applesauce, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a small drizzle of pure maple syrup.
They are amazing!! But I used up too much energy making them... I am exhausted now. I hate being sick!