Mountain in the Sea

Matthew 6:25-33 (New International Version)

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

'Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the Word He puts in us? Is it the devil????? No— It is actually "the cares of this world" ("He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful".--Matthew 13:22 ). It is always our little worries. We say, "I will not trust when I cannot see"— and that is where unbelief begins. The only cure for unbelief is obedience to the Spirit.'
~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest~

All this week I have been rather discouraged and sad. WORRY really is the concern for the things in your life. A bigger part of this is the feeling of “I deserve more than what I have, and now I am concerned with how I am going to make sure I get more than what I have”. You might often concern yourself with things you can’t change or things that are beyond your control. I know you are probably thinking… Okay uhmmm… How can I not worry about my life?? It’s my life, I am living it, and the problems are REAL!! The way to escape the “Realness” of your problems is by constantly praying. When I say that I don’t mean constantly down on your knees with your eyes closed. What I mean is more of a constant open ended conversation with God. The more you do this, the more natural it will become. Think about it, you kind of already do just that. Have you ever noticed how you kind of talk to yourself. Well technically if you are “talking” in your mind he is the only one that hears you beyond yourself. So think of that as your time to pray without ceasing. Just today God helped me see that when you are constantly praying you begin to stop thinking about your problems and you gain a peace that he is working in your life. And you actually gain a clear itemized list of just how he is working. It could be the fact that your car hasn’t broken down, or just the fact you are alive and have another chance. When you pray you don’t have time to worry because you are too busy THANKING HIM. You then stop worrying and begin peacefully waiting on the all powerful God to bring you to your expected end.

Sooo today I was just praying in my head for God to speak peace to me and he did. This song came into my head and the words are EXACTLY what gave me peace. I receive it in my heart. I pray that whoever is at a point of need that God's words will speak to you as well.

Song- Yes He Will- By Fred Hammond

~I will live and not die

For every need there is supply

For the Savior says just ask

And believe that you receive

If you ask the impossible

Won't He do it somebody say?

Chorus

Yes He will

Yes He will

Oh yes He will

From deep in debt to being free

If you need that mountain in the sea

If it seems too hard for you

Just believe that He wants to

Do what seems impossible for you right now

Just say

Chorus

I believe He'll bless me

I believe He'll touch me

I believe He'll heal me

Oh yes He will

Chorus

Believe only and do not doubt

If fear moves in evict it out

For the Lord response to faith

And He longs to save the day

And if you ask the impossible won't He do it?

Chorus

I believe He'll bless me

I believe He'll touch me

I believe He'll heal me Oh

Chorus

I believe He'll save me

I believe He'll keep me

I believe He'll hold me Oh

Chorus

Our Father He loves to respond to our faith

It's His good pleasure

If I ask the impossible

Won't He do for me

I gotta believe one thing

That He will

That He will

Yes He will

Yes, yes~

Bamboozled by the Bible?

Romans 1:20-25

20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

I found this story rather disheartening. I thought I would post it because I myself have been addressing several remaining questions I have regarding my faith. I will post about some of these questions at a later date. However it is VERY important to seek the LORD your GOD with ALL your heart and with all your soul and with your entire mind ( Mark 12:30). God promises to provide truth (Jesus Christ) when this happens. However when you begin to think yourself an expert he will not force you into truth but you will begin to profess that you are wise and end up a fool. Because the fool has said in his heart there is no God (Psalms 14:1).

Basically Bart Ehrman was a Fundamentalist Christian however during his life he looked to others instead of looking wholeheartedly towards GOD, he also became an “Expert on the Bible” and through his studies he has found “discrepancies” in the infallible word of God. I would like to address his one reference of 1 Corinthians 14:35-36. Paul clearly says in accordance with the Jewish Law. During that time the Jewish law was still a MAJOR component of the Christian faith. And believe it or not back in those days women had a HARD time! In Romans 16 he is giving his PERSONAL GREETINGS. In that he is going down the list of women that have basically put their lives on the line for the cause of Christ. Therefore in his Holy Spirit inspired opinion he was stating that women CAN and DO work for the cause of Christ. So I don’t see any contradiction. He stated the rule of the times but gave evidence of the work that Christ does in the lives of women. Well any who I have decided to post the link. And just a few major points from the article below, the ludicrousness of this idea of using the Bible to disprove GOD……

So I also felt impressed to post several text that disprove his conclusions…

Jesus’ divinity in his own words John 8:58- I tell you the truth, Jesus answered before Abraham was born, I AM!

Jesus promising to resurrect himself Matthew 12:39-40-He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Luke 24:46-47- He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in this name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem.

The Infallible word of God John 1:1-2, 14--In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Matthew 24:35- Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Former Fundamentalist ‘debunks’ Bible

Bart Ehrman says most of the New Testament is a forgery but it's still an important body of work. He says he's not trying to destroy your faith. He's not trying to bash the Bible. Ehrman, a best-selling author and a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a biblical sleuth whose investigations make some people very angry. Like the fictional Robert Langdon character played by actor Tom Hanks in the movie "Angels & Demons," he delves into the past to challenge some of Christianity's central claims.In Ehrman's latest book, "Jesus, Interrupted," he concludes: Doctrines such as the divinity of Jesus and heaven and hell are not based on anything Jesus or his earlier followers said. At least 19 of the 27 books in the New Testament are forgeries. Believing the Bible is infallible is not a condition for being a Christian.

"Christianity has never been about the Bible being the inerrant word of God," Ehrman says. "Christianity is about the belief in Christ."Ehrman says that no one accepts everything in the Bible. Everyone picks and chooses . He cites some New Testament's references to the role of women in church as an example. In the first book of Corinthians, Ehrman says, the Apostle Paul insists that women should remain silent in church (1 Corinthians 14:35-36). In the 16th chapter of the book of Romans, Paul's attitude is that women could and should be church leaders -- and he cites women who were serving as deacons and apostles in the early church, Ehrman says.
Ehrman backs his arguments with a deep knowledge of the culture and history of the New Testament world. He's written 20 books on early Christianity and is an authority on ancient manuscripts used to translate the Bible.

His claims, though, take on some of Christianity's most sacred tenets, like the resurrection of Jesus. Ehrman says he doesn't think the resurrection took place. There's no proof Jesus physically rose from the dead, and the resurrection stories contradict one another, he says.
He says he doesn't believe the followers of Jesus saw their master bodily rise from the dead, but something else.

"My best guess is that what happened is what commonly happens today when someone has a loved one die -- they sometimes think they see them in a vision," Ehrman says. "I think some of the disciples had visions."

Ehrman says he immerses himself in the Bible, though he doesn't believe in its infallibility, because it's the most important book in Western civilization.

"I have friends who teach medieval English," he says. "They don't believe in Chaucer, but they think Chaucer is important," he writes in the conclusion of "Jesus, Interrupted."

The heavens declare the glory of GOD; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.- Psalms 19:1

Ginger-Thyme Sweet Potatoe

Ingredients

7-8 Sweet Potatoes
1/2 Vidalia Onion
2 tsp Ginger
2 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp Butter
1/4 cup water


Wash and skin the potatoes. Cut them up in random fun cubes. Cut up the onion in fun shapes too. Then put them together in a flat casserole dish. Sprinkle the ginger, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper. Then cut up pieces of the butter over the potatoes and onions. Then sprinkle water over the top. Cover the dish with foil. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 min or until tender.

I made up this recipe last night and we loved it. Enjoy!!

*********As a side bar*********

Sweet Potatoes are like the healthiest starch you could ever consume. So discovering different ways (other than yams or casserole) to cook it is quickly becoming a hobby. I want to try this other recipe that I found this morning. I will try it and tell you how it turned out.

Chili-glazed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
4 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes or yams
2/3 cup red jalapeño jelly
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
About 3 tablespoons lime juice
Salt


Preparation
1. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks. Divide chunks equally between 2 lightly oiled baking pans (each 10 by 15 in.); cover tightly with foil.

2. Bake in a 450° oven for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until sweet potatoes are tender when pierced, about 25 minutes longer; switch pan positions halfway through baking.

3. Meanwhile, put jelly in a 2-cup glass measure. Heat in a microwave oven at full power (100%) until softened, about 20 seconds. Add vinegar and stir until well blended.

4. Combine sweet potatoes in 1 pan. Pour jelly mixture evenly over potatoes and turn chunks with a spatula to coat evenly. Continue baking until jelly mixture thickens and sticks to sweet potatoes, about 10 minutes, turning chunks often to prevent scorching.

5. Pour into a wide bowl. Sprinkle with cilantro and add about 3 tablespoons lime juice and salt to taste.



*A Nice Bonus*

Nutritional Information
Calories: 218 (6% from fat)
Protein: 2.4g
Fat: 1.4g (sat 0.2)
Carbohydrate: 49g
Fiber: 4.4g
Sodium: 25mg
Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Slave vs Free Diet

My Dad sent me this article a while back and I thought it was pretty sad. I have summarized it below…

Slaves Ate Better Than Modern African Americans.

The ideal way back to health for blacks is to return to the patterns of our ancestors who lived and worked in Colonial America. Few people are actually aware of the African slaves and their actual lifestyle. African slaves were actually the healthiest Americans that ever lived. Hard to believe I know. We have been bombarded by images of emaciated slaves that suffered under the summer’s excruciating heat; however this required physical endurance and stamina that actually made them stronger. Most were in near-perfect health. Their diet consisted of a large variety of garden-grown vegetables.

Unlike today’s typical American diet, the slaves frequently ate vegetables and fruit, which were often in abundance during the South’s extended growing season. Research has confirmed that slaves typically ate 6 to 8 servings of fruit and vegetables DAILY!!!

HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE???

The typical slave’s day consisted of 11 to 13 hours of consistent work. They were often in the field from the time the sun rose until beyond dusk. Breakfast and lunch (as we currently know it) didn’t really exist for slaves. They often ate raw vegetables or gathered fallen fruit and nuts from the trees that surrounded their workplace. This food would often be the only food that was eaten all day until they returned to their quarters. “Once home, they would prepare communal meals for the entire slave community.” The foods served during these meals were the key to the slave’s good health. They sometimes even planted small gardens adjacent to the slaves’ cabins which also produce fresh food for the majority of the year. These gardens sometimes produce up to 15 or more different kinds of vegetables. The evening communal meals often consisted of a vegetable stew/soup (from the garden), and potatoes or rice from the rations provided by the slave owners. The vegetables reflected what was available to them at them time. This included carrots, squash, onions, peppers, okra, yams, tomatoes, leafy greens, corn, rice and potatoes.

According to Wiley Mullins, creator of Wiley’s Healthy Seasonings and Spices, “The variety of produce consumed by the early African Americans provided them with stamina and nutritional empowerment necessary to do the demanding daily tasks that were before them.”Mullins states, “Recent nutritional research endorses the need to daily consume a variety of produce, especially colorful produce. Different colored produce naturally contain different nutrients, and these nutrients work in the body to protect the body from illness and disease.”

Mullins says the slaves did four things right:

1. They ate whole natural plan-based foods daily. Meat and fish weren’t easily accessible, and were eaten very infrequently.
2. Lots of water was consumed daily. Water was the primary beverage, with very limited consumption of bark teas.
3. The foods eaten were simple and easily digestible. Raw vegetables, fruits and nuts were eaten during the day.
4. The dinner meal was a “powerhouse of nutrition” featuring a large combination of colorful produce.

However, today most blacks consume less than 3 servings of vegetables and fruits. So many meals are eaten away from home and often these meals consist of a potatoe or rice dish with little to no other colorful vegetables. Preparing meals at home gives you more control over what is served.

“Deep Red Colored fruits and vegetables should be eaten every day. Red colored produce like tomatoes, watermelons and pink grapefruits contain lycopene, a cancer fighter. Lycopene has been proven to fight the onset of prostate cancer. African Americans men have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world."

"Blue and Purple colored fruits and vegetables contain two disease fighting phytochemicals. These powerful antioxidants help reduce the risk of disease including cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and may even slow the aging process. Memory loss occurs after age 50 for most people, and eating berries like blueberries and blackberries may help to reverse this trend."

"Dark Green Colored Vegetables such as collards, turnip greens, kale and spinach should be eaten every day. These nutritional powerhouses are loaded with lutien (pronounced LOO-ten). Lutien is an antioxidant that helps reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Other green veggies like cabbage, Brussels sprouts and broccoli help protect against breast cancer (which affects one out of every eight U.S. women) and prostate cancer (which affects one out of every six men in the U.S.)."

"Deep orange colored and bright yellow colored fruits and vegetables should be eaten often. Vegetables such as yams, carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkins all contain beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant that reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease. Other fruits and veggies like lemons, yellow bell peppers, oranges, yellow raisins and pears contain bioflavoniods that work together with Vitamin C to keep bodies healthy, strengthen bones and teeth, help heal wounds, keep skin healthy and lower the risk of heart attack."

"White colored produce like onions, leeks and garlic may be lacking in color but they contain a powerful nutrient called allicin. Allicin may help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and increase the body’s ability to fight infection. Nutrition research shows that eating vegetables from the onion family may speed recovery from colds, reduce the risk of heart attacks, and may even stop the spread of certain cancers, particularly stomach and colon cancer.”

Source Article

65 Questions

65 Questions You've Probably Never Been Asked...

1. First thing you wash in the shower? Left arm

2. What color is your favorite hoodie? Gray

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? again and again

4. Do you plan outfits? uhm no

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? Thankful!

6. What’s the closest thing to you that's red? A Coca-Cola label

7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having? It was a night mare. I was shopping with my cousin and sister. Then the police came up to me and told me that my husband died in a car crash. I fainted. Then I woke up…

8. Did you meet anybody new today? Yes. A medical student that needed help with an IRB document

9. What are you craving right now? A Butterfinger

10. Do you floss? sadly no

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? ughhh GROSS

12. Are you emotional? not that much anymore

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? no lol!

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? lick it

15. Do you like your hair? yes

16. Do you like yourself? Yes sir ri Bobaroni lol!!

17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? probably not

18. What are you listening to right now? an audio reading of the New Testament (he is on Matthew now)

19. Are your parents strict? kind of, well not really

20. Would you go sky diving? I am not sure yet, I went on a Hot air balloon ride once, but I think this will be a LOT more dramatic

21. Do you like cottage cheese? nope- I associate this with diet food

22. Have you ever met a celebrity? well I have seen a celebrity from like less than 5 feet away J Brian McKnight

23. Do you rent movies often? YES!!

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in? my wedding ring

26. Have you made a prank phone call? yes

27. Ever been on a train? nope

28. Brown or white eggs? white

29. Do you have a cell phone? yes

30. Do you use chap stick? sure

31. Do you own a gun? no

32. Can you use chop sticks? not very well

33. Who are you going to be with tonight? Maybe my cousin and definitely my hubby and Ava

34. Are you too forgiving? I wish I was more forgiving

35. Ever been in love? still am

36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow? well he will probably train again (MMA-Mixed Martial Arts)

37. Ever have cream puffs? no

38. Last time you cried? Monday night I think

39. What was the last question you asked? Can you plz fill my water bottle up

40. Favorite time of the year? Fall

41. Do you have any tattoos? yes

42. Are you sarcastic? not really duh!

43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? sadly yes

44. Ever walked into a wall? ha ha ha , Yes!! More like a glass wall when I was like 11 or 12

45. Favorite color? Pink

46. Have you ever slapped someone? no

47. Is your hair curly? yea

48. What was the last CD you bought? The New Testament on CD

49. Do looks matter? well a lot of things matter but is it the final say so definitely NOT

50. Could you ever forgive a cheater? well it depends on the EXACT offense

51. Is your phone bill sky high? YES, make that Moon high –lol!

52. Do you like your life right now? I LOVE my life and I am thankful

53. Do you sleep with the TV on? no!

54. Can you handle the truth? I love the truth

55. Do you have good vision? no

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? nope

57. How often do you talk on the phone? most of the day

58. The last person you held hands with? my Hubby

59. What are you wearing? Black pants, blue shirt, and gray cardigan

60. What is your favorite animal? Ava Marie

61. Where was your default picture taken at? At my friends house

62. Can you hula hoop? yes

63. Do you have a job? yes

64. What was the most recent thing you bought? food

65. Have you ever crawled through a window? uhmm no

Chocolate Obsession

Sooo I would like to talk a bit about Chocolate...

We had some of our friends spend the weekend with us about two weeks ago. I think I O'd on the food however. But I got a chance to make an old family recipe that I had never made before. It’s called Chocolate Whip Cream Cake. It’s really easy to make. All you need is the following.

Duncan Hines Devil Food Cake Mix
Duncan Hines Devil Food Cupcake Mix
Cinnamon
Vanilla Extract
Heavy Whipping Cream (in carton)
Sugar

Mix the cake mix and cupcake mix in different bowls as directed on the package. I add a bit of cinnamon and vanilla to the cake/cupcake mix- it makes it taste more homemade.
Pour the cake/cupcake mix into two 9-inch cake pans. Bake the cake as you normally would and let cool for at least 1-2 hrs. Then make the whipped cream topping!
Freeze the mixing bowl, wire whisk, and be sure the heavy cream is very cold (not frozen though). Then you pour the cream in the mixer and start mixing on high speed. Add sugar to taste (could also mix in coffee/cocoa) and mix until you start to see peaks in the cream (that means it is solid whipped cream now!)
Then ice the middle, top, and sides on the cake then put into the fridge over night. The cake is VERY moist and VERY GOOD. Also it doesn’t make you feel as guilty as you would if you ate a full fledge chocolate on chocolate Devil’s Food cake.

After all that I am still actively craving chocolate. Last week alone I ate two Reese cups!! And today I have already eaten one!! One of my co-workers put me onto the idea of baking brownies in a different light….. soo you combine the brownie mix all together, then you pour some of the batter into the baking pan, then you add broken pieces of PLAIN Hershey chocolate bar, and add the rest of the mix…. Ahhhhh This sounds soo good! I will be trying this in the very near future I will let you know how this goes..

*SIDEBAR* Has anyone else noticed how yummy Easter candy is.. I am not sure if it’s me but the Reese Eggs taste a lot better than the Reese cups, and the Easter M&Ms taste so much better than the regular plain ones… Oh well maybe it’s all in my head!!

Corn, Corn, Its Bad for the Heart the more you Eat… The more you fart??

First of all I would like to say.... I need a Big Mac no meat, xtra lettuce, xtra sauce lol!!! (inside joke with Keri and Chrissy haha)

Well, Well, Well, It looks as though I have come across some hard core scientific evidence against Mickey Dees…. The $100 billion fast food industry rest on a firm foundation of CORN! They have done some chemical analysis on several restaurants across the USA and found that nearly EVERY cow or chicken used in the fast food industry has been raised on an absolute diet of corn!!

Corn is a central part of American agriculture. It received more government subsidies (paying the farmers money regardless of crop output) than any other crop. Between 1995 and 2006 corn farms collectively received a grand total of $56 billion in federal subsidies. Estimates are predicting that this figure may soon reach $10 billion annually.

Environmentalists have branded corn as an icon of unsustainable agriculture. It requires a large amount of fertilizer and pesticide which in turn requires a large amount of Fossil Fuel to manufacture. Most of the resulting corn is then fed to livestock, whose natural diet would NOT consist of so much corn.

In cattle, Eating this much corn increases flatulence (farts) and emissions of methane (a potent greenhouse gas) which creates an intestinal environment rich in E. coli (a life-threatening bacteria, and common cause of food poisoning). This in turn requires mixing cow feed with ANTIBIOTICS… which of course translates into the production of antibiotic-resistant disease strains!!

Most of those livestock find their final resting place in high calorie, low nutrient fast food burgers, chicken fingers, etc. This is of course linked to obesity, diabetes and heart disease!

Their #1 claim to fame is how “affordable” fast food is….
“We’re seeing that corn is the number-one reason that fast food is so cheap and available," said Meredith Niles, a food policy analyst at the Center for Food Safety
Ughh But really you are paying with your health/life!!!

Basically the US is subsidizing obesity in America!

The really sad stats are as follows:
“Jahren’s team analyzed hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and french fries from multiple McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s restaurants in six U.S. cities.In both types of meat at every location, a telltale configuration of nitrogen and carbon traces showed that the animals had eaten corn-heavy diets; in the case of beef, 150 out of 162 samples came from animals that ate nothing but corn. Fries were prepared in corn-based oil.”
Uhmm yea this is really sad…Corn is not the answer… Sometimes eating healthy can actually be less expensive than eating junk. Really you don’t eat as much you feel fuller quicker.

So just say no to that Big Mac every week—it’s hard I know… I think they also put some type of addictive property in that thing. I love them and I can’t even eat the beef( It makes me Deathly SICK—maybe all that E.coli ewghh)!!! Its in that dag gone secret sauce lol!!

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/11/fast-food-anoth.html#previouspost