Story Time- My Amazing Culinary Discovery

~ jesusluvsall ~ 18 Comments

This post feels like it should be a breaking news, stop the presses, special edition. This week I experienced an amazing culinary discovery that is one that merits sharing with the world.

The other day I was making a salad at home as in a big salad. Then it dawned on me and the light bulb went off in my mind as I looked at the open cabinet door. There they were side by side the olive oil and the garlic herb seasoning. When I took note of them, I thought to myself, “self what if you mixed in a bit of that seasoning with the olive oil to make your own health salad dressing.”

Photo by Ruslan Khmelevsky on Pexels.com

I proceeded to mix in the seasoning with olive oil and pour it on salad, Then the moment came to try out my new creation. After one bite, the realization hit that this was indeed a wonderful taste sensation. The salad in the picture is not the one I made. I ate it too fast to take a picture.

So after years of self deprecating humor regarding my culinary skills, I present to you my creation. No need for recipe amounts. Just mix a bit of whatever seasoning you like with some olive oil and voila you have a healthy tasty salad dressing. I am sure no one has ever had this idea before. 🙂 lol

My joy in this discovery causes me to think about how with God, we can have an eternity of amazing discoveries. Think about it. God is eternal. As we read our bibles, we are reading what God has revealed to us so far. God’s Word, the bible, has the gospel message about Jesus dying for us and defeating death for us. It reveals things about God, about living as Christians etc. But it scratches the surface when it comes to God who is eternal. We have can have an exciting eternity of discovering new things with and about God.

Back to my culinary discovery as awesome as it is, I do not plan on writing a cookbook yet. 🙂

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Ahh Yesterday-Burgers and Coffee Shop

~ jesusluvsall ~ 17 Comments

It was a double blessing day yesterday with two different cultures. It was the kind of day that filled me with gratitude for Jesus calling me to my ministry and work.

After a LAZY start to my day which included a NAP, I met with my friend from Bosnia to have some burgers. We hadn’t gotten together for a while because he has been working extra to save up money for him and his wife to travel to Bosnia. Burgers always taste better when meeting with friends. 🙂

Then it was off to my favorite coffee shop where I spent time blogging and reading. I also got some writing done. As I was getting ready to leave, two young men came in who were speaking Spanish. I went over and introduced myself in Spanish and ended up sitting with them for an hour practicing my Spanish. We added each other on Facebook so we can meet again. One of my summer goals is improving my Spanish.

To top it off, in the evening I received an email from my therapist telling me her verse of the day was James 1:12 which made her think of me. It was a nice little icing on the cake for a lazy, fun, summer break day for this teacher.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Today is methotrexate day, so downtime is in order, but have no fear, the coffee shop is on my Saturday list. How has your week been?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Unexpected Blessings

~ jesusluvsall ~ 26 Comments

Yesterday we had an oasis kind of day with the weather here. It only got up to 80f.26c. When I stepped outside to go to the coffee shop, it was a very welcome unexpected blessing after some very hot days.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Unexpected blessings are what I call blessings that seem to come out of nowhere. Ones that there is no way to anticipate them. Like a seeming chance encounter with someone we have not seen in a long time that happens just when we need it.

Sunday morning a friend at church I had not interacted with for a while stopped by the room I teach in and said hi. That was nice but what happened about an hour later was something I did not see coming. He came up to me before worship service and handed me a check because with the way the economy is going, he wanted to make sure I would be okay. It was a huge blessing for me because as per usual for me, I hit the deductible on my insurance in March which means I have already paid a few thousand in healthcare costs.

Last week a niece I have not heard from in a long time messaged me on Facebook. We have started connecting again. I did not see that one coming either.

Last week a friend I had not heard from for a few years messaged me and wanted to meet for dinner. We had dinner and a chance to catch up. I found out that she, in her words, is really a Christian again. She also shared with me that she remembered some things I shared with her while she was in Brazil during the pandemic.

What’s behind all three? God at work. The blessings were expected by God because he was at work in all three. What is unexpected by us is planned on by God. They are ones that God gets our attention and we can stop and thank him for what he has done and appreciate that Abba Father has once again shown us He is with us.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

The Stories of Our Lives

~ jesusluvsall ~ 13 Comments

God is always at work in our lives which is comforting. As we go through our lives, we have up and downs, twists and turns, and at times may wonder if any good can come about at all. Being finite, we tend to focus on the moments in our lives, but God has the long view of our lives.

Photo by rikka ameboshi on Pexels.com

So if our lives are stories, then one mishap, one mistake, one tragedy, one trial, does not define our lives in God’s view. That one thing we tend to dwell on and beat ourselves up about might only be one page of the story God is at work to bring about in our lives.

I love the way Katy Nicole’s song God Is In The Story portrays it.

God is in this story, God is in the details
Even in the broken parts, He holds my heart, He never fails
When I’m at my weakest, I will trust in Jesus
Always in the highs and lows, the One who goes before me
God is in this story

Thank you for reading God Bless

Summer Lowering The Boom-BUT

~ jesusluvsall ~ 24 Comments

We enjoyed several picture perfect days for three weeks at the end of May and first days of June. Those nice days allowed me to spend time in the park reading and one Saturday an enjoyable time of a picnic with some of my students. I had thoughts of wouldn’t it be nice if it stayed like this all summer even though I knew I was fooling myself.

Photo by Fabio Partenheimer on Pexels.com

Then it happened on Sunday. Summer lowered its boom and now we are in the midst of a heat wave with temps some days reaching 100f/30c. That is normal where I live but still when it happens, it begins my countdown to September. Though I do not live in a desert like the picture above, it feels like it.

Knowing something unpleasant is coming is one thing but actually having it happen is another thing. Knowing it is coming can cause a bit of dread but when the reality hits, one needs to find a way to cope.

Fortunately even though it is too hot for reading in the park, my favorite coffee shop has air conditioning. So my summer of reading, writing, and practicing Spanish shall commence.

Speaking of writing, I am at about 8,000 words for a book I am working on about how Jesus understands trauma and wants to partner with us in our healing journey. My hope is to finish it this summer along with a book about how Jesus has worked in my life.

For me the coffee shop is a place that stimulates me in my writing. Something about observing about the diverse people who come to the coffee shop helps me write. So I will spend the afternoon there before I teach my final evening class at the college until mid July.

Do you have a favorite writing spot?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Music Mondays- Believe For It by CeCe Winans with Lauren Daigle

~ jesusluvsall ~ 12 Comments

With CeCe Winans and Lauren Daigle singing together, one would expect a powerful song and Believe For It is exactly that with lyrics like:

We’ve heard that there is no way through
We’ve heard the tide will never change
They haven’t seen what You can do
There is power in Your name
So much power in Your name

When it seems there is no way through, we can look to God to make a way for us. He is the God of the impossible.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

God Already Knows

~ jesusluvsall ~ 12 Comments

As my home church announces that our Worship Director is leaving to move back home to Atlanta this morning, it brings to mind something I often share with people. God already knows. God is eternal and is not bound by time. He created time for us to live within, but the boundaries of time do not apply to God, so God already knows who the next Worship Director will be.

Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com

Jesus shared about this wonderful truth when he shared about prayer in Matthew 6:

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

God knows what we need before we ask. He knows our needs now and our needs for the future. God is not caught off guard nor surprised by anything.

I find it comforting to remember that God knows before I ask. So when I pray, I am asking him to show me and to guide me. Whatever we face, God already knows the need and the outcome.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.