Cory Asbury - My Soul Sings

Often, dear child

when you think

you are doing the most

you are serving the least

and when you think

you are doing the least

as you rest in my love

you are serving Me best

"May You allow me to gaze at the cross every day of my life. No matter what happens, come what may, may You open my eyes, loose the grip of my hands, and loose my tongue to say, "Father, you make beauty, even out of ugly things. You do all things well." "

Including God in your Multi-tasking

Silence and solitude are beautiful and rare... but a peaceful heart and calm spirit can happen in any setting, at any time...

Check out the full article HERE.

Connective, authentic relationships

nourish the soul in a way food never

can.

Story of my life - laundry wise...

Get uncomfortable because it’s in that leaning fully upon the Lord that you will experience such intimacy in Him.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup and Bomb-diggety chocolate milk

(i figured an epic title would draw more ppl in :p)

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

at GloriousTreats.blogspot.com

1 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli)
1 cup water
dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

In a small saucepan, add sugar, cocoa, and salt.  Whisk together gently.  Add water.  Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat and cook 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Cool.  Store in the refrigerator. 

For chocolate milk, add 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup to 8 oz. of milk.  Heat for hot chocolate.

For milk shakes, combine 1 cup cold milk, 1/4 cup chocolate syrup and 2 cups (1 pint) of vanilla ice cream to a blender.  Blend.

This syrup would also make a delicious dessert garnish or ice cream topping.

Super Special Chocolate Milk
by Doughmestic.com

A hand full of ice
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
1 TBSP. vanilla extract
¼ cup chocolate syrup

Put everything into a drink shaker/blender and shake/blend vigorously for 30 seconds. Pour into a fancy glass and enjoy!

Taco Pasta Bake

Tried out a new recipe the other day, which worked out, and figured I'd share it...

TACO PASTA BAKE
makes about 10 servings

4 cup dry pasta of choice
2 lb ground beef or chicken breast (can substitute beans to make this recipe vegetarian)
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
2 cup liquid (I recommend mostly salsa and a bit of water)
2 cup shredded cheese

1. Boil pasta, drain.
2. cook meat
3. mix easoning and water, pour over meat and simmer 5 minutes.
4. put pasta in dish, mix in 1/2 of shredded cheese.
5. top pasta with meat mixture, gently mix.
6. top with remaining cheese.
7. bake @ 350 F uncovered 30 minutes.

Taco Seasoning

make about 4 Tbsp

2 Tbsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp red chilli pepper flakes or pinch cayenne

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp paprika

1 Tbsp cumin

2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

blessed...

Not much to say, just wanted to share a snippet of a fabulous day yesterday.



Pretty much got up and God was like, "I'm going to blow your mind even more with how much I love you." And then my friend took me for a walk/picnic with an amazing view. And then my I met up with my mentor, and then we went to a cafe I love, and then over to her house to pick flowers, bake, play piano, listen to good music, and just chill out. I'm not much of a green thumb, so she created this bouquet out of the flowers I picked. My mind is just reeling at how much He loves me.

to answer the big question...

Here in YWAM there's a question we hear alot when schools end. "What are you doing next?" I have spent many afternoons this past week laying in the treehouse staring up at the sky and contemplating writing this update. Not because I don't know what I am doing - I mean, to some degree there's a bit of unknown, but overall I have a good idea. I've been contemplating because I am about to make a big transition. And I figure updates on big transitions should be full of profound, eloquent, words. And so this week I have found myself laying in the treehouse, enjoying the sunshine, staring up at the sky hoping for an outpouring of all the eloquent words I will never need. They haven't - I've never been eloquent with words, so I figured I might as well get on to the update in my typical uneloquent fashion.

3 months ago I had a pivotal conversation. I sat down with 2 people of great importance in my life - my Training Coordinator here at the base and a good friend who has also been one of my leaders this season. We proceeded to have a long, hard, but good discussion about the future and YWAM and growing in leadership, and things on my heart and such. I walked away from the discussion a bit dizzy in the head as I chewed on the ideas proposed to me. I went for a long walk and had some serious thinking and prayer time, which overflowed into the last 3 months. And said yes to a big change, yes to leaving what has been home for nearly 2 years, yes to pursuing my passion, yes....

And so, I will be heading back to Manitoba (where I grew up), which apparently is to be "home" for awhile. Awhile meaning a year - which to be honest I'm still getting used to - I haven't been home for a year at a time in the last 5 years, so this is a big change. I'm heading home for a year and I'm not sure exactly what's in store, but plan on spending time with my amazing family and especially with my nephew which I will finally get to meet! I have a job interview a few days after I return, so we'll see what happens. I'm pretty relaxed about it to be honest, because I know if that's God's plan for me I'll get the job, and if not, I won't. The important thing to me is to just ENJOY. I anticipate alot of movie dates with my sisters, teaching my 10-month old nephew to play piano, eating my parent's awesome cooking, seeing my sister's new home, filling my home with worship, enjoying Tim Hortons, poutine, legit maple syrup...the list could go on and on.

After a year at home I plan on heading to Denver to do a School of Worship with YWAM - which is a second level school for training up worship leaders. Basically I would get to hang out with a bunch of like-minded people who love leading people into the presence of the King, learn heaps about worship during lectures, and also obtain further musical training. I have applied for this school and will keep you posted on that.

Shortly after that, I plan on heading back to New Zealand to continue staffing at YWAM Oxford. To be honest it's hard to know what to all right on here as some things are in the dreaming stages and not confirmed and I'm not sure that what has all been told to me is ok to post on a public blog - but shoot me an email or grab me for a coffee and I'd love to chat. I know the Lord knows the plan and so I'm not worried - details will be sorted as they need to be, and everything that is meant to happen, will happen.

Right now, I'm just learning alot about enjoying the moment and valuing those around me. So I have no agenda for this next week. I plan on having lots of 1-on-1 time with my heavenly Father, sleeping in, worshipping heaps, and hanging out as much as possible with some precious people here that I probably won't see for awhile, and being.

To be honest it's still hard for me to belive that this is happening - it's such a big change. Though leaving my New Zealand home will be tough I'm excited for what's ahead. This next season will most likely come with challenges, but there's 2 things I know - that God is good, and that He is worthy of my praise. And that's what keeps me going.

proper update on where I'm headed next (for those that don't know already) to come soon. stay tuned...

So, there's no real point to this picture. But it's really cute and made me smile, so I thought I'd share...

nuggets from the Word

This week I've been spending alot of time soaking in Isaiah 43. God has been reminding me that He is Redeemer, and oh my flippen goodness, is my mind being blown. Figured I'd share what's standing out to me, so your minds can also be blown...

Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
  I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
  you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of
  oppression,
 you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One...your Savior...
Do not be afraid, for I am with you...
You have been chosen to know me, believe
  in me,
 and understand that I alone am God.
There is no other God-
  there never has been, and there never
  will be.
I, yes I, am the LORD
  and there is no other Savior...
the former things-
  it is nothing compared to what I am going 
  to do.
For I am about to do something new.
  See, I have already begun! Do you not
  see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

this makes me smile...

lesson from a pig

So today my team was hanging out at the slums when I heard a heartbreaking, gut wrenching squeal from a pig. That kind of desperate squeal only means one thing - the pig is about to become dinner. I looked over to the neighbor's place to see 4 or 5 men wrestling a very uncooperative pig. It was hard to watch. It was hard to listen to, but covering my ears frantic to avoid being witness to this was no match for the cry of the one whose life was flashing before his eyes. I didn't want to watch, but you know how sometimes something is so terrible that you can't not stare?  This was like that. I watched in horror as the men wrestled the pig down and tied it up. Then I noticed one of the men holding a huge knife and I looked away to safe myself from further trauma





As I've been trying to get the squeal and image of a pig in bondage out of my mind I've b. een asking the Lord what I can learn from this.

And the story of the prodigal son came to mind. I thought of the part where the son returns home and the father decides to kill the fatted calf (i figure the slaughter process is somewhat the same). And it hit me how much effort it would've taken to kill it - after all, it took 4-5 guys to wrestle down a small pig today. Now I am being blown by how much the father must have loved his son - that he would send at least 5 servants to wrestle down a calf. And my mind is reeling on how much the Father loves us. I have no more words, because in truth I am still trying to wrap my mind around all of this.

God definitely has a sense of humor - who knew a pig could bring revelation on the Word?

Thinking of my Dill today - can't believe you're learning to walk already! You should pause learning to walk, so I can be there when it happens.

There is, in a word, nothing comfortable about the Bible - until we manage to get so used to it that we make it comfortable for ourselves...have we ceased to question the book and be questioned by it? Have we ceased to fight it? Then perhaps our reading is no longer serious. For most people, the understanding of the Bible is, and should be, a struggle: not merely to find meaning that can be looked up in books of reference, but to come to terms personally with the stark scandal and contradiction in the Bible itself...Let us not be too sure we know the Bible just because we have learned not to be astonished at it, just because we have learned not to have problems with it. -Thomas Merton, Opening the Bible

May the words of my mouth...

Stumbled across this amazing song today based on Psalm 19...

check it out HERE