stop making excuses

My heart aches for this world that we live in. It aches for the nonbelievers. More so, it aches for the believers who lost their way. For the ones who don't understand what the point to all of this is. It's love people. The main complaints and indescretions from believers and nonbelievers alike that I hear constantly are listed below. I believe we use these as excuses to not grow in the Lord. Here is what scripture has to say about it.

- "God doesn't hear me/care about me."
- The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
(Psalm 145:18-20)

- "Why hasn't God answered my prayer for marriage?"
- There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3)

- "My children are driving me crazy."
- Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(Psalm 127 3:5)

There are so many more than the ones I have listed. I myself am guilty of being anxious, greedy, gluttonous...the bible makes reference (many times more than once) to all of these sins.

Maybe we should be more conscious of saying these things. God loves us. Hands down he loves us more than anyone we have ever met here on earth. The bible is nothing but one big love story written specifically for me and you. We need to stop worrying so much about what God's plan is for our life that we miss the daily opportunities we have to bless other people that he puts in our lives.

He is sovereign. (Psalm 68:20)
He has a plan. (Jeremiah 29:11)
He does not have to let me in on it. (Psalm 139 should prove that)
Even if he did, I probably wouldn't understand it. (Isaiah 55:8)
So I will love. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Galations 5:22, Romans 13:8-10, 1 John 3:17, I could go on...)
And I will not complain. (James 5:9)

what life is about

the reason for the season...

great grub 14

I told you I would post this recipe, and I did not lie. Like I said before my father-in-law is diabetic, but his favorite part of Thanksgiving is pumpkin pie, which he clearly cannot eat. So I modified a recipe I found online somewhere to make a pie that has less than 10g of sugar in the whole thing! So here you go:


Maple Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
- 1 can pumpkin pie
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup splenda
- 1 egg, 2 egg whites
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 9" pie crust

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F
Mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Bake for 1 hour!

Enjoy!

great grub 13

Well we all know what holiday is right around the corner! Every year since I was about 8 years old I have been responsible for the pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving. It is definitely my favorite food for this day. I have tweaked this recipe about a million times, but I finally have one that is simple and delicious. This year I may just try my friend Sarah's pie crust! (Side note: My father-in-law is diabetic but loves pumpkin pie, so I will be posting his version soon!)

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
- 1 15oz. can pumpkin
- 1 12oz. can evaporated milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 2 eggs
- 1 9" deep dish pie crust (homemade or frozen)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425˚F
Mix the sugar, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir the pumpkin into the eggs. Add the spice mixture. Slowly stir in the evaporated milk. Carefully pour mixture into pie shell. Bake at 425˚F for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350˚F and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for at least 2 hours. Can be refrigerated but do not freeze as the filling will separate from the crust. Serve with homemade whipped cream!
Enjoy!