On a Journey with Jesus

Lately I have been feeling discouraged because my life is not in line with what I want to be. But today I was encouraged reading Steps to Christ - a great manual on what it means to journey with Jesus. Being sorry when your life is out of line with Jesus means you are still on the right track. It means he is still working with you. Don't give up. Becoming more a person of love and balance is a passion with me. I don't want to stay the person that I am.

I haven't always understood what is means to be a Christian. I used to be a very frustrated wife and mother who spend my days mostly alternating between wasting time and sleeping late. I am gradually overcoming thirty years of a undisciplined life so I shouldn't be surprised that I still fall short in this area. But I like being on a schedule now, life is definitely improving.

My life began to change after my first miscarriage and Sara's cataract discovery. I had to decide how I really felt about God. I decided that I would stay with God, I didn't want to miss the chance to be reunited the baby I lost. Yet I still did not know how to be a true Christian. I had committed myself to God, but I still had not changed direction.

The next step came when my dad gave me the book Empowered Living by Jim Hohnberger. This book started to open my eyes to how I could become the mother and wife that I wanted to be. The process was continued when I read Parenting by the Spirit written by Sally Hohnberger. Even if you are not married or a parent the principles I learned still apply to you. They also have other books and free online resources. Living as Jesus created us to really is having life more abundantly. How could we settle for anything less?
Here is the testimony of Michelle Brinkman who has a similar passion for the beautiful things of God. The reason I have chosen to get religious on my family blog is the same as hers. I want to see you all in heaven at end of the journey.

Joy,
Verity

To the Universal Recipe and Beyond: A Cook's Odyssey

To be honest, when I began my voyage into cooking for myself, I did know how to cook without a recipe. But if I had a good recipe I followed it exactly. However, my repertoire of favorite recipes was rather small, and I did most of my cooking by memory, i.e. noodles, noodles and more noodles. I knew of a few universal recipes (they provide ingredient categories, suggestions, and proportions, you provide the ingredients) but I felt no need for a recipe in those categories. I already had recipes I liked thank you. I was stuck in orbit although I considered myself a good cook. However, as I have become more faithful in caring for my family, I inched toward an understanding of cooking as an art.

One day, my neighbor causally shared with me how a recipe I gave her could be changed in a variety of ways. This was a major revelation to me. The first time I remember changing a recipe was several years ago when I decided that the oatmeal cookie recipe I had was dry. I tried reducing the oats in the recipe and I was quite pleased with myself because I didn't need to find a better recipe anymore. Later, waiting at some doctor's office, I read an article on Rachael Ray, the “hip” food talk show. She was quoted saying cooking “is not rocket science” when asked about measuring for a recipe. I was getting ready to move out of orbit.

After moving to bush Alaska I have become a lot more money smart about my cooking. We filled our pantry with staples and few processed foods such as spaghetti sauce, crackers, and jam. We eat hot cereal every morning, make all our own bread, and spend very little time food shopping. Subscribing to Full Circle Farm in November, though, is when I really began to see how far I could go in my cooking. In order to have a the greatest variety of food, we decided to become familiar with all vegetables they have to offer. I compare a number of recipes at Allrecipes and other sources and choose what sounds best based on what we have that week. Now I base our meals on beans, rice, potatoes, and our weekly Full Circle Farms box.

The proof that I have discovered a new galaxy came when I compared cookie recipes to create my own universal recipe so I could save time on my Christmas baking. And the critics loved it. I know some of you may have been born in this galaxy, so please forgive my excitement at discovering it. For those of you who are still in orbit, perhaps I will meet you here soon.

Food Explorer,

Verity

BTW: If you are wanting a cooking tip, soak your beans in water that has been brought to a boil, then freeze to dramatically reduce their cooking time.

Our Little Lady

The First Shall Be Last ....to wake up that is.

The World's Smallest Balloon (or is it just a little hot air?)

Miriam in Hats

Of Mice and Miriam