Pies

It has kinda taken on a road of its own. I made some here and there. People tasted it, liked them and now I am considering buying aluminum pie pans in bulk. (never saw that one coming in my life)

I am asked what the "secret" is.
I secretly wish I had one to keep.

It has sugar. Butter. Fat. Calories. And absolutely nothing good for you. 

I think this one is the most popular only cause I don't know a human being that has any taste buds that doesn't like sugar. Butter. Fat. Calories. And absolutely nothing good for you.

Want one?

15 Minutes

Gwen Bell – 15 Minutes to Live
We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.
1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.

2. Write the story that has to be written.

(Author: Gwen Bell)

Fifteen minutes. That I how long I have left in this life and goodness gracious there is so much to tell and so much to scream, yet all I can think of is myself. Selfish? Yes, but after all I have only 15 minutes! I automatically am thinking of all that I will miss out on: the desires of a family, the hopes of love eternal and adventures that have barely been dreamt about. I think about all the people that I encounter and how much I will miss them…will miss them? No, I will be in the presence of the Almighty. I will be at His feet forever praising His name and all the things I think I would have missed out on will just be fleeting in comparison to this.

I want to say that I have lived a good life. I think of my family- and how they would react. My family goes beyond the brothers I grew up with and the parents who raised me: it stems into the relationships that have cultivated and the effects of others lives on myself and mine on them. 

This is reality. Death is part of life- and yes even our own. It is something you must face and come to grips with. I will be fine, I have Jesus. I want to say that I will have lived a life full of His Glory and will be able to hear the words “WELL DONE”, and have it contain roots of depth and vitality. I want to say that I had taken up every opportunity and that I lived fearless.  That I got past my own insecurities and worries. That I was able to enjoy life and not be nitpicky and uptight.  That I was light in the darkness. That when my 15 minutes is up, cause I only got about 5 more, that people will think of Him and not me.

My thoughts circle back around- what’s new- my brain never seems to shut off. But as they do I realize how everything I have thought of in the last… 11 minutes and 39 second, has had to do with me and me only. What about other people? In order for their to be a testament of faith their must be the death of the testator. Will my death bring about a testament of faith?

Did I just waste this hypothetical fifteen minutes of my life by writing everything that came to my mind instead of being active in my own thoughts. Let these words be eternal.

I am a big dreamer.  That is nothing new. Let the stage I conquer be one of unmerited praise to the One who is Worthy. Let my court be holy and my life be cleansed of all filth. Let my dreams be those of You and not of me. Let me hands me loosened as Yours gently take their place.

Thank you Pops for showing me this: #Trust30 is an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Find out more at http://ralphwaldoemerson.me

You in other words

Sometimes you read something that someone else wrote and two thoughts and conflicting emotions seem to evolve:

1. Oh my lanta, for being a perfect stranger they sure did nail me on the head

2. Oh my lanta, why couldn't I have written that! 

 Here is my spark that ignited the conflicting emotions:

"I began to realize that while many of my friends make art with guitars or paintbrushes, my preferred medium is the fabric of human relationships: making lasting connections between people and seeking to illuminate the image of God that each person bears. Whether it be the slow process of trying to introduce two women to each other (knowing they’d become fast friends and simply must connect) or the sweet, unlikely friendship with a formerly homeless, dying man whose story I will never forget or the careful work of mowing a baseball diamond into our backyard for play with my four-year-old son, I know that what I make is part of the kingdom God is making."

and:

"Poets recite. Songwriters sing. Photographers capture. What do I do? I feel. I imagine. I love. I’m never going to compile a portfolio of the intricate glories I see in the people around me, the ideas I nurture carefully to fruition, or the stories I help to take shape. But I know that if God is inherently creative, then I am called to be creative as a woman. He crafted me in His image. I know this but I forget it. I need the help of all the artists making tangible art and writing glorious stories to remind me that the intangible art and undocumented stories in my life are also worthwhile."

Make Known to Me

"I AM YOUR LORD! Seek Me as Friend and Love of your soul, but remember that I am also King of kings-sovereign over all. You can make some plans as you gaze into the day that stretches out before you. But you need to hold those plans tentatively, anticipating that I am have other ideas. The most important thing to determine is what to do right now. Instead of scanning the horizon of your life, looking for things that need to be done, concentrate on the task before you and the One who never leaves your side. Let everything else fade into the background. This will unclutter your mind, allowing Me to occupy more and more of your consciousness. Trust Me to show you what to do when you have finished what you are doing now. I will guide you step by step, as you bend your will to Mine. Thus you stay close to Me on the path of Peace."

"You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11 

Laura and Andy

If anyone has heard me get on my soap box about…well anything really. I usually end up referring to Andy Stanley at some point in my rant.

Right now at his church, he going through this new series. I think I have told everyone and their grandmother to go listen to this. He reminds you of evident truths that leave you scratching your head and thinking “well duh, but why didn’t that register before?”  He brings up topics and points out how it can be and is ultimately supposed to be.

As I was listening to it the other day I realized where he got all his amazing wisdom from: ME!

For example:

Andy in front of his mega church in downtown Atlanta: Its not finding the right person, its becoming the right person. You want to be the person who you are looking for, is ultimately looking for.

Laura at Crosswild: If you want that guy, you have to be that girl. You want a solid Christian guy- be that girl. You can’t want a 10 but be a 3. You wont settle? Neither will he.

Told ya ;)

Now go LISTEN.... 

Be careful what you pray for

Idle: To pass time doing nothing. To move, loiter, or saunter aimlessly

           

Its amazing how easy it is to get here. How you don’t even realize that you have come to the dangerous place of wandering aimlessly.  It’s been a whirlwind theses past few months that I don’t even think I knew I was in. Things are changing, prayers are being answered and the anxiety of “oh crap what am I doing?!” is starting to settle in as well as the realization that I am moving forward. 

 Be careful what you pray for…He answers.

You pray Lord lead me, God guide me. And ultimately we all know what we are called to do: Love Him. Love Folks. But we get stuck in the middle of the question that haunts the back of our thoughts continuously. Some days it is more prominent than others and we never have an answer. Our minds are stalked by the wandering ideal of “what do I do NOW? God where do you want me today?”

I have so many dreams, desires, and unwritten adventures that I have not even begun to scratch. The restlessness can be crippling at times and yet pushes me to get off the couch.  We have to constantly be reminded that He knows better. When you feel as if you have been left behind in the dust, you just have to remind yourself there is a bigger stage to conquer. One with the perfect harvest and the bountiful blessings that will flow because you were obedient to the life put before you.

“I have a plan for you. Its gonna be wild. Its gonna be great. Its gonna be full of me.”

Open the Doors and lead me through.