Category: Health and Wellness

Monday Messages…

Wiwohka21 Comments

While you might not believe me when I say this, I can sometimes actually hear God’s voice. I’m being fully serious, though it’s probably not His actual voice. Or, maybe it is, but nobody has ever commented on it.

When you think about it, why not? He’s spoken to many of us throughout the ages, so why would He stop? Sometimes I find myself asking Him why He doesn’t still perform those huge miracles that were used in the past. And, guess what? He answered me!

You see, God and I have our deepest conversations while I’m in the shower, weird, I know. But, it’s the most peaceful place I know of, where the sound of the water drowns out all background noises.

Just the other day, I heard God’s voice (more of a whisper), clearly speaking to me… or my heart, if that makes better sense. This was one of those sometimes I spoke about, in regards to where all the big miracles went. I’ll be honest, it was more like asking why He won’t perform those Enormous miracles for me, rather than others… judge my heart carefully, if you would. I’m only human, like the rest of mankind.

Anyway, in my feel-sorry-for-myself waterboarding session, I heard God whisper, “I perform miracles, big and small, every single day. While some need to see more of my hand upon their life, you do not! You know me, hear my voice, and fully accept my presence. You do not need to see big things to know that I am near.”

Now, I readily accepted God’s answer, but it doesn’t always make one feel all better, in one fell swoop. I believe that at times, God chooses to lay seeds beneath our feet that are meant to take root, grow up and envelope us in His love, like a beautiful garden. God knows our every need, down to the minutia of details… you know why? Because He dwells within us if we ask it! Faithfully walking each corridor of our hearts, planting eternal seeds of His righteousness. And, He knows exactly how to water that garden… and in my case, that’s in the shower.

Now, just to prove a point, if you will, about how God works in my life, He will normally speak to me, then start leaving seeds of confirmation. What I mean is, God likes to choose several different ways to do this for His daughter… that’s me!

Sometimes, God speaks to me through scripture, but other times, wisdom comes from music, or even writer’s like you. There have been countless times that I’ve received encouragement and blessings from the writings of other bloggers, here on WordPress. God uses you to bless my life, whether you realize it, or not!

So, I told you that God spoke to me in the shower the other day, right? Several days later, while reading an article by a fellow blogger, in regards to there being purpose in our pain, as believers. No, I’m not planning on calling out names, or leaving links… because this isn’t about a like, follow, and share! This is about the heart of God, and what it means for us, His children.

Somehow, the understanding that there is an eternal purpose for my own personal painful journey, brings me an incredible amount of comfort, and reassurance that God is with me, while in the heart of darkness. The words of the woman’s article clung to me for several days, til I realized that God was asking that I look up. I know that this sounds rather simple and unimportant, but when one is fighting a battle they cannot see, every tiny breadcrumb leading to the heart of the Father, is like tossing a floatation to one who is drowning! It’s lifesaving, in fact!

After the last 5 years, by all rights, I shouldn’t even be here. But, here I sit, writing out my ongoing journey. You know that mug I’ve posted pictures of, repeatedly? The one that says,

“Perhaps you were born for such a time as this. Esther 4:14

Maybe I WAS born for these days, you know?

Who am I to doubt God’s purpose, plan, and will for my life? Besides, when you truly believe that God is with you in each, and every moment of your life, that’s where the truth is. That’s where faith grows! It’s in those gardens that He tends for each of His earthly children, and that means you too, if you wish it.

I could go on and on about the many, many times that God has spoken to me through this journey, but for your sakes I will wrap this up. But, before I do, there is one last piece of confirmation from God, regarding my current situation, and it’s a doozey! This confirmation came just this morning, while reading scripture. You can scoff, shake your head in disbelief, or call me a liar and a fool, but my God spoke to me this morning, while reading in the Psalms, Chapter 109 to be exact!

I do not wish to speak of God’s word, out of context, so you should know that what I really got out of the reading was that God will be victorious, on my behalf. The reason I knew He desired that I rest on that specific scripture, was the glaring reference to my own personal health crisis. It was right there, in black and white! While I fully understood the context of King David crying out to God, due to running for his life… I’m not really being attacked by anyone. But, what if I am? What about Satan, the devil, or whatever you choose to call the prince of Darkness? Am I not surrounded by my enemy?

Take it however you choose, as I have no control over that, but just know that it is the truth that I shall carry like a banner, all the way to the gates of heaven! I hear God speak to me, that’s all. I simply thought that someone out there, somewhere in the darkness, needs to hold on to a simple, yet very powerful truth… God will speak to you, walk with you, carry you, and He will always hold you while in darkness! All you need to do is believe, and He will do the heavy lifting… scouts honor!

The eternal ones, of course…

Wiwohka2 Comments
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Daily writing prompt
What principles define how you live?
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Before I answered this mornings prompt, I wanted to be sure that I had a proper understanding of what was being asked. So, I looked up the definition of principle, just to be sure!

Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more

prin·ci·ple /ˈprin(t)səp(ə)l/

noun plural noun: principles

  1. 1. a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.”the basic principles of Christianity” h Similar:truthpropositionconceptideatheorypostulateassumptionbasisfundamentalessenceessentialphilosophy
  • a rule or belief governing one’s personal behavior.”struggling to be true to their own principles” . Similar: morals morality moral standards moral values ethics code of ethics beliefs credo ideals standards integrity uprightness high-mindedness righteousness virtue probity rectitude sense of honor honor decency conscience sense of duty scruples

morally correct behavior and attitudes.

a general scientific theorem or law that has numerous special applications across a wide field.

In honesty, all that’s needed to fully answer the question now is a bible verse that you may be familiar with…

30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 xThe second is this: y‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment zgreater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

After reading this verse, all you need to do is then re-read that list of similar words for principle. The ones from the dictionary do a fair job of describing the many ways to act, and live out all those principles that should define our lives! Just sayin…

Cookie?

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Saturday Sweet Talk…

Wiwohka4 Comments

I’ve had sort of a rough week when it comes to food, so I want to give a disclaimer, here. **All testing and results may vary, as I’m not certain if my skills, my stomach, or my taster were behaving properly!**

My baking adventures started out seemingly normal. I gathered up all my ingredients, recipes, and cooking tools…

And, yes, you heard me correctly when I said recipes, plural, meaning more than one…

You see, I found this recipe for a delicious looking Pumpkin bread, but then also saw a recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting. Unfortunately, I can’t have dairy. So, I had this notion that maybe Tofu might work as a comparable substitute for the cream cheese.

There’s a huge number of frosting recipes available using Tofu as a substitute for the cheese, so the assumption was made that it should be a success… right!?

Wrong!!!! I’ve never smelled something this vile in all my days, aside from Salmon, Slime, or that Vietnamese fish sauce stuff. Now, I don’t know if it’s just me, what with my health issues, or if it was truly that rank! I didn’t have the heart, nor the stomach to ask my husband to sacrifice his taste buds… so I tossed it! It smelled like a combination of playdough and that Paper Mache glue we used in elementary school.

I went ahead with the Pumpkin bread idea, opting for a simple maple glaze of my own creation. I’ve shared the bread recipe I chose, below…

Classic Pumpkin Bread

Homemade Pumpkin Bread is a favorite Fall recipe that’s loaded with warming spices and packed with tons of pumpkin flavor. It will make your house smell so good that you’ll forget you just bought a pumpkin spice candle! This delicious pumpkin bread recipe is super moist and both gluten-free & dairy-free.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Cooling Time10 minutes mins

Course: Bread

Cuisine: gluten-free

Keyword: pumpkin bread

Servings: 2 loaves

Author: Thriving Gluten Free (thrivinggluten-free.com)

Ingredients

  • 3-½ cups Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Flour
  • 2 cups Pumpkin Puree 1-15oz canned pumpkin
  • 4 Eggs
  • 2 cups Sugar
  • 1 cup Oil I use avocado oil
  • ⅔ cup Water
  • 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1-½ teaspoon Salt
  • 1½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon Ground Cloves

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°
  • Generously grease two loaf pans.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
  • Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer on medium speed.
  • Add the pumpkin, then slowly add oil and water. Beating well after each addition.
  • Add the flour mixture and beat on low until well combined.
  • Pour the batter into prepared pans, dividing evenly.
  • Bake for 1 hour or until the center comes out clean with a toothpick.
  • Let the loaves cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes and then turn onto a rack to cool completely.

Did you know that those plastic Ice-cream tubs work great for mixing bowls? Use it if you got it… that’s what I say!

Anyway, I followed the recipe verbatim (exactly as was written), except that I used Olive Oil. Well, I did also switch out the two bread pans for a single 12 inch spring form. (Some of the best places to find specialty cookware is Goodwill, believe it or not!)

It did have to be baked for 80 minutes, in contrast to the 60 minutes for two bread tins that the recipe reflects…

Voila!

Now, I must confess that I used my husband as my taste tester this week… don’t blame me, blame the Tofu! You guys, I couldn’t get that smell out of my head, or out of the apartment for the entire day. It was awful!

To be fair to vegans around the globe, I think that I may have an aversion to Tofu, along with the Salmon that I mentioned earlier. Memory has a funny way of messing with you, sometimes. And, many people use Tofu in a number of ways, swearing by it! So, if you would, kindly go easy on the Tofu community. Let’s just call this one Operator Error, and move on.

All that I did here as a substitute for the frosting, was to make a simple drizzle with 1/8 cup Maple Syrup (any brand will do), 1 cup powdered sugar, and 2 tsp of lemon juice.

My husband gave it 2 thumbs up, and if he likes it gluten-free, you will too!

As for me, maybe it was the Tofu, or quite possibly the Barium sludge I had to swallow the day before, but I don’t know if pumpkin and I can ever be friends again, seriously!

Next week should be far better, as I’m going to tackle a gluten-free, dairy-free, cinnamon roll, or sweet buns, if you like. I’ve never worked with yeast in gluten-free baking, so it’ll be a bit of a learning curve.

Hey, if you’re game, I am! Why, a young King David slew Goliath, with not but a stone and sling, so I am confident that I can challenge a loaf of bread, with not but Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour!

Gluten-free bread baking, here I come. Wish me luck…

(2016) The Journey!

WiwohkaLeave a comment

** I don’t know about anyone else, but I often write letters to God. This was from one of my old journals, I believe. Back when I first started writing on WP, there were a number of posts in which I shared pieces from my prayer journals. This one is a bit rough around the edges, but still worth reading in its original form.**

Prayer Journal Entry November 2016:

“…I will trust you Father.  I choose to trust You. 

I know that You are working for my good.  I know that You love me.  I know that all You ask is that I follow you, that I let You lead me, and to be obedient to You.  If you called me home today, would I be excited or would I be ashamed of my attitude.

I have been asking You to change me and that is what you are doing.  You are constant and unchanging but I am not.  I need to be soft and moldable so that You can shape me into more of Your image…loving, peaceful, patient, kind, gracious, full of mercy, compassionate, gentle, and giving.  You don’t sit in Your Holy Mountain basking in Your own glory and wealth, rather, You are constantly, and forever pursuing Your children, delighting in them, helping them, teaching them, protecting them and blessing them.

You are a mighty God, a jealous God who craves His children’s love and obedience.  You do not want us, Your children, to place anything above You.  I do not wish to love my life so much that  I seek to satisfy my own desires more than I seek to please You.  When I am called home, I will not be bringing a house or car or a bank account full of money.  What I will be bringing with me is my heart and my mind.  My memories come with me, the choices in my life come with me, both the memory of consequences and the memory of blessings and obedience.

I want my heart to be filled with joy and laughter and love, not resentment and self-pity or jealousy.  It’s funny how a suitcase or even a U-Haul has only so much physical space available, but a human heart, small as it is, has the capacity for an endless supply of love and emotion and passion.  I choose to pack my heart for the journey home to you…”