The Power of God

The other night it was dark in my house. Bryan and I had just got home from a late evening of grocery shopping and getting ready for the week. A few lights were on and Bryan and I had started an important conversation. We were discussing and thinking things through together. There came a point in the conversation where Bryan was leaned up against one wall and me another. We were standing across from each other with just a small light on. Bryan was tired. I was tired and I remember sighing from the weight of the issue and then I prayed quietly..."God we need your help." I know I have prayed that before but I prayed it with great need.

I have been reading and hearing more about the Power of God. I think maybe my heart has been eager to receive it. But even in the last few days the subject has exploded. I read about it, comments were made at church, I received an encouraging word on it as well. I am starting to believe less in my own abilities and more on the Greatness of our God.

I am just praying that God would make much of himself through my circumstances. I am asking for God to come and do what only He can do. He has broken me and changed this life. May God be glorified!

And I Just Keep On Recording...

I am currently in the habit of recording the blessings in my life. Even the small ones. Like the other night Bryan and I were eating dinner and I looked out the window to find two birds sitting together in the tree just hanging out together and being birds. They were so cute and so alive. I ran to get my gratitude journal and record it while I ate another slice of pizza. I love how present God is! His Life is all around us.

Also, God has been answering some prayers I have prayed for my family for a long time. Deep, long prayers. I am giddy and can't stop but thank Him for not allowing me to give up on those prayers!

All this to say...is whatever you are facing right now. God is here. He is listening and He is working. May your life Bring Him Glory in it all!

Love to you,
Karen

"I Go Out Walkin...After Midnight"

Ok, I really don't go walking that late...but it does make for a good title and I do like taking walks in the dark. :)

Now that the weather has been super nice, Bryan and I have started our nightly walks around our neighborhood. Sometimes I am a little afraid when we walk because we encounter strange things like skunks and mean neighborhood dogs...but nothing beats walking with someone you love, holding hands, and seeing the stars together. This is life at its best!

The other night the stars were super bright and you could see some constellations. After we walked I made this crazy delicious smoothie and wanted to share...I am calling it The Big Dipper to remember this evening as a sweet blessing from God. He is an AWESOME God who holds your life!

The Big Dipper

1/2 cup of Dark Chocolate Almond Milk-find it at Wal-mart
1 cup of strawberry yogurt
1/4 cup of flaxseed mill
1 Tablespoon of Wheat Germ
1 Frozen banana
2 handfuls of frozen strawberries
2 handfuls of pineapple-frozen or fresh

Mix together in a blender and enjoy!

The Small Things

I lack wisdom and strength to really blog or share much. So I am just going to share the small things. Hope you don't mind.

I am reading the book of Acts in the Bible and I love it. Good stuff!

Have a great Friday!

"This is how God works. He puts his people in positions where they are desperate for his power, and then he shows his provision in ways that display His greatness."

-David Platt, Radicial

Blessings of the Day

I wake up to a text from a woman who prays and speaks continual faith into my life. She spells out scripture for me and reminds me that God knows it all. I cry. I cry because it's beautiful and very unexpected. It helps me start my day.

I read my short devotional and it's all about praise to God and how Thanksgiving unlocks it all. I am hungry for more.

I get to work and begin the chaos and I have smiles all day long from my friend. She makes me laugh and we celebrate her life and discuss weekend plans. I am happy to know her.

I find out that lunch is free and catered in because we are being appreciated for a job well done. That feels good.

I meet someone later on in the day and I realize I can fully relate to them. It makes me feel like I have purpose.

Later on at home I am greeted with a smile from family and she is holding a box full of pretty cookies and treats. She spent time making this for me. I feel loved.

My husband invites me to a night of fun. I get to watch a young beautiful girl get crowned as Homecoming Queen. After that we eat fries and our conversation is all about dreaming. We go home holding hands.

It's dark, the day is done, and I am happy and thankful for all these blessings.

Give it all to HIM

Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:30

Potato Soup

Winter brings out the worst in me sometimes. My skin is dry, my hair doesn't fix right, the pounds rest around my middle or other places, and being inside all day can make me sad. I just want to sigh when I think about waiting for spring. Luckily, I have this potato soup to make me smile. If you are looking for healthy...this soup is not it...but it will make you all warm inside.

When spring comes, I will start introducing more of my nutritional recipes. I am obsessed with making smoothies so I will be bringing a smoothie recipe each week! But until then...enjoy this soup!

What you will need:

8 medium potatoes
8 slices of crispy fried bacon (optional)
2 tablespoons of diced onion
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
3 1/2 cups of milk
1 stick of butter
1 8 oz carton of sour cream
10 oz of cheddar cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper
2 teaspoons of salt

Peel your potatoes and cut them into chunks. Boil potatoes in salt water. While the potatoes are boiling, combine the remaining ingredients in a large pan. Let the ingredients simmer on low heat. Drain potatoes and add to mixture. Simmer for 20 minutes.

*I let my soup simmer longer then 20 minutes and we always eat the soup with cheez-its! Yum!

Mountain Move

I have been snowed in all week, which has its benefits but I missed seeing faces and talking to people. I have been alone with my thoughts...all day for hours. Its been interesting. Most of my plans for this week got canceled, and I noticed that it was hard for me to not be busy. It was a time of rest and it was a nice surprise.

My church is reading through the New Testament together this year. I spent a lot of time catching up on my reading. To give things a spin I read out of the Message. The stories from Matthew starting jumping off the pages for me. I was happy at all the new things I was getting from the reading. So there I was...alone all week and really alone with God. Reading His Word, hearing my thoughts, and seeking His. I can't honestly remember when I had that kind of solitude. It was so good for my heart. Of course, I wanted to fight the solitude all that I could. I deep cleaned my house, spent time organizing, and reading blogs but then I knew that I just needed to rest and be alone.The biggest thing I learned this week is that God desires our faith. Over and over again it kept coming back to faith. I started to take it all in again...that with God all things are possible!! I believe!

"The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, 'Move'! and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle."

Matthew 17:20 The Message.

30 & 3

The 30 for 30 Remix was super challenging. I wore the same 30 items for 30 days. I mixed it up and wore different items. I really did it people! My co-worker Amy can verify! :) Kendi, the creator of the remix idea just started up her winter 30 for 30 remix. You should check it out.

The remix idea is life changing and it will make you love your clothes more. At the end of the remix you are allowed to buy something for yourself that you realized you needed for your closet. I am holding out on buying anything until all those cute spring items really hit the shelf, or until I feel in the mood to buy spring items.

On another note, my dog turned THREE! Zeke is a big overstuffed furry thing of love. He makes my days better.

"I Just Remember the Love"

Dad & Me

We celebrated b-days this past weekend with my family and after dinner we started to exchange funny stories about growing up. I decided to chime in with a (now funny story) about how my Dad was teaching me how to drive in town and we were clearly not seeing eye to eye. I didn't angle the car correctly a few times and my parking skills needed a lot of work. I remember driving home with steam coming out of my ears and I don't think we talked the whole way home. I remember when we pulled into our long dirt road that I just started ranting about anything and I ran into the house crying. I just wanted my freedom. We ended up saying we were both sorry and dad decided I could start driving on my own! He said that I was a lot more prepared then he showed. As I look back I think this story was less about my driving skills and more about my dad trying his best to let go.

Anyways...I brought up this story at the b-day celebration and I asked my dad if he remembered the argument we had and how furious I was. He looked at me with affection and said, "I really don't remember all of it, as I look back to all my girls growing up, I just remember the love." HIS words made my heart skip a beat. I was completely humbled. How could he love me this way? I was so mean that day and he could harbor that in his heart if he wanted to. But he didn't. He made a choice...to just remember the love. As I look at my own life I have so many areas where I need to do the same. I am so thankful that God uses stories from our life to change us. I am smiling at how God used my dramatic 16 year old self to heal and change the direction of my heart and attitude now. I choose love.