Faith Without Deeds Is Dead

You know the saying "The more you know the more you realize you don't know"? That saying rings so true in regards to Christ. The more I am surrounded by His love, and the more He reveals Biblical truths to me, the more I realize that I have so much to learn.

I think the most problems arise in life when I have an all-knowing attitude. When I think that I've got it all figured out, and think I have everything together, that's really when Satan is able to take hold. Out of that false reality comes such a multitude of sins- anger, jealousy, pride.

I find myself desiring so very badly to appear to have everything together, and I try to hard to do just enough to feel like I'm doing enough. I give enough money to not feel guilty. I'm nice enough to just enough people to feel good about myself. But I don't give until it hurts, I don't love when it's tough, and I don't jump in head first to what Jesus is really about.

There's a really great song that I've loved over the years by Brooke Fraser called "Albertine". And in this song there is an amazing line that always sticks with me, "Faith without deeds is dead". I love that line because it always puts Jesus in perspective for me.

Because if I don't give everything, and I don't love when it hurts, why would I waste my time doing something so amazing only halfway? I mean, what would have happened if Jesus half-assed it?

Fall, Fall, Fall!

Fall is without a doubt my absolute favorite time of year. The food, the colors, the weather- I love it all. SO, in honor of fall (and my love for cooking) here are some of the best fall recipes in the whole wide world-

The most amazing pumpkin cupcakes ever made (Seriously, these bad boys do some work. Word of caution, they don't tend to rise very much due to the crazy amount of pumpkin in them, so don't leave any room for rising because it just won't happen!) (I found this lovely gem on the blog "Sweet Twist of Blogging")-

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 can (7.5 ounces) pure pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Icing

• 8 oz light cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• confectioners sugar

INSTRUCTIONS: 1) Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and set aside.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Fold in pumpkin puree. 3) Using a 1/4 cup scoop, add batter to liners, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool before icing.
4) Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and sugar until completely combined and smooth. Place in a piping bag and swirl onto cupcakes.

Apple Nachos!- Okay, so there isn't REALLY a recipe for this. You just sort of go at it with your favorite things and it always turns out fantastic! These are the basics/things I love to put on them-

-Cut up your favorite apples (tart apples work great like granny smith or honey crisp)

-Lightly top the apples with some lemon juice to prevent browning

-Lay the apples out on a plate and add some goodies!

-It tends to work really well if you start with either peanut butter, caramel, or chocolate drizzled on top, followed by the toppings of your choice. Some personal favorite toppings include (but would never be limited to)- chopped nuts (peanuts, almonds, etc), chocolate chips, coconut shavings, little bits of brown sugar, or whatever goodies you have laying around!

The great thing about this recipe is that it always looks so pretty and fun, and it's SO super simple to make.

Pumpkin Pie (duh)-

Okay so there are about a million great pumpkin pie recipes out there, and to be honest I'm way to lazy to try to scour my recipe box to find my grandma's fantastical recipe, but the most important thing in the whole wide world is to NEVER use pre-made pumpkin pie filling. Why? Because when you cheat on the test, you never really win. Making your own filling makes pumpkin pie 1 kajillion times better. The same really goes for pie crust. When you finally find that great recipe (thankfully for me, I was born with a saint-like grandma with an amazing recipe for pie crust) it so worth it, because the pre-made stuff just doesn't cut it.

Okay let's be honest- I'm no cooking genius, and there are only about 3 people who read this blog anyway, but after foodgawking for as many hours as I do, I feel the need to blog about some good food!

Side note and PS- We finally put something on our living room wall!!! Please disregard the empty frames, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Here Am I, Send Me

His faithfulness is overwhelming. God is so amazing.

After so much prayer, I cannot believe I have been given the opportunity to serve the Lord and to tell others about Him in Ghana this summer. I will be staying with a host family and teaching English (among other things) in one of the orphanages. I can't even imagine what God is going to do. I am so ready for the awesome experience that will be next summer.

I am in prayer constantly that God will use me and give me situations daily to share His word, and to make His name known. I can't even express the excitement and anticipation that I have. My heart breaks for these little babes, and I can't wait to love on them and let them know how beautiful and special they really are. I can't imagine the things they have experienced that have brought them to where they are, and as much of a teacher as I may be, I can't wait to be their student.

I am attaching a link to the teaching in Ghana video (I've watched it like 10 times JUST today!!)

http://www.worldendeavors.com/Ghana/videos?id=51

As well as a link to an AMAZING video that I watched at a girls retreat several years ago. I downloaded the new Facebook Beta just so I could find it :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiNBmNl88Pk

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."- Acts 1:8

It Doesn't Even Matter

Will it even matter 10 years from now?

I often ask myself that when I find myself freaking out about a "B" paper, or getting really upset about trivial things. I find that, most times, this system seems to keep me (the kind of person constantly in freak-out mode) in check.

Lately I've been asking myself that question almost constantly. With decisions like whether or not to go to Ghana, whether or not to stay in the honors program, and being an overly obsessive clean freak has made me really "up the ante" on the question asking.

I'm the kind of person that doesn't know how to say no, and doesn't know when to say stop. So when I get to that point when I have so much on my plate that I have to cut down or go insane (this point) I have to try to figure out what really matters. Unfortunately this proves to be quite difficult when you are a human living in a fallen world, and therefore very prideful. It's so very hard for me to drop things, or tell people no (or even confront someone I care about for that matter). But the older I get, the more I realize how to answer the 10 year question.

In ten years I think it WILL matter whether or not I taught English in an orphanage in Ghana. I don't think it will matter whether or not I stressed myself out to complete the honors program. It definitely won't matter if I buy that cute jacket 10 years from now. It probably will matter TODAY if I skip my morning devo to sleep for a few more minutes.

Priorities are so important. And it is becoming apparent that the method of "I don't need to prioritize because I'll just do it all", doesn't ACTUALLY work. For me at least..

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."- Matthew 6: 25-34