Warning: It's about to get DEEP!! Today was a day of introspection! I think it was a combination of things that made me slip into this mood. The weather was definitely a factor, my husband's upcoming busy work week, and I actually COMPLETED a bible study from start to finish! Once I turned the last page of the AHA bible study I thought I would feel different somehow, accomplished, transformed even. I said to my husband, "wow that's cool, I finally finished a bible study", and that was it. I started checking my facebook, Instagram, calendar for the day, business as usual. I saw my husband off to work, ran my kids to the bus stop, and came home to an empty house that needed some serious attention. I felt deflated, so I poured another cup of coffee, sat down on the couch and I watched one of my favorite shows, Banshee (Hey, No Judgement!)...Oh yes I did. I finally gave my house some attention and worked through my nagging emotions and this is what I came up with. I.Have.Ghosts (vices, past issues, regrets, mistakes, etc.)!
These ghosts haunt me from time to time. Some of my ghosts are the Casper variety, easily handled and dismissed. Other ghosts are like Freddy Krueger, scary, way too many sequels, and well you get the idea. That is when I realized something I already knew but was not living; my ghosts no longer have power over me. I am protected by something much more powerful...God. When I am powerless, he is all powerful. When I feel down, he lifts me up. When I am in dark, he shows me light. When I am happy, he is responsible. When I feel shame, he already forgave me. Luke 1:37, Philippians 4:13, Matthew 7:7...These are memorizers...go to verses that remind me there is nothing we can not do without God's help. That is how I was transformed by the bible study, I was able to work through my emotions in a healthy manner. I applied the principles and applications the study taught me; using belief, prayer, and scripture: powerful...transformation made!
The verse below was given to me 18 years ago when I was a lost young lady in the Navy, at the time you would have thought it was wasted on me. This verse was the "mustard seed" that grew in my heart and helped me be a very imperfect follower of Jesus Christ and God. It took me a while to get here and I am still messing up but I am growing into my purpose for God one imperfect day at a time.
On a lighter note, figuratively and literally, I made a fabulous cake that slashed serious fat and calories substituting many ingredients. The cake mix was an all natural variety I had never seen before. I thought, why not, let's give it a whirl. I included a picture of the box below. For the cake mix I substituted unsweetened applesauce for oil. This does make the cake more dense but it was still delicious. I had a few super ripe bananas so I threw them in the mix to moisten the cake up a bit. The frosting recipe was the most interesting: I cup of light cream cheese, 1/2 cup of vanilla Greek yogurt, dash of vanilla, and 4 tablespoons of stevia in the raw.
Click Here for the Greek Yogurt Frosting Recipe
The kids ate this up...I quote, "SO GOOD"! "Yummy". "Can we have this for breakfast?" I am not sure if it was really that awesome or if it was the lack of dessert choices. Either way they EMBRACED THE CAKE!
The reason I decided to research making a cake that was tasty but lighter for our family was because earlier in the evening we had a serious meltdown at the grocery store. I did video it and my son David gave me permission to use it. I am glad he did because it is raw and gritty, it is a kid struggling with sugar deprivation and a healthy lifestyle makeover. See for yourself:
I like to keep this blog light and fun, but it is also about spiritual growth and there is ALOT of that going on around here too, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't!
Mama OUT!
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