Happy Memorial Day + Strawberry Pie!

Happy Memorial Day! I'd just like to start this post by thanking all of our troops, past and present, for the job they do for our country. I have a brother in the Air Force and I know all the struggles that troops go through being away from family and loved ones. So take a moment today to remember these men and women who have given up a lot to serve this country.

Now for dessert! I think Strawberry Pie is a perfect dessert for Memorial Day. It just says summer is here and it's going to be wonderful! This pie needs fresh berries so it's best to make it when they are in season (aka summer!). You can use any pie crust recipe you want, or just use a store bought one. I had a little leftover dough in my freezer from my last apple pie, so I just used that. I think it's important that you use fresh whipped cream; it just adds so much to the pie. But, if you are looking for a shortcut, you could go with a frozen whipped topping. (Don't tell Justin! He hates that stuff!) The pie does take a few hours to set up so make it in advance. Ok, here's the recipe.

Strawberry Pie

• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked and cooled
• 1 Qt fresh strawberries, cut up into chunks
• 1 C white sugar
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 3/4 C water
• 1/2 C heavy whipping cream

Arrange half of the strawberries in the baked pie shell. Mash the remaining berries with the sugar in a medium saucepan. (I use a potato masher for this.) Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently In a small bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into the boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce heat and simmer until the mixture is thickened, usually about 5 minutes. Pour into the pie shell over the cut-up berries. Chill for several hours, or until set. Whip the heavy cream and spread over cold pie. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

Remember Nutter Butter cookies? As a child, these were one of my favorite cookies, but these days I prefer the homemade variety. This recipe is similar in flavor (yummy peanut butter!) but is a chewy version. I used homemade peanut butter so the icing had a great nutty texture. (FYI, I love homemade peanut butter! It is so much better than the store bought variety and Justin is my champion peanut butter maker. He's got the patience required to make it smooth and creamy. It's really easy to do; all you need is some peanuts and a food processor. Just pulse them until a paste forms and you attain your desired consistency. It might take a couple of minutes. You'll see the change; it goes from ground peanuts, then the oil in the nuts take over and a butter comes together. This technique would work with any nut, so try to make almond or cashew butter if you want.)

Ok, back to the cookies! The cookie has oatmeal in it, so you can tell yourself it's good for you! The cookies is chewy on the inside with nice slightly crisp edges. I did have a slightly wet dough, so I added a bit more flour to the original recipe and it turned out great. (You can use your judgement here to determine if your dough needs more flour.) The cookie would be a great peanut butter oatmeal cookie to eat all by itself, but I go the extra mile and add icing. Must have more SUGAR! The icing is delicious and actually tastes a lot like the icing from the Nutter Butter cookies, without all of that added junk in it. The icing recipe calls for heavy cream, but I was out so I used milk and my icing was probably a little thicker and less fluffy than the original recipe. (You can decide which you'd prefer.) Anyway, I think I've talked/rambled enough for today! Here's the recipe.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

Adapted from this recipe at Annie's Eats blog.

For the Cookies:

• 3/4 C to 1 C all purpose flour
• 1/2 Tsp baking powder
• 1/4 Tsp baking soda
• 1/2 Tsp salt
• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
• 1/2 C creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tsp vanilla
• 1 C quick cooking oats

For the Icing:

• 3 Tbsp softened butter
• 1/2 C peanut butter
• 1 C powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp heavy cream or milk

For the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir together. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butters, and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla until incorporated. Then, mix in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Stir in the oats. Spoon about 2 teaspoons worth of dough onto cookie sheet, a couple of inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden and still slightly puffed. Let cool on a wire rack.

Once the cookies cool, pair them up with a similar sized cookie. To make the filling, combine the peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar in a mixer until blended. Mix in the heavy cream (or milk) until fluffy and smooth. Pipe with a pastry bag and tip, or spoon the icing on the bottom side of one of your cookies. Sandwich together with another cookie and press down so the filling goes to the edge. Enjoy!

Amy's Graduation

I've been away for a few days, thus the blog has not been updated. I took a week/weekend off to go to parent's house to hang out with them and to attend my cousin, Amy's graduation from high school. I am so proud of her and really excited for her! The world is really full of possibilities for a smart, beautiful, fun, young girl like her.

When I think about graduations, I think about the Dr. Seuss book "Oh, The Places You'll Go," (quote below is from the book). This book really represents to me that life is about possibilities and adventures. There is really no bigger one than leaving high school and a town you've always known. It's a big step to move past something that is secure and comfortable to venture out into the unknown, but the adventures that await when you do will be unforgettable. So, if you are reading this remember that point in your life when you felt like there was so much ahead; hold on to that feeling! It's those feelings of excitement and anticipation that make life fun!

"You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

You are the guy who'll decide where to go."

Good luck Amy! I love you!

Is It Right to Tell People They're Wrong?

Do we have the right to tell people that we think they are wrong about something? If we disagree or disapprove of their actions or beliefs, should be tell them they should change?

Here's what the Bible says in Matthew 7:1-6

• "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."

Let's look into some background and context of these verses. This passage comes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. It is taught over two chapters in the book of Matthew, and throughout the sermon Jesus is calling people out to live out principles that He has set forth for them. In the sermon, Jesus discusses two types of people, pagans (or worldly people) and the Pharisees (or strict religious leaders). He tells us not to model our lives after these types of people.

• "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:46-48
• "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." Matthew 6:1-2

So how does the world make decisions? For the most part, they don't. The world has a live and let live attitude. Just relax. Be tolerant. But when they do get around to making decisions, they make them based on appearances. We should judge by appearances. Things aren't always what they seem. We don't know people's motives. We can't see in people hearts and we don't know their secrets. Only God knows these things. These things aren't our jobs to judge, they are God's job.

• "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b
• "This will take place on judgment day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares." Romans 2:16
• "All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord." Proverbs 16:2
• "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." 1 Corinthian 4:5

How do the religious hypocrites judge? They hold someone to a higher standard than they for themselves. They can't live up to their own standards, but expect others to. Over and over in the 23rd chapter of Matthew, Jesus calls them hypocrites. He tells them that they are blind fools and that they will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Let's look again at Matthew 7:1-2.

• "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge other, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

What is Jesus telling us here? He is telling us that we shouldn't make decisions like the hypocrites or the pagans. But, is He telling us that we shouldn't form opinions about right and wrong? Is He saying that we shouldn't assess if something is good or evil? No, in fact the Bible tells us many times that we should gain wisdom.

• "Teach me knowledge and good judgement, for I believe in your commands." Psalm 119:66
• "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight." Philippians 1:9
• "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be give to him." James 1:5

We should be able to discern truth from lies. It is our duty to make decisions and we should use the brain and wisdom that God has given us to make wise choices.

• "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

In the end, there are some situations that it is necessary and wise to make a judgment. To judge others there are a few things we need to do first. If you are about to judge others, ask yourself about your own faults. Look in the mirror. Is there a plank in your eye? Deal with it!

Next, just THINK. Ask yourself these questions:

• Is it True? Are you sure of the facts?
• Is it Helpful? Are you doing it with pure or selfish motives?
• Is it Inspiring? Are you "playing God" or is it what is in the other person's best interest?
  
• Is it Necessary? If you have doubts about it's necessity, then it's probably best not to judge.
• Is it Kind? If you can't approach them with a loving spirit, then don't approach them.

When we do confront people, first, pray about it. Second, show mercy, because you have been shown mercy.

• "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:36-37

In all things, we should remember this verse and ask ourselves how we would want to be treated.

• "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12

(Sermon preached by Jarrett Stephens on 5.15.10 at Prestonwood Baptist Church)

Travel Photos: Before and After

Justin and I have had some great adventures the past couple of years. We've been quite a few places and really seen some awesome sights. Our pictures have always been pretty good, maybe not award winning, but pretty good. Lately, I've been playing around with Photoshop and I am still amazed with the things you can do. You can really make the subject come to life with just a little (or a lot of) tweaking. Here are a few of my favorite before and after photos:

The Rocky River Bed

This picture was actually taken on the way to Lake Tahoe. We stopped on the side of the road, hopped out and took some photos of the river and the beautiful scenery. I felt like this photo could have been in an ad for Bass Pro Shops. It was that picturesque. I really liked this photo to start with but as you can see in the next photo, it only got better.

This photo appears to be out of some storybook. Welcome to the enchanted forest. The green in the trees and bushes just comes to life. I especially love the way the water is more transparent and you can see the rocky river bed.

The House

This house was near the old city in Cartagena, Columbia. First of all, I wouldn't mind living in this house. That balcony on the top? Awesome with the little gazebo/cabana thing. I love the beautiful flowers (they were bougainvillea, one of my favorites). And the house itself really just has a old world charm to it with the cracking stucco, not to mention it sits almost directly on the ocean. As with all of these photos, what it really needed was a punch of color.

In this transformation, I really played up the yellow of the house. I like how it gives it a bigger contrast between the house and the sky. It really just feels brighter and sharper. I like it.

The Beach

This one's for my beach loving sister. This particular beach is in Aruba. I don't know who doesn't have photos like this from the beach. You know how it goes, the beach is beautiful, with all that blue, and you can help but snap a photo. And then you get home and you have a ton of these pictures like this. While pretty, they can get a bit boring.

I wanted to see if I could do anything to make it more interesting, and I think I succeeded. It definitely has a more wow factor to it. The water is very vibrant and inviting. I'd go there!

The Church

Cartagena, as I said in a previous post, was very much like a European city. It had some gorgeous architecture, and I was especially crazy about the churches. This particular church was beautiful, unfortunately my picture was not. It looked washed out and the light in the upper left hand corner was much, much too bright. As it is, it's pretty much an unusable picture.

But, after a little Photoshop tlc, I was much more pleased with the photograph. The light is still really bright, but it reminds me of a light from Heaven. The stone on the walls of the church is just so vivid and detailed. I'm still not happy with the glare from the camera in the middle of the photo, but I'm really not sure what to do about it. All in all, my main purpose in editing this picture was to see just what I was able to do with a completely terrible original picture. I'm happy.

The River

This photo was actually taken at the same roadside stop that the first photo was taken at. Once again, perfect for Bass Pro or some sort of fishing campaign. Can you just see someone casting a reel into that water? It's a nice picture, but pretty forgettable.

Here's take #2. I have two things I really love about this photo. 1. The water. I think it is a great dark blue color and I love the shine it has to it. 2. The shadows. I love the way the edges are slightly darker than the rest of the photo. It seems to create a sense of mystery and it's a great contrast between the brightness of the water.

Lake Tahoe

Our final photo (for the day, at least) comes from Lake Tahoe. After all of those roadside stops we finally made it there! I actually have two after shots for this photo.

This first one is a pretty straightforward touch up. It makes the colors more dramatic and enriching, but overall there's not much difference.

This one is much different. You may need to click on it to make it larger so you can see the detail. I redid it in the watercolor style on Photoshop. You can definitely tell if you check out the trees. I really like the color of this one. Justin says it reminds him of something from the 70's. He was impressed with my skills!

I hope you enjoyed going back through a few of my favorite travel pictures. Every time Justin leaves the house I hop on his computer to play around with Photoshop, so hopefully I'll have another set in the near future.

Ice Cream Spree

It feels like summer here in Plano and it's not even June yet. I think the high yesterday was somewhere around 91 degrees. And heat like that makes me crave ice cream. (Ok, I'll be serious, everything makes me crave ice cream.) I've been playing with my ice cream maker and experimenting with some different flavors. Here are two of my recent creations.

Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

This one was really simple. Just two ingredients: Chocolate and Yogurt. It is really rich and creamy, and has a nice tangy flavor from the yogurt. What I particularly love about this frozen yogurt is how there are tiny flecks of chocolate that hardened when it was freezing. It adds an interesting texture to the final product.

I also get to tell myself that it is healthy because it's yogurt not ice cream. I happened to have made some homemade Greek yogurt about two weeks ago and I really needed to use some of it up and that's where I got the inspiration to make this one. You can just use store bought yogurt, if you don't have the time/desire to spend about 8 hours making yogurt. (Fortunately, I had both.) I don't know if you make much homemade ice cream, but isn't it the best when it first comes out of the ice cream maker and has the consistency of soft serve? Yum!

Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

8 Ounces of Chocolate (I used a mixture of 5 oz semi-sweet and 3 oz of milk chocolate)

17 Oz container of Greek Yogurt (at room temperature)

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Start by putting it in for 1 minute and then stirring. After that, microwave for 15-25 second intervals until most is melted and then stir until all the chocolate is melted. (The residual heat will finish melting the rest of the chocolate and you don't have to worry about burning it by leaving it in the microwave too long.)

2. Mix the chocolate and the yogurt together and place in your ice cream maker. Freeze according to your manufacturer's instructions.

3. Store in the freezer and enjoy your sweet treat!

Adapted recipe from The Nesting Project.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

One of my favorite things to do is check out Food Gawker website. I get lots of inspiration from the photos that are featured there. I found a recipe for this ice cream and it was perfect because I already had everything I needed. I had half of package of cream cheese and some heavy whipping cream. I also had some leftover strawberries after I made a Berry Cobbler for dessert this week. Since I only had half of the cream cheese needed I just cut the recipe in half, but it still made quite a bit of ice cream.

The ice cream was a really pretty pink color. I was pleased with the flavor; you can definitely taste the strawberries, and the cheesecake part was understated but detectable. If the seeds bother you, strain the ice cream before freezing it to get them out, but I don't mind the seeds, so I didn't. Overall, I thought it was a really good ice cream, but I think my Strawberry Ice Cream from the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Cookbook is still my favorite.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

3/4 lb Strawberries

8 oz. Softened Cream Cheese

3/4 c Sugar

1 c Milk

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Pinch of Salt

1/2 c Heavy Cream

1. Put the strawberries, cream cheese, sugar, milk, lemon juice, and salt into a blender or a food processor. Blend until everything is incorporated.

2. Stir in the heavy cream and freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Recipe from Bakin' and Eggs website.

Hope you enjoy these ice cream selections! As the summer warms up, I'm sure I'll have even more to share!

Can A Person Really Change?

In life, everything changes. Your circumstances, your finances, the politics of the nation, our economy, the technology, etc.... Change is all around us. But, can a person really change?

First we must ask ourselves, do we really need to change? The answer is yes, we do need to change. Why? Because it is in our nature to sin. Ever since Adam and Eve first ate that forbidden fruit, we have had sin in our lives.

• "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.'" Romans 3:10-12
• "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
• "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." Psalm 51:5

Sin corrupts everything in our life. All of our attitudes, all of our actions, absolutely everything is corrupted by sin.

• "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." Matthew 15:19
• "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath." Ephesians 2:1-3

The Bible tells us that with this sin we are separated from God for eternity. We need to change our heart and turn away from our sinful natures.

So, how do we change? How does it happen? Can we do it ourselves with self-discipline? Can a self-help book change us? What about a therapist? While all these things can be good for us and do good in our lives, they ultimately can not change our sinful nature and they definitely do not eliminate the separation that exists between ourselves and God.

• "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil." Jeremiah 13:23

To change, it takes four steps. First, we must transfer our trust from ourselves to Christ. We can't do it ourselves. God has to do it. Second, we must receive Christ as our Savior. Third, you must trust in Him as Lord. Finally, we must repent of our sins and turn away from these. When we follow these steps our nature changes instantaneously.

• "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything to hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27
• "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" Matthew 19:26

People can change by the gospel and love of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

(Part 2 of the sermon preached by Jarrett Stephens on 5.8.10 at Prestonwood Baptist Church)

Quilting-My New Love

Last night I took a quilting class. And I fell in love. Move over knitting, you've been replaced! (Really though, I'll eventually get back to Justin's scarf. It's quite a while until winter.)

This square is what I made last night and it's the barnyard door pattern. Tonight, I went back to the fabric store to scout out my next design. I love how creative you can be with your fabrics. Quilts can truly be works of art. I sure hope mine are one day. There was only one slight snag in my new found love. It requires sewing. I don't know how to sew. Yes, I took Home Ec in high school, but the apron I made looked terrible and it's been 10 years since my freshman year when I took the class. (That makes me sad. I'm getting old.) Anyway, the hardest part of sewing the quilt pieces together was threading my machine. But, I think I got the hang of it and I'm happy with the way my first quilted piece turned out. Next week I am taking a binding class that teaches me how to put the backing in and finish the quilt. I'll keep you updated on my quilting adventures!

Why Share Your Faith?

Hello Blog Readers!
Time for a new sermon snipet. I'll be breaking this week's sermon into two sections. First, "Why Share Your Faith?" and second, "Can A Person Really Change?". This first section of the sermon really explains why I feel compelled to put my sermon notes on my blog and why I feel like I should share my faith.

There are two reasons we share our faith.

1. FEAR OF THE LORD. 2 Corinthians 5:11 says, "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men."

As Christians, we must tell others the good news. God has commanded us to share our faith and we have a fear of God. We know one day God will look at our life and ask us, not if we believed in Him, but what we've done to further His Kingdom. We will be held accountable and rewarded for our actions and obedience. On that day, I want the Lord to say "Job well done." not "Why didn't you do more?" So I will set my sights on sharing my faith more every day.

• "For we will all stand before God's judgement seat. It is written: "'As surely as I live', says the Lord, 'every knee shall bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'" So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." Romans 14:10b-12

We aim to please the One who has given us life. We should ask ourselves "Who are we aiming to please?". Who is the commanding officer of your army? Are you living for worldly, fleeting pleasures? Or are you striving to fulfill what has been commanded of us by our Heavenly Father?

• "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body (on this Earth) or away from it (in Heaven)." 2 Corinthians 5:9
• "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord." Ephesians 5:8-10
• "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer." 2 Timothy 2:4

2. The Love of Christ "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

God loves us. What an amazing statement! We, who are so unworthy, are loved by a majestic God. We should want to share the good news because we are loved by Christ.

• "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
• "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
• "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10

Also, we must share God's love in a method of love. There are two parts to sharing God's love: meeting needs and sharing the message. One without the other just isn't good enough. Lots of people can meet people's earthly needs, but are they telling them about what will save their eternal life? On the other hand, if you can't have compassion for people and meet their physical needs (as Jesus did for so many), why should they listen to what you have to say about Christ? These two components are essential for sharing the Word of God.

Ultimately, these two reasons are why I share my faith. Tune in tomorrow to find out if people can really change.

(Part 1 of the sermon preached by Jarrett Stephens on 5.8.10 at Prestonwood Baptist Church)

Homemade Granola

This stuff is awesome. And it's addicting. Just try to eat one handful. I dare you.

The beauty of homemade granola is that you can put whatever you want in it. Don't like raisins? Then don't use them. Try dried cranberries instead. (Which Justin tells me I must call craisins. Umm...why must I?) The recipe is just a jumping off point, and I only follow it loosely, therefore, my measurements are pretty loose as well. I threw in some flax seed for some crunch and extra fiber. You could also use wheat germ. I have made it without either in the past. Isn't this a great recipe? You can't mess it up! You are only limited by your imagination.

There are two big pluses for making granola yourself. One, you can also make it more healthy than the stuff they sell in the grocery store that has lots of oils and sugars in it. This recipe does have some sugar and oil in it, but you control the amount you use and what kind you use. For instance, for the sugar, I used a mixture of honey and agave syrup, which are natural products rather than regular processed granulated or brown sugar. They are also sweeter than regular sugar, so you can use less. Two, making your own granola is cost efficient. Oats are cheap, but good quality granola from the grocery store is not. You can save money by changing up the ingredients that you use. I used cashews this time, because they were on sale.

This time I made a double batch of the recipe and made it into two different flavors. One has chopped cashews and dried cranberries (or craisins, if you must) and the other just has chopped almonds. I'm going to be using it for some granola bars later this week. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Here's the recipe adapted from this website.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

4 cups of oats

1/2 c of wheat germ or flax seed

1-2 c chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, etc...)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 t salt

1 t vanilla

1/2 c canola oil (I used vegatable oil, because it's what I had on hand)

1/2 c honey

1 c dried fruit (raisins, apricots, dried cranberries, etc...)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine oats, wheat germ, salt, nuts, and cinnamon. Mix together.

Add oil and honey. Toss to coat well.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. It should still be sticky when done, but have a nice toasted brown color.

Remove from oven and toss with fruit.

Allow it to cool and then store it at room temperature.

Serve plain as cereal or with yogurt, fruit, etc...

Enjoy!

Can You Trust the Bible?

Justin and I are Christians. We believe that we have been saved by Jesus Christ. It's important to me to share my faith and I feel like I haven't been doing a great job at that. I am a crazy note taker (it's probably why I'm an awesome student). Since college, I've taken notes during sermons and so I have tons of notes for many, many sermons, but I've never done anything with them. So here is one way that I want to improve in sharing my faith, I'm going to share my notes with you every week. They won't be perfect and these are just the major points that I took from the teaching, but I feel like God is calling me to put them out there. I think last night's sermon is a great place for us to begin. The topic we discussed was "Can You Trust the Bible?" Here we go!

CAN YOU TRUST THE BIBLE?

"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
2 Timothy 3:16-17

First, we discussed how the Christian faith is built on believing that the Bible is true. Without the Bible, our entire faith collapses. So how do we know that we can trust the Bible? First we have to believe that there is a God. God reveals himself to us in 3 ways.

1. In Creation. The world and the human body are so detailed and intricate that they are truly the work of an artist.

• "Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:19-20
• "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1
• "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." Isaiah 6:3

2. In Conscience. Mankind has a basic conscience built in us that knows right from wrong. This isn't the work of evolution, but rather a Divine good Creator.

• "Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them." Romans 2:14-15

3. In the person of Jesus Christ.

• "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1
• "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

Next, we looked at the fact that God is true and can be trusted. He has revealed himself over and over to us in many ways. Every promise made in the Bible is fulfilled. Every prophesy is satisfied. We look to the character and nature of God. He is truth and so is the Scripture because it is rooted in him.

Here are 3 reasons that we can trust the Bible.

1. It is inspired. The Word of God was inspired by God. When people wrote the Bible, they were inspired to do so by God and they actually saw the events that they wrote about. They were not dictated to, but moved by the the Holy Spirit. These authors were inspired in many times and in different ways, because they were different men. The Word of God is forever. It is unchangeable and never lies.

• "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." 2 Peter 1:16
• "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21
• "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways." Hebrews 1:1
• "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8

2. It is credible. Archaeologically, the Bible is accurate. It has never been disproven and never contradicts itself. Historically, it has been proven chronologically true. The Dead Sea Scrolls was a great find for proving the Bible's truth. It is an ancient document, that has been studied more than any other book ever written. The amazing thing about the Dead Sea Scrolls is that the translation between them and the more recent manuscripts that had been found was that they were perfectly translated. Hundreds, even thousands, of years could pass and nothing changed in the Bible.

3. It changes lives. If you were to look in the Bible or just look around at the people you see, you can see that the Scripture changes lives.

• "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

So, these were my notes from last night's sermon. The sermon was taught by Jarret Stephens at Prestonwood Baptist Church. You can check the Church out here at www.prestonwood.org.

Another New Hobby: Photoshop

I have a new love and it's name is photoshop. Sorry Justin! (Oh, and I'll also need to take over your computer for hours on end, since it's not downloaded on mine. Thanks!) I have been playing around quite a bit with just one particular photo and I'm really excited about the results I've been getting. Justin and I both love this photo that we took in the Valley of Fire. I think I blogged about it sometime last year. Well, this photo just got a face lift! I have 6 different varieties of the photo to show you and please let me know which one you like best. The first picture at the top is the original. Now let's get into the remakes!

1.

So this was my first creation. I like the added color that it gave the rock and the sky. It was just the Auto-Fix button on Photoshop, so it didn't really require a lot of creativity from me. How can something be a hobby if you have a computer do the work for you? And if you click on the picture and make it bigger you can see a tiny magenta dot at the peak of one of the mountains. I have no idea where it came from, or how to fix it.

2.

Second attempt, this is one of Justin's favorites. I really wanted to get a more dramatic sky in this one. So I added more blue and more contrast to the sky. I think it looks like a stormy night and I like it, but it kind of takes all the drama away from the rocks, which is what this picture was about to start with.

3.

My third attempt. Here I got into googling how to do certain things on photoshop and I think it really made a difference. This version helped me to understand a few more technical elements of the program. I think the color is so vivid that the photo looks somewhat surreal. I personally love this version. I like the sharpness of everything and I think the sky adds some calmness to the photo.

4.

Neither Justin nor I were a big fan of this one. It appears washed out after the vivid color of #3. I can see using this technique that I used to bright up some food or people's faces, but it just doesn't do justice to the landscape here.

5.

Alright, my black and white attempt. I wasn't really excited about doing this photo in black and white because I think the color of the rocks is what makes this photo amazing, but I was actually somewhat impressed with this version. I think it is a nice change and it certainly has some drama to it. I'm excited to use this technique on a photo that doesn't rely so much on color.

6.

My final attempt, thus far, sepia/vintage. I really like this version, mainly because of the texture that I gave it. Throughout the journey of playing with this photo, I have been discovering new tricks and tools to play with and I can't wait to use this one again. I have always wondered how photographers gave their photos such interesting textures and now I'm on my way to finding out all those secrets!

Ok, those were my versions of our Valley of Fire photo. Tell me, which was your favorite?