The Mothership

She sits gazing...gazing at what I am not sure. I am blinded by the light emitting from around the outline of her silhouette.  She is bathed in a radiant glow that also gives off an aroma.  I step closer to realize the woman is scented in a fine perfume. She is not concerned of others. Nor the details of her physique.  But she has her eyes on one thing... The light that emits from her is because of her faith...it has saved her. She is peace. She is radiant. She exudes joy, wonder, and forgiveness. She is the presence of peace because she has made His heart her home. I see all of this, taking in each detail without even seeing the details. Details of the heart are not something one can see at first glance. But as you study them they become the dominant features. Her spirit is so in tune with God's because her spirit is God's. She shows abundant love because she has been forgiven much. Her hands hold an alabaster jar. All of her senses pointedly looking and activating to th...

I love zucchini bread. But it usually has a ton of butter and a ton of sugar. So I experimented a bit. This still has sugar but a lot less than my normal loaf AND it was super moist!  This makes two 9x5 loaf pans.  Recipe: 4 cups shredded zucchini, about 2.5 regular sized zucchini  2 smashed bananas 1 cup applesauce  1/2 cup maple syrup 3/4 cup honey 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 4 cups whole wheat flour Cooking spray 1 tsp salt 4 tsp cinnamon  2 tsp baking soda 4 tsp baking powder 1/2 bag chocolate chips 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional  Preheat oven to 350.  Line 2 9x5 loaf pans with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.  Shred the zucchini. Set aside.  In a large bowl combine the banana, syrup, honey, applesauce, and vanilla.  Stir in the shredded zucchini.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder. If it seems really dry, add in small amounts of milk ( I used almondmilk). Do ...

This can be a stand alone dish or a side dish  Ingredients: 1 spaghetti Squash Olive oil Salt, dried oregano leaves, and powdered garlic 1-2 big slicing tomatoes, sliced into at least 6 slices  1b of ground beef or meat substitute  Salt, Oregano and garlic 5-8oz. Of a spicy cheese, shredded Fresh basil Chopped red onion Warm oven to 425. Slice squash vertically and remove seeds of squash so it is in two halves. Brush some olive oil on the inside of each half. Season with salt and garlic powder. Place squash with insides facing down on cookie sheet. Bake for 40 minutes till squash is aldenté and able to pull out in shreds.  Towards the end of the squash cooking, begin cooking your ground beef; or I used a meat substitute. I sauté the meat in the pan, adding salt, garlic, pepper, and oregano till fully browned. Set aside Grease a 7x11 glass pan. Slice tomatoes into 12 or so slices. When the squash is finished baking, let it cool for a few minut...

This woman and I have parted ways before…   The first time she was gone for a week at camp.   When she left for college.   When she moved out of our apartment and married her husband (how dare she).   When I moved to New Jersey   the countless vacations she dare to take without me.  Each time I am sad. I deal with my sadness in many ways but more than likely my sadness moves with tears. Tears as I sit and think about the countless ways she has supported me most recently and pretty much all my life. Tears of the fun adventures we have been on and now take our families along too. Tears of the times I dared be upset with her. Tears of how she is ALWAYS putting other people before herself. I can’t even remember the last time she said, “no! That’s a bad idea.” to me because she is always along for the shenanigans.  She is just lovely.    She is leaving me again. And the tears are rolling. They have been rolling for weeks. It stings a lit...

In church we have been going through a series titled "Emotional by Design." Knowing I am emotional is not a mystery to most of you. However, if for some reason this is the first time you've stumbled upon my writings, this is something that is integral to the understanding of my mind.  Writing about how emotional I am, or why it is a good thing and not a bad thing or how God has wired me, is not for this post. But, I did want to give you backstory of where something came to mind. During one of the services my pastor was discussing healthy emotions and unhealthy emotions. I went back to thinking of a time when my emotions, thoughts, and every part of my being were unhealthy. My heart immediately rushed out to the years of my adolescence. The actual feelings of loneliness, depression, comparison, and insecurity flooded my body with physical reactions. Isn't that amazing that the memory of a feeling has the ability to bring you back in to a crippling state of anxiety and ...

Sometimes when I need encouragement or others do, I feel like God will show me pictures. Within those pictures there is some type of encouraging word and more often than not it ties in with a scripture I’ve been chewing on recently. Here is one such picture and maybe you’ll find encouragement in it.   I’m standing in our small/large group worshiping with our good friends. The worship song is “Champion” by Dante Bowe. I stand among a room full of friends and I hear silence besides the praises and prophecy upon their lips. And the world falls silent.  “You are my champion Giants fall when you stand Undefeated Every battle You’ve won I am who You say I am You crown me with confidence I am seated, in the heavenly place Undefeated, by the power of Your name” And along the lyrics flow from our lips as incense. As I stand listening I simply ask, God what do you want me to hear right now. “VICTORY…Jesus has given me…when I open up my mouth miracles start breaking...

 These were so yummy - and I am slightly less bloated after eating them than my normal enchiladas which you can find here. When I make enchiladas, I ALWAYS make this topper to go with them and it gives them that added flare. Just in time for Cinco de Mayo.   Ingredients: 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed cooking oil (I used avocado) 1/2 onion, chopped 1, 8oz. container of mushrooms, chopped 1 cup tomatoes, chopped  salt 1 tsp. each of Cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder  1 container of plant based cream cheese 1 cup of corn (can use canned, or frozen or fresh off the ear) 1 cup of lactose free shreds (dairy free cheese shreds - I used Daiya) 1, 14oz. can of enchilada sauce (I like the green sauce, but use red if you like)  tortilla wraps (I used whole wheat, you can use whatever kind you want)   Recipe: Preheat oven to 350. Drain and rinse the can of black beans. Over medium heat in a saute pan, heat oil and saute onions, mushrooms and tomatoes....