When I began meal planning, I bought an awesome set of 32oz BPA-Free deli containers to store freezer meals in. Initially, I made them peel-off labels with contents and dates. After several months, the novelty wore off, and my inattentive-type ADD declared my labeling system was too complicated. I surrendered to my weak flesh and fell into just shoving the leftovers in the freezer without labels. When not labeling stored food led to irritating problems, I got out my Sharpie and wrote on one tub, thinking it’d be permanent. To my delight, it washed off, after all. Victory, an efficient labeling system that accommodates ADD!Read More →

Hi, my name is Andrea, and I am a wimp. So many people suffer so much worse than me, with bravery, faith, courage, hardly even seen them cry. Yet a little back pain and I want to rush straight to Heaven. A little pain in the ribs, where a deep breath hurts, and I succumb to tears, let it interfere with my work, keep me from accomplishing everything I should’ve done today. Whining, grumpy, snappy, all things we should never be. A little pain in the flesh and the fruits we should show–love, peace, joy, kindness, self-control–they seem to evaporate. It shouldn’t be. I shouldRead More →

27 Jacob, why do you say, and Israel, why do you assert: “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my claim is ignored by my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding. 29 He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless. (Today’s Reading is from Isaiah 40, HCSB) At times, it feels like we are all alone and that no one sees our ways and what we’re doing, that there is no justice if we are wronged and no consequence if we cut corners ourselves. HereRead More →

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Troubled? Christ tells us we can turn to his speech in John 14-16 any time and receive comfort and peace from knowing the Father himself loves us and that someday he will bring us out of our present sorrow and deliver us to joy. He promises us hardship and trouble and travail in this life and that the unbelieving world will hate us if we are truly walking with Him, and has indeed oftenRead More →

“ Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1) This verse refers back to Hebrews 11 and the “hall of faith,” which commends the saints who persevered and fulfilled God’s calling on their lives despite adversity and without seeing any sign of the promise being fulfilled in their lifetimes. Now Hebrews 12 depicts them as spectators to ancient Olympic games, all past winners who ran the race and finished well, who now are in the standsRead More →