Receiving Your Sight.

Hi everyone..or..you know, the maybe  or 3 that actually read this religiously :p

First off, I have to brag about how cute my cat is..

She's started hiding in my dresser drawers and falling asleep. One time I accidentally closed a drawer with her in it and heard her meowing 10 or 15 minutes later while I was in the bath. She's just too cute, and I think for Christmas we may invest in a little cat bed, I have a feeling she'd use the heck out of it.

Today has been good, I took it easy this morning, went to class, then registered for next semester (only for them to schedule me for a history I've already taken...), then came home and did laundry. Oh, I also made a crockpot meal. I'd link the recipe but it's on Walker's laptop, but basically it's pizza in the crock pot. I think the layers of it go: ground meat (I used lean turkey), pasta (I used mini whole grain penne), mozzarella cheese (I put enough to cover the pasta), a can of cream of mushroom soup, onion powder (it calls for an actual onion, but Walker and I both hate the "crunch" of an onion so we always substitute), more cheese, 2 jars of pasta sauce (my absolute FAVORITE is a blend of tomato and alfredo that is made by HEB), more cheese (if you're wondering I used an 8oz bag..I spread it pretty thin), then pepporoni's. It cooked on low for 4 hours. I hate eating dinner late, and it wouldn't be ready until 7:30 so I just made a sandwich. Tomorrow I'll actually try it and I'm sure I'll let you know how awesome it was :)

This week is kind of weird food/working out wise. I didn't do too great last week so I've really got to work on portioning and counting calories just to get back on track. And making time to work out is crucial for sure. I plan on going to the gym Wednesday and Thursday, and I'm typing it out now to hold myself accountable!

Mark 10:32-52

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time

Can you imagine hearing this from one of your leaders? The best I can relate this to for my modern life is my boss, and just how weird would it be to hear them say something in that manner. I don't even like to hear  them tell me they're transferring to another store. I feel like I would be so scared of the future and what was going to happen.

But why? You know already what's going to happen. Jesus told you. For me my life is changing constantly, so for something to be constant in it and to know it was actually going to happen could be somewhat reassuring. I'm not saying I wouldn't be upset in their position, but I'm saying the worry that comes along with it really shouldn't exist. The future is set and you know it, don't worry about it but instead prepare for it.

The Request of James and John

"'For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many.'" Mark 10:45

James and John ask Jesus to be at His side in glory as their request. Jesus stops them, and shares the reality of he unimportance of that. That is a title, a stance, and if that's all that you care about then you are not serving correctly.

We shouldn't work for a title, but for God and His plan for ourselves. If we work for that diligently then we will be in those spots by earning them. I feel like that's much more rewarding than just getting the spot because someone liked you.

It's almost like at work/school when you see someone kissing up and getting something you don't think they deserve. How often do they stay in that position and thrive? If something isn't worked for then the reward is not real to them.

Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

The best way I can analyze this in the modern times is this: we don't see Jesus like people in this time of the Bible. We are living our lives blindly before being saved. Then whenever you are introduced to Jesus and it clicks, I mean it really clicks and you're saved then you see. "'Go,' said Jesus, 'your faith has healed you.' Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.'" Mark 10:52

We are like Bartimaeus in the lives we live today. We have to be given vision, real vision that lets us see Jesus and what he can do for us.

Servants of All.

So yesterday I made this delicious thing right here! It's a Chicken Enchilada Casserole and I got the recipe from here. One extra thing: when I was cooking the chicken (I cooked mine in a skillet with some olive oil) I seasoned them in cumin and fajita seasoning to give them some extra flavor. Also I used corn tortillas instead of the low carb ones they suggest.

I'm working pretty much all day today and I know it's going to be SLAMMED. It being the day before the day before Thanksgiving means everyone getting their last minute stuff or donating what they can. All I really hope for is to be surrounded by good people with good moods.

Mark 9:30-50

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

"Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, 'Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.'" Mark 9:35

I can't help but think while reading this that the disciples are incredibly frustrating. You have Jesus right there in front of you, why are you so caught up in everything else? But at the same time, I can't say much in that because I am no better. Jesus has pulled through time and time again for me and still I let this world affect me more and more. It's human nature I suppose, and thank God we have the ability to be forgiven for our sins.

Whoever Is Not Against Us Is For Us

This part is really interesting to me because the Twelve see a man performing a miracle and try and stop them because he was doing it in Jesus' name. But we do so many things in Jesus' name now. Whenever I end a prayer I always say I pray in Jesus' name. I guess now it's more acceptable because Jesus is accepted among Christians as the savior and saying/doing things in His name is somewhat honoring him. But the main thing is this title of the chapter. If someone is not against you in your journey with Christ then they are for you, and be thankful for them no matter what.

Causing to Stumble

What causes you to stumble? Really, sit down and think. Once you figure it out the next step is to decide on whether or not it can be worked through, or if this could negatively affect your whole life. For me, it's just my short temper sometimes. That I can work on, it'll take a lot of work, but it's me doing this, not someone/something else. But if it's on the outside and it's something you're facing every day (like a job, significant other, etc.) then reconsider what you're doing and if you can work through it. Like the title of my last post, everything is possible with God. Sometimes a situation can pull you away from God though, so either you have to stand up and fight for that every second, or search for something to ease your heart. The decision is completely up to you.

Pizza!

How great does that look? Probably as wonderful as it tasted to me when I ate it. Whenever I moved out I promised myself I was going to cook and be good at it, and it ended up being a lot of easy processed foods in my freezer. Eventually, I picked up my promise to myself again and starting looking up 1-2 recipes a week, nothing too difficult, and tried them out. So far so good, and good could be an understatement of the foods I've made. It's awesome that since I've cut out the majority of processed junk my grocery bill is cut nearly in half, and that's with necessities like toilet paper added into the price. So yeah, this is another thing you can expect to see on this blog, because I have a huge passion for food and learning more about cooking.