Do You Believe?

Many years ago, Michelle and I spent Easter in a poverty-stricken village of Romania. Those who believed in our living, loving Lord had a tradition of greeting each other with "Christ is risen, He has risen indeed!" 

Like our Romanian brothers and sisters, I praise God for dying on the cross for our sins and rising from the dead three days later. I Peter 2:24

Do you believe?

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Food for Thought....

Image by Duncan Brown (Cradlehall) via Flickr

One principle that the resurrection teaches us is that God will always finish what He started. No matter how dark it looks, no matter how long it's been, no matter how many people are trying to push you down; if you will stay in faith, God will always take you from Friday to Sunday. He will always complete what He started in you! I Cor. 15:3-4

Miracles Still Happen...

Image by GlacierTim via FlickrIn Bible Study this morning I learned about three miracles. However, these miracles were not from the stories of the Bible. These were present day miracles.

The first one was shared by one of our Bible Study members who had been diagnosed with cancer five years ago. This past week he received a clean bill of health from the doctors at MD Anderson. He shared that the type of cancer he had is diagnosed in more than 16,000 men every year and that 11,000 of those diagnosed pass away. Praise God for healing my friend!

The second and third miracles surprisingly made it to the front page of The Post and Courier today. One headline read "Get Up and Walk" and tells about a man who had a degenerative disease that progressively got worse. By 2005 he was wheel chair bound and could not walk. In 2009 this Christ-follower heard a voice in the night that told him to "Get up and walk." He did and has been walking ever since. Praise God from whom all blessing flow!

The third miracle's headline "Surviving a tornado" tells about a man who emerged unharmed after a violent storm flattened the church around him.  Detailed accounts of this story on local news stations shared that he tried to get out of the church but could not find the key to unlock the door, so he knealt and prayed for God's protection. After the storm had destroyed everything around him and moved on, the locked door opened providing the man an exit. He was unharmed. Praise God!

Psalm 91:15 says "He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
         I will be with him in trouble;
         I will deliver him and honor him."

I know from personal experience that our living, loving Lord performs miracles all the time. He's done many miracles for me over the years. In fact, recent events in my life are a testament to what He has done for me. Jer. 33:3 and Ps. 34:1

So what about you? Do you believe in miracles?

Kale Chips

I made kale chips tonight. This was my second time with a few changes that I'll note in the recipe. Before I get there, let me describe kale.

Many of you may be asking, "What exactly is kale?" I know I did the first time I heard about it. Kale is a highly nutritious green vegetable that is called a superfood. It has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. And if that isn't enough, kale contains indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells. Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium.

So in my quest to learn how to do things with this wonder veggie, I made my way to my local produce section and discovered there are many different varieties of kale. Some of it is curly and coarse, while other types have smooth leaves.

I found curly, coarse kale to be chewy with thick stalks. (Not my favorite, but to each his own.) As of tonight, I've decided I prefer the smooth leaves as they are easier to eat. I think it is all a matter of preference.

So let's say you have a hankering for a salty potato chip. You could grab a bag and beg for forgiveness later. OR you could grab some kale chips and not feel one tig of guilt. You see, one cup of kale chips equals about 45-60 calories, 3-7 grams of carbs, 1-3 fat grams and 1-4 grams of protein.

How do you get kale chips? Well, if you have a thick wallet and a store like Whole Foods nearby like I do - you could buy them pre-made. OR you could easily make them.

Here's the recipe:

• Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees.
• Cover your cookie sheet with parchment paper*.
• Thoroughly wash, dry** and shred one bunch of kale. (Be sure to remove the stalks.)
• Wisk together two tbsp. apple cider vinegar, one tbsp. olive oil and some sea salt.
• Fill a large ziploc bag with with the shredded leaves.
• Pour mixture into baggie filled with leaves.
• Shake the leaves and mixture around, ensuring to get them all moist.
• Pour one layer of leaves from baggie onto parchment covered cookie sheet.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Use spatula to turn leaves over and cook for a few more minutes until crispy.
• Repeat process until you use all the leaves.
• Enjoy!

*Parchment paper is a key. I tried tin foil before and it didn't work quite as well.
**I bought my first salad spinner and found it to be the best tool for washing and drying the leaves.

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