I have recently posted a couple blogs accidentally! Which means they were full of errors… Oh boy were they! You see I have been making an effort to publish more frequently using an iPhone. I am still getting used to the settings… And as you may know the phone I am using attempts to fill in words it thinks I am trying to say…And, well, as you can see, mistakes have been made!

So,if you receive email updates for this blog, please go directly to the site to read the corrected versions.

Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding!

I have recently posted a couple blogs accidentally! Which means they were full of errors… Oh boy were they! You see I have been making an effort to publish more frequently using an iPhone. I am still getting used to the settings… And as you may know the phone I am using attempts to fill in words it thinks I am trying to say…And, well, as you can see, mistakes have been made!

So,if you receive email updates for this blog, please go directly to the site to read the corrected versions.

Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding!

As I continue to press in and seek God for DeSean’s healing I am reminded that God does answer! And so we wait, we pray, we fast, we hope and we keep living for God…

Today we celebrate my son Jayden’s 11th birthday! Amazing, beautiful boy that he is!!

God, I am so grateful that you chose Jayden for us and us for him. He is a blessing and a joy… Full of energy and enthusiasm he is tender and strong. Continue to reveal yourself to him. Lord, please bless him and protect him in all he does. Amen.

You can use all fresh ingredients or use some canned ingredients depending on your pantry and your time frame. Here is the quick version of this recipe.

2 T extra- virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced
1 bell pepper, green or red, diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 c quinoa
(optional 1 pound, non-GMO tofu, crumbled)

4T chili powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
(my family likes bold flavor- so I start with something like this and then taste the mixture as it cooks. If I feel it needs more of anything, I add to it Feel free to change the spices to meet your family palate – just season as you would chili or tacos)

In a soup pot add olive oil over medium to medium low heat and sauté onion about 3 to 5 mins. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes continually stirring so garlic does not burn.

Add one cup quinoa (and or tofu) and spices to the chopped veggies in the pot. Mix well so everything is nicely coated with spices. Sauté with spices and quinoa an additional few minutes before adding broth.

1 box organic vegetable broth or 4 cups homemade veggie broth
2 cans organic tomato sauce
2 cans organic diced tomatoes
2 cans organic black beans
1 can organic kidney beans
1 can organic garbanzo beans
1 cup organic frozen corn

Add all other ingredients and simmer until quinoa is cooked. I usually let it simmer about 30 minutes so all the flavors are incorporated.

Depending on your preference you may want to add more liquid if it is too thick or additional spices if it is too bland.

Top each chili bowl with freshly chopped cilantro as you serve. Enjoy!

Home and chores and yard work filled our day. It was a beautiful day here in Hilo…we are blessed to live in such an amazing place!

I have been battling with a building sense of distraction the past two days. Unwelcome distraction that pulls me and my thoughts from where they should be…God is faithful and kind to me.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes in Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.”
Hebrews 12:1-2a (NLT)

Lord, today this is my prayer!

Today the kids were discussing foods they were missing and I had to encourage them to remember again why we fast…why we increase our prayer times, and time in the Word. And how important it is to long for God, rather than the things we are missing.

I need to be reminded, too…I can become distracted as well. I may not be dreaming of all the different foods I wish I was having, but I most certainly can shift my focus.

One of the best things about a corporate fast is that you are in it with others. And yet, that can be difficult too. Because it is very public and many people are sharing stories of their personal weight loss…their own successes. I too can begin to wonder if I have lost weight…or I can start to compare my own experiences with theirs. I can take my eyes off of God and look to what others have.
As I am praying for our church and asking God for breakthrough on a corporate level, still I must remind myself that even though this fast may be more public than other fasts I have done…the work God wants to do in my heart is still a valid, deeply personal work.

God continues to remind me to stay focused. To keep my eyes on Him. To keep pressing into the areas of my heart that He wants to uncover and heal.

Thank you Lord for all you are doing in the lives of people. Thank you lord for removing obstacles, for setting people free, for blessing us with your love and your presence! Strengthen us and continue to draw us near to you… That we would look to you for everything. That you would reveal yourself to your people…in all areas of life!

Still on the road…eating well, working hard and drinking plenty if water. It has been an amazing two days meeting with people, hearing their stories, praying with them and seeing them take care of children that would otherwise stay in a system rather than a family. Beautiful people, all so different with that common bond…adoption.

Thank you Lord for your faithfulness… Bless these families, Lord. They desire to grow their families through adoption…to take care of the least of these…thank you Lord for all you are doing in the lives of these children…give their parents incredible wisdom to meet their needs. Bring healing ti broken places. Encourage them, strengthen them. Guide them on Lord to stay rooted in your Word and prayer. Amen.

My menu today, breakfast – salad smoothie, Lara bar, lunch- greens with vinaigrette, dinner – green smoothie.

Sitting by a fellow believer (whom I just met), I could not help but continue to point at that bright full moon on one side and the rapidly changing sky on the other… “Look! Wow! That is so beautiful! God you are so amazing!”

“He alone has spread out the heavens and marches on the waves of the sea. He made all the stars – the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the constellations of the southern sky. His great works are too marvelous to understand. He performs miracles without number.”
Job 9:8-10

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1

I am soaking in the wonder and the beauty – even from this airplane seat…I am praying. Praying blessing over my family these next two days I am gone…Traveling for work today and tomorrow… Wondering how fasting will work while I am on the road? Praying for Gods strength and wisdom. He is faithful.

My traveling companion (who is also the founder of the non-profit ministry that I work for) is on a Daniel Fast as well. She is very organized and has been on the island of Oahu for a few days already. Good thing too! She has made the time to set up what we need for healthy eating.

She greeted me at the airport followed with a salad smoothie. Good start to the day! I picked up a cup of tea and ate nuts and dried fruit for my breakfast. At one point we had to meet an adoption worker from another state…guess where we met? An Italian restaurant. I ordered a gluten free pasta with a vegan, onion and mushroom sauce. That was the most dense meal I have eaten since the fast began. I ate half the meal and put the rest away.

In the evening I had to order pizza for the support group we were facilitating…No problem! When it arrived I was reminded about how delicious pizza smelled. I thanked God for olfactory senses and ate my edamame and fresh apples. Which were very tasty. It seemed like my sense of taste is heightening the cleaner I eat.

We prayed together throughout the day… Over ourselves and our families and the families we were meeting with. Fasting in this manner is completely doable in the road.

Thank you Lord for your love, your faithfulness, your kindness over me and my life. Thank you for times of fasting. Your kindness and your mercy in my life are a beautiful mystery. I love you Lord.

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