Yesterday was a day full of worship for me. It started with a women’s conference… 8 hours of songs of praise (many of my favorites), teaching by Beth Moore, and fellowship with a wonderful group of women…. followed by our weekly service. In all my fear and paranoia these past few weeks, I really needed this. So many messages that hit home for me.
The first key message of the conference centered on the statement: Some things in our lives need to hear a loud “no longer”! This included bitterness, fear, anxiety, and a whole host of negatives. I sure could relate to that message! Beth Moore, of Living Proof Ministries, was one of the most dynamic, engaging, energetic speakers I have ever heard. I honestly don’t know how she does it! She spent a lot of time talking about living in grace and it was very much a message that I needed to hear. I felt so much better when I left the session and took so much strength from it.
At our weekly church service, we started a new series called “Overwhelmed”. Yep. That’s me! Week 1: Unexpected Circumstances. Yep again! For any of you out there who might be able to relate, here is the link to listen to the message: http://www.parkerhill.org/listen. I think the series is going to be 7 weeks, and you can use the link to get the teaching each week if you are interested.
Many of the books I have read about cancer focus on the spiritual, emotional and mental aspects of your health, and how it impacts the physical aspects. Meditation and prayer, finding serenity and peace, are really important. (Stress increases your cortisol levels, which can result in a slew of different health consequences.) Yes, I’m really glad I spent this time in worship!
It was just a great day of celebration and messages that I really needed to hear.
Recipes:
Baked Mashed Sweet Potato with Orange and Pecan
http://www.thebestlife.com/healthy-diet-recipes/baked-mashed-sweet-potato-with-orange-and-pecans/
I love sweet potatoes! This dish was easy and tasty! My modifications… to save time, I microwaved the sweet potatoes initially instead of baking (although I did bake them at the end for a few minutes). I also did not include either the rosemary or the salt.
Grilled Garlic and Herb Shrimp
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Garlic-and-Herb-Shrimp/
I do occasionally eat fish and seafood, and since my son is a shark, loving fish and seafood of all kinds, I do try to cook it once in a while. It was a little chilly for grilling, so I did just cook this dish in a frying pan. Pretty easy. I did cut back on the amount of oil that I used, since I try to keep added oil to an absolute minimum. The brown sugar give it just the right amount of sweetness.
*****
Acts of Worship (2001) – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275182/
lights cancer action! 