Mutually Encouraged

I'm an optimist by nature.  An idealist and encourager.  This doesn't just mean that I see the glass as half full (most days) but that I see it as completely overflowing as God pours abundance never-ending into it!  I believe that He's given me a desire to help others see that same fullness and abundance in Christ in their lives as well.  Not blowing smoke or building ego, but discovering the reality of tangible freedom and life we have in Christ.  But as any encourager can tell you...there are times when we lose our exuberance or run out of steam.  Times where weariness replaces excitement and our thoughts are shadowy instead of seeing and savoring God's marvelous Light.  It's a rough place to be, but often an indicator of need for more regular and consistent 'filling' of those same freedoms and realities in my own life.

I'm getting a bit out of step here, skipping to verse 12 in Ch1 of Romans.  There's still a lot to be had from the first 10 verses, but this one keeps coming back to me:

Romans 1:11-12
1For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—12that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 

Paul is longing to be with and see the believers in Rome not only to continue to build and strengthen their faith but to encourage his own! What a sweet joy, and never more full than when the gospel of sweet grace is shared!

We often think that the gospel is only a starting point. That we must move on from it in order to grow and mature as believers in Christ. And while Paul speaks often of graduating from spiritual milk to solids, from babies to maturity...it is not without the gospel that this growth can be seen. Indeed, it is its continual revelation, and constant delight of, that mutually encourages followers of Jesus to continue on in our journeys, struggles and triumphs.

My heart is never more full than when I can see and share how the undeserved Love of God is pouring out through the person of Jesus. To be able to watch Him moving, working and transforming lives...redeeming and rescuing His beloved children..there is nothing that makes my joy more complete...my own faith more encouraged!

Are you walking with Him today? Are you returning to the story that started it all? Go there often, and share who He is and what His undescribable grace is doing around you. You can be sure that it will mutually encourage you and those around you!  

A walk through Romans

For a few months, I've been dabbling through the first chapter of the book of Romans.  Yes, I just said FIRST chapter.  Actually, I think I'm about 6-10 verses into Chapter 2 as of today!  What a MEATY book...slightly intimidating to be honest.  But I think it's the power in the words that entice me to dive in!  So, instead of traversing alone, I thought I'd jot a few thoughts down here as I go and maybe you can join me...it's always more rich when we study together :)

I like to read out of the ESV (English Standard Version) but will sometimes refer to the NLT (New Living Translation) for slightly different verbiage.

Paul is the author of the book of Romans.  We discover who he is and see his encounters and missionary activities throughout the book of Acts, just before Romans.  I highly recommend doing your homework on Paul...he's a beautiful example of God's incredible grace and mercy...and desire to use our weaknesses for His good!

Ok, ready to get going??

In my rush to get to the 'good parts' of the story, I've always overlooked the first few verses of Romans-- Paul's introduction or greeting.  What a big mistake!  There is so much richness in how Paul describes himself to his audience in these first 7 verses.  Note to self-not ONE ounce of God's Word is useless!  Savor.every.bit!

Romans, Chapter 1: 1-7
"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, to all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Besides being possibly the longest run-on sentence known in history, it's easy to get lost in these words.  Let's disect it a piece at a time.

Vs1: "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus"
Servant isn't exactly a politically correct term in 2012...hasn't been for decades, thankfully.  But the greek word here 'doulos' translates better as bondservant or slave.  Slave most closely identifies with Paul's intention here.  While we consider ownership of another human being to be horrific (and it is, when the ownership is forced) Paul is letting us know that he no longer belongs to himself.  He has handed over to Jesus, his entire self...rights, possessions, desires...everything.  He wants to convey to his readers in Rome that following Christ isn't just an acknowledgement of Jesus as the Messiah but a complete transfer of one's ownership.

I wonder what owned Paul when he was Saul...before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus? What owns you?  I'm asking myself the same question.  Even as a Christ-follower...have I made the transition (only with the power and help of the Holy Spirit) from being a slave to sin & rebellion--ie: my own way to being like Paul...a slave of Christ Jesus?  He won't take it from me, I have to hand it over to Him...willingly, with gratitude.  Are we there yet?

Something New

Happy November!

Typically, on this site you will find my ramblings about what God is teaching, showing and challenging me with as I journey with Him.  Today, instead of my normal spiritual rant, I'm sharing a new recipe that I had so much fun making yesterday and thought you might enjoy it too :)

In all fairness and honesty, this recipe actually has TONS to do with what God is doing in my life..it is clean, fresh and healthy...and I'm sure I'll share more about that work in my soul later, but for now...here's the goods on the grub!

Veggie marinara

4 lg tomatoes

6 campari or plum tomatoes

1 lg zucchini

2 lg carrots (bugs bunny style)

1 c vegetable stock

6 garlic cloves

1 sm white/yellow onion

basil as desired

olive oil

  Quarter the tomatoes and place in a roasting pan w/ 1/2 the garlic cloves (whole). Drizzle with olive oil, salt/pepper and roast on 425 for 20-30min--stirring halfway thru.  Saute the rest of the garlic (minced) and onion (diced) in olive oil until transparent.  Lower heat to med--Grate in (fine) the zucchini and carrots.  Add veg stock and roasted tomatoes (w/ all juices!) to the veggies (feel free to take the skin off the tomatoes here...I didn't and ended up straining them out later...pain!)  Add chopped basil leaves here...I used fresh, but I'm sure dried would be great too..just don't use as much!  Up the heat to med-high again and let boil for 1min.  Lower heat to low and let simmer for as long as desired...the longer the better!  

Thinking that once everything is cooked, it'd be a great one to stick in the crockpot for the day to simmer/combine :)

Eggplant & Zucchini Lasagna

1 lg eggplant

2 good size zucchini

2 c. spinach (fresh)

olive oil

salt pepper

2c. mozz cheese

parmesan cheese to top

2 c. veggie marinara sauce (give or take depending on how saucy you like it!)

Slice the eggplant and zucchini vertically in 1/2in strips.  Place in roasting pan (or you could stick on the grill for a few min each side!) drizzle with olive oil, salt/pepper and broil for 5min each side.  

While roasting, place 1c mozz and spinach in food proccessor and pulse til spinach is finely chopped and combined w/ cheese--set aside.

In a 12x9 dish, spoon a thin layer of marinara sauce.  Place a layer of roasted eggplant slices on top of sauce across the dish.  Spoon 1/2 the spinach-mozz mixture over the eggplant, then layer zucchini slices on top, adding more marinara sauce overtop.  Spread remaining spinach-mozz then layer last layer of eggplant slices.  Top with remaining cup of mozz cheese and top w/ parmesan.  

Bake at 425 for 30min (I up'd the heat to 500 for another 5min to brown the cheese the way we like it at the end :)

Let cool for 5min, then gobble! :) YUM!