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Why Prayer Is Not Just for Ourselves

June 27, 2016 • 20 Comments

This weekend my husband took an impromptu roadtrip with one of his friends to Tennessee, so that meant you know what: Lots of God time, girltalk, playing with the puppy, Netflix, chocolate, ice cream and a few glasses of wine here and there. I missed my man like crazy, but I also got to relax and spend a few days doing absolutely nothing. It was glorious.

During my moments with God and in His word I spent nearly an hour in Romans, focusing particularly on Romans 1. It’s a passage I’ve read a thousand times, but for some reason, this time I got stuck on Romans 1:9. Paul writes: “God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.”

I know God uses people and life events to speak to us, but I find that more often than not if I want to hear directly from the Lord, it’s best to open my Bible. When I think about spending time in God’s word this way, it never feels like a chore or something to check off a daily to-do list. Because I know that each day spent in scripture is a day to receive fresh perspective and truth from my Father.Read More

Grilled Mediterranean Salad

June 23, 2016 • 4 Comments

Take your tastebuds on an exotic trip with this veggie-packed Grilled Mediterranean Salad.

I have a bonus recipe for you guys this week — a summertime favorite of mine that’s sure to nourish both your body and soul.

You want to know to know something crazy? Before this year, I had never grilled an eggplant or zucchini. Say whaaaaaat. So where did I get the idea? Two months ago when it was finally time to start grilling again, I spotted grilled cantaloupe on Pinterest. I did a double take I almost didn’t believe it. I’d never thought to put cantaloupe on the grill, and it made me wonder what else I could grill, too.

If you follow this blog frequently, you know Mr. MLS and I love our eggplant (and apparently our puppy loves it, too, seeing that he interrupted my photo shoot several times to give it a sniff). We like to use it in this Skillet Lasagna recipe, Chicken Curry Soup, Healthy Mac and Cheese, and more.Read More

Three Truths to Remember When You're Starting Over

June 22, 2016 • 8 Comments

Last November I broke a record for the longest amount of time spent staring at the clothes in my closet, trying to pick an outfit for the first day of my new job in Des Moines. Because let’s be real: moving to a new place and starting over can be ridiculously nerve-wracking.

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After graduating college in Indiana and starting our lives together in Minneapolis, my husband’s job had brought us to Iowa. Almost overnight we moved from the Land of 10,000 Lakes to the “Fields of Opportunity,” as the Hawkeye state dubs itself. That meant this swimmer girl was now going to be surrounded by land instead of water — one of the many sacrifices I made to go where we felt God was calling us to be.

I’ll never forget the moment I found out we were going to be starting over again in another new state. I was taking a late lunch break one afternoon when I heard my phone buzzing on the counter. It was Alex calling.

“Hey love, so I have some exciting news for the both of us,” he said. “Why don’t you pick a place for dinner and I’ll meet you there when I get off work.”

None of our favorite spots in the Twin Cities were close to his work, but there was a French restaurant nearby I’d been wanting to try that served as a good alternative.

“Get whatever you want,” Alex told me as I scanned the menu.

Within minutes the wine, French onion soup and shrimp cocktail I ordered were already at the table and I dove right in. Fact: French onion soup at a French restaurant is better than any other soup. Unless you’re making this recipe at home, which is a close second or tie for first.

Alex had been doing well at work so I figured he would tell me he got a promotion within their local office. I figured it was going to predictable good news. I figured wrong. Because the next thing he said was:

“They want me to work at their Des Moines office.”

He went on to explain what a great opportunity the new position was and how exciting this adventure could be for us. It’s a good thing the food and wine had already arrived because it helped distract me from the reality of what was happening. We were possibly going to have to move. To a place we didn’t know a thing about. To a place where we had no family or friends. To a place where we were outsiders. Again.

In that moment I prayed: Lord Jesus, if this is what you have for us, take away any anxiety I might have. Bring clarity. Bring peace. May it be abundantly clear that this is the next chapter in our story.

Almost immediately I felt a calming wave wash over me.

“OK,” I said. “If this is where you think God is calling us, I will follow wherever you want to go. Certainly we need to pray about it, but I’m in. Let’s go check it out.”

Two days later we were in Des Moines to scope out our new city. And within a month we sold our house and moved to our new apartment.

I can’t tell you what I wore to my first day at my new job, but I can tell you this: I felt completely at ease. Maybe it’s because this wasn’t my first time moving to a new state. Maybe it’s because this was my third job out of college. But I think it was more so a gift from the Lord.

Prior to our move I had a lot of fears. I worried I wouldn’t be good at my new job. I worried we wouldn’t find a church. I worried we wouldn’t make friends.

Something wonderful happened when, instead of dwelling on my fears, I asked God to replace the worry with a fresh perspective. I asked him to give me the eyes to see and ears to hear what I needed to to adjust well to my new surroundings.

Through prayer, God revealed to me three truths that helped me make a smooth transition. If you’re in a season of life where you have to start over, or if you find yourself there someday, my hope is these three things will ease any fears you may have.

Three truths to remember when you’re starting over.

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Here’s three truths to remember when you’re starting over:

You are exactly where God wants you to be, and he will take care of you.
The Bible tells us that the Lord’s plans for his children are good — not plans for disaster (Jeremiah 29:11) We also know from Matthew 6:8 that God knows exactly what we need even before we ask him. If God has called you to something new, trust that He will see you through and provide your every need.Read More

Chinese Orange Cauliflower Bites

June 20, 2016 • 26 Comments

This twist on a Chinese classic is a creative way to sneak more vegetables into your diet. Not only are these orange cauliflower bites healthy, but they taste just as good as the restaurant chicken version — husband approved!

You guys, I’m having a moment. An I-want-to-throw-my-smartphone-off-a-cliff moment. I get that smartphones are cool and they help us stay connected to people, but really, what I want more than anything else right now is to put my phone under the tire of my car and crush it the next time I back out.

Why? Because I am sick and tired of the distraction and wasted time that smartphones cause. Not just in my life, but in all of our lives. OK, rant over. Thanks for letting me vent.

But in all seriousness, can we agree the world might be a better place if we learned to put our phones aside a little bit more?

I remember life before smartphones. I especially remember dating before smartphones, and oh, how glorious those days were. Time with my love was never interrupted by notifications. The only time we looked at our phone was to see what time it was. Our attention was fully devoted to being present and in the moment with each other. It’s no surprise to me that most of the memories I have from our relationship are from when we started dating. Because that was life before smartphones. Life before distraction became the norm.

FJ 10: Emily Wierenga: Finding Joy in Losing Yourself

June 15, 2016 • 9 Comments

Finding Joy is a podcast dedicated to bringing you encouragement and inspiration in all of life’s moments — the good, bad and everything in-between.

I can hardly believe it but today the Finding Joy podcast celebrates its 10th episode! YAY! Thanks so much for tuning in and for all of your support, dear readers. I hope as the podcast grows that we all continue to grow along with it — stronger and more united in Christ. To celebrate the 10th episode, I’m giving something away to one lucky listener. All you have to do is head over to iTunes and leave a review by June 20. Then I’ll randomly select a winner. It’s that easy!

Now … onto today’s episode! Today’s guest is Christian author and speaker Emily Wierenga. Emily lives in a small Dutch hamlet in Canada and is a wife and mom to three kiddos. She’s also the writer of several books, including her most recent, Making It Home. Two years ago Emily went on a blogger’s trip with World Help to Uganda, where she fell in love with the people of Africa. Shortly after her trip she founded a non-profit called The Lulu Tree, where her team works to prevent tomorrow’s orphans by equipping today’s mothers.

In this episode, Emily and I talk about:

Her battle with anorexia and infertility.
How sometimes you have to lose yourself in order to discover who you really are.
The release of her newest book, Making It Home.
Why she made the hard decision to take a break from blogging.

Emily encourages us to confront our demons, and let go of fear and control in exchange for the freedom and fullness Christ offers us. Read More

Purple Power Smoothie Bowls

June 13, 2016 • 33 Comments

Turn breakfast into a protein-packed work of art with these creamy, dreamy and healthy Purple Power Smoothie Bowls — ready in just a few minutes!

I ran across the apartment like a giddy schoolgirl, shouting to my husband, “Look! Look! Look at how pretty they are!” In my hands were two servings of these purple power smoothie bowls, which I’d spent the last hour making, decorating and photographing. “I wondered what you were doing over there,” my husband said jokingly. I looked at the clock, unaware I’d spent an hour developing and capturing this recipe. Somewhere between the actual making and styling of the smoothie bowls, I lost track of time.

Time is irrelevant when you’re living in the moment and doing something you love.

No one was paying me to make this recipe. There was no deadline or project guidelines. For the first time in a long time, it was just me and the food, and I was loving every minute of it. Do you have a hobby that feels like that for you? What brings you joy? What makes you lose track of time and truly live in the moment?

I have a theory, and it’s that we as a culture spend too much time looking at the clock just waiting for time to pass. We spend our workdays waiting for 5 p.m. to roll around. We spend our work weeks waiting for Friday night. We spend our weekends waiting for the rat race to start all over again. Instead of living in the moment and being present, we’re always looking ahead. Always thinking about what’s next.

I wonder what would happen if we chose to invest ourselves in every minute of every day the way I invested myself into making these smoothie bowls. Maybe you’re not working your dream job. Maybe you’re not exactly where you want to be right now. But God has you there for a reason, and there’s beauty to unearth wherever you are.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV