Prayers of Thanksgiving (Prayer devotional for the week of Nov. 27)

/ faithsweatandtears / Leave a comment

The book of I Thessalonians was written as a group letter from Paul, Silas and Timothy to the Thessalonian church. The whole letter is full of reminders to be thankful, but chapter 5 has always stood out to me as a reality check. Verses 16-18 read, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV).

For me, in all honesty, that passage has always been easier said than done. Even during a time of year such as Thanksgiving – when we are supposed to be extra-mindful of our blessings, it can be difficult to give thanks when times are tough. Studies have shown that maladies like depression peak during the holidays. How does that sort of news mesh with being thankful “in all circumstances”?

I would like to submit to you that there is always something for which to be thankful, even in the midst of uncanny turmoil.

There have been moments in life when the only thing I could think of to be thankful for was the fact that I was still alive. As time went on, I found more things to be grateful for, but even if there seems to be nothing in the actual circumstances to feel thankful about, there is one thing that is always certain: we serve a mighty God, and he is always worthy of our praise. I don’t mean that flippantly – God is still God, no matter what we are going through. Sometimes it’s a matter of perspective: Will the Earth fall out of orbit if your problem isn’t resolved? Will God lose his place on his throne? Does your difficult circumstance say more about God’s love for you or about the sinful world in which we live? Will we turn away from God or run to him?

We may not understand it at the time (or perhaps ever), but if we can think of nothing else to be thankful for, then we can thank him for creating us, loving us and establishing a plan to rescue us from ourselves. We live in a world contaminated with sin, but Creator God still cherishes us. When the world seems to be caving in on you, cling to the hope found in Christ. That is something to be thankful for!

Foodie Friday: Sneaky sweet potatoes

/ faithsweatandtears / Leave a comment

I haven’t really missed mashed potatoes since I went low-carb, especially since I discovered mashed zucchini as a delicious alternative. I do, however, love sweet potatoes, but they are a “splurge” food for me now. Although I enjoy eating them plain & warm (a habit I formed when I lived in China and could buy them piping hot out of a kiln from a street vendor — had to peel & eat with gloves on, but so very scrumptious!), there’s just something holiday-ish about a cinnamony, marshmallowy sweet potato casserole.

I discovered Walden Farms salad dressings quite a while ago (the Asian flavor is my fave), but they have more than just dressings. They also make jellies and other condiments. I decided to try the Marshmallow Dip to make a sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving this year.

I started out by peeling and cubing three medium-size sweet potatoes and boiled them with a dash of salt till soft. Then, I scooped them out of the pot with a slotted spoon and used a pastry cutter to mash them up.

Next, I added about 3 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning (I happened to have some pre-blended on hand) and 1/2 c granulated sucralose (Splenda) and blended it with the mashed sweet potatoes.

I smoothed the surface with a spatula and scooped the marshmallow dip to cover the sweet potatoes. Can you ever have too much marshmallow flavor? 😉 I also sprinkled some ground cinnamon for color.

Aside from the carbs that occur naturally in the sweet potato and the nominal carbs in the granulated Splenda/sucralose, there are no added carbs or sugar in this dessert! I also like that the Walden Farms products are naturally flavored, so it’s not like you are eating some chemically-modified artificial gunk.

(Speaking of which, if you are turning up your nose at the idea of using sucralose instead of “real” sugar, I highly encourage you to read this eye-opening post about just how refined/manufactured table sugar is.)

The dish tasted yummy and sure cured my craving for sweet potato casserole!

For a piece of cake

/ faithsweatandtears / Leave a comment

What I wouldn’t give to fight with you over the last piece of German chocolate cake at dinner today! I miss you always, but I’m grateful that we had 30 Thanksgivings together (even if we didn’t get to spend the holiday together every year). If they have German chocolate cake in heaven, I hope you’ll save me a slice with lots of icing. I love you, Nathan.

german chocolate cake

Source: Flickr

Writing Wednesday: Languages & technology

/ faithsweatandtears / Leave a comment

I had the chance to eat lunch with a couple of the boys at a Chinese restaurant not far from my office yesterday. The decor is very traditional and features Chinese art on the walls and under glass on the tables. The table is what drew my 7yo’s attention. He was admiring the artist’s signature, then he looked up and  asked if I would scan it with my smartphone.

I was confused until I realized that he was pointing at the red square name seal that looked similar to this:

seal set

(Source: Flickr)

I suppose it does resemble a QR code, now that I think about it from his perspective! 😉

When I lived in China in the mid- to late-90s, I was blessed to receive a name seal (also called a “chop” or “stamp”) as a gift embossed with my Chinese name: Chun Yu 春雨, which means “spring rain.” If you are curious about the process to make a name seal, there are some how-to videos on YouTube that I found interesting. I will always cherish mine.