The Meditations of My Heart

When the ball dropped at midnight this year it was different. 2012. A new year, a fresh start. New Years has always been magical to me for some reason. I guess it's just the thought that maybe this year will be better than the last - it's a time for reflection and assessment. I do it without even realizing it. It's like a much needed restart after getting through the busyness of the holidays; all the visiting, shopping, cooking, preparing. For some it's exciting, for others its a yearly struggle. New Years is like pressing the fast forward button to a new chapter. Life comes to a halt suddenly, we flip the page, and keep moving. It's such a lovely feeling. Everyone talks about resolutions. "In 2012 I will [_____]." Get healthy, go to church, blog every day, write in my journal, read my Bible daily. Fill in the blank with whatever your resolution may be. But after the first two weeks burnout happens and we revert back to how we were at the end

So as many of you know, my mom and I have a small, home based baking business. About five years ago around Christmas time, money was a little tight. My mom and I started brainstorming how we could help my already hard-working dad bring in a few extra dollars.... and so began Rhonda's Tasty Treats. To our great surprise, the Lord blessed us with hundred's of dollars in orders in just the first season! We started out with a basic list of cookies, nut rolls, and pumpkin rolls (man, those things sell like hot cakes!) We gradually began to experiment with new products in the gluten free genre and even some pies. With shows like Cupcake Wars and the rise in popularity of Celebrities doing cupcakes instead of sheet cakes for parties and weddings, the demand for cute, boutique-style, gourmet cupcakes has become high. So we figured why not... we will try it as an experiment for my brother's upcoming graduation party and see what happens. To our surprise, they were a HUGE hit! So, Rh

A spiced chai cupcake. A cup of hazelnut coffee with chocolate soymilk. A warm, sunny Sunday afternoon. A drive through the country at sunset. A newly discovered playlist. It's the small things in life that make me happy. Well, they don't make me happy, they just add to the general splendor of life. I think when we take time to seriously look for the little things that are good in life, it becomes much more beautiful and we become easier to please. Today's challenge is easy... just look for the simple things in life that make you bubble up inside with happiness and make you feel content. Feel free to share if you'd like.

No, I'm not talking about the Nickelback song... though it is a good one. Its just really interesting how God chooses to work. He works our life in phases. Seasons, if you will. He fades people in and out in His timing; there are NO consequences with God. Everything that happens in life happens for a reason. It's age-old logic, but seriously - it's the truth. We are all walking through trials in life, but He has given us the ability to choose whether we will dread them, or if we will look for His goodness in them. It's like a life long treasure hunt. As many of you know, the last five months of my life has been one big downhill slide. Over the course of almost half a year, I have managed to turn away from everything I have ever known and chase after something I have always been warned against. I have disappointed my parents, my friends, and myself. I was supposed to be the strong one. The leader, the good example. I confess that I have been everything BUT

The word addiction has a negative connotation that goes with it. When we think of addiction, we think smoking, gambling, drugs, and alcohol. We think of the "real bad" ones. But the reality is that we all have addictions, because addictions are obsessions. You are probably thinking of yours right now as you read this. Some of us may even be able to justify the reasons for what we do or use. Others of us may not even realize that we have an addiction. To more clearly define what an addiction is, I looked it up on Merriam Webster Online. "to devote or surrender (oneself) to something habitually or obsessively " Its interesting to think about habits and obsessions. What is the difference? How do they work together? At what point does a habit become an obsession or vice versa? How is a habit different from idolatry? While the answers to most of the questions cannot be defined once and be applicable to everyone, here are some things to think about.... 2 Cor

As some of you may know, I had to write a paper on Paganism in reference to bodily mutilations this week for English. Here it is... ____________________________________________________________ “Paganism,” as defined by Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, means “to follow a polytheistic religion; one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods; an irreligious or hedonistic person.” It has been said by many scholars and religious leaders alike that America has trended away from monotheism for a more self-satisfying polytheistic nature. We worship the gods of money, media, love, beauty, food, and self. We have set ourselves and our desires up on pedestals so high that most of our lives are spent trying to achieve perfection and satisfaction in vain. For many, it’s a difficult concept to grasp that everyone has been made to look different, so we flock to the local shopping mall to buy the latest trend of clothes in order to feel good about ours