Italian Cookies

It's a good day, friend.  I discovered a new favorite recipe--Biscotti (click for the recipe)--and it was really easy!  I split the batch in half and made one cranberry-almond and one chocolate toffee.  It turned out quite delicious (mom even liked it), and it's going to be a great treat to bring to grandma's next week since she loves coffee and Italian food!  Here's a few photos I took of my creation...

 

First you bake the dough in loaves, then you slice it into the traditional long shape--perfect for dunking into coffee!

You have to bake each slice to dry it out and get the crunchy cookie you're used to.

(See my camera reflected?)

Yum!  Finished cranberry almond biscotti.

Isn't it Ironic, Don'tcha Think?

It's finals week for me, which means studying, trying to relax, and more free time than I've had all semester.  I actually took one final last week in my hardest class, Thermodynamics.  The teacher had this amazing policy that if you earned a 93% on your final exam, you got an A in the class, regardless of your work the rest of the semester.  Admittedly, I studied harder for this exam than any other--hoping for the golden 93% on my final.  After taking the exam last week, I was sure that I'd gotten it, feeling like the exam was very easy.

Today, our teacher posted the scores.  Much to my surprise, I finished the semester with an 81% on my final... leaving me with a B when all was said and done.  I was tempted to be quite disappointed, quite a natural response to not getting what I had hoped for (and quite frankly, expected).  However, I couldn't help myself, because Chris Tomlin's song "Rejoice" was playing.  I couldn't help but rejoice, and though I felt Satan tempting me to do otherwise, I could only rejoice, because it is the proper response.

"Rejoice in the Lord, always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!"  (Philippians 4:4)

Trials and Ice Skating

So what I didn't show you on my last post was the subsequent picture of me helping my nephew ice skate over Thanksgiving break.  I think sometimes life feels a little bit more like this:

Sometimes when you're trying to move forward you feel like you've got ice skates on and you're dragging a squirmy 3-year old.  Sometimes you just feel like giving up because things are really difficult and you can't see relief coming any time soon.  And that's life, because God puts us through trials.

If you're there right now, I want you to know that whatever is going on isn't pointless, useless or worthless and that God has not forgotten you in the midst of it.  He is Lord, God, King of the Universe, Sovereign Over All and He has a purpose for your suffering.  Check out 1 Peter 1:3-9 and you'll see what I mean.  Grace and Peace.

Thankfulness

Thanksgiving break is now over and finals are quickly approaching, but I want to take a moment to REMEMBER. In the Forge, one thing we learned was that we are a very forgetful people--it's good for us to spend some time remembering what God has done.

I'm thankful for...

A wonderful couple of days with my family.
The opportunity to go to college and pursue a degree.
My wonderful family in Texas (and Mississippi!!!).
Being able to meet publicly for church.
Never wondering where my next meal will come from or where I will sleep.
Knowing the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
A great boyfriend who loves Jesus.
Wonderful roommates who also love Jesus and decorate our room for Christmas!!!
My awesome Bible study girls and opening up our favorite coffee shop every Wednesday morning.
Cups of hot tea and watching the sunrise.
Illnesses and failures, because they remind me that I'm weak and that my Savior is strong.

My Forge Family

Lovely Residents of Room 110

My Brother and I

Helping my Nephew Ice Skate this Weekend

My Boyfriend and I

Love is Love?

Today as I walked through campus I noticed several sidewalks chalked with this phrase: "Love is Love." It was being used to promote the LGBT group on campus.

The argument of the LGBT campus group is that if you love someone, that's all that matters. The fact that it is love, qualifies it as valid. I disagree. People can love things that are not good for them. I think of smoking, for example. Cigarettes have a warning from the Surgeon General that describes negative health effects of inhaling cigarette smoke. In addition, people can also love other people that do not have healthy, positive effects on their life. For example, in many abusive relationships, both parties believe they are acting out of love, however everyone agrees that abuse is unhealthy and has a negative life influence, whether or not it is "love."

I bring this up not to argue about the LGBT lifestyle, but simply to point out that this particular argument by the LGBT group is flawed. Postmodernism often says, "I think, therefore it must be so," but responsible human beings need to be able to systematically evaluate the validity of arguments, not just go with the flow.