 |
| Coffee..mmmm... |
On those days, I try to remember Coffeepot Rock.
One day, about six month's ago, I took my son to the Grand Canyon. Along the way, we stopped in a beautiful area, called Sedona, Arizona. Sedona is famous for it's beautiful red rocks.
I'm not going to sugar coat my trip. There were grand and beautiful moments..but, for the most part, the trip was miserable.
Miserable. I went days with no sleep. There was bickering amongst passengers.
But the hardest part of the trip was the attacks.
This may sound strange, but the enemy often comes against me in very vicious ways. I'm not going to delve into the details, but I will say that my day in Sedona was full of tears.
I often fast and pray. Sometimes, the attacks have been so vicious that I have had no other choice but to get down on my knees and pray. What have I fasted from?
My coffee. Coffee is one of my favorite things in the entire world ....so I would often fast from coffee.
In Sedona, I cried out to God in frustration over many of the things that were happening.
"Dear Lord, Do you want me to just give it up? Forever. It seems that all I do is fast. Lord, please answer."
Soon after, we stopped in Red Rock State Park. I stopped in the gift shop and a postcard caught my eye.
Coffeepot Rock.
Apparently, in the middle of the desert, in Sedona, Arizona..there is a rock that is shaped like an old fashioned coffee percolater. I felt like Jesus was saying, "Go on, Rachelle. Just enjoy your coffee. I got this."
I felt, at that moment, that the rock was mine. It took thousands of years to form that rock, and I felt like God put it there just for me.
I cried. I still cry.
Sometimes, I think it is easy to see Jesus standing there, holding up a pointing finger of condemnation.
But I think that we just do that to ourselves. The enemy is the liar that would decieve us into thinking we aren't worthy..
The coffeepot rock experience is one of the ways that Jesus spoke into my spirit.."This life is meant to be enjoyed.."
To me, Cofffeepot rock spoke of love. Pure, unfailing love.
The other day I was sitting in my grandfather's yard. I began to think about the choices we are given in this life. We have two choices of consequence- The choice that moves us towards Death, or the choice that secures Eternal Life.
I began to notice the beauty around me. The trees, and their branches swaying in the wind. The billions of blades of grass..I marveled at all things living. I stood in wonder at how each living things serves a purpose.
My spirit sang as I thought that life eternal never ends. That is what is so beautiful about being a Christian. There is no fear that life will end..It only evolves and grows into eternity. It never ceases. The heart may cease to beat..but the spirit only moves toward Jesus.
The other day I saw on old friend. I kept hearing Jesus saying, " I want to heal her her life." I kept hearing those powerful words.." I want to heal her." I thought..That is the Jesus I know..The Jesus that longs to take the broken lives and heal them. Regardless of past or circumstance, He longs to heal..
Some days I want to grab people and say.. You don't need the relationship that you know in your heart is wrong for you..There is more for you. God wants to heal you.
You don't need to poison your body with too much alcohol. You deserve better. You are worth more. God wants to heal you.
But, like all things, healing is a choice..We have the power to choose death or life..love is in the choices that He gave us..If you love something, you set it free..And God gave us the freedom to choose.
The other day I spoke with my brother in law. We have noticed something, as of late. In order to truly live, we must first learn to die to self. True living, the full life, comes when self is put upon the cross. Life only comes through death. Christ died that we may live..but carrying a cross means that we must die also.
Lately, I have felt Christ gently molding me into the woman I was meant to be. It's been a hard road, but the reward is truly learning to live. The reward is seeing things eternal and appreciating the simplest of things.
Today, my prayers are for you. I pray that you will find your Coffeepot Rock, that thing that emerges in your desert that will let you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, how much He loves you. I pray that your spirit will sing and that it will hum a tune of Life and things eternal.
I pray that you become the woman that God meant for you to be...living, breathing, loving, creating...doing all things for the glory of a Living God.
I pray.
Amazing Coffee Recipe
To celebrate life, I would like to include an amazing iced coffee recipe. I got it from pinterest. I've made it about four times already. It lasts for months and it is amazing. I am adding my own little twist .... I don't drink as much iced cofee as I used to..Caffeine withdrawal is ferocious and I have endured many a migrane. All good things in moderation, is my new phrase when it comes to coffee..
You will need:
One gallon of water
A one pound bag of course ground Starbucks iced coffee blend coffee.. I buy the beans and ask the barista to grind it "course ground"
One can of evaporated milk
One can of sweetened condensed milk
coffee filters
a large pot or a huge bowl..
Note: you do not need a coffee maker. This coffee is cold brewed. It does something to the flavor. It's better!
Pour the gallon of water in a huge bowl. Pour in the one pound bag of coffee. Stir until grounds are saturated.
Let this mixture sit overnight.
The next morning you will need to ladle the coffee thru a filter into a container of some sort..
This is a little time consuming, but the coffee is worth it.
What you have now, is a coffee concentrate. Put it in the fridge. It lasts for up to a month..
Next, mix the can of condensed milk with the can of evaporated milk in a separate container.
Refridgerate.
When you are ready for your iced coffee, pour ice into a cup..fill up half the cup with the coffee concentrate.
add the milk mixture according to taste.
Enjoy. This is an excellent recipe and it saves a lot of money of coffee. I actually enjoy it more than a lot of the store bought, coffee shop coffees.. well, i didn't end up changing it much..it is pretty much the same recipe as the one from pinterest. If it isn't broke, then don't fix it...
Cinnamon..add cinnamon..there, ..add what you would like to make it your own.
No comments:
Post a Comment