Love x puffed up

Hey there BCU Fam!

For this post, because of the informal format, please tune into the podcast recording (click here or on the BCU avatar below) and refer to the written post for the highlights. We pray the post blesses and encourages you. If so, please thumbs up AND leave a comment! Thank you and enjoy the post!

Podcast highlights:

  • I Corinthians 13 talks about what love does and, what it does NOT do.
  • One of the aspects of “non-love” is being puffed up.
  • Pride and being puffed up are related, and the opposite of the love we are commanded to walk in.
  • In Luke 14, Jesus teaches us a love x puffed up lesson by healing a man from a terrible condition.
  • Our interactions should always be based in love.

Scripture references:

Luke 14:1-6

1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?

4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;

5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

6 And they could not answer him again to these things.

Proverbs 16:18

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Psalm 24:1

The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Matthew 6:25-34

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Matthew 7:2-5

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Proverbs 27:5

Open rebuke is better than secret love.

BCU Fam, this was a spiritual gut check for me and I am glad about it! It is a blessing to be able to hear and receive with gladness the correction and reminders that God gives us, so that we can always be in good standing with Him when it comes to love. Amen? Amen! Let’s pray!

Father, in the name of Jesus, as we come before You today, thank You for the Word You have downloaded into us. Thank You for the encouragement, admonishment, correction and reminder as to what we are supposed to do and NOT do when it comes to love. Please bless us, Lord Jesus to never be puffed up in our dealings with people, as we remember we were once in a place where we were not pleasing in Your sight, yet You had mercy and love for us. Help us to never mistreat Your people and help us to be a blessing to all we come in contact with. And for those who we have to separate ourselves from, help us to consult and hear from You to ensure we follow Your instructions, yet continue to love the person all the while, as You love us. Most of all, please help us to exhibit, patient, kind, love that rejoices in truth, bears, believes, hopes and endures all things, so that You get the glory out of our lives! In Jesus name, we pray, Amen!

As a reminder, if you have not subscribed to BlenCouragesU.com, please do so! It’s free and a good place to get the encouragement, inspiration and information based the Word of God! Additionally, you can also see what we are up to on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Thank you SO much for stopping by! May God bless, keep and make His face to shine upon you as you #StayOnTheWall!

Love,

BCU

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2 Forks -Part Deux

Hey family,

I received some FANTASTIC feedback on my “2 Forks” segment—thank you! I have another installment that may give you some more health food ideas. Yes, the fried chicken and smothered pork chops are good, we just can’t eat like that all the time. Try these on for size! As previously mentioned, I shopped at Trader Joe’s for many of their brand items. Similar healthy foods from other manufacturers like Kashi can be found at the health food section of your local market.

Breakfast–I haven’t done frozen breakfast foods since my now-grown daughter was little. Since a loaf of bread would likely wither from lack of attention in my house, I decided to try Trader Joe’s French Toast.

French Toast and eggs...sound good, huh?

This all-natural wheat French toast goes from freezer to toaster to plate in minutes. Drizzle a little agave nectar, and if you want, scramble an egg and top with salsa for a filling and nutritious start to the day!

~This one I haven’t tried, but a wonderful older woman from my church says she sautées yellow squash and zucchini together in a bit of canola oil,and scrambles and egg to go with the veggies–that keeps her going. Sister Rita says that vitamin “punch” first thing in the morning does your body good! I can see it in her face–she has pretty skin, clear eyes and a fantastic smile. Y’all know I bought those veggies, right? LOL!

Grilled Portobello Mushroom and friends

Lunch/Dinner–As promised, I grilled Portabella (or Portobello) mushrooms and LOVED them! After I washing them, I doused them with my garlic olive oil and a little sea salt and threw them on a hot George Foreman grill for about 10 minutes or so. The chewy texture reminds you of meat, so it’s as tasty as it is satisfying. Optimally if you can soak the mushrooms in your oil and seasoning choice for hour, you’ll get more flavor. I just did about 2 minutes… I was ready to eat! Lolol! With my trusty asparagus and baked fries (oh, man–baked fries drizzled with garlic olive oil–SO good! Can you tell I LOVE that stuff)?

I branched out and tried Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), this week as well. According to an article on Buzzle.com: 


Quinoa (pronounced Qin-wah) is always thought as a type of grain. The truth is contrary to this general belief, as quinoa is not a grain but seeds of a leafy plant related to spinach! It is considered to be a pseudocereal or pseudograin. This means it is not a true grain or true cereal. Quinoa is an organic food grown in the Andes mountains of Ecuador. It is a small, round, yellow grain, that can be cooked in under 12 minutes. It has a very crunchy, light, fluffy texture with a slight nutty flavor after cooking. It was known as ‘the gold of the Incas’ as they had discovered one of the important quinoa nutrition facts. This fact helped them learn that consumption of this grain-like seed, increased the stamina of their warriors. They called it ‘chisaya mama’ that is, “mother of all grains...'”

WOW! These impressive little seeds boast helps with diabetes, weight loss, migraines and relaxing blood vessels. So I cooked it like rice.. 1 cup Quinoa to 2 cups veggie broth in my rice steamer. I liked it–I need to up my flavor game, though. I liked it better topped with veggies or beans, so I’ll be sure to add more herbs and spices to the next Quinoa batch. It is a keeper!

Snacks- Y’all know I love my snacks! Trader Joe’s has a cereal bar called “A Blueberry Walked Into A Bar” (cute, huh)? Chock full of blueberry goodness and selenium, this bar makes a fantastic in between snack or quick breakfast.

Snack time! Baked Pita Chips, guac & salsa...mmm!

I bought TJ’s Pita Bites and Triscuits crackers for my snack cravings! The tasty baked wheat squares are a great source of my favorite–FIBER!! I also bought a container of guacamole to accompany my crackers. Avocado/guacamole has so much nutrition, “good” fat, and flavor, it’s a tasty way to get healthy. Sometimes, I add some salsa for a little kick and extra vitamin C.


Dessert–I bought some Silk brand Coconut Milk (next to the refrigerated Almond Milk), frozen organic berries (blueberry, blackberry and strawberry medley) and bananas. I put a glass of milk in the freezer till after dinner and then poured the really cold milk, a handful of frozen berries, added a banana and a little agave nectar in the blender for a few pulses. After a sip, I was instantly hooked!

Yea-ya...Fruit smoothies ROCKS!

I have one almost every day.  Warning: Coconut milk is a little high in fat, it’s supposed to be “good” fat and if you are eating well most of the time, you should be all right drinking it. I will likely reserve it for when I want a treat, using Almond or Hemp milk   (yep, I said Hemp Milk) as a smoothie base. This is a great snack or breakfast as well.

Well folks, that’s it for this 2 Forks segment. Stay tuned to see what’s cookin’ in Blenblogs kitchen!

Thanks for reading and God bless you!

Blen

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