One of my Greatest Privileges.

There's a man I know really well.  He's a really good man :)

He's consistent.  Unmoved by circumstances. Anchored in the Lord.  Handsome. Strong. Sensitive. Humble. Passionate in his calling.  Trustworthy.  Full of integrity. Super Encouraging. Loyal.  Stubborn. Wild. A real rabble rouser (with the kids ;).

Many of you know him already.  But if you don't, you should. His name is David Johnson, and I have the privilege of calling him my husband (or babe, or honey, or "David Johnson!" depending on the day).

We've been married for 10 years, and through those years I've known the desires of my husband's heart. You see, he went to college to be a pastor.  It's his calling to be in ministry, and his desire for that never wavered even when he worked in ministry as a volunteer. He volunteered his time for years. His dream was to work at our church, and even more than that, to serve under the man who discipled him as a teenager, our youth pastor at the time.  But then our youth pastor became the executive pastor and eventually the senior pastor and a new pastor took the youth pastor role, and Dave served the new pastor with the same faithfulness that he had before. Through leadership changes, he remained consistent, waiting patiently on the Lord. Even when he had days where he was discouraged about God's timing, felt like it was never going to happen or when someone was hired instead of him to work positions I thought for sure he was more than qualified for, he still remained solid in his vision. Even when I, as an emotional woman, would get upset about the "unfairness" or the times we both wondered if God was calling us elsewhere, no matter what, he would say, "We don't move until God moves us." And then he'd brush off the dust of discouragement and doubt and continue faithfully, all the while working jobs that weren't his calling so he could provide for his family.

But God's timing is literally spot on.

One day about 5 years ago, we both decided that maybe we were supposed to find ministry work elsewhere. Not because we were disgruntled, but just willing to do whatever God wanted us to do to fulfill the vision God had given Dave, one that I fully supported.  It was kind of exciting actually. But as soon as we began sending out applications to other churches, God opened the door for Dave to be hired at our church! Isn't that hilarious?! So, Dave was hired part time at first, and then before long he was a full time staff member, eventually filling the Helps pastor role, serving the very man he had longed to serve so many years before, the pastor of our church. I watched my husband pass test after test after test, never giving up. And to top it off, just this week, God answered the biggest part of Dave's dream; one that he has been believing for for over 10 years: he was promoted and is now officially the Associate Helps Pastor! I'm so incredibly proud of my man. What an honor and joy it is to serve at our church together. And the funny thing is, this surprise from the Lord was one of our fasting rewards and He gave the reward even before the end of this year's fast, totally catching me off guard! God is so amazing! He always amazes me, and usually catches me off guard with His sheer amazingness :)

I'm continually amazed by the man I get to spend my life with.  I get to be a part of his dreams as well as my own dreams! He has taught me so much about perseverance, faithfulness and selflessness. He truly is a shining example of Jesus. And he's my best friend.

During this fasting season, or whatever season you're in, I want to encourage you that God has great plans to accelerate the vision in your life this very year. He wants to promote you into something greater than where you're at right now.  Stand strong and remain faithful.  God WILL fulfill your wildest dreams! He will give you your hearts desires! Never, ever, ever give up!

Love, Kristin :)

"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." [Ephesians 3:20]

P.S. I have another fabulous Daniel Fast-friendly dinner recipe to share with you below. OOOh, I'm so excited about this one!!! It is addicting! I modified it from this recipe, making it completely Daniel fast friendly.

.:The original recipe calls for 1 egg, which I would normally use, but since there aren't eggs on the Daniel fast, I replaced an egg with 2 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 6 Tbsp water and let it set for a few minutes. It gets slimy and perfect for binding the recipe together like an egg. Worked great:.

Sweet Potato Corn Cakes with Garlic Dipping Sauce

2 Sweet Potatoes
1 Cup frozen corn
2 Green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 1/3 cup ground cornmeal
Coconut oil for frying
Garlic sauce for dipping from your nearest Mediterranean restaurant (here in Lansing, that's Woody's Oasis or Zaytoon). Or make your own using this recipe here.

Poke the sweet potatoes with a sharp knife and bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour.   When they're done, scoop out the flesh into a large bowl.  Add the corn, onions, cilantro, spices, cornmeal and flax-egg replacement. Mix it all together completely and allow to set in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat a skillet on medium/high heat and add the coconut oil. I prefer coconut oil because it's a good high heat oil. When you see the oil get wavy (not smoky), it's ready.  Shape the mixture into small patties and place in the hot oil, allowing to cook, flipping once, until both sides are golden brown on each side.  Place on a paper towel to drain the oil. Serve with garlic sauce on the side.

Oh my holy smokes these are AMAZING!

Kid and Ninja Turtle approved ;)

How fasting changed my life forever in the most glorious way! (and a yummy Daniel fast-friendly soup recipe)

7 years ago this month I decided that during our church's annual corporate fast, which occurs every January, I would get really serious about it for the first time ever. I had fasted before, but never with a reward in mind, even though our pastor had taught us that God rewards us for being obedient and fasting. I mainly did it because everyone else was doing it, but I never really understood the power of combining fasting with prayer.  Not only is it obedient to God, but it accelerates breakthrough in your life,  and it's a great way to put your flesh in check.  Not always fun, but always necessary :) I know that now, but I didn't fully grasp it then. 

Jesus said in Matthew 6:17-18, that 

"when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you."

So, it's a given that fasting is to be a part of the life of a follower of Christ, because Jesus said "when", not "if" you fast. But God, being the super amazing Father He is, doesn't just expect us to do it and then we go on our merry way. No! He has to plans to reward you for doing it!

Ok, so back to what I did 7 years ago.

I had been waiting to get pregnant and, at the time, my body was not cooperating. It seemed like everyone around me was getting pregnant without much effort, and here I was, struggling to have the baby I so desperately desired. You see, I wasn't having a period. I hadn't had one in 4 months and even when I had that one, it was totally sporadic and incredibly painful. But still I took pregnancy test after pregnancy test hoping that my lack of a monthly cycle was because I was pregnant. But nope. 6 months after we began trying for a baby, I still wasn't pregnant.  I was really desperate because at the time, I didn't actually know how long it was going to take to get pregnant. This was my first time. And so many thoughts go through your mind: "Can I have children?" "What's wrong with me?" "Why are people getting pregnant that aren't even married or even want to be pregnant?!"  And so on and so forth. The waiting was really, really hard. 

So, I made a decision. I said, "Ok God, I'm going to do a Daniel Fast for 2 weeks. And I want my reward to be that I get pregnant with my first child."  So I began a Daniel fast, which is just eating fruits, vegetables and grains, and I was VERY persistent in my prayers to the Father about my desire and thanking Him in advance for my baby.  What was cool was during that time of fasting, not only did my body get healthier by eating healthier, but God opened doors of opportunities for healing solutions, ones that were very unique and ones that no one normally would have ever thought of AND He provided financially for it as well.  But because I had positioned myself to hear from the Father during that time, I was able to know about those things and pursue them. 

Here comes the good part.

On day 14 of that fast, I started my period.  Coincidence? I think NOT! How would my body know that that was the last day I was fasting? No, it was a direct answer to my very persistent prayers and a reward for my fasting. The next month, I read my first positive pregnancy test.  9 months later, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy who would turn out to be one of the most absolutely fantastic, amazing, adorable, smart, intelligent, kind, thoughtful, sweet, funny little boys I've ever known.  HOLY MOLY God is good!  

What are you believing God for this year? I hope it's big, because He is waiting for you to believe that He will do for you what you're asking of Him. And be encouraged! Fasting brings wonderful results every. single. time. Next time you see my son Tyler, you'll know what I'm talking about ;) 


Blessings! 

P.S. I also wanted to share with all of you doing a Daniel fast, a delicious recipe that I made for dinner tonight. I modified this recipe that normally includes meat, but switched out the chicken breast and chicken broth with extra beans and veggie broth. Make sure you choose organic as much as possible and find a vegetable broth that has just vegetables in it. 

Crockpot Sweet Potato Black Bean & Quinoa Soup
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup quinoa
2 diced and peeled sweet potatoes
1 diced and peeled white potato
6 cups vegetable broth (you'll need 2 cartons)
1 Tbsp. Chili powder
1/4 tsp. Garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Onion powder
1 Tbsp sea salt (if you prefer less, then just do 1 tsp.)
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground Cumin

Combine all ingredients in your crockpot and cook on high for 4-5 hours.  

SOOOOO GOOOOOD!

2014: The Johnson's Year in Pictures

Today was such a beautiful day! It's almost October, which signals the beginning of my absolute FAVORITE time of year: Fall!!!  I love, love, love this time of year. From crisp days, to cider mills, to a glorious array of colors on the trees, there is so much to love about it here in Michigan.  In fact, my favorite time of the whole year is October through December.  I do wish it was a little cooler outside (I know, I'm probably in the minority with this one), but oh well :) It'll get that way soon.  I got up this morning, got myself and my daughter ready, grabbed a free coffee at McDonalds and headed to our church here in mid-Michigan. My husband, who's one of the pastors, already had taken our son to church with him, to give me a break.  Sometimes it's hard having to get everybody ready and yourself and make it to church (or anywhere for that matter) on time. I still managed to be late, Ha! No excuses ;)  Anyway, I'm writing today because I wanted to give a shout out to my very best friend Elise for taking some majorly amazing pictures of my family this year. She is so gifted in so many things, and photography is just another thing she has added to her repertoire. These pictures can give people so many ideas, like photo ideas, haircut and styling ideas, family picture outfit coordinating, fashion ideas, mixing patterns and so much more. So I decided to add some of my favorites from the photo sessions this year. I hope you enjoy them!

God Bless you :)

Love, Kristin 

The first set of pics are from our 10 year wedding anniversary photo shoot. She wanted to capture some really cool moments and I think she did beautifully :)

These pics are from our family picture photo session as well as some 2 year pics of our daughter 

And...then how it really was almost the entire time, ha!

Then there was the 4 generation photo session for my mom's 50th birthday that included my beautiful grandma, my beautiful momma, me and my beautiful daughter Lilly:

So there ya have it folks! Some of my favorite pictures from this year's photo sessions by none other than Elise Vargas Photography! She is a gem for sure!

Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing (and what it means to be balanced)

My goal with this blog is to have you join me as I learn how to live a balanced life, especially when it comes to eating habits. I don't think you should be one extreme or another when it comes to eating (unless you have to be) nor do I want to be one extreme or another. Who can relate to that?! I don't want to give you the impression that I eat perfect all the time. While I do eat well most of the time,  I still splurge, and I think we should all do that once in awhile. But we live in a world that is severely out of balance when it comes to taking care of ourselves. I've learned a lot in my journey to good health about myself, about eating healthy and about my faith for sure.  I've also learned to really like new things and my palate has tremendously expanded.

Being in balance doesn't mean what you think. It's not 50/50. You don't eat crappy 50 percent of the time and healthy 50 percent of the time. In my opinion (which is imperfect, but refined), proper balance in eating is 80/20. Our flesh or "humanness" wants the 80 percent to be the splurge and the 20 percent to be healthy, but if you want to maintain a good weight and a healthy body, you need to eat healthy 80 percent of the time and 20 percent leaves room for the treats.  What that means is different for everyone, but I suspect most of you are smarter than you think, and you can figure it out for yourselves :) The only thing in life that I think you should be one extreme or the other is in your relationship with Jesus.  Either you're all in with God or you're not. You can't be "balanced" or in the middle with that doing 50/50 or 80/20; you have to be 100 percent with Him.  

I know I'm a stay at home mom and my time at home leaves a little more flexibility for me in the kitchen, but the recipes I share with you aren't complicated and if you have the ingredients on hand, won't take a long time either.  Because if it did take a long time and was super complicated, I WOULDN'T DO IT!  Yikes! Who has time for that anyway? 

In between doing mommy things such as the recent cleaning of poop off the walls (courtesy of my 2 year old), giving my children once a week baths (because I forget how long it's been since the last one), folding clothes, maintaining a budget, keeping a house functionally clean, making sure groceries are purchased, dating my husband and much more, I don't have time to hand-make everything all the time, but I do try to use real food in a lot of my cooking.  Also, much of the cooking I do at home is gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free.

I am by no means an expert on nutrition, but I have some tidbits of wisdom and some yummy recipes that I can share with you. 

God bless!

Love, Kristin 

Today's recipe is my NEW FAVE salad dressing. I'm so glad I found it! Not only is it super easy and nutritious, but it's super yummy too. You know it's good when your toddler licks the spoon. And even though it's free of dairy, it's just as creamy as a dairy based salad dressing. It also gives you a delicious, necessary and healthy dose of good fats. You will NOT be disappointed AND with the ingredients on hand, it only takes minutes to make. No excuses! ;) 

Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing

from Redbook Magazine

1 Large ripe avocado

2 green onions (white and light green parts only)

1 large garlic clove

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice from 1/2 lemon (or 1/3 cup lemon juice

Salt to taste

Pinch of Cayenne pepper

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and process until smooth. 

The consistency of this dressing is so smooth and creamy that not only is it good for salad, but I reckon you could also spread it on a sandwich like mayonnaise. In fact you could use this dressing in place of mayo in most recipes that would call for that. I eat a lot of eggs, but this would be a great egg-free alternative to mayo for those of you that don't.

And now, what you've all been waiting for...the pictures:

Peace and Thank You.

For the past several weeks my pastor has been doing an amazing series on peace.  I feel like in the past year, during my healing journey (which also includes my emotions), I've really struggled in this area, so it was right on time for me. Peace isn't based on what's going on around you. The biggest most important thing I've learned about peace, is that true, lasting peace isn't based on outward circumstances at all!  Real peace, the kind that comes from Jesus, is the kind that stays settled in your heart even when things around you feel so unsettled and discombobulated. 

"As followers of Christ, peace is our inheritance. If you're not a follower of Christ, you GET to live in worry"(K. Berry).  The cure for anxiety, worry and fear doesn't come from taking medication, having positive thoughts or going to therapy.  They might alleviate the symptoms, but it won't pull out the root of the problem.  The only cure that lasts forever is putting your trust in Jesus and casting your cares and concerns onto Him. In fact, we're instructed to do that in 1 Peter 5:7: "God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to Him."  You can certainly try it your own way, and maybe it will subside for a bit. But you'll quickly realize that it comes back with a vengeance, sorta like a boomerang.   When you put your trust in Jesus, the Prince of Peace, you'll find that "peace isn't the absence of challenges; it means that trouble can be all around you, but it won't get inside of you"(K. Berry).  When you allow Jesus to take up the space in your heart that normally would occupy fear and worry, then naturally there's no room for those things anymore.   Let's take a look at the story in Mark 4:35-39, where Jesus was actually sleeping on a boat in the middle of an intense storm.  In fact, the crew had to wake him up to do something about it.  Now, that's my kind of peace!!!  You'll notice if you read the end of verse 39, after Jesus tells the storm to be still, that it goes on to say: "and there was a great calm."  When Jesus is involved, you can expect a great calming of your fears and worries. 

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Philippians 4:6-7, where it tells us to: "not worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He's done. If you do this, you'll experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." My pastor put it this way to sum up this verse: "Don't worry, instead pray. Tell God, thank Him; Then Peace."  Wow! That's it? That's it. And it really works. There was a time in my past, when I was going through a very anxious season. I found this verse, wrote it on a notecard, memorized it and said it aloud whenever anxiety tried to creep up (like it's little creeper self). And you know what? The anxiety melted away.  But remember not to get lazy about peace. Don't think for one second that anxiety, fear and worry won't try to revisit it's old stomping grounds. Peace is a daily walk.  But it's so worth the journey (like beyond worth it). :)

I encourage you to put your trust in the only one who can calm your storm. He will not only calm the storm within you, but "the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs." (Zephaniah 3:17)  Let's get to the point where we look into the face of a storm, of whatever sort that is, and say: 

"Wow, that's impressive. But my God, the actual Prince of Peace, is way bigger than that. Booyah!"

Peace. Quite Literally.

Love,

Kristin

*(If you're interested in the full series on peace entitled "Peace Be With You" go here.)

         

My healthy recipe for the day:  

If you have a juicer, USE IT! I've had one for about 10 years and am just now falling in love with it's magical, miraculous juicing pOwAh!

I juiced:

3 Romaine leaves (healthy skin; chlorophyll)

2 Celery Stalks  (very hydrating, incredibly alkalizing)

1/4 of an English Cucumber (anti-inflammatory, alkalizing)

3 Strawberries (boosts your brain)

1 organic apple (heart health and liver cleansing)

Juice & pour over ice. Super yummy!

A Healing Journey

For the past 11 months I've been on a healing journey, physically and emotionally. I'm in the process of being healed in the areas of my gut, thyroid, hormones, pain in my neck & shoulders and food sensitivities. My emotions are also being healed from things that happened in my past.  I believe God has led me to do this using a combination of faith (asking, believing in faith for and expecting through the promises in the Bible), Godly, Spiritual guidance (Holy Spirit led) and nutrition (healthy eating, proper supplementation, etc). I'm trying different things to see what works best (Ecclesiastes 11:6 NLT). God is so good! I'm so glad that He made me aware of these things now rather than later. So I can enjoy the rest of my relevant life healthy and whole.  You see, He cares about the whole person, mind, body and spirit.  It's been interesting, to say the least, and quite difficult. Fighting your flesh is never easy and I've learned that food has a voice and change can be painful. But I know, through it all, it will be worth it.  It's funny, I've always wanted to eat healthier and take better care of my body, but I never had the motivation to do so until I was essentially forced to do it, by some test results at the doctor. I don't know if I would have made any changes otherwise, but I know when someone makes you do something your flesh doesn't want you to do, the toddler inside of you (that you didn't realize was in there) comes out in various ways.  A temper tantrum here, a cry-fest there.  As my pastor has said in the past, "you find out who you are when you're shaken."  Boy, was I shaken! And I had a choice that I could stay the same, which I thought was most comfortable, or I could change for the better.  I've learned through this that healing can happen in layers, which can be frustrating, living in a world of instant gratification. But however the healing happens, I need to trust God that He will see to it that my healing is completed, because He is my healer. He didn't cause these things to happen, but He will use the situation for my good and for the good of those around me. I want this blog to not just be about a specific situation, however, like so many of them out there are, but to just show you what a simply relevant and healthy, balanced life looks like. You go through hills and valleys, but we're never alone if we put our faith in the One who created us. He knows us inside and out. Often you'll probably see me post a new recipe I've tried or maybe just a thought I've had for the day, but whatever it is, I hope you'll join me on this journey. I feel so proud of myself when I find a healthy recipe that looks delicious, then try it and find that eating healthy is so GOOD.  I believe in enjoying splurges now and then (1 Timothy 6:17 AMP); it's not wrong to eat pizza, cake and cookies.  But healthy eating on a regular, daily basis changes everything you ever thought about the food you put into your mouth.  I hope this also encourages you that you have a purpose, and that your life is RELEVANT! Find your identity in Jesus, and He will show you exactly what that looks like :) You may even discover things about yourself you didn't know existed. 

Today I want to share with you a recipe that I put together using recipes from other people.  I made homemade sloppy-joes using real food. It was super simple! Especially if you make things ahead of time. Now don't get the wrong idea. I don't always make gourmet meals every night. Who has time for that??!! Especially with little ones in the house. But it's not that difficult to put together healthy dinners, if you have things made already. With this recipe I used:

1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken)
1/2 can tomato sauce (with no nasty ingredients or added sugar)
1/2 cup homemade BBQ sauce 
(http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2011/01/apple-butter-barbecue-sauce/)
Garlic powder to taste 
Sea salt to taste
Fresh chopped or dried parsley

Brown and drain the ground beef.  Add the remaining ingredients, cover and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Voila!

I also made gluten/dairy and yeast free hamburger buns using this recipe here.
*I made a couple of modifications. I used my favorite gluten free flour blend by Namaste that you can purchase at your local health food store (gluten free flour). Instead of sugar I used stevia powder, but you could use raw honey or maple syrup. I also added equal parts baking soda and lemon juice to achieve a similar rise in the dough as yeast would create. For example, I did 1/2 Tbsp. Lemon juice to 1/2 Tbsp. Baking soda, mixed in a cup and then added to the wet ingredients. Turned out amazing!

I hope you all have a great day :)

(From the summer of 2011): One of things I have dreamt of for awhile is to write music. Recently I was asked to be a part of a song writing team at my church.  It's such a great honor.  Through all my human-ness (is that even a word?), God still allowed me to be one of the song writers for the upcoming childrens' worship album.  I'm so excited to be surrounded by such a great group of people!  It's really a dream come true.  Being asked to do such an amazing thing reminds me that our Father knows our heart's desires.  He put them there.  I have to remember to stay humble and be mindful of what this is truly all about: bringing glory to God.  But I can totally have a lot of fun in the process, using the gifts and talents that He has given me for such a task.  You should enjoy what God has called you to do in this life! Yay for God's amazing plans!  Dream big my friends, dream big :o)

Psalm 20:4
"May He grant your heart's desires and make all your plans succeed."