The power of the extra spice

Without shame or any form of remorse, I admit I'm not close to being an average cook.  Infact I lack the basic female cooking gene!  I am gifted with two left hands in the kitchen and an unresponsive taste bud!! Before I embark on the simplest cooking voyage, I have in my mind's eye a picture of the most amazing, taste bud defying meal but despite my best efforts it turns out  blah for want of a better description. Can't wait for the invention of those futuristic  magic food pills that you can simply pop into the microwave and the result is the most gratifying mouth watering dish ever. Seriously, I mean a three course meal in a single pill.

Unabashed by my seeming lack of cooking drive or ability, I blazed into the kitchen to whip up my crave for day, THE AMAZING JOLLOF RICE.

 Like everyone in planet food lovers, I adore jollof rice, in fact its my Kryptonite.  It has the ability to turn this super woman to mush. I can dance the Irish Jig for free at the Dublin city centre on a cold day without a coat just for a plate of this delightful dish.

While digging up my not so secret ingredients, I decided to do something differently today. I had this "enlightening" idea to add extra spice to my pot of wonder. I am quite basic when cooking maybe that's why my cooking has been poorly. But not today, I went the extra mile of spicing my jollof with my now secret ingredient and the result was astonishing!

 I must confess, I truly have outdone myself. Ironically, some of the ingredients had been in my kitchen cupboard all this time while the others were bought during my last shopping but they all worked out well.

Like my previous attempt at jollof rice, a lot of Christians are just as bland-Nothing to distinguish them from the average unbeliever. They live and talk the same defeatist talk like every other person. Unfortunately, unlike the unbelievers what the believing child of God requires to live an extraordinary life is within him or her and within reach. It takes the desire and extra effort to achieve that level. All you need is the extra spice.

In my kitchen adventure, I realised I had the head knowledge of how to cook jollof rice even have some of the extra ingredients but when it got to actual execution, the result were far from perfect. However, with an extra pince of salt and other spices my jollof rice is sort of a master piece.
For the believer the secret ingredient and extra spice for a victorious life is THE HOLY SPIRIT.

http://www.troll.me/2011/11/03/futurama-fry/i-knew-it/

 The Holy spirit is not the only the extra spice HE IS THE MAIN SPICE.There is just no doing without Him if you desire the extra oomph in your life. The Holy brings with Him the total package which is described as the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Gal 5:22-23."but the fruit of the Spirit is Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such there is no law.
Spice up your life with these basic truths and the result is breathtaking.You simply can't have too much of these  ingredients to live the truly good life. Truth is we have some of these fruits already resident in us but we need the holy spirit to enhance the deposit. The Holy Spirit is the difference between bland and absolutely victorious.

Remember the disciples remained ordinary until they experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Upper room in Act 2. Peter went from ministering a to few believers to converting over three thousand persons in one day. Wow! Don't you just want that?
 Don't waste any more time living a defeated  life, get the extra spice and enrich your life!
As for my Jollof rice, I'm so proud of it but I'll keep the ingredients secret for now...lol

Staying On Track with Your Bible study Plans.

Starring at me were several apps on my phone to help keep track of my bible study plans for the year. Some read 14% completed while others ranged between 20 to 35%.  As these numbers glared at me I guiltily starred back. The numbers reflected another bad effort to completely finish a study plan. Of course I study my bible but I would love to strictly adhere to these bible plans without that nagging guilty feeling of incompetence.

Picture courtesy www.freedigitalphotos.net

Truth is I want to be able to boast that I started and actually finished the plan...lol. Every girls's desire is to be a good bible study girl simply both to please the lord and have an effective Christian life. But somehow these good intentions get swept under the tidal wave of school runs, work and several activities hence the guilt trip. Excuses taken and pushed aside, nothing should take the place of an effective bible study. It is crucial to a successful relationship with the lord.

www.freedigitalphotos.net.

 Bible study should not be a chore but an enjoyable endeavour, acceptable and pleasing to the lord. It's full of treasures and therein  lies the map. SEE IT AS AN ADVENTURE WAITING TO BE EXPLORED. It's a love letter from a devoted lover to his beloved. I just love love letters and I love adventures so my bible gets all the angles covered. Its THE TOTAL PACKAGE covering issues such as finances, marriage, leadership, health, social responsibility. you name its, its all there.
Given its importance, it is essential therefore with the help of the Holy spirit to have an effective bible study strategy. I found this article by Biblestudytools.com Editors very useful and had to share.
Follow this link to read more on bible study tools

Make an effort

My friend looked as If she had seen a ghost. Well, figuratively speaking, she had seen a ghost-A beautiful ghost! I looked like a page out of a fashion magazine! No wonder my friend kept staring at me with mouth wide open. "Close your mouth before fly enter", I kidded and gently took my sit in her kitchen. "You win lotto?" she asked jokingly as she spun me around to have a better look at my ensemble. I had not won the lotto but just decided to put an effort on how I looked. You see, I am not your regular fashionista but I love fashion. I love the idea of looking good and applaud every woman or man that stands out in a crowd as a result of their daring fashion choices. Most times, I envision myself all clad up in the season's trendy best but alas some of these styles wouldn't suit an ample bosomed lady like moi and that's putting it lightly. As much as I love my clothes and shoes over time I've become slack in looking put together especially during the week when I'm home doing nothing. It’s not unusual to see me dashing about in town in simple jeans or slacks nothing out of the ordinary except with my hair most times in disarray. But I wasn't always like this. There was a time I truly cared about how I looked and made an effort to look on point either at home or when out and about. That day while reaching out for my usual uniform of jeans and jumper, I had an epiphany. I discarded my first choice of clothes and picked something else. Looking back at me in the mirror wasn't the usual slobby mum but a beautiful trendy lady. I looked good on the outside and felt better on the inside. There is something about putting on beautiful clothes that gives a boost to your self esteem especially if you’ve got a healthy dose already. Expectedly, I got a bounce on my feet and loved the stares I got on the street. I felt beautiful. Looking good takes concerted effort and so does success and great relationships. They don’t just happen by wishful thinking. Prolific Minister and writer Joyce Meyer once said the grass looks greener on the other side because it was obviously well watered and pruned! It takes deliberate effort to achieve a beautiful well watered garden. Many people desire the magazine styled lives or relationships that we most times read about in romantic novels and think it’s nigh impossible, I BEG TO DISAGREE. Like my friend Pastor Kingsley Okonkwo of David Christian Centre would say “YOU CAN HAVE THE MARRIAGE OF YOUR DREAMS. If only we can rise off our butt and MAKE AN EFFORT “Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.” Proverb 22:29. You may not feel like it but try anyway. It is always worth it. It may seem difficult but it would be worth it. Look at me! I’m getting compliments like I was sixteen ....lol. P.S Thank God, I made an effort to look fabulous this morning; I met a long time admirer on my way to the groceries store. Like my friend, he stood and stared at me with mouth wide open. The rush I felt was worth the extra effort in front of the mirror!!! SORRY!!!! don't have pictures to upload yet, my phone fell and crashed.Would have a replacement in the next two days. Thank God for insurance.