Cucumber Dip {A Recipe}

Ok, I know summer is just starting, but if you’re starting to look for ways to use up cucumbers, I have a recipe you gotta try.  It looks like an incredibly healthy dish and a prime candidate for a “ladies’ get-together,” but just wait and see.  You may be surprised!

The Ingredients:

• 3/4 to 1 whole cucumber
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 2-3 Tablespoons minced onion
• Seasoned salt to taste

The Process:

Peel the cucumber. 

Grate the cucumber into a medium-sized bowl (or a food-processor if you have one.)

Drain off as much liquid as you can. 

Mince the onion (if you cry, just remind yourself that it’s worth it!)

Cut about 4 ounces of softened cream cheese into 1/2-inch chunks.

Combine and mix onions, cream cheese, and seasoned salt with grated cucumbers.  Use whatever utensil you need to use in order to get the cream cheese blended together with the other ingredients – just a spoon won’t do the trick.  (I just use a fork, but a pastry blender might also work. A food processor will blend it together quite nice if you’re using one.)

It should look something like this—I know, kind of blah and unexciting, but you just wait!  You won’t be able to stop eating it! 

Right now you’re probably thinking “I thought she said it wasn’t a healthy ‘ladies’ get-together’ sort of dish.  Where’s the good stuff?”

This is Isaac the other night. He loves this stuff.    

The Catch:
You combine this cucumber dip with some potato chips, and ta-dah!! You won’t be able to stop munching!  I mean, it has cucumbers in it, so it is deliciously healthy, right?  (But it is oh, so ridiculously unhealthy at the same time!) This stuff is crazy addicting.

Serve it to your girlfriends if you want, but make sure to offer some to the guys in your life as well!  (You better have plenty of potato chips on hand!)

Describe Him: Holy

I’ve been slow in posting the “H” in the Describe Him series simply because,  honestly, I’ve had a hard time knowing what to say about God’s holiness.  So I’ll keep it short and to the point.

God is holy, there is no doubt about that.  If you’re uncertain about how holy He is, just start reading the Bible: His holiness comes out loud and clear, from Genesis to Revelation.

He has called His children to also be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16.)

Sooo, how does being holy as He is holy look like in your life?  

A Day in the Park {or Celebrating 2 Years}

June 1st was our anniversary.  Has it already been two whole years since we got married!?!?  We kept it simple, but we did spend the day doing something out-of-the-normal to celebrate!  We’ve talked a lot about having a picnic in Wind Cave National Park  just a few miles north of us, but we’ve never gotten around to it.  Until now.  An anniversary was a perfect excuse to take a breakfast picnic and hike around for a few hours!

Love this guy.

What I'm reading and listening to

Here are some links that I've enjoyed in the last few days:

 Seeing the Invisible God -- We live in the physical world and can't see God physically...and the article says the rest.

The Gospel Coalition's interview with Sandra McCracken about her new album, Psalms.

(BONUS: you can listen to several songs from the album, as well as get a free download for lead sheets for the whole album and an mp3 of We Will Feast.)

While we're on the subject of music, I think Indelible Grace's album Joy Beyond the Sorrow is kind of growing on me....

Peter Krol's blog, Knowable Word, is packed with instruction, resources, and practical encouragement to keep digging into God's Word for myself.  


Have a great week!
~ Angie

In light of Mother's Day a week or so ago, check out this article: Mother's Day, expectations, and what we honor.

On Writing and Improving it

I am finding that I enjoy writing and putting my thoughts down into words for others to read.  Writing something that is [hopefully] coherent to others  helps me to wade through my jumbled thoughts and opinions.  Putting something down in words forces me to grasp at that ambiguous idea  floating around in my head, become passionate about it, and then work to make it concrete enough to explain it to someone else so that they too might become passionate about it.

Maybe that is part of why I enjoy writing on this blog.

With that said, I've been reading up on how to improve my writing.  Here are some books that have been helpful:

- Writing with Style, by John R. Trimble is my current reading material.  The author effectively gets his points across through an easy, conversational style.  

- On Writing Well, by William Zinnsser was also a helpful read, particularly the first-half or so.  You can find it for free online HERE.

- Challies has recommended Wordsmithy, by Doug Wilson as a good read on becoming a better writer.  I would like to read it (but haven’t, since it isn't readily available for free online.)

You readers out there who also enjoy writing: any thoughts/pointers/critiques on my writing and how I can improve it?  I don’t have teachers to hand in my papers to anymore, so you all are now the ones who have to give the feedback!  Leave a comment or facebook me—I’d love any kind of feedback!

Describe Him: God

When we say that He is God, we declare several presuppositions to be true:
He is Deity. 
He is the only God.
He is the only true God.
As God, He deserves all worship and glory.

Conversely, in saying that God is God, we state that
we are not gods,
there are no other gods,
anyone else who claims to be god is a false god,
and no one else should receive the worship and glory that is given to God. 

Declaring God to be God reminds us that He is over us in power and authority.  In turn, we answer to Him. This demands obedience and consequences when there is a lack of obedience. In other words, man sins and God's holy character demands that sin be punished.

This leads to man's need for the Gospel, which Satan hates with a passion.  If Satan can convince man that there is no God or a different kind of god than the One revealed in the Bible, he drives man away from the Gospel and eternal life.  
But no matter Satan’s lies, no matter what an individual believes, the truth doesn’t change: God is God, the one true God.   And one day all will bow to worship Him.