"Praise You in This Storm"

"I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth"

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Randomly I chose this song for my text message ring tone. And it's been incredible for me today. He holds me. He knows when I cry. He hasn't left my side. And I will praise Him. Even when I feel like quitting. When I wonder why I try. When I feel beyond tears. He still is there and I choose to praise Him.

Even though I know my security is in Christ, there are times when I forget that and allow my circumstances to define who I am. This week was one of those times.

Last week our business computer crashed- something to do with a bad virus that is new and can get past antivirus programs. My frustration that day turned to distress as several days passed and I was still not able to do payroll and write any bills. The situation weighed even heavier on Blake because I let projects go out without being paid, which then put the bank account in a bad position for ordering more parts for the next jobs.

Then to top off the stressfulness for Blake, I didn't work much this week. Lanna was able to come visit for a few days.  After she got here on Tuesday afternoon, we spent the next 72 hours discussing wedding plans and shopping far and wide for necessary stuff. After spending several hours in Jo-Ann's, we succeeded in making good use of a great pre-easter sale they had. She has lots of pretty fabric now that must be sewn into dresses. Yes, she is sewing her own wedding dress. I'm thankful that it is her doing that project. :)

Once I finally got my computer back, it had a whole new hard drive with no programs so today I finally got all my programs downloaded back onto it. My accounting software was recently backed up but my billing software... well let's just say I thought I was diligently doing it every day and didn't realize what exactly was happening. I'm still hoping that my old hard drive can have that info gotten off it because otherwise... there might be a lot that is lost and I'm hoping my position as wife is not one of those. Blake wasn't exactly happy with me over that one!

Yesterday Lanna and I drove her back to Michigan, where she and Micah were catching a train to Chicago in a few short hours. Then I delivered my truck load of engine parts to a guy about an hour from Lanna's and arrived back home before it was even really late! It felt good this morning to see a little more space back in the engine/transmission room from cleaning out those parts that I took.

My brother Josh moved out here last week and this week started a job doing...something with building. Truthfully I'm not exactly sure what he does but he said he was wearing a hard hat and it sounded like a roof was being put on. All that to say, he now has a cute little apartment over the library and has a job he likes and I'm happy to have him near by, even if he does work most waking hours and some hours where I'm still sleeping!

I enjoy those few times when I get to hang out with my siblings- it's not every day I get to see them and I'm thankful that we get to see each other once in a while. I pity those poor settlers who traveled west in covered wagons and who didn't always even get to see their family ever again!

Black Pepper

Last week when Blake's sister was cooking some food to take to a function, I offered to stir the pot of green bean casserole fixings together. She handed me a spoon to taste it after she flavored it with a lot of salt. It struck me how differently people cook. I would have used about half the salt and added pepper, so, being my typical self I told her how I would flavor it. She shrugged and got out the pepper, so I sprinkled a bit into the pot. I heard a gasp behind me and stopped abruptly, scared. I hadn't used as much as I would use in a dish for just the two of us, but apparently I use more than most people.

Later I asked Blake if he liked black pepper. He stared dumbly at me and asked if I had ever noticed how much he uses on his food. Oh yes, that's right. First he turns his food white with salt and then he wants to add some color so he blackens it with pepper. I guess he doesn't mind if I add it to the food from the get go.

Realizing that maybe I cook with a lot of the stuff sparked my interest about whether or not it is even good for me.

Prized highly in antiquity, black pepper is grown on a plant native to southeast Asia;Vietnam grows the largest percentage of the world's crop. The fruit is harvested before it is fully ripe and allowed to dry, which turns the peppercorns black.

Although it has high quantities of Vitamin A and K in it, the amount of pepper consumed under normal circumstances is not enough to get any substantial dietary amount. Amazing, little, useless fact there, huh?! :)

Black pepper's greatest substance is a chemical known as piperine, which is responsible for the spiciness. Piperine enhances digestion, as it stimulates digestive enzymes and reduces gastrointestinal food transit times. It also increases beta-endorphins in the brain, acts as an anti-depressant and boosts brain function. It is antioxidant, significantly reducing cancer causing cells.

For those with an aversion to black pepper, piperine can be bought as a supplement called Bioperine.

Peppercorns maintain their nutrients for a long time but as soon as it is ground into powder- the form most often bought, it will only maintain freshness for up to a couple of months. Maybe I should consider buying the peppercorns and grinding them from here on out?

I'm thinking since Blake likes pepper, I'll continue to use it. At least it isn't bad for us! :)