Jesus says the truth will set you free. Is anyone else hungry for truth? Truth in knowing who you really are? How about truth in knowing what is actually real, compared to lies, fake news, AI, or simply human manipulation? What about gaslighting and how the effects of it leave us questioning our own identities and self-confidence?
What would the world, your community, school, or your home look like if we all lived in the true identity that God gave us? Think about that. There would be no more comparing, no more competitive “keep up with the Joneses”, no more judgment or gossip. We would all be living in the identity of who God calls us, confidently, courageously, and full of peace, radiating Joy!
Let me reiterate, we would be completely satisfied with how we look, walk, talk, and what we wear. Our identity would shine through our work and relationships. Our place of employment would not define us or what we do; our identity of who God made us to be would sparkle in our everyday happenings. We would complement each other in our talents and gifts, cooperating as one. No more jealousy, no more envy, and no more shame.
This sounds a lot like Heaven. Friends, it is. Heaven does exist on earth, and it starts with you pursuing your identity. Ask God personal questions, and listen to what He says about you.
How to get started!
1 Read
Get to know Jesus. Why? Jesus is the one who can set us free and who can show us how to live a life of truth. He is your refuge. Jesus is the source of life. He is Truth. Read the Gospels (New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), then read them again to get to know his character and how to love.
2 Watch
Watch The Chosen to give you the idea of what life was like in the years Jesus walked this planet. The Chosen is a combination of Biblical truth with some Hollywood theatrics to show you how the Bible is timeless in our modern times.
3 Study
Another tool is the Life Application Study Bible. This Bible can also be useful for studying verse interpretation. It has a helpful concordance to look up specific topics or emotions. Detailed charts, maps, and biographies are interesting to read in this Bible as well.
Use your imagination and visualize Jesus with you. We call this your “Safe Place”. You choose a place where you feel free and safe, like a beach, meadow, the woods, your living room couch, or so forth. Close off all distractions. Close your eyes and visualize this place. What does it look like, smell like, feel like, and what are you hearing?
From there, ask Jesus to join you and look for him in your safe place. Is he walking toward you on the beach? Sitting next to you on the couch? Handing you a cup of camp coffee while sitting next to the campfire? I think you get the picture. Simply ask Him what you need to know about _____. “Jesus, what do you want me to know about ______?” What is Jesus telling you or showing you? Ask him any question, be real, raw, and bluntly honest. “Jesus, who do I need to forgive? Please bring that person to my attention. What does that look like?”
This is your sacred space and place to be with Jesus. “Jesus, what lies am I believing about myself, about that person, or the event that happened to me?” He will show things your heart has been longing for. “Jesus, what is it that you want me to replace that lie with?” This is truly a transformative experience with our living God.
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5 Go
Go to church! It truly is best if you can attend in person. The Church is the bride of Christ. If you can’t attend in person, find a Christian church online and grow a connection with online small groups or Bible studies. Here are some of my favorites with solid doctrine that I have attended.
Ask Jesus into your life. Pray and ask Jesus to come into your life. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins, that you need Him every day, you believe that He died and rose again, and to fill you. Please know that Jesus will help your unbelief every step of the way. He will meet you where you are.
7 Do
Do what the Bible says to do. Get baptized! All the churches listed above will guide you and dig deeper into the significance of baptism. Jesus even got baptized by John the Baptist! He did this for you to follow Him. It was the beginning of his ministry. It’s a new beginning for you.
Truth will set you free. The truth about you and who you are in God’s eyes will unlock heaven on earth. First things first, get to know Jesus, the Son of God. It is through Him that you will find freedom, true identity, joy, peace, and true love. Jesus goes before you. He actually went WAY before you, all the way back to Eden. Trust Him. Stand firm next to Him. Follow Him. In Jesus’ Name.
Your living spaces have a direct impact on your well-being. Your physical health matters, and even more so, your mental health. When you feel good about your living space, it affects your mood, choices, and relationships. If you want to be a happier person, take a look around and change the room! Check out my easy, inexpensive tips on how to brighten a room. I’ve got 8 great suggestions you can do today to transform a room.
There is greatness in DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects. For one, it helps your mind work more creatively. You have to pay better attention to what you’re doing, which makes your brain work a little harder and smarter. The second benefit of DIY is that it builds confidence. If you can make something happen with your hands and skills, it magically gives you more self-esteem!
The third plus with DIY is personal gratification. It’s okay to say “I did that!” When you transform a room, an object, or a landscape with a little sweat and hands-on, you’ll instantly feel fulfillment! We all need a bit of that in our everyday lives.
Let’s get to work and make a space more cheerful! For where there is light, darkness can’t reside.
8 Amazing Tips on How to Brighten a Room
1 Clean up
First things first, clean up. Sure, you can pay for a cleaning service to clean your house, but it can get pricy. When you clean your own home, you not only get instant gratification but also a workout! You might also find some things you misplaced, including money in the couch, pants pockets, or laundry. Do yourself a favor and take charge of your living space by cleaning it yourself. Cleaning the House: 5 Factors to Understand
2 Open the shades
Draw back the curtains, twist open the blinds. Natural light is healing to the soul. It improves your mood, helps your natural clock sync with nature, encourages you to be more productive, and natural light even helps us focus. The absolute beauty of this tip is that it’s $0.00.
What if you don’t have a window? A nice-sized mirror can help! A mirror’s reflections mimic a window’s feel and make the room feel bigger than it really is. Shop around for a large mirror; garage sales, secondhand shops, and discount stores are good places. You can even purchase smaller mirrors and create a design like the picture below.
3 Buy yourself some flowers.
This doesn’t need to be a $40 bouquet. There are great flower deals at ALDI’s, Trader Joe’s, and even Costco. Don’t forget about your local roadside flower stands! You can get some amazing flowers for under $10. Why flowers? Flowers brighten a room immediately. They bring bright colors or softness into your home. A vase of flowers is a welcoming centerpiece. Grab an old mason jar and arrange a little sunshine for your kitchen island or end table.
4 String lights
String lights aren’t just for Christmas. String lights bring light to the darkness. How to brighten a room without windows? You got it, string lights! String lights are inexpensive for what they do. You can get your standard Christmas lights for around $12, if you purchase after Christmas you can get some amazing deals! I like to string them in a faux tree or along the fireplace mantel. You can also decorate around a window, line them vertically on a wall, or outline them along the ceiling. There are endless options for string lights. There are, of course, the LED moving lights; those are fun, but they are not what I am talking about. I’m talking about the standard simple white NON-LED Christmas tree lights.
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5 Get some greens
Add some plants or faux greens. Putting a touch of green in your room brings the outdoors inside. Even if it isn’t a real plant, there is something about green leaves that presents freshness and peace in a room. Plants can lower stress and anxiety, they can boost healing and energy levels, and plants can improve your mood. You can get some great faux ferns or pine boughs online or even at the dollar store.
6 Paint!
There’s nothing better than a coat of fresh paint. When some people think of cheerful colors they might pick red, yellow, orange, or purple. But in all honesty, simply go with white. If you want to know how to brighten a room with paint, especially without windows, choose white! White flows with the seasons and gives you a sense of cleanliness, freshness, and peace. Painting can be a bit more expensive, so it depends on the size of the room and the type of paint you buy. When you DIY, you’re saving even more money and honing in on a skill!
Music is a great way to set the tone of a room. Play some music that will lift you up! Find your go-to tunes that will bring peace and calm to your heart. Music is essentially free if you have a radio. I know that’s old school, but it’s free. There are, of course, Spotify, iTunes, Sirius XM, and other music subscriptions, but when it comes to managing money, know what subscriptions you have!
8 Wall prints
Need some simple yet powerful wall art? Head to Etsy and download some awesome wall prints. There is nothing more powerful than the Word of God. Displaying His truths sets the tone. When something feels off in your day, speak the Sword of the Spirit and command the darkness to flee in Jesus’ name! Seeing His promises daily helps you live out His promises, not to mention memorize them. His presence is with you all the time. Why not display it on your walls? You can easily download scripture art at the Do More Than Exist Freebies. Dig out an old frame from your closet, and you’re good to go!
Love the space you live in, it matters greatly! Brightening a room is a fun transformation you can be proud of. And when you carry out the do-it-yourself mojo, anything is possible, not to mention money-saving! Try these simple tips today and lift up your well-being in a bright and beautiful space.
Come January and February, the winter blues gradually sneak up on us. Winter blues disorder is a thing. According to the Cleveland Clinic, having the “winter blues” is actually normal. You’re totally fine to feel a little down during the colder months. They refer to it as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Um, yeah, I know I get it. No matter where we live, we’re bound to crave sunlight. But it’s not all about sunlight.
What can we do about the winter blues?13 Tips
Here are the best 13 ways to naturally reduce the ‘winter blues’. The bonus tip is HUGELY important, please read through them all. The list goes from the most common tip to the most unique. My personal favorites that are most effective are #9, #13, and the BONUS.
1- Get Outside…even if it’s cloudy.
There is power in the outdoors even when it’s cloudy. Stepping outside to get the mail can even help fight off the winter blues sad symptoms. Stepping out in nature helps you feel like you did something today, and that, in itself, a feeling of accomplishment can mend the blues of winter. Do yourself a favor, and give yourself a change of scene, even if it’s a stroll in your neighborhood. Get some fresh air. Yo, getting outside may even help you sleep better at night. Here are a few nature quotes to get you motivated.
2- Open up the shades and pull back the curtains.
Increase the amount of sunlight in your home, again, even if it’s cloudy. Open the shades and curtains! Being closed off to the incredible beauty of creation is depressing. Stop it! Simply opening the curtains or shades during the day is so incredibly healthy for your mind and well-being. This little act makes a huge impact on your psyche. Say goodbye to the winter blues disorder!
3- Take Vitamin D
There are many benefits to vitamin D. One is that it improves mood. Taking vitamin D3 also reduces upper respiratory infections. Other vitamin D benefits include bone health, helping the immune system, managing blood sugar levels, fighting heart disease, helping regulate hormones, contributing to memory, supporting skin health, and more. Dr. Axe has more info here. “D” gives you a dose of goodness.
4- Exercise
Beating the winter blues means working hard and outsmarting it! Who cares if it’s cloudy and gray outside? Bundle up and get out there. A bit of fresh air does a body and soul good. There have been studies on how exercise can boost mood. Have you heard of a runner’s high? It exists. But what if you don’t run? Lace up the walking shoes or slip on the biking shorts! Aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes; an hour would be fantastic. Winter blues sad symptoms have no room in your everyday minutes when your heart gets pumping. I like to visualize the negativity leaving my body as I work my body.
5- Set a sleep schedule
When you’re on a sleep schedule, your body will naturally flow with it. It takes a little time, but within a week or two, you should be feeling the positive effects. Stick to all-natural ways to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. Things like avoiding electronics an hour or two before bed, dimming the lights, taking a hot bath, setting a routine, reading before bed, exercising in the morning instead of the evening, and avoiding caffeine after the lunch hour. I went as far as changing out my LED light bulbs to incandescent; yet, it’s hard to find those light bulbs these days.
6- Look at what you’re eating.
A special diet to help with the winter blues? Yeah, kind of. Change up your diet and eat more Omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, walnuts, flax seeds), berries, dark chocolate, and bananas are beneficial too. Source: Healthline. These types of foods give off happy vibes. I’ve got a great recipe for salmon in a skillet. Find my recipe here. What you put into your body does affect how you feel. Get clear with cleaner foods and reduce inflammation with foods that calm. If you have digestive issues, be sure to check this post out. It has great information coming from someone who knows! (me).
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7- Try Light Therapy
Light therapy also helps manage the winter blues, but talk to your doctor first. There are a few lights to look at on Amazon. Here’s one that’s inexpensive to try: Miroco Light Therapy Lamp.
6 More Fun Things to Calm the Winter Blues
8- Add plants to your indoors
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Some other fun things we can do to brighten our blue months (January and February) are to bring green plants into your living spaces. Having plants, even if they’re fake, gives off a fresh feel to the room. Try putting a houseplant or two in your kitchen. If you don’t do well with plants, and what I mean is keeping them alive, head to your favorite hobby store or hop on Amazon and pick up some fake greens. Find other ideas on how to brighten a room here.
9- Light it up inside!
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Move your Christmas lights from your tree to other areas of your home. I have a fake tree in my house; year-round I put a string of white lights on it and turn them on in the evening and early morning. The fireplace mantel is also a great spot to have a string of lights. A few lights can go a long way! If you don’t like the typical dark green string, get the white one! You can find them on Amazon.
10- Turn on your sniffer
Fill your home with lovely smells. Honestly, I don’t know what it is about the smell of banana bread baking, but it brings warm hugs to my soul. Chicken soup does the same thing. Whatever your childhood favorite smell, make that smell happen! This is a low-cost method that goes a long way.
Play nature sounds. There are a lot of great nature sounds you can download. My personal favorites are the ones with birds, something that mimics my backyard in the warmer months. If the ocean is your favorite spot, tune into the sounds, and close your eyes.
12- Embrace the season
Welcome the stillness of the winter. Every year, I find myself craving time alone when it’s snowing outside. Since I live in Michigan, we get our share of snow. The snow has this magical way of quieting life down. Enjoy the silence of nature. One of my favorite places to be in winter is sitting in the snowbank at night…especially if it’s snowing!
13- Warm up the bones
Don’t forget to warm up your bones. If there is ever any sunshine, grab a camp chair and camp out in front of the window or door where the sunbeams shine through. I did this just the other day, and my soul immediately felt better. No sun? Try your fireplace. No fireplace? Light a candle. No candles? Take a hot bath. No bathtub? A cup of dairy-free hot chocolate or tea works too…with a pair of cozy socks.
BONUS – Pay attention to what you are watching
What you put in your mind affects what you think. Your mind is where you think, and what you watch is, of course, going to affect what you think and believe! Your thoughts affect what comes out of your mouth, not to mention how you make choices. Please, please think about this. Better yet, do an experiment with how you feel and what you think about after watching particular shows. Are you numb to violence? Foul language? Do you think that it’s okay? What about your kids watching those things? Your kids’ behavior might not be stemming from the red dye they just ate, but it might be coming from the show they just watched. Do those shows or reels energize you, get you angry, freak you out, fill you up, make you feel depressed, give you joy? Be watchful and aware!
Victory over the Winter Blues
Let’s beat the winter blues at its game. Shine light where you can and warm up your soul using all your senses. Be aware of your surroundings and how you can change them. You got this!
Inspirational quotes are more than words. Words that breathe inspiration are meant for ignition. Think of inspiring words as a spark to fan into flame creativity, imagination, and to achieve a passion that is truly yours to go after. It’s amazing what a little bit of encouragement can do for our souls. See if any of these 10 inspirational quotes get you going.
Why words matter
When we’re inspired, fear and doubt are exchanged for excitement and clarity. Our minds imagine, emotions flutter, and at times our bodies react. Things happen when the right combination of words speaks to us. We are all unique people, motivated by a variety of different things. Finding what combination of words motivates you is often key to understanding more about who God made you to be.
Some of the most powerful words are the simplest words, like ‘Thank You’ or ‘Good job’. How does it make you feel when you hear, “Keep up the good work!” or “I believe in you”? What about “You’re really smart”, or “You’re full of creativity”? One of my favorites is “I appreciate you.” What about “I understand.”?
When you find a great quote, don’t keep it to yourself, share it on your social platforms or it to others. Words go a long way. I put together a list of some of my top 10 inspirational quotes from Holley Gerth, Laihal Gitty Akita, Harry S. Truman, Kat Cole, J Stanfield, Steven Covey, Bob Goff, Charles Dickens, Napoleon Hill, Dr. Andy Badwin, and Christy Troy. May these words inspire you or someone you know.
My top 10 inspirational quotes:
1 – Your dream is a gift God gives you. What you make of it is your gift to Him. – Holley Gerth
2 – Every great achievement is the story of a flaming heart. – Harry S. Truman
3 – Focus on things that are small enough to change, but big enough to matter. – Kat Cole
4 – I cannot do all the good that the world needs. But the world needs all the good that I can do. – J. Stanfield
5 – Live out of your imagination, not your history. – Stephen Covey
6 – Most of us don’t need more instructions; we simply need someone who believes in us. – Bob Goff
7 – No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of others. – Charles Dickens
8 – The oak sleeps in the acorn. The bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul, a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of reality. – Napoleon Hill
9 – We’re here to make trails, not to follow ones. – Christy Troy
10 – When someone tells you it can’t be done, it’s more a reflection of their limitations, not yours. – Dr. Andy Baldwin
In closing
Words go a long way. A few words of encouragement or inspirational quotes can definitely change the course of life and open doors we didn’t even know were there. Brighten someone’s day by speaking into their goals; heighten your day by fueling your dreams.
Don’t know how to start? Here’s a post to spark your tinder: Gotta Start Somewhere. Check it out!
There is something about molasses cookies that I crave. When I grew up, every Christmas my grandma would bake molasses cookies. Her cookies were about the size of a silver dollar and so addicting! My grandma would always have them neatly packed in a wax paper-lined cookie tin. The cookies would literally melt in your mouth. As I grew older and found out she’d use grease from the meal before, I thought about making a healthier kind of molasses cookie, a gluten-free molasses cookie recipe!
There is nothing more fun, and sticky, than messing around in the kitchen with molasses. I wanted a cookie but was having trouble figuring out an egg substitute. Since eggs are a trigger for my body, it’s been a challenge coming up with an egg substitute that works for the particular recipe you’re working on. When you have a specialty diet, you have to be creative and experimental. So that’s what I did and discovered molasses and peanut butter marry well together. The gluten-free molasses cookie recipe was born! I can now say egg-free too.
Molasses Benefits
Molasses was first around in 1582, some say 1600. In other words, it’s been around. There are many health benefits to molasses. On some mornings I will actually drizzle molasses on my peanut butter toast just to get the added molasses advantage.
A little touch of molasses has a big nutrition punch! What exactly is in blackstrap molasses? You’ll find it is a source of iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, potassium, copper, and selenium (antioxidant). Needless to say, blackstrap molasses is good for your red blood cells due to its iron content; and because of its potassium volume, it also helps lowers blood pressure. Get this! In case you missed it, blackstrap molasses contains calcium which we all know is good for our bones. And because it contains B6, blackstrap molasses can fight off stress. Blackstrap molasses may even help us folks who have Crohn’s disease and colitis. These are just a few benefits that it has. More benefits can be found here.
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What kind of molasses to buy?
To get these great benefits from molasses, you must get blackstrap molasses. Light molasses and Dark are not the same as Black. Blackstrap is the darkest type of molasses and it is the most concentrated form, hence, it has the most health benefits. After all, molasses is sugar. From what I understand it’s the leftover juice from sugar cane after they crush it to get sugar crystals. They boil it, then boil it again, and then again.
*Warning, if you eat too much of this dark syrup, you’ll probably get diarrhea. Know your limits.
Peanut butter has been around since only 1904. It was introduced at the St. Louis World’s Fair. It was used as a protein source for World War I and World War II.
Not only is peanut butter a good source of protein, but it also contains omega-3 fats. It is a good source of vitamin E, vitamin B6, manganese, and magnesium. Believe it or not, it also has copper in it!
Peanut butter is good for your heart; it can help reduce the risk of diabetes, and it even has some anticancer properties.
What kind to buy?
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The best kind of peanut butter to buy is organic. Organic peanut butter doesn’t have any added trans fats, sugars, or other hydrogenated oils. When those extra things are added to peanut butter, there are no health benefits; in fact, it’s the opposite. Hydrogenated oils increase omega-6s, and when you get too much of a good thing (omega-6) it makes it bad for your body and may cause weight gain along with inflammation which could trigger all sorts of digestive issues. Yikes!
Spend the extra money and buy organic! Organic peanut butter is simply organic peanuts and salt. Please read the labels on your peanut butter, it makes a huge difference. I like Costco brand, Kirkland Organic Peanut Butter. Plus, I store my peanut butter in the refrigerator.
The gluten-free molasses cookie recipe awaits!
What happens when you put molasses and peanut butter together? Talk about a B6 and magnesium powerhouse! The flavors work and complement each other. Your mind might be saying “Ew”, but your taste buds beg to differ.
Because my diet is limited, I made these cookies with gluten-free flour. They are also egg-free, soy-free, and dairy-free. They do contain peanuts. Baking egg-free can be tricky. One great substitute for eggs is…you guessed it…peanut butter!
1/2cupCoconut oil (solid form)You can use shortening as a substitute.
1/2 cupSugarWhite grandular or Organic Sugar Cane works
3 tbspBlackstrap Molasses
3tbspCoconut MilkYou can substitute any kind of milk alternative
3tbspOrganic Peanut ButterHeaping tablespoons, you can try it with Almond Butter or even Tahini.
1cupGluten-free flourHeaping cup of Gluten-free flour
1 tspBaking Soda
1/4tspCloves
1/4tspGinger
1/2 tspCinnamon
1/4tspSalt (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 and prepare the cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment paper on top.
Mix coconut oil, sugar, peanut butter, and coconut milk.
Add blackstrap molasses and mix.
In a seperate bowl stir flour, baking soda, and spices.
Gradually combine dry ingredients to wet with mixer. The dough will be thick. If it looks dry add a splash of coconut milk, if it looks wet add a tbsp of gluten-free flour.
Chill dough for 1 hour.
In a small bowl, put in 1/2 cup of sugar.
Make small 1 -1 1/4 inch balls and roll them in the sugar. Place them on the cookie sheet an inch or so apart.
Gently push the bottom of a fork into the cookie so it makes small groves.
Put the cookie sheet into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Let cookies cool for 10 minutes.
For an added bonus mix 2 tbsp peanut butter with 1/2 tsp of coconut oil and 2 tbsp of powder sugar. Put in the microwave for 20 seconds then stir, put it back in the microwave for another 15 seconds and stir. Then put a dollup on top of the baked cookie…kind of like a frosting.
Notes
The calories and price of the cookies are an educated guess.
I hope you enjoy this tasty nutrition-packed gluten-free molasses cookie recipe. Happy baking!
Be sure to check out my other sweet treats!
All are gluten-free and dairy-free. Simple and delicious.
