As I was reading from Isaiah 58 I thought back to that scorched earth, and I thought … Well Angela God is telling you today how not to have YOUR LIFE look like that barren ground.   God shows us in his word how to order our life and even “spend our life” so that our life becomes what we see in so many Tom Kincade paintings … namely a well ordered and well watered garden.

And so I’ve made the little chart (below) for myself that I’d like to share with you all.  I’m going to print it out and put it inside my bible.  I have to do a bit more study on the keeping the Sabbath” part for we know that we are no longer “under the law”, but I believe (without having dug into scripture) that the idea the Lord wants to impart here re: the Sabbath, is that we should not forget and forsake him, that we should make time for him, that we should order our lives the way he has shown us in his Word and through the examples of the saints who have gone before us and walk among us.

(Is. 58:14) … “ then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”  The mouth of the LORD has spoken. (emphasis mine)

In other words, you have God’s word on it.

Have a happy happy day and be blessed of the Lord, for he has shown you the way.

A few days ago, a friend brought Whitney’s song I Love You Lord to my attention.I gave it a listen and that led me to begin thinking a little more about Whitney.  I remembered seeing her a while back on the Oprah Show.  Whitney was telling Oprah and the world about the last decade of her life and her sad relationship with Bobby Brown.

After listening to I love the Lord, (from the 1996 Movie Preacher’s wife) I listened to a more recent clip from her current Astralian Tour.  I was reminded of the incredible talent and vocal ability Whitney used to have.  Yes I said “used to have”.  After listening to the recording done more than 10 years ago it is readily apparent that Whitney’s journey through time with Bobby Brown has not enhanced her life. Indeed it has hurt her tremendously.  Give a listen to the two recordings of I love you Lord (in this post) to hear what I mean.  The later version is sung in a noticably lower key.  It almost sounds Alto.   At her best in years past,  Houston was a high Soprano.  Who would have ever thought a decade ago that anyone would walk out on a Whitney Houston concert, but that is exactly what happened in February in Austrailia.

Now please don’t think I’m picking on Whitney, in fact I feel troubled about the whole issue and it’s been on my mind the last couple of days.   I love to sing.  God of course did not give me a voice like Whitneys, but I know the thrill of feeling like your are fulfilling something especially placed in you by God.  When I read the account of Whitney’s crowd angering concert in Austrailia I thought how cruel the world can be.  As long as you’re hitting the high notes and “thrilling them” they love you.  Audience’s can be merciless, and this audience is proof positive of that.

I was telling my husband recently that I wonder from time to time, if circumstances were different, if I had had the breaks, the confidence and the tenacity it takes to “make it” in showbiz, would I have been happy.  Today I can say that I don’t think I would have been.  In fact I’m thankful that God did not allow me to go down that road.  With rare exceptions (American Idol winners perhaps) it is a long hard road to make it to the top of the show biz industry.  What looks like such a wonderful and glamorous life is in reality what Solomon called a “chasing after the wind”.  Vanity Vanity all is vanity Solomon declares.  I think young performers should study the life of Whitney so that they can learn what NOT to do.  A full time professional singer, especially a woman, has a couple of decades (maybe three) to be on her game.  Some female vocalists can stretch it out longer than that, but time will eventually take its toll on their range, their stamina and their looks.  Let’s face it, most people don’t want to look at an old neck.  Men can get away with it, but not women (i.e. the Frank Sinatras of the world, etc.)

…and so…Whitney threw away a decade of her life with the likes of Bobby Brown and by her own admission sank into the life of alcohol and drugs.   I guess she lived that life as long as she could and then one day woke up to the sad reality that she had spiralled down into a very dark place that God never intended her to be.  So I began to wonder what will happen to Whitney now?  Her tour is a mess, and in fact they are calling it a hot mess.  She is 46, heavy, she’s lost that fantastic ability to hit those incredible high notes that made her famous and she has a long road back.  Can she even come back at this age?  I suppose  only a very experienced vocal coach would have to answer that.

But one thing I do know for certain.  Solomon was right.  All is vanity.    According to the Biography section (Wikipedia) on the article about Whitney, she started her singing (like many) in church.  But, the world promised her (and delivered) fame, fortune, adoration.  Certainly not everyone who reaches the pinnacle of stardom ends up this way, but I’d venture a guess that many many do.  I wish somone would warn young, gifted and beautiful young girls about the trap set by the evil one to take our eyes off God and put them on self and things.  But it seems these roads have to be walked by each one of us individually and we all must make our own mistakes and learn our own lessons.  Rare is the young one who is given the gift of wisdom to discern the lies Satan tries to disguise as truth.

God promises peace, purpose and has a wonderful plan for each of our lives.  Another thing I know for certain is that God will always love Whitney, no matter how well or how poorly she sings.  How ironic that two of her monster hits are I love the Lord and Run to You.

I wish I could tell Whitney that God will always be sitting in that front row center seat waiting for his daughter to sing I love you Lord to Him.  And so Whitney … my prayer tonight is that you will (as your song says) run to him (from the song I wanna run to you) … run to God your heavenly Father …. sing to and for him . . . take what you’ve learned and give the Lord the tattered ruins of your life so that he can weave them into a special garment of praise for Him.

Run to Him Whitney . . . run . . .

Whitney At her peak!

September 2, 2009 – Good Morning America

2010 Australian Tour

So beautiful it almost makes you cry.

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Okay, (per Rob) the main idea here is to include a certain type of pasta that is much higher in fiber than regular pastas, BUTalso to include several other nutrient rich foods in the process.

This makes it a VERY satisfying meal, so you don’t end up eating endless amounts of carbs, which is usually what
happens when you are served a traditional pasta dish.

So here’s the recipe:

1. 8 oz. of multigrain pasta (I use Trader Joe’s Multigrain
w/Flax)

2. 1 bag organic frozen broccoli

3. 1/2 bag organic frozen peas

4. 2 boneless chicken breasts (I use organic f.ree-range)

5. 8 oz. tomato sauce (I use Trader Joe’s sauces made from
organic plum tomatoes)

6. Additional Italian seasoning if desired

Bring water to a boil then reduce to medium high heat. Throw the pasta in first for about 5 minutes, then follow with the frozen veggies for another 5 minutes or so.

Finally add, the chicken breast (which you will have precooked), drain the water, and stir in the tomato sauce.

This will get you about 4 servings, with each serving providing about:

36 grams protein
42 grams carbs
8 grams fat
11 grams fiber
384 calories

The only problem with this meal is it could use a bit more fat! So sometimes I’ll add a teaspoon of extra virgin olive
oil after it’s finished cooking. (to the whole amount, not per serving!)

The real secret in this recipe is that we’re using a type of pasta that includes a high amount of fiber compared to the
total carbs…this slows the blood sugar spike you’d get when eating regular white pastas.

And of course by mixing it in balance with the chicken and high nutrient veggies, you have a delicious, nutritious fat
burning meal…

Bon Appetit!