Thanksgiving in Phoenix

So tomorrow I will experience my very first American Thanksgiving. I am in Phoenix for this holiday. my second state, so that's only 48 more to see, hehe. I can't tell you how excited I am about pumpkin pie, sweet potato mash, cornbread, pecan pie, pumpkin bread, turkey and cranberry sauce, to name but a few of the things I have heard rumours of. 

I can't tell you how many years I have been desperate to try pumpkin pie. It's strange how we hear about certain things and can't forget about them ever. My American friends would post photos every year and I always longed for a slice of pumpkin pie. 

 Everyone has been amazing and is going all out to make sure that there is plenty of delicious gluten free fare for me.

And at this time I am feeling rather homesick too. We watched Brave today too, which made me even more homesick and I had to fight back those tears. 

I love my Mummy, and I love my Daddy, and all my siblings!! I love all my college friends, and my church family, and my family back in England!!

The Winco and Trader Joe's experience!

So, I've been in the US of A for over a month, and I had never been to Winco or Trader Joe's! How bad is that, right?! Pretty awful, especially for a complete foodie like myself. So a couple of nights ago I went with two friends to both Winco and Trader Joe's. And let me tell you, this country just gets better and better, and hasn't disappointed as yet.

Winco is so big and awesome! On the down note, I found out I had paid a lot more for my organic creamy peanut butter online, and left Winco with a very large jar of Adams crunchy peanut butter. When I see peanut butter, I get peanut butter. But anyway, they have these huge bins of nuts, granola, dried fruit, grains, seeds, everything!! They even had chili coated mango?! Yes! And you could buy chocolate by the pound. For the record, dark chocolate coated strawberries are divine. Fact.
And then they had fridges full of almond milk and, even better, coconut milk. Hmmmmmm, hmm.

But then we hopped back into the car and went to Trader Joe's. I guess it's like Wholefoods but a little cheaper. They have some amazing dark chocolate bars, imported from Belgium, naturally.

All this, and it wasn't even 7:30pm.

I was also introduced to organic peanut butter panda puffs! It is so lush! I had it in a mug with coconut milk. It's like that really unhealthy, too sweet golden nuggets cereal back in England, but a hundred times better. And um, eating cereal from a mug is so cool, go try it.
also what I love about this cereal is that it doesn't have bucket loads of sugar, which would give me a headache, it is sweetened with cane juice, which although not ideal is far better and healthier than what they could put in it.

So this was pretty much the highlight of my weekend; don't judge, you know you're jealous!

Borrowed bodies

So I'm the kind of person who thinks that health and exercise is really important. I'm fairly active, and I have been known to 'go vegan' for months on end complaining that eggs and heavy red meat pains my stomach.
But a nice lindt chocolate normally brings me back round to consciousness, wink, wink.
When I'm healthy I feel so much better. I work far more efficiently and skillfully. Surely that's a good thing?
Is it really okay to abuse our bodies?
We know junk food isn't good for us, yet we still eat it. I've managed to get myself to the point where certain fast foods make me wanna retch when I think of what they've put in it. I haven't eaten anything from McDonalds for a year and one month!

But, I mean as a Christian, I am meant to strive for holiness and live to glorify God. I am his tool to be used as and when he needs me, whether I want to or not. Because I don't 'own' myself anymore. I have been bought, the holy spirit is my down payment.

 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.                     1 Corinthians 6v19-20

I know that if I were borrowing something from a friend I would be more careful with that item than if I myself owned it. So shouldn't I regard my body in the same way?


Also, as a child of God, I know he has a plan for me and my life; I need to be fit for his service. I am far more capable when I am healthy and well. There is far less I can do if I am ill. I am far more useful in good health.
It's interesting to see in the bible how people who were greatly used for God's glory were fit and healthy too.
As a teenager Joseph walked 50 miles to take food to his brothers in Genesis 37.
Moses was able to climb Pisgah Peak in Mount Nebo at 120 years old, in Deuteronomy 34. Moses would've had to have been very fit during his life in order to be able to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the promised land. And we are told that 'his eye was not dull, nor had his vitality departed' when he died. He was fit and healthy to the end.
Elijah ran 90 miles in one go in 1 Kings 19, this was after running 20 and taking a wee break!
Matthew 15 says that Jesus walked to the districts of Tyre and Sidon, some 50 miles away.
Mary Magdalene ran from Jesus' tomb to Jerusalem; told Peter and John that his body was gone an they ran back to the tomb, and John beat Peter! This distance was approximately 3 miles. In Luke 24, two disciples walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus, had dinner, then went back, making a round trip of 15 miles, just for dinner.
So these people were fit, some more so than others. There are other passages showing the vitality and stamina of other bible characters. In contrast, the pagan kings, were overweight, some very much so. They considered it an honour.

So, do you eat to live, or live to eat?

Personally, I love food!! And I truly have to exercise restraint. But, the more I am able to control my fleshy desire for food, the more I grow in self-control; self control is one of the fruits of the spirit, and shows the Holy spirit working in.