Cookies!!!

I L-O-V-E food. I have an obsession with food...good food...fresh food. Given this statement, you would think that I would enjoy cooking as well. WHOA! Let's not go overboard! Food tastes so much better to me when someone else prepares it and I truly appreciate the skill that went into creating the end result. In addition to this, it is innate to any member of my family that you will think about the next meal even before finishing the one you are currently consuming. HA! You must also discuss how "fresh" everything is. Nothing much is said if the food isn't "fresh."

Tonight I made cookies and burned them. I don't care. They were the best cookies I've had in a little over 21 days. You see, I've recently finished a fast which was pretty strict in the food department, although there were a few days when I wasn't as strict. Foods not included in the fast include:

• Sugar and sugar products (desserts, soft drinks, etc.)

• Drinks including caffeine (coffee, tea, etc.)

• Bread, grains, and rice

• Meats, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs

During the fast, I focused on what God was trying to tell me through what I was reading in the Bible each day or when I was craving sugar. I also prayed when I was going through caffeine withdrawals or when I had an incredible urge to go with my friends for a milkshake. In the end, as I dunk my burnt cookies in a cold glass of milk to celebrate the end of a 21 day fast, I feel more focused and have a rejuvenated mind, body and spirit. I know my challenges from this world are never going to end, but at least I feel more prepared to handle them. Keep in mind that we all face challenges, but they make the victories sweeter and the race worth running altogether.

Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great

cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that

hinders and the sin that so easily entangles,

and let us run with perseverance

the race marked out for us.