Living Your Best Life!

It's February and along with the blizzards and winter winds, comes a lovely holiday known as Valentine's Day.

This month, Best Life wants to encourage you to make time for the people around you. Value them, embrace them, and tell them that you LOVE them. What a better life we'll live...in just loving our BEST.

February 2014

The Best Things in Life

...what I love

By: Executive Dir.,

Kathy A. Weckwerth

I learned a long time ago to be thankful and grateful for even the little things. I learned to cherish things like the time we spend together with loved ones, moments diving into God's Word and understanding something that seemed fresh and new, eating good food, wearing yummy sweaters, seeing lovely sunsets and lakeviews, reading good books, baking cookies, and watching old movies where morals and values were still in tact.

This month, I want to give you a glimpse into my life by listing the things that mean the most to me!

I love God first and foremost. And I love people.

But I also love ....

1. Dean Weckwerth~ the best husband ever

2. Our 3 girls! 3 son-in-laws, and 3 grandbabies (1 will be born next month!)

3. Our farm and grove

4. My piano

5. Peonies ... I absolutely love them.

6. My mother

7. John Ortberg, Max Lucado, John Maxwell & all 100 Grace Livingston Hill books.

8. Anything by Amy Grant, Susan Ashton, or Out of the Grey

9. The experiences I learned by serving 6 churches over my career

10. The Church in the Grove

11. Writing books

12. Delivering Conferences

13. Praying with people

14. Encouraging others to become the best version of themselves

15. Leading people to Christ

Favorite Restaurants: Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, Ol Mexico

Favorite Chocolate: Cadbury's Caramellos

Cookies: The Hey Good Cookie Deli's Oatmeal Surprise Cookie

Favorite Movie: Funny Face with Fred Astaire & Audrey Hepburn

Favorite Song: No One Knows My Heart-Susan Ashton & Strong Enough to Save You by Tenth Ave North

Favorite Shock: When God said you're going to lead a ministry and it's not worship

Favorite TV Shows: Downton Abby & Sherlock Holmes (any of them!), and The Pioneer Woman

Favorite Clothes: An old gray Ralph Lauren sweatshirt I've had for 14 years. I bought it used at a thrift store so it was good and worn in.

Favorite Makeup: Anything by np SET or MaryKay

Favorite Thing to Do: Laughing with my husband, Farmer Dean, or my sister-in-law, Mary

Favorite Prayer Answered: Farmer Dean Weckwerth

Favorite Age: Right now

Favorite Church I ever attended: Christ Lutheran (staff) Cornerstone (worship team).

Favorite Accomplishment: Having my 3 girls and watching my worship team members, BLM staff, or friends find their God-given gifts and talents.

Favorite Vacation: Michigan with family.

Favorite Jewelry: an amethyst ring my daughter gave me for Christmas, and then I lost it after wearing it everyday for 3 years.

Favorite saying: From our own BLM speaker, Kathleen Sogge ... "If we leave today and you don't remember us, you've lost nothing. But, if you leave today and you don't remember Jesus, you've lost everything."

And you ... our dear readers, new found friends, familiar old ones, and fabulous BLM groupies, I love you.

Happy Valentine's Day. Take a moment and write down your favorites and spend some time thanking God for life, for good things, and for favorites.

For more from Executive Director, Kathy Weckwerth,

read her blog:

http://bestlifeministries.com/best-life-lifelines/

Or find out more information at:

www.kathyweckwerth.com

BLM Loves that God forgives us

God breaks through chaos, cries, and chatter.

Not with fiery condemnation or condescending concern

But with a whisper, "I care, I love you! Come away! Spend time with me."

Replacing chaos with gentleness

Cries with comfort

Clatter with communion,

He speaks peace

Mona G. Hodgson

(photo by Christal Ruppert)

BLM LOVES Christal Ruppert's Photography: Pure Heart Photography

A couple of years ago, I happened to be the fortunate soul of attending a small rural church for a few months and met the lovely Christal Ruppert, who just happened to be home for the weekend from her beloved Northwestern College in Roseville. Beautiful, sweet, funny and gentle-spirited, I noticed a creative element about her that I loved, as she chatted with me. But I never realized until recently that Christal was an amazing photographer!

Well purusing facebook, I stumbled onto Christal's God-blessed talents by finding her photography page: pure heart photography. I took my time and allowed my heart and soul to be inspired by the beautiful backdrops, the lighting, settings, and camera angles of this sweet friend.

Christal not only captured the heart of weddings and graduations, but of everyday lives. She made the moments better, she made the lives come to life through the photo. I loved her! After no arm-twisting at all, she happily agreed to join Alexis Iskierka, Joshua Garland, and Peter & Jenessa Grossman with helping BLM in our photography needs. Christal told me that her deepest desire was to use her gifts and talents for God's glory.

You will find several of Christal's photos in our upcoming issue of YOUR BEST magazine.

This month, BLM loves Christal Ruppert and her talents. Check her out on facebook, like her page, and make her your friend. Don't you need to hire her for your next event?

(photography by Christal Ruppert)

Loving Others

John 15:12

(ESV)

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

When we love people, we face the door of their hearts and souls. As we stand on the outside knocking, we don't know if they will open the door to let us love and care about them ... or not.

We are the hands and feet of Christ. We are His salt and light in a dark world. Let's love people deeply. Let's care about them completely. Let's be like Christ.

BLM LOVES Josh Garland's One Pot Chicken Fiesta!

Josh Garland

-Ingredients

4 cups water

1 � cups salsa

2 � cups uncooked white rice

1 � cups whole kernel corn

� cup chopped onion

� cup chopped green pepper

� cup chopped cilantro

� tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp cumin

Salt to taste

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Olive oil

Extra chopped cilantro and shredded cheddar cheese for garnishes.

-Lightly season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and saut� in olive oil. Rough chop the cooked chicken and set aside.
-Put water, salsa, corn, onion, green pepper, cilantro, cracked pepper, cumin, and salt to taste in a thick bottomed pot (with a lid) and bring to a boil.
-Once boiling, reduce heat to "low," add rice, cover, and let simmer for 15 to 20 min (or until rice is tender.) Note: you may want to stir the rice mixture from time to time to avoid excessive sticking to the bottom of the pot.
-Once the rice is tender, mix in the chopped chicken and garnish with chopped cilantro and shredded cheese.

*Consider serving this dish with seasoned black beans. You might also enjoy adding chopped jalape�os for some additional heat. Leftovers make great wraps!

         BLM's "The Bottom Line" Book Critic, Susan C. Snow

                           loves The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

Susan C. Snow


This month's Review

Death narrates The Book Thief. Yes, Death! Death is portrayed not as a dark character carrying a sickle, but as an individual, gently taking souls from their human body.

The main characters include a nine year old illiterate girl named Liesel who is sent to stay with Rosa and Hans Hubermann at the beginning of World War II.

At Liesel's foster home, which happens to be located on Himmel (Heaven) Street, Hans helps Liesel learn to read and she becomes friends with a neighbor boy named Rudy.

A Jew, Max Vandenburg, comes to the Hubermann home and is hidden in a basement. The mayor's wife Ilsa Hermann has an important role in helping Liesel read more books.

While Liesel is a book thief, she and Rudy also steal apples, potatoes, and other food to survive the food shortages of the war. There are tense moments when soldiers come to their home. Even worse, Hans gives bread to some Jews as they walk through town on their way to Dachau. Later, Liesel and Rudy also give bread to the Jewish prisoners being marched through town. As Death tells us, it marks Rudy's transition from one who steals bread to one who gives it to others, symbolizing his maturation from selfishness to empathy.

The author's choice of words and how he set up each chapter was amazing to me. I will end with a comment from the narrator Death, "People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations, with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spat blues. Murky darknesses. In my line of work, I make a point to notice them."

The Bottom Line: The Book Thief is a story of life told by Death that I will read again and again - I have already read it twice! Read The Book Thief and begin to notice the thousand colors of your day!

BLM Loves Delivering Our Conferences!

Upcoming Conference Dates:

March 1, 2014-New Joy Church, Rogers, MN

April 12, 2014-Cross of Glory Church, Hopkins, MN

May 3, 2014-Church in the Grove, Benson, MN

For more information about any of these conferences, or to host a conference at your location, Please log onto our website@ www.bestlifeministries.com

Best Life Ministries loves it's

Church in the Grove

What's Happening at our headquarters, The Church in the Grove?

A new magazine will be coming out in the next two months, a Best Life conference on May 03, 2014, 2 weekly Bible studies, and plans for this year's upcoming worship events! We thank God continually for His goodness!

If you, or your women's ministry, wants to come out for a visit, a time of worship, and some coffee, contact Kathy: kathy@bestlifeministries.com

BLM loves
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Cream butter and sugars together.

Add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla

Add in 2 eggs, 1 at a time

Sift together 3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 3/4 cup flour

Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients, 1/3 at a time. Mix. Add in 1 cup of good semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks.

Bake on a black metal pan at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes. Cookes will spread and turn out yummy. Enjoy with a up of coffee, glass of milk or a fabulous book!

BLM LOVES Chiropractor,

Dr. Justin Hildebrand, DCC

There's a Tea for that!

By: Justin Hildebrand,DCC

Tea has been used to help calm the nerves, settle the stomach, and fight infections for centuries. The Ancient Chinese, English of the 1600's, and Native Americans all used tea as medicine. In the world we live today, tea is mainly used as a cold refreshing drink or to warm us up on a bone chilling day. The medicinal quality of tea has been lost to many of us. Remember for whatever ails us, there is a tea for that.

Digestional Complaints: Drink peppermint or spearmint teas. Peppermint is best used to help warm you up and should be ingested hours after meals. Spearmint calms the nerves, lowers blood pressure, and starts the digestion of proteins. Thus, it is best for the high stung and directly after meals.

Cranky/Fussiness: Drink chamomile tea. Chamomile is used to calm cranky children and adults or fall asleep. It is best used when sedation is desired, but should not be brewed by anyone who is allergic reaction to ragweed.

Common Cold/Respiratory Complaints: Drink green tea and/or Echinacea. Green tea has been thought to have anti-viral effects and has been shown to fight strains of the flu and common cold in research studies.

Bottom line: it has a much better effect on viral conditions than the antibiotics commonly prescribed for cold like symptoms. Echinacea can possibly help reduce cold like symptoms when taken early in the infection. Echinacea has anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties and helps stimulate the immune system.

Bloating and Gas: Drink ginger or rooibus teas. Ginger has been used for thousands of years to clam gas and the unsettled stomach. Rooibus, or sometimes called red tea in stores, is great for bloating or complaints due to overeating. Rooibus is best used when cramping or discomfort is associated.

Diabetes: Drink Oolong and green tea. Oolong and green tea are helpful for managing type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Green tea can also help to reduce your risk for developing both types of diabetes. Adding a squeeze of lemon to pure oolong or green tea may increase the anti-diabetic effects.

Stress and Anxiety: Drink siberian ginseng and passion flower teas. Siberian ginseng can reduce the cortisol (or stress hormone levels) in the body and decrease blood pressure as a result of a stress response. Passion flower has been shown to be effective for generalized anxiety disorders and can reduce anxiety without sedation.

Next time you are feeling ill, down, restless, or just ate too much, open the cabinet and grab some tea. It's a quick, easy, and a therapeutic option without side-effects for many common complaints.

Yours in health,

Dr. Justin Hildebrand, DDC

For More Information: log onto~www.kcnorthsjc.com/who-we-are/

Best Life LOVES YOU, our readers! Thank you for your support, encouragement, prayers, and for being with us on this journey called LIFE.

Bless you this week....and know you are loved and valued.

Love Letter

You can find out more about Best Life Ministries by visiting our website at www.bestlifeministries.com

Remember, it's never too late to make changes. Start today. Start living your best life!

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