New Look!

Ben and I are celebrating our 2nd anniversary a little early this year – basically because we have a hard time keeping secrets from each other!
Ben surprised me with my own DOT COM status and hosting! (Or as Ben likes to call it, “the gift of web presence.”) I’ve been so excited about this new domain that I’ve been working on it all weekend re-branding, writing posts, and more.

He knows me so well. So grateful for a husband who supports my passion to write, code and design – even if it is a little nerdy. He even animated an awesome promo video for social media and gave me a mini photo shoot. Best. Husband. Ever.

Check out my new website:

SYDNEEPEACOCK.COM

Happy reading!

20 Life Hacks Learned in Married Life

Since being married for only two years, I’ve had to figure out a lot of things for the first time – mostly with cooking (since I didn’t do much of that before), but a few other things too. You will probably find these silly, but maybe (hopefully) you will appreciate some of my new found discoveries, too.

1. I don’t cut my strawberries anymore. I get a straw, stick it through the strawberry from bottom to top and the nasty stem-part pops off!
2. When it’s too cold outside to grill, I make my steaks and burgers in the oven – and I think they taste even better!
3. I have no patience for cooking potatoes in the oven. (Does anyone have time to wait around for an hour+ for dinner anymore?) So I wrap them up in foil and stick them in the crockpot on low all day. They’re ready when I get home!
4. I soften my butter by putting it in a cup and setting it on top of a warm stove while I’m preparing other things.
5. The key to cooking rice on the stove without it sticking to the pot is mixing in a chunk of butter and not lifting the lid for at least 20 minutes.
6. It’s actually possible to make a perfect, yellow omelet in the oven with a greased cast-iron skillet in just 5-6 minutes.
7. Setting a wooden spoon on top of a boiling pot of water will keep it from overflowing onto my stove.
8. My ice cream scoop doesn’t get ice cream stuck all over it if I dip it in warm water before scooping each scoop.
9. I make tea in the coffeemaker by running hot water through the coffeemaker into a pot with tea bags dangling in the water.
10. Homemade whip cream tastes way better. I just pour some whipping cream and powdered sugar into a bowl while mixing it with a hand mixer simultaneously. So fluffy!
11. I eat my berries with a toothpick so I don’t have to clean silverware or stain my fingers.
12. I fold my sheets and then stick them inside the matching pillowcases to keep the sets together.
13. Amazon Prime and Target REDcard make my shopping experiences so much easier.
14. Slicing up a little bit of fruit and cucumbers to put in water is an inexpensive way of serving refreshments to guests and making them think you’re fancier than you really are.
15. Buying bulk paper towels, toilet paper, plates and cups twice a year from Sam’s keeps us stocked for the entire year.
16. The step trashcan is God’s gift to cooks with their hands full.
17. Ikea silverware lasts longer than the expensive silverware we got as wedding gifts.
18. When going to a party, the key to giving a great gift is packaging it creatively – it’s half of excitement for the other person.
19. Spending time with Jesus each morning puts me in a much better mood for the rest of my day.
20. Keeping a magnetic notepad on my fridge has helped me to remember what I run out of, and better ensures that I restock it when I go to the store later that week.

I’m sure the list will continue to grow! Thanks for reading. :)

Tropical Smoothies from My Kitchen

In high school, I applied for a part-time job at Tropical Smoothie. I wanted to be a cashier, but had no idea that on my first day (and for the rest of my time there) I’d be sent to work in the kitchen instead.

Instead of getting a cool flip-flop t-shirt, I was demoted to wearing a purple Hawaiian-flowered button-down shirt that swallowed me. Oh, and it also had an enormous, colorful parrot on the front and backside. And BOOM – I became the festive-dressed girl behind the counter making everyone’s smoothies.

I did not enjoy the job at the time, but who knew that it would benefit me later? I know how to make some really good smoothies now! Ben gets so excited when I whip out the blender…even if it is obnoxiously loud. =D

So I thought that I’d break up the “green smoothie” trend with some good, old-fashioned, sweet, fresh-fruit smoothie and dessert smoothie recipes. Plus, its not officially fall until September 22, so we can still appropriately indulge!

Here’s one of my favorites:

Strawberry-Kiwi Smoothie

1 Serving

What you’ll need:

• Blender
• 1 tbsp turbinado
• 4-5 pieces of cubed ice
• 1 c defrosted strawberries, with the juices, or 1 c fresh strawberries and 2 tbsp water
• 1-2 fresh kiwi, peeled and sliced

1. Throw your ice in the blender, and then pour in turbinado. Shake it around and then place it on the blender.
2. Put your fruit in and put the top on.
3. Blend!
4. If your machine stops blending well, take the glass container off the blender, and while holding the top, shake it. Then place back on blender to blend again.
5. Add a little bit of water if you want your smoothie to have a thinner consistency.
6. Pour it in a cup, stick a straw in it, and enjoy!

*For sweetest results, use defrosted frozen strawberries with juice.

Stay tuned for a few more smoothie recipes!

Are you living in a false sense of reality?

Did you know your social media news feeds are being rigged?

I read an article not too long ago about how social media, primarily Facebook, filters our news feeds. The things we post, the things we "like" (affirm), any of our activity on Facebook is remembered and used to generate content in our news feeds that is generally in line with our personal preferences and opinions.

For instance, if you're openly Christian, then you're probably going to see more Bible verse posts, posts about faith, pro-life posts or church posts.

If you're openly gay, you might see more posts of people who share the same lifestyle, news that promote equality, or sites that offer jobs that don't discriminate.

If you're in college, you might see posts about campus life, classes, music app updates, Buzzfeed lists or popular YouTube videos.

Basically, the posts you see largely cater to your life stage and lifestyle. Unfortunately, the way this system filters our feeds can affect how we view people, life, society and culture.

On Instagram and Twitter, we can choose who we follow. If we don't like someone's posts, we can easily "unfollow" them. We filter through who we want to keep up with and what we want to know. And this can also tailor our outlook on life.

It's basically the same thing as committing to not watching the news. Crazy enough, in college (although I was a journalism major), I preferred not to keep up with local news. I lived in Memphis, one of the most dangerous cities in the USA, and frankly, I chose not to watch the local news because I wanted to live in blissful ignorance of what was really going on around me.

But I realize now that I was being selfish and close-minded.

I understand that it's important to keep up with what's going on – not just in nearby areas, but everywhere. I think this is important especially for Christians to know what's going on, and how to respond. By simply tuning into social media on a broader level, we can become aware of what's going on in our world, and our own posts and presence can surprisingly make a big difference. Here are three things we ought to keep in mind:

#1 We should be culturally relevant.

If we block out the world, how can we change it? Find out what's trending, what's viral, what people are really talking about. Then line it all up with Scripture, and ground yourself in God's Word (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Romans 12:2 says "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." So basically, we should be in the world, but not of the world.

Plus, if we are staying culturally relevant, we can more easily relate to people who don't believe in Jesus, and form relationships we wouldn't have been able to otherwise. All of this may ultimately help us with the mission of effectively and lovingly sharing the Gospel. Here are a few account types I have thought of that might help us stay more current:

• People We Know on a First Name Basis (Remember those old friends from high school and earlier? We may not see them every day in person, but this helps us remember how we can pray for them more specifically – even if they don't know it.)
• Culturally Influential People (examples: Jimmy Fallon, Ellen Degeneres, Justin Timberlake, Kim Kardashian, Oprah, Lebron James, etc.)
• Well-known Publications (examples: Time, New York Times, CNN, The Onion, Huffington Post, Gizmodo, Wired, Ted Talks, The Thought Catalog, etc.)
• Christian Influential People/Organizations (examples: John Piper, Lecrae, doctrinally-sound well-known churches, ERLC [Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the SBC], Dr. Russell Moore, World Magazine, etc.)

#2 See People as God Sees People.

God exhibits extreme patience and understanding toward us. It's hard to comprehend because we can have such a difficult time with having patience and being understanding toward others. Thankfully, God shows us grace and mercy every day, and is so patient with every person (2 Peter 3:9). And that is a great example of how we should be toward others.

When we see people's angry, negative or unbecoming posts pop up on our news feeds, instead of loudly exhaling and checking "unfollow," we can pray for them. Life is hard without Jesus. We need to have compassion for those who have not yet come to believe in Him. We can't expect non-Christians to retain Christian values. To them, it's just a bunch of rules with no meaning. Life is also hard for Christians who have chosen not to walk in the Spirit. It is human nature to fall away if we're not grounding ourselves in His Word every day. As the church, we are to encourage each other toward Jesus, and be at peace with everyone. And we can do this with our social media presence.

#3 We have an influential voice online.

We can be encouraging and real online. We can be relevant and understanding toward others, speaking the Truth in love. Everyone has access to read what we post. We must be mindful that everything we say can affect someone else. And we need to always be prepared to make a defense for the Gospel (1 Peter 3:14-16). Let's share our joys and sorrows tactfully. And lastly, let's choose our words carefully – as we should at any other time – remembering that we must maintain a good reputation because we represent Christ (1 Peter 2:12).

Be the light in your friends' news feeds. You just never know who's reading. :)

$5 Dollar Prayer Cards Sale!

Looking for a great gift for your married or engaged friends–or maybe even yourself? You might like these "Praying for My Husband Prayer Cards."

I designed these cards because I've learned that the best thing we can do as wives for our husbands is to pray for them. Here's what you need to know about this particular pack of cards:

Pattern Sell-out
This is the last time I'll be selling this pattern, so they are on sale! You can buy them in a pack of 5 for just $5!* You'll get an assortment of different Scriptures. Each card has a short and sweet prayer on the back that you can pray over your husband each day.

How You Can Use them
Put them in different areas of your house, use them as bookmarks, give them out to others or keep them in a stack where you pray daily and just flip through them every morning or night.

About the Cards
These cards are printed on quality 16pt premium paper, which is thicker than cardstock and does not bend easily. I love that they're glare-resistant, so you can read these cards in any lighting with ease. The paper is soft to touch and the colors are ultra-vibrant. They also come in simple, unique gift wrap and are ready to be given out as gifts as soon as you get them!

You can find these in my Etsy shop.

*Shipping is $1.

Christian Genocide is Real

Yesterday morning I was reminded that we need to be praying for the horrible situations going on in Iraq today. So often we get tied up in our own lives and forget to think about the people outside of our busy, American lifestyles.

Christian persecution is happening right now in Iraq. Children and families are getting beheaded for believing in Jesus. Believers in Christ are faced with the "option" to convert to another religion or accept death.

When I hear about these horrible things happening, my defenses quickly go up and it is easy to become angry with those who are brutally murdering my brothers and sisters in Christ.

But I realize that these murderers are just ordinary people who have given their lives to a false doctrine and are blinded to the Truth. And I recognize that both parties need our prayers and God's help. The persecuted need protection, relief and to find their strength in the Lord. And the persecutors need their eyes opened to the Truth of who Jesus really is so that they can come to repentance before it's too late.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” –Matthew 5:43-45

If this is the first you have heard of this, please watch this video, Christian Leader: ISIS beheading children.

Praying for God's people,

What Motivates Your Work?

"Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven." - Proverbs 23:4-5

This verse stuck out to me when I was reading through Proverbs last week. It got me thinking about what motivates us to work the way we do. Why do we think we have the job we have? And what goals do we have career-wise?

We seem to live in a workaholic culture where wealth is the ultimate goal. People step on other people to get ahead. Some people slave away in college for those degrees that will hopefully bring them wealth in the future. We lose sleep, and we even cut our time with Jesus short (or forgo it altogether) to make time for more work. Or maybe we work at places that we don't even enjoy working at, but it pays well. I'm sure there are a hundred different scenarios I could list.

I have nothing against a hard worker. In fact, I admire people who work hard and always appreciate those that take their jobs and education seriously. It is important, and I wholeheartedly support anyone who is meeting their deadlines, making good grades and learning more about their field of wholesome, educational interest.

But the point I'm trying to make is that if our motivation is always money, then our attitude will always be bitter and self-centered. The verse above says that wealth "suddenly sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven." And its true. We see in the tabloids, the news and even personally that whenever we have an abundance of wealth that we hold on too tightly to, it just seems to dwindle and disappear. It leaves us frustrated. We feel entitled because "we've worked so hard to get it!" Some may see this as a curse, but it just might be a blessing.

Jesus said "Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:25).  And this is so true. We end up depending on ourselves instead of God, because we think we can buy everything we need! We forget about God, and we think only of our agendas. We toil away, no matter what it costs (relationship with God, family time, friendships, integrity) to attain that wealth. And sometimes, it can feel like it pays off, but only temporarily. Wealth goes as quickly as it comes, and you end up feeling empty inside. And there is a reason for this!

God does not want us to be independent from Him. He wants us to rely on Him, to trust Him in all circumstances, and not to see our work as just our source of income. There's more to it than that. We work with people and as Christians, we have a God-ordained purpose and burden to share the Gospel with those that don't yet know Him. God uniquely places each one of us in work environments to glorify Him. Look around your workplace. Are you surrounded by people who don't believe in Jesus? YOU could be their only source of light in the darkness of their lives. Do you work with or under someone who makes shady deals and treats customers or companies unethically? Maybe God has put you there to take a stand, make a difference and be someone who encourages and influences them positively. Has God given you a highly influential role in a company? Use it to glorify Him!

Wherever we're working, we are to work for the glory of God. We don't have to just work on staff at churches to do this – we can glorify God anywhere! God has given all of us unique talents that are specifically meant to point back to Him, the Creator of all things that are good.

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31

Each day, when we get up for work, let's pray to be less selfish. Let's pray for God to lead us in everything we do. Let's pray for God would show us why we have the job we have. Let's pray that God would give us wisdom and that we would not fall in love with the ways of this world.

And a good rule of thumb: don't ever go into work without praying over the day first.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints..." - Ephesians 6:10-18

Have a great day at work!