Apparently, Starbucks is coming out with a line of coffee and tea flavored chocolates. According to this AP story, “the chocolates, which will include a blend of cacao, natural ingredients, Starbucks coffee, Tazo tea and other coffeehouse flavors, will be produced by Hershey Co. unit Artisan Confections Co.”

If I find some in a store somewhere, I will try it, and see how good it is. I like the sound of it, though. Coffee + chocolate = win.

(Via Starbucks Gossip)

I was browsing the web yesterday, and ran across this series of articles at US News & World Report called Women of the Bible. I haven’t had a chance to read all of them yet, but the ones I’ve read so far have been interesting, so I thought I’d share. The article on Mary Magdalene was particularly interesting.

E.L.F. (or Earth Liberation Front, for those of you who don’t know) has struck again. They decided that in defense of nature (or something) they needed to burn down some multi-million dollar eco-friendly model homes in Washington state.

E.L.F. baffles me. They rail against development in areas citing supposed damage to Ma Earth, yet their method of destruction usually involves setting said development ablaze. Doesn’t that send toxic fumes into the air? Isn’t that bad for the environment? Just saying.

Here are links to some interesting things I read or nifty sites I found this week.

• 25 tips to achieve a deep, uninterrupted sleep
• Biofuels Deemed a Greenhouse Threat - New York Times
• House approved the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, which includes a controversial MPAA-backed amendment requiring colleges to implement anti-piracy measures, or, by some interpretations, they could lose Federal Student Aid eligibility. Read more info on HR4137.
• Take a look at this $6 million home theater
• Internet “troll” anonymity is protected under the first amendment, according to a California court of appeals.
• How Many Countries Can You Name in Five Minutes?
• Check out this knee brace that can re-charge your iPod (or other electronic devices).
• Yahoo! is reportedly going to reject Microsoft’s takeover bid.

Throughout most of my life I’ve felt like a bit of an outcast. I felt like a puzzle piece that wasn’t cut quite right. Through my younger years, I used my differences to isolate myself, and ultimately developed a bit of an inferiority complex.

Now I understand that I do have a place. Perhaps my puzzle piece needs a bit of sanding and refining to be able to fit in the spot in the puzzle that God has created for me. Do I see how I am a part of the bigger picture yet? Not quite, but I’m willing to be refined in order to know my role.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul writes to the church at Corinth about the Body of Christ, and how there are many parts which do different things, but each is necessary in order for the Body to work effectively. No one can do everything, but everyone can do one thing. We’ve all been blessed with abilities, talents, and interests that are unique to each of our faith communities. We’ve all lived different lives and have different perspectives to offer to areas of ministry within our churches. All of our different gifts can be used together to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).

Picture via stock.xchng

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You.

Sometimes I wonder how different my life would be at this moment in time if a decision by myself or people who have affected my life would have been made differently. I wonder if my life would have turned out better…or worse…than it is right now.

If I think about it, though, I don’t think I would change anything about my life…even the bad parts. (And there have been some pretty bad parts.) My experiences have taught me things that I don’t think I’d have learned otherwise, and every single event that has happened has shaped me into the person I am today. I don’t know if the grass would be greener in the lawn I live in now if something had gone differently in my past.

The tough times build character…they give depth to the soul. But they make the good times taste that much sweeter.

What say you? Would you change something in your past?

Most of us know that a cluttered desk makes it harder to concentrate, and a cluttered bedroom can lead to restless nights. But what about time clutter?

Time is precious. We can’t get back lost or wasted time, so we should be good stewards of the time we have. For me, time clutter is activities or obligations that serve no purpose in my life, due to the fact that I’m not passionate about it, or that it’s a chore that I don’t have to do.

If we truly want to de-clutter our lives, we should look at how we spend our time in addition to looking at and evaluating all the stuff we own. Is what we are spending our time on something we feel good about doing? Is it something that we have a passion for, or is it something we are doing still because we’ve been doing it for years?

Our time should be spent doing things we care about, and ultimately living for God. Time is a gift. I think that if we lived as if it were a gift, that perhaps we wouldn’t be so inclined to be busy for the sake of being busy, and we would savor the moments we have and make the most of them.

Ladies and dudes…

Happy 2008!

Another year has begun, and like a lot of people, I have made several resolutions. However, unlike previous years where I’ve made resolutions, I really feel like I will be able to stick to them this time (of course, everyone says that, so we’ll see). So here they are:

Become friends with the treadmill again. I’m out of shape, y’all. ‘Nuff said.

Get organized, and stay that way! If any of you could see my bedroom right now, you’d understand why this is important…

Reclaim my time and rediscover what I’m about at the core. I need to say no to things, and focus my time on things that I’m passionate about and people that I care about. I have found that those things have been neglected, so it’s time to dust them off. I miss them.

How ’bout you? What is something that you’re resolved to do in 2008?

I’ve been reading and seeing on the cable news stations the mini-outrage over Jamie Lynn Spears being pregnant at 16. (And how she’s a bad example, and blah, blah, blah…)

First of all, is there not anything more important to report on?

Second, why is such a huge earth shattering ruckus being raised about her when there are 750,000+ teenage pregnancies every year in the US?

Why not get upset that this is not an uncommon occurrence? She’s just another one of many teen girls who’s having a baby too young.