Posts by Kerry Weisser
Passion Perspective Interview-Julie Caldwell
We asked Julie to take us on the journey of her experiences with CEI and her publishing projects
“Real Life is Like Sports”, “Competition and the Christ-Follower” and “Sports as Worship”.
We asked Julie about her original passion?
- “For as long as I can remember, I’ve been passionate about God, His Word and encouraging others in their pursuit of experiencing Life with God. Since sports has played a big part of my life, spiritually motivating and influencing those around me in the world of sports has been a natural overflow.
- Romans 12:1 says,
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life–your eating, sleeping, going-to-work and walking-around life and place it before God as an offering” (Message)
Because I interact with many whose everyday, ordinary life includes sports, I like to supplement this verse with:“Take your…coaching or playing-sports life, and place it before God as an offering”
- So it is with an intent of encouraging and challenging coaches and athletes in their faith journey that I’ve written sports Bible studies and devotionals such as, “Sports As Worship,” “Is Your Game Secular or Sacred,” “Moving Beyond An Error,” and “Competition and the Christ-Follower.”
So how and when did the passion to write a book begin?
“Several years ago, my missions pastors asked me if I had any “dreams” of which the church could help make a reality. So I shared something that had been on my heart for years: I desired to write a booklet, have it translated into another language, and give it away to the coaches and athletes we reach out to overseas through CEI. The content was to include Biblical illustrations and parables with an athletic twist. Real Life Is Like Sports” is this “dream” becoming reality.”
And what steps …
Read MorePassion Perspective-Getting to Know Julie Caldwell
We have know Julie Caldwell since 2006. Our friendship started on an international softball mission trip to Asia as we served together with Competitive Edge International. 
Julie has had an amazing privilege of living her life pursuing three of her greatest passions: God, people, and sports. We asked Julie to give us a little synopsis of her life and she shared a short biographical sketch with us, “Born and raised in Modesto, California, I began following Jesus as a child and discovered in my youth that God had wired me with passion and skills in sports. I was blown away to have received All-American honors as a shortstop at San Joaquin Delta Community College and humbled to have and accept God’s provision of a full-ride softball scholarship to San Diego State University. Several years after graduating with my Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education/Kinesiology, I served for more than three years on Athletes in Action softball staff before God called me to step out in faith by co-founding Competitive Edge International (CEI) in 1997. Through CEI, I continue to enjoy impacting and influencing the lives of coaches, athletes and those involved in sports, as I reach the world’s unreached with the good news of Jesus through sports. To Him be all the glory…Psalm 115:1.”
Here are some fun things we learned about Julie……
Life motto – “Your Word is Life to me!”
Favorite food – Almost anything authentic Mexican
Favorite dessert – Boysenberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
One thing you can’t live without – (she chose to share a few of her favorite things)…Coffee, College football. DIY Network. Deep friendships. Joy. A heart of worship and thanksgiving. God’s love.
Favorite books – Fiction: anything by Joel C. Rosenberg, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, Dead Heat, …
Happy Halloween
Happy Halloween! Go enjoy some fun activities with your family…a Pumpkin Farm, a Harvest Festival or just dress up and spend time with family and friends. Stay safe and have a blessed holiday.
Happy Halloween!!!!!
…
Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
I absolutely love the changing colors of the leaves on the trees in our town. The crisp evenings and cool mornings are ushering in the feelings of Fall-even though we had such a LOOONG Indian Summer. Brewing up a cup of coffee or tea for sipping along with a warm Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie makes a chilly afternoon or a cold night so much warmer. (Click the link to get the recipe and try the gluten free style or the original recipe) I absolutely LOVE pumpkin spice lattes but the ones you buy at the coffee shops are full of sugar and other ingredients that are not very healthy. So I decided to experiment with making one at home.
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
My first try I used
1 cup of my normal delicious House Blend Peet’s coffee
1/3 cup of hot and frothy almond milk
1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon of honey
I brew my coffee in a French Press and froth my almond milk with a battery operated whip. Combine all ingredients and enjoy.
My next try I bought some Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spiced coffee grounds and brewed up a cup and added ⅓ cup of hot and frothy almond milk and a dash of cinnamon.
My third try was an idea inspired by Bekah who was brewing up a cup of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Rooibos herbal blend tea. I took one Starbucks Via instant coffee and poured 8 ounces of boiling hot water into my cup and placed one tea bag in my cup as well. After about 5 minutes, I removed the tea bag, added 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and 1/3 cup hot almond milk. Yummy, the best by far.
Today was the ultimate….
Take 1 cup of your …
Creative Gift Giving
Creative Gift Giving
Our family LOVES to celebrate! Holidays, birthdays, every chance we get to gather and rejoice together. Gift giving is one of my passions. I love to make homemade presents and I like to bless my children and grand children with gifts that are special and personal to each of them. But I am committed to being a good steward of our family’s resources and I must remember that I need to honor my adult children by NOT continually smothering their children (my grand children) with gifts. As our family grows I am also realizing that it is impractical to jump on the consumerism band wagon and BUY, BUY, BUY every new toy or gadget or fashion item that hits the racks or shelves. Plus, kids actually DO spell LOVE…..T..I..M..E.. So, I have been thinking about CREATIVE gift giving ideas.
Gifts that create memories and keep on giving….
Classes or lessons-music, dance, gymnastics, cooking, sewing, knitting, science, sports of any kind.
Tickets (to attend an event with the gift giver)- a sports game, a musical, a play, an art exhibit, a science exhibition
Memberships-to local zoo, Children’s museum, kid specific places like Pretend City, Aquarium
Books-the love of reading is the greatest gift you can give a child. You can start at local used book store or garage sales, investing in time tested treasures like Richard Scary books and fill in with other classics from your local bookstore
Personalized Items like sleeping bag, backpacks, purses for little girls, gym bags
Dress up clothes-go to thrift store or party stores after Halloween and stock up on great costumes
Cookbook and real cooking utensils, an apron and hat plus a coupon to cook with the gift giver
Pretend Play items– store, groceries, receipt book …
Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones
Pumpkins are everywhere! Pumpkin yummy treats are everywhere as well. Since I absolutely LOVE everything FALL including everything that tastes or smells of pumpkin, I decided to write about a few of my new pumpkin obsessions. I started by baking a batch of Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies this week. I love to bake pumpkin scones and this season I am working on a Gluten Free Pumpkin Scone recipe. I made this one a few days ago and delivered a batch to a precious friend who is recovering from surgery. I will post the recipe I tried and modify it in the near future. (The first batch was a bit too crumbly)
Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones
Ingredients
¾ cup gluten free oat flour
¾ cup almond meal flour
¼ cup coconut flour
2 cups oats
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice ( my favorite is from Trader Joe’s)
(you can use 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon cloves and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg)
1 Tablespoon butter softened
⅓ cup coconut oil melted
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 Tablespoon fresh grated orange rind
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar (to sprinkle on top of scones before you bake them)
Mix oat flour, almond meal, coconut flour, oats, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl. Combine butter and coconut oil and add to dry ingredients. Cut in until mixture is crumbly. Mix maple syrup, pumpkin, grated ginger, grated orange peel and egg together and fold into mixture in large bowl. Do not handle dough very much so scones will be light and not tough. Form into circles about 3 inch biscuit shape. Makes 8 or 9 scones. (You can also shape …
Read MoreAll Things Pumpkin-Harvest Snacks
Sweet treats abound during this time of year, so I thought it would be nice to share an easy Harvest Snack Mix idea that is savory and sweet and fun to have around when friends stop by for a visit. I gathered up all the ingredients at my favorite store-Trader Joe’s. I mixed up a batch and already took a few bags full to friends.
In a large bowl mix
4 cups of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin “O’s”
2 cups peanut butter pretzels
1 cup pumpkin spiced pumpkin seeds
1 cup unsalted roasted almonds
2 cups pumpkin flavored granola
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
Mix together in a bowl and serve.
I bought some clear treat bags and filled them with Harvest Snack Mix, tied them with an orange ribbon and took one bag to a party for a fun hostess gift and dropped the other one off as a surprise for a friend.
It is really nice to have a special treat ready to serve with very little preparation time needed. Take a trip to your local Trader Joe’s, Sprouts or try your local grocery store and see what fun pumpkin flavored snacks you can find to combine for your own creative version of Harvest Snack Mix.
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Black Bean Quinoa Burgers
Harvest season has come. The leaves are turning colors and although we have had an extraordinarily warm fall season, the nights are getting chilly. Time to start cooking up those fall stews and soups. But for those of us who are avid Giants fans…..it is the postseason and the NLCS is happening this week, so I decided to try out a new veggie burger recipe to have a ballpark style dinner. I adapted a recipe that was on the back of a bag of multicolored quinoa that I bought at Trader Joe’s (my favorite grocery store).
Here is the adapted recipe…
Ingredients for Black Bean Quinoa Burgers
4 cloves garlic
2 shallots (you can use ¼ cup chopped green onions or ½ cup sweet maui onions)
1 red or yellow pepper chopped fine
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped fine (1 cup) because I LOVE cilantro
2 cups homemade black beans smashed a bit-recipe below (you can use 1-15 oz can)
3 cups cooked quinoa (cook as directed on back of package)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups quinoa flakes (oatmeal or oat bran can also be used-original recipe used bread crumbs)
2 teaspoons Trader Joe’s every day seasoning
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tsp salt
Saute garlic, red or yellow pepper and shallots in 1 TBS olive oil. Mix all remaining ingredients and stir in sauted veggies. Mix well and shape into 8 patties and fry in pan with 1 TBS olive oil 2-3 minutes each side. Serve on whole wheat buns with lettuce, tomato, avocado, sliced red onion and Mango Salsa (recipe below). You can also layer a bed of spinach with the mango salsa onto a plate and place the burger, tomato, and avocado on top.
Homemade Black Beans
2-3 cups dry black beans (1 Pound)…
Read MoreCaochAyers.com-Most Influential Post, Read by Most Followers
We asked JT which of his posts have been the most influential. The two posts that have been read by the most followers or have received the most comments have been Introverts are Powerful Leaders and Slay your Dragons before Breakfast.
I hope you took the time yesterday to read the post on Introverts, but if you did not, take the time today to read it. Here is a sneak preview to encourage you to go to JT’s website and read the entire post.
WHY INTROVERTS MAKE EXCELLENT LEADERS AND WHAT EXTROVERTS CAN LEARN FROM THEM:
They Prepare-Introverts understand the power of Solitude. They will spend time thinking through their goals and preparing for questions. They spend time on the vision and values of their actions. They would never say they “just wing it.”
They Listen-An introvert is more likely to listen and pay attention to what other people are saying. People feel encouraged and valued by introverts. Extroverts butt into conversations and are generally the loudest people in the room.
An introvert is more likely to listen and pay attention to what other people are saying. People feel encouraged and valued by introverts. Extroverts butt into conversations and are generally the loudest people in the room.
The other post that has generated the most interest is called Slay your Dragons before Breakfast. Here is part of the post….to find out what the three heads of the dragon are and how to slay each head before breakfast, go to JT’s website and read the entire post. You will be blessed.
Every Morning I Wake Up To A Big Scary Fire-Breathing Dragon
(Think Smaug from The Hobbit)
I am disorientated each morning as I lay under my warm covers not wanting to deal with the dragon …
CoachAyers.com-JT’s 2 Favorite Posts
Today we will be sharing with you two of JT’s favorite posts.
The first one is called Coffee! The World’s Fuel. To read the entire post and see the resources JT used for his article, please go to his website by clicking the link. Go brew yourself up a cup of your favorite coffee and enjoy reading. My favorite cup coffee is always Peet’s.
Coffee-Fuel for the Modern World
Every day the world consumes 300 tons of coffee. That is enough coffee for every man woman and child on the planet. I am one of those people. The love of coffee is nothing new, however, most people don’t know the benefits of such an incredible addition. Below is a list of 5 reasons coffee is the fuel for the modern world and why you should be drinking it.
1. Lots Of Medical Benefits
You can’t die from drinking too much caffeine. It would take 90-100 cups in 4 hours to consume too much caffeine. And even if you were able to drink that much your body would be getting rid of it just as fast as you consume the beverage. Coffee and caffeine have proven benefits from countless studies:
– Protection from Cardio-Vascular diseases
– Can Prevent Diabetes
– Can Prevent Parkinson Disease
– Ease Asthma attacks
– Can help get rid of migraines
– 50% less likely to get rid of liver cancers for coffee drinkers
2. Increase In Brain Power
Caffeine releases Dopamine (chemical in your body that makes you happy). Caffeine also increases concentration, decreases fatigue, and gives you a better memory. Caffeine works by blocking an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, which leads to a stimulant effect. This improves energy levels, mood and various aspects of brain function.
3. Increase In Physical Performance
Caffeine can …
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