Tag: hot tea

Posted in Moments and Musings

Steeped in God: Finding Joy in Today

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Some mornings, I wake up and life feels…ordinary. Or maybe a little heavy. The house is quiet for a moment, and I sip my coffee, watching sunlight spill across the kitchen table, thinking of all I have—and yet sometimes still feeling restless. Psalm 118:24 gently reminds me: this day is a gift from God.

“This is the day the Lord has made…” Every single day. Not just the spectacular days when everything goes right, but also the mundane, messy, ordinary ones. The days filled with dishes and laundry, phone calls and errands, or the moments spent watching my granddaughter toddle across the room with pure delight. God made this day, just as it is, with all its ups and downs, and He invites me to recognize it as His handiwork.

“…we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Rejoicing is not always effortless. Sometimes it takes conscious effort to shift my perspective from what’s missing or what’s hard, to what’s present and good. That’s where I come back to one of my favorite images: being steeped in God like a tea bag in hot water. When a tea bag is placed in the water, it doesn’t fight the process—it releases its flavor, coloring and enriching the liquid around it. In the same way, when I immerse myself in God—through prayer, scripture, gratitude, and simply noticing His presence—He saturates my heart with His love, joy, patience, and peace.

The more I let Him steep into me, the more my ordinary moments begin to taste extraordinary. The laughter of my daughters becomes sweeter. The quiet presence of my family at home feels comforting and grounding. Even the small things—my granddaughter’s tiny hands clasped in mine, the first sip of my morning coffee, the turning of a page in a book I love—become opportunities to savor God’s goodness.

Being steeped in God doesn’t mean that challenges disappear. Bills still need to be paid, deadlines still loom, and sometimes hearts still ache. But when I am fully immersed in Him, I carry a flavor of His presence with me into every interaction, every task, and every moment of life. My joy doesn’t depend on circumstances—it flows from the One who made the day.

Today, I want to be fully steeped in God. To let Him infuse me so that my heart, mind, and spirit are saturated with His love. To recognize the blessings around me, both big and small, and let gratitude and rejoicing become my natural response. Life is not perfect—but this day is God’s, and in Him, it can be beautiful.

Prayer:

“Lord, help me to be steeped in You today. Immerse me in Your presence so that Your love, joy, and peace flow through every part of my life. Teach me to see the blessings in the ordinary moments and to rejoice fully in the day You have made. May my life reflect Your goodness, and may my heart be glad in You. Amen.”

Photo by Lara John on Unsplash
Posted in Moments and Musings

My top 5 Favorite Starbucks Drinks

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

It’s that time of the year again. Starbucks has dropped their pumpkin menu today and from now until the end of the year, we will all be living our lives based on the Starbucks menu. Pumpkin spice everything will rule the day until they drop their holiday menu at which time everything will transition from pumpkin to peppermint. This will go on until the end of the year when we will all return to our regularly scheduled daily lives, broke from all the money we’ve given to the Starbucks corporation and sad to be drinking our free, homemade, boring coffees.

That being said, I thought I’d use this commemorative day to share my top 5 favorite Starbucks drinks, from my least favorite to my “usual”.

5. London Fog Latte (hot) – I reduce the pumps of vanilla syrup from 4 to 1 for a grande. I am a huge, huge fan of Earl Grey tea and just love the pairing of a milky tea and a latte.

4. Mint Majesty Tea (hot) – This is a must-have when I’m sick. There’s something about this specific mint tea that soothes my sinuses and just makes me feel like all is well in the world when I don’t feel well. I take this one black. It needs nothing.

3. Flat White (hot) – No modifications needed for this one. It’s light and while the whole milk may add calories, it also adds sweetness so nothing else is necessary.

2. Caffe Latte (hot) – The only change I make to this I substitute soy milk for regular milk. Again, this is all about adding a bit of sweetness without adding any sugar. No syrups or sweetener. The soy is plenty sweet for me.

1. Chocolate Cream Cold Brew – I use less ice (to get more drink). I add extra chocolate cream because Starbucks makes their own and it’s so delicious! And, of course, I reduce the number of pumps of vanilla from 2 to about half of one (if I can get away with it). I also will add a splash of milk to add a bit of sweetness without adding a bunch of sugar.

Now, you may have noticed there’s no pumpkin anything on here at all. I’m really not a fan of Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes. I know, I know! Gasp! Shock! Horror! But I’m not. Their spice blend is way too spicy and tends to burn my throat and is way too sweet no matter how little I put in. I don’t like my coffee or tea overly sweet. You may have noticed I modify the sugar right out of my favorites listed above.

Even though I have my favorites, I will take my life in my hands and say this; If you have to make multiple changes just to enjoy your coffee, maybe it’s time for a new coffee place. After all, it’s just coffee; it’s not who you are as a person. It’s not a life-altering moment. IT’S JUST COFFEE. People take the simple joys way too seriously and consider it a disparagement against their person should a barista get confused with multiple modifications. If you’re that picky about your coffee, perhaps you should spend some time on Pinterest and figure out how to make your own. You’ll probably save some money in the process.

I’m going to enjoy my chocolate cream cold brew now. Don’t forget to let me know what your favorite coffee is! Maybe, it’s not even Starbucks! (Say what???)

    Photo by Madeline Liu on Unsplash