Tag: 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

    Posted in Moments and Musings

    Apartment Life vs House Life

    Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

    This time next year, I will be happily moved out of my apartment and into my forever house – or what I hope will be my forever home. At almost 55 years old, I sincerely hope the next move will be the last one.

    The last time I lived in a single family home, it was 2006. Since then, I spent 12 years in a townhome and the last 4 years in an apartment. So I’m looking forward to single family home life.

    I admit, there are things I love about apartment life. Things I’ll always love. Like the low maintenance. Should something, like the AC unit or the dishwasher break, I call someone. There’s no stressing about how to pay for it all. There’s also a sense of community. At least there is where I live. Everyone looks out for each other, greets other and helps each other. We meet up in common places like the front foyer to collect our mail, the laundry room and the elevator. We talk about our lives, our kids and our pets. (I live in a very dog friendly building.)

    However, there is a down side. Such as lack of privacy. Even though my complex is quiet, not many are. I still hear thumping from above. One step in the hallway and I could tell you what my neighbors are cooking for dinner – an odor that every once in a while invades my home. The building across the way makes me feel like I’m a character in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. And just last week, someone decided to sneak their laundry in with mine. (EW!)

    Will I miss it? Perhaps. I love the grounds, the lake and the compactness of it all.

    As always, there’s pros and cons of house life. I know there may be times when I may fret a bit over a broken appliance or a roof shingle that’s been dislodged. I know the grass will need to be cut and the snow shoveled which are all things I do not concern myself with now. I’ll still have to park outside (although, it won’t take 2 walks down long hallways and an elevator ride to get to my car). I know a house is a huge expense and when you buy a house, you essentially buy a neighborhood.

    Would I choose it over apartment life? Absolutely.

    I can’t wait to cut my own grass. And my Pinterest is full of decorating ideas for my bedroom with walls I can actually paint. If I don’t like the floor, I can change it. I can’t wait to decorate for all the holidays. I pray our neighbors are kind, gentle people with whom I can share a cup of sugar or some cookies. I plan on sitting outside on Halloween night, dressed as something fun and passing out candy. I dream of a backyard with a patio/deck that I can sit out in with a hot mug of tea on a crisp autumn morning wrapped up in bathrobe and wearing my birth control glasses. I look forward to long walks throughout my neighborhood.

    Most importantly, I cannot wait to share my life with not just my daughter but my two sisters. God help whatever house we get! Four grown women, all very independent, strong-willed and with our own personalities under one roof. I suspect much hilarity, fun, tears, comfort and lots of food.

    One last thing you can’t always have in an apartment is a garage. I can’t wait for a garage. My first big purchase will be a bike with a basket on it. I plan on riding throughout the neighborhood with flowers in my basket and straw hat on my head. You know, over my safety helmet.

    Less than 300 days to go. Nine more rent payments to go before they morph into mortgage payments. These are the days I look forward to, among so many others. These days will be blessed.

    Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

    Posted in Moments and Musings

    Steeped in God

    Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

    “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33 NLT

    Back in the days of being married with littles running around, we went through a season of being so very broke. Our furniture consisted of an old, worn out blue rocking chair, a scratched and faded coffee table we got from a second-hand shop and a sofa-bed couch that looked like it had been transported right from the year 1970. I was a young, stay-at-home mom with two babies and a husband I never saw due to his work schedule. Money was non-existent and so, it seemed, was the dream of ever getting anything new. 

    One day, while reading my Bible, this verse fell out. To be honest, I didn’t jump on this right away. No, God had to take his time with me, like always. But what he started planting in my heart was, “You can take this literally. You can believe my word just as it is.” 

    Not long after, a close friend of mine invited me over to her beautiful house to show me some new furniture she and her husband bought. A beautiful couch with recliners on each end. A loveseat to match, also reclining. A matching coffee table and two tall bookshelves finished off the collection. As I admired it and congratulated her, God said, “Take me at my word. Believe me. Seek me first and I will give you everything you need.” 

    So when I got home that night, I told God nothing else matters but him. I want him more than I want new furniture. I laid this dream of mine at his feet and told him that I want this but I want him more. I want him first. 

    Two days later I received a call from this same friend. She was so excited as her mother-in-law just gifted her with the furniture set of her dreams. I was confused. She’d just bought a beautiful set! I wondered what she would do with what she already had. Then she told me she and her husband had decided to give us – not sell us – but give us their set they’d just bought. 

    That was God moving to perform his word!

    Where there’s a promise, there’s a performance! 

    I love The Message version of this verse best.  

    “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”

    Steep your life in God’s word. If you think about it, to steep something is to keep it in water, completely covered until you get the best flavor out of it. Steeping yourself in God’s word means the same thing. 

    You are literally keeping yourself completely covered while God refines you and pulls out the very best version of you. AS YOU STEEP YOURSELF – not after. During. Which means you only need to take the first step. 

    Is what you’re waiting on God for standing in between you and God? Have you made it more important than him? It’s ok to say yes – we’ve all done it. Can I pray with you now?

    “Heavenly Father, we thank you for all things. But the biggest thing we thank you for is your Word and the precious blood of Jesus. We’re so very thankful you chose to love us so much that you gave to us first. You gave us the very best Heaven had to offer and all you ask in return is that we seek you first. Where we have failed to keep you first, Father, we ask for forgiveness and thank you for your perfect mercy. We make a new commitment now to seek you first! Redirect us, Holy Spirit! We seek after you and your truth, your ideas, your provisions, and your ways, knowing no part of seeking after you will result in failure. We put you first, Father, because we love you so much. In Jesus name, Amen!”