 Is your mind playing tricks on you? Or are you really, truly receiving a message from God? First in order to understand where I am going with this post, we must read the "Parable of the Flood," story. A terrible storm came into a town and local officials sent out an emergency warning that the riverbanks would soon overflow and flood the nearby homes. They ordered everyone in the town to evacuate immediately. A faithful Christian man heard the warning and decided to stay, saying to himself, “I will trust God and if I am in danger, then God will send a divine miracle to save me.” The neighbors came by his house and said to him, “We’re leaving and there is room for you in our car, please come with us!” But the man declined. “I have faith that God will save me.” As the man stood on his porch watching the water rise up the steps, a man in a canoe paddled by and called to him, “Hurry and come into my canoe, the waters are rising quickly!” But the man again said, “No thanks, God will save me.” The floodwaters rose higher pouring water into his living room and the man had to retreat to the second floor. A police motorboat came by and saw him at the window. “We will come up and rescue you!” they shouted. But the man refused, waving them off saying, “Use your time to save someone else! I have faith that God will save me!” The flood waters rose higher and higher and the man had to climb up to his rooftop. A helicopter spotted him and dropped a rope ladder. A rescue officer came down the ladder and pleaded with the man, "Grab my hand and I will pull you up!" But the man STILL refused, folding his arms tightly to his body. “No thank you! God will save me!” Shortly after, the house broke up and the floodwaters swept the man away and he drowned. When in Heaven, the man stood before God and asked, “I put all of my faith in You. Why didn’t You come and save me?” And God said, “Son, I sent you a warning. I sent you a car. I sent you a canoe. I sent you a motorboat. I sent you a helicopter. What more were you looking for?” Often times we have thoughts in our heads, or prayers to God that we may not realize is truly be heard from the unforeseen world. The key to understanding signs is to know whether the sign comes from the light or the dark. So many people experience synchronicities, which they believe are messages from God. I agree, but at certain times of my life, I experienced these synchronicities that I believe rooted from darkness. When logically analyzing the messages, you have to see what you are experiencing and how your intuition reacts to that experience. Some people with karmic bonds will experience synchronicities, but this situation or experience is merely a test to see in what direction of life you'll go into. Some karmic bonds are invitations to do shadow work, and though signs were there, that person or experience is not for your higher good. The "sign" is to walk away, bless, forgive and let go. Signs come in many shapes, sizes, directions, thoughts and feelings. Mystical and religious people have different view points on signs. I've known many Christian people who say signs from animals or nature are mere coincidences meanwhile other philosophies believe nature communicates to humans and are messengers from God. We live in a logical world, and most people can handle logical signs from God. If people had visions of spirit beings they would most likely freak out, not able to handle the intensity. So many people crave divine signs or experiences that is so "explosive" it looks like it comes out of a Hollywood movie. It doesn't work like that. I will share one story. A person I knew was financially struggling. She kept having conversations and worries stir in her brain about needing help. Low and behold, within hours someone comes to her door and provides a bag of pet food as this woman knew she was strapped for cash. Was this a sign from God? Absolutely. We must be grateful for each and every gift from the divine. A million dollars or a winning lottery ticket just doesn't pop into our lives. In my analysis, that sign is a message from God saying that you've been heard, and I will take care of you. Maybe your soul is crying inside from overworking, and then you keep seeing the words or advertisements about Yosemite, and you've always wanted to visit that park. Maybe its a sign to take a break and book a vacation. Or put your soul's desires first by visiting the park, which is your dream. One client once lived in Hawaii. His aunt has been ill. One evening in Seattle there was a double rainbow that lasted over an hour. He got the inkling that his aunt just died because this was a sign in Hawaiian culture about rainbows being a bridge to heaven. Later that evening he got a call that his aunt indeed passed away that day. Signs are signs. They are guiders, but are not strict rules. Some signs are prophetic, others are just divine messages trying to guide you into a certain direction in life. If something is meant to happen, it will. Remember the divine has no timeline. Some signs and synchronicities occur for years before something actually cultivates. You must check with your intuition and see what feelings arise when the signs come. Just don't miss the boat because you are expecting something that originates from a fantasy.
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People who do not have a spiritual foundation do not understand the purpose of our souls being here on earth. Most people think of planet earth as a playground to enjoy life an in the material world. Now this is not to say that we shouldn't have fun in life, but we are here to grow and evolve our souls. Every soul has a mission and chooses it's life in order to grow, evolve and conquer hardships. But the main reason for our soul is to understand love.
Our souls are here to understand how to give and receive love and learn how to forgive themselves & forgive others.
Each and every soul has a different mission in life. Many forms of spirituality speak that love is the main reason for us being here. We are here to understand love from various angles and lenses. We need to love ourselves (not to the point of narcissism). We need to let people in to show us love. We need to share our love with others. We need to love our home and our planet.
The Bible contains great wealth of information and speaks of love 64 times. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. — 1 Corinthians 13:13 ESVWhoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. - 1 John 4:8
God loves his children. And we are children of God. God is love. And love is a complex energy. There is a light and dark side of love. All of God's love comes from the light, which also includes understanding forgiveness.
When you know, understand and experience love, you know God. We often equate love to romance, which is where we learn most of our lessons, but love is a relationship of all kinds. And this is why community and the family nucleus is so powerful. In today's world of independence, we see people trying to receive love in many forms. Throughout my time of being single post divorce, I notice so many people bury themselves in work, projects, school or additional hobbies to receive some form of love and acceptance. Love, like anything in life, is a choice. You can choose to give love, and be open to receiving it. Love is selfless and should not have expectations, though reciprocity is necessary for long term growth.
Planet earth is a ghetto, and we will endear many hardships in this fallen world. One of the greatest forms of love is through forgiveness of other people's actions and to release feelings of anxiety, revenge and vengeance against the other person.
In this digital age, and age of social isolation, it is easy to find acceptance and fulfillment through online communities, artificial intelligence and pornography. Nothing is stronger than the human emotion, and nothing can replace real life intimacy physical, mental, emotional, intellectual and spiritual intimacy. Knowing love is knowing yourself and having awareness of your actions and what affects you. Knowing love is respecting everything on this planet from the earth to animals. Knowing love is understanding we are here to serve and uplift ourselves and humanity. God is love. He wants you to love Him, and trust in Him. He also wants you to spread love on the planet. Love yourself. Love your home. Love your parents and others even if they disappointed you. Some research states that it takes men 8.2 seconds to fall in love. The heart has no limit in its capacity of unconditional love, but we must also use our head in order for that to not be taken advantage of, or our kindness used against us. What do you think about love? Let's Connect! Check out my other YouTube videos!
I hope everyone is having a good summer. Wow, is it now officially summer. I have taken a wee bit of a break from social media, and a well needed one. I felt as if I needed time away from the digital sphere and just work on things in the real world.
I did not, and still do not miss social media. I would not use it except as a writer it is necessary to have an online presence. Anyways, I am about six weeks too late posting this asaparagus recipe, but it is well worth it regardless of its timing.
Roasting vegetables is one of the most common forms of cooking produce. However, adding a twist with nutritional yeast gives this a cheesy flavor, which is now my preferred method of cooking and consuming asparagus. 
Asparagus is one of those seasonal vegetables that has a unique history and past. It is believed that humans have consumed asparagus for over two-thousand years. A distant cousin of the onion family, asparagus originates in the Mediterranean.
The Greeks considered asparagus to be sacred and was used as an aphrodisiac. The ancient Greek doctor, Hippocrates, used this vegetable to treat symptoms of diarrhea and urethra pain. The Romans ate asparagus as an entrée or alongside cooked fish. Europe forgot about asparagus during the Middle Ages, but made a comeback in the 16th Century as it was served by the royal courts. In the 17th Century, the French cultivated asparagus since King Louis XIV was very fond of it. By the 18thCentury, asparagus was available in the markets. What a history, and that’s the shortened version. For a more Mediterranean flare, I added a variety of colorful cherry tomatoes, which also tastes delightful covered in nutritional yeast. Enjoy! 
Dairy-Free Roasted "Cheesy" Asparagus + Tomatoes
Serves - 4 Ingredients: 1 lb. of asparagus (or 1 bunch) 10 oz. package of cherry tomatoes (used sugar plum) 1-2 tbsp olive oil 2.5 tbsp nutritional yeast 1/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper + garlic salt Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the last 1-2 inches off the ends of the asparagus. Place the asaparagus and tomatoes into a bowl and mix with olive oil. Mix the nutritional yeast and the spices together. Sprinkle over the vegetables (save about a teaspoon) and mix until well-covered. Arrange the vegetables on a baking sheet and roast for 21 minutes. 
Many moons ago I worked at a vegan cafe in college named Squeakers. Veganism and vegetarianism was a "big thing" back in the early 2000's in Northwest Ohio. As a college student at Bowling Green State University, this is where a passion for cooking further ignited. I loved that job, and still to this day was one of my favorites. I guess deep down at heart I am not a desk-job type of person. Cooking is a form of creation and to me, it is therapeutic in nature.
One simple and easy recipe we served was a spicy tofu peanut wrap. It is one of the easiest recipes to make and is a quick meal to put together for work lunches. Back then we used San J International Thai Peanut Sauce, since that was the only thing we had on stock at the small cafe and health food store.
Today, you can use other brands though I do suggest San J, and the best part is that the sauce is Gluten Free. For this round, I used Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette Dressing. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Wraps are simple, easy and easily digestible in the summer months. The cooling raw vegetables make this a perfect picnic or on-the-go lunch. Enjoy! 
Spicy Tofu Peanut Wrap
Serves 6-8 Ingredients: 1 14 oz. block extra firm tofu, drained and press 1 bottle of Peanut Sauce 1 package of wraps Lettuce Tomatoes Sliced Carrots Peanuts optional: avocado, sprouts etc. Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While heating, remove the tofu from its package and wrap in 2-3 paper towels. Press the tofu by placing in a dish with a heavy bowl on top. Press for at least 15 minutes (or hours if possible). Cut the tofu block in half and then cut slices as seen in the image above. Smother the tofu in peanut sauce in a bowl and then pour evenly onto a baking sheet. Use about half of the bottle of peanut sauce for baking. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the tofu, and bake for an additional 7-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the tofu cool. You can eat the wraps with the tofu cold or hot. Place lettuce, tomato, carrots and other toppings into a wrap. Place 3-4 sliced pieces of tofu on top and add a small amount of peanuts in the wrap. Drizzle additional peanut sauce on top and enjoy! Let's Connect & Check out my other sandwich recipe ideas!
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AuthorElizabeth Rae Kovar M.A. is Author of her memoir, Finding Om and is a Fitness Trainer, Yogi, Reiki Master, Presenter and Lover of Life. To view her portfolio please visit www.elizabethkovar.com 
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