Speakers

Cassie Bjork
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Annie Purdue-Olson
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Alicia Cole
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Sarah Legband
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Julie Weber
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Hannah Neumann
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Please note, this only reserves your tickets so we can plan better for the weekend. You will need to finalize the registration Friday night at Will Call (which opens at 6:30pm) or by visiting the table at one of Substance weekend services.

Andes Mint Cookies
3/4 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
2 tbsp water in sauce pan

mix together and melt

add 2 c chocolate chips, melt.

Let cool about 10 minutes. This is important. Sadly this is more the voice of experience and less a logical statement of what happens when eggs get too warm. So, before you

Add  2 eggs, one at a time

be sure to let the above mixture cool for about 10 minutes. Otherwise you end up with weird pieces of cooked egg in the chocolate batter.

2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Roll the dough into approximately one-inch balls.

Cook at 425F for 5 minutes (yes, just five minutes!). Remove from oven at let cool for a few minutes before pressing a piece of Andes Mint into the top of cookie. Let mint melt slightly before swirling with knife.

Invite some friends over. Enjoy their fellowship and don’t let them leave until cookies are gone.

Our blogger today writes and very occasionally, but more often settles on popcorn for dinner, cooks in St Paul.

As far as the “I may never come here again” thought, I often think this when I’m leaving a hotel at the end of a trip. For some reason it fascinates me that I can be in a place for a few days and then leave, maybe to never return, and yet all the people that live there will continue to live there and life will go on. It isn’t narcissism, I am just intrigued by the variety of daily lives happening concurrently and by the fact I may only see a place once in my whole life.

So anyway it’s not that I felt especially attached to the Fridley campus. I don’t think I’ve ever thought of Substance as “being at” Fridley, or SLP or Northwestern but rather that it’s wherever all of its people are. Not an especially original thought, maybe a little cheesy (Who owns a “Home is where the heart is” doormat?), but I do think it’s an achievement by everyone who is a part of Substance.

As I was leaving Fridley thinking I will probably never be there again, I was also reflective and thought about all the things that have happened in the five years since I started coming to Substance. Isn’t that one of the best things about change? The prompt to think about the past, those memories that haven’t come to mind for awhile, and the anticipation of something new.

I’m glad to be at a church with leadership that is willing and able to thoughtfully work through difficult decisions. I’m not comparing Substance with any other churches, but just know a lot of work goes into a change like this – gathering information, discerning the right thing to do, finding consensus, communicating, implementing. I appreciated all the information that was shared during the announcement of the transition, and feel inspired by Substance leadership’s willingness to work through the challenges of movement and growth. I’m sure leaving Fridley has not been met with 100% agreement, but I agree with one person I spoke to who said that she trusted the leadership team in their desire to follow God’s will and make the right decisions.

In case the above was a little long and rambly here is a summary: Last Sunday I thought about the past five years of my life, felt excited to see what Substance will be like at SLP and Northwestern, and was reminded of another reason I love this church.

The above message was not written under duress. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the blogger. The Well leaders do not strong arm their bloggers into saying nice things about Substance. (The Well leaders also did not write this blog bio.)

Mark your Calendars: May 17-18

We’ll have incredible worship and hear from Pastor Carolyn again, but this time we’re extending the fun to Saturday morning. We’ll have breakout sessions that you can choose from. It’ll be a great place to get involved an meet new people.

But … we’ll need your help! If you’d be interested in volunteering, fill out this form.

We’ll have more details coming soon, but in the meantime, check this video out!

Yes, you will. But in the meantime you must resist the temptation to hole up indoors. Persevere. Don’t let winter defeat you.

I am more than ready to tell anyone who will listen how much I love living in the Twin Cities. Even during snow emergencies. We have so many great options for entertainment and I think good, thankful thoughts about living here on a… an… almost daily basis.

What are some of those entertainment options? Well! Just let me tell you about my favorites.

The Artist’s Quarter. Jazz club in the basement of the Historic Hamm Building, downtown St Paul. It’s a small club that every jazz musician knows and they all want to play there. It’s casual and is as equally fun for the jazz expert as the I-have-no-idea-what jazz-is non-expert. On Tuesdays shows are free if you’re there at 7pm and, interestingly, $2 tacos are served. artistsquarter.com

The River Road. Winter activity?! Of course! The walking and bike path going down both sides of the Mississippi is a wonderful way to see the Cities change through all seasons. Plus, does anyone else feel that sense of self-righteous satisfaction that comes from being fully and appropriately dressed for extreme weather conditions? 20 below wind-chill? Well, mother nature, notice I’m getting exercise outside anyway, in relative comfort, by wearing long underwear, ski goggles and every pair of socks I own. (Non-natives: if you actually follow this suggestion, congratulations! You’re Minnesotan.) If you need a place to start, try Minnehaha Park.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA). Not into art? Well, it’s free. Do it anyway. The MIA exhibits are always changing, the building is very cool, and it’s another way to move around when it’s cold out and you’ve realized walking by the river during MN winters is a ridiculous idea. On the 3rd Thursday of every month they have special events related to their main exhibits. These events are also free. artsmia.org

Other ideas include, but are not limited to, ice skating in one of the many parks that sets up an ice rink, sledding, staying up to date on current events, hot chocolate and Fargo, learn a language, pity the people in the south who never get to wear Norwegian sweaters, go to The Swedish Institute, learn to cook a new dish, and hang out in a cool bookstore (like Magers & Quinn, Uptown).

What do you have to add? There are tons of ways to beat winter blues; hopefully this list initiates an arsenal of ideas that will be ready the next time you find yourself shaking your fist at the snow in your driveway.

Our blogger, Lauren, is an avid activity-finder, dancer and loves her native Twin Cities.

Eating and food stressors are such a commonality among us women. Some of you reading this have met with me privately, and part of me wishes each of you knew how many other women in the church are struggling with the same issues that you might be battling. Why don’t we talk about food more often? I see so many clients — women especially — who seem to get caught up in details like counting calories and limiting fat. For many of us women, eating is a stressful chore instead of a means of reenergizing and nourishing the body with life-giving foods. The human body was designed to use food for fuel— not depriving it of this basic necessity, and also not obsessing over it. We are to treat our body like a temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20.) Are you treating yours this way?

It’s important for us to put all dieting and food misconceptions to the side and go back to the root of nutrition. God created whole foods that contain essential nutrients and vitamins for our bodies to thrive off of, to give us energy and satisfy us. A downfall to the aforementioned detailed, stressful eating approaches, is that many of these common approaches are actually backfiring, and working against the ultimate goal. With mixed messages on health, nutrition, exercise, dieting and weight loss in the media, it can be nearly impossible to discern what’s true and what’s not. Let’s talk about what nutrition concepts will always hold to be true, despite the ever changing nutrition information with these seven concepts:

The human body was designed to metabolize three macronutrients: Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat. All three of these macronutrients are essential for the body and brain. It’s never healthy to eliminate an entire macronutrient, as some fad diets do. Your body will work best when meals and snacks are balanced with protein (meat, fish and eggs,) healthy fat (oils, nuts and seeds,) and carbohydrates (vegetables and fruits.)

Fat doesn’t make you fat. Ever since our unhealthy fear of fat began in the 1970’s, Americans have coincidentally packed on more and more pounds, leading to the greatest obesity epidemic in the history of the world. Marketing tactics for “low-fat,” “fat-free” and “skinny” products, and even trusted professionals, have brainwashed us to believe that fat is the enemy. Current research is revealing otherwise, and we now know that our overconsumption of sugar and processed foods is the real culprit for the obesity epidemic. We need fat to fuel our brains, support our metabolism and keep us healthy. Be kind to your brain and your cells by eating healthy fats throughout the day, such as avocados, nuts and seeds and cooking with healthy fats like coconut oil and butter (yes, butter!)

The human body was not designed to metabolize processed foods. When these chemical and preservative-laden foods are consumed, stress is placed on the body that causes internal inflammation and slowing of the metabolism which is to blame for weight gain, low energy levels, moodiness, headaches and more. Real, whole foods will never be a fading trend. Stay away from fake food and fuel your body with real foods.

Eat real food and ditch the artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are chemicals and are not an effective way of achieving weight loss goals. Opposite than what marketing tactics have brainwashed us to believe, they are actually more harmful than hurtful. When fat is removed from a food, refined carbohydrates and sugar are added, so it is to your benefit to buy real full-fat products and stop wasting your money on the foods that make empty promises and following diets that never pull through.

Eat more often. Eating every few hours will keep your metabolism revved up all day (and night!) long. An ineffective approach to weight loss that I see on a day-to-day basis is skipping meals. This approach is not only ineffective, but actually backfires and makes it more difficult for a person to lose weight. When we deprive our bodies of the calories (energy) and nutrients that it needs to run efficiently, the metabolism slows down in order to compensate for the lack of energy coming in. You can think of it like a car with an empty gas tank — not only is it not going to run efficiently, but it’ll hardly run at all. When you put gas in it, it will begin to run more efficiently and when you put high quality gas in it, it runs best. This is why skipping any meal, especially breakfast sets back any weight loss efforts and contributes to low energy levels.

Check in before you eat. Any time you find yourself wondering what’s healthy and what’s not, it’s important to pause and ask yourself these simple questions: Is it a “real food?” Is it natural? Is it honoring my body?

Eat your food with confidence. Knowing that food was given by our Creator, to fuel our bodies and provide the energy we need to live out our callings on this earth, you can confidently eat your food. Food was designed by God to nourish our bodies and minds.

Lastly, if food is something you stress about and it occupies a great portion of your thoughts, then you may greatly benefit from an appointment with a Registered Dietitian. I have worked with so many girls and women (both in and out of our church) who struggled with food for years, and after just a few visits, they’re making major progress. I can’t emphasize the importance of making that first appointment and seeking accountability. We were created for relationships to help each other overcome what seems impossible. We are in this together.

Our guest post today comes from a good friend of The Well, Cassie Bjork. You can check out her other stuff over here at dietitiancassie.com.

I was talking with a friend of mine and we agreed one of the reasons people lament age is they feel like they should have accomplished more to date than they have. Do you agree? I think it’s so easy to let thoughts become trapped on a dead end track of wishing we done this, known that or to look back on years past and feel like nothing was achieved or that more should have been done.

During one of my moments of 30-year-old drama I was curious what the Bible has to say about youth and age. Not everything was helpful.

One thing I learned was that Joseph was 17 when he was made overseer in the house of the Captain of the Guard in Egypt.

Super. Of course he was. When I was 17 I think I was still afraid to learn to drive. I hadn’t so much as led a Bible study. Clearly this youthful failure to oversee an Egyptian household is only made greater by remaining unrectified in a 30 year old.

Proverbs 20:29 says

“The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair.”

Don’t worry, I get what the verse is saying, but in weakness my reaction was, “Thanks, God. Can I just keep the strength? And does coloring your hair bring you less honor because I may need to at some point. And they did tell me I’m worth it.”

Then 2 things happened.

1. Someone posted the following quote on their Facebook page: “If you’re not proactively changing your life you’re automatically letting outside influences do it. Take charge.”
2. I kept reading what the Bible has to say about youth.

Moses and Aaron were over 80 when they led the Israelites out of Egypt. Daniel was over 80 when he served as a governor over Babylon, and when he was thrown in the lions’ den. Paul referred to himself as ‘the aged’ when he was writing many letters that are now parts of the Bible.

Now, of course there isn’t a ‘free period’ in life, a break during the years when one is too old to be a protégé and too young to have a ‘lifetime of experience’. Many great accomplishments take a lifetime of preparation. I found myself realizing that without seeking God it is possible to look back on past years and be correct in feeling like time was wasted and I should have done more. What do I need to be doing now to avoid these regrets in the future?

Suddenly I felt rejuvenated and excited to discover what God has in store for me.

As ‘the aged’ Paul wrote in Philippians 3:12-15:

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected;

but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus

has also laid hold of me.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one

thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and

reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press

toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in

Christ Jesus.

Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and

if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this

to you.”

Our guest blogger, Lauren, is a Twin Cities girl that loves ballet, writing and is learning to cope with life in the new 20s.

If you missed it, let me recap: free valet, slammin’ spoken word, drenching worship, forced female fellowship, prickling message, powerful prayer, photo booth, food and heartwarming conversation. And if you’d like to hear Pastor Carolyn’s message (or hear it again) we’ll be getting the audio track and posting it soon.

We’ve also seen so much  more activity with subgroups and watching everyone connect. We’re SO EXCITED because that is exactly what we want to happen. We believe that life-change happens in those small, intimate moments, and we are honored to be a part of getting you there.

This is going to be a fantastic spring–we can’t wait to see you. Next gathering–February 9th!

What was your favorite part of the launch night?

The Well is about to kick back into gear–and we are so excited about the upcoming trimester! We are planning like crazy right now for our big kickoff night on January 18 (at the Substance Church Operation Center, 7pm). It’s going to be so fun!

We’ll also be meeting the second Saturdays of February (9th), March (9th) and April (13th).

This is great place to get connected with women in the Twin Cities. Find some friends. Join a ministry.

We’ll see you there!