I don't like Cold Stone Creamery.  I think they contribute to the growing problem of obesity in America.  But the bigger problem is that their ice cream is really good.  And it's like they give no thought to the idea of the "food pyramid" or some other sort of healthy eating guide.  They just dish out fatty, sweet ice cream.  Let's say you get a small (Like It) bowl of Cheesecake Ice Cream:  22g of Total Fat, 14g of Saturated Fat, and 44g of Carbohydrates, among other lovely nutrients.  Or how about Cake Batter:  23/14/48.  Let's say you're simple and just get Vanilla Bean:  23/15/39.  Ouch.  That's some pretty bad stuff.  Not to mention the fact that you feel the need to finish it despite feeling like you could vomit/explode.  I boycott this place.  People say, "Hey let's go get some Cold Stone!"  And I say, "Heck no, brother.  I'm sick of that place."  And they usually say, "Yeah, actually I am too.  I don't know why I keep going back."  Well I know:  Guar Gum.  It's an ingredient in Sweet Cream Ice Cream, the primary ingredient in all Cold Stone's flavors.  Actually I have no idea if this stuff is harmful in any.  But I'm sticking with my theory. #food

I heard an interesting thing recently:  Would you recognize your wife's/friend's handwriting if you saw it?  Probably yes.  Would you recognize Gandhi's handwriting?  Probably not.  The idea is that you recognize things from people you know, people you're familiar with.  It's the same way with God.  We can recognize stuff about God by being friends with him, spending time with him, getting to know him.  In other words, we'll see stuff as being God's work and as coming from God if we're close to him.  I wonder how many things happen that we don't recognize as coming from God.  We say, "Wow, what a coincidence."  Why is it just a coincidence and not an act of God, part of God's will?  And when bad things happen, we're always quick to say, "How could God let this happen?"  But what about the things he doesn't let happen [1]?  Or what about the good that comes out of the bad (Romans 8:28)?  Or what about little things that happen every day, like getting to work safely and sleeping in a bed at night?

[1] Mercy can be defined as "not getting what we deserve".  Grace can be defined as "getting what we don't deserve". #religion