Loving differences, except those people who don't like chocolate

Nate and I watched a video yesterday about how country music is trying to become pop.

Listen to the background "Clap, snap" beats or the snare highlights, and they do sound a whole lot alike. The video said that basically musical genres are saying they are trying new things and bringing in sounds from different genres, creating music that is more diverse than ever before. However, it's actually becoming less diverse. Everything sounds the same.

We looked at each other with wide eyes. It sounds a whole lot like our society. People are claiming that we're celebrating diversity by being "open" to everything and people become less different. Yet, it seems that forcing people to all have the same views and act the same is not celebrating diversity but is actually make us less diverse.

Seeing differences between people isn't a bad thing. Having different cultures, different viewpoints, discussions about what we believe and why is good --- it's open and diverse. Not everyone has to think the same or like the same things.

I like to cook. And bake. A lot.

There are a lot of people that don't.

There are people that spend all their free time bird watching. I don't.

There are people that love to play pool. I don't.

We're all different, and that's the way that our God created us. He loves us all, no matter who we are, where we live and what we enjoy. He offers forgiveness to all of us equally through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, because we're all sinners.

We don't all have to be the same, think the same, have the same down beats and upbeats. I think seeing differences is good, and being able to talk about our differences and compromise through our differences is also good.

However, I did hear one difference a couple of weeks ago that I think is ridiculous. That difference is that some people don't like chocolate.

Those people are just wrong.

So for those who are right, I'm sharing my favorite brownie recipe. I hadn't found a homemade brownie recipe that I really loved until I saw this one from King Arthur Flour on Instagram. I learned that the ratio of sugar to flour has to be way beyond what I would have imagined for a truly fudgy brownie experience.

Then I wanted to celebrate Valentine's Day by making the brownies more festive, so here's what I did to doctor my brownies. You'll need:

1/2 cup of white chocolate chips
1 plastic piping bag
1 heart-shaped cookie cutter
Heart sprinkles

Make your brownies according to instructions on the linked website above. Line your 9x13 cake pan with aluminum foil, enough to grab onto to lift your brownies out after they have cooled. Bake and cool about 10 minutes.

Lift your brownies out and let cool completely.

Use your heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out your brownies. Flip the cookie cutter upside down every other one so that you can get the most out hearts of your brownies.

Eat the scraps!

Melt your white chocolate chips and put into a piping bag. Cut the tip off of the bag, leaving just a very small opening.

Drizzle white chocolate over your brownie hearts, and place a couple of heart-shaped sprinkles on your brownies.

It's a simple way to take a plain, yet delicious, brownie and spice them up for the holiday!