I completed my first marathon today! It wasn't your typical running marathon though( even though the way my feet and back ache it sure feels like it ha!)
I completed my first KITCHEN MARATHON...
And the Menu includes:
Breakfast:
* Chocolate Chip Pancakes
* French Toast Sticks
* Apple Coffee Cake
* Cinamon Raisin Muffins
* Chocolate Pumpkin Bread
* Oatmeal Bake
Lunch:
* Pizza Snackers
* Italian Chicken Strips
* Make-Ahead Sandwiches
* Italian Chicken Roll-Ups
* Cheesey Crisps
*Pizza Meat Loaf Cups
Dinner:
* Double Meatloaf
* Turkey Meatball Soup
* Southwestern Casserole
* Slow-Cooked Chunky Chili
* Veggie Lasagna
* Breaded Chicken Patties
* Sloppy Joes
Oh and can't forget the Oatmeal Cookies!:-)
And it only took me 8 hours to complete it all!;-)
I wanted to make 2 weeks worth of food( breakfasts, lunches and dinners) first, because I knew that is about all my freezer could hold!;-)
I found a awesome cookbook called Taste of Home Freezer Pleasers:
And it is AWESOME because almost all of the recipes are double! So I was cranking out two meals per recipe! THATS how I got finished in 8 hours;-) AND I had a few recipes going at the same time..It was pure craziness but SOOOO WORTH IT!!!:-)
I am SO stoked to be asked by Tyndale House to review the new Hands on Bible, as we are definitely a hands on learning family and I just knew my kids would LOVE it and boy was I right! The minute we received it in the mail, they were eagerly flipping through it with excitement!:) We started using the Daily Reading Plan( found on their AMAZING website) for our morning Bible Lesson and I LOVED how it teaches kids how to find passages in the Bible and makes learning the Bible fun for them, my kiddos had a blast looking up the verses I was teaching and reading the interesting facts that went with them!!:)
We then used it that night for our Family Devotion Time and once again used the AMAZING website for ideas! Our lesson was based on Genesis 9:8-17 which talks about how the rainbow was and is-God's sign of the covenant He made with all life on earth. And so we made Rainbow Raindrop Promises to God to help us remember that God keeps His promises and to ask Him to help us keep ours:) We had SO much fun doing these and the hands on approach through this Bible ROCKS:)!!
I love how this hands on approach makes the Bible come alive for not only my children but also myself! I even want to use this Bible for my own personal devotion time!;) I can't recommend this bible enough, it is such a BLESSING and we are SO excited to have it in our lives now!!:)
Be sure to check out the website(http://www.myhandsonbible.com/) which is jam packed with Reading Plans, Family Devotions, Songs and a Parents Forum! LOVE it!
Product Info:
List Price: 19.99 ISBN: 978-1-4143-3769-2 Trim Size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 Binding: Softcover Release: July 2010
List Price: 24.99 ISBN: 978-1-4143-3768-5 Trim Size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 Binding: Hardcover Release: July 2010
"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30 It seems all to often the mirror's image is what we allow to define us as women. We wake up every morning and allow our days to be set by who the mirror tells us we are. We twist and turn, inspecting every inch and crevice of our bodies, examining it through a magnifying glass we created on our own. I carried that magnifying glass all to often in my life and I am still at times tempted to take it out. I bought into the lie that physical beauty is what determines your worth. That what the mirror portrayed of me was more important than anything else. And because of that I struggled many years with a distorted body image that led to countless years of eating disorders and depression over trying to keep the taunting voices happy. It was a long exhausting road and it got me nowhere..But then I realized that's the trap satan doesn't want you to figure out, you believe that if you get to a certain number, then you will finally be happy and will finally have the worth you have been seeking. But the the vicious cycle continues..Because as long as you are placing your worth in anything other than Jesus, then it will never be enough. Jesus didn't create us to allow things such as that to define our worth..He knew they would fade..But what about the beauty that truly radiates, the beauty that shines from within? I have met many people in my life that were physically gorgeous, but all to often I would realize that something was missing, I was constantly looking for that inner beauty, something that kept me captivated. And all to often I just couldn't find it..why?.. Because inner beauty isn't the same as that which lies on the outside..Physical beauty can't go inward, but inner beauty..Christ's beauty can radiate from the inside out..What Christ puts on the inside of a woman desiring to be made whole in Him, radiates outward and she becomes a image of TRUE beauty. She becomes the COMPLETE package..When we begin to realize our worth is in Him and learn to accept the woman He created us to be, we realize that it doesn't matter if we can do sit ups, run a mile or fit in those skinny jeans;) We begin to see that those things don't define us anymore nor do they own us..
It is certainly not wrong to want to be physically fit, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and should be treated as such, and I for one love being physically active and enjoy keeping my body in shape.. But the Lord began teaching me, it all lies in our focus..If we choose to focus all our energy on the physical then that's what we will have to settle for..an empty shell..But if we begin to focus on the inner part of ourselves and allow God to teach us who He says we are and allow Him to clothe us His heavenly garments, that's when the complete transformation takes place.. When the real beauty will radiate! That's when you are able to lift your head up and walk confidence because you know that no matter what may linger on the outside..You are confident in WHO lingers on the inside and well that kind of beauty girlfriend is the REAL thing and it just doesn't get any better than that!:)
I want you to take some time and answer these questions..
Does your focus on your appearance take your eyes off the Lord?
Are you more focused on your weight, clothes, or makeup than you are on God?
If you answered yes.. Spend time with God and ask Him to allow you to look in His mirror and see the beauty He sees in you and wants to do through you..You might just be surprised at what you see;)
Music always plays a big part in the way the Lord speaks to me and as I was writing this the Lord laid this song on my heart and it goes perfect with this message and I wanted to share..
For a long time I have known God was calling me to something huge, something beyond myself, and I knew it had to do with telling my story. When I applied for the BLAST mentorship program with Shannon Ethridge, I had no idea that I would be chosen to embark on such an incredible journey. But indeed the time has come and so I take a hold of my Jesus’ hand and follow Him... While waiting for this program to start, God began revealing some things to me, and well honestly it wasn’t really what I was expecting...He gently took my face in His hands and whispered to my heart
“Its time my child that you get to the nitty gritty, you have to lay everything out table, it’s has to be all or nothing.” I sat in silence after I heard those words come from the heart and core of my Heavenly Daddy. Because you see I knew what they meant...I knew this journey wasn’t going to be an easy one, and well I have a feeling it’s going to hurt for awhile. He began to show me that it was time to go back…back down memory lane...it was time to sift, dig, uncover, and process things that I have endured but more importantly it was time that I heal from them. That in order to effectively be the writer, speaker and Life Coach that He created me to be, I had to allow Him to take me through the walls of my heart that I for so long guarded as “off limits” to everyone including… Him... The dark secrets my of heart’s chambers, once hidden and buried from life’s past...were now going to be exposed...I was sure they were safe there..I am a new person now...I am not her anymore...Is this really necessary? Do I really have to go back? And I heard Him say...
“Yes child...there is no other way... What you see now is only just the beginning...You think you are not her anymore...but apart of you still clings to her because its all you have ever known, all you have given yourself permission to be, and what you have allowed others make you believe you deserve. She indeed will always be a part of you, but in order to move on into the future I have planned for you, you have to understand who she was and how she made you into who you are today even through the grief, shame and guilt...Its time you take a hold of that inner child, teenager, and wounded woman and allow her to teach you things about yourself that only she can.”…
So here I sit, one hand griping the phone receiver, one about to dial the numbers, I take a deep breath and make the call to Restoration Place Ministries and allow the journey of counseling begin, it’s not going to be easy, in fact I am pretty sure this will be the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but God has made it clear it is necessary in this process, in my healing, in my transformation…This has proved to be much more than just a writing/speaking program, it has become the beginning of a something beautiful, and one day all of heaven will watch in excitment.. as I walk out on that ledge and lift my head high with confidence, spread my wings of beauty as I watch the chains of my past crumble to the ground and for the first time I will be able to shout with joy..I am FREE!!
” But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
This song has never touched my life and heart as much as it does right now, and through the chaos of emotions I choose to surrender because I know that my Daddy is up to something oh so Heavenly!!
My mind drifts to the hymn when I hear those words, I am sure many of us have sung it but I wonder how many of us have sung it and actually stopped to realize the words that were actually being spoken from our lips and what exactly was taking place once those lyrics reached God’s heart, does He in return look back at us and say are you really surrendering all? …I am sure this goes for all of us. There is always some part of our lives that we just can’t give it all to God and trust Him to have control of it. But what I felt the need to talk about in this entry is..Children..The average family in America today has a family consisting of 4 to 5 members and that’s including the parents. Now most of you would say 3 kids that’s enough for 2 parents to handle who needs anymore..I have three kids and for awhile I couldn’t have agreed with you more..There was a time that I would hear others reply ahh we have enough children we are done..Or people using contraceptives to make sure they don’t become pregnant..
And honestly I never thought twice about the comments or decisions. That was until God began to give me His heart on this…and honestly now when I heart those comments I cringe, because its almost as if we have placed ourselves in a position to say ok God I trust you with everything but the kid part...thatpart I get to choose and call the shots ok? Do we seriously think that flies in heaven? Does God really look down and say with a smile oh ok I didn’t really need that part of your life anyway.. When God asks us to surrender all..I am going to take a leap here and say I think He means ALL.. ..I know I can already hear the reasons of why this part of our lives just has to be off limits to the surrendering part..Trust me I get it..As a woman we desire “me” time whether that be hanging out with a girlfriend for coffee, a new outfit or a hobby that we really enjoying doing..And of course we can’t forget our desire to keep up our womanly figures;)..We don’t want to sacrifice “our” time. I totally hear you ladies, and when God began calling my heart on this, trust me He heard a few whines or two..Or three ha;) But I knew without a doubt what He was speaking to my heart was the truth and I had to make a choice to listen and obey and to decide to follow Him or the voices of the world on this.
The voices of the world have made us believe that children are a curse and the more you have the worse things will be, you’ll never be able to take care of them (how many times have we said oh we just can’t “afford” another child) As Christians I believe we are doing God an injustice and totally disobeying Him when we buy into that lie. We are staring God in the face and saying I don’t want anymore children because you know I just don’t trust that you will provide for their needs…hmm that makes it sting when we hear it that way huh? So what exactly does God say about this? In Genesis 9:7 “As for you be fruitful and multiply, populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.” Psalm 127:3-5 “ Behold children are a gift of the Lord , the fruit of the womb is a reward like arrows in the head of a warrior , so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man, whose quiver is full of them, they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate”…God chooses to reward us with children..Not curse us..So why don’t we accept it that way?
Take a breath this is gonna hurt….But maybe because we live in a selfish society were its all about us and “our” time and meeting “our” needs? We think our standards are God standards, that to answer this call our lives then we have to have tons of money...did we forget who Jesus parents were? That we have to provide them with a huge house.umm did we forget where Jesus was born and where He slept? That children just cost to much( clothes, toys, extracurricular activities etc)But is it really the children who cost too much or is it us the parents who have bought into this false image of what a family really looks like..Jesus didn’t come to give us the American dream..He came to give us Life..And to help us build a legacy and I believe that starts through our children..And if we all really took the time to simplify our lives and allow God to teach us how to raise our children we would began to realize that they really are a reward and a blessing. I think of the TLC family the Duggars when I see a family who has answered this call on their lives..Isn’t it amazing how so many of us will tune into their show watch it and then turn it off and never for a second think that God is calling us to make the same commitment to Him??..They are no different than the next family who steps up and takes a step of faith and says God I commit to you how many children we are to have, God didn’t just call the Duggars folks..He has called all of us who belong to Him to commit this part of our lives to Him..God desires to find faithful people of this day. And when He does there is no stopping His hand upon their lives!..But it requires us taking that first step of faith and trusting God with the rest….”Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1
As for me and my family we will serve the Lord and we choose to commit and surrender this part of our lives to Him..anyone else ready to join us and choose to do the same?:)
God calls us to be instruments of justice for orphans...
Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor. (Zechariah 7:9b-10b)
God calls us to love and to care for orphans...
Learn to do good; Seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1:17)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)
When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. (Deuteronomy 24:21)
God blesses those who are obedient to care for the needs of orphans...
When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. (Deuteronomy 24:19)
For when the ear heard, it called me blessed, and when the eye saw, it gave witness of me, because I delivered the poor who cried for help, and the orphan who had no helper. The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me, and I made the widow's heart sing for joy. (Job 29:11-13)
THE PLAN OF ACTION:
God has placed a piece of Uganda in my heart and I long for there with everything inside me, I don't just want to go, I HAVE to go or this aching in my heart will surely consume me!! The Lord has opened that door for me to travel to Uganda this fall (Sept 26th -October 5th 09)with an AMAZING organization that has a heart to reclaim hope for orphans... Carolines Promise (http://www.carolinespromise4u.org/index.htm) We will be ministering to the orphans and widows there through various resources (including food, children's activities, medical assistance etc)
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
*Prayers!! Not only for me but for the many orphans and widows not just in Uganda but all over the world! God moves when His children PRAY!!
* Become a child sponsor, you can make a HUGE difference the life of a child by becoming a sponsor..visit these websites for more information
http://www.hopechest.org/
http://www.compassion.com/default.htm
* Partner with me financially as I take my step into the mission field of Uganda!!
Click the button below to donate towards my trip to Uganda!! Your donations are so greatly appreciated and May the Lord Bless you as you give!!
I experienced the worst feeling in my life tonight as I frantically paced through the isles of Wal-Mart in search of my daughter Morgan, she had been just one aisle away and now she was nowhere to be found, I felt the anxiety coming over my body as every horrific senearo possible raced through my mind. I kept pleading oh God please don’t let this be happening, please bring her back to me! Through panic and tears I pleaded with someone to please help me find my little girl! I could hear Code Adam alarming over the intercom and realized this was really happening to me, it suddenly became personal, how many times do we hear that a child is missing and dismiss it because its not our child? I could feel my body becoming weak and things around me were getting blurry as my body was going into shock at the thought that my baby was gone. This just can’t be happening..Please God I pleaded again…And I heard the most precious words I could ever hear..We found her!! My heart leaped and when my eyes met hers I just ran..Ran as fast as I could to her..I have never been so excited and relieved to see my daughter than I was in that moment. The expression on her face was one of confusion..You see Morgan didn’t even realize she was lost. I had told her to get her brother a toy to ease his tantrums which was one aisle over in the baby dept..But in Morgan’s mind she thought I meant in the toy dept on the other side of the store!..So all along Morgan thought she was right where she was suppose to be, that was until an employee approached her and asked if she was lost..Morgan replied umm I don’t think so..After telling the lady what her name was, the lady oh yes her mother is looking for you!..Through this ordeal I could hear my Heavenly Father speaking to my heart. Through the frantic search for her I could hear God whispering this is how I feel..This is my heart to those that are mine, that are wandering and lost, the way you feel right is now is how I feel towards them. I search frantically for them, I leave everything to search for them to seek them out,and the horrible images that you seen, I see too..I see what they will endure if I can't bring them back to Me.... and when the moment comes that my eyes meet there’s, I run to them just as you ran to her. They are out there just as she was, not even realizing they are lost, thinking they are right where they are suppose to be..That is until someone approaches them and lets them know indeed their Daddy has been searching for them! And as followers of Jesus we are that someone..We need to take the time to ask the simple words..Are you lost? And then assure them that yes indeed your Daddy is looking for you and oh what a sweet and precious reunion it will be!!
mommyness, reclaiming hope for orphans, adoption, magic erasers, crayons that leave no marks!( then i would'nt need the magic eraser! lol), my coffee machine letting me know that my crack is ready:), capturing memories through a lens, encouraging through words, funky clothes, chocolate, hugs with a friend, giggles under the covers..gosh i could on and on...thats what the blog is for!! hehe!
I am honored to be a writer for the M.O.B Society! Click on the link to check it out!:)
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