I really love people.
But I cannot please them,
I can only LOVE them.
But by doing so I will please God!
“Dear friends,
since God loved us that much,
we surely ought to love each other.”
1 John 4:11
So Pleasing…
Reply
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Recently Overheard- July 9, 2014
If you were a fly on our wall you would’ve heard this…
“When we were playing super heros, they all went back to the bat cave and Wonder Woman made them all hot chocolate. Well… It was a cold day and they’d been fighting Mr. Freeze.”
“I would give up a thousand video games for more action figures!”
“Heaven must smell like Birthday cake.”
“This new gum is gunma make mouth all stuck up cuz it’s so cool!”
“Look at you, Mom. You’re throwing something away for once!”
Home Safe Home
It’s true, we DO live in Detroit.
But this isn’t about location, crime
or even bankruptcy. It’s about YOUR home
and mine!
(Photo credit MAKE YOUR HOME app)
A husband may have constant ideas for change
and improvement/advancement in his workplace (or
in our case, his place of ministry), but perhaps
not so many creative ideas for the way daily live happens
at home. That can mess with a wife’s head.
Don’t let it.
Home… should be the one place that he
doesn’t have to work hard to prove himself or
attain a goal to be considered successful.
Home… where he is loved unconditionally. When
that love flourishes then husband and wife are
both empowered to be their best.
Home… where a husband is safe. It is his castle;
a place where he can learn to let him mind rest
and his heart dream.
Read it Backwards
First… read this scripture as it’s written.
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in You,
all whose thoughts are fixed on You.”
This is written TO God. Now, let’s look at
this prayer backwards to see what it means.
My THOUGHTS are FIXED on YOU (God)
First, I must discipline my mind to focus on HIS Truth!
(Truth = God’s Word/Jesus). His Truth gives me the ability
to focus on Him. The more I fill my head & heart
with HIS Truth the more I can think about Him.
(It’s a lovely, live-giving cycle)
TRUST in YOU
Because I fix my thoughts on His Truth,
I then learn to trust Him more & more.
It starts to come more quickly
and becomes a part of my nature.
Perfect PEACE
Because I’ve fixed my gaze (concentration &
motivation) on Jesus so completely,
I am not shaken when craziness happens.
So, starting at the end of the verse & working our
way up we realize that if we
FIX OUR THOUGHTS it
produces
TRUST which
produces
PERFECT PEACE
It all starts with Training ourselves to trust
(having faith).
FAITH is certainly a gift from God, but just as the
Olympic athletes are talented & gifted, they have to
train and be very disciplined. They cannot rely only
on their gift.
God has given you faith, if you’ve dedicated yourself
to Him, but it takes daily time reading & studying
and applying His Word (The Bible) to grow our
faith. Then we’ll be joyfully surprised at our
ability to trust & have peace when the
hardships hit.
Tricky Daughters, Book Review
My daughters played a horrible trick on me a couple
summers ago while we were on vacation!
Mariah & Courtney had been telling me for a long time
that I should read a wonderful series of books called,
“The Mark of the Lion” by Francine Rivers. Since I
love other books by this author, I knew they were right.
So I grabbed book #1 and brought it on our family vacation
that year.
Moments into the book and I knew I couldn’t put it down.
I read & read…. and then, turned that last page (which is
always kind of bittersweet for me) and …
“what?”
“Nooooooo!”
A total cliff-hanger!!!!!
And I did NOT bring the second book in the series!!!
“Noooo! Girls, why didn’t you TELL me to
bring the second book? Why? I’m going nuts! Why?”
Their response: giggles
(Now that I think of this… I “owe” them one! ha!)
I had to wait for several days before we returned home and
then accomplished nothing for the couple of days that followed
because all I could do was read! SO GOOD!
So… keep these two things in mind if you’re going to read these books:
1. Make sure you do NOT read the summaries and reviews beforehand
2. Have book #2 within reach BEFORE you start reading #1
I create what I’m trying to avoid
When I’m hesitant to forgive it’s because I’m usually afraid – afraid that I’ll be taken advantage of or misunderstood.
Yet my unforgiveness is a breeding ground for misunderstandings and more hurt- the very things I was afraid of in the first place.
Menu Plan Monday, Oct. 22, 2012
MONDAY
Lunch- Sandwiches for kids (veggie pizza for us)
Dinner- TBA
TUESDAY
Lunch- Pepperoni Rolls (homemade W. Wheat)
Dinner- Chicken Enchiladas, Rice, Gr Salad
WEDNESDAY
Lunch- Veggie Soup
Dinner- Taco Bowls
THURSDAY
Lunch- Turkey Pastrami Wraps, apples
Dinner- Pepper Pasta
FRIDAY
Lunch- Lettuce Wraps, Crackers, grapes
Dinner- Homemade W. Wheat Veggie Pizza
SATURDAY
Lunch- Meatless Chili, Mashed Potatoes
Dinner- Hamburger Cornbread Pie (made w/ground turkey- Shh)
SUNDAY
Lunch- Cornbread Chicken Salad
Dinner- Roast, Potatoes, Carrots in Crockpot
Cereal is NOT Serious (and other Spiritual Observations)
American kids love cereal… it’s not surprising. It’s sugary, crunchy, milkly and even comes in chocolate, for crying out loud!! My kids are like any other American child… well, they WERE, until the first of October 2012.
It all changed during those first few days. On the first day of that month my three youngest (7th gr, 2nd gr & 1st gr) stepped foot into a school…a “real” school building for the VERY first time in their lives! Up until that monumental day we’d home schooled them; but when the school we’d applied for back in January 2012 called to notify us that all three children were no longer on the waiting list- there was room for them- our lives changed! (The story actually reflects God’s miraculous hand at work, but that’s another story for another day!)
So, back to cereal…. after a couple of days of eating cereal for breakfast they revolted!
“Mom, this stuff is too sweet and makes my stomach hurt.”
“Momma, can we please NOT eat this. I’m always hungry at school.”
Crazy! But fantastic!
Except now I have to work harder at making breakfast time cooking hot cereal (which they love), eggs, fried turkey ham & cheese (I’m not kidding) and other warm & satisfying meals. But I’m thrilled! It’s work, but I take their tummies very seriously, so it’s worth the effort.
Isn’t prayer and Bible reading similar? Like cereal? You’re following me… right?
When life goes smoothly we tend to read a smidgen here & there, catch a podcast, read a daily devotion booklet, but never really take our relationship too seriously. UNTIL… life changes course.
Then, when our situation & loved ones are “out of our control” we decide we’d better get serious and start praying faithfully, harder & with more seriousness.
Cereal was fine for my kids when they were staying at home all day and didn’t face as many challenges. But when things changed they wisely knew they needed more nourishment. Are you wise? Are you facing your day with a nourished spirit that not only belongs to Jesus, but has listened to Him, filled up on His Word and taken careful note of HIS plans for your day? Yeah, it definitely takes some work.
Taking care of physical needs are of some value, but taking care of our spiritual needs of WAY more valuable! (from 1 Timothy 4:8)
Menu Plan Monday, October 15, 2012
Life jumped from the Fast-But-I’m-Used-to-this-Lane to the Even-Faster-Totally-New-Schedule-Lane… but I’m getting the hang of it. Menus are ALWAYS planned around this house… they’re just not always posted. But this week’s plan is here. Hope it gives you some ideas. Happy Fall.
NOTE: The lunch plans reflect the things that will be packed for my 3 youngest to take to school.
MONDAY
lunch- Eggs, Cheese, Apples
dinner- Homemade Mac & Cheese, Sausage, Green Beans
TUESDAY
lunch- Homemade Bread w/deli meat & cheese, apples, pretzels
dinner- Cheesy Chili Burritos, Rice, Tossed Salad
WEDNESDAY
lunch- Lettuce Wraps, grapes, Chips
dinner- chicken Broccoli Rice Skillet
THURSDAY
lunch- Cheese & Crackers, carrots, cucumbers
dinner- crock pot potato broccoli soup
FRIDAY
lunch- PB & J, green pepper slices, chips
dinner- Homemade veggie pizza (I have a new dough/bread recipe from my friend, Jodi,
that I plan to share with you this week… stay tuned)
SATURDAY
lunch- Chili-etti (chili over spaghetti noodles)
dinner – Oven “fried” chicken, steams asparagus, carrots, backed potatoes
SUNDAY
lunch- Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches, carrot & celery sticks
dinner- Beef & veggie soup (made w/left over beef broth from lunch)
Menu Plan Monday, July 4th
–
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MONDAY
Lunch- Waffles w/Stawberries & Blueberries whipcream
Dinner- Grilled Hot Dogs, Pasta Salad, Finger Jello, USA Cake
–
TUESDAY
Lunch- Grilled Bread Salad
Dinner- Messy Max’s Sandwiches, pickles, carrots, chips
–
WEDNESDAY
Lunch- PB & J, veggies & dip
Dinner- Tutti Fruity Chicken (Pineapple Chicken & veg on the grill)
–
THURSDAY
Lunch- Lettuce Wraps (filled w/deli meat & cheese)
Dinner-Crock Pot Meatballs over spaghetti, Beans & Greens Salad
–
FRIDAY
Lunch-Broccoli & Cheese Smashed Potatoes (altered for crockpot)
Dinner- Fried Chicken, Veggies in Italian dressing
–
SATURDAY
Lunch- Eggs & Toast
Dinner- Grilled Chicken & Peaches
–
SUNDAY
Lunch- Roast Beef & Rice, Carrots
Dinner- Giant Tortilla Pizzas on Grill
For more ideas see www.orgjunkie