Obedience or Storm?

Reading the book of Jonah this morning, and this verse really stuck out to me:

Jon 1:12  And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

This is the story from the bible that we are all very familiar with. God speaks to Jonah to go into Nineveh and preach to them about their wickedness. Jonah doesn't find this call very appealing, as it could be dangerous and VERY unpleasant! These men of Nineveh are not exactly friendly folk. Not exactly the kind  of people you want to go and warn that their wickedness is not pleasing to God.  So as we know, Jonah jumps on a ship to go as far away from God's direction as he can. Maybe by changing location and destination, he will get lost amongst the people.... and slip away from God's orders. NOT! God of course knows where Jonah is, and never changes his mind about the commandment he gave him. You can sum up Jonah's actions in one word....DISOBEDIENCE!  So Jonah's calling follows him onto the ship. (You can NEVER run away from God's call on your life!) When the mighty storm rises and it looks like the ship is going under; the other men begin to cry out to their gods for help. Notice, Jonah is not! He knows God isn't hearing him in his time of disobedience. Now we come to verse 12. Jonah tells the men to cast him into the sea. He knows that it is HE that brought this storm upon the whole ship. The unfortunate part of disobedience is, that it brings storms into not only our lives, but also those around us! I have seen many families suffer because of the disobedience of one parent.  So I must be obedient to God. Not only for my sake, but for the sake of those around me! And obedience is not really a hard thing! What Jonah didn't understand is that God had already prepared the way for him! Revival was just around the corner for the city of Nineveh!  The city would repent and turn from their wicked ways. What an awesome God of mercy that we serve. Mercy... to give Jonah a second chance at obedience. Mercy......to allow Nineveh to repent and change their ways.  God, help me to be obedient to your directions; even when I don't like them! Now see I've talked about Jonah.....and I didn't even mention a whale :)

Prayer is.....

Why is it so hard to find time for daily devotions? Just a simple time of bible reading and prayer? It should be one of the basics of our christian walk. But of all the parts of my life, this is the one the devil fights the hardest. Why? Because it's the very KEY to everything! As my old pastor  used to say, " you are only as strong as your prayer life."  So if the devil can hinder you from daily communication with God...he's won the battle! He doesn't have to make you commit any great sin. Through prayer we become more spiritual, tear down strong holds, stand in the gap for the lost, intercede for others, worship the creator, and enter into the Holy of Holies! So ....now do you understand why the devil doesn't want you to pray? Prayer also keeps us understanding of the will of God in our life. One day without prayer can lead into a bad decision that puts us out of the will of God! If we've prayed that morning, we are more likely to be sensitive to the leading of God for that days choices.  Even if you live a holy life, do good deeds, go to church faithfully, and even work for God, you are not much of a threat to the enemy if you are not using the weapon of prayer!  Through prayer we are able to renew our minds to see things as God would have us to see them. So Lord, help me to make a strong prayer life the top priority in my life! Not just for MY sake, but for the sake of my family!

Early Christmas Thoughts....

It's early to be talking about Christmas, but indulge me! It will be here before we know it. I was thinking this morning of the well known words,  "It is more blessed to give than to receive." As a child that can sometimes be hard to believe :) But, as an adult I have to say; this is so true! It's amazing how wonderful it feels when you have the opportunity to give to someone else. Personally, I always like to be on the giving end. I'm not so good at receiving!  In a sense, giving to someone else makes us feel so good, we actually are receiving after all. Tonight at church we are going to fill about 60 shoe boxes. They will be filled with small toys, candy, necessities, and lots of love!  They will be shipped out to children over seas who otherwise would not get a Christmas gift. The shoe box project is one of my very favorite things to do all year. It is so much fun to pick out small toys, combs, hair bows, candy, etc and think about the child who may receive them! I encourage you, if you are not already involved in a mission/outreach project.....find one! There are so many ways to be a "giver."  Find a church, an angel tree at Wal-Mart, local charities, or even a public school!  Many of these places have outreaches during the Holidays to give to those in need. It is so important for children to see that Christmas is about GIVING not just RECEIVING gifts! Isn't that the very meaning of Christmas? That God gave his only begotten son to this world.... To me the Holidays would not be complete without some sort of "giving."  And of course, our giving should not stop after Christmas! It should continue all year. There are more ways to give than just financially. You can give your time, talents, resources, and knowledge also!  So many places need volunteers.  Let's ponder that thought today.........How can I give more of myself away?

Unfinished Saints

We can spend our whole life "knowing" that we are supposed to do more for God.  You can live every day "feeling" the call of God on you life. BUT... It means nothing if you do not yield to God and surrender to that call! How many unfinished saints sit in their homes not ever becoming the vessel God designed them to be. Many "potential" missionaries walk around never touching the hundreds of lives God intended. Many  "should-be" preachers are filling their days with careers, when God desires them to be spreading the Gospel and leading other to the cross. Many a singer, Sunday school teacher, prayer warrior, and witness, walk around with these talents buried deep inside their hearts. Aren't you curious to find out your full potential in Christ? To actually DO the things that God has tugged at your heart to do? Good intentions, though good, don't actually accomplish anything! If a person is not careful, they will be at the end of their life still intending and dreaming of doing great things for God. It's time to jump on in! Quit fearing the consequences, doubting the success, and postponing the actions. Give yourself totally away to Christ, and see your dreams become a reality! It's never to late to fall on the mercies of Jesus Christ and yield yourself to him!  The harvest is ready... God needs some workers in his field!

John 4:35  ..... behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

Pinterest + Recipes = 50% success

So far I've tried about 6 pinterest recipes. Three that were wonderful and I loved, and three that were awful! Word to the wise: NEVER try the crockpot breakfast casserole. It was dry, tasteless, and wasted a whole dozen eggs :-/ However, the ranch pork chops are out of this world! Maybe I have too much time on my hands now. I have spent hours this week searching out, trying, and creating new recipes :) But I found this winner on pinterest, and it was the best by far! Really easy, and tastes awesome!

I had never even HEARD of a beef dip sandwich, until my wonderful brother ordered it one day in a restaurant. While watching him eat it, I KNEW I would have to try it in the future. I did....and fell in love. So I was super excited to see a recipe where I could make it at home!  The recipe is from this website: http://bakingbites.com/2008/02/slow-cooker-french-dip-sandwich/

The recipe is as follows:

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
approx 3 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast
16-oz. beef broth (1 1/2 cans)
1 10.5-oz. can condensed French onion soup
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
4-6 French rolls
sliced provolone cheese, optional

Trim excess fat off of beef roast and season meat all over with salt and pepper.
Pour beef broth, condensed French onion soup, and garlic powder into slow cooker and place beef roast into liquid.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Slow cookers have different time intervals that you can select, so work with your cooker. Depending on how the settings on your slow cooker work, the time will vary. Since this is cooking in liquid, you don’t have to worry about the meat drying out in the same way you might if you were roasting the meat in the oven. Mine took 7 1/2 hours and was falling apart tender.
Take beef out and rest it, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes. Slice beef and return to slow cooker on low or very low for 30 minutes.
Lightly toast the bread and evenly distribute cheese between rolls, if using. Divide beef onto rolls and spoon the beef juice* into ramekins or other small bowls and eat everything while it is hot. Serve each sandwich with its own dip.


So what about you? Has anyone else had any failed attempts using a pinterest recipe?

Take Home Box

So I've been thinking... for some people going to church can be somewhat similar to going into a restaurant.  We go in, have a seat, and sit there waiting to be served. Come on preacher...what's the special tonight? We might even complain if the service is taking too long, or if the food is not exactly what we wanted.... Then we decide weather to actually digest the food (message) or take it home in a to-go box. I personally tend to do the latter. Being at the piano most of the service means that I must take the message home and meditate on it for the next several days :) You know food is always better left over. But what if..what if we went to church with the mentality of the server. We go in and greet everyone as they walk in the doors. What if we looked around to see if we could be of service? What if we took the message (food) and then carried it to others to partake of? What if we left church having "served" instead of "being served." Don't get me wrong, going to church is about receiving, but there comes a time we should also be giving. See God always has spiritual food in his house, but we must not only partake ourselves, but seek to bring that "food" to others also.  Jesus told us this in Matthew 9:37.. " Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;" There is plenty of work to do, but few workers willing to do it!

Home made biscuits!

So yesterday I made my first ever attempt at making home made biscuits. Something I've always wanted to try. But annoyingly every time I ask for someone's recipe I got the classic..."Just add some of this and that till it looks right." Ok, that's a hard recipe to follow! So this recipe was like a dream come true..exact measurements and only three ingredients! I always know a new recipe is a success if my husband gets seconds or thirds :) The recipe actually came off the back of a Great Value bag of self rising flour, so I wasn't expecting much.  I was pleasantly surprised that they turned out so well. My 1 1/2 year old liked them so much that's all he would eat for dinner :-/  The recipe is:

2 cups self rising flour
1/4 cup butter (real...not margarine!) *I actually used almost double that amount of butter!
3/4 cup of milk or buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450. Cut the butter into the flour. then slowly add milk. mix. knead the dough a couple times. Then roll out and cut circles or drop by the spoonful onto the greased baking sheet. About 10 minutes later you have delicious biscuits!!

Being a stay at home mom has caused me to try all kinds of new things!  Never thought I would be the biscuit making kind :)