Spiritual Health for this New Year!

As we begin a new year I know that many of us have made getting in shape or losing weight one of our main goals.  Don't get me wrong...this is a great goal and one we should make a priority everyday but how many of us have given our spiritual lives any thought.  The Bible says that as the years go by we should be growing in grace and "feasting" on the deeper things of God.  We shouldn't find ourselves in the same place we were when we first got saved or even a year ago.  We should be growing day by day. And as the Psalmist says in chapeter 1 we should be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bring forth fruit.  A tree's roots as it ages go deeper and deeper into the ground.  This in turn makes that tree strong, unmovable.  Likewise as Christians, the longer we have been saved the deeper our roots should be making us strong in the Lord, wise in His Word, grounded in our faith and focused on the race before us.  Here are some verses that I believe our like a spiritual prescription for our life...and I quote..."My son, attend to my words:  Incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh"  Proverbs 4:20-22.   Also...verse 23 of that same chapter..."Keep they heart with all dilligence; for out of it are the issues of life."  So our spiritual heart health if of the utmost importance.  Below I've listed some heart attitudes that we must have in our spiritual lives.  If we find areas where we lack...let's work on them.  I know mine and it would be of the utmost benefit for each of us to know our areas of weakness.

1)The regenerated heart-Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature:  old things are passed away:  behold, all things are become new ( II Cor. 5:17).  Has your heart been regenerated?  If it has are you living your life in such a way that says "Behold,"  All things are new...I'm not the same man or woman I used to be.

2)A merry heart-A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones, (Prov.17:22).  Are you merry?  There sure is an awful lot to be merry about.  The thing that makes the Christian heart merry is Christ's presence there.  If Christ is in our heart, we can certainly find something to be merry about.  Christ, himself, is the very essence of joy and true happiness.

3)A sound heart-Let my heart be sound in thy stautes; that I be not ashamed, (Psalm 119:80).  The word "sound" hear means blameless.  I think it is safe to assume that they way to have a sound heart is to have our sins confessed and to not be harboring any secret sins.  Guilt has a way of making us not have a sound mind, Christ on the other hand frees us from that guilt.  So if you want a sound heart, keep your sins confessed and keep your mind clean.  I have found from personal experience that confessing my sins and be very careful of what comes into my mind makes me have a sound heart and mind.  A sound heart is a happy heart.  "A sound heart is the life of the flesh," Prov. 14:30a.

4)A humble heart-"Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD," (Prov.14:5a). Being humble isn't always easy.  For some reason we humans just can't grasp the fact that in being humble we are lifted up.  Who is the most humble person you know?  I think of Christ.  Who has ever been more humble?  He was God in flesh yet he was born in a lowly stable.  He was the Son of God, but on earth he was the son of a carpenter.  In heaven he was adored, on earth he was despised.  In heaven he was rich, on earth he was poor.  In heaven angels were at his beckon call, on earth he had to carry his own cross on which he was to be crucifed.  In heaven he was robed with glory, on the cross he hung in nakedness.  In heaven he was the Light, on earth he became the blackness of sin.  Are we more humble than that?  And this he did all for us...people who were sinners.  We might sometimes feel like we don't get recognized for things we do in the church or for people (I know I have), but let's remember Christ.  There has never been one who was more humble...and now He is lifted up!  Let's serve with humility.  "Let this mind be in you , which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name,"  Phil. 2:5-9.

This is all I'm going to post for today, I'll try and finish up tomorrow.

I start my day by making beds,
And kissing gently messy heads,
There’s not much time to stop and rest,
For little tummy’s need refreshed.

On to breakfast and morning chores,
When one jobs done, there’ll be one more
And so it goes right through the day,
So I stop and take the time to pray.

On to academic things,
But not before the cell phone rings,
The house needs cleaned, the floors need swept,
A drink has spilled, the table’s wet.

A cry comes out from the second floor,
Someone left open the kitchen door,
The dog gets out and has some fun,
The kids love to see Mom on the run.

Time for dinner and Dad comes home,
And I’m still trying to find my phone.
Table’s set and all are waiting
A home cooked meal they’re anticipating.

The dishes clean, the laundry done
Onto baths and bedtime fun.
Kids in bed I shout, “Amen!”
And tomorrow we’ll do it all again.

While some have chosen big careers,
I have found fulfillment here,
Between dirty laundry, plates and chores,
I found I want for nothing more.

Written by Victoria Mitchel 1/4/2011

Budget meal...and yes it's yummy!

So today I thought I'd post one of my favorite go to meals. It's inexpensive, I usually have the ingredients on hand, everybody likes it and you can change up ingredients for a different taste each time. So here it is...I call it Creamy Chicken and Noodles.

You will need...
2 cups (or so) of eggnoodles, cooked
1 lb. of chicken breast, cut up in small pieces
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
about 1/2-1 cup of milk
1 cup (or more if you like) of shredded cheddar cheese.
2 oz. of cream cheese
1 bag of mixed veggies(or whatever you perfer).

Sautee your chiken in a pan with a couple of teaspoons of butter.I always add garlic (because garlic makes my life better) and a sprinkling of pepper. I like to brown my chicken because I like the flavor it adds to the sauce. Once the chicken is done go ahead and add the milk. Don't clean out the pan, all those brown bits make it so good. Add the cream cheese as well and stir until melted. Add the mushroom soup and bring to a simmer over low heat. Throw in those veggies. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted. Combine the sauce with the cooked egg noodles. Serve with some crusy bread or salad. It's comfort food and it comes together in less than 30 minutes.

For tasty variations try:
*changing the soup
*changing the veggies
*changing the cheese
*using some flavored cream cheese

The possibilites are endless! Enjoy!!!

No Place Like Home!

Today was just one of those days where I was so thankful for my home. Everything about it...the smells, the food, the rooms, the family that fills it. Sometimes all the things we worry about and strive for cause us to forget that wonderful place called HOME. It can be a little heaven on earth, although most certainly not every home is. It's the place where you can be yourself and do the things you love without worrying about what anyone outside your door may think. Laura Ingalls Wilder describes home like no one else..."Home is the nicest word there is." So sweet and simple...but oh so true. For me home is like a warm sweater or a cozy pair of socks. It makes me feel warm inside and just the thought of being there is one of the best thoughts there is. I love my home!

Christians are like Christmas Lights....WHAT!

So this year like every other year I pulled out the Christmas Lights and low and behold they were all arranged neatly and I was able to quickly get them up... and then I woke up from this wonderful dream and found myself holding a jumbled up mess that resembled something close to an explosion at a Christmas light factory. So this year like every other year I sat down to work on getting them in order only to find that they didn't work. I really love when that happens...makes me want to sing the Hallelujah Chorus! So leave it to my wonderful hubby to come up with an analogy about how Christians resemble Christmas lights. We ended up talking on the subject at length and I thought I would blog about it. So here I am and here you are reading what I decided to write...got that...OK then...lets move on.

So here are some facts about Christmas lights:

1)They tend to always find themselves in a jumbled up mess.

2)They are much prettier when they are lit. You have to admit that lights really don't look that great when they are off during the day, but when you light those babies up they take on a whole new appearance.

3)One broken light affects all the rest. I had this happen to me two separate times this year. I put the lights on the tree, everything was looking good and then one day I noticed a whole section of my tree was not lit. Of course it was in the middle of the tree so my tree technically got trimmed three times this year if you count all the lights I had to fix and all the decorations I had to remove and replace to do it. Try it sometime...it's a lot of fun. Let's move on shall we.

4)One single light is okay, but hundreds, thousands, millions...even better.

So now that we've established these simple facts...keep reading.

Christians like lights often times find themselves in a jumbled mess. Technically speaking...we all are a jumbled mess, but for the Grace of God and salvation in Christ. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that are a direct result of choices we have made. Other times we may be going through trials and it is no fault of our own, just God's greater purpose. Point is...you can't do anything with tangled up lights and as Christians we need to do our best to be "untangled" from the world. God can't use someone who is entangled with this life and the world's system and ways. Somewhere along the way you have to make the choice to keep yourself "untangled" from the world. I could give you a ton of quotes here, but what better quote than a verse. "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a solider," II Timothy 2:4. Just about says it all don't you think.

Just like Christmas lights are much prettier when lit, Christians are much more attractive when they are "shining" with good works. Jesus was the Light of the World. He shined through the darkness and brought salvation to man. The sky turned black when he took man's sin upon him, but now heaven shines with his presence. He shined through the darkness in our hearts and gave us the light of the Gospel. You see...lights are always better when lit. How about me? How about you? Is our light shining for Christ or is it hiding behind a bushel? Christmas like no other time reminds us that time goes fast and life is a vapor...it's here...then gone. Let's redeem the time and shine for Christ. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven," Matthew 5:16.

When one Christmas light isn't working it affects the rest, likewise when one Christian isn't "working" right it affects the rest. I really believe some people who call themselves Christians have just sort of "checked out." They have either lost all interest in the things of God or they are acting like broken lights. When people fall away or are involved in blatant sin, it is going to affect somebody. It always does. No man is an island unto himself. If you think for one minute that your choices in life don't affect anyone but you, you are sadly mistaken. On that note if we see a brother or sister in need or having a hard time let's help them. Let's admonish, encourage and pray for them to get back where they need to be. We all have been there at some time and somewhere there was someone praying for us or giving us words of wisdom and strength. Let's do the same. There is no competition...it's not about who's "light" is more effective or shines before the most people. Just shine! Lights are meant to shine.

Consider this...what if all the people who call themselves "born-again" Christians really let their light shine? This world would certainly be a lot different. What if all of us overflowed with good works? What if we all gave out the Gospel? What if we all helped to hold each other up? What if we all actually were different (not odd)than the world? What if we all really lived the things we speak about? What if when people talked to us they really didn't see us at all...what if they only saw Christ? What if we all really lived like the Light of the World is living in our hearts. What if??? What if??? What if???

So many cookies so little time!

I know that a lot of people this time of year are hosting or attending cookie swaps. I have been part of several and have learned a few tips along the way. Whenever I start thinking about what kind of cookie I want to make I always am drawn to the ones that look fancy or have fancy ingredients...how about you? I know we all have plans to WOW everyone with our fancy cookie baking skills but then reality hits...I have to bake how many dozen? Pecans cost how much? Yes...I've been there done that. I write down all my ingredients go to the store to stock up only to realize that I could easily sink $30 or more dollars into making cookies. I don't know about all of you, but around this time of year...every little bit counts. So back to the drawing board where we finally settle on a more practical cookie that doesn't break the bank. So in line with that thought...here are a few more thoughts about choosing the perfect cookie for that cookie exchange.

1)When choosing a cookie look at how much the recipe yields...I always aim for 5 or more dozen per recipe. This not only saves time, but money as well.

2)Look at ingredients. Keep in mind that items like butter, nuts (especially pecans and hazelnuts) are expensive...especially this year. Even eggs are expensive this year. This may not be a problem if your only making a small amount, but once you start baking several dozen...it adds up.

3)Consider baking time. I always aim for a cookie with a bake time around 10 minutes. This may not seems like a big deal but when baking large amounts it really adds up to lots of TIME, which I know we are all pressed for this time of year.

4)Determine the difficulty...Now I know that fancy cookies all dolled up look great, but I guarantee you that around 50-60 cookies your going to be wishing you had chosen a cookie that didn't have to be mixed, refrigerated, rolled, filled and sprinkled. Think simple...with great flavor.

5)Last but not least...pick a cookie that can be easily packed and transported. Keep in mind that frosting is going to be messy and very crispy, thin cookies are going to break very easily. Cookies that can be stacked and moved around without being ruined are a good choice.

So these are some things I learned along the way and I hope they can be a real help to you. Merry Christmas and happy baking.

It's the Perfect Time...

Don't let this Holiday Season go by without creating some new memories with your family and loved ones. Traditions and memories are something your family (especially) children will keep with them through the years. They will for years to come bring to mind sweet thoughts of family and special times. I know they still do for me! We have some traditions that we do every year and have started some new ones even this year. Below is just a quick list of some ideas for creating special memories with your family.

1) Have a family tree decorating night complete with music and party food. It helps if ahead of time you put on the lights and garland as the kids can't always help with this job.

2) Go out around town and look at Christmas decorations. I know as soon as my kids see the Christmas Trees go up at Lowes they know Christmas is coming.

3) Make and decorate gingerbread men/cookies.

4) Bring out the special foods and snacks that you only have around the holidays. For us its smokies and smoked bolognas.

5) Buy each family member a new Christmas bulb for the tree. As the years go by you can think of all the fun you had picking them out.

6) Have some special Christmas music/movies that you listen to or watch year after year.

7) Think of something special you can do for those in need such as those in nursing homes or the elderly/sick. Teach your kids the true spirit of the season by singing carols, bringing food or just spreading some good cheer to those not as fortunate as you.

8) Read the Story of Jesus Birth before you open Christmas presents.

9) Set up a Christmas village/train set.

10) Have a special tradition when the first snow comes. Ours is making cinnamon bread from scratch. While it bakes we walk outside in the falling snow and then come in and have a slice of fresh bread out of the oven with lots of icing.

If you have some special traditions...I'd love to hear about it.