Eliminating Stress=Eliminating Anger

(Miss Lily, in her office wear)

Dearest Mothers,

The Lord has been working with me lately on eliminating stress from my life. He has shown me that when I am stressed, I get angry. I am asking God to kill this anger that seems to manifest itself all the time.

The main way I can eliminate stress is to not be in a hurry. Simply slowing down is crucial to reducing stress. How can I be an effective Christian if I am in a hurry? Godliness takes time. Sanctification takes time. Hurrying, makes me overlook and become overwhelmed.

These are some practical ways I am going to try to slow down this week.

1) I will not go past the speed limit! I even asked my kids to hold me accountable on this one. Even though I don't speed all the time, I generally allow myself to go 5 miles over because I don't think I would get a ticket at that speed. The fact is, I need to slow down!!!

2) I will get the kids ready and leave earlier than usual. Giving myself more time is a great way to prevent howling because we are on a time-crunch. Blocked goals are a huge stressor which causes me to erupt in anger.

3) Stop multi-tasking! What? How can this be??? I'm the queen at multi-tasking. I have a more Christian term for it though. I'm "being efficient". Hmmmm.... Am I really being efficient? I don't think so. I'm purposely putting my body into "fight or flight" mode. I'm hurrying and getting less done. My goal is to sit down while I am on the phone, instead of cooking, emailing, gardening or whatever. When I am returning emails or texts, I need to not be trying to listen to my child's day at the same time. Fully give my attention to the situation, problem, crisis, task or child at hand. What a concept!!!! LOL!

I could go on and on, but I feel like I have my work cut out for me just by working out three of these bad habits.

If any of you want to share how you could eliminate hurry and stress from you life, I would love to hear your comments.

Blessings,
Stacie

There is a Season for Every Time...Part 3

Click here for Part 1

Click here for Part 2

10. Time is COMING because Jesus is COMING!  She encouraged us to do the right thing, the righteous thing. She told us that while we are waiting for Jesus we have some things we could be doing.

-We need to mentor young girls. They need it desperately!

-If you have the gift of teaching (you have a passion to study and and you can't keep it to yourself, chances are you are a gifted teacher that needs to start equipping herself so that you can use the gift that God has given you.)

-We need to get women in our homes. Do Bible studies. Teach them how to respect their husbands and to love and disciple their children.

-Earnestly seek the gifts God has given us. Is it encouragement? Discernment? Faith? Prophecy? Do we not understand what they are? We need to ask God to reveal them to us and to fill us up so that His Holy Spirit will manifest himself within us.

-Be a disciples of Jesus. Well-discipled people turn the world upside down! Just look at Jesus' disciples and the effects they had on the world through the centuries.

11. Ask God to "teach us to number our days". Let's make these days a good thing! Beth instructed us to write out what our headstone would look like.

                    Stacie
April _________- _________

Circle the dash in the middle of the dates (I didn't want to put too much personal info up)

She made the point that our life is but a dash.

Do we want it to be an angry dash? (holding on to unforgiveness)

 A sad dash? (torn up but never healed)

A bad dash? (A life ridden with unrepentant sin)

Or a glad dash? (My God has been faithful to me. He has redeemed my life from the slimy pit!)

12. When the "time" comes, all "time" will go. When Jesus comes it will be forever more!!! Time will never be an issue again. Praise the Lord!

For Every Season There is a Time..Part 2

(Click here if you want to read Part 1)

5. If we are in a terrible season, that season will eventually end. I realized that I have been trying so hard to figure out what God is doing from the beginning to the end. Isaiah 46:9-10 says "Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the END from the BEGINNING from ancient times, what is still to COME. I say; my purpose will stand, and I will do what I please."

God makes known the END from the BEGINNING!

-He is after the process of how this ends. He knows how it will turn out. "I see where this goes, and Girl, are you ever going to be beautiful when this is done!"

-When we get to the end, we will bring glory to God.

-Do we trust God to be good to us?

-If the enemy can't take away our salvation, he can try taking away our trust. Our God cannot do us wrong. He CAN be trusted. -Psalm 31:15-15a "But I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hands..." When we are faced with a trial or a crossroad, Beth encouraged us to commit this verse to memory and speak it out loud to God.

6. God calls us to redeem the time. Ephesians 5:15-17 and Colossians 4:5-6. The enemy is coming for our season. We have to take it all for Christ. Redeem it and buy it back. We can let the enemy have it, or We can buy it back. We can also end up being a slave to our "time". Not allowing ourselves to rest. She encouraged us to fire ourselves from all our activities and let God hire us back. Then we are doing only what God wants us to be doing.

Galatians 6:9 says "Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." If we hang in there, sew, believe and trust during this season, we will have a harvest that is guaranteed!!!

7. "There is a time to kill and a time to heal." She made a very good point about killing sinful behavior. Aggressively getting rid of things that tempt us. Killing pornography, affairs, all manner of immoral behavior. Getting rid of old lovers' momentos, things we have held on to from the past. She said after it is dead, cut it's head off. I take that to mean to aggressively taking impure thoughts and making them captive to Christ.

8. "A time to tear and a time to mend (or sew)". I never put this one into the context of the ancient Hebrew world. They tore their garments in grief, but they didn't have a huge wardrobe to choose from so they eventually had to go through the process of sewing or mending the cloth back up. Beth said we are not meant to stay torn. Grieve, but grieve with hope. He is Jehovah Rapha (the Lord is our Healer). He will heal us back together, stitch by beautiful stitch.

9. I was convicted on this next point. She said "Time does not heal, time only tells." What am I saying about my season right now? If someone asks me how I am doing, I sometimes reply in a sad tone and an exasperated sigh, "I'm in a season of craziness and medical appointments right now (Josh, Marcus and I are all seeing orthopedic specialists about different problems we have, plus Marcus has allergy shots and we have various counseling appointments). I feel overwhelmed with it all. But how can I change how I speak about it? She encouraged us to speak light into our season, not dark. God told me no more grumbling! On the way home, I processed this with my friend, Kathi, and asked her how I could rephrase my season when someone asks (because I'm not a good liar) and she said to say that "You are in a season of RECONTRUCTION". Perfect!

Part 3 is on it's way!!!

For Every Season There is a Time... Part 1

I was blessed this weekend to be able to go see Beth Moore at a "Living Proof Live" event. Although I've been doing Beth Moore studies for probably around 10 years, it is exciting to see her in person. I feel like she is my personal Bible teacher and God has used her approach to studying Scripture to bring so much repairing and healing into my life. Her enthusiasm is contagious! She loves God so much and is passionate about getting women to study it and get excited about what God is doing in and through their lives.

I'm going to type up the mess of notes I made during the event. I've decided it is too much information for one post, so I will be breaking it up into three parts. I hope to be able to convey her main points and how I personally applied it to my life. My prayer is that you will find something in here that will jump off the page and God would speak to you as well. So here we go!

1. "Snap out of it, be alert and start believing!" This was an amazing Word God gave Travis, her worship leader. God used it to set the tone and helped me realize that I had stopped believing God in some areas of our situation.

2. The main theme was "time". She explained that in the Bible "time" doesn't go, "time" comes. "But when the time has fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons."-Galatians 4:4. This was truly a new concept as I feel like I am constantly losing time. I'm losing time with my children. I am losing time as I look in the mirror and see wrinkles and a few grey hairs! Time seems like it is going, but it is actually coming! We are not on a countdown, we are on a count up. What makes all the difference is that we are not running out of time, we are running toward something coming! That something that is coming is Jesus! 1 Peter 1:7 says , "These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

3. She made the point that to exist in this world, we grapple with time. God has set eternity in our hearts. She did this amazing history lesson of how time was measured from the ancient times until now. It is amazing to see how as we approach the coming of Christ, the more obsessed people have become over time and time management. We feel like the clock is ticking and the sand is running out.

4. She landed on our main text which was Ecclesiastes 3:1-11. It is super-familiar to most of us who have been studying the Word of God, but I have never heard a lesson on it. As we read through this list, I want us to think about what "time" you might be in right now. There are 48 "times" or "seasons" to choose from!

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love a and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

I asked God to show me what season I was in right now. I felt like I was in three of these seasons, the first being , "A time to tear down and a time to build" (God allowed our family to be torn down to it's very foundation and is now building it back up His way and in His time).

"A time to weep and a time to laugh" (I am able to laugh again. I can laugh at the enemy knowing what "he meant for evil, turned into good. His plans to destroy our family and our children backfired so badly when we chose to follow God through the process of obedience, forgiveness and healing)

"A time to mourn and a time to dance" (as I learned to worship when our devastation first happened, I questioned every word I sang. Did I really believe it? Is God faithful? Is He good? The songs about ripped my heart out but even when I couldn't sing them because my heart was broken, in faith I sang them in my heart. I mourned and grieved. I questioned and railed. It helped me get to a deeper place of healing. Today, I can truly dance with joy before my Lord. I can praise Him for what He has done. It still hurts and things aren't resolved or completed (not by a long shot) but through His abundant provision and protection He has shown Himself to be faithful and good. I feel closer to God then I did before this happened. He honors my praises and loves to see His child dancing with joy after a season of grief.


-

Husbands and Church Revisited...

Are you feeling discouraged because your husband doesn't seem to take an interest in church? Do you feel light years ahead of him spiritually? Maybe your husband is a believer but just doesn't seem to really make an effort. Are you waiting for him to take charge of the home and start being the spiritual leader that you have been dreaming about? Girlfriend, you are not alone!

David Murrow writes in his book Why Men Hate Church, "Women attend church in greater numbers than men. This is true all over the world, in nearly every branch of Christianity.... Women are more serious about their faith. They are much more likely than men to participate in the life of the church beyond Sunday morning worship services. They are also more likely to practice Christian disciplines such as prayer, discipleship, and evangelism."

He encourages us to do a few things that just might bring the men back to church. Here they are, Ladies!

1. Be willing to let your husband choose a church that meets his needs.

2. Allow him to gather with other men, without any women around.

3. Meet with other women to pray for your husbands (avoid complaining though).

4. Stop dragging your husband to church with you-Jesus never forced anyone to follow Him.

5. Be more real and less saintly and religious.

6. Do not serve in a ministry to which God does not call you-you may be taking the place God has assigned to a man.

7. Seek to be humble and compassionate, rather than demonstrating attitudes that belittle or come across as spiritually superior.

8. Don't hold back from following Jesus with your whole heart.

9. Give up your fantasy of what your husband will be like when God gets a hold of him, and start genuinely loving him and appreciating his strengths now.

10.  Teach your children to obey and honor their father, to serve Him, respect his advice. Mothers often turn their children's hearts away from their fathers because they don't understand how their actions are impacting the home. (Thanks Mindy, for this!)

Wow! I am so challenged by this. If you want to read my testimony called "Husbands and Church" click here. I can't believe how many of these things I have done or not done. We cannot give up hope, but we also need to face the fact that God has a plan for your husband. He knows what it takes, not you. The more we push and prod, the more they fight us and God and then our marriages suffer. It took years for me to figure this out. Younger women, don't panic and think, "if he doesn't believe then statistics say my children won't believe either." God is bigger than that!!!!

I am reading an amazing book by Nancy Meyer Sebastian called Spiritually Singles Moms. It is for anyone who has an unbelieving husband to the husband who is "just not into the church thing much". It is very honest and candid. She even talks about being jealous of her friends' "godly" husbands and how to answer your children when they ask about their father's spiritual beliefs. It is packed full of Scripture.

My hubby comes to church when he can. Sometimes he is up all night and wants to sleep when he gets home (he's a firefighter!). He used to force himself to come to church not because he wanted to, but because he knew I would be mad at him.

 He loves our new church and although he is not involved other than attending, I can tell that he is interested, and feels at home there. Even though it was extremely hard leaving our old church (due to some hard circumstances) God has blessed us immeasurably with a new church family.

I will appreciate when he comes and I will let go of the days when he chooses not to. My husband is in God's hands. I want him to come to worship out of his own will, not because he wants to please me.

One Day at a Time

 

"To find Joy in this day, you must live within its boundaries. I knew what I was doing when I divided time into twenty-four-hour segments. I understand human frailty, and I know that you can bear the weight of only one day at a time. Do not worry about tomorrow or get stuck in the past. There is abundant Life in My Presence today." -Jesus Calling

I took a breather last weekend and met my twin Sis, Jackie at my mom's house. It was great to be able to spend our birthday weekend together. We shopped at thrift stores and found some great deals and watched Season 3 of "Downtown Abbey". It was so much fun!

The week before was a hard week. My son, Marcus, tore his ACL and popped a chunk of bone off with it. It happened on Easter. The next day, my Grandpa Fay, who is 91 years old, had an accident with his wagon and team of horses. He broke his neck, two bones in his back and six ribs. He tore a good chunk of his cheek off too. It was a miracle that he survived! He is up and walking around and back home in less than a week. Unbelievable! I haven't lost my granddaddy yet.

Marcus ended up having surgery last Thursday. It is a six month healing process. He is flat on his back with his leg up in a full leg brace. We have lots of physical therapy ahead of us. Not good news to someone who is already swamped with appointments.

I am learning some valuable lessons. Hold your plans loosely. Live one day at a time. I am also learning that I cannot control my circumstances in any way shape or form. I can't control people either. My husband or my children are responsible for their choices. How freeing! My job is to nurture, teach, love them and guide them. I am learning to not panic and get into flight or fight mode. I am learning to go with the flow more.

How do I do it? I am learning to enjoy the quiet moments of life. In between running kids here and there and everywhere, feeding my small army and going to appointment after appointment, I am learning to recognize a quiet moment when I see one. Turn off the radio. Breathe! Listen to His voice. Pray a problem through. I am taking a short walk when I can. I am enjoying His creation. My walks are in between two orchards that are in full bloom with blossoms from cherry trees! I pause and see the new bulbs that popped up in my flower garden.

I think of where I was a year ago. Living in frightening uncertainty surviving day to day with a torn and worn heart that I thought would never heal. Yet, I raised My Ebenezer Stone and cried out "Thus Far the Lord Has Helped me!"

Live one day at a time...

 

It's all I'm asked to do.

A Parent's Idols

"Teenagers will instinctively find and trash our idols. (Surely, this is God's doing rather than our teenager's intent.) Our sons and daughters will tend to find our 'hot buttons' and regularly press them.

If we have an inordinate love for things, the teenager will dent the car the first time he drives it alone. In his nervousness to explain what happened, he will inadvertently sit on-and break-the plastic cover to the new stereo, while spilling his soda on your new oriental rug! There is a great temptation to lash out and say, 'Why don't you just trash every valuable thing in the house? It seems to be the one thing you're good at!' This is but one example of a very important principle we need to keep in mind. Our communication problems with our teenager exist not simply because of our child's character, but also because of our idolatry.

When desire for things (possessions, position, love, respect, appreciation, peace and comfort) takes the functional rulership over our hearts that the Lord alone should have, the result will inevitably be conflict in our relationships." -Excerp taken from Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens by Paul David Tripp.

Hmmm, some food for thought. What are my idols? What makes me so angry if it is invaded, displaced, or ruined?

I was faced with one of these idols today. My daughter called me up from school and said she needed basketball shorts for her basketball academy after school. I was furious! I was not very kind to Jessica as I was speaking with her on the phone and asking her why she didn't remember this herself. The truth be told, she had interfered with my plans. I didn't want to rush out to her school right after picking up the other two kids from the bus stop. When I was I my way to the school (20 minutes away), I realized that I hadn't told her she needed to bring shorts with her to the academy. I was the one that had not prepared her and let her know what she should bring. I needed to apologize. My own selfishness got in the way of what was truly important, my relationship with my daughter. Impatience leads to anger. I struggle with this as a mom. I want things NOW!

I had also noticed that my need for respect from my children had become an idol. Respect at all costs? Hmmm, at the sacrifice of relationship? Not good. For me, any kind of disrespect makes me furious. When I am angry, I generally sin. Although respect is important, it can't become my idol.

Now it's your turn. Can you recognize and confess an idol of yours?

Be In Me

God be in my head, and in my understanding;

God be in my eyes, and in my looking;

God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;

God be in my heart, and in my thinking;

God be at mine end, and at my departing.

-unknown

Mom's on iPhones (A Different Perspective) by Another Mom

One of you in the comments of my last post had a wonderfully different perspective on moms and iPhones. I long to be the one in this post. The whole reason why my husband gave me the iPhone was to help me manage my home better. He felt it would be so much easier to have all my lists and calendar dates on one device. I resisted and resisted. It boiled down to him wanting to give me a precious gift and me not graciously accepting it. He was so cute the day that he gave the phone to me. He said, "See, I take care of my woman." LOL! I didn't know it meant so much to him.

So check this woman's post out. It is excellently written to women who use this tool in incredible ways.

 A great big "thank you" to Terri Burgess from "Thoughts of a Fireman's Wife"

I love to listen to different views and takes on issues. It makes me grow as a person and not be so judgemental. Only God knows the heart... Enjoy!

Moms on iPhones

I saw this post on FB and I was soooo convicted. My husband just bought me an iPhone. I have caught myself several times doing stuff on it and ignoring my children. It is so easy to check my calendar, check FB, check email, review my bank account, text a friend, read the Bible or play a game. I want everything I do to honor God.

So, I give my iPhone to You, Lord. May it be used as a tool for your purposes and help it to never distract me from the most important ministry that you have given me. My beloved family...

I don't know who wrote this but you have to read it. I have posted this because I want to practice what I preach and I know this will hold me accountable.

************************************************************************

Dear Mom On the iPhone,

I see you over there on the bench, messing on your iPhone. It feels good to relax a little while your kids have fun in the sunshine, doesn’t it? You are doing a great job with your kids, you work hard, you teach them manners, have them do their chores.

But Momma, let me tell you what you don’t see right now…..
...
Your little girl is spinning round and round, making her dress twirl. She is such a little beauty queen already, the sun shining behind her long hair. She keeps glancing your way to see if you are watching her.

You aren’t.

Your little boy keeps shouting, “Mom, MOM watch this!” I see you acknowledge him, barely glancing his way.

He sees that too. His shoulders slump, but only for a moment, as he finds the next cool thing to do.

Now you are pushing your baby in the swing. She loves it! Cooing and smiling with every push. You don’t see her though, do you? Your head is bent, your eyes on your phone as you absently push her swing.

Talk to her. Tell her about the clouds, Mommy. The Creator who made them. Tickle her tummy when she comes near you and enjoy that baby belly laugh that leaves far too quickly.

Put your eyes back on your prize…Your kids.

Show them that they are the priority. Wherever you are, be ALL there. I am not saying it’s not ok to check in on your phone, but it’s a time-sucker: User Beware!

Play time at the park will be over before you know it.

The childhood of your children will be gone before you know it.

They won’t always want to come to the park with you, Mommy. They won’t always spin and twirl to make their new dress swish, they won’t always call out, “WATCH ME!”

There will come a point when they stop trying, stop calling your name, stop bothering to interrupt your phone time.

Because they know…

You’ve shown them, all these moments, that the phone is more important than they are. They see you looking at it at while waiting to pick up brother from school, during playtime, at the dinner table, at bedtime…..

I know that’s not true, Mommy.

I know your heart says differently.

But your kids can’t hear your words, Mommy. Your actions are screaming way too loudly.

May our eyes rest upon those we love, first and foremost, and may everything else fall away in the wonderful, noisy, sticky-fingered glory of it all.

Deadness to Life

In the midst of the dead leaves, the tender shoots of an iris start to pop out of the ground.

My heart feels the same way. Deadness, fearfulness  distrust is giving way to LIFE, CONFIDENCE and A life of FAITH.

"God is not an elusive dream or a phantom to chase, but a divine person to know. He does not avoid us, but seeks us. When we seek Him, the contact is instantaneous."- Neva Coyle

"I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me." -Proverbs 8:17 NASB

 God, thank you for seeking me. Thank you for wanting to invade every aspect of my life. I don't want to leave You out of any part of it. I praise You for who You are and what You do! You encourage me continually. When I seek You, I find You. It is there I find love, peace, hope and joy. 

"Guidance is a sovereign act. Not merely does God will to guide us by showing us His way...whatever mistakes we may make, we shall come safely home. Slippings and strayings there will be, no doubt, but the everlasting arms are beneath us; we shall be caught, rescued, restored. This is God's promise; this is how good He is. And our self-distrust, while keeping us humble, must not cloud the joy with which we lean on our faithful covenant God".-J.I. Packer

Blueberry Orange Sweet Rolls

I first start with my basic sweet dough recipe that I use for cinnamon rolls. I put it in the bread machine and choose the dough cycle. Takes about 1 1/2 hours.

I also like to play with it to make it a bit more healthy. I use raw sugar or honey instead of white sugar, or I replace some of the white flour with some whole wheat pastry flour. I just don't want to compromise the taste or the texture.

For the filling I used:

1/4 cup of melted butter
3/4 cup raw sugar mixed with 2 TBS of orange zest (I peeled an orange and threw it in my food processor till it was "zested".

Roll out dough onto a flour surface. Make it into a nice thin rectangle. Spread melted butter, sugar mixture and then top evenly with frozen or fresh blueberries. Roll up lengthwise and pinch seam. Slice into 1 inch rolls and place in a greased pan. Bake for 23 minutes at 350 degrees.

While baked rolls are warm, drizzle with zesty orange glaze:

1 whole orange juiced,
2 TBS of orange zest
1 1/2-2 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 milk
a dash of salt

Storms

 My in-laws blessed us with a vacation at the beach this last week. The beginning was a little scary though. We were about 25 miles into our trip when all of a sudden a terrible noise came from the back wheel. I looked in the mirror (as I was passing a semi-truck on a corner) and saw rubber flying off the back tire. I was so grateful it it didn't pop and I was able to to get it to the side of the road. We were within cell service and called the tire company. Two hours later and $469 poorer (had to replace both back tires), we started down the road again.

 

 When we arrived, I was astounded at the beauty of the beach house. I have never stayed in such a fancy place. We were really blessed. It was had very warm colors which was wonderful because outside was a severe storm.

 

 We were able to run to the beach twice when the rain stopped. Here is Jess on a piece of driftwood.

 The house was nestled against a wildlife refuge/wetland. The only thing that ventured out were a pair of mallard ducks. They were so brave! I wouldn't have wanted to get pelted with all that rain and wind! Here is Jacob on the back deck.

 

 

 Steve walking along the beach. There was a bit of sunshine this time!

 

 My in-laws took me to the beach in their car so that I could get a picture of the rough surf during the storm. It reminds you just how powerful water and wind are when they are combined. 

 

 Jacob, Lily and Jessica are my crazy kids! They stripped off their shoes and ran into that freezing cold water! We don't get to the beach much, so they didn't want to miss the opportunity to dip their feet in.

 

 

 Steve is the shoe carrier!

 

Even though it was stormy, we were still able to have a wonderful time. There is beauty in the storm. We hunker down and get into our shelter. I am reminded of this past year and thankful that Jesus was my shelter in the storm of life. I ran to shelter, I fled to Him, I praised Him and He gave me refuge and rest. The rains came down and the floods came up but our house still stood because we had planted ourselves on the Rock. Thank you Jesus for being our high place.

 

Here are my thoughts last year as we were going through our storm while trying to learn to praise God in the midst of the pain.

Fun Way to Surround Your Family with Scripture

I was recently invited to my friend, Margaret's house for a visit. She just had a beautiful porch/mudroom added on and wanted to honor God with it. She asked if I would come write scripture on the backside of the siding. She and I spent a good half hour, looking up and writing scripture that pertained to parenting, the home, and teaching children about the Lord. It was so cool! She will know those scriptures are there, surrounding her and her family.

My favorite one I wrote that I thought was very fitting was  Deuteronomy 6:5-9,

 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bid them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Focaccia Bread For Bread Machine

I made the most amazingly fragrant bread the other day. I thought I would share it with you. I always use my dough cycle on my bread machine and then take the dough and put it in whatever shape or loaf pan that I want.

Ingredients:

1 cup of lukewarm water

2 TBS olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp chopped garlic

1 TBS chopped fresh rosemary

3 cups of bread flour

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

2 tsp any kind of sweetener ( I used evaporated cane juice)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in bread pan, select dough cycle, press start

2. Remove dough from bread machine when cycle is complete. Pat dough into a 9x13 baking pan or a pizza pan. Brush with olive oil, add a bit more chopped rosemary and Parmesean cheese.

3. Let rise till doubled, (about 1/2 hour) in a warm place. I cover it to make it go faster.

4. Bake at 400 degrees, 20-25 minutes

The smell of this baking is absolute TORTURE!!!

Freedom From Fear

"Come to Me for rest and refreshment. The journey has been too much for you, and you are bone-weary. Do not be ashamed of your exhaustion. Instead, see it as an opportunity for Me to take charge of your life.

Remember that I can fit everything into a pattern for good, including the things you wish were different. Start with where you are at this point in time and space accepting that this where I intend you to be.

You will get through today one step, one moment at a time. Your main responsibility is to remain attentive to Me, letting Me guide you through the many choices along your pathway." -Taken from the devotion, "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young

God, I pray you will continue to heal my heart. Help me to slow down enough to be attentive to the work you are doing in my life. You are taking away so much stress and worry from my day. It feels so strange to not be anxious all the time. I am afraid it won't last. I fear something bad will happen again. God, take away my fears and help me REST IN THE FACT you are blessing me with peace, joy, love, hope, and faith as you are teaching me how to live without the every-present fear of what might happen next.

"Seek first the kingdom of wealth, and you'll worry over every dollar. Seek first the kingdom of health, and you'll sweat every blemish and bump. Seek first the kingdome of popularity, and you'll relive every conflict. Seek first the kingdom of safety, and you'll jump at every crack of the twig. But seek first His kingdom, and you will find it. On that, we can depend and never worry."- Max Lucado

You are good and what You do is good. Steady my heart. Make me into the person You want me to me.

Here is a link to the song I sang on Sunday called "Steady My Heart" by Kari Jobe.

Hearts That Are Wise

Some of my favorite verses come to mind about parenting, when I look at these new pictures of our family. We were incredibly blessed to have our pastor come and take these pictures. He did it out of the kindness of his heart and didn't charge us a dime. Another amazing testimony of the provision of God. I barely took any pictures last year. It was too painful. These pictures show that God is piecing our lives back together again. All honor and glory belongs to Him!

 "My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right" -Proverbs 23:15-16

 "Listen my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path."- Proverbs 23:19

"Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding. The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in him. May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!" -Proverbs 23:22-25

"My sons (and daughters) give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways..."-Proverbs 23:26

"By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures."-Proverbs 24:3-4

Walk in It

 "Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice...

 Blessed are all who wait for Him!"

 "How gracious He will be when you cry for help! As soon as He hears, He will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them...

 "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'...

"The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of His people and heals the wounds He inflicted." -Isaiah 30:18, 19b-22, 26