I'm Back and, Oh, the Things I've Learned..

I find it amazing what God can do when I am just quiet and undistracted and able to listen. I've heard it said that God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason...I'm sure this applies to more than the physical ears and mouth as well!

During my 'blogging rest', I learned a few things.

I learned that I stress way too much about my blog.

Ouch. Hard one for me to confess, but it's true. I find myself wondering how others can have hundreds (or even one hundred) followers, and I can't get past fifty. I find myself wondering why my stat counter only goes up 2 or 3 hits a day sometimes. I wonder why what began as a way to learn to be a better writer, somehow minister and just have a little fun has become something that dictates how my day goes.

When that happens, I've learned that I open the door and allow the enemy to attack me. He tells me I don't write well enough, I'm not funny enough...too boring...not godly enough....what makes me think that anyone would want to read what I write...and I found myself believing him!!

I put way too much pressure on myself to post everyday just so I could keep the readers I have.

Wow....

Meanwhile I realized how much was falling by the wayside here at home while I was busy worrying about blog world. Again, wow.

I realized how much this blog.....this computer period...had become a god and was getting in the way of my relationship with the real God.

When I first began my break, I found myself frustrated and irritated, but as the days went by, I found that I had to admit that blogging was running my life instead of the other way around.

Do I want God to use my writing to serve Him? You bet.

Do I want to share and laugh and cry and minister with this blog? You bet.

Do I want to continue blogging? You bet.

I've just got to change some things. So, at least for now, here's where I'm at:

I'm only going to post as God directs. Doesn't mean that everything I post will be about my Father or a relationship with Him..could be something informative, fun or something I just feel led to share, but my steps will be directed by Him. So there may be times when I post everyday or even more than once a day, and there may be times I only post a couple of times a week...but no matter, when I do post, it will be because God has given me the okay.

"The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives."
Psalm 37:23, NLT

I'm going to be finishing our study on Created to be His Help Meet because I feel that is truly something that God has His hand on, so we will be picking back up where we left off this Friday.

"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."
Genesis 2:18, KJV

If I gain followers...YEAH!!!!!!!! ....if I lose them, then I'm trusting God knows and if it's something I need to change, then He'll show me that as well.

I want God to dictate every area of my life and I don't want to be in charge of any of it. I want everything I do to honor Him and I want it to always be done the way He wants it done..in other words, I want to be in line with HIS will, not mine.

So, I'm rested, my mind is clearer and I'm back in a different way. Prayerfully I will remain in the way God wants me because that is what is most important to me.

With that...........

I do hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We were so blessed and even more so because we were able, with the help of our church, to provide a Thanksgiving dinner to a family who is living in a hotel at this point with their five children. Circumstance beyond their control brought them to this place and God put them in path of DD and DS at their job. Our church provided the meal, DD, DS and I prepared it while DH did all the extras that I couldn't while preparing two meals. We were able to deliver it by noon. While we sat down to our meal here at home, we were all even more thankful for the abundant blessings that God has given to us.

We put our Christmas tree up last night and I have to tell you, it was an emotional time for us. Our tree doesn't have a theme or a particular color scheme, it tells a story. The ornaments on our tree tell of the past 26 years of our lives. The good times and the not so good. Handmade ornaments, passed down ornaments and expensive, delicate ornaments. I could look at each one and tell you what was going on in our lives at that time. The emotion that came with each one. Our tree is a smorgasbord of everything, but I wouldn't do anything different.



Finally, I won a give-a-way that Larie hosted over at her blog My Heart Speaks!!! I won a magazine subscription to a magazine called In Her Heart. I've never heard of it before, but it sounds so good and I can't wait until I receive it and can sit down and soak it up! Thanks Lari!!!
I love you all so much and many of you have touched my life in a way that I am eternally thankful.

"Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God."
Philippians 1:3, NLT

A Blessed Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving blessings from our home to yours. May your hearts be full with love, contentment and peace.
In Him,
Philip, Deb, Beth and Zack

"The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will be heard again, along with the joyous songs of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the Lord. They will sing, ‘Give thanks to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, for the Lord is good. His faithful love endures forever!’ "
Jeremiah 33:11, NLT

Making a Difference

I came across this most wonderful idea in a magazine I was looking through just the other day.

Technology has brought us to a place where the written note is becoming obsolete. We, myself included, find it easier to zap and e-mail or dial a number rather than to write a letter or send a card. With that revelation, I have determined to make a conscious effort to actually, physically write to folks...be it a letter or a card or a small note.

Now, that doesn't mean that I'm signing off from tech world, just want to make things a bit more personal.

Anyway...back to this great idea!!....

Seems like you can recycle your old Christmas, birthday, thank-you...any-kind-of cards and make a huge difference in the lives of abused, abandoned and neglected children.

These kids remove the front of the donated cards and make new ones sold in packets of 10.
You have until February 28, 2010 to send in your old cards.

Click on the link below to go to the site that will give you all the information you need.


http://www.stjudesranch.org/help_card.php


What a wonderful way to recycle and make a difference in someone's life!!!!

Random Dozen

DH and I spent a wonderful weekend talking and just reconnecting. We spoke about priorities and how we'd both like to see things happen within our family unit.

While I'm still not going back to regular posting until mid-next week, I did want to join up with Linda for Random Dozen.

Click here to join in on the fun!

1. Are you sticking to traditional Thanksgiving foods this year, or are you being culinary adventurous?

I always ask the family what they'd like for Thanksgiving dinner and they are very much the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it' folks. We're going traditional.

2. Tell me something concrete that you're thankful for. (Something you can literally touch, see, etc., not a concept like "hope.")

Easy. Philip, Beth and Zack.

3. You knew the flip side was coming: Share about something intangible that you're thankful for.

Salvation, hope and a home in Heaven.

4. Share one vivid Thanksgiving memory. It doesn't have to be deep or meaningful, just something that remains etched in your memory.

Several years ago, we hosted a family for Thanksgiving that had no family in the area to share the day with. It was an older gentleman and his wife and we had probably one of the best days listening to his stories and their adventures. We tried to bless, but ended up being blessed.

5. What is one thing that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt is going to happen this Thanksgiving because it always does, year after year?

Watching the Macy's Day Parade!!

6. Do your pets get any left-overs?

Of course!! Everyone in our family gets to enjoy the special things.

7. Does your family pray before the big meal? If so, do you join hands while seated, stand, repeat a formal prayer or offer a spontaneous prayer? Who does the praying?

Yes, we hold hands and DH leads our prayer. Before that though, we each go around the table and tell about what we are thankful for. I can't remember ever getting through that dry-eyed. There are always many happy tears.....even from my teenage son!..

8. Will you be watching football in the afternoon? If not, what will you be doing?

No, we don't do football. ( I know, I know, living where we live and we're not big on football!!) but it's true. We usually watch a movie, play games and catch naps!!

9. There are two distinct camps of people on this issue: How do you feel about oysters in the dressing/stuffing?

Nope...not going to happen..no way. Nada.

10. Do you consider yourself informed about the first Thanksgiving?

Fairly well. Being a homeschooling family of 12 years, we've studied pretty in depth!

11. Which variety of pie will you be enjoying?

Sweet potato!!!!!!

12. Do you feel for the turkey?? (This is a humorous throw back question related to the 12th question in another Random Dozen!)

Sure. I feel for the breast meat, then I feel it as I pick it up and shove it in my mouth. Ole' Tom usually feels pretty good!!!

Worship Him

"Sing praises to God and to His name! Sing loud praises to Him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord—rejoice in His presence!"
Psalm 68:4, NLT

Being Transparent.......

I know I promised a Created to be His Help Meet post but life has a way of happening.

Anyone who has visited my blog for any length of time knows that being a Biblical wife is my highest earthly priority. So now I'm going to be a bit transparent.....

This morning, my sweet husband let me know that there are a few areas that I'm "dropping the ball" so to speak. It was hard to hear and hard to deal with because submission is an area that I must work on sometimes minute by minute. It doesn't always come easy.

First of all, to my hubby...I'm sorry.

Second, in light of what I've learned, I'll be taking a short break from blogging. I won't be doing daily posts again until December 1st. If God puts something on my heart to share, then I'm sure He'll also allow the time I need to do the post. I hope you'll understand and know that I'll miss each of you, but I will be back soon.

Do check in and see if there has been any action going on.

I do pray that each and every one of you will have a blessed Thanksgiving. I pray that you will truly take the time to slow down, look around and truly be thankful for the bountiful blessings you have.

With Christ's Love.....

Uhhh..Ummm....It's Not What You Think....Really....

I just ran out of time....No excuses, I just ran out of time.

I needed to make a quick Christmas gift run for those teens of ours, and it had to be meticulously timed. That forced me to kill time that I normally wouldn't have to.

So.....usually the next post of Created to be His Help Meet would be here for you to read today instead of my rambling and running around and around this bush.

But....if you'll come back later this afternoon, I'll have that post posted and ready for you to read and hopefully move forward in your pursuit of becoming a better help meet to your man!!

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday and time to join up with Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey for Thankful Thursday. It's a time we set aside to list five things that we are truly thankful for.

It is such a blessing to be able to share what I am thankful for and rejoice with you in how God has blessed you as well.

Click here to join us in sharing the faithfulness of God!!!

Here are my thankfuls for this week......

1) I am thankful that my two teenagers strive to keep their lunch dates with each other. Every other week when they get paid, they go to lunch and spend the afternoon together. It blesses me so much to know that they are out together, making time for each other and strengthening the relationship they have together. I pray it is something they will continue all of their adult lives.

2) I am thankful for how well DD is doing 3 months into her dating sabbatical. She is at the halfway point and God has healed and revealed so much to her. She has grown so much in Him over these 3 months and it has been truly a blessing to get to witness that.

3) I am thankful for DD and DS who, upon meeting a family who had lost everything and was living in a hotel, went together and bought food and treasures for a Mom, Dad and 5 children who feel all hope is lost. They encouraged them and told them about Jesus and planted seeds that I know will grow and produce for Him!

4) I am thankful for DS's resolve to be faithful even when it means upsetting his girlfriend. She's a wonderful young lady, but is still learning that obedience to the calling of God is above anything else you can or could ever do.

5) I am thankful for my wonderful husband who has been by my side for almost 26 years and has been my total and complete strength and help in raising the beautiful teenagers we have today.

And one more..........I am most thankful to my Father in Heaven Who saw fit almost 18 years ago to draw on my heart and the heart of my husband. He saved us, restored my marriage and has blessed me with such a wonderful family. He is worthy to be praised!!!

"Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure His greatness."
Psalm 145:3, NLT

Random Dozen

I thought that I would try something different this week and I decided to join up with Linda over at 2nd Cup of Coffee for the Random Dozen.

I've been reading these for a few weeks and found them fun and interesting as well. Why don't you click here and join us??

1. If you could master one sport, what would it be?
Tennis. Without a doubt, tennis. I love to play around with it as it is. To be able to master it....wow!!

2. When you make a major purchase, do you go with your gut instinct, or do you do research to make an informed decision?
I pretty much go with the price tag. Of course I usually have a general knowledge about what I'm buying, but no in depth research is done.

3. There is an old kids' game that says you can find out what your movie star name would be by using your middle name as your first name and the name of the street you grew up on as your last. What is your movie star name?
Lynn Cermak.....sound's kind of 1940ish, huh?

4. Would you rather give up your favorite music or your favorite food?
Are you kidding?? Two of my favorite things!!! Hmmm......Guess my favorite food. I can eat other things besides pizza, but I've GOT to have my music!!!

5. There are two types of banana preferences. One is pristine yellow, almost to the point of being green; the other is spotty and more ripe. Which is your preference?
Pristine yellow. Spots tell me it's time to add flour and nuts and call it Banana Bread!

6. Your favorite tree is?
Big, huge oak trees. I love to lay on the cool grass underneath on a hot day and just relax....

7. On a scale of 1-10, how tech savvy are you?
-12....no kidding.

8. Has H1N1 touched your family?
Not yet, but with DH working in a hospital and DD and DS working in fast food, we're staying prayed up!

9. Are you an analytical person, or do you just accept things the way they are without questioning or scrutinizing?
I question everything. There must be a reason for _________, and I find it hard to be satisfied if it can't be explained.

10. Is your personality more like that of a dog, cat, or Koala?
Most likely a cat. I'm quite content to be pampered and adored and then go off on my own until I need you to pamper and adore again!----Not really. While I do love being pampered, I truly am that loyal dog. Even if you kick me when I'm down, I'm not going to give up on you or on our relationship.

11. Do you keep in touch with friends you made years ago?
Actually I do try but I get frustrated when they don't return the effort..

12. You are checking out at a grocery store. In the express lane, there are more people than the regular lanes, but of course, their load is less than those in the regular lanes. Which lane do you choose (assuming you qualify for the express lane) and why?

I usually take a moment and watch the cashier. If she/he seems confident in her/his job, I'll wait in the express lane. It will usually move faster. If the cashier seems a bit unsure or isn't interested in being there or doing the job to the best of her/his ability, I'll go to another lane--usually self-check if the store has one!

Six Mondays and Counting

Hopefully you've been doing a few things that we've been talking about to make your Christmas season much easier and a lot less stressful!!

Now is a good time to begin putting up those outdoor lights if you haven't already. With Thanksgiving just a little over a week away, serious decoraters know that now is the time to get the outdoor stuff done.

It's also a good time to get the gifts you've already purchased wrapped. If your like my family, the tree often goes up just a few days after Christmas and I love to be able to put even a few gifts beneath it.

I've mentioned this before, but the sales are running rampant on the baking ingredients..(the coupons are almost as good too!!)

Make sure you've gotten that list of goodies you and your family want to bake together--remember it's about slowing down and enjoying your family!!!!--and gone over the list of ingredients you need and get those purchased. Nothing is more frustrating than to be in the middle of a recipe only to find out you're missing a most important ingredient.

Do one last check of that Christmas card list to make sure that you have prepared a card for every person you want to send one to. Buy those stamps and have them ready to go in the mail the day after Christmas.

It's taking care of these things a little at a time that will enable you to have a stress-free, wonderful Christmas season!!!

Worship Him

"Honor the Lord for the glory of His name.Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness."
Psalm 29:2, NLT

Studying...Created to be His Help Meet

We are studying the book by Debi Pearl, Created to be His Help Meet. Through our study of this book, we are going to learn what it means to be a help meet and actually living the role that God created us as women to fill. I've read this book once before and applied many of the things that Mrs. Pearl spoke of, and it has transformed an already good marriage into nothing short of awesome!! I encourage you to purchase this book and follow along or at the very least, check out the Pearl's website at http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/
Any text taken directly from Mrs. Pearl's book will be highlighted in blue.

I realize that in studying Created to be His Help Meet at the rate of one chapter per week, we will be doing this study for approximately 24 weeks. We could go at this at a much faster rate, but I believe that if we truly want to change and fill our God given rolls as help meet to our husbands, then we need to take things slower and put into practice what we are learning. I hope you agree and stay the course with me as we become better help meets together.

Part 1: The Help Meet

Chapter 13: The Great Mystery (Part one)

Have you ever thought about your relationship with your husband in comparison to the Church's relationship to Christ? The Church is to be obedient, reverent and submissive to Christ. Think about these requirements and think about putting them into action as wives toward our husbands.

Mrs Pearl defines each for us:

1. Obedience: doing what you know the other person wants you to do.

2. Submission: your heart giving over to the other person's will

3. Reverence: more than just doing what a man expects or demands. It is an act of the woman's will to treat him with a high degree of regard and awe.

She reminds us that all of these are acts of the will, not something that comes naturally or easily. Willing yourself to do something requires discipline on your part.

She shares with us a letter from a woman who was married to a man who frequented strip clubs and prostitutes. She really wanted a divorce and everyone she met agreed that she should get one except for one couple. This couple shared with her what God's love truly is. She decided to honor God so she stayed with her husband. She shared that it wasn't easy in the beginning and she did cry and complain a lot. But as God's love is working through her and her husband is making progress. She states that there are days when she'd still love to "wring his neck" , but she is believing God and His promises.

Mrs. Pearl tells us that this "creep of a husband is the fortunate recipient of honor being given to God." Even if this man never comes to the saving knowledge of Christ, this wife will be rewarded for her obedience to God through her husband.

Mrs. Pearl asks us to reflect on our thoughts about our husbands. How many times in a day are our thoughts negative? If he forgot to take out the trash or pick up his dirty socks, do we go over that again and again in our mind, tearing down our husbands and building up a pretty mean attitude within ourselves? Remember if we focus on the negatives, we will spew negative out of our mouths.

He forgot the trash? Instead of being negative, just take it out yourself and while you're doing that change the focus from the fact that he didn't take it out to he deserves to rest after a hard day of working a job that supports his family.

Didn't pick up those socks? Pick them up and thank God for the precious feet that hold up the man that goes to work everyday and supports his family.

See? Just a simple change in your attitude will totally turn the situation around.

Next week: The Great Mystery (Part two)

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday and time to join up with Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey for Thankful Thursday. It's a time we set aside to list five things that we are truly thankful for.

It is such a blessing to be able to share what I am thankful for and rejoice with you in how God has blessed you as well.

Click here to join us in sharing the faithfulness of God!!!

Here are my thankfuls for this week......

1) I am thankful for confirmation from God. Sunday night at church we had a visiting evangelist and the service was awesome!!...although right now I can't tell you what the message was about. The evangelist gave an altar call and for whatever reason....satan....I didn't move. Then, I couldn't stand it any longer and headed to the altar. Next thing I know, I'm holding a prayer cloth and the evangelist is eyeball to eyeball with me and when he spoke, God came out of his mouth!! It was so totally awesome to hear God tell me that He knows what I'm battling and that He is ready and more than able to take me by the hand and deliver me from the bondages that satan is trying so hard to keep me in.

2) I am thankful that my guys had a safe and wonderful weekend camping. They came home full of laughter and fun stories to share. Even throughout this week, they've made little statements that make no sense to me and DD, but will put them doubled over in laughter!

3) I am thankful for this sweet, sweet man at church nicknamed Mayor. He always greats me with a laugh and a smile and when he shakes my hand, he slips a peppermint in it. What a true blessing of happiness he is!!

4) I am thankful that my Dad's follow up Dr visit went well. Since his heart surgery, he's been a bit more tired, but the Dr is pleased with how well he is coming along.

5) I am thankful for my new WOW 2010, cd!! Seriously. I got a great deal on it, but there are some awesome God songs on there that do wonders in bringing me before the throne in praise to my Savior!

"My cup overflows with blessings."
Psalm 23: 5, NLT

Family Favorites

We've all been there. A sweet tooth hits and there is nothing in the house. Guests drop in and you'd love to serve them something warm and yummy, but you don't have a lot of time or ingredients. You're in the middle of cooking supper and you decide a nice finish would be dessert.
I have the perfect recipe and it's doubly nice this time of year.

It only takes 6 ingredients and is super easy to stir up and pop in the oven.
Hope you enjoy!!!

Apple Crumble

1 cup baking mix (such as Bisquick)
3/4 cup brown sugar
½ cup quick-cooking oats
¼ cup margarine
2 cups sliced apples
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish. Blend first three ingredients in a bowl. Cut margarine into bits and add to mix. Spread 1/3 of oat mixture in bottom of pan. Place apple slices over mixture. Sprinkle with remaining oat mixture and cinnamon. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350ºF. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

As always, if this recipe is original to you, e-mail me and I'll be glad to give you a shout out!!

Tips & Quips

I don't know about your refrigerator, but mine tends to hide things. I put leftovers in and they disappear! I wish I could tell you that some wonderful family member had eaten them, but no...our fridge is enjoying a wonderful game of hide-n-seek with them.

Now, it's really sweet that our fridge just wants to be included in our family fun times, but quite frankly, Fridge's little game is costing this family some precious dollars, not to mention the fact that we are wasting enough that could literally feed one or two adults.

This isn't being a good steward of our finances or the food that God has blessed us with. In our home, if a leftover hasn't been eaten within a day or two, chances are it's not going to be eaten.
Yesterday I decided to clean out the fridge and what I found made me totally ashamed. I threw out an ice cream bucket full of food.

God was dealing with me with each swipe of the spatula around yet another bowl of wastefulness when He finally got through this thick skull and said, "What is good, freeze." I said, "But it's just a bite here or a bite there." He reminded me, "It's enough for one."

Then ding!!! That little light bulb turned on and the result was this:



4 bags of leftovers. Some stroganoff, a pork chop, some bbq and some polish sausage/sauce mix (family favorite from my growing up days!).

Looking at this food separated into these bags made me realize that even more than I thought was being thrown out and I was very disappointed in myself.

So, my tip....if you haven't eaten those leftovers, freeze them. Do them in single serving sizes for those times when it's just one or two eating, or when you don't want to cook and take out would strain that budget.

We are BLESSED!!!!!!! It's time we began taking care of all of our blessings including leftovers..

Seven Mondays and Counting

Now is a good time to be thinking about Christmas lights, especially if you decorate with lights outside like we do.

I didn't use many lights outside in years past because of the way that Christmas lights really hit the electric bill. But today, ahhh today we are blessed with LED lights and these babies are energy efficient!!!

Last year I did a post on the efficiency of these lights and how wonderful they were. Click here to read that post.

LED's can be expensive, but thanks to Home Depot and the promotion they are running between now through November 15th, LED's are very affordable.

If you bring in a string of your old Christmas lights, Home Depot will give you a coupon worth $3 off the purchase of LED's!! To make this an even better deal, through the promotional period, they have their LED's for $5.97 each, minus the $3 coupon means you can get these lights for $2.97!!! AND if that isn't enough, you can do this 5 times!!!!

(As with any promotional, check your area's Home Depot to make sure they are participating in this!)

I believe the light they give off is much prettier than the traditional lights and they don't get hot to the touch!!!

So, grab 5 sets of your old lights and $15 (or so) and head over to Home Depot! Your wallet will be glad you did!

Worship Him

"Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him."

Lamentations 3:21-25, NLT

Psalm Saturday

Time to join my friend Collette again over at Jesus Loves Mums for Psalm Saturday.
Join us this week as we share how something in the Psalms spoke to us.....

Isn't it odd how we tend to beat ourselves up because this 'Christian life' doesn't come easy to us? I mean, we accepted Jesus as our Savior and then spend so much time stressing because we fell back into a sin that we thought we'd defeated.

We get upset when we miss that opportunity, that is now hindsight, to speak to someone about Jesus.

Yet in Psalm 119:30 we read,

"I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by Your regulations." NLT

Yes, salvation is immediate, but all this other stuff.....it's a choice. Sometimes daily, sometimes second by second. "I have chosen to be faithful...." It doesn't read, 'I am faithful'.

"I have determined to live by Your regulations"...not, 'Living by Your regulations is so easy'.

When I determine in my mind to do something, I am focused, not looking to the right or the left, nose to the grindstone till I see it to the end. For me, if I have to get determined to do something, it's probably something that is difficult and needs 100% of my attention.

But isn't that what being a Christian is all about?

If we don't stay focused on Christ, then we are going to fall back into the sin that so easily tempts us. If our vision strays to the right or the left, then we begin to not see sin for what it truly is...we lose our concentration.

Our walk with Christ is a daily effort, a daily choice and it is through that choice to be faithful and determination that will draw us into that closer walk that we all desire. It won't necessarily make it easier, but it sure will make the journey more enjoyable!

Studying...Created to be His Help Meet

We are studying the book by Debi Pearl, Created to be His Help Meet. Through our study of this book, we are going to learn what it means to be a help meet and actually living the role that God created us as women to fill. I've read this book once before and applied many of the things that Mrs. Pearl spoke of, and it has transformed an already good marriage into nothing short of awesome!! I encourage you to purchase this book and follow along or at the very least, check out the Pearl's website at http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/
Any text taken directly from Mrs. Pearl's book will be highlighted in blue.

I realize that in studying Created to be His Help Meet at the rate of one chapter per week, we will be doing this study for approximately 24 weeks. We could go at this at a much faster rate, but I believe that if we truly want to change and fill our God given rolls as help meet to our husbands, then we need to take things slower and put into practice what we are learning. I hope you agree and stay the course with me as we become better help meets together.

Part 1: The Help Meet

Chapter 12: By Divine Appointment

Mrs. Pearl begins this chapter by quoting 1 Corinthians 11:3,

" But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." NLT

She reminds us that the only place we will ever find true fulfillment is as a help meet to our husbands. We have to remind ourselves, maybe often, that it's not our place to correct our husbands...he will answer to God someday for his choices just as we will. For those who don't know the blessing of a saved husband, Mrs. Pearl says this, "It takes faith in God to trust Him when all you seem to see is one carnal man leading you--to 'God only knows where'. "

We have to remember as wives that the submission to our husbands is not the most important thing. The most important thing is being faithful to what God says in His Word. Obedience to GOD is the most important thing we can do.

Mrs. Pearl points out that man's fall into sin was because of the vulnerability of woman. We have to agree with that. Yes, I know, I'm sure Eve didn't sit on Adam and shove that fruit down his throat, but she did partake first. Why do you think satan addressed Eve and not Adam? I believe it's because, like it or not ladies, we are the weaker sex, in many ways.

Before the fall, God created woman to be the help meet. The help meet to a sinless man.....after the fall though, God didn't change His mind about the man being the authority, but the consequence of sin made it so that woman now had to be in submission to a man with a sin nature.

She also addresses the Scripture that states,

"Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings."
1Corinthians 14:34, NLT

Now, this is a can of worms, I know. I realize that there are awesome women of God who are teaching all over the world. I have been blessed by many. However, personally, I cannot sit beside my husband or any other man for that matter under a woman pastor. My personal belief is that the man is to lead in all areas. I do not give "my two cents" at church or any other place for that matter. I talk to my husband in private, give him my concerns and should he deem them worthy to be brought to the attention of others, he'll do so...if not, it's laid to rest and that's the end of it. I trust him to value my opinion and weigh what I'm saying or what I think honestly. I also trust God to convict him if he 'blows me off'.

Please understand that being in this total submission, we are not backing up. Like Mrs. Pearl, if you knew me personally, you would see that I'm not a quiet, calm person. I'm very opinionated and I want to be heard and acknowledged when I open my mouth. If I disagree with something, I'm willing to let you know it.....loudly. However, my love and respect of God won't allow me to be that way with my husband on purpose. When I do let go and "do it my way", conviction is swift.. and I'm very thankful for that!

Our challenge for this week is just that, a week long challenge:

Monday: Write three new things that you will add to your life that will cause you to become more precious to your husband.

Tuesday: List three things that you can do that will be a help to him.

Wednesday: Write down three things you can do that will be an encouragement to him.

Thursday: Jot down three things about your appearance that you can change, which he is sure to like.

Friday: List three tings that you can do to your house that will please him.

Saturday: Write three things you can do (for example, intimate time together) that will make him feel like his is THE MAN.

Sunday: Plan three ways you can respond to him in front of others that will show a heart of respect and honor toward him.

Please don't just make this list, DO it each day. You will be amazed at the wonderful man you find you are living with, within one short week.

Let me know how it works for you!!!!!


Next week: The Great Mystery

Join Me at the Well!!!

Hey everybody!!! Just wanted to pass along that I'm over at the Well today!!

How about dropping by, saying hi and seeing how important it is to Know Your Man!!!

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday and time to join up with Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey for Thankful Thursday. It's a time we set aside to list five things that we are truly thankful for.

It is such a blessing to be able to share what I am thankful for and rejoice with you in how God has blessed you as well.

Click here to join us in sharing the faithfulness of God!!!

Here are my thankfuls for this week......

1) I am thankful for a full week of sunshine!!! It has been so nice to wake up to the beautiful brightness of the sun AND I've gotten to hang my laundry on the line!!!

2) I am thankful for our heating system. Along with this beautiful sunshine and clear days has came the chillier weather!

3) I am thankful for the season that is upon us. I love this time of year!!! I love everything about it and my memories truly begin to flood my soul. It seems like almost everything can trigger a warm fuzzy!

4) I am thankful that God is blessing my guys with a rain free weekend. This weekend is their annual father/son camping trip and we were really concerned that with all the rain we'd been having, they might have a wet weekend. But as always..God is faithful!!

5) I am thankful for the time that I'll get to spend just me and DD while my guys are away. She's becoming an adult and I know that these moments are becoming more and more precious.

"Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise His holy name."
Psalm 30:4, NLT

Family Favorites

Today's Family Favorite is not only super easy to make, but a huge hit with my entire family!!!

This has probably been requested more times than anything I have ever made. It also makes a wonderful addition to those homemade goodie platters that you share at Christmas.

I try very hard to only make this around the holidays or very special occasions because I don't want anyone getting burned out on it...and it's great to have that really special something that everyone looks forward to.

Hope you enjoy!!!

Pecan Bark

1 cup unsalted butter, NO substitutes
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
24 graham cracker squares

Preheat over to 350º. Line a 10x15 inch cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil. (I use the wrapper from the butter). Place graham crackers on the cookie sheet in one layer. (It should fit exactly 24). Sprinkle pecans evenly over the top and set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add brown sugar and stir until the mixture boils. Boil for 1 minute. Pour mixture evenly over graham crackers and pecans. (I sometimes use a spatula to spread it evenly). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately place the hot cookie sheet in the freezer. Remove after 1 hour and break the bark into pieces. You do not have to keep this candy refrigerated.

Burnt Biscuits

It's not hard to look around and see people everywhere who are sad, frustrated, depressed..hopeless. We find ourselves trying to live up to a standard that can never be achieved, for when we make it to the next rung of the ladder, there is another rung yet to be climbed.

We, as women, put so much unnecessary stress on ourselves. We have the media telling us we must be a certain size, wear our make-up and hair a certain way.

We must wear a certain brand of clothing, drive a certain car and keep a spotless house.

We look at neighbor So&So's children and think that if only our children can achieve that kind of scholastic recognition or if our husbands can land that kind of job.

Likewise our precious husbands and children busy themselves trying to live up to the very same lines we've been fed.

It's no wonder that families all around us are falling apart at the seams.

We have reality tv shows that take out of control teenagers and send them to a strict family for a week to whip them into shape.

Need a mate? How about starting out with 10 or 15 men or women..depending..and narrowing it down to that 'perfect' life mate. Now, in order to pick the right person, you must drink and have sex with many of them. Wouldn't want to end up with a dud now would you??

It's obvious that people are looking for the perfect life and what they cannot grasp is that here on this earth, it will never exist. Perfection is only found in Christ Himself and our job is to live our lives by the guidelines He has set forth in His Word.

We major on so many things that just don't matter..and never will.

I want to share an e-mail that I got a few weeks ago. It gives a very perfect lesson and if we could all just wrap our hearts and minds around it, just imagine how wonderful life could be..........

Burnt Biscuits

When I was a little boy, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my Dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my Dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love burned biscuits."
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"

You know, life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect people. I'm not the best mechanic..husband or dad. What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences – is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

In allowing God to love others through us, we might just see His Kingdom and our happiness grow.....

Eight Mondays and Counting

Let's face it, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, and tons of baking to be done for that day, now is a good time to bake some cookies and some bread for the freezer.

Most cookies and bread freeze well and taste fresh when they are thawed out.

All of us will have parties and get-togethers to attend and wouldn't it make it much easier to just thaw something out, put it on a pretty platter and go? Imagine how much more you would be able to enjoy the time with friends and family!!!

It's never to early to plan your Christmas menu and start watching those sales so that you can purchase the things you are going to need.

The biggest mistake I ever made in planning the menu was thinking that my crew wanted the same thing every year. There are a few items that they won't budge on..ham and homemade rolls...but especially as the kids have gotten older, tastes have changed and they've wanted to have a hand at making a dish for Christmas dinner.

So now, we sit down and discuss what we'd like to have and go from there. Of course, there have been times when I've had to remind them that I'm feeding four not forty!!!

One thing we've done in the past is ask our pastor if he knew of anyone in the area who did not have family to spend Christmas with. If so, we then contacted them and if they accepted, they were included in the meal planning. Let me add that if you've never done that, I'd encourage you to give it a try. You will be more blessed than you could ever imagine!!

So let's recap:

By now you should have your Christmas cards ready to mail the day after Thanksgiving. You should have a budget in place along with a list of people you are giving gifts to. You should have some ideas to match the personalities of those receiving your gifts, and you should be (if you haven't been at it all year) making those gifts or purchasing them from yard sales, thrift stores and clearance racks.

I hope you are feeling the stress that comes with the season becoming less and less. Won't it be wonderful to actually enjoy the birth of our Savior this year?!!

Worship Him

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you."
Philippians 4: 8-9, NLT