Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for menColossians 3:23
What a great verse .What a great reminder.What will obedience to that look like in my life?Let's look at it this way...
If Jesus were to invite Himself to my home and if He asked me to cook and clean and wash His tunic, how would I most likely respond ?
1. Enthusiastically - without complaining 2. Gladly - cheerfully 3. Grateful for the opportunity - not drudgery or a burden nor an inconvenience 4. With excellence - the best I have to offer 5. Motivated to please Him - my joy and satisfaction would come from seeing Him pleased
Hmmmm I think that's how He wants me to serve His people.... Just as if I were serving Him .
Something to think about.
Apology
Yesterday I wrote a post to encourage my fellow homeschooling Moms. Some folks that are new on this often lonely/discouraging/self-doubt inducing journey asked for some perspective of one with two decades logged on the trail.
What I posted was intended to encourage but it wound up being hurtful. Mostly to my son.
In my blurry mind, I thought I had his permission to share his very personal thoughts but that was not his intent at all. He works very hard not to offend anyone with his views or choices or opinions and my post jeopardized that. My son is a man of integrity and compassion and his deepest desire is to build bridges to people, not walls.
While I don't apologize for my unabashed support for homeschooling, I deeply regret sharing what he didn't want public. Additionally, if anyone other than homeschooling Moms read that post (even though I sincerely asked that you not), I publicly ask your forgiveness
Thank you.
What I posted was intended to encourage but it wound up being hurtful. Mostly to my son.
In my blurry mind, I thought I had his permission to share his very personal thoughts but that was not his intent at all. He works very hard not to offend anyone with his views or choices or opinions and my post jeopardized that. My son is a man of integrity and compassion and his deepest desire is to build bridges to people, not walls.
While I don't apologize for my unabashed support for homeschooling, I deeply regret sharing what he didn't want public. Additionally, if anyone other than homeschooling Moms read that post (even though I sincerely asked that you not), I publicly ask your forgiveness
Thank you.
Frozen
Several of you asked for details when my sweet Katie thanked me on FB for the freezer meals I recently brought her.
So here goes - what's up with freezer meals??
I use the term "freezer meals" when referring to anything I've prepared one day and stashed in my freezer to use at a later date. A batch of muffins. A lasagna to be thawed and heated up. A concoction of chicken cacciatore ready for the slow cooker. And everything in between.
When I had my second baby, I found myself ill equipped for family meal time. The bottle for the baby I could handle but the food for the rest of our mouths was all too often carryout pizza or a microwaved potato and as many Tabs as were needed at the moment. And trust me, that was a lot! The thing was, my family just kept wanting to eat! Day after day after day. Really!!!!
My dear and wise MIL knew I needed help and figured out that an infusion of instruction might make a difference --- she gave me a book that changed the direction of mealtime at our house. And I am forever grateful!
That book, Once a Month Cooking, presents a plan to cook an entire month's worth of meals in a day. It is phenomenal - complete with step by step instructions, recipes, and menu suggestions. I think this book propelled an entire industry of make ahead meals. It rocks. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312534043/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687642&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1891400614&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1N8F1S3VJ19P0A6W8JT0
I, however, have never been able to master an entire day of cooking. I think I have K-ADD (that would be "Kitchen Attention Deficit Disorder) and cannot keep focused on meal prep for that long. But the principle of "cook now, eat later" stuck. And it's been a lifesaver!
You don't have to carve out an entire day or purchase 31 freezer containers in order to employ this tactic. Just work it into your life a bit at a time and pretty soon you'll wind up with a freezer ready to meet the needs of breakfast when you slept late, a homecooked meal during Little League playoffs, and dinner to deliver to the new mom on your street. Right now, my freezer's contents include several loaves of homemade strawberry bread, chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, Salisbury steaks, homemade meatballs, chicken cacciatore, thai pork, lasagna, baked ziti, breakfast casserole,chicken enchiladas, ground beef for tacos, and cooked shredded chicken for casseroles.
All without a large expenditure of time or effort - that's the best!
I invite you to try your hand at equipping your freezer to meet the demands of your family.
Assignment #1-
Sometime today or tomorrow, make a double batch of muffins. Whichever kind your family likes. Chocolate chip or blueberry or yummy morning glory muffins http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-morning-glory-muffins/
Serve some for breakfast and package the rest for the freezer, ready to be pulled out one morning when you are pressed for time. Add some bacon and a piece of fruit and you will bless your family!
Assignment #2 - make a double loaf of breakfast bread. My family loves banana chocolate chip or strawberry and both are frequent short term guests in my freezer. I love having them on hand not just for our breakfast but especially to gift to friends!
Assignment #3 is really easy and especially handy - don't stress out over the fact that I want you to do two things :)
1. Cook 2-3 lbs chicken breasts in the crock pot, seasoned however you like, all day. Before you head to bed, shred the chicken and package in meal sized portions in freezer bags
2. Brown 3 lbs of ground beef (with onions if your family likes them) and package in three separate freezer bags to use for tacos or spaghetti sauce on nights you won't have time to prepare dinner.
Assignment #4 - plan to serve a recipe one night this week that can be doubled or tripled and stash the rest in your freezer. Suggestions - chili, lasagna, spaghetti casserole, chicken enchiladas, poppy seed chicken, ravioli soup.
So here goes - what's up with freezer meals??
I use the term "freezer meals" when referring to anything I've prepared one day and stashed in my freezer to use at a later date. A batch of muffins. A lasagna to be thawed and heated up. A concoction of chicken cacciatore ready for the slow cooker. And everything in between.
When I had my second baby, I found myself ill equipped for family meal time. The bottle for the baby I could handle but the food for the rest of our mouths was all too often carryout pizza or a microwaved potato and as many Tabs as were needed at the moment. And trust me, that was a lot! The thing was, my family just kept wanting to eat! Day after day after day. Really!!!!
My dear and wise MIL knew I needed help and figured out that an infusion of instruction might make a difference --- she gave me a book that changed the direction of mealtime at our house. And I am forever grateful!
That book, Once a Month Cooking, presents a plan to cook an entire month's worth of meals in a day. It is phenomenal - complete with step by step instructions, recipes, and menu suggestions. I think this book propelled an entire industry of make ahead meals. It rocks. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312534043/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687642&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1891400614&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1N8F1S3VJ19P0A6W8JT0
I, however, have never been able to master an entire day of cooking. I think I have K-ADD (that would be "Kitchen Attention Deficit Disorder) and cannot keep focused on meal prep for that long. But the principle of "cook now, eat later" stuck. And it's been a lifesaver!
You don't have to carve out an entire day or purchase 31 freezer containers in order to employ this tactic. Just work it into your life a bit at a time and pretty soon you'll wind up with a freezer ready to meet the needs of breakfast when you slept late, a homecooked meal during Little League playoffs, and dinner to deliver to the new mom on your street. Right now, my freezer's contents include several loaves of homemade strawberry bread, chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, Salisbury steaks, homemade meatballs, chicken cacciatore, thai pork, lasagna, baked ziti, breakfast casserole,chicken enchiladas, ground beef for tacos, and cooked shredded chicken for casseroles.
All without a large expenditure of time or effort - that's the best!
I invite you to try your hand at equipping your freezer to meet the demands of your family.
Assignment #1-
Sometime today or tomorrow, make a double batch of muffins. Whichever kind your family likes. Chocolate chip or blueberry or yummy morning glory muffins http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-morning-glory-muffins/
Serve some for breakfast and package the rest for the freezer, ready to be pulled out one morning when you are pressed for time. Add some bacon and a piece of fruit and you will bless your family!
Assignment #2 - make a double loaf of breakfast bread. My family loves banana chocolate chip or strawberry and both are frequent short term guests in my freezer. I love having them on hand not just for our breakfast but especially to gift to friends!
Assignment #3 is really easy and especially handy - don't stress out over the fact that I want you to do two things :)
1. Cook 2-3 lbs chicken breasts in the crock pot, seasoned however you like, all day. Before you head to bed, shred the chicken and package in meal sized portions in freezer bags
2. Brown 3 lbs of ground beef (with onions if your family likes them) and package in three separate freezer bags to use for tacos or spaghetti sauce on nights you won't have time to prepare dinner.
Assignment #4 - plan to serve a recipe one night this week that can be doubled or tripled and stash the rest in your freezer. Suggestions - chili, lasagna, spaghetti casserole, chicken enchiladas, poppy seed chicken, ravioli soup.
This is a link to Love for my Living Letters ,a few of my family's favorite dishes, including several that freeze great (cheese grits, ravioli soup, granola, cookies, etc)https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ywkj3xxyvq9eg8/Love%20for%20my%20Living%20Letters.docx?dl=0
If this link doesn't work, just look for the link on the right side of the blogsite.
One last suggested assignment to get you started -
Prepare 2-3 meals ready to be plopped in the slow cooker and simmered all day. I found several really easy and inexpensive ones here http://www.iamthatlady.com/aldi-slow-cooker-meal-plan/
Another book that is a handy resource for me is called Frozen Assets http://www.amazon.com/Frozen-Assets-How-Cook-Month/dp/1891400614
You don't have to prepare a whole month's worth of meals....just get some muffins baked and you'll be on your way to stress-free homecooked meals!!
Are you ready?
The tragedy in Charleston has us all contemplative. These people were surely in the safest possible place - church on a Wednesday night.
It takes a committed Christian to be at church on a Wednesday night.
Surely, we think, they would be protected from evil.
My guess, though, is that they weren't there to be protected. They were there to love Jesus and one another.
Because of that, they were ready to face even the deepest of evil. When it confronted them,disguised initially as a friend. Because they walked with Jesus in the ordinary days, they were ready to face evil and fear and death with confidence and peace.
They were ready.
Evil didn't send an advance notice. No warning was issued to alert them of terror and untimely death.
But they were ready all the same.
What a lesson to us all.
We have no promise of tomorrow, much less of peace and comfort and protection.
The readiness of these nine heroes (I don't refer to them as victims) speaks to me, for sure. They were ready to die. But something else stands out.
The readiness of the survivors.
I was astounded at the responses of the families of these heroes. They, too, were unaware that pure evil would upend their lives that fateful day in June. They, too, had no warning of what would confront them.
But they were ready.
They had no time to prepare a mature, well-thought out response to evil. They were given no notice that the microphones of the world would be thrust in their face to capture this intensely personal reaction.
But they were ready.
They were ready, yes, to grieve, but also to respond with grace and forgiveness.
They were ready to lean completely on the love and sovereign grace of their Savior even in - especially in - the face of unspeakable tragedy.
Because of how they lived on the "ordinary" days, they were ready to live a life that makes Christ known to an unbelieving world. A life that exude peace and love and grace. And hope.
A life like this is ready to die...and ready to live, whichever God numbers for that day. A life like this cannot be explained apart from the glory of God.
What we have observed in this Charleston community is a result of a group of people who were ready.
Ready to die.
And ready to live.
Are you ready?
I Peter 3:15 - Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.
It takes a committed Christian to be at church on a Wednesday night.
Surely, we think, they would be protected from evil.
My guess, though, is that they weren't there to be protected. They were there to love Jesus and one another.
Because of that, they were ready to face even the deepest of evil. When it confronted them,disguised initially as a friend. Because they walked with Jesus in the ordinary days, they were ready to face evil and fear and death with confidence and peace.
They were ready.
Evil didn't send an advance notice. No warning was issued to alert them of terror and untimely death.
But they were ready all the same.
What a lesson to us all.
We have no promise of tomorrow, much less of peace and comfort and protection.
The readiness of these nine heroes (I don't refer to them as victims) speaks to me, for sure. They were ready to die. But something else stands out.
The readiness of the survivors.
I was astounded at the responses of the families of these heroes. They, too, were unaware that pure evil would upend their lives that fateful day in June. They, too, had no warning of what would confront them.
But they were ready.
They had no time to prepare a mature, well-thought out response to evil. They were given no notice that the microphones of the world would be thrust in their face to capture this intensely personal reaction.
But they were ready.
They were ready, yes, to grieve, but also to respond with grace and forgiveness.
They were ready to lean completely on the love and sovereign grace of their Savior even in - especially in - the face of unspeakable tragedy.
Because of how they lived on the "ordinary" days, they were ready to live a life that makes Christ known to an unbelieving world. A life that exude peace and love and grace. And hope.
A life like this is ready to die...and ready to live, whichever God numbers for that day. A life like this cannot be explained apart from the glory of God.
What we have observed in this Charleston community is a result of a group of people who were ready.
Ready to die.
And ready to live.
Are you ready?
I Peter 3:15 - Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.
Love is an Apple Pie
Life has inevitable valleys.
Some darker and deeper than others. But there's no escaping the valleys.
There are just gonna be some in every life. We all have to walk them.
And in those valleys, there are some places that have to be walked in single file. Places where no one can walk beside you or even carry you - you have to walk through certain spots in the valleys alone.
I know that Christ is always with us, of course, but there are places we simply have to pass through solo. Narrow canyons where not even the closest friends or dearest of family can join us.
It's hard to see someone you love traversing those treacherous ravines. So often we just don't know how to help. Responses can range from avoidance to offers of "let me know if I can help" to finding excuses for non-action. Intuitively we know that some places in the valley are single file...but we fail to realize that we are not helpless to empower those who find themselves there.
There are things that can be done that help.
I am finding those places lonely indeed. But bearable because of those who stand on the rim of the canyon, pouring out love in a thousand different forms.
Love in the form of
texts that assure me of love and prayers
VIP treatment at my favorite pharmacy
cards in the mailbox
videos of adorable babies that I long to squeeze and kiss
an extra long hug from one who's already navigated this particular canyon
a quick phone call that says "I care about you and yours"
flowers
impromptu prayers in the Publix parking lot
homemade muffins and energy balls and a casserole
CFA milkshakes and a jitterbug dance
reaching out to wipe my tears...and crying with me
the sharing of a funny moment or saying from a kid I adore
a simple "how are things today"
a homemade apple pie, delivered warm from the oven
even the kindness of a stranger who has no clue of the journey I'm on
All these things are strangely...beautifully...powerful aid for the solitary places in the valley.
I am grateful. For love. Always. But especially now.
Some darker and deeper than others. But there's no escaping the valleys.
There are just gonna be some in every life. We all have to walk them.
And in those valleys, there are some places that have to be walked in single file. Places where no one can walk beside you or even carry you - you have to walk through certain spots in the valleys alone.
I know that Christ is always with us, of course, but there are places we simply have to pass through solo. Narrow canyons where not even the closest friends or dearest of family can join us.
It's hard to see someone you love traversing those treacherous ravines. So often we just don't know how to help. Responses can range from avoidance to offers of "let me know if I can help" to finding excuses for non-action. Intuitively we know that some places in the valley are single file...but we fail to realize that we are not helpless to empower those who find themselves there.
There are things that can be done that help.
I am finding those places lonely indeed. But bearable because of those who stand on the rim of the canyon, pouring out love in a thousand different forms.
Love in the form of
texts that assure me of love and prayers
VIP treatment at my favorite pharmacy
cards in the mailbox
videos of adorable babies that I long to squeeze and kiss
an extra long hug from one who's already navigated this particular canyon
a quick phone call that says "I care about you and yours"
flowers
impromptu prayers in the Publix parking lot
homemade muffins and energy balls and a casserole
CFA milkshakes and a jitterbug dance
reaching out to wipe my tears...and crying with me
the sharing of a funny moment or saying from a kid I adore
a simple "how are things today"
a homemade apple pie, delivered warm from the oven
even the kindness of a stranger who has no clue of the journey I'm on
All these things are strangely...beautifully...powerful aid for the solitary places in the valley.
I am grateful. For love. Always. But especially now.