Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Bible Study Week 2-

A Beautiful Offering- Angela Thomas
Chapter 3 Being Yourself-

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matt. 5:5)

"A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rick simplicity of being yourself before God." (1 Tim. 6:6 The Message)

"My sister-in-law, Jodi, looked me square in the eye and said, 'Angela, of course it's just you, and you will never be enough, you will never have all the answers, and you will never become the perfect Christian girl; that is why you have always needed a Savior. Not only does Jesus save you from your sin, He saves you from your weakness. He saves you from your flawed and fallen self. And He saves you from your doubts. He is enough every time you are not."

"You are blessed when you learn to be content with who you are and how I made you. Stop scrambling to look like the other guy. Quit imitating your neighbor and instead imitate Me. I put you together. The accent was on purpose. The introverted countenance was My idea. I realize your limitations. I am aware of your personality type. I am the designer. Just look at Me and rest in both your strength and your weakness. You are blessed when you can't be more, because I can. Turn in my direction. Be the woman I created. She is a beautiful offering."

"When you are sure that you are not enough, in desperate need of the Savior's strength, then your life is a beautiful offering because God comes to the rescue with all the resources of His kingdom here on earth."

"God sees that it's just you. And He loves it when you lean into Him with everything you have and everything you don't have and trust. That's the kind of heart He's happy to bless. God comes to us when we're meek, when we're absolutely sure that we are a little fish in a big pond, and provides all that we need on this earth."

Chapter 4 Falling In Love-

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled (Matt.5:6)

"Jesus said that when you are hungry and thirsty for His righteousness, then you are blessed. It is beautiful to Him when we desire His presence and long for right living. Right living means that we begin to desire what God desires. It means that our longings begin to line up with His purposes and His plans. Our decisions get filtered through the grid of His instruction, our love begins to mirror the reflection of His love for us, and our motives are refined as we consider His will."

"I imagine that there might be people who have known a lifetime of consistent spiritual passion, but over the years, my consistency has been interrupted by babies, fatigue, disappointment, and even now, the overwhelming schedule of our lives. But the more I know what His filling is like, the more I am deciding to ask God every day to make me hungry."

"Life is a beautiful offering when you are crying out for God to come and make you hungry for His righteousness, because He is the only One who will satisfy your spiritual appetite with the food that can fill your soul."

"Jesus said to them, This is good. I bless your hunger and your thirst. It's beautiful when you surrender to your spiritual appetite and do whatever it takes to feed your soul with My goodness, My virtue, and My example. I love it when you run after My right living like you cannot survive without it."

"He wants us to long for right living just as we desire human love or food. He wants us to come into His presence with the kind of intensity, but the order here: poor in spirit, mourning, meek, is intentional. He meant to give the other blessings first. Not because one is more important than the other, but because we need to hear His call to righteousness couched inside the truth of His compassion."

"We are blessed when we pursue righteousness, but He told us first that even in our lack or difficulty or imperfection, we can still be a beautiful offering. I want to be strong and focused and disciplined in my pursuit of Christ. But sometimes I have been poor or wounded and without an appetite for the things of God."

"Maybe you recall a time when you were excited about Jesus. Maybe you remember it as a phase, a part of your childhood, or as a dramatic life experience somewhere along the way. Would you like to yearn for a God-life again? Do you want to keep falling in love? Do you want like a prisoner to be freed from the chains of guilt and sin? Has it been so very long since you were hungry or thirsty for righteousness?

Then sink to your knees and pray. Lie on your face if you can. The One who fills has been waiting for your turn in His direction. Jesus still meets you where you are. In your turning and praying, God promises His blessing. He will not be put off if you come to Him in truth and pray something like this,

Lord, I am not hungry or thirsty for righteousness. I have become numb to longing for You. I can't remember what it was like to be in love, and I'm not sure I can even return. My heart is tired. My soul is empty. I have tried on my own and failed. My only option is for You to be something. Would You make me thirsty? Would You make me hungry? Would You make me want You more than anything?"

Thursday, June 23, 2011

The Mommy Diaries pg. 84

This story caught my eye and my heart yesterday morning as I was reading through this book. Katelyn's big thing these days is "Mommy, I need a hug!" I feel that those close precious moments continue to establish a bond of love, safety and trust between us as her parents and her as a beautiful child with a lively learning heart. These quiet moments some times come when I'm tired and grumpy, and it re-aligns my heart to what is important in life, and what should come first.

A Two-Way Street
by Laura Broadwater

My youngest son and I were on our way home from running errands one day when he suddenly leaned over and placed his head against my shoulder. I glanced down at him. He seemed to be doing this a lot lately, and it worried me. This behavior was unusual for him. Having an older brother who thought being the oldest came with the inherent rights of "boss and bully," my youngest usually expended much energy acting tough and standing his ground. But we were alone, and I figured that maybe he thought it was safe to let down his guard. Still, careful not to make him feel like a baby, I playfully asked, "What ya doing?"

"Getting."

Curious about such an odd response, I asked, "What are you getting?"

"Love," he replied.

"Oh," I smiled, nodding my head. And for the rest of the ride home, he remained in that position.

The next time we were out driving and he did it, I casually asked, "Are you needing some love?" His answer surprised me.

"No, Mom, I'm giving it."

Shocked, I drove on in silence, pondering the wisdom of his words -- and the simple fact that I might need love too. I was so used to giving love to those around me who were in need of it that I'd never thought about receiving it myself. Not even from God.

This practice continued on between us for years. After a while, though, I stopped asking whether he was "getting" or "giving." The mere action itself served as a reminder of the need for balance in my life when it came to the giving and receiving of love.

With much regret, the day finally came when we had to abandon this practice. He just got to big (even when scrunched down) to lean his head on my shoulder. Still, regardless of how tall or grown up he gets, I won't forget the lesson he taught me while out driving down those country roads: loving someone is meant to be a two-way street.



"Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you." A. A. Milne

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Bible Study Week 1-

A Beautiful Offering- Angela Thomas
Part 1 When You Are
pg. 2 "I guess I always thought that my offering to God had to be perfect and without any flaw, something like a perfect sacrifice. I am coming to understand that the Father receives the offering of my life, even when it is broken or weak or marred. It's the covering of Christ that makes it perfect, and the desire to give my life to God that makes it beautiful."

pg. 2 "May you hear the voice of God call you beautiful. And may you desire with all your heart to return the love of God with your life."

Chapter 1 Broken
pg. 5 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:3)"

pg. 5 "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Ps. 34:18)"

pg. 15-16 "Maybe through the sermon of Jesus, God wants you and me to know that He gets it. He understands humanity, and He's not mad at us about it. He designed the vessel that we reside in. He knows that we get weary. Our muscles fatigue. Emotions fray. Health fails. He wired us to long for the love of one another and without human-being love, He knows that can be desperate loneliness. He completely sees and hears and understands how the spirit can become emptied and broken. And from His understanding comes His compassionate blessing.

If the blessing for being closer to heaven comes through poverty of spirit, then maybe we can come to embrace our brokenness, knowing that we will experience a nearness of heaven that we cold not know otherwise. As a woman who longs after God, we can look into our emptiness, trusting that God is drawing us to Himself through life's pain and disappointment."

pg. 18 "I know it sounds ridiculous now, but I was truly just doing all that I knew. I had no idea about the blessings attached to the When You Are's. I didn't understand that God cold look on my imperfections and offer His tender compassion and blessing anyway. It has transformed my entire relationship with God to be able to come to Him as is, completely human, worn out, with hurt feelings, procrastinating or aimless. Through prayer I have learned to lay my empty spirit on His alter.

My brokenness is a beautiful offering to Him, and just the act of giving my poor spirit to the Father ushers me into the inheritance of His kingdom."

pg. 18-19 "It's almost as if Jesus says, 'I know about your brokenness and your flaws. I know that you aren't worthy. That's where I come in. What's Mine is yours anyway.'

Jesus wants you to know that when you are broken, shivering, alone, or afraid, with nothing left and nowhere to go, then you can turn in His direction and lay yourself at the foot of His love. Lay your broken offering on His altar. He will come and carry you into His presence. He will hold you with the warmth of His embrace and cover you with the blanket of His kingdom inheritance.

God wants you to know that when everything else is gone, that makes more room for Him, and every time there is more room for Him, you are blessed."

Chapter 2 Wounded
pg. 21 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matt. 5:4)

pg. 27-28 "I am learning that the only way to the other side is through (grief).

pg. 28-29 "Our lives can be a beautiful offering because the empty soul finds itself before the only one who can heal."

pg. 29 "I think Jesus wanted us to know that the only comfort that speaks stillness to the squalling soul is supernatural."

pg. 29 "When you are hurting, your head says that God is far away, but Jesus says, in fact, that God is closer than ever."

1 Corinthians 1:3-11
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the suffering of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same suffering we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many."

Inspiration

First off I want to apologise for leaving you out in the cold, for those of you that might read this blog. If I'm just throwing my thoughts out into the wide open seemingless infinite internet space that's ok too.

Since the ministries at my church have finished, due to the summertime business some of my inspiration has dried up and the little green shoots I had left got trampled on by my kids running in and out of the back screen door yelling about bugs, who's not sharing or who hit who with what. So I've quietly wrapped up my thoughts and waited for a time to quietly sit with a cup of coffee and little interruption.

So some of my bible study ladies and I have committed to meeting every other week during the summer. This is an exciting time for me. We just met for the first time last night. Without breaking the confidence that we have promised within the group I think I'll share what has challanged me in my reading and has received a liberal underlining from my favorite pen. Maybe some questions as well that have come to mind during that quiet soul searching time. We are going through the book A Beautiful Offering by Angela Thomas. This might sound familiar since I've made mention to her book many posts back. So this is the 2nd time through the book, but it's even better than the first time.

So if it's just God and I sitting here talking that's ok, I hope it's a beautiful offering back to my Father. If you want to follow along, feel free to sit awhile. If you really want to get brave buy the book and follow along. You won't regret it.

Father's Day Recipe Success

Here are two recipes that we tried over the weekend and disappeared as soon as I turned around. It's so much fun to try new things so I hope you have as much fun as I did.

French Vanilla Ice Cream (Custard)
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/french_vanilla_ice_cream/

Big Crumb Coffee Cake
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/02/big-crumb-coffee-cake/

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Button Flowers

Check out this absolutely adorable way to make flowers to add color to your table during long winters, or just brighten your day. Your kids could help you too. Emily immediately knew what they were and yelled FLOWER, and she's just 2 years old.





Here's my try at sprucing up my African violet that doesn't want to bloom at the moment.

http://jonesdesigncompany.com/flowers/button-flowers-tutorial

Healthy Cookbooks

Here are 2 websites you can visit to check out 2 great cookbooks. I haven't personally bought these yet, but they look like a great recource in the kitchen, specially for those who have children who don't like to eat their veggies. Enjoy. Would love to hear if you try anything great.

http://www.doitdelicious.com/cookbooks/deceptively_delicious

http://www.doitdelicious.com/cookbooks/double_delicious

Friday, June 3, 2011

A Beautiful Offering by Angela Thomas chapter 12 pgs. 160-162

Laying up treasure in heaven is about learning to value what is valuable to God. It will probably mean coming to appreciate the intangible riches of the kingdom inheritance more than the visible accumulation of stuff on earth. It might mean that your philosophy on wealth gets turned upside down by the teaching of Jesus, where mercy gets a better rating than mutual funds and sacrifice appraises higher than self. Laying up treasure will always be more about God’s purpose and less about your personal accumulation. Kingdom values, the characteristics Jesus teaches in this sermon, are worth more in God’s economy than all the rusting riches we have come to hold dear. I was an economics major in college, but the riches of God would never find their way onto any of the graphs I had to plot.

What do you think would be considered treasure in heaven? How about large accounts of forgiveness given? Drawers full of grace extended. A mattress stuffed with sacrifice and service and goodness. A cookie jar brimming with memories made and hugs given and tender looks across crowded rooms. A safe-deposit box packed with the secret life you have devoted to God. Maybe there is an old moving box stuffed with contentment. A scrapbook full of the joy you accumulated on the journey. And love – wouldn’t it be great to need a garage out back just to hold all the love?

When I travel away for a weekend of ministry there are several ways to assign value to my time. My accountant might value my honorarium. The IRS values my taxes. The business folks value books sold. That’s all fine, but non of it gets stored in heaven. What gets God’s attention are lives changed. Treasure is stored in heaven when I value what God holds in esteem. Things like serving the church, sacrificing my time or my comfort for the needs of others, or crafting a message that meets a need within the body of Christ. Those acts of service are treasures to God.

As a mom, there are things that are very important to me on earth, but I am learning to sacrifice my desires in order to preserve the kingdom treasure in our family. I could be really intense about a clean house and orderly closets and neatly ironed shirts. I am predisposed toward organization. It’s a firstborn thing. But I have realized that in this season, my desire for household perfection is really about my desire for appearance. I want to look like I have perfect kids and a perfect house. I don’t. Every time I begin to value the appearance more than the children, I stress out our family. I forsake kingdom in order to have Barbie clothes organized by color and storybooks alphabetized by author. It’s more important to God that I value the hearts of the children, that I teach them reasonable order, and that I learn to trade in the ironing for a game of Battleship every now and then.

When you and I begin to lay up treasure in heaven , it means that we are beginning to look more like the woman God had in mind. The things we acquire on earth are enjoyed with open hands, but the riches that motivate our hearts are the treasures that matter to God. People matter to God and hearts matter to God and love matters more than anything.

This Scripture says that your heart follows your treasure. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be a woman whose treasure always leads her toward the kingdom?

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Olive Focaccia

This is a recipe that looks fun, and super yum for those out there that can't get enough of olives. Can't wait to try it with spaghetti tomorrow night. Little dipping olive oil on the side and I think this will be a keeper.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/06/olive-focaccia/