A Birthday Challenge

September 15, 2021September 12, 2021 RefreshHer8 Comments

Birthdays have always been special days in my life. My family made a big deal of them when I was a child, and I’ve kept that tradition with my family as well. Breakfast in bed has been a fun tradition. Special meal, cake and gifts are a part of the day as well!

It’s a great day to celebrate, but for me it’s also a great day to reflect on the past and make some good goals for the future. I probably do this more on my birthday than on New Year’s Day.

This past weekend as I celebrated another birthday, I connected my goals for the next year with what the Lord has been saying to me in my Bible reading. In
II Chronicles, I had read about Josiah uncovering the Books of the Law and lamenting that the Word had not been obeyed. He loved God’s Word and longed to follow it because He loved the Lord and sought after him.

I was convicted that my life doesn’t always show my love for the Scripture. Oh, I read it every day and it changes me, but I realized that I have gotten very lazy with Scripture memory. If I really loved it, wouldn’t I be pouring it into my heart? I read about a group of people who had been saved and their lives were radically changed. They loved God’s Word so much that it wasn’t unusual for them to memorize the entire New Testament! Do I love God’s Word so much that I want large doses of it in my mind, or am I satisfied with status quo? I was convicted and challenged!

So on my birthday, I asked the Lord to give me a greater hunger for His Word. I began that day to memorize Colossians 3. Three days later, I’ve gotten through verse 3! My goal is to memorize one verse a day, which means in 25 days, I’ll be finished with the chapter! This has been my pattern in the past, and I’m asking the Lord to help me stick with this and memorize this precious passage of His Word.

Another goal I have is to memorize Psalm 63 this year. This is the psalm for my age and there are only 11 verses! Listen to verse 8 ~

My soul followeth hard after thee; thy right hand upholdeth me.

How good is that?! I long for my soul to follow hard after the Lord this year! What a precious remembrance that His right hand upholds me! Whatever comes to my life, He holds me!

I’ll keep you updated about my Scripture memory progress as the month passes. How about you? Are you memorizing Scripture? What method do you have to hide God’s Word in your heart? Though we have so many means to have the Bible at our fingertips, we can’t always get to it. What if you’re sick? What if your phone is separated from you? We need it in our hearts!

Refresh your love for the Scrirptures!

Quick Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

September 13, 2021September 12, 2021 RefreshHer2 Comments

If you need supper in a hurry, pasta is often a good option because it cooks so quickly. The recipe I’m sharing today came together in about 25 minutes, but it tastes like one of those dishes that took a long time to make! Oh my word, this is delicious!

The list of ingredients is small, too. I had all the ingredients on hand when I stumbled across this recipe. Pasta, sausage, tomatoes and some half and half all come together to make a satisfying and filling main dish! I can’t wait to make this again!

I found a recipe but tweaked it to our preferences. Here’s how I made it…

Pasta with Italian Sausage and Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients

12 oz. pasta – I used what I had – Elbow, but Ziti or rigatoni would be perfect
12 oz Italian sausage – I used mild
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup fat-free half and half
2 cups fresh baby spinach or frozen works too!
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. While the pasta is cooking begin the sauce.
In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the Italian sausage and the onion, saute until translucent. Add the garlic and saute another minute.
Add tomatoes, simmer and reduce the liquid by half.
Lower the heat, stir in the half and half, spinach, salt, pepper. Simmer until the cream is heated and the spinach is wilted. Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Drain the pasta, add to the sauce and stir to combine.
Serve immediately.

This meal needs a nice piece of bread to go along with it. I served a dish of applesauce instead of salad. It was a wonderful, fast meal!

I’m not a big pasta fan, but this recipe might change that!

I hope you’ll make and enjoy this quick and delicious recipe!

Family life · memories · Refreshment · Vacation tips

The Grace Gift of a Family Vacation

September 10, 2021September 10, 2021 RefreshHer7 Comments

Who doesn’t LOVE going to Pigeon Forge in the Smokey Mountains?! Last weekend we were blessed to gather there for a family vacation. After all the restrictions, I have truly rejoiced each time a planned event actually gets to happen! This time away was our 2020 Christmas gift to our children and their spouses, so we’ve been planning this for many months. What a precious time it was and how full our hearts are after four days and three nights together! This is hard, but I’m just going to share five highlights of the many fun moments we shared.

We opted to have all but one meal in our condo. We divided up the days and mealtimes and each contributed food for that meal. The first night we made it easy and brought pizza in since we had just checked in an hour before. I added a salad to round out the menu. Here is everyone (except my husband who’s taking the picture) at the table. We were a happy clan!

Whitney and I both have September birthdays, so we celebrated with a delicious Lemon-Raspberry Cake from Blackbird Bakery in Bristol, VA. How special to have the whole family there to celebrate with us! That in itself was a precious gift!

For a little added fun, we had a game competition that lasted the whole weekend. That was Whitney’s idea and it turned out to be a great plan! We played Sorry, Dutch Blitz, Spot it, Miniature Golf, Scrabble and Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza. That last game is hilarious and great for a crowd!!!

I loved our game time because it kept us connected even at hours when we were really tired. Instead of scrolling on our phones, we were playing games, laughing ourselves silly, and pushing up our competitive sleeves to gain more points on the scoreboard! Whitney kept an ongoing tally of the winner and second place contestant of each game, and then awarded the first and second place champions on Monday morning. Who do you think won???? Keep reading!

it was really great that the condo has a putt-putt course on site. Beside it is a playground, and just up the way was the pool. It was all literally outside our door! Our little guys enjoyed all of those fun activities and the Lord was gracious to give us beautiful days in which to enjoy it all.

We had several special times in God’s Word and prayer as a family. How sweet to gather together to thank the Lord and also leave our burdens and requests. I’m so thankful for a family who loves Jesus. Equally special was seeing individuals open the Bible in their own little space and spend time with the Lord before our day began. Yes, my heart is full.

I’m not boasting and don’t desire to make you envious of our family time. It was truly a gift from the Lord and we praise Him for it. There are heartaches and burdens, needs and concerns in our family, just like in yours. How precious to be reminded even this week that as the Lord heard Hezekiah’s prayer and told him that He saw his tears, our God hears us and sees our tears, too.

Whatever may be grieving your heart today, refresh your spirit by remembering that the Lord cares and is at work in your life. Cry to Him as Hezekiah did, then watch to see how He will comfort you.

I pray your weekend is refreshing as you fellowship with believers and worship our great God!

Oh, wait…the first place winner of our game competition was Alli, and anyone who knows our family will not be surprised at that! Second place was awarded to her equally competitive mother!

What are some ways you keep everyone connected during family times?

Biblical Womanhood · Discipleship · Mentoring

The Final Chapter In Mentoring – How & Why

September 8, 2021September 7, 2021 RefreshHerLeave a comment

Final chapter of Adorned

Do any of these describe you?

A young mom fought for control of her children. Not knowing how to make them obey, she promised rewards, and also threatened they’d lose everything they owned. The children won; the mom was disheartened and worn down.
A husband and wife are on two separate pages. He does his thing, she does hers. The co-exist under one roof.
Self-control is on the back burner. Whatever she wants, she has, not even thinking of the long-term personal cost.
Depression is a way of life for her. She doesn’t even know how she’ll put her feet on the floor tomorrow.

On and on the scenarios go. It seems that every single day I’m reminded of the reasons behind books like, Adorned. Many times I’ve been one of the women I described above. But how I thank the Lord for the Gospel – the fact that Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again to give me eternal life and also abundant life in this present time. My life can have purpose, my marriage and parenting can gain direction. I am able to have wisdom to move forward and strength to overcome sin. That’s the story of the Gospel and the message behind Adorned that we’ve been studying for the last 15 weeks.

Who do you know that needs the truths we’ve talked about? Once we know these truths, we are responsible to share them with another woman so she can walk in growth and victory.

Titus 2:5
That they (the older women) may teach the young women…

Women need women to help them.

What’s the benefit?

Informally teaching these lessons can make an older woman realize she has purpose. She won’t be lonely as she pours into younger women. She will look for ways to reach out. Even if you can’t leave home, you can call, Facetime, or chat with Facebook video.
Younger women won’t feel desperate as a single woman or wife.
Young moms won’t feel isolated or at a loss for what to do.
Women will be filling the need for relationships and conversation.

What to do to get started:

Get a copy of Adorned and read it through. Mark it up.
Keep growing in God’s Word yourself.
Ask for the Lord to bring someone into your life – young or old.
Read separately, then get together and discuss it.
~What questions came to your mind while reading?
~How can I pray for you regarding this topic (loving your husband, submission, or kindness?)
Pray together.
Be available.

Or you could listen to the broadcasts that I’ve recorded that highlight each chapter of the book, Adorned. Listen and then discuss the lesson together. Stop it and talk. Share from your own life experiences. Pray together.

Another idea is to do a version of Apples of Gold. I’ve shared lots of post about this ministry. You can search Apples of Gold in the search engine here on my blog and find LOTS of ideas.

The point is, there is no cookie cutter way to invest in another woman. Pray and then allow the Lord to direct you. Be watchful and open. Then live out this passage of Scripture and be used of God to Adorn the Gospel – show the new life you have in Christ because He died and rose again! Show the purpose you have as a godly woman whose life has been changed by the Gospel!

I’d love to know – are you currently mentoring another woman? If not, what’s holding you back? If you are, I’d love to hear how it’s going!

Refresh someone else by mentoring them!

Home decor · refreshment at home

Home Office Renovation

September 3, 2021September 3, 2021 RefreshHer10 Comments

While many people have recently begun working from home, my husband’s office has been in our home for most of his 40 years of ministry. When we moved into our house eight years ago, we were thrilled that the first room off of the front entry way was an office. God took care of every need!

When a pastor has to have lots of books at easy access, it can really crowd up a room, so I’ve fought with how to make those books accessible and also look lovely, rather than crowded.

My husband is in this space for many hours every single day and I wanted to freshen up this space for him so it would be inviting, bright, and also reflect the things he loves. So one day I just went for it and started piling up books on our dining room and shifting furniture around until I found the best possible arrangement. Keep reading and you can see the amazing results that some simple changes made!

The picture below is the only BEFORE picture I took before I got in there and started my redo. I just get so excited about projects that call for redecorating!! You can get the idea of the old set up, which was that the desk was in front of the window with hopes of looking out on our beautiful view. However, the computer really blocked the view and also kept the window light from coming in. The ceiling light was a builder grade fixture that gave very little brightness and zero beauty!

On the picture below, move the slider over so you can get a feel for the before and after.

The first thing I did was to add the jute rug. I love that it warmed up the space and also added a masculine feel. Then I moved the desk so that it faces the door. It gives it more a feeling of a true office, and I also love that I can see my husband’s face when I walk up the hallway and he’s sitting at his desk!
The print over his desk was found at Hobby Lobby (where else?!). It was part of their spring decor (?) line and I get it 66% off! The mountain scene was perfect!

His leather recliner has just the space needed if he wants to stretch out, or if someone else comes to his office and needs a place to sit and chat. I hung the curtains I already had up a little bit off the window frame to lengthen the window a bit. The view of the mountains and the countryside can now actually be seen from his window!

My husband is an avid hiker and runner, so I hung his medals on the display board beside the bookshelf. The P. Buckley Moss print of the Blue Ridge Parkway is the perfect print for my Scenic Highway husband!

The painting of the old church was done by a gifted artist in SC and gifted to us by his niece, a dear friend of mine! Again, a perfect piece for a pastor’s study. I had tucked this away, looking for the perfect place for it. I’m glad I didn’t just slap it up somewhere because I loved it so much, but waited for the best place where it would be seen. Patience pays off!

I couldn’t get a good shot of the ceiling light that we replaced, but I found a ceiling light at Lowe’s marked down to $20 and it’s so pretty. It adds about 10x’s the light the old one did! What a difference that made!

My husband is really enjoying his new office space and that makes me happy! One day while I was out, he sent me a text saying how much he loved his new space and thanked me for the work I’d put into it. That made it worth it all!

I truly believe the greatest difference in the office was the rearrangement of the furniture. I spent around $25 on the canvas behind the desk, and $180 on the rug. All the other decor was already in our home. Lots of leg and muscle work went into this room when I consider how many books I moved, but again, it was well worth it!

What room do you have that just isn’t drawing you in?

Why not try to refresh that space first with some muscle power of furniture rearrangement? Maybe, like my project, everything else will fall into place easily after you get the placement right!

Tell me what room you’re thinking about changing!