If It Hadn’t Been For the Lord…

November 17, 2016November 17, 2016 RefreshHer2 Comments

I am a perpetual list maker. I always have been. It makes my days run smoother. It makes me see that I’ve accomplished something.

But sometimes that habit becomes a stumbling block because it can cause me to run on “auto-pilot.”

Breaking that down, it simply means that I run on “Denise’s ability” rather than God’s.

Here’s how Denise’s list goes:

~~Blog post~~ – I get a “great idea” in my head and type it up without praying about it.
~~Make bread~~ – I made our bread and freeze the other loaf without asking God with whom I could share the extra bread.
~~Grocery shopping~~ – I buzz through the store, with little thought about having a Gospel conversation with a shopper who speaks to me.
~~Dry Cleaners~~ – The worker looked worn and worried, but I didn’t ask how her day was going and how I could pray for her.

Everything got checked off, but it was done in my strength and with my limited abilities. Nothing extraordinary happened as result. Denise’s abilities revealed.

This week I read Psalm 124:1 -3

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say;

If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us:

Then they had swallowed us up quick…

Israel had victory and they could say, “If it hadn’t been for the Lord we would have been swallowed up by our enemy! God interrupted their day!

That verse made me stop and ask myself – “What happened in my day yesterday that I would say, If hadn’t been for the Lord who was on my side things would have turned out much differently!”? Did I look to the Lord to break in and interrupt my plans? Or did I do everything in my own strength instead?

Oh, that every day I would allow God to interrupt my plans. It might look like this instead:

~~Blog post~~ – “If it hadn’t been for the Lord, I wouldn’t have thought to post that!”
~~Bake Bread~~ –“If it hadn’t been for the Lord, I would have missed meeting the new family up the street, but He reminded me I needed to take them a loaf of bread and introduce myself!”
~~Grocery Shopping~~ – “If it hadn’t been for the Lord nudging me to invite the sweet lady at the store to my church, she may never have visited!”
~~Dry Cleaners~~ – “If it hadn’t been for the Lord nudging me to pray with the worker at the dry cleaners, I never would have known that her husband was diagnosed with cancer recently.”

Do you see what a difference depending on and surrendering to the Lord makes in our day? His abilities are revealed! I have missed out on His blessings so many times, simply because I was not relying on His Spirit and power to work through me to do what only He can do. How sad.How empty.

But today is a new day to surrender.

This situation is another opportunity to give my plans to Him!

Today’s list is another chance to see Him step in and do what only He can do!

What happened in your day yesterday that would make you say – “If it hadn’t been for the Lord THAT never would have happened!”? How much of your day yesterday was empowered by the Spirit of God and how much was done in your own strength? God wants to use us as His instruments, if we’ll only surrender our wills (and our lists!) to Him.

Thankful for His grace,

Denise Signature 150 px

Christmas · Missions · Uncategorized

What’s Inside my OCC Box?

November 16, 2016November 15, 2016 RefreshHer15 Comments

OCC Box 1.jpg

I have heard for many years about the boxes sent to children at Christmas time, but never knew how I could get involved. However, this year my church provided all the information, as well as the boxes, so that we could join in on this great outreach.

I learned that you can choose the gender and the age range of the child for whom you send a box. I chose a girl between 5-9 and I had so much fun purchasing items to fill our box to the brim! I thought you might enjoy seeing what we put in our box.

occ-box

A “”Wow” item as they call it – A soft doll
Stuffed bear
Personal items –
1. Hello Kitty Toothbrush with cover
2. Toothpaste
3. Combs
4. Head bands and pony tail bands
Fun item – Coloring book and crayons
Sun glasses
Holiday erasers
Kleenexes

Now that I know what they allow and don’t allow, I can purchase items throughout the year and be a little more prepared next Christmas. The boxes are being collected this coming Sunday. I understand that Hobby Lobby is also participating in this. You may still be able to purchase a clear box from them if you can’t get your hands on a OCC provided box.

The best thing about these boxes is that each child will hear the Gospel and then have an opportunity for follow-up discipleship classes. It’s not just a good deed – it’s a chance to share the Good News! There’s no better gift than that!

Who else is participating? What did you include in your box?

Let’s send the Good news!

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Christian growth · eternal · Life,

Time for a Check Up

November 15, 2016November 14, 2016 RefreshHer2 Comments

You put on your favorite jeans and notice that you have to take a really deep breath in to get them to button up. An alarm goes off in your head telling you that a couple pounds need to come off! So, you turn down dessert, say “no” to your coffee treats, and eat salad for lunch for the next week or two. You make another trip into the closet to try the jeans on again and you smile as they button up just fine.

Image result for scale

That little exercise is necessary, if you don’t want to have to buy the next size up in clothes, and you’re going to stay the same healthy weight. It’s a “check-up” that can pay off, if you pay attention. It’s up to you, isn’t it? No one is going to tap you on the shoulder and tell you not to eat potato chips and chocolate bars. We do it for ourselves, if we want to stay fit and healthy.

What about spiritual check-ups? How do you know when you need to lean away from the worldly influences and lean in harder to what will contribute to your spiritual health? Reading and hearing God’s Word is one way we determine that, and I pray that even this blog and its simple posts will serve to push you a little closer each week to the God who made you and loves you.

That said, let’s try to “button up your spiritual jeans,” if you will.

Do you have an appetite and longing for God’s Word, or is it a duty you’re checking off each day?
Are you spending time truly interceding in prayer for your burdens and for others’?
Do you love to be in God’s house, or are you making excuses to avoid attending?
Are you serving the Lord faithfully at your church and with a right heart (not out of duty or with a critical spirit)?
Are you regularly seeking opportunities to share the Gospel with others?
Are you spending more time reading/listening to, and watching things that are of no spiritual benefit than you are things that will encourage your walk with God?
Are your friends and close companions pushing you closer to the Lord?
Are you aware of your sin – mental, attitudes, actions and words? Do you feel the Spirit of God convict you when you sin?
Is your heart and attitude pleasing to God today?

These are questions that I ask myself regularly. I am reminded that, just like a day or two of eating poorly, it only takes a day or two of disregarding spiritual things to get me away from where I should be – where I want to be, and where God wants me to be. It’s then that I refocus and I:

Confess the areas the Spirit of God points out to me.
Ask for the Lord’s help to turn away from the things that pull me away from being close to my Savior.
Make changes and say “no” to myself.

Mind you, these things don’t get me to heaven – I have an assurance of that based on God’s Word, that when I called on Him, He saved me from sin, eternal death and hell. But as His child, when I feed on spiritual food, I live out the truly fulfilling, joyful life of a child of God! That’s even better than fitting back into my jeans!

So, have you done some checking up on your spiritual life? If you don’t have a relationship with God, that’s the starting place! Here’s a great video that can explain what that means.
I’m so thankful to be a Christian – it’s the joy and delight of my heart! How about you? Are you enjoying your Christian life today? If not, it may be because you need to do a little checking up on your spiritual waistline.

With love,

Denise Signature 150 px

baking · dessert · entertaining · Make-Ahead

(L)Oven Monday – Cutie Pies!

November 14, 2016November 14, 2016 RefreshHer11 Comments

Okay, so the title for these recipe Monday’s came into my head last week when I was writing my husband a note about his breakfast being in the (L)oven! You do get it, right, or is it just my crazy mind? I love to bake and cook, so I thought an appropriate title would be “(L)Oven Monday” =) My mind works words over like that. You can vote yes or no at the end of this post!

Anyway, while I was in the kitchen last week getting ready for my Apples of Gold ladies to come, I came across the adorable idea of baking pies in Mason Jar lids. How genius is that?

mason jar pie.jpg

They make individual pies that are so stinking cute! It’s the perfect size and they are so easy to put together. It’s much less intimidating to make a three-inch crust than an eight or ten inch one! You could make any number of fillings, of course. I made apple and Kentucky Derby pies with mine.

Here’s the Derby pie getting ready for the oven. How good does this look…

mason-pies

Here’s the baked pie…

pie-bite

The Mason jar lids make a little spring form pan! After they’re baked, you simply push up on the bottom of the lid and they pop right out. Like I said – GENIUS!

Here’s a picture tutorial on how I made them:

My Pampered Chef Crimper is a little larger than the lid, which is what you want. Find a bowl or glass that’s about a half inch bigger than the lids and cut circles in your crust. I made mine, but you could also purchase dough.

pie-collage

I sprayed the lids with cooking spray to ensure they’d pop out easily. Don’t over-fill the pie – two or three tablespoons of filling will do, especially if you top it with crumb topping or dough. I also sprinkle sugar over the crust to make it pretty and delicious!

These would be great for Thanksgiving! No need to slice pie! Everyone can help themselves to their own individual pie. Pumpkin, apple, peach – whatever kind you want – just portion the filling into the crusts.

I made up extras and put them in the freezer. All I have to do is take it out and bake it when I need a dessert. I also freeze my large pie crusts in Ziploc bags.

mason-pies-1

I cover the crust with Syran wrap, then put it into the freezer bags.

I hope you’ll make up a whole bunch of these Cutie Pies for your Thanksgiving dinner. I think everyone will be talking about them and copying your idea!!! Bake up a cute little treat from your (L)oven!

What do you think…do you like”(L)Oven Monday” for these Monday posts? Or is it like, Huh???????????????????????

With love from my country kitchen,

Denise Signature 150 px

baking · cakes · Fall · Gifts · hospitality · outfits

Friday Favorites – OOTD video and Pie Workshop!

November 11, 2016November 11, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

Happy Friday, friends! This has been a packed week, but filled with lots of fun blessings! Let me share some of them with you:

I held my first Apples of Gold Workshop last night. It was a class to teach how to make Pumpkin Rolls and Pies! We had eight ladies attend and we had SOOOO much fun!
The pictures below show

The calm after the (flour) storm! Every lady rolled out pie dough and we covered every inch of my island with our flour, dough and fillings. It was so great!
Cutie Pies as I call them, because aren’t they cute?! Each lady made a pie in a Mason Jar lid and everyone was so creative and did a fantastic job. They got to eat the fruit of their labors, of course!
I demonstrated the technique of making a sponge cake and rolling it up and filling it. Pumpkin Roll is loved by many and can be made ahead and frozen, making it a great dessert for Thanksgiving dinner!

I bought some little plastic silver coffee spoons at the Dollar Tree and turned them into Chocolate Spoons for coffee or hot chocolate for when you want to turn your beverage into a bit of a dessert. They would make great gifts, attached to hot chocolate packets and slid into seasonal bags!

I encouraged the ladies last night to use this holiday season to share the Gospel. Bake up something or fix these spoons up and give them to a neighbor or co-worker and tell them you trust this will be good, but one thing we can always count on is that God is good (Psalm 34:8) and share the Gospel with them!

Then lastly, I did a quick video of my OOTD (Outfit of the day) . You can check out my You tube channel under Denise Cunningham and subscribe so you’ll be notified each time I upload a video. You can just click on the You Tube Icon on the video below and it will take you to my channel. I’m thinking of adding some Christmas prep videos in the next few weeks, that you won’t want to miss!

I have a little video of the Chocolate Spoon tutorial that will be posted later today! I hope you’ll come check it out on my channel.

What have you been up to, what are you wearing and how are you experiencing the blessings of the Lord this week?

Stay refreshed!

Denise Signature 150 px