Have you ever gotten to pick fruit?  Apples, strawberries, peaches, blackberries – when they’re ripe, they’re ready to be snatched off the limb or vine.  Most of the time I’ve picked fruit, it wasn’t to my credit – I just came by at the right time – when the fruit was ready!

Last night I happened by at another fruit-picking time.  You see, I had the blessing of going to church. That in itself was good, but that wasn’t the fruit.  After the service was over, I walked into the sanctuary after serving in another part of the building, and my husband told me he had a visitor he’d like me to meet.  I walked towards the front of the auditorium where “Kim” (not really her name) was seated.  Kim had come to church because she was carrying a heavy burden of a physical illness.  As we chatted, and she told me she works at the grocery store I patronize, she said that her co-workers noticed that she wasn’t happy like she normally was.  “What’s going on in your world?” I asked her.  She shared with me the fright of her physical situation.  “What do you do to handle times like this?” was my next question.  She told me.  I asked her if she had an assurance that she’d go to heaven.  When she said, “yes” I asked what she was basing that on.  “There has to be an angel watching over me after all I’ve gone through in my life.  I feel like I would go there.”  Her answers were her feelings and hopes – nothing backed up with the Bible.  My last question was, “If you were believing something that wasn’t true, would you want someone to tell you?”  With solemnity, she nodded her head.  I asked her permission to take the Bible and show her what God says about heaven, hell, and eternal life.  We opened the Scriptures and she read out loud:

• “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
• “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
• “In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again'” (John 3:3).
• “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'” (John 14:6).
• “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame'” (Romans 10:9-11).

Kim’s heart was ready to hear the Gospel. She was “fruit,” ready to be picked! She willingly understood her need for a Savior and was truly joyous at finally  hearing the truth!    When she prayed to receive Christ, she said, “Lord, people have been telling me all kinds of other things – that there’s some good in all of us, that if I won’t focus on hell I won’t go there, but I’ve been afraid, and I am now confessing with my mouth to be saved!”  Hallelujah!  She trusted Christ as her Savior!

Showing someone how to be saved is the best thing in this world to do!!!!  I can take no credit for it – all I did was show up in the place where the fruit was ready to be picked.  Am I ever glad I was in church so I didn’t end up with an empty basket!

Let me ask you a few questions:

What’s more fun than a shower?  A wedding or baby shower is just a special occasion and deserves some extra special touches.  A bride or a new mommy needs a little pampering and doting on!  We had fun getting ready for Alli’s shower last weekend.  I got to help with the decorations (a favorite hobby!).  I got some good inspiration from Pinterest, of course!  Here are some shots of the what we put together…

Rather than using a lattice background that we typically use at church, I thought we’d go with something unique.  I used about 1 1/2 rolls of each color of crepe paper, making this background cost under $10 with the balloons.

The gym walls are carpeted, so it was easy to staple the crepe paper streamers into place.  I did 11 streamers in the middle (white) section, then 10 of the yellow and silver on either side.  It made the background about 9 feet wide.  Creating a header with the balloons covered the top of the paper, so it doesn’t matter if they’re not perfectly straight!  The balloons were blown up ( we were dizzy headed after that!), then tied into groups of three, and stapled into place.

The chalkboard was part of my gift to Alli.  It was an old picture that was faded and dated.  I painted it with a few coats of chalkboard paint.  The brown frame was sanded, then painted with acrylic paints.

 These block were also painted with chalkboard paint, so the words can be changed to say whatever the bride would like – “Welcome to our home!”  “Happy Resurrection Day!” or “Merry Christmas!”

Liza had to send her regrets that she couldn’t make it to the shower, but she did enjoy the decorations while she could!

Last weekend was a lovely event – Alli’s wedding shower at our church.  Her sister is going to be her matron of honor, so she helped with some of the planning and orchestrating of this lovely event.  In lieu of a devotional, she wrote to ladies beforehand and asked them for advice that they would want to share with Alli regarding marriage.  There was much wisdom and godly advice written and tucked away inside a notebook, for Alli’s keeping.

The whole project was a secret from me so as to be a surprise.  I loved it.  I was given the encouragement to add my advice to the notebook in the days following the shower.  Wow.  To sit and ponder what brief advice I’d give to a new bride is a little mind boggling.  I can’t write a book; this is to be a page!  Then I thought back to a proverb I had read just last week –

A “good thing?”  That’s what the Scripture says!  That doesn’t mean we’re just an object, but it indicates that how we respond as a wife is to be a good thing to our husband. The way we treat him, love him and speak to him is to be a good thing.  He might even have the response, “Wow!  It’s a good thing the Lord brought her into my life!  Where would I be without her?”

I think it’s essential, too, to see that it doesn’t say, “A wife who turns her husband into a good thing obtains favor of the Lord”!  You and I, as wives, are to focus more on being the best wife, rather than having the best husband.  If I focus on my attitudes, words and actions then I can be a good thing.  If I’m more concerned about how I can bless my husband than how he can be a blessing to me, I’m a good thing!  If I treat him the way I would want to be treated, goodness is the name of my game!

So, Alli, my advice to you is, “Be a good thing” to Andrew.  Focus on being the best wife, rather than having the best husband.  The cool thing about that is, the latter is usually always the result of the former!

May others say of each of us that are married, “You’re his wife?  Wow!  What  a good thing!”

With love,

Some days require a filling, but quick meal.  Can you relate?  Last week was a very busy one with a variety of additional things added to my normal schedule.  I was definitely looking for some help with meal prep!  

A little work ahead of time enables me to have a meal on the table in under 30 minutes.  Last week I roasted two chicken breasts in the oven and then cut the meat off the bones.  I used one for the dish I’m going to share, and the other is snugly tucked into my freezer for later use!  I can use it for pot pie, chicken salad, or soup.  Love that!

I would never have thought that I would enjoy barbecue pizza, but after having this on vacation a couple of years ago, I have definitely changed my mind!  This is soooo good!  Purchasing a can of pizza dough in the refrigerated section of the grocery store makes this a fast recipe to pull together; couple that with chicken you roasted ahead of time and it’s a snap!  These crusts were on sale at our local grocery last week for $1.25 – great deal!

 I found this recipe on Southern Living’s site – we love it!

Chicken Barbecue Pizza
Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust
1/2 cup hickory smoke barbecue sauce
2 (6-ounce) packages grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast strips (or one breast, roasted)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Hickory smoke barbecue sauce

Preparation
Sauté first 4 ingredients in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drain well.
Unroll pizza crust; press or pat into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan.
Bake crust at 400° for 12 to 14 minutes. Spread 1/2 cup barbecue sauce evenly over top of pizza crust in pan. Arrange chicken strips evenly over barbecue sauce, top with onion mixture, and sprinkle evenly with cheese.
Bake at 400° for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish, if desired. Serve with extra sauce for dipping.

I served the pizza with a tossed salad and it made a great week night meal.

I hope you’ll try this.  Let me know what you think!

With love from my country kitchen,

 Yesterday I had a fresh date…with Lysol lemon cleaner.  =)  Baseboards, walls, and cabinets all got a good wipe down.  Floors were swept and mopped, and the bathrooms cleaned, but later in the day, I looked around and this is what I saw…

Not dirt, just “stuff.”  Things that needed to be picked up and put in their rightful spot.  I took 15 mintues and whizzed around doing just that.

Sometimes your house can be clean, but have areas of clutter that can keep the nice clean home from shining through!  Why not snap a picture from your phone of your kitchen counters, your desk or the sink?  For some reason, seeing it in a picture magnifies the clutter!  Then take 15 minutes and put things away.  Clean that pile of mail off the counter, empty the dish drainer and straighten up your desktop.  I try to do that each night before I go to bed.  When you can get up in the morning to a house that is not only clean, but also mess-free, you’ll be less tempted to pull the covers back over your head!  Freshen up your home and you’ll refresh yourself!

Be refreshed,