We recently had our house appraised. A man walked through with measuring tape and a clipboard.  He took pictures.  He measured.  He made notes.  The appraisal of a home lets the bank know how much a house is worth.

Yesterday I read in Proverbs 15:6 ~ 

I wonder if each of us is mining out the treasure that we have within the walls of our house?  Oh, I don’t mean the financial worth, but the treasures that the Lord gives a family.

How about if we take out the measuring tape, clipboard and camera and make an assessment?  What kind of a price tag would you put  on spending time every single day with your children?  Is that a worthwhile goal for you? Are you taking advantage of these days?  Or have you gotten pulled into the mindset of the world that in order for your family to “have it all,” both parents must bring in a paycheck?  I know there are some situations where that is true, but I wonder if we’re shortchanging ourselves, our children, and our God by assuming that it will never work?

Of course there will have to be cut backs.  Consider:

We spent a day at Dollywood with my sis and her husband recently.  The picture above shows a roller coaster in the background.  Yea, well, we DIDN’T ride it.  It’s just a nice backdrop for the picture.  Years ago we would have been on the front seat.  We loved it!  Now, however, we’re older wiser, and we think before we jump onto a ride going 60 miles an hour and holding us into our seat by matters of physics: energy, inertia, and gravity.  We’d rather gravity just keep us on our feet, thank you very much!  We used to be participators.

Today we call ourselves spectators instead, for many reasons – backs that will get out of line, an impending migraine caused by necks being jerked like a spring-loaded puppy’s head in the back window of a car, or just fear itself!  Instead we enjoy watching other people take their life in their hands and scream their heads off while having the time of their lives!  We know what we’re missing, because we used to enjoy it, but it’s now in our rear view mirror.  Things have changed.

Stop for a minute and think about your church.  I wonder if you are still as involved as you used to be, or are you standing on the sidelines enjoying watching others as they smile at the thrill of serving the Lord in your local church?  Perhaps you remember the “good ol’ days” when you were serving in this ministry or that, but now, you find all kinds of excuses as to why you should be standing on the outside looking in.  Your excuses are as reasonable as a 50-something year old staring at a roller coaster, and you’re not about to budge.

P.S. Did you know that today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day?!  If you don’t want to make a homemade batch of cookies, why not opt for a cookie in a mug?  Here’s the recipe!

While at the beach last week, we saw many fishermen.  I never pass a “lure lover” that I don’t think about the children’s song, “I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men, fishers of men,  I will make you fishers of men if you follow me…”  One evening we passed two fishermen who seemed that they had met one another at the pier and didn’t know one another beforehand.  One fisherman walked over to the other and said, “Here, I always bring extra with me in my cooler.”  I was afraid to look, but I’m sure it was bait.  Ewwww.  Night Crawlers.  Worms.  Something wiggly and creepy.  He was making his way back over to get one of “those things” for the other fisherman.  Fishermen are friendly with others on the pier.  They share what they have.

As I passed, I thought again of being a fisher of men.  Do I always have extra “bait,” if you will, to hand out to someone that needs it?  What would my bait be?  How about a Gospel tract?  I was convicted, because when I changed my purse to come on vacation, I had failed to get the tracts out of the front pocket of my other purse.  It’s a pitfall of changing purses – something always gets left out!  But I thought, “If a real fisherman always has an extra piece of bait or two in his cooler, then shouldn’t I also have extra Gospel bait stashed away, ready to give to someone in need of the Gospel?  Shouldn’t I be as friendly and “peer-ing” out for those that need what I could share with them?”

I need to be looking for the one that the Lord brings by my path as I’m waiting and  fishing for men. Oh, that I would be as thoughtful and caring as that dear fisherman on the pier!  You and I have so much more to offer.  Are you fishing for men?  Is your “cooler” full and ready?

Just curious…have you ever received a tract from someone else?  Let’s not hide the Truth!  Let’s share it.

With love,

Happy Monday, Y’all!  I’m back home from vacation!  These past couple of weekends have been full of blessings!  From attending a Legacy Breakfast at BJU with our Alli, to then watching her receive her Bachelor of Science Degree the next weekend, my cup has been full and overflowing!

For our family, celebrations are connected with good food!  For both events, this held true!  Since both of those events happened in Greenville where our other daughter, Whitney and her husband live, she was sweet enough to host the Sunday dinner the first weekend, and then the graduation party the next.  Whitney loves to cook, and it’s obvious when you eat anything she makes!  She loves to try new recipes – even on guests (wonder where she learned that?!).  She made a Pork Tenderloin in the crock pot for a Sunday after church dinner.  The recipe is a keeper.  The meat was tender, and the sauce it was cooked in made it flavorful and worthy of seconds!

Simply called Slow Cooker Pork Loin, Whitney found this on My Blessed Life’s blog.  What could be easier than pouring a six-ingredient sauce over top of a pork loin and turning on the crock pot?  Um, not much!  Whitney served this with mashed potatoes, green beans and biscuits.  Here’s the recipe:

Slow Cooker Pork Loin

Our lovely hostess!

For the graduation party, we decided on Mexican – it’s our favorite!  I did chicken fajitas and Whitney did a Corn Casserole and a layered fruit salad.  Both were outstanding.  Take a look at this fruit dish!

Honey-Yogurt Fruit Salad Dressing

Corn Casserole

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.


Here’s a peek at some of the party attenders and the Pinterest inspired decorations. . .

Alli, Her future mother-in-law and Andrew, her fiance’.

Cute little straw holder that matched perfectly (found at the Dollar Store!)

What things have you been celebrating this spring?  Any great recipes connected to your parties?

Recently, I have been really challenged about what it means to be a Christian. I have always thought a Christian was someone who went to church, had devotions, and kept up a decent testimony before others. That’s what I’ve been doing, and I’m even attending a Christian university! How much more “Christian” can I get? But recently, God has really been showing me what it means to be a true Christian. And I’ll tell you this – it is far more extreme than I ever imagined it to be.
Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Now it is true that going to church and having devotions is part of following Jesus, but there is so much more than that. Jesus has called us as Christians to live a life that is set-apart for Him. He wants us to reject the things of this world and follow solely after Him.

Becoming set-apart for Jesus first starts with dedicating ourselves to Him. We must declare that we are His alone. Then, we must silence our selfish side. This is where it gets hard. When we decide to die to ourselves we are immediately entering into a continual battle with our flesh. But through Scripture reading and prayer, you can have victory over your selfishness. Lastly, we must come away with Him. To come away with Jesus means to completely turn aside from the pleasures and entertainments of this world so we can be unstained and spotless for our King. And to me, this is where living the Christian life gets extreme. Rejecting the pleasures of this world means not listening to the world’s music, not watching the world’s movies, not wearing the world’s clothes. It means not having all the toys and fun entertainment the world offers. It means spending more time in prayer than I do reading the latest fashion magazine. It means taking time to serve the poor and needy instead of going shopping with my friends. Jesus didn’t participate in the world’s activities when He was on earth; he was about His Father’s business. It should be the same for me, a Christian.

—Allison Cunningham

How about you – are you set apart for Him?

With love,