Continuing my thoughts about the verse from the other day about  Proverbs  15:6 –  In the house of the righteous is much treasure…

One day (of many) while at home with my young daughter, I had to stop and take time out of our routine to go with her to her bedroom.  The door being shut, we sat on the edge of her bed with my Bible in my hands, and I pointed out to her why her actions were sinful in God’s eyes.  We bowed our heads and each of us prayed – she prayed for God’s forgiveness of her sin; I prayed she would truly repent and walk in truth.  Then, a spanking (2 or 3 swats with a paddle) was administered.  She wept while I held her.  Tears were wiped away and I assured her that things were forgotten and we could get on with our day with a new beginning.  This time of discipline from God’s Word is a treasure in a Christian home.

After picking up my cup of coffee, I head to my Quiet Place where I spend time with the Lord.  He speaks to me from His Word!  Then I open my prayer journal and lay before Him the cares of my heart and those of others.  This time alone with God is a treasure in a Christian home.

After breakfast, my husband often opens a devotional book and we read it together.  We may discuss its prevalence on our personal lives and then we grasp hands and he leads us in prayer. This time in the truth is a treasure in a Christian home.  

At the end of a long day, we climb into the comfort of our bed, hold hands and my husband prays.  He thanks the Lord for the day behind us, commits any worries on our hearts, and we fall asleep, ending our day talking with God.  This time of prayer is a treasure in a Christian home.

Do we always mine out those treasures?  No, I’m sorry to say, we don’t. But oh, the joy when we take advantage of the opportunities to turn to the Lord and His Word!  You might say, “But my husband won’t lead me like your husband does.”  Pray.  Ask the Lord to open his heart to it.  Pray for others to influence his life in godly leadership at home.  You could make a suggestion, and then leave it.  If he doesn’t want to do it, then let it go.  You can still have times to point your own heart and  your children’s hearts to the Lord and “cash in” on that treasured time.

What other treasures have you found in the house of the righteous?

With love,

Strawberry Citrus Muffins

 I love all things strawberry!  Have you tried fresh strawberries in warm oatmeal?  Yum!  You must!  Another yummy way to eat strawberries for breakfast is in these fantastic little muffins.  I found this recipe in my Cooking Light Cookbook. That’s right!  Not only are they delicious, they’re also lighter in fat!  They mix up super fast and make a dozen really nice sized muffins.  Here’s the recipe:

Strawberry Citrus Muffins

1 1/4 Cups chopped strawberries
3 tbl. margarine, melted
2 tsp grated orange or lemon rind
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar I reduce this to 1 cup – it’s plenty
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Cooking spray
2 tsp sugar I like to use the coarse sugar on top
1/2 Cup strawberry jam (optional) But why wouldn’t you?!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and mix just until mixture is blended.  Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.  Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until mixture is moist.  Spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with 2 tsp sugar.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.  Remove muffins from pan immediately.  Serve with jam, if desired.
184 Calories, 4g fat

The sugar topping gives it a nice little “crust.”  This has become my favorite spring/summer muffin! I’ll bet they’ll be yours too!

What do you make with fresh strawberries?

From my parsonage kitchen,

There is a secret you don’t know about me.  My lips are WHITE.  Well, nearly white.  Without  lipstick I look like I’m not alive.  I have seriously been on the lookout all my adult life for lipstick that stays on!  I love Channel’s lip gloss, but it’s quite expensive.  I wouldn’t have a tube if it hadn’t been given to me by the rep that came came to our ladies’ retreat last fall.  It does stay on forever, but at $30, it should also apply itself and do my hair in the morning!

I have just tried a new product this week – Cover Girl’s Long Lasting Lip Color.  I had a $2 off coupon from the Sunday paper, so I ended up paying about $8 for it; not bad.

It comes with a wand, with which you apply the color.  Also included is a lip gloss stick that goes over to make it shiny, but not too much.  I tried it out on an ice cream come-so far so good.

If you’re in need of a color for your lips to keep your look fresh even after a meal, a dentist visit (my daughter’s lasted through her cleaning!), or a smooch, then maybe this is the product for you!

I’m headed to Katy, Texas this evening.  I will be speaking at their Ladies’ Celebration all day Saturday.  I’m looking forward to being with these ladies!  If you think of me, please pray for me.  I cannot do this without the Lord’s strength and grace.  I’ll tell you all about it when I return home!

Be refreshed,

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!