Getting dressed can be stressful.  Well, I guess it’s not the putting on of clothes that brings the stress – it’s deciding what to wear.  You know what I mean – trying to decide: This shoe or this one?  (Ever do the flamingo thing where you pick up one foot and then the other, trying to get a picture of which one is better?)  Or you may wonder if the colors or patterns you’ve put on really go together. 

I’ve found a little way to make the deciding a bit easier.  I step back from the full length mirror and snap a picture on my phone.  Even if you can’t take a picture on your phone, if you have a digital camera, that will work just as well.  Take a picture of the two things you’re trying to decided on.  Like this:

See Liza?  She’s always right there to give her opinion!

Then once you’ve taken the pictures, look at the first, then the second.  I’ve found that seeing it quickly in front of me – going back and forth from the first picture to the second – really gives me an idea of which choice is better. 

Freshen up your outfits by taking a (careful) chance.  Seeing them like this really helps with the decision making!

See you in church Sunday!

Be refreshed,

P.S.  Which jacket did I choose? The solid black. Too much going on with the other one!

Last week we talked about forgiving huge issues.  Today let’s discuss what most of us deal with in regards to disrespect.
You may have already heard me share this, but I want to finish these posts on respect with this illustration…

Imagine that your husband walks into the house after his work day is over. You’re standing in the kitchen as he walks towards you, and you notice something that’s not right.  Your eyes go to his left shirt pocket – or more precisely the blue ink spot on his left shirt pocket.  It’s the size of a quarter.  The rest of the shirt is clean, but your eyes have found the ink spot, and you can’t even bring your gaze up to his face. Your mind is absorbed with how you will remove it, if it will spread to other pieces of laundry or to the washing machine, and then to the location of the guilty pen. 

That ink spot represents all the irritants in our husband’s life.  They’re small things – his socks beside the bed on the bedroom floor, the whiskers behind the sink faucet in the master bath, his clicking away of the television channels just when you get interested in a program, his lack of spiritual leadership, and a dozen other menial habits.  They might seem small to others, but to you, they’re blinding.  They’re so blinding you just can’t get your eyes off of them.  When he walks into the room, the “ink spots” come into view, and you just have  to say something.  Enter disrespect, stage left. 

When we begin to discuss those spots, our husband feels disrespected.  This is why it is crucial to keep our ink spot viewing to ourselves.  If we feel we must say something, it needs to be spoken to the Lord in the form of a prayer.  If it’s really an issue that will harm his testimony or keep him from growing spiritually, can we not trust the God that saved him to bring it to his attention?

I learned the hard way that my bringing these things to my husband’s attention only brought strife between us.  If he changed, it was always temporary.  However, when I talk to the Lord about those things, one of two things happens:

1. He changes me by making me realize it wasn’t important. (This doesn’t happen overnight!)
2. He changes my husband by bringing this issue to his attention without my help.  The change is lasting and brings no strife in our relationship.

Now, why would I choose to stare at the ink spots, and then talk to him about them when God gets much better results?  I haven’t got this mastered completely, but I must say, those spots are getting smaller!

What ink spots are you staring at that you need to just write into your prayer journal?  Show your husband respect by letting the Holy Spirit clean those up.  The result:  You’ll be feeling a great deal of love come your way as a result of your husband receiving the respect he longs for!

Any other thoughts or questions you might have on this topic?  Feel free to leave a comment here or on the RefreshHer Facebook page.

With love,

 This week finds my husband at a conference, and I got to tag along to be with him and also to visit our daughters. How sweet it is to be in town where my girls live!  This is the first time this semester I’ve gotten to stop in and see my college student.  (She’s finishing her last semester!)   Years ago while I was homeschooling, I had to keep my nose pretty much to the grindstone.  There were times that we went along so that we might make an extended field trip where he went, but for the most part, when he went away, we stayed home.  So, it’s a blessing that I can go along now when he goes away! Even though this has been the case for almost four years, I still realize what a blessing it is!

Preachers don’t go away because they look for vacation times.  They need conferences to get educated on issues, get preached to, get encouragement, get good ideas, and get in on preacher fellowship.  You see, they give all the time, and it’s as though their “give tank” gets low, and they need to find a place where they may fill one or more of those needs. 

You may wonder, “Why is our pastor away again?”  But let me encourage you to realize how much a pastor pours out, and how much he needs to be recharged and filled up – just like you enjoy when you go to church.  Pray that he’ll get what he needs and be ready to come home and share with you what the Lord did for him while he was we were away.

Thanks for your prayers, love and support,

All you book lovers out there – raise your hand!  I thought so!  There are lots of bookworms – myself included.  But did you know that the Scripture teaches that you are writing a book? 

Your very life is writing your story.  Have you considered that thought?  What kind of story will it be? 

• A Novel – A lengthy fictitious narrative? (Not if our Christian life is genuine)
• An autobiography – A story all about you? (Not if you’re pouring your life into others)
• An encyclopedia – A book of only facts? (Not if you’re making practical application of the Word of God)

The kind of book that is written is our choice.  This is something we can control.  Stop and consider what story your life has written in the just the last week.  Do you need to do some editing?  Changes can be made today!
 
How long a story will it be?  We have no control over the length of the book.  The psalmist continues in Psalm 90 with this in verse 12…

We must wisely consider our days and realize that they are really very short.  Time for writing into our book the tale of our lives will come sooner than we realize.  We need to ask our Publisher, the Lord Himself, to help us to remind us how short this life is that we may wisely write our story.  May we each have a tale that is faith-filled, inspiring, biblical and full of enjoying the good things of the Lord!

What words would describe the book that you would want written about your life?  Leave a comment here or on the RefreshHer Facebook page. 

With love,

I’d like you to meet my sister, Sharee, who’s not only beautiful and a godly woman, but she’s also a great cook! I think it’s because our mom is a great cook and she instilled in all three of her daughters a love for family time and good meals shared with those that gather around our table.

On Saturday Sharee was telling me about what she was fixing for  dinner that day.  It was Chicken and Dumplings IN THE CROCK POT!  The recipe sounded unbelievably easy.  Then she sent me a message later in the day to say that it turned out absolutely delicious!  I asked her for pictures and a recipe to share with you, and she was happy to oblige.  Lucky us!

She found this recipe on Beauty and Bedlam

This what what Sharee had to say about the recipe:

Here are Sharee’s results:

How good this would be at the end of a busy winter work day!  All you have to do when you get home is pop in the biscuit/dumplings and let them cook! 

Thanks for sharing, Sharee!
 

Ingredients

Instructions

This is seriously the best Sunday roast ever.  The broth turned gravy is so savory on the meat and potatoes. You must try this some day!