In September I learned about a product that was a favorite thing of a friend at church.  It intrigued me, so I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and purchased one for myself.  What is it? Something that could likely freshen up your Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday…

You pop this soft thing into the microwave for a minute or so and then put it wherever you need it – around your shoulders, your back or even in the bed sheets to get things warmed up on these cold nights.  You can also put it in the freezer, but I doubt you’ll ever find mine in there!  =)
Here’s what I like about it:

• It stays warm for a long time
• The material is really soft and soothing
• It doesn’t have an odor like some of those wraps
• The length of it is great – much better than a square heating pad!
• It’s only $10, and if you watch the paper, you can even get a coupon in the paper for 15-20% off!

If you ever have tired shoulders or neck problems from sitting at the computer, your back hurts, or you’re cold, you need one of these! It would make a great Christmas gift!  By the way, I am not being paid to endorse this product…I just thought you’d like to know and

be refreshed!

See you in church Sunday!

In the last two posts about how to respect our husbands, we learned we must:

• Make the choice to think on those things for which I can respect him
• Consider my own sinfulness, rather than his

First, let me say, If a husband is continuing in these sinful issues without confession or repentance, then a wife needs to seek godly counsel.  Her husband needs to be confronted in a biblical fashion.  Galatians 6:1 She can remain a godly woman, showing Christ-like love, and if she is in danger, then she needs to take necessary precautions that a godly advisor would recommend.

If, however, a husband has recognized his sin, repented of it, and is seeking restitution, then she must forgive. Of course, one doesn’t respect a man for his sin any more than we would respect a woman for hers.  We look above that and press on, with God’s grace and strength, recognizing, as I stated last week, our own propensity towards sinful choices.  We can’t dwell on it or rehearse it in our husband’s ears or even our own heart.  A wife can respect him for his confession.  She can respect his desire to be right before God.  She can respect him for choosing her instead of the sinful lifestyle. 

The world and Satan will tell women in this situation that respecting some men in certain situations is a mountain too hard to climb, so they never strap on the boots and helmet. They stay on level ground and they miss the wonder of what only God can do, and the blessing of taking the next step – the one of obedience.  Obey?  Obey what?

Remember that blessing never precedes obedience.  You obey and see what God will do.  The view from the mountaintop is breathtaking.

With love,

P.S.  Did you hide your turkey today?

Financial needs press in.  The cold of the storm blows outside.  The mirror tells me I’m aging.  The world shouts out to me that I should be prepared for all of these hard things.  I should be doing something.  Who me?  I am helpless in myself.  I cannot provide for the financial needs.  I have no power to move the storms that are surging.  The age wrinkles in my skin are pinched into place by time itself, and I cannot stop it. 

Doesn’t my parsonage life save me from these things? No, but my life as a child of God does.  It does not stop them from touching me, but it saves me from the worry and fret these things could bring to my home and my heart.

I have found myself having to concentrate on this truth this week. It can be so easy to fret over things instead of thanking God for them – all the “what ifs,” plus a hundred other issues the enemy puts into my mind.  When I choose to be thankful instead, I am at peace.  My thanks is to be offered to the Lord in prayer. 

Ah, yes.  The peace comes then.  All is well in my soul.  All is well in the parsonage too.

Are you worrying over things today?  Choose to praise the Lord instead.  Take the “worrisome” things to God in prayer and watch Him bring peace to your soul, too!

Recently as I talked with a godly friend about a very difficult situation in which she is living, she asked me to pray for her because she would have to be up at 4:30 the next morning to prepare for work.  Alarmed at the hour, I asked her why she was going in so early. 

“Well, I have to be there at 6:30,” and then she stated not in a way to impress, but just as a matter of fact, “If I’m to have my time with the Lord before I leave, I must get up then.” 

Her comment about spending time in God’s Word and in prayer made it evident that it wasn’t something she tacked onto her morning, if she found the time.  She was making sure she got up, because she knew that there was no way she could get through the day without spending time with God!  This is how my friend is handling her stressful situation.  This is why she’s not falling apart.

We prepare and make plans for lots of events.  Perhaps you’re now in the process of planning for a wedding, for Thanksgiving dinner, a big vacation in the near future, or even what you’ll wear tomorrow.  Are you preparing and planning how you’ll grow in your relationship with the Lord with as much earnestness and effort?  Or is it just another thing tacked onto your day if  you get around to it?  Let me encourage you to do what my friend is doing and plan ahead.  Strategize and think through how, when and what you’ll do as you dig into God’s Word tomorrow.

Here’s what I’m currently doing:

• In March I began reading the Bible through in a year using an app on my phone with You Version. I’m reading a blended reading plan.  Right now I’m reading the psalms and Acts.
• I journal short bulleted notes as the Lord speaks to me from His Word.
• I also read the Proverb for the day of the month
• Psalm 54 – I read the psalm of my age every day.  I’m also memorizing it.
• Review memory passages
• Study a page or two of the I Samuel Sunday school lesson
• Pray, using my prayer journal with different requests each day.

Do you have a plan?  I’d love to hear how you spend time with the Lord.  It’s the most profitable thing we’ll do all day!

With love,

There’s nothing like a good sinus cold to make you hungry for simple foods! Such was the case this past week when the parson and I were both sneezing, coughing and blowing our noses. After several meals of chicken noodle soup, I decided that something a  little more substantial sounded yummy – particularly a Chicken Pot Pie.  I’ve been making this recipe for years and it is so simple to put together. Let me show you, then I’ll share the recipe at the bottom of this post.

I start by roasting chicken breasts with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. 

While they’re in the oven, I made my pie crusts.You could, of course, buy a store bought one.   I like crust on the top and the bottom – why not?!

Now it’s time for the roux.  Place a couple tablespoons of butter or margarine in a pan and add the same amount of flour once the butter has melted.  Mix with a spatula for about one minute. 

Slowly add about a cup of milk, then a cup of chicken broth, whisking thoroughly to remove any lumps. You can add more liquid to ensure a moist pie.

Place second crust over top and trim edges, pinching to seal.  Make slits in the top of the crust.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until golden. It’s wise to put a pan under the pie plate to catch any of the sauce that may seep out, unless you enjoy cleaning out the oven!  Then…

To accompany the pot pie, I served a salad with lettuce, strawberry slices, red onions, almonds, and blue cheese.  I found this really good dressing – Litehouse Pear Gorgonzola in the produce section of my grocery store to top it.  If you can get this where you live, you need to try it!  It’s especially good with a salad that contains fruit. 

One advantage to making your own crust is that you’ll have some extra dough to make a little treat! I cut the leftovers into strips, put them on a baking sheet, and sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar and baked them for 10 minutes in the 400 degree oven with the pot pie.

Chicken Pot Pie
1 lb. cooked white meat chicken, diced
2 Tbl. butter
2 Tbl. flour
1 cup milk, plus maybe a bit more to make it creamy
1 cup chicken broth = maybe a bit more
1 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
pepper to taste
1- 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 crust pie shell

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add flour and whisk.  Cook for 1 minute.  Slowly add milk and stir with whisk until smooth.  Add broth and stir.  Cook until thickened.  Add seasonings.  Add peas and cooked chicken.  Pour into pie shell.  Top with second crust. At this point you could freeze the pie and save it for later.  Bake at 400 about 30 minutes.

Our colds are better.  Hmmm, was it the pot pie?  Maybe I should have another slice to see.  =)

What was cooking in your house this weekend?  What do you eat when you have a cold?

From my parsonage kitchen,