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A Peek Inside the Parsonage

The Cleaver Family.
Aren’t they just the picture of perfect family harmony? In case you were either born in the last 30 years or didn’t grow up on TV Land, this is the family from “Leave it to Beaver.” Mr. Ward Cleaver never appeared without a shirt and tie, doted on his wife and spent lots of time with his children. Mrs. June cleaver famously cooked dinner in pearls and heels, was always polite and kind, and made sure her family was well taken care of. Wally and Theodore (or, the Beaver) were polite and obedient. Wally let his little brother tag along with him on Saturdays.

The Cleavers remind me of another family…my pastor’s family! Don’t they remind you of your pastor’s family? Always perfect, polite and happy. Right? Wrong!

I hate to break it to you, but the idea of a perfect pastor’s family is as fictional as the Cleavers themselves! While it is important that your pastor and his family adhere to the Scripture’s guidelines, it is also important to remember that they are human. They have bad days, heartache, financial needs and family struggles just like you.  

When I was in the 4th grade, I spent Sunday afternoon with my friend whose family had just joined our church. We went outside to play where her dad was washing the family van in their driveway. When he saw me, his face fell and he quickly said, “Oh! I don’t usually work on Sunday! I just had to do this real quick!” I was bewildered for a minute and then it hit me. “He thinks I’m going to run home and tell on him to the preacher!” If he only knew how uptight the Cunningham house WASN’T. Hehe. 

Your pastor, his wife, and their children need friendship, love and encouragement just like you do! So the next time someone from your pastor’s family catches you washing your car on Sunday, put down the squeegee and ask how you can pray for them. As the Beaver used to say, “that would be swell!” 

Whitney for…

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Take Comfort!

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of the flesh, but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles!” 2 Chronicles 32:6-8

Wow! How encouraging is that? You have to read the whole story to get the full impact from this passage, but basically, 180 thousand really mean guys were attacking Israel. History was not in their favor – the last time these guys attacked, Israel lost. But king Hezekiah stood in front of his people and declared the words you just read.

What army of really mean guys is attacking your city today? 
Your enemy may come in the form of finances, stress at work, conflict in your marriage, defiant children, or a temptation to give in to your sin nature in one way or another. Whatever that enemy may be, let the Truth of Scripture speak encouragingly to you – just like the Truth encouraged the people of Israel that day. 

The end of verse 8 says, “And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.” Take confidence in the Word today! 

(If you want to read the whole story, start in 2 Chronicles 31:20 and read to 32:23. Buckle up, it’s exciting!)

Whitney for….

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What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?


Hey everyone! In case you missed Friday’s post, Mom asked me to hang out with y’all while she’s in Israel. So here we go with Monday! 


I don’t live in a parsonage….but I used to. Does that count? =)
At the end of a long work day, I am ready for a quick meal that tastes like it took all day. Anyone else feel like that?
Here is the best thing I’ve found to be really helpful towards that end…MENU PLANNING!
Trust me on this one. Sit down before you go to the grocery store and decide 5 or 6 meals you want to make, beginning with the ingredients in your pantry and freezer. Supplement this with items that are on sale at your grocery store. I have a folder of bookmarks for recipes I see online that I want to try. I don’t assign meals to a day, I make whatever works best for our very unusual schedule. As I make out the menu, I simultaneously make my grocery list (make sure the list isn’t mostly things you want to buy that aren’t on sale…unless you just like spending all your money on groceries….). 😉 
For example, here is my menu from last week:
Spaghetti with ground turkey (because I had ground turkey in the freezer and ground beef was $3/lb! Yikes!)
Salad
Breadsticks
Hot Chicken Salad
Green Beans
Chili
Corn Muffins (the other half of the batch I made last week and stuck in the freezer)
Cheese & Crackers
Raw veggies and ranch
Baked Chicken
Steamfresh red potatoes and vegetables
Frozen Pizza
Salad
I admit I don’t have children, so my life is pretty uncomplicated. But I do work full time as well as accommodate a husband who tirelessly works like ALL the time. If I can menu plan, you can too. Try it! Who’s with me??


If you are already a menu planner, what works best for you? Talk to me! 


Whitney for…


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Freshen Up Friday

On this Friday, how about if we look at an accessory that can totally change an outfit? One way to freshen up an outfit and give it new pizazz, is by adding a scarf.  They are so popular now with many different styles. 
These lovely pics are from Tip Junkie – a favorite site of mine.

Once you get past all the cute styles, there are tons of fun ways to tie the scarf!  Look here…

One simple tie is to fold a long scarf in half lengthwise and place it around your neck.  Loop the loose end through the loop.  You can bring the loop up high around your neck or open it up to be more scooped.

Here’s a little series of pictures with a variation of the previous tie:

Fold scarf in half with loop on one end and loose end on the other.



Insert loose end through loop




Twist the looped end, keeping  your finger inside the loop




Insert loose end through loop




Fluff and adjust the knot to the position you want it

Now, go get a scarf and try one of these ties!

Do you have scarves?  How do you wear  them?

I have some exciting news for you today…

If you read my post on Wednesday you know that I’m leaving on Sunday to go to Israel.  However, that does not mean that my blog will be sitting here idle while I’m away.  My daughter, Whitney will be posting in my absence!  Okay, she’s my daughter, true, but the other truth is – she’s a great writer (and she wears a scarf oh, so well!)!  I think you’ll find her posts enlightening, funny, and helpful.  So keep checking in each day to see what creative things she’s come up with, and I will be back on here the last week of January! 

I love and appreciate each of you!

Be refreshed,

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Fruitcake Christians

Many people feel about fruitcake like the person who compiled the previous list Let’s face it – this sticky confection has gotten a bad rap.  I saw a funny video at Christmas where a woman teasingly said her husband was a lot like a fruitcake noting, “He’s heavy, fruity and very nutty!”  We’d all admit that being called a fruitcake has a bad connotation.  But I believe there is one way in which it would be a blessing to be a “fruit – cake.”

When you and I as believers are walking in the Spirit, that is we have no unconfessed sin in our lives, we will be full of fruit!  Not the sticky dried kind we find in holiday cakes and cookies, but the fruit of the Spirit.  Galatians 5:22, 23 says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  We won’t just have one or two, we will have them all.  Let’s take a look at each of them and how they will be manifested in our lives as described by Matthew Henry:

  • Love to God especially, and to one another for his sake
  • Joy, by which may be understood cheerfulness in conversation with our friends, or rather a constant delight in God
  • Peace, with God and conscience, or a peaceableness of temper and behaviour towards others
  • Long-suffering, patience to defer anger, and a contentedness to bear injuries
  • Gentleness, such a sweetness of temper, and especially towards our inferiors, as disposes us to be affable and courteous, and easy to be entreated when any have wronged us
  • Goodness (kindness, beneficence), which shows itself in a readiness to do good to all as we have opportunity
  • Faith, fidelity, justice, and honesty, in what we profess and promise to others
  • Meekness, wherewith to govern our passions and resentments, so as not to be easily provoked, and, when we are so, to be soon pacified
  • Temperance, in meat and drink, and other enjoyments of life, so as not to be excessive and immoderate in the use of them.

It would do us well to read over the list and then review the last 24 hours.  Was that fruit a part of our lives yesterday?  Was it demonstrated to the world?  To our family?  Last night at prayer meeting? To other drivers on the road?  We mustn’t look at the list and say, “I need to work on being more longsuffering.” Or “I need to ask for more faith.”  What we need is to walk in the Spirit.  Verse 25 reminds us of that saying, ” If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”  We do that by simply doing what I John 1:9 says and confessing our sin.  Keeping short accounts with the Lord will enable us to be full of fruit.

Ask the Lord to reveal unconfessed sin in your life.  Confess it and then walk in the Spirit.  You may look like a fruit cake, but it will be the best kind!

With love,
Denise