Growing Spiritually in the Busy Years

March 24, 2015March 24, 2015 RefreshHer1 Comment

She remembers the day when she could get up, pour coffee, grab her Bible and head out to some comfy, solitary place to read, journal and pray. Now this busy mom’s alarm clock is a baby, a toddler and her school-aged children. Their faces, their needs, their cries all come first. There’s only apple juice, baby bottles, Cheerios and burned toast first thing after getting up. Oh, the coffee is made, but has been sitting on the burner for far too long. Her time in God’s Word is a desire in her heart, but how will it happen when there are so many other demands on a young mom’s plate? What is a young mom to do to grow spiritually?

Your demands as a woman might be different, but you’re busier than you’ve ever been, and find it difficult to cultivate time in God’s Word that is meaty and meaningful. What is a busy woman to do to grow spiritually?

I believe there are several practical ways for every woman to spend time in God’s Word when life is busy.

Place devotional books, books of God’s Promises, or other short reads in places where you can stop for a minute and read something from God’s Word. Put those kinds of books in a basket in the bathroom (if you’re fortunate enough to be in there alone!), in the laundry area, or in the car. Read something that will encourage your heart for that minute or two.
Listen to podcasts of preaching or other biblical broadcasts while you’re nursing the baby, folding clothes, making dinner, riding in the car, etc.
Listen to Scripture on your phone. In the same times I listed in #2, when you can’t sit down and open your Bible, you can still listen to someone else read it! I love the You Version.
Read the Proverb for the day. It probably only takes about five minutes to read a chapter. Highlight the verse(s) that jump out and speak to your heart and needs.
Don’t fill your mind with television and other “junk!” Use every opportunity to fill your heart and mind with God’s Word instead!
Write one verse that you want to memorizeon on a 3×5 card . Tuck that card into your pocket and keep it with you all day. Pull it out and refresh your heart with the next sentence, and the next and the next. In a couple of day’s time, you’ll have it memorized! Scripture in your heart can feed you all day long!

As your life slows down, begin to add in more and more of the kind of Quiet time that will really nurture your heart. These strategies are for a season, but not forever. Eventually you’ll be able to be back in a regular routine of study, journaling and prayer, but in the meantime, you can still be fruitful and growing!

Don’t allow the busy times to make you stagnant. This (busyness), too, shall pass – but you’ll never recapture what you could have gleaned if you don’t grab the spiritual nuggets when you can!

Are you a busy woman like I described? Which of these tools will you try?

With love,

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What’s Cookin’ in the Country?

March 23, 2015April 6, 2015 RefreshHer8 Comments

Every cook needs a great sure-fire main dish recipe, a secret side and an outstanding dessert so she can confidently pull together a meal that is perfect for guests. I’ve recently found two new recipes that will be on my new “go-to” menu. One is for a pork loin done in the crock pot and finished under the broiler with a glaze. It is amazing! The other is a great apple pie! For these recipes and my little secret side dish, read on…

Pork Loin cooks fairly quickly in the oven and I fear it will dry out while we’re at church when roasted with the oven method, so, I was excited to find a recipe for Pork Loin that cooks in the crock pot, then is finished with a brown sugar, balsamic vinegar glaze under the broiler. Oh. My. Goodness! This recipe is fantastic! The meat was tender and juicy, and the broiled glaze added a nice little crust on the outside – something most crock pot recipes are missing.

For my secret side dish, I bought Sam’s Club’s potato salad, found in their refrigerated section. It’s so good – I’ll probably never make homemade potato salad again! A little help from the store when everything else is homemade is a real blessing! Here was the whole menu I served last Sunday when having company over for dinner:

Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed pork Tenderloin

Potato Salad (Sam’s Club) ~ Oven roasted Asparagus

~ Salad ~

Make Ahead Butterhorns

Apple Pie Ala-mode

Crock pot Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 pounds Pork tenderloin
1 teaspoon Ground sage
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Pepper
1 clove Garlic; crushed
½ cup Water – I used Chicken broth for extra flavor
½ cup Brown sugar
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
½ cup Water
2 tablespoons Soy sauce

Instructions

Mix together the seasonings: sage, salt, pepper and garlic.
Rub over tenderloin. Place ½ cup water in slow cooker; place tenderloin in slow cooker.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Mix together the ingredients for the glaze in a small sauce pan: brown sugar, cornstarch, balsamic vinegar, water, soy sauce. Heat over medium and stir until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes.

Place pork on aluminum lined sheet pan, glaze, and set under broiler for 1-2 minutes until bubbly and caramelized. Repeat 2 to 3 more times until desired crust is achieved.
Place pork on aluminum lined sheet pan, glaze, and set under broiler for 1-2 minutes until bubbly and caramelized. Repeat 2 to 3 more times until desired crust is achieved.

Ina Garten says your guests will always remember dessert, so it needs to be really good! A sweet friend of mine brought us an Apple Crumb Pie when my husband was recovering from surgery a few months ago. It was so wonderful I asked her for the recipe. It turns out that this is her mom’s recipe that has won several blue ribbons!! I was not surprised when she told me! I’ve been making Apple Pie for a long time, but this is the best recipe I’ve ever had! It only requires one crust, since it has the yummy crumb topping. So if you don’t like fussing with a top crust, this recipe is for you! The sweetness of the crumb mixture is perfect! Add a little ice cream and you have heaven on a dessert plate!

Prize-Winning Apple Crumb Pie

1 Deep dish unbaked pie shell
8 C thinly sliced peeled apples – I like to use Granny Smith apples
1/2 – 2/3 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping
1/2 C sugar
3/4 C flour
1/3 C butter

Toss apples in a mixture of 1/2 – 2/3 C sugar and cinnamon (depending on the tartness of the apples). Put into pie shell. Combine remaining ingredients using a fork and sprinkle over apples. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, or until apples are tender.

That pie recipe is so simple and I think that’s what makes it so good! It lets the apples be the star of the show, and finishes it off with that yummy crumb topping. This dessert will not disappoint!

Do you have a “go-to” menu? I’d love to hear about it!

With love from my country kitchen,

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Freshen Up Friday

March 20, 2015March 19, 2015 RefreshHer2 Comments

Whenever we have a special event at church like a shower or ladies’ gathering, some incredible food is always involved! One of those components is a serving dish full of a yummy, Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip. It’s great on Pretzel Chips or tortilla chips (or even straight out of the bowl!).

At our recent Ladies’ Night during revival meetings this week, we served this and I had so many requests for the recipe, I decided to share it here to freshen up your Friday and your entire life!!! This is so good, it could easily become your signature dish that you bring to events!!!

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients:
2 (16 oz) packages of frozen chopped spinach
4 regular size cans (13 ¾ oz) artichoke hearts or ½ of a large jar of marinated artichoke hearts (found at Sam’s Club)
2 cups mayonnaise
1 (16 oz carton) sour cream
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
3 cups Mexican blend cheese or pepper jack cheese
4 tablespoons hot sauce (May use more or less depending upon preference)
4 tablespoons chopped garlic

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Grease casserole dish with non-stick spray
Heat spinach in microwave for 5 minutes. Squeeze spinach to remove all excess water and pat dry.
Drain artichoke hearts and coarsely chop them. (May use food processor)
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl reserving ½ cup parmesan cheese.
Stir well and pour into casserole dish.
Garnish with remaining parmesan cheese.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until done.
Serve warm with your favorite chips. Makes 10 to 12 cups of dip.

You could, of course, halve the recipe if you don’t need to feed a crowd, but then again, you might wish you had that huge bowlful once you taste it! It’s SOOOOO good!

Hope you have a great weekend! I have a fun activity planned in mine. I’ll tell you about it next week!

Stay refreshed,

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Don’t Zone Out – Tune In!

March 19, 2015March 18, 2015 RefreshHerLeave a comment

I just got back from a trip to town. Things I saw have gotten me to thinking about how we all tend to “zone out.” We’re so busy, so frantic, that when whenever we can, we find our way to check out on life. Here’s how I’ve seen it recently:

People in their cars, talking on their phone while trying to make a left turn onto a very busy road. They’re oblivious to the fact that they’re blocking both turn lanes. Zoned out.
Shoppers push their cart out into the middle of the aisle without ever considering that someone might have to come to an immediate halt to keep from hitting their buggy. It’s okay; they never see anyone else, never acknowledge that someone else is in the store. A believer misses the opportunity to serve others or to speak or encourage with a word or smile.
Parents are caught up in conversation or their phone, or a ballgame and miss seeing what their child is doing or what they may be up to. The child speaks and the parents hears, but isn’t listening.
Christians sit in church “listening” during a service, all the while thinking of a hundred other things during the announcements or message. Afterwards there’s no memory of what was said or of the Lord speaking to their heart. They’re also out of the loop about what’s coming up on the church calendar.
Spouses don’t take time for one another to have an eyeball to eyeball conversation. They give “air kisses” as they part in the morning or return at the end of the day. They miss details of the other’s life because they’re zone out.

Okay, so we’ve all seen it and DONE IT! Right? I certainly have! What’s the remedy? How about following the principle Jim Elliott is quoted in saying,

Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt any situation you believe to be the will of God!

When you’re driving, put the phone down. Be a present driver!

When you’re at the store, keep your head and eyes up. Be a present shopper/witness!

When you’re with your children, listen to them. Inspect what you asked them to do. Have a consistent, watchful eye on them. Be a present parent!

While sitting in the church service, keep your notebook out. Write down the announcements the pertain to you! Write down any questions you may have if you didn’t understand the details. Take notes about what God is saying to you during the message. Be a present church member!

Be intentional about spending time with your spouse when you see one another. Greet him at the door. Mark out ten minutes just to talk with him about his day and things he needs to hear. Be a present wife!

Zoning out involves thinking about one person – ME. Tuning in involves everyone around me. Life is a greater blessing when we stay tuned in to others around us! Let’s tune in to others and zone out to self!

Are there other scenarios in which you find yourself zoning out?

With love,

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A Peek From My Porch

March 18, 2015March 16, 2015 RefreshHer4 Comments

Why Do Sheep Need A Shepherd

Shepherds are called to a life of caring for sheep.

Shepherds love their sheep.

Shepherds take responsibility for the sheep.

Sheep need a shepherd, I am told because they need protection, lest they become a predator’s dinner. They need a shepherd because they easily get lost and they need guidance to keep them on the right way. Sheep also need governing; otherwise they indulge in activities that could be self-destructive.

I am married to a shepherd. His title as pastor takes his responsibilities from simply attending church to shepherding the church This is a position not of his own choosing, but one chosen by a God who equipped Him and enables him each day to carry out the responsibilities of that call. He loves his call; he loves his sheep (the church). He could never do anything else but shepherd – not evangelism or church planting. You see this is where his heart is!

As the shepherds wife, I also love those sheep. Each one is precious to me, but I also love the shepherd-husband of mine, and I occasionally see the burden of his cares bearing down on his heart, and it causes me to cry out all the more for my him. Just this week I heard him say in prayer, “Lord, sometimes my responsibilities seem too great, but I know you will give strength.” What were those burdens? Too many services? No. Too many sermons to prepare and preach? No. It’s the burden of seeing many of his sheep wandering, nibbling on a little grass of the world over here. Some choose not to stay within the protection of the fold – the church. They are busy – family time, ball games, and company step in and replace the necessary time with the God’s flock. It’s the burden of their “bleating” – “I might not be here for services tonight – company’s coming.” “Little Suzie has a recital next Sunday and we hate to disappoint her.” “The competition at school is getting my daughter in so late, she won’t be in youth group Sunday morning.” “The family reunion falls on the Sunday this year so we won’t be here next week!”

Why would a pastor care? Because he has a shepherd’s heart. Remember the three reasons sheep need a shepherd? The shepherd sees the sheep becoming the dinner of the enemy. He knows the services, the preaching, the revival meeting, the planned activities will help protect them from the one who seeks to destroy. It will feed them the green grass they need to grow. It will guide them and keep them from harmful influences elsewhere. When the sheep are wandering, going here and there, I see the eyes of the pastor/shepherd looking across the congregation for them. I hear him calling their names as he weeps in prayer.

If you have a pastor who preaches the Word and it stings, remember that he is just echoing the Words of the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Who loves you even more! If your pastor reaches out to you with the staff to pull you back into the fold, don’t be a stubborn sheep; yield to his leading and follow his counsel.

Thank God for your pastor today and pray for the heavy burden he bears.

Thanks for letting me give you a peek into our windows!

With love,