Find refreshment for your heart, home and life
Meals can get boring if you don’t change things up a bit. I’ve found it’s all about The Sides! If you make your famous meatloaf or pork loin and just add a couple of different sides to along with it, it turns it into a brand new meal!
I love salads of all kinds, and a Spinach Salad is right up there with my favorites! I love this old standard, Continue reading “Spinach Salad With a Twist”
I go to clean the shower and find his bottles of shampoo and body wash with lids open like soldiers saluting their Sargent. It’s a tiny pet peeve that he knows nothing about. I snap the lids in place.
There are whiskers in the bathroom sink…again.
Running on empty is not a good thing.
Years ago when I was single, I was driving in town and all of the sudden my car sputtered, coughed, and then STOPPED.
I know nothing about cars, so I had no idea what the problem could be, but I assumed I had engine trouble.
I was teaching at a Christian school far away from my parents, so I called my pastor and told him my car was dead and I needed help. He came to my rescue and the first question he asked was,
“Do you have gas in your tank?”
“Oh yes, I have gas,” I replied.
My dad always said he doesn’t feel sorry for anyone who runs out of gas because you can see if you need to fill up! I tried to live by the good principle of keeping the tank full, and was sure that I hadn’t stooped to this negligent nature of not watching how empty my tank really was!
So, after my pastor did all the checking he could on the engine, he decided to look at the gas tank level. It was on empty. I can still remember the embarrassment I felt. No matter how much I said the tank had gas, the truth was eventually revealed.
Empty is never good. Think about it…
Proverbs 20:6
Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness:
but a faithful man who can find?
Proclaiming our own goodness is using empty words. They come from the person who says they’re full, but they’re running on empty.
If we’re honest, we all run on “empty” from time to time. The encouragement here in this Proverb is not to say you’re full, when you’re really not. We must be honest and admit the need. When we confess the need we call it what God calls it – this is repenting and turning from our own way. Then we open our arms and embrace God’s way instead. We allow Him to fill us and enable us to be faithful. You can keep your “tank” filled by reading His Word and talking with Him. Keep short accounts of your sin. Obey whatever He tells you to do. Your heart will be filled with His joy and His life!
Let’s not be like foolish I was, running on empty and thinking I could boast about being full. Let’s admit our emptiness and allow the Lord to sweetly come to our rescue!
The emptiness you feel can only be met in Christ. If He is already your Savior, tell Him your need and your heart’s longing. He promises to fill us with His presence and peace. If you’ve never trusted in Him to be your Savior for your sin, tell Him you want to have a relationship with Him, that you know you’re a sinner and need Him to save you.
Rather than boasting while on empty, let’s stay faithful and full!
It’s not right to find great products or ideas and not share, so today I’m going to show you a few things that I’m loving!
Southerners like their sweet tea! I don’t drink it at every meal, or even every day, but when I enjoy a glass, I LOVE this Lipton Southern Sweet Tea.
It’s sweetened in the the tea bag with Sucralose, an artificial sweetener. It is absolutely delicious and it takes the guess work out of how much sweetener or sugar to add to the tea. There’s no aftertaste with this sweetener and I love that I’m not adding additional calories. This is a great southern tea!!
Working at the bar counter in the kitchen can make the floors messy AND make my back ache. I recently found this long padded rug.
Any crumbs that fall on it don’t show up like they do on the hardwood. Cleaning this rug is so easy – a Swiffer and a mop over top and it’s done! The padding is perfect and has really helped my back. I paid $30 for it at TJ Maxx. I went back looking for another one and they were snatched up. I’d love to have another one like this in front of the sink. I love the pattern, too; it’s a pretty addition to the kitchen!
I love making seasonal drawings on my kitchen chalkboard. Being a hot and cold tea lover, I thought this one was perfect:
Here’s one in the living room:
You can see a couple other new favorites here on my recently uploaded video. There’s also an update on my Craft/Guest Room!
Is there something new you’ve recently found that you’re loving?
I am really good at staying busy. Are you? It’s to the point that if my family sees me just sitting on the couch they ask if I’m feeling sick. I’m not proud of that; it’s just true. But I’m learning to rest. God knew I needed it and He provided Sunday for our day to lay aside the normal activities and focus on worship and rest.
While Sunday is probably one of our busiest days because of being in the ministry, I have learned a few things that really help the day to be more worshipful and restful.
I’m writing this at the beginning of the week so you can consider your Day of Rest that’s coming this weekend. How will you plan to use it wisely to make it all God wants it to be? I realize that work schedules make it difficult, but your day should prepare your heart for worship, and then have you ready for the busy week ahead. Perhaps one reason we’re running ragged is because we’re not utilizing this day as God intended.
Six days may work be done;
but on the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD:
Rest. Worship. We all need it. Why not make plans for them both this Lord’s Day?
RefreshHer 