How Can I Praise During Trials?

October 19, 2016October 18, 2016 RefreshHer8 Comments

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You bump into a friend you haven’t seen in a long time while your’re out getting groceries and you know the question that is coming your way…

How are you doing?

If you say, “Fine!” you know you’ll be lying, but you just read Scripture that says that everything that has breath should praise the Lord!

You may be wondering:

How can I give praise to God during trials?

Let’s look at Scripture for our answer.

In Psalm 61, David begins with crying and sorrow. Then he points his heart towards His Rock. He doesn’t just dwell on the sorrow, he looks to the One who can help. Then he ends this short psalm with praise to the Lord. He says, “You, oh God heard my vows and have given me a godly heritage! So will I sing praise unto thy name forever that I may daily perform my vow.

By the end of the psalm it almost seems that he’s forgotten his sorrow, and so do his readers! What a great example.

An example from the New Testament is Paul in II Corinthians 12:7-10. He tells about the “messenger from Satan” that was given to buffet him, lest he should be exalted. He was given some physical issue that was troublesome. He prayed three times that God would remove it, but God told Paul that his grace would be sufficient to bear it. Now how does he respond? He doesn’t complain or criticize God. Instead he says,

Most gladly will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest on me.

He points to the sufficiency of his God!

So you and I, when going through hardship, can indeed share the difficulty to someone who asks, but we must quickly then shift the focus off ourselves onto Christ.

I have a special lady in my life who has endured suffering for about six years now. She was so active before her illness took her down! Now she is pretty much confined to home, yet when anyone visits with her, she never dwells on her physical limitations! Instead she pulls out her journal and begins to share all the things God has recently taught her while she’s been still! You cannot be in her presence without knowing that she loves the Lord! There’s no denying she’s suffering, but her focus is on the goodness of her God in the midst of her trouble.

She is like the psalmist who said in Psalm 119:71 –

It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes.

He shared that he had an afflictions, but that he’d learned from God’s Word!

So, my friend, here is the question and my answer:

How can I share my burden and still give praise to God?

Share the burden or trial, but then on its heels,

tell what God has done for you during this time,

or how He has ministered to you, provided for you,

or what He has taught you through your trial.

That is giving praise to God!

Follow that example, and you’ll be honest, but also obeying Psalm 150:6!

So…How are you today? I’d love to hear!

Keep praising,

Praise More!

October 18, 2016October 18, 2016 RefreshHer1 Comment

Recently while my husband was out running, he received a phone call that he had to take. Slowing his pace to a walk, he hit the “answer” button, then proceeded to explain to the caller the reason for his hard breathing. The caller said, “I knew you were running the second you answered; I heard it in your breath!”

As he relayed that story to me, I wondered, “what do people hear when I speak?”

Psalm 150:6 says,

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!”

When I pick up the phone and talk to my husband, does he hear praise to the Lord coming from my lips?

When I talk to my children, are they hearing praise?

What does the cashier,

the waitress, or

my neighbor hear when I speak?

Is my breath consistently praising the Lord?

No, not always. Sometimes those I speak to hear criticism, worry, fear or complaint instead. I was convicted.

The God Who created you and me gives us every breath we breathe. Why do we not use that breath to praise Him? I’ve come to this conclusion –

I need to praise more and criticize less.
I must bless the Lord more and complain less.
I have to praise more and worry less.

How would you fill in this blank?

I need to praise more and _______________ less.

Now, turn that phrase into a prayer.

“Lord, thank you for every breath you give me. Help me to praise you more and _______ less!”

What could you praise the Lord for today?

With praise to my God,

dinner in 30 minutes · Main dish.

Did Someone Say Shrimp Sauce?

October 17, 2016October 16, 2016 RefreshHer2 Comments

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During our recent sabbatical, my husband and I were blessed with the opportunity to eat out quite a bit, thanks to the gracious gifts of our church family. One evening we ventured out to a local Asian restaurant that we hadn’t been to in a very long time. The meal we ordered was a mixed meat grilled on a hibachi and served with a side of Shrimp sauce. The meat was great. The vegetables were flavorful, but the shrimp sauce was OUT OF THIS WORLD! We ~~doused~~ added it to every bite!

Last week when I was making beef stir fry at home, the memory of that glorious sauce popped into my head and I Googled it in search of a recipe. I was shocked at the simple ingredients that are used to make the sauce. I had every ingredient on hand! This meal was so good, and it made me happy to be whipping it up in my own kitchen!

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Let me share with you the way I make my stir-fry and then I’ll add the simple recipe for the shrimp sauce.

Stir Fry
½ lb. your choice of meat – chicken, beef or shrimp
2 Tbl. Oil

In a wok, stir fry the meat until it Is cooked through. Remove meat and cover to keep warm. Add a little more oil to the wok and cook vegetables of your choice, starting with the vegetables that take longer to cook, then adding the other vegetables a bit later. The list below is the order I add my vegetables.

Zucchini
Red, green or yellow peppers – I like to ad a variety of these
Snow peas
Onion
Stir fry until crisp-tender.
In a small bowl, mix:
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbl. Corn starch.
2 Tbl. Soy sauce

Add this mixture to the vegetables and stir to thicken. Add meat and stir to cover with the sauce.
Serve with Shrimp sauce.

Shrimp Sauce
1 Cup Mayo – I used reduced fat
¼ cup ketchup
1 tbl sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Dash of hot sauce

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. If you can make it an hour ahead and refrigerate it, the flavors will combine even better. I served mine immediately and it was still delicious, so don’t let that hinder you!

We won’t have stir-fry in the future without this sauce, I can promise you! This is great with any Asian food, so whip this up and dunk away!

If you could recreate any restaurant food you’ve had, what would it be?

With love from my country kitchen,

baking · Dinner · home · Home Landscaping · Main entree · Outside decor

Friday Favorites – Fall and Food!

October 14, 2016October 14, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

With fall’s arrival bringing cooler temps and glorious days, I’ve had some incredible views this week. Between the countryside where we live and a visit to a nearby lake, it’s been gorgeous all around me, as you’ll see in the pictures below.

I had some young bakers in the kitchen with me this week. They made sugar cookies in the shapes of leaves and pumpkins. It was as much fun making them as it was eating them!

Also in the pictures below you’ll see my morning Quiet Time place. I love its comfort and soft lights in the early morning. Liza found a comfy spot, too!

The bottom left picture is dinner at our daughter and son-in-law’s home on Sunday. It’s a special joy to have family living here so that we can enjoy church and a meal after! I truly never anticipated living near either of my girls. I just want them to go where God takes them and their husband, but for now our youngest daugher and her husband are here and we’re enjoying it for as long as God will allow. It’s a special treat to have an invitation for Sunday dinner! Both of my girls are great cooks and like to try new recipes. The meal we had last weekend was a new oone she was trying, and it was really yummy!

The other picture was Katie Brown Chicken that I made for my neighbor who had surgery. I love making this to take to people. It’s easy to put together, and it’s a comfort kind of food that’s also good for you!

The pictures below are all from my yard. Fall allows the roses to bloom again without the threat of the beetles! I’m enjoying their beauty!

In the early morning the view out the front windows is breathtaking. There are the cows, the hills, and the mountains with the sun peeking up and bringing with it a fresh, new day!

When I come back in from my morning walk, I love the view of the front porch. The rockers got a fresh coat of paint this week, making them even more inviting to sit and enjoy the views!

How has your fall started out? Have you made any comfort foods or seen anything beautiful in your area?

I pray you’ll have a great weekend. We have a fun activity planned – I can’t wait to participate in it, then share the pictures with you next Friday!

Find a place where you can hear God’s Word being preached and be faithful to go AND to participate in worship this weekend!

Stay refreshed,

home

The Frenzied Result of Living with No Schedule

October 13, 2016October 12, 2016 RefreshHer1 Comment

Earlier this week I wrote about the need to schedule unscheduled time. Today I want to balance the scales. “Crazy” lives can also be a result of little or no planning whatsoever. Women who don’t do the hard work of planning will waste great amounts of energy and time trying to catch up.

We all have “blitz” moments when we’ve lost something, but are you one of those women who regularly feel like you’re on a merry-go-round that’s spinning at 90 miles an hour? Let’s start with some questions. Do you:

Regularly oversleep in the morning because you’re exhausted?
Attend Bible study, Sunday school or work meetings unprepared?
Lose your keys, purse or phone regularly?
Start a Bible reading plan, but then ditch it because you got so behind?
Commit to helping at church, your child’s school or other programs but quit before your time is up?
Make supper plans at the last minute that result in having to run to the store or going out to eat?
Make promises you don’t keep?
Show up late to most scheduled activities?

If the answer to most of these questions is “yes,” it’s very likely because you need a refresher course in planning.

Psalm 90:12 tells us to

“Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”

When we really see how short our days on this earth are, we’ll plan and prioritize our time so we’ll live out our life to the fullest, and that comes through careful planning. Planning and scheduling really frees you up to be able to wisely accomplish the most important tasks in an efficient way.

Here are ten things to help get an unscheduled, disorganized person back on track:

Plan to do what is most important first. Prayer and Matthew 6:33 is a great place to start. Write out your list and number according to their priority after you have prayed about your day, asking the Lord to guide you.
Multi-task. While you’re having your morning Bible reading, have a load of laundry in the washer or start the dishwasher. While the iron is heating up, fold the laundry in the dryer. While you’re unloading the dishwasher, meditate on a verse you’re memorizing. While you exercise, listen to a podcast of preaching or exhortation.
Keep a running list on the calendar of all events for the day.
1. Put them on your daily planner.
2. Schedule to leave for any event 15 minutes before the normal time to allow for traffic or accidents.
Keep your menu near the “to-do” list and prep ahead as much as possible.
Delay Social media or Internet until all the prioritized list is finished.
Try to go to bed earlier than normal so you can be rested. (We started this on sabbatical and it has stuck!)
Have a designated place for keys, phone and purse.
Make everyone in your house prep their outfits the night before (you, too!). They should have everything out – underclothes, attire, and both shoes. Back packs, brief cases, or Bibles should be near the door where you’ll exit.
Prep breakfast the night before.
Now you can schedule a day to be unscheduled!

Let’s not huff and puff our lives away because of a lack of planning. Proverbs reminds us that a prudent women foresees evil and hides herself. That just means she looks ahead and anticipates what is coming and prepares for it.

Let’s be prudent and plan with wisdom so we’ll be free rather than frenzied!

P.S. Come Home for Comfort wrote an excellent post about planning ahead with some links to other posts on the same topic. You can read it here.