Why Am I Not Seeing Growth In That Believer’s Life?

February 26, 2016February 25, 2016 RefreshHer4 Comments

That little blue card sitting by itself is more than a pretty little note card – it was probably one of the biggest blessings of my week last week! Let me explain…

The day before the arrival of that card, I’d had an email exchange with a friend in another state about a woman who had received Christ as her Savior this fall, but since then she’s not really desiring to come to church to grow. That news saddened my heart.

It also reminded me of another lady (and other people) who accept Christ, but then seem to fall away, or not really show fruits of their salvation. My husband and I chatted about it, stating our heavy hearts at these kinds of situations. “Did they really get saved?” “What’s wrong?”

The next morning in my quiet time, I talked to the Lord about it. I prayed for this dear lady to have a hunger for God’s Word and the fellowship of God’s people. I didn’t know it then, but my husband was also praying about this need in young believer’s lives.

Our mail comes fairly early in the day, so not long after praying my husband went out to check the box, and brought a note in to me. I read the card…and I wept. It was like getting a card of encouragement from God Himself with a hug tucked inside. Here’s part of the note that blessed my heart so much:

I was wondering if you remembered a lady named, ______________. She attended a ladies’ retreat at Boones Creek several years ago. I saw her today and she was speaking fondly of the retreat. If you remember, you gave her the plan of salvation and she claimed to have accepted Christ, but later said she had always known the Lord, so we wondered if she ever actually got saved. Today she said to me “After I got saved at church…” meaning the day of the retreat.

She attends a local Baptist church and is growing in the Lord. I thought you would like to know.

Oh, was she ever right! I did love finding out that this dear lady had indeed been saved, and was now growing faithfully! It was God’s loving nudge to me, saying, “Keep planting the seed and leave the results with me.”

“Yes, Lord, I will. You do all things well. This is your business. Help me to just obey!”

Can I just encourage you to learn from my lesson? Don’t get discouraged if someone you know has been saved but isn’t growing at the rate you’d like to see. God will do the sanctifying, just as He did the saving.

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Philippians 1:6

Keep sharing the Gospel and be refreshed as you refresh others!

Uncategorized

The Blessing of The Church

February 25, 2016February 24, 2016 RefreshHer2 Comments

After cooking up about eight pounds of ground beef (and getting a lovely facial in the process!), singing some old songs of the faith to a large group of homeless people, praying for their hearts to receive the message my husband preached to them, and then assembling about 100 Sloppy Joe’s, I found myself at home fixing lunch for myself and my husband.

As I worked in my kitchen, I thought back on the blessing of being a part of a church that has the heart to reach out once a month to the homeless. We get to serve them a hot meal and show them the love of Christ at The Melting Pot. Many of Jesus’ miracles and times of teaching were around a meal. I love that we get to do what Jesus did – to provide for their physical needs, and also give them the spiritual food that will benefit them for eternity!

What a blessing to be a part of a church that is willing to reach out, to get their hands dirty, to rub shoulders with people who aren’t like us, but who have the very same needs for the Gospel! A church that is healthy will share the Gospel to a lost world!

The night before we went to The Melting Pot, we had a fun ladies’ event at a painting studio. There were over 20 ladies, church members, and guests, alike, who gathered to follow directions and paint a picture together. None of us are Van Gogh’s , but we sure had fun brushing, dobbing and stroking paint onto canvases while we laughed, encouraged one another and bragged on our neighbor’s talents! A church that is healthy can laugh and fellowship together without the worry of not fitting in or not being good enough.

Last night I got to serve in our children’s ministry, Pioneer Clubs. There are about 30 adult workers – it’s incredible! Everyone has their own part in the ministry – activity leader, snack provider, Bible teacher, memory teacher and on and on. It takes all of us to get the accomplished results. It takes everyone using their particular gifts to make a ministry like this happen, and bring children to a closer walk with Christ. A healthy church will encourage each member to use their gifts for God’s glory.

Another blessing is my relationship to the pastor of my church – we’re pretty close. =) Being married to a pastor is a blessing. It doesn’t make the Christian life easier – we both have to pursue a relationship with the Lord every single day. But my life is full of up-close experiences in which I get to see God at work!

I get to hear what the Lord is doing in his heart in reference to his sermon preparation, his own prayer life, answers to prayer, and the work of God in the church ministries, which he oversees. My heart is so very grateful to be married to a pastor – a man who has given his whole life to the work of God in His Church. Why? Because a healthy church will have a pastor who is seeking God in his own personal life, and it will overflow onto the church body.

Here’s what God’s Word says about the pastor:

And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

I see his heart for the church. I hear him pray for his sheep, for the ministries that are taking place in the Church, and for those that are outside the Body of Christ, who need to be saved.

My heart is overflowing with thankfulness for the Body of Christ that assembles at Boones Creek – inside and outside the church building. I’m thankful I can be a part of such a place that serves the Lord and gives me opportunities to lay up treasures in heaven where moth and rust will not corrupt. I’m thankful for God’s gift of the Church.

Are you a part of a fundamental, Bible preaching church? Are you active? Are you using your gifts? Are you given opportunities to serve? Are you hearing the Word? If so, be sure to thank the Lord and your pastor; it’s truly a gift!
If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” I challenge you to find a place like I have described. You’ll soon find the blessing like I have described as part of your life as well!

Lovingly,

Marriage

Marriage Matters in February

February 24, 2016February 23, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

Marriage matters! We talk about it a lot here on my blog. It matters because it matters to our God! If Christians don’t stand up and defend, first their own marriage, then the biblical view of marriage, then we have no right to complain when the state votes against it!

I love highlighting biblical marriages here. I love showing what a healthy marriage should look like. Note that I did not say a Perfect marriage, for none exist. But if you and I value marriage as God does, then we need to be putting intentional thought into time with our spouse, intentional effort into respecting our husband with our words and actions, and intentional effort into keeping the love fresh and vibrant!

That’s why I’m encouraging my readers to Instagram pictures of ways they are showing Marriage matters to them. There have been some great posts this month. For whatever reason I’m not able to move those posts from Instagram to my blog, so I’ll share what I can visually, then tell you about a few highlights so you’ll have some great ideas of ways to make the most of your marriage!

The picture below was from my friend, Angie. She found a recipe for Super Bowl snacking that she was pretty sure her husband would love. She said how much it meant to him that she would plan a special food just for him!
Another friend made a coconut pudding for her husband that he loves, but she dislikes. How thoughtful!
Do you know what your husband loves? Do you make an effort to please him – even if it’s something you might not enjoy? That’s a rebuke to me, because it’s easier to make things I like, or that we both enjoy. I need to do better at that!

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Whitney shared about the importance of getting fixed up each day – even if it’s a day she and her husband are sharing together at home. Putting on make-up and fixing her hair for him shows that he’s important to her! It’s easy to be a little sloppy if we’re not going out, but what a message it gives if we look sharp just for our husband! That is a great tip from a young wife!
Another friend bought a special seasonal treat of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups in the form of an egg for her hubby. What’s your husband’s favorite candy bar? What does bringing home a treat while we’re out say to our husband? “I was thinking of you in the middle of a busy day!” This is a great way to show your priority of loving your husband over your children…bring him a treat in secret. The children don’t have to have one every time you spoil him!
My friend, Kellie, plays the piano for her church. Her choice of an offertory was especially for her husband who loves the song, Victory in Jesus. So in the middle of a church service, her piano playing was in essence, playing a melody of love to him! It’s a little wink, a nod to him, saying, “I knew you would love to hear this song!” How sweet!
Something that my husband did for me last week was to send me a text (while we were both home!) to say, “I need someone to watch Fixer Upper with me. How about sharing some popcorn, too?” This is a show we both love to watch together, and it was fun to turn it into a special time as we dug into the popcorn bowl and laughed at all Chip’s antics together!

Again, whether or not you post your picture, I pray that these posts will remind you of the importance of being intentional (have I said that word enough today? Ha.) about pouring effort, love, words, and actions into your marriage. It really does matter.

With love,

Parenting

Why You Shouldn’t Be Your Child’s Buddy

February 23, 2016February 23, 2016 RefreshHer2 Comments

For those of you that came over to see the marriage matters recap, please check back tomorrow! My bad!

Working with first and second graders in our church’s Wednesday night ministry is so much fun! At this age, most children love you simply because you’re spending time with them, and because you’re letting them know they’re important to you.

This is true at home, too. When children are young they adore their parents. Little girls want to marry their daddy and sons admire their parents like super-heroes. But as the years pass, sometimes those warm, fuzzy feelings fade for a while (even years).

It happens when parents begin the tough teaching that comes with being the parents. Godly Parents step up and point the child to their sinful heart’s tendencies, their need to be disciplined and the friction can begin. Why? Because a child wants their own way. The result is often an attitude and a desire on the child’s part to distance themselves from their parent. Parents that want to be “liked” by their child will cave in at this point. But there are dangers in doing so.

Here are three reasons you should never be your young child’s buddy:

It’s not God’s plan. Someone needs to be the authority, and God has given that responsibility to you. Anything with no head is dead. If your home has no one who is the head, your home life will be dead; lacking spiritual life. God’s plan for authority begins with putting Him first, then the husband, the wife, and the children, and each obeys the authority over them – that’s how He intends for it to be, and that’s what works! Why do we think our idea would be better? How can a child learn to obey God if they don’t have to obey Mom or Dad? If they learn how to play their parents, they’ll think they can do the same with God’s will. Our ways are not God’s ways, and your child’s ways are not your ways. Teach them to come under the umbrella of authority.
You’re not training your child to leave home. This is also God’s plan. When you are your child’s buddy, you’re making them dependent on you. Each year at home should be a training ground for being ready to launch out to do whatever God would direct them to do. They should be learning the skills necessary to step out and obey the Lord. Cleaning their room, sorting laundry, washing dishes, loading the dishwasher, ironing their clothes, preparing a simple meal – all these things and more can be learned by the time they are twelve or thirteen.
This is not the season for friendship with your child, but you don’t have to despair! It can happen that you spend free time as friends, laughing and chatting away the time with your child – but it comes when they’re a young adult, on their own, and living independently of you ( of course you can laugh and have fun while they’re home – just not like you do with friends!). When it happens in that season, you will be so thankful that you waited for this friendship to be born. It will come with a respect for all that you taught them when they were growing up. It happens as a result of your example as an adult who was mature enough and loved them enough to discipline them and help them become a responsible, godly adult.

Proverbs 31 has a sweet promise – “She shall rejoice in time to come.” It will happen in a different season than you are in now. Your child might not like you at the moment, but that’s okay. You’re the adult who knows what is down the road – a relationship that will be worth waiting for “in the right time!”

Lovingly,

Lunch

Make Soup with Leftover Mashed Potatoes!

February 22, 2016February 20, 2016 RefreshHer4 Comments

potato Soup.jpg

They say that “Necessity is the mother of invention,” and such was the case with the Potato Soup I made last week! I had a LOT of leftover mashed potatoes that I wanted to use up, and the first thing that came to my mind was soup! I have a couple of Potato soup recipes that we love, but when you have red-skinned potatoes that are perfectly cooked, mashed and ready for use, it’s a sure-fire ingredient for a delicious soup and also a 30-Minute meal! Here’s how I made it:

3 Cups Leftover mashed potatoes (I used red-skinned potatoes with the skins on)
1/2 C Onion, diced
2 Tbl Butter
2 Cups Chicken broth
1/4 Cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 Cup Grated cheddar Cheese
1/2 Cup light Sour cream
Crumbled Bacon bits
Chopped Green onions

In saucepan, melt butter. Saute’ onions until soft. Add chicken stock and milk. Blend in mashed potatoes and stir until smooth. If it seems too thick, add more broth. If it’s too thin, add more potatoes. Add seasonings. Add cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat, add sour cream and stir until blended. Heat on stove just until warmed.

Spoon into bowls and top with bacon bits and green onions.

potato Soup

I don’t know about you, but I often get stumped about what to fix for lunch. This was a great entree for noon, and really took only a little more time than stirring water into a can of soup! I’m certain it was far better!

The next time you have extra mashed potatoes, don’t toss them – try this recipe instead! It’s so creamy and delicious you’ll want to make again again!

With love from my country kitchen,