Before we moved into our house, we used to sit in the driveway and dream about the day when we could move in and begin to make this house a home. A month and a half ago,
this is what the front porch looked like…
Now, thanks to some folks in a couple Sunday school classes at our church, we have two lovely rocking chairs to sit in and enjoy the view from the porch!
On Monday morning, though it was cool, I took my Bible out there
and enjoyed the quiet of the morning while rocking. I read my devotions while watching the fog in the field across the street lift like a sleeping child waking from his slumber.
It was wonderfully quiet and peaceful.
This is what we had dreamed about doing before we’d moved in! Now it is a sweet reality.
Do you ever daydream about heaven? Do you think about what it will be like to sit at Jesus’ feet and worship Him, talk with Him, and spend eternity with Him? One day that will be a reality for those that have received Christ as their Savior. It could happen today – in a moment. It will be far better than sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch – but it will be just as real! So park your thoughts in the driveway of heaven and keep on dreaming and living for that Day! One Day it will be actuality – it will be Home! Jesus is coming soon!
If you have questions about heaven and wonder what it will be like or what we’ll do, I would highly recommend Randy Alcorn’s book simply entitled, Heaven. What do you think about most in reference to being in heaven? Pastor’s Encouragement: Pray that your pastor will not give in to discouragement but will deal with inevitable criticism and conflict by committing himself into the hands of God, who judges righteously. Husband’s Encouragement: Remember, “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8). Present your husband before others today in a strong, positive manner. Slip in a good word for your spouse. Resist the urge to correct or belittle him in front of others. With love from my country porch,
My new house has lovely carpet upstairs. It’s soft. It’s comfy. It’s inviting. When you vacuum it, you can see the lines where the vacuum was. It looks neat and clean – until it’s been walked on all day. Then it needs vacuuming again.
That is NOT a complaint. It’s a fact. That’s how all work is. You do it today and it needs to be done again tomorrow. It’s the same way with making the bed, washing the windows, ironing the clothes, or cleaning the bathroom sink. But what a sweet sense of accomplishment to sit down and see the lines left in the carpet from the freshly vacuumed floor, or the sparkle of the clean windows, or the bed all in order with each pillow lined up and in their rightful places.
What is your attitude towards work? Proverbs 13:19 tells us that “Desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.” Work should be sweet to us! How do you respond to a basket full of laundry staring at you? What comes from your lips on Monday morning when you’re headed to your job? With what kind of attitude do you fix a meal, change a diaper, sell a computer, sew on a button, type up a power point, or wash a dirty car? Work is not a four-letter word. To be able to work is truly a gift from our God, who values work. To have the strength and ability to go hard after a job and see it to completion is a blessing. If you struggle with that, can I encourage you to make it a matter of prayer? Ask the Lord to give you the right heart about the work that fills your days. He will.
Another reason to have a right attitude about work is our children. If we expect them to be hard, happy workers, we must set the example to do heartily whatever our hands find to do. We should teach them exactly what we want them to do and then expect them to finish the job – to clear the table, wipe the table, sweep up the crumbs, shake out the place mat or tablecloth, and replace the centerpiece. Make sure they see the whole job all the way through before exiting the kitchen. Don’t jump in and do it for them. Make them finish the task until it’s completed.
You will be doing yourself and your child a favor by teaching them hard work ethics. Not only will they be a blessing in your home, but they will grow up to be hard workers for the Lord, wherever He should call them. They will learn that work is sweet when they watch and listen to you. So smile! The laundry in the hamper is awaiting your attention again. =)
What do you do to have a right attitude about your work?
Pastor’s Encouragement: Pray for a fresh divine anointing on your pastor’s ministry. Pray that God’s working will be powerfully evident both in his personal life and in the spiritual life of the congregation. Husband’s Encouragement: If we are living in light of eternity, everything we think, do, or say is seen from an eternal perspective. Only two things will go into eternity—the Word of God and people. Be sure that you are focusing on the right things.
Does your husband have an eternal perspective that allows him to reject materialism and temporal values? Express your gratefulness for his value system, and praise him for putting eternal things before riches and other things of this world.
If this is a problem area for him, consider how you might alter your own value system and live for eternity in front of him, encouraging him to do the same. We will someday give an account for our failure to speak words of love and encouragement. Determine today that your words will be sweet and helpful, encouraging your husband to live for God’s Kingdom.
Welcome to the country! We have always loved coming home for a meal – country or not. There’s nothing better than coming home to the smell of dinner cooking and enjoying it in the setting of your own home! Even if it’s something as simple as Barbecued Chicken in the crock pot, when you serve it to people you love in an inviting setting, you will be touching hearts, as well as stomachs!
We are enjoying having Alli and her fiance’, Andrew here on the weekends as Andrew comes to intern at our church! My husband told them the only reason they were excited abut coming was due to the food. I’m not sure about that, but I love it when they get excited about what we’re having for dinner!
The cute couple (and a little look into my dining area!). Alli, the author of The Cheerful Closet,
will gasp when she sees I’ve posted this picture of her after she’d changed out of her
adorable Sunday outfit! Oh well, that’as the risk you take when your mother is also a blogger! =)
Barbecued chicken was indeed on our menu, but also a little twist on a potato recipe that I found on Pioneer Woman’s blog. These are Red potatoes that are boiled, then popped into a hot oven to crisp up. They are fantastic! I realized they’re also a good choice for a fast Sunday potato. I boiled them before going to church, then did the second half of the prep when I got home.
Here’s what we had yesterday:
Barbecued Chicken
Hot Crash Potatoes
Corn Saute’
French Bread
Caramel Banana Pound Cake
To do the chicken in my crock pot, I placed the chicken in the bottom then poured barbecue sauce over top. I also add about 1/2 cup of water. I put it on low so it wouldn’t dry out. Mine cooked for about four hours. My crock pot cooks a bit fast, so you may need to adjust the time for yours.
For the Smash potatoes, boil red skinned potatoes in water until fork tender. Place on a baking sheet and smash them down a little flat.
Hot Crash Potatoes
Place them on a baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper them. I added some salt/garlic/rosemary blend I had. Add whatever herbs you like. Place them in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until crispy. Sprinkle with parsley.
This is a simple, but super yummy ending to a meal…
Ingles had pound cake buy one, get one free last week, so I chose a dessert to use that yummy baked- ahead cake. This is a dessert that you just assemble! Place pound cake on a dessert plate, then layer with sliced bananas. Drizzle with warm caramel sauce (I made one up last week, but you could just buy an ice cream topping) and top with whipped cream.
Caramel Sauce:
½ Cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup evaporated milk
In saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk. Add vanilla and milk. Cook for a few minutes until it thickens a bit. Refrigerate leftovers.
Pastor Encouragement – Pray that your pastor will use wise time management and that he will seek God’s perspective for his schedule, guarding his time against unnecessary interruptions.
Husband Encouragement: Is your husband a forgiving man? Does he keep short accounts of your problems? Express your thankfulness for such a man. Does your husband seem to harbor grudges against you? If so, could there be things you need to change? Do you possibly need to ask forgiveness for an offense?
No matter how your husband handles his heart, you are called to freedom from bitter roots. Take time today to dig them out and remove what’s contaminating your relationship with your husband and with the Lord.
What was on your menu this weekend?
Is anyone giving out encouragement? Are you seeing fruits from it?
To freshen up your Friday, how about refreshment for your home and your wardrobe? My girls have both recently started blogs concerning these subjects!
Whitney’s is about comforts at home. She posted yesterday about creating an inviting front door. It’s true that sometimes people can be confused about which door they should come to when they arrive at your house. Whitney had some good suggestions about your front door making a little announcement that will help guests know where to enter. Check out her good ideas and pretty pictures.
Dressing is an area of life that can be a chore and a bore. We get into a rut of wearing the same pieces with the same other pieces in the same old way. Can you relate? Alli is writing a blog about creating a Cheerful Closet! Now, who wouldn’t welcome that?! She has some great suggestions about accessories, and also adding items to your wardrobe on a budget.
Could I encourage you about one other area of refreshment? It’s called hospitality. Think back to the last time you had folks over (other than family members) for a time of fellowship. Maybe it was recently; if so, I applaud you! If it’s been a while, can I remind you about what a blessing it is to invite people in for fun, food, and fellowship? It’s great!
Fall is an easy time to plan a simple entertaining menu and have folks over. Fry up canned biscuits in oil, then toss in granulated sugar and you’ll have a doughnut that is worth licking your fingers to finish! Pull out the Uno cards (after everyone has washed the sugar off their hands) and laugh and enjoy some great fun. Keep it simple and everyone will want to come again. The point is, you don’t need a beautiful home that’s magazine-worthy. You just need a simple menu and a heart for others. Obey the command to show hospitality. You’ll be refreshed as you refresh others!
If you need a great recipe for a fall dessert, I have a perfect tasting and perfectly simple one for you:
Pumpkin Crunch Cake Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups white sugar 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon salt 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix 1 cup chopped pecans 1 cup margarine, melted, (I reduced this to 1/2 cup and it was great) 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9×13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix well, and spread into the prepared pan. Sprinkle cake mix over the top of the pumpkin mixture, and pat down. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over the cake mix, then drizzle with melted margarine. Bake for 60 to 80 minutes, ( I baked mine about 40 -45 minutes!) or until done. Top with whipped topping when ready to serve.
Now for some encouragement you can serve up…
Pastor Encouragement: Pray that your pastor will be a man of worship and prayer, and that he will lead by example – teaching the congregation how to walk in a close relationship with the Father.
Husband Encouragement: When you look at your husband, what do you see? Strong arms? Hairy chest? Firm hands? Big feet? Rugged chin? Wide shoulders? Compassionate eyes? Broad smile? Whatever his physical size, shape, or characteristics may be, the way you see him has a profound affect. Almost nothing is as devastating to a man as the belief that his wife finds him repulsive. Sadly, many women unwisely criticize their husbands’ bodies.
Have you ever considered how wonderfully God designed men and women? No matter how a man looks—by the standards of the world — a loving God designed them all, and they are all beautiful in His sight. Encourage your husband today by praising his uniqueness.
As you look over your husband’s body, from the tip of his toes to his bald or bushy head, thank God that your husband is “wonderfully made,” then admire your husband verbally.
“Hi! How are you?” That is a customary greeting in our country, but one that is probably abused. Last Sunday in my husband’s sermon, he gave a great challenge: Instead of asking someone how they’re doing, why not ask them instead, “How have you seen God’s grace in your life today?” I love that!
Paul often started his epistles out talking about God’s grace. We read in Philippians 1:2 –
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you are saved, you experience God’s grace every single day! Grace is what God does for me that I don’t deserve on the basis of the cross.
You are witness of His forgiveness! That’s grace!
You are the recipient of His love! That’s grace!
You have the promise of heaven! That’s grace!
You have access to His throne through prayer! That’s grace!
You witness answered prayers! That’s grace!
You have all your needs met! That’s grace!
You have 66 books to learn the depth of the riches of His love! That’s grace!
You have His wisdom! That’s grace!
You have been given a spiritual gift! That’s grace!
We could go on and on and on. Everything you and I have and enjoy is all of His grace. We don’t deserve it. That will give us LOTS to share with someone else if they ask. Why not ponder for a minute all the ways you’ve witnessed God’s grace in your life just today, then when someone asks you how you’re doing, share one or two on your “grace list.” We are blessed and need to acknowledge the Giver by telling others of His goodness.
If you have not accepted God’s grace gift of salvation through His Son, He is waiting to pour His love and grace to you if you will only ask! “For whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord, will be saved.” Romans 10:13
How have YOU seen God’s grace today? I’d love to hear!
Show grace by sharing encouragement…here’s how:
Pastor’s Encouragement: Pray that your pastor will be a “Great Commission man” – committed to personal evangelism and the equipping of the saints to seek the lost. Pray that he will have a heart to develop a thriving missions program in the church.
Husband’s Encouragement: Let me ask you a question: Do you have fun with your husband? Life is full of serious things—decisions to make, tasks to complete, work to do . . . and it can take all the joy out of our relationships. Are most conversations with your husband serious and task-centered? That’s a sure recipe for concocting a negative and critical spirit toward him. Instead of speaking negatively to your husband today, enjoy him! Encourage him! As you experience fullness of joy with God, share some of that joy with your husband.
Does your husband have a playful side? A great sense of humor? Is there a “little boy” that wants to escape from time to time, reflecting the joy in his heart? This is a wonderful part of who he is and a great strength. Let him know that you appreciate his joyfulness and his playful spirit. Find opportunities to join him in positive play times.
If your husband can sometimes be overly serious, coax him out occasionally for some play times. It will help him relieve stress and relax.
No matter which one of you leans toward the serious side, fun is needed to infuse joy into your relationship.
RefreshHer 