Prayer

An Uncluttered Heart

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Usually in every marriage there is a pitcher and a saver; a thrower-outer and a keeper; a sober minded and a sentimental heart. I am the first in the list! I have a sentimental heart, but I also realize that I have a memory to recall that precious object to mind. I can take a picture and be just as happy with it as the real thing!

In my desire to unclutter my life and my house, I gave a heavy sigh at supper one night this week and said, “I wish I had a huge dumpster in the backyard so I could just throw a bunch of stuff away.” My husband shocked me with his reply: “The trailer is backed up to the basement door, you can put things in there and I’ll take it to the dump for you.” Shock, disbelief and utter amazement ran through my mind. Did my husband, the saver, the keeper, the sentiment really just say that? I lifted his right hand and said, “Repeat after me. I promise I won’t recapture anything my wife throws away.” (He said he had his toes crossed!) Oh well, I will definitely take him up on this offer. My basement – whole house for that matter – is going to get a combing through! What I don’t use is either getting set aside for my upcoming yard sale or it’s getting tossed into the trailer! I’ll keep you updated on my progress!

The very same day that this conversation occurred, I had also mentioned to my husband how wonderful it was to go to prayer that day. I had many burdens on my heart when I awoke and really felt heavy laden with all the cares. Ministry friends, my mom who’s dealing with a debilitating pain, my daughters, a friend who’s very sick…on and on the list went. I cried out to the Lord in my quiet time thanking Him that He was there to unload my burdens and carry them for me.

When I thought about throwing all my “stuff” into the trailer my mind went immediately to my prayer time. I had done the very same thing with my cares – I had tossed them out of my cluttered mind and heart and given them over to the Lord. And just as I made my husband promise not to reclaim anything that got tossed, it would be my responsibility to “raise my hand” and promise not to go retrieve them. Those needs must stay in the Lord’s hands for He alone can answer. He is the only One able to provide, intervene or sustain.

Oh, the blessing that comes to my life when I unclutter “stuff.” Far greater still is the blessing I receive when I unclutter my burdens in prayer every day. The Lord is always there at the door ready to receive it all and take it from me and do what only an almighty God can do!

Have you thrown your cares to Him today? He’s waiting to take them!

Under His feathers,

Uncategorized

Word to the Wise Wednesday

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Ever wish someone would snatch you away and give you a makeover? I got an email from Real Simple and you can get a virtual makeover on their website! It’s very easy (and quite entertaining!). Go here if you’re interested in seeing yourself with a new style!

Keep this in mind though:

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

I just learned something new this week – did you know you can freeze egg whites? I hate throwing the whites away when I’m making something that requires only a yolk, so I’m excited to try this! For instructions on how to freeze the whites go to this web site – Freezing egg whites.

Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. Proverbs 14:1

I’m the world’s worst at mucking up my nail polish because I’ve been too impatient! So here’s another tip on helping polish to dry faster. Put on color, wait 10 minutes, then dip fingers in a bowl of ice-cold water to harden the polish quickly.

Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Eccl. 7:8

This past Sunday night my husband preached about disciplining our children. A good follow up on his message are several broadcasts on Revive our Hearts this week. Denise Glenn is the guest and is speaking about setting boundaries for our children. You can hear all the messages on Revive Our Hearts.

Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying. Proverbs 19:18

With love,

Christian Life

Because He Loves Me

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One day while checking out at a store the clerk asked my husband the standard – “How are you?” He answered in his usual way – “I’m better than I deserve.” She was shocked and told him that couldn’t be true. He shared with her that because he was a sinner, He would be on his way to hell, but because God loved him and sent His Son to die for him he had a home in heaven, and that is better than he deserved!

If we really understand and view ourselves correctly, God’s love is incomprehensible. We see our sinful selves and wonder, why would God love me?

If we’re not careful it can be easy to go to the other extreme and get proud of our standing with the Lord. Moses talked with the Israelites and reminded them: The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you… Deuteronomy 7:7,8 We didn’t do anything to gain favor with God – He does what He does for us purely because He loves us. We are never too low to be loved by Him, and we did nothing to deserve His love.

He loves you. He loves me. Amazing!

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
–Isaac Watts

Under His feathers because He loves me,

Cooking

What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?

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Saturdays often allow for a more relaxed breakfast time. This weekend I made a special treat for my husband and me. We had Eggs Benedict while on our anniversary trip and it was so good, so I decided to try my hand at making them. It wasn’t hard at all!

First you pouch the eggs:
Add water to a saucepan to depth of 3-4 inches; bring just to boiling. Stir simmering water to make a swirl, and slip egg from saucedish into middle of the swirl. (be sure to follow the motion of the water in same direction.) Reduce heat to low and cook egg for 3-5 minutes, depending on desired doneness. Remove egg from water with slotted spoon.

The Hollandaise Sauce recipe that I use is super easy – it’s done in the blender.

Place 3 egg yolks, 2 tbl lemon juice and dash of cayenne pepper into blender. Cover; quickly turn blender on and off. Heat 1/2 cup butter or margarine till melted and almost boiling. Turn blender on high speed; slowly pour in butter, blending till thick and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Heat over warm, not hot, water till ready to serve.

For each serving of Eggs Benedict, split and toast English muffin; top with thin slice of broiled ham. Place a poached egg on ham. Pour Hollandaise over all. Serve immediately.

To go along with the eggs I made a yogurt parfait – Strawberry yogurt, fresh strawberries and peaches and topped with granola.
Add a cup of Chocolate-Raspberry Coffee and enjoy!

For supper Friday night we enjoyed this Herbed Cheese Pizza from my Cooking Light Cookbook. The homemade crust is so good and you don’t feel guilty eating it!

The recipe made two pizzas this size. One is in the freezer for another day! I replace the Kasseri cheese with either Provolone or Mozzarella. You have to think ahead if you’re going to have this for supper. The dough has to be started a couple hours before supper time, but it’s really worth it!

So, what was cooking in your kitchen this past week?

With love,

Marriage

A Wife’s Supporting Role

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It’s no secret that our family loves Andy Griffith. It has provided good comic relief in the midst of very busy ministry days. Our family conversations are peppered with lines from many of our favorite shows. Truth be told, there are many good lessons taught in the episodes.

Yesterday I was watching the episode posted above entitled, “Back to Nature”. After watching it I thought about how many times Andy saves Barney’s face. Barney claims to be a real outdoors man, yet he gets lost in the woods. Rather than let the truth be known, and see Barney get laughed at by the boys they’re leading on this excursion, Andy does everything he can to cover for him. Barney turns out to be a hero that demonstrates “pioneer moxie.”

You know, for any woman who is married, we are to do for our husbands exactly what Andy does for Barney. We are to cover for him; show him to be a hero instead of a coward. We are to make him look big in the eyes of his children and others. Is this lying? No, this is being prudent. Proverbs 12:23 A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. This is loving him more of than ourselves. I Cor. 13:4-7 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. It’s making his need to be respected greater than our need to be right.

Are you covering for your husband when needed? Are you keeping to yourself the things that others don’t need to know? It’s all a part of reverencing him as Ephesians 5:33 commands. Men need our supporting role more than Barney needed Andy! If your husband is your hero, (and he should be!) let him know it!

Married to the greatest guy on the earth,