Hospitality - Keep it Simple

God doesn't expect us to live a life full of stress and then blame it on Him.  Sounds crazy, but isn't' that what we sometimes do?  We do things "for God" and then turn around and stress because we spent all of our money (or time) and now we don't have any left.

I have news for you!!  Good News!

God has not asked us to do anything that will put us in debt or cause our children to starve. He has asked us to be hospitable and love people with the resources He has already given us. He has asked us to trust Him to provide the things we need.  The key is realizing that all these things are just that -things.  Things that God has given us to use for HIM.  What good are things if not used to make a difference in someone's life?

So, how do I keep it simple? 

Remember, hospitality is NOT about me and my things.  It's about others and their needs.  I've never had anyone get upset with me because my dishes don't match or my floor has dirt on it. 

In fact, sometimes when I know I'm about to have a lot of people over, *whispering* I don't even mop the floor till AFTER they leave for 2 reasons.

One - they're just going to mess it all up again anyway
Two - there will be so many people in and around that no one will notice it all anyway. (we don't even ask people to take their shoes off anymore because we don't have room for all the shoes!)

Open the doors and use the yard!  Grill or cook over a camp fire outside.  I, personally, have plans to screen the porch in to keep the bugs away.

Light up your entry way away from the door!  Put Christmas lights on the far side of the porch to light the porch and keep the bugs away from the door and the entry of your home.  This way you don't have to worry about people coming and going because there's not a swarm of mosquitoes hovering in the doorway waiting to come in with them.

Use disposable plates and dishes!  Enough said.  This is helpful for obvious reasons.

Let your guests help if they offer! Not only does this help you, but it makes them feel useful and I have learned that it helps conversation to flow more smoothly.  People are more apt to open up when they're working and the eye to eye contact isn't a factor.

Use your crock pot(s) or roaster!   I have baked up to 30 potatoes in my roaster at a time. I have a kid or two wash and prep the potatoes and throw them in the roaster. They bake in the roaster as they would in the oven (except that they are on my counter or in the floor of my dinning room which frees up my oven for other things).  When they are all done, you can turn the heat down and keep them warm until it's time to serve.  I usually allow people to serve themselves right out of the roaster.

Sandwiches!!  We serve sandwiches more often than not on Sunday nights after church.  I get 3 different meats and 3 different cheeses, some loaves of bread, big lettuce  leaves (for wraps) and some condiments.  Ask guests to bring sides and other sandwich toppings.  Set it all out with some paper plates and let everyone serve themselves.

Kid/Budget friendly tip - set some peanut butter and jelly out for the kids.  Most kids prefer it, and it's cheaper!!  Win. Win.  You'll be shocked at the amount of adults that eat it, too. 

Save yourself a mess...or don't.  :) Ask visitors to remove their shoes, or just go with it....  Sometimes the shoes spread to and fro throughout the whole house is worse than whatever dirt they might be bring in....just my opinion.

Plastic Cups or Not??  Use plastic/disposable cups to cut back on washing dishes or, serve chilled bottled water and cans of soda to cut back on plastic cups left out everywhere (and the additional cost of cups).  If you decide to use plastic cups, try to get as many different color as you can this way kids especially can remember what color they had to help cut back on the confusion, and don't forget a sharpie for names!

Serving made simple: put things out assembly line style and allow people to serve themselves.  You may want to ask parents to help serve their children or do it yourself. Most parents will automatically help their children, but I have learned this is not always the case.

Simplify!! do what works for you and your family or the specific guests you're having at that moment! Change things up here and there to see if something else works for you and depending on the specific company and their needs.

Keep an extra fridge in the garage for company.  We were gifted an older fridge someone no longer wanted and we keep it in the garage loaded with all the sodas and things the kids understand are off limits.

Ask for help with the food...especially the drinks or sides and desserts (or whatever you don't like to make yourself). ;)

Keep the kids busy:  Have a game/child safe area ready to keep children busy. Put an older child or teenager in charge of that area for safety reasons. Invite families with children of the same ages so they keep each other occupied.  Think safety.  Always be aware of who's around the kids and what is going on in that area.

Care for your littles beforehand: feed your children (especially babies) before the company arrives and teach your older children to wait till everyone has gone through the line once before they get their plate.

Hospitality - A Lifestyle

As with any habit in life we must practice hospitality.  Practice makes perfect and you will be shocked at how little practice you need to become proficient!  People don't remember what you have or what you fed them as much as how you made them feel. 

Make your life about other people. Always. 

Smile at strangers. Be polite.  Ask questions that show interest.  For the most part, people love to be noticed and they respond if they feel like you have something in common. 

Personal example:  "Your baby is beautiful! How old is she? I have two that are about that age.  It's a fun age isn't it?" 

If the conversation flows well and you feel comfortable you might even get a chance to invite people to church.

Look for clues that tell you something about that person. For instance, it's not hard to see that some are or have been in the military.

Personal example:  "How long did you serve in the military? I grew up in the military. My dad is retired military.  Yes, I'm a brat....you have no idea! :)  By the way, our church has a Hero Sunday every year! You should definitely join us.  In fact, we'd love to have you this Sunday!"

Hospitality is a life style.

It's NOT about me. It's about loving people where they are and helping them to the next step in their lives. It's about noticing others and their needs and meeting those needs.  If God is the center of my life (as He should be) and people are at the center of His heart, then my life will naturally center around others.

My husband and I deliberately bought a house that could be used for the ministry. We wanted to use it to reach people. While the front of the house was amazing and great for company, the back was small and there was just not enough storage.

The same month we moved into the house I discovered I was pregnant.  I was shocked because we had just purchased a house that was already a bit small when it came to bedrooms and closet space. We decided to go on faith that the baby would be a boy. In which case, he would fit snugly in his brother's room. Not ideal, but in our finite minds it was the only thing that would work.

We very quickly discovered that we were not having A baby, we were having TWO babies! Boys or girls, it didn't matter at this point! There was simply not enough room!  We started second guessing ourselves. The only thing we could think to do was sell the house and get one with more bedrooms.

About a month later, my husband came home and told me that "the men" had decided to add on to our house for us and that it would be our Christmas gift from the church. We would not need to pay for any of it!! WOW!!

There's no way you can convince me that God won't bless you for giving what you have to Him. We now have two very large, brand new bedrooms added on to the back of our house with a HUGE closet in between them that can be turned into a bathroom one day when/if we decide to sell! God provided and He will continue to do so as long as we are willing to give it all to His service.

Having a house is a lot of work. Cleaning and upkeep...the list is endless, but the fact that it's God's house makes the burden lighter.  Whenever I see something that needs repaired or updated (like the super ugly light fixture hanging above the counter in the picture below:), I simply point it out to God and remind Him that this is His house and wait for Him to provide. It is amazing how He provides!

My point is that it doesn't matter what you have, or how nice it is. What matters is what you do with it and to whom it belongs.  Are you using what you have to serve the Lord?  I promise you, if you decide to be thankful for what you have and use it for HIM, He will bless you and provide beyond what you can imagine.  I don't have the nicest serving trays or dishes, in fact, none of them match, but they do hold food, so no one seems to care or even notice.  I use what I have and we make it work. Over time and in crazy ways, God has provided all kind of things we have needed. (Seriously, you would be amazed at the ways He has provided some of my things!) There are still a few things I would like to have, but until He provides them, we are going to do with out.  Life will go on and prayerfully, people will continue to visit in our home and leave feeling loved and blessed.

Hospitality in the Bible

Romans 12:13 - Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another...distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Matthew 25:35-40 - For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, LORD, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Proverbs 31:18 - ...her candle goeth not out...  
To understand the meaning of this verse you must understand Jewish culture at the time it was written.  It was customary to keep a candle burning in the window of your home as a signal to passers by that you were home and they could stop if they needed help of any kind as there were not many hotels or restaurants.  It was not uncommon to help those in need of food or a place to rest for the night. It is obvious that the writer of Proverbs 31 wanted her son to have a "virtuous woman" and being hospitable was considered part of the package. 

If you stop and think about it, a vast majority took place in someone's home.

The Shunammite Woman - she hosted God's man every time he was in town and eventually had her husband build an extra room on to their home just for him. This was no small undertaking, and God blessed her and her family greatly for being hospitable.

Queen Esther invited Mordicai to a banquet (not to mention all the banquets her fun loving husband hosted!).

Rahab hid the spies on the roof of her house. 

Jael won a huge victory for Israel when she invited Sisera to her home and then nailed his head to the ground.  (I, personally, would not recommend this type of behavior with company, but... :O)

Mary and Martha - Jesus spent many hours in their home before and after the death and resurrection of their brother.

Zacchaeus - He didn't know Jesus and only hoped to get a glimpse of Him from his perch in the tree. Jesus called him by name and told him He was going to visit him at his house. It seems that Zacchaeus was more shocked that Jesus knew his name than that He had invited Himself over for lunch.

The Last Supper took place in what we know as "the Upper Room". This upper room was a part of someone's home. We are not told whos. Very possibly it was Peter's home as there is a story about his mother in law getting up and serving people immediately after Jesus raised her from the dead.  (That's some kind of work ethic right there!)  Maybe it was Mary's house.  We are not told who owned this mysterious "upper room", but we do know that it was used to feed Jesus and His disciples on the night before He was betrayed and later He met with the disciples there after His resurrection. It is probable that Jesus and His friends felt very comfortable in this home and met there often.

Peter went to the home of Rodah when he was freed from prison and found a group of his friends there praying for him.

The first church was started in homes. Many today would be aghast at the idea of holding prayer meetings or Bible studies in homes, but that was how the early church worked....daily and in every home....

What did Jesus say in Matthew25:40? "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

I truly want my home to be a place where others feel comfortable and Jesus is honored and lifted up. I cannot serve Jesus in my home in a physical since, but I can allow HIM to love others through me in my home.

Update

Wow!! It's been forever!

So many new challenges and changes since last I wrote.  So many blessings with trials mixed in.  So many things to talk about and thank God for.

Not even sure where to start, so let's just start with a brief update on my family.  In so many ways we have been through the fire and come out (nearly) unscathed.... It's funny how God works. He sends trials that seem way too hard and then when it's all said and done you realize that you're better off.  Better because you learned how to respond. Better because you learned how to help another hurting person (or what not to do). Better off because you learned to trust Him even more .

So.....it's been nearly 4 years since I have been able to blog faithfully.  There are several reasons. One, my youngest grew old enough to attend school, which meant I had to work to help pay the bill.  While I was blessed to work as a secretary and teacher's aid/substitute at the Christian school they attended, I missed being home where I belong.

Second, my computer died. Through a series of events (which I will certainly tell about) I began to pray for a computer so that I could encourage others.  Yesterday, a friend GAVE me a refurbished computer!!  Again, I am left with the knowledge that God knows WHAT and WHEN is best.

I'm rambling...what has happened since I last wrote? Well.... Let's see...  we (as in my husband) took a lead pastor position, I became the administrator and 7th/8th grade teacher of a very small Christian school for a couple of years until....

...SURPRISE, SURPRISE....I discovered I was pregnant (after being told I couldn't have any more children)....with TWINS!!!  

A twin pregnancy in itself was enough to wear me out (I nearly lost my right kidney - the pain was ridiculous!), but God is good and we all survived intact minus a few brain cells...  The babies, identical twins named Mercy and Grace, were born on January 5th of 2016.  They were good size for being early (both over 5 lbs.), but they did have to stay in the NICU until they could keep their temperatures up.  They are the sweetest little things even if I happen to have torn ligaments due to carrying them both and their junk - a grand total of 50+ pounds.

I digress....

I will continue to talk about living naturally.  I have learned how to use essential oils, make kombucha, and started keeping chickens in the past 4 years. Oh, and, somehow, God answered prayers and allowed my husband to get on board with my healthy ideas....or at least most of them... ;)

I will be changing the blog up somewhat to include my 2 newest ventures (beside being a twin mama) - ladies ministry and my new home business (and did I mention that I will also be homeschooling my older 4 from now on...?).   Oh, yeah...there's plenty to cover.

Ladies Ministry --  For all of you who are involved with ministry in any way, I hope to encourage you and be encouraged by you.  This past April I was allowed to host my first ever ladies conference. It was AMAZING!  God allowed it to come together and fall into place the way HE wanted it to. I know it was the way HE wanted because of the way so much of it fell into place...and the way the devil fought!  It was proof enough that LADIES are of upmost importance to the spiritual well being of their families, and their churches.  I cannot wait to share more of this conference with you and a few of the details that we're planning for next year.  I can't share all because I don't want to ruin any surprises for those who are planning to attend in 2018.

As far as my new, in-home business....well, let me just say that I have found something that is working for me (finally!!!). I plan to share it with you - how easy it is, and how God has used it to help pay some bills and how it actually HELPS others live healthier and save money - and who wouldn't want to do either of those, right?  It's nice to think I can make money from home while helping people SAVE money!! 

Overall, God has been good.... all those trials I mentioned are covered with His grace and mercy..... I will mention some of them now and again when I feel that they might be helpful or encouraging, but for now, I want to think about and praise God for all of the blessings He has given (beside the fact that this post is way too long as it is!).

I do hope you will be encouraged by this blog and willing to rejoin us as we once again try to share the treasures that are found in living for God and searching His Word.  I pray this will be place of encouragement and inspiration for many.

Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy post, if indeed, you have lasted this long! :D

My Favorite Outreach Tool

One of my favorite "tools" for our Lady's Inside-Out Reach is this fancy little card!

It can be used in so many ways!

We give them out with every basket, candy bar, and baby blanket!  Some of our ladies have even been known to go through a drive through, pay for the order placed by the car behind them in line, and ask the cashier in the window to give the driver of the car this card.

On the back of the card is the plan of salvation!  Not only are we being a blessing, we are giving the Gospel and inviting people to our church!  It's so much fun to come up with creative ways to use our cards!

If you have any creative ideas on how we could use these cards, please, feel free to list them in the comment section below, or on my Facebook page!

Encourage 5 Ladies with $11.00!

All you need:

1. A dozen roses - I "happened" to have a coupon for these!
2. 5 small vase-like objects.  :)  Be creative.  In this case I "happened" to find a few pink, jar drinking glasses that were on clearance for 49 cents each!  You could use anything, though.  Even a tin can wrapped in raffia might be cute.
3. Some left over ribbon from the craft room

I divided the roses up into the different "vases" (because sometimes less is more).

There you have it...! 

You can be a blessing to FIVE different ladies for around $11.00!  That's only $2.20 for each.  I'd say that's a pretty good price, and well worth it! 

Have fun encouraging someone today!

Pivotal Moments

I LOVE being a pastor's wife!  The biggest, best part of my ministry is leading and helping in the Lady's Inside-Outreach Ministry.  We want our church to be known as the church that cares about people.

Any people.  All people.

In order to do that, it just makes since to reach people at those "pivotal" moments in life.

Pivotal moments are those life changing moments when you know life will never be the same again.  The death of a family member, the birth of a baby, a new marriage, or even re-locating are all "pivotal" in one way or another.  These are times when changes take place and decisions are made.  Sometimes people decide to "try out" church during these times.  And, if by chance, someone is considering church as an option, our church will be there with our hands out waiting to help!

The idea:
Different groups of ladies will be responsible to reach out to people at each "pivotal moment".  Each group will have a "team leader" and several other ladies under her, that will be able to help fulfill the responsibilities of that group. 

New Babies:  For instance, we are working on getting a group of ladies together that will be responsible for reaching all the families that have babies in our county. We will reach these families by providing baby hats and/or blankets made by the ladies in our church.  (And other creative ideas too!)  These blankets and hats will be taken to the nurse's station and dropped off to be given to these babies along with letters of invitation to our church.

New Move-Ins: For families that are moving to (or within) our community, we will be dropping off baskets of practical things you need when you're moving to a new home including local information (police department, fire department...) that might make life a little easier for them...and of coarse, an invitation to our church (and don't forget information about our bus ministry in case they should want to send their children).

Recent Deaths:  For those families in our community that are facing the death of a loved one, we will will be sending cards with our condolences, invitations to our church and Bible verses that will let them know they are not alone, and Heaven can be theirs! 

Weddings or New Marriages:  For newly married brides, well, we're still working on this one.  We have all kinds of ideas, but have yet to settle on any one thing.  (If any of my church ladies happen to be reading this, we still need a team leader for this group...hint...hint...)

The idea is simple.  Using a bit of time, creativity and the love of Christ, we reach out to those ladies in our community that need to know someone cares!

It's easy...because all of the jobs are broken down and everyone gets to decide in which group(s) she'd like to be involved.

It's fun...because we're all working together.  We get together for a "game night" or a "lady's night out" and we put a few baskets together while we're there!

It's low stress...because you only have to do the one thing you signed up for (make baby blankets, deliveries, send cards, bake cookies, knit scarves for shut ins).  What are you good at?  What do you enjoy?  We want you to use that God-given talent or interest to reach others!  Also, no one person is working alone!  You have a group of ladies that are working toward the same goal. 

It's inside-out...because our shut-ins can make hats and/or blankets for new born babies. They can send cards, pray, and even (in some cases) bake cookies!  They can teach our younger girls to knit and crochet.  Not only are they involved in ministry, but they are encouraged when someone stops by their house and visits with them for a while before taking the hats and blankets they've made to the local hospital.  We are hoping to use and encourage every lady inside our church while reaching out to all the ladies in our community! 

Photo Credit

Dyslexic by Divine Design

I struggled with school.  I looked around at everyone else making their good grades without trying as hard and here I was trying over and over again and making half the grade.  I was so afraid that people would notice my grades and think what I already knew: I was stupid.

I remember praying that God would make me good at something.  Anything.  Finally one day, when I was 17, I told the Lord I would make it my goal to encourage one person every day.  If that was all I ever did with my life, I would do that. My biggest fear was that I would live my entire life and have accomplished nothing for God throughout it.  (Encouraging ladies was the primary reason I started this blog.)  I prayed and asked God to let me be successful at encouraging someone - even if it was just one person every day.

Today, I'm hoping to encourage someone who may be struggling with dyslexia.  Or, worse, someone who has a child that is dyslexic.  (It's always harder to watch your child struggle than to go through it yourself.) You see, I found out in Bible college, that I am dyslexic.  I had no idea what that meant at the time, but I was glad to hear I wasn't stupid!  There was a reason.  I just had a different learning style.

After that I learned to cope.  In fact, something "clicked" in college and I began to make pretty good grades.  For me, anyway.  After I married and before my children were born, I taught 5th and 6th grades and I realized something: I was pretty good at it!  Did you know teachers that struggled as students make better teachers because they understand where their students are coming from? They also know the importance of not giving up!!

The hard part came when my oldest was in the 2nd grade. All of a sudden signs started to show up.  Orally she was amazing.  Bright as any student in her class!  Artistically she was fantastic.  She won blue ribbons for her drawings.  But, don't ask her to write a book report.  An oral report, yes!  But, writing it on paper?  Not a chance.

What did I do you ask? 
(Understand I am trained to teach school.  I am not trained to handle these types of learning "disabilities".  And, because I am not trained in this area, all I could do was read about it, and try to figure out what seems to help her.)

1. I panicked!!  She was made by God for a specific reason.  She must be made to understand that He has a reason and a plan for her life and her dyslexic "issues".
2. We prayed.  She and I prayed together that God would not let her give up, even when it seemed to hard and impossible.  And, believe me, there have been times when I've had to make her get her head back into it. We determined not to let "dyslexia" become an excuse, or a cop out.  We decided to beat it, to come out of it all stronger and more successful because of it!  (Sometimes I have to remind her of this decision.)
3. We read orally a lot when she was younger.  She is able to read and it sounds great, she just doesn't always understand what it was she read, which doesn't do her any good at all.  Reading orally gave her practice, and it allowed her to hear what she was reading rather than just seeing.  
4. We did as much hands on work as we could.  If she could see it, if should could act it out, or even if she could sing it, she seemed to learn it so much faster and had fun too! (Pizza and M&Ms are great way to teach fractions, a pan of boiling water helps them to see the steps of the water cycle, and most recently, we let the 6th graders hang the solar system in the class room themselves.)
5. I asked her to "teach" me what she had just learned.  If she could explain it all back to me, then I knew she understood it.  (The problem is that she still can't get it all on paper correctly.  Her spelling is as bad as her mama's - praise God for spell check! - and her sentence structure is horrible! :) Every heard of dysgraphia??  Yeah....
6. We backed off on spelling words.  In stead of expecting her to learn 35 spelling words in a week, we backed down to 20.  She was learning about about 12 to 15 of the 35 expected words every week.  We backed down to 20, and memorize about 5 every day.  She is now able to learn 18 to 20 of her expected 20 words and I can see where this has helped in other subjects as well.  She is more confident and willing to try again! I also allow oral spelling rather than written spelling if they are more comfortable with that. 
7. We also give her a group of answers to chose from in subjects like science where the scientific words are harder to remember, say or spell.  For instance, if she has a quiz with 15 answers to find, we give her a list of 20 possible answers.  Most of the time she has been able to recognize the word she was looking for. 
8. We have a specialized font to help dyslexics read more easily, and it works!!  Check it out here!!
9. I have just started looking into essential oils for help in this area.  I will be sure to fill you in on how that goes!! If you already used them, or have other ways to help a dyslexic child, please let us know in the comments below or on my facebook wall!

We always look for ways to help and encourage.  We try to never let dyslexia become an excuse for why we can't but for how we overcame.  We may not do it like everyone else, but we own it...or we're working on that...we know how it is, and we're thankful to God for making us the way He wanted us to be.

After all, life is about God.  Not us.  Dyslexic??  Yes!  That's how God designed us! 

Christmas Outreach Idea!

I know Christmas is over, but next Christmas is on it's way and the ladies at our church are going to be prepared!!

We've been brainstorming ways to reach our community in the coming year. I wanted them to be fun, easy, and inexpensive so we can reach as many people as possible.

God always provides!

I was at Wall- Mart recently getting some supplies for my classroom, and I saw a whole bin of Christmas ornaments that had been marked down 75%.  These weren't regular, open the box and throw 'em on the tree ornaments.  These were "craft" ornaments.  So, I called the local hospital.  (Yeah, you read that right.) 

They told me how many babies on average are born in that hospital in any given December, and I bought enough ornaments with a few to spare....just in case next December is a busy month!  ;)

The Plan:  Next November we are going to get together and put a little "snow" in each ornament and a pretty paper with spaces for the baby's name, birth date, time of birth, weight, and length.  We will also include instructions that mothers are to attach baby's first photo (the hospital pic) to the back of the paper with all the info and insert it back into the ornament.  We will also recommend that the mother insert the baby's ankle bracelet and any other keep sakes that are small enough to fit inside.  It will make a PERFECT Christmas keepsake for any baby born in December and it will be given in love from our church!  

People tend to stop and consider life during certain times of life, and welcoming a new baby into the family is one of those times.  What is the meaning of life??  So many have no idea!

It is our hope to be there for families in our community at these "pivotal moments" in life.  Now, to figure out what to do for the other months....??  (We already have ladies working on making baby hats and blankets.)  Any ideas would be welcomed!!  Leave them in the comment section below, or on my facebook wall. 

Up and Runnin' Again!

A LOT has happened in the past year.  I cannot even begin to tell all here in one blog post, but I can give you some brief details and bring you up to date.

So, let's just jump in:

Earlier this year I was diagnosed with Raynauds Disease, which is something I had never heard of (and also another reason I love Essential Oils!).  I was also diagnosed with Gluten sensitivity and low blood pressure.  While none of these are life threatening conditions, they do give me more to blog about! :)

In September, my husband became the Lead Pastor of a great church in Central Illinois.  We are loving it here and so blessed with what God has given us. We are looking forward to what the future holds for us here.  (This also gives me much to blog about.)

In August we re-started our small Christian School.  I was originally volunteering my time in the business office, but when my husband became the pastor, he had to give up some of his school responsibilities, and so I became the administrator.  The, around the end of October a teaching position was left vacant, and I had to fill that roll too.  So, I'm sure you can see why I haven't had time to blog as much as I would have liked!  (However I plan to be more faithful with it this year, and since it is one of my New Year's Resolutions, I'm sure I'll at least last through January!! ;) 

Happy New Year from our family!!

While much has happened in the lives of my family over this past year, I have not in any way lost my vision to help as many ladies as I can.  In fact, one of my favorite things about being a lead pastor's wife is helping ladies!  I've had a desire and a game plan in mind to start an "Inside-Out Lady's Ministry" and God has finally allowed me to put my plan into action!  I am so overwhelmed and thankful to Him for His goodness to me.  He has given me the perfect church to start such a lady's ministry!  I truly believe He was preparing me for this EXACT ministry all along!  Isn't HE a good God!?! 

Thanks so much for re-joining me on my journey to becoming a Treasure (Proverbs 31) that is Hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3)!  I'm so looking forward to what He has in store for us!

2015 New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions - we don't always keep them, but we do always make them!!  After all - it's tradition!  I really do try to set myself up for success in this area, but, well, you may notice a few in this list that were in last year's. 

JUST KIDDING!!!!  

Here are a few of my REAL Resolutions for 2015: 

1. Read my Bible every day.  Yes, this is one I make every year and always mess up on somewhere along the way...several somewhere's along the way to be perfectly honest.  So, here we go again...lets try this thing again.  
2. Fast and pray for my family, my church and my community.  When my children were very young, and before they all made professions of faith, I fasted one day out of every week for them, for their salvation, and for any situations that arose to which I had no answers or idea how to handle.  Somewhere along the line I seem to have gotten caught up in this game of life and got too busy for it.  Sad.  Too busy to pray to the One for whom we live?  To busy to ask for His leadership and blessing in the lives of the people I love the most?  Sad.  My sisters, these things ought not so to be!! 
3. Equip my children with the things they need to serve the Lord.  Things like Bible knowledge.  Why we do what we do.  Where we find "Scriptural backup" for it.  How to deal with people and/or not deal with things that are simply not worth the time and offense.  Again, this is where prayer and fasting comes in....  Only God knows what is in store for each of my (your) children, and only He can let us know what they each need to be equipped with for the life He has chosen for them.
4. Essential Oils!!  Ok, in all honesty, this was one of last year's resolutions too.  I did learn about them and get familiar with them last year, but I finally took the plunge and jumped in!!  So excited to learn more about them in 2015!!  (And, yes!  You know it!  I'm planning to share it all with you right here at Hidden Treasures!!)
5. Fermenting Foods - we started a bit of this last year, but as I said, things got busy and I fell off the bandwagon here too.  Things are still pretty busy, so I might take a while getting into this one, but stay tuned.  Come May or June I'll be fermenting anything and everything I can get my hands on. 

I would love to have you share your New Year's Resolutions in the comments below, or you can go to my Facebook Page and leave a comment!  

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A Reason for Me (and you!!)

Have you ever wondered why you even exist?  Why on earth we’re all here on earth?  This is a question most of us will ponder at least once in our lives.   We live, we eat, we grow, we learn, we get, we die, and it starts all over with the next generation.  What since does it all make?

There really is a reason....
Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 
Genesis 2:7-8; 15 - And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 
Genesis 3:8 - And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:

God made everything for His glory.  He simply spoke and things came into being.  When He was finished speaking He looked at all of it, and declared it good.  According to these verses man was created to walk with God.  Adam and Eve had a job to do in the garden.  They had a life together, but the real reason they were made was to honor and glorify God; to make Him happy. 

Man, however was not forced to be only good.  He was given a choice.  He could love God and do right out of that love, or he could do his own thing and bring sin to the perfect world.  (who wants forced love?  Wouldn't you rather someone love because they want to love you?)  Adam and Eve chose to eat the one fruit in the garden God told them not to eat.

Their punishment was banishment from the garden, hard work, and eventually physically death.  They would still be able to walk with God, but not as before.  They would still enjoy the presence of God, but not in the perfection of the garden.  Their relationship was forever changed. 

Later, we find Abraham who was declared to be “the Friend of God”!!
James 2:23, And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Think of that!  Abraham was God’s friend!  We can be God’s friend too!

We know that God is our Friend.  He gave His only Son to die for us.  He provides for us.  He loves us and takes care of us. We know all these things about God.  To have a relationship with someone you must get to know THEM not just ABOUT them!

The Question is: Are you God's Friend?Sometimes we think we know God because we’ve grown up in church and/or we know all the Bible stories.  We’ve memorized verses we know the books of the Bible in order, and we know all kinds of fun facts about the Bible.  But none of that proves a relationship WITH Him.  Do we truly KNOW Him??

Acts 4:13 – Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. 

People can tell when we’ve been with Jesus – when we’ve TRULY been with Jesus!  Friendship goes both ways.  A friendship with God is not different.  What do we do for Him?  Are you HIS friend?  Do you walk with Him daily?  Do you talk with Him?  Do you trust Him with more than your salvation?  Do you discuss everyday activities and decisions with Him? 

To be God's friend we must simply...
Put our faith into action!

Hebrews 11:33 – Who through faith...obtained promises…

We can be included in the “Hall of Faith” by simply having our prayers answered (obtaining promises)!! 

Our prayers are not answered because we are good at praying.  They are answered because we have a Faithful God who wants to answer our prayers! 

Why do we doubt that He will answer when He promised He would?  We read the stories in the Bible and marvel because God did such wonderful things, but the truth of the matter is that God is still God.  We serve the same God Abraham, Esther, and Moses served.  We serve the same God that walked on water and died on the cross.  He’s the same yesterday, today and forever, so why do we think those wonderful works are a thing of the past?  He can do the same things in and through us! 

Just as Adam and Eve, we can walk with God.  We can spend time sharing every part of our lives with Him.  We can talk to and tell Him every detail of our lives.  We can put our faith into action by praying and seeing results!  We can be God's friend!

 

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Developing a Friendship With God

The Bible refers to Abraham as "the friend of God", in James 2:23.  And, what did he do to deserve this title?  The whole verse says, "And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God." 

Plain and simply, Abraham believed God.  That's all!   (I can do that!)

More about Abraham's friendship with God - Hebrews 11:8-13 & 17-19

Developing a Friendship with God

I can tell you my name and my favorite color.  I can tell you the title of my favorite book, and the chores I dread.  I can tell you my favorite food, and my birth date.  I can tell you all kinds of things about myself, but until you spend time with me, you will never truly know me!

You can even do things for me.  You can get my groceries, walk my dog, wash my dishes or clean my house, but you still won't KNOW me! 

It's the same with God!  We can DO (or not do!) things for Him all day long.  We can follow rules and obey laws.  We can know that He will save us and protect us.  We can know that He created the world in 7 days and that He will provide all our needs.  We can know that He is in control.  We can know that the Bible is His Love Letter to us.  We can know that He died on the cross to forgive sins.  But, until we truly KNOW Him, we will never have a relationship, or a FRIENDSHIP with Him!

Did you know it is possible to be a Christian and yet not have a "friendship" with God?

How do I get to KNOW God?  Here are a few ways:

1. Read His word!  Schedule time out of every day to meet in your "secret place".  (It doesn't really have to be a secret place - just a special place!)  Forget about reading 7 chapters every day so you can say you read the whole Bible through in a year.  Just read the Bible until you "hear from Him".  Read until you have something to meditate on for that day.  Read until you run out of time.  Read until you love reading and can't wait till it's time to read again! 
2. Find God's promises and claim them for yourself!! 
3. Find a "life verse" and refer to it every time you need to be encouraged! 
4. PRAY about everything!  It has been said that "every failure in life is a prayer failure."
5. Keep a prayer journal - keep a running list of all the prayer requests that God answers for you.
6. Keep a list of all the things God provides for you and your family, and refer back to it every time you need to be encouraged!  You'll be amazed at the things God has done for you and you'll be reminded that He "came through before" and He can do it again.
7. Tell your children and your friends when He provides or blesses you.
8. Sit quietly after you've finished your Bible reading and wait on God.  You'll be surprised what He has to say in those few moments of peace and solitude. 
9. Give God all the honor and glory for anything good that happens in your life.  Don't forget to look for God's blessing in the dark times, too!  
10. Put your faith into action!!  Act on what you know!  Don't just KNOW God's promises!  Claim them!  Obtain them!!  Live every moment of the day conscious of His presence with you.

What an awesome thought to think that the Creator of everything would want to be YOUR Friend!!  


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God's Gift of Water

Water is absolutely necessary to sustaining life.  It keeps us hydrated, helps maintain body temperature, transports nutrients throughout the body, and eliminates waste.

Is it any wonder that Jesus refers to Himself as the Water of Life?  John 4:14

My Christmas gift from my husband:  A Berkey Water Filter!

Water- Essential to life

We drink water to cleanse ourselves of toxins.  But, how can we cleanse ourselves of toxins with water that is itself contaminated?

Most people don't worry...

Water is treated  to remove impurities such as e coli, germs, viruses, parasites, and harmful bacteria.  Then, minerals are added.  Fluoride is also added in most cases.

Water companies have used Chlorine for decades to purify our water because it kills harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other unwanted impurities.  They say it's the lesser of two evils.  They say it's better to have small amounts of chlorine in our water than all those unwanted impurities.

But, do we really want to feed chlorine to our children?  Even if it is the lesser of two evils?  Is it not possible to have water that is truly pure?  I would love to have water that is free of impurities and chemicals and heavy metals.

Are you worried...???

What's in your tap water?  Do you know?

How is your tap water purified?  What is added back into your water?

Fluoride?  Arsenic?  Lead?  Mercury?  Pesticides?  Chlorine?  Heavy Metals?  Calcium?

(Some of these are added back in.  Other impurities are leched into our water.  Harmful pesticides get into our water through the soil and air.) 

I know some of what's in my tap water:  ALL of the above!!  Including more than our share of arsenic!  

...lovely...!!

For Christmas this year my husband gave me a Berkey Water Filter.  

Berkey water filters use carbon filters to clean impurities out of the water.  They make different types of filters.  Some are specifically made to remove certain types of metals and chemicals.  As I said, the water in our area has pretty high levels of arsenic, so I have filters that can filter all the arsenic out of the water.

I use my filtered water for everything from drinking (obviously!) to cooking/baking and making coffee to cleaning my house!  (We have very hard water here and the calcium can ruin things like my Rainbow Vacuum or my steam mop.) 

If you're still not sure about all this and want to know more about the water in your area, you can buy a professional lab test to test your water here.

Homemade Paper Towels

Before my children were all in school, I stayed home with them.  I didn't have a job - at least not one that brought in money.  (Believe me, I had a job!!)  Since I wasn't bringing in money, I felt it was only right that I do whatever I could to save whatever money I could.  (I now work part time at the school they attend, and my income is used to pay their school bill.)

I looked for ways to cut back on spending.  One of the BIGGEST MONEY SAVERS was learning to make my own laundry detergent!!  I made it out of necessity - we couldn't afford to buy it.  Then I realized it helped us with our eczema.  Double Bonus!! 

I also cut up old towels and made cleaning rags, or "re-useable paper towels" out of them.  That was nice for a while.  Until one of mine got the flu.  (Actually, several of mine got the flu - have I mentioned we have color coded sick buckets??  Truly we do!)  So, I used my "paper towels" to clean up some messes...the ones that didn't make into those color coded buckets!  Since I no longer wished to re-use those re-useable paper towels - for obvious reasons, I threw them away.  Far, far away!

So, now, I was in a predicament.  I started buying paper towels again.  Today, I was out...again.  ...sigh...  I do hate to spend money on things that are just going to get thrown away!  (trash bags, baby wipes, toilet paper, napkins, paper towels...the list goes on.)

Well, a short story long, (yes, that's what I said!) I went to the store, and decided NOT to buy more paper towels...at least not for cleaning the bathroom with!  Instead, I bought these....

Lovely little white wash cloths!!   And, to be sure they only get used in the bathroom, and NOT on my kitchen counters, I wrote "Bathroom" on them...(as you can plainly see)!  I'm very proud of myself.  Now, I will keep a roll or two of the cheapo paper towels on hand, but only for cleaning up...sick stuff.  No more spending money on paper towels!! 

***Do share us how you like to save money!  I love to get as many ideas as I can!  I think we can all use them!

Thank you for visiting my page and feel free to share it with your friends!  

The more the merrier!! 

Cowboy Beans

Recently a friend and her family came to eat dinner at my house.  The best part was: she brought all the food with her!  I didn't have to do a thing!  We even ate on paper plates so there weren't any dishes to do!  It was fabulous.  We really should do it again very soon. 

On the menu that night was:  Cowboy Beans!

So, with her permission, I thought I'd share her recipe with you!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans black beans
2 cans baked beans (I like to use the Bush's Maple Bacon Baked Beans)
8 oz. Ketchup  **be sure to get it without high fructose corn syrup** 
Brown Sugar, to taste  **or molasses**

Directions: 

Brown beef with the onion and green pepper. Drain and rinse kidney beans and black beans. DO NOT DRAIN baked beans.  Put all ingredients into crockpot. If you prefer a more soupy chili, simply add more ketchup.  Cook on low 4 hours. 

It's that easy!  

This would be a fantastic meal to make for someone in need.  It's sweet and filling, and very quick and easy.  You cant do better than that! 

(A very special "Thank You" to Niki Taylor for allowing me to use her recipe!)  

My other chili recipes: 

Spicy Chili

White Chicken Chili

Notes marked with (**) are mine.

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White Chicken Chili

My husband loves chilli so much we usually eat it about once a week in the fall and winter months.  While we usually eat spicy chilli, sometimes you have to switch it up a bit.  Here's a change for you, if you're like me and you get tired of the same old thing all the time.

Ingredients:

Shredded chicken
Navy beans
Garbanzo beans
Great Northern beans
Sliced carrots - about 1 carrot
Half bag frozen peas
Half bag frozen corn
2 cloves garlic
1 medium onion (chopped)
3 Tablespoons oregano
2 hot peppers, diced (or 2 cans of green chillies)
Fresh cilantro
1/2 stick butter
1 quart chicken broth

Directions:

The night before:  Put several chicken legs and wings in the crock pot and set it to cook on low for about 8 to 10 hours.    Soak your beans overnight to help break down the sugars. This will help reduce the unpleasant side affects that usually accompany these "musical fruits".  If ya know what I mean...?

The next morning:  remove chicken from the crock pot and shred.  Discard bones and put shredded chicken back in the broth.  Rinse your beans and put them in the crock pot.  In skillet, saute  garlic, onions, oregano, peppers, cilantro, salt and pepper (to taste) in butter.  When the peppers and onions are soft, add this mixture to the crock pot.  Slice 1 large carrot and put in crock pot.  Add 1/2 bag frozen peas and 1/2 bag frozen corn to crock pot.  Put the lid on the pot.  Set the pot to cook on low for about 8 hours. 

Serve with:

Sour cream
Mozzarella Cheese
Crackers
Corn bread
Hot Apple Cider
Green Onions

Fast and Easy!  Dig in and Enjoy! 

Happy Fall!! 

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Chilli Supper

Autumn is my favorite season of all...till winter comes.  ;)  There's nothing better in the fall/winter season than a pipping hot bowl of chilli!  My favorite thing about chilli is the options that go along with it! 

As with any recipe, you may need to adjust and change it to meet your family's taste and likes.  We like it spicy. 

Ingredients:

1 pound dry pinto beans
1 pound dry kidney beans
1/2 pound black beans
1 pound ground venison or bison
1 quart salsa - or a jar of your favorite store bought salsa
2 cans of dices chillies and tomatoes
2 Tablespoons of chilli powder
1 Tablespoon oregano
2 cloves of minced garlic
chopped onions
cilantro, salt, & pepper to taste

Soak your beans overnight to help break down the sugars. This will help reduce the unpleasant side affects that usually accompany these "musical fruits".  If ya know what I mean...?

If you forget to soak your beans, you can use the "quick soak" method, which I've never used, but I'm told it works well - you simply throw the beans in a pot of water.  Bring it to a boil.  Boil for about 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove it from the heat, and let it set for an hour or 2.

**If you don't have dry beans, you can use:  6 cans of spicy chilli beans & 3 cans of kidney beans.  This method will require fewer herbs and spices, since your canned beans will have spices in them already. ** 

In the morning, I rinse the soaked beans and put them in a crock pot along with the salsa, canned tomatoes/peppers, browned, ground meat and spices.  Add water until all is submerged.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

(This recipe feeds about 6 to 8 people.)

Let the options begin.....

Serve chilli with:
Crackers
Corn chips
Corn Bread
Cheese
Sour Cream
Chives or Green Onions
Brown Rice
Pasta - (I really don't prefer this, but my husband grew up eating spaghetti pasta chopped into inch log strips and thrown in till soft.  I really can't stomach it, but you can divide the chili and add pasta to half of it.)
Organic Beef Franks and saurkraut
Organic or homemade french fries and cheese

I would love to hear back from you.  Leave a message below to share your favorite chili recipe and sides with all of us!

Click here for my white chili recipe.
Click here for my sweet chili recipe.

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Glowing in the Dark

I love using things children love to get Biblical truths across!!  And, seriously, what kid (or adult) doesn't like things that glow in the dark?? 

So, what do we have in common with glow-y things?? 

Well, we, as Christians, are supposed to shine "out loud" in a very dark world.  While others are busy living their lives their way, we are, or should, be trying to live in such a way as to reflect the light of God.   

We can glow in the dark!!  But, not on our own. 

In fact, if we try to glow by ourselves, we will never be successful.  We may wear all the right things, go to the right places, hang out with the right people, and say the right words in the right tone.  But, if we're doing these things to be seen, and heard, by others around us, then we're doing them for the wrong reason, and God is not glowing through us.  We are simply throwing up "good works" that are vain.  Worthless.  Empty. 

So, how do we glow in the dark?  We realize that we're not the ones that are glowing.  We are nothing more than the plastic tube that hols the glowing liquid.  We love God and live for Him.  We live every day conscious of His presence and His will for our lives.  We allow the light of His love to shine through us and the good works we do.  

God is the real light.  He's the pretty, glowing liquid that shines and glitters in the dark.  No child ever loved the plastic tube more than the glowing liquid.  They love the tube because of the neon glow.   As soon as the glowing stops, the tube is pitched. 

When we hide ourselves in God and allow His love and light to shine through, people will notice.  They will notice that something is different about us.  They notice the difference.  They notice God.

Matthew 5:14 - 16 ~  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

Too-Good-To-Be-True Healthy Ice Cream

I used to fuss about the kids (and husband) consuming soo much sugar, but then I found this really awesome "ice cream"!!  NO SUGAR INVOLVED AT ALL!!!   It's so nice to eat this sweet treat and not feel guilty.  Although, you feel like you SHOULD feel guilty because it really does taste too good to be true. 

 Not the greatest picture ever.  And, it may be slightly melted.  But it's still chocolate ice cream!!

Ingredients:

1 Frozen Banana
1 Tablespoon of your favorite cocoa powder.  

Yep, you read it right!  That's ALL you need!

Directions:

1. Take the peels off your bananas before freeze them.  (I didn't take the peels of the first time I froze my bananas and they stuck.)
2. Put frozen bananas in your blender or food processor.  You may need to wait a few moments for your bananas to thaw - just a tad.  Don't let them thaw too much.
3. Puree your bananas and cocoa powder until smooth.  (You may need to add a few drops of milk to give it a creamy texture.)
4. Plop in bowl and serve.

It's really that simple.  And, it tastes as good as it is easy.

We've even added strawberries to our frozen banana "ice cream".  That was pretty good too!

Thinking about trying peaches and/or maybe a few mini chocolate chips would be tasty too....just sayin'.  :)