Raising Them for the Lord

A Place Called Blessing by Dr. John Trent and Annette Smith is a story illustrating the blessings outlined in the book The Blessing that he co-authored with Gary Smalley. The story is written in first person about a boy named Josh who grew up in the foster care system. He is misunderstood and incorrectly labeled while in the Social Services system, and when he aged out at 18 he went out to make a life for himself. What he found was a family that took him into their house and unconditionally loved him no matter his past. This story is riveting and an excellent weekend novel. The narration in first person brings the reader right into the mind and heart of Josh; and I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next. After completing this story, I find myself drawn to read the book it was based upon: The Blessing . I have been challenged to find ways to bless others around me, especially those who seem the least deserving of my love and attention; as well as reminded tha...

Jesus trained his disciples to share the gospel with an untamed spirit – to face ridicule, persecution, and even death in the pursuit of spreading the good news. In our modern, civilized world the heart of Christianity has become civilized. Very rarely will a Christian abandon all the comforts to which they have become accustomed in order to follow Christ; they have lost the Barbarian spirit they first experienced when Christ saved them. Unleashed by Erwin Raphael McManus caught my attention and piqued my interest in exercising my faith even more. Erwin used Biblical examples of “Barbarians” that God used to spread the Gospel: like John the Baptist, the disciples, and early church martyrs. His use of incredible word pictures and personal stories bring the message alive and encourage readers through his example. The word “Barbarian” did seem to go a bit far in my mind, as there were also civilized yet effective couriers of the gospel of Jesus Christ like the Apostle Paul. The ter...

I Corinthians 10:31- Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Recently I have heard this verse used in reference to several different topics: drinking, working, eating, etc., because they are directly referenced in this verse.  While I've not had to struggle with alcohol and no longer work outside the home, I have tried to apply this more to my eating habits.  But that is not what God has been convicting me about lately with this verse.  It has been about taking care of my home and family for the glory of God.  It is easy to take the privilege of being a stay at home mom for granted.  I am home all day, so the dishes and other housekeeping can wait. I am busy checking my favorite blogs, I can read the kids a book later. My Bible isn't going anywhere, I'll do my devotions later on...maybe while the kids nap. And there are many more things that I can take for granted.  But are the tasks I am avoid...

This week we tried four of the recipes in my new favorite cookbook What's to Eat - The Milk-free, Egg-free, Nut-free Cookbook - Herb-Roasted Potatoes, Honey Dijon Salmon, Tomato Basil Halibut, White Birthday Cake.  Since the cookbook is under copyright, I cannot share the recipes online; so I will have to tease you with recipe titles and my reviews. HERB ROASTED POTATOES The recipe calls for thinly sliced potatoes, so I pulled out my food processor to make the task go quickly.  Then cook for about an hour at 400*.  Well, I didn't take into account that a food processor slices much more thinly than most people slice by hand.  Just shy of an hour I checked in on the potatoes, and we ended up with some yummy, healthy (although a little browned) chips.  Ooops!  But now I know next time to either hand-slice my potatoes, or cook them shorter since they are so thinly sliced by the food processor. HONEY DIJON SALMON YUM!!   This recipe was quic...

Our two boys have been diagnosed with food-induced eczema.  This would be a breeze if they would just both be allergic to the same foods.  But, alas, we have a varied array of non-overlapping allergies.  The main culprits are eggs, nuts, and dairy.   What a blessing to this mother to find the book What's to Eat? - The Milk-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free Food Allergy Cookbook.  The day I received the book in the mail I sat down and read the cookbook, cover to cover.  Desperate to find a solution to dinner (and other meals), I was pleasantly amazed to read over 100 recipes for salads, soups, main dishes, breads, side dishes, and desserts.  In addition, there are some suggested menus for special occasions. Finally, I can plan a menu we can all enjoy without planning two or three meals per meal time.  The ingredients are not obscure, and they are either in my kitchen already or I have seen them in my supermarket on a regular bas...

Raising children for the Lord is not for the wimp!  It takes time.  Time...well, I do believe we all have the same 24 hours in the day.  It is just a matter of taking the time to "train up a child in the way he should go."  In this day of fast-paced living and endless technology, I often find myself caught up in the things that are "important" to me and fail to spend the quality time necessary to train my chidren for the Lord.  What a convicting admission, but one I am working on correcting.  When my children come to me and I tell them I am too busy right now to read them a story, play outside, or just cuddle, I am telling them that they are not the most important physical gift God gave our family.  Not only are we sinning against our children, but also against God who commanded us to "train up our child in the way he should go..." Satan wants to use whatever obstacles he can find to keep a Christian parent from training their precious Gift from ...

Well, week two of 31 Days to Clean is done.  And I actually feel ahead of myself.  Boy does my kitchen feel inviting, along with my living room.  Having guests over really helps motivate me to do a thorough cleaning of the common areas of the house; but I had a whole lot less cleaning to "worry" about since I had been taking baby steps to cleaning my home.  Since we had guests over this Friday, the house is currently in a state of complete peace.  Only because, for the past two weeks, I've been systematically cleaning whole sections of the kitchen.  The idea of cleaning and reorganizing all my cupboards, drawers, and pantry was overwhelming; but by following the Martha challenges to clean them out and reorganize them one at a time each day of the week, I found the task did not take very long at all.  I enjoyed seeing progress, especially in places I avoided cleaning because I figured no one else...