This month, many of us find ourselves with too much to do, and too little time.  When my schedule gets packed, one thing that adds peace to my day is knowing dinner is already planned and mostly cooked.  For me, that means using a slow-cooker.   Plus, having the smell of dinner cooking in the afternoon isn’t bad either!

Today, I thought I would share some of my slow cooker recipes.  Hopefully this will give you some extra time doing something you want to do while dinner is simmering away. 

Creamy Italian Chicken 
(from Fix-It & Forget-It)
Makes 4-6 servings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
¼ cup water
8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
10-3/4-oz. can cream of chicken soup
4-oz. can mushroom stems and pieces, drained

Lightly grease slow cooker.  Place chicken in the bottom.  Combine salad dressing with water and pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours.   Combine cream cheese and soup until blended.  Stir in mushrooms.  Pour over chicken and cook until heated through.  Serve over noodles or rice.  Add a fresh green salad to complete the meal. 
Note:  I always add more chicken to the same amount of sauce and find I can stretch it to feed 8. 

Smoked Sausage with Cabbage & Apples
(from Crock-pot manual)
Serves 4-8

1-1/2 lbs. smoked sausage, cut into 2” lengths.
3 cooking apples, thinly sliced
½ head of red cabbage, shredded
1 onion, sliced
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ cup apple juice

Layer the sausage, apples, cabbage and onion in the bottom of your cooker in that order.  Sprinkle sugar, salt and pepper on top.  Pour the apple juice over all the ingredients.  Do not stir.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or high for 3 to 4 hours.  

Pulled Pork Sandwiches – Southern Style

Country-style pork ribs  – choose an amount that’s right for your family
Favorite BBQ sauce

Lightly grease slow cooker.  Put pork ribs in bottom and cover with sauce.  Cook 6 to 8 hours on low.  When done, remove excess fat and shred meat.  Add more BBQ sauce.   

 To serve, make or buy pre-made coleslaw.   Use a hamburger bun and place meat on the bottom of the bun.  Top with coleslaw and bun top.  Grab a napkin and enjoy.  I usually serve this with French fries and fruit. 

Simple Vegetable Soup

1 pound carrots
5 stalks celery
1 onion
1 zucchini
1 yellow summer squash
2 tsp. butter
8-oz bag/box frozen mixed vegetables  (your choice)
Chicken bouillon

Sauté carrots, celery and onions in butter for about 8-10 minutes. Add zucchini and yellow squash and sauté another 5 minutes, until all vegetables are slightly caramelized.   Scoop vegetables into your slow cooker, add bag of mixed vegetables, and fill with water.  Add one bouillon cube for every cup of water.  Cover and cook 5-6 hours.   Serve with cornbread or biscuits. 

Depending on the size of your slow cooker, you might need to reduce or increase the number of vegetables.  This soup tastes great on a cold day, and will meet your family’s vegetable needs for that day in a comforting and loving way.

 In His Love,

 Glynnis Whitwer
www.GlynnisWhitwer.com

“First we do what we have to do; then we can do what we want to do.”

 My children can quote this phrase from our household.  I read it in an article about Denzel Washington and the fact that he uses it with his kids.  Hey, if it’s good enough for Denzel, then I thought, it’s good enough for me!

 It is a great quote for teaching delayed gratification.

 My son, upon the first few times of hearing this statement, would say, “But I want to do what I want to do!” This of course, makes perfect sense to a 4-year-old. (Of course, next, I try to explain to him that we don’t always get to do what we want to do.  That is not real life.  Life is not fair.)  And then he will invariably ask me to do something like drive him to the Jaguar store to buy him one.  (At least he has big dreams.) However, we don’t always get to do what we want to do.  He is starting to understand this.

 This statement can apply to about any area of our lives. 

First, do your homework.  Then you can go play.

First you do the dishes.  Then you can have dessert.

First, we eat some healthy food.  Then, we can think about dessert.

First, we pay your bills.  Then, we can look into that new TV.

First, you use your time wisely.  Then, you can goof off.

First, work on your relationship with God.  Then, you will see fruit in your life when the tough times come.

 First, do what you have to do!

 I can’t tell you how thankful I am for choosing to do first things first.  It may seem difficult on the front end, but it pays off down the road.

Would anybody like to share a time when doing first things first, led to God’s blessing?

Thora

Are you drained and confused? Have you lost sight of the ”BIG PICTURE”?

I hear a lot of people talk about how they suffer from exhaustion and deep confusion. Sometimes they are so confused that they don’t have a clue what they are confused about. I’ve noticed in most cases the source of confusion is the lack of direction in their lives.

Life can appear to be a big blur and sometimes we loose sight of the Big picture.

One thing I have noticed when I become confused it’s usually when my life is out of balance. When I have so many projects going on  it’s easy to forget to prioritize and focus on what really matters. Or else there are times when I have found myself stuck in ideas and beliefs which I try to build my life on.

As most of you know I carry my camera wherever I go. I love Kodak moments! I think we can learn a bit of life in photography. In photography, if you don’t calibrate and focus the center of the camera properly the whole picture will be blurred. No amount of shots taken will make the picture clear until the center is focused.

Most of our confusion in life comes from not seeing a clear picture of who we are and who God calls us to be. Most of us take random shots in life hoping “to get the picture.”

How can we find our focus or center?

We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, for He is the only One who can bring back the focus in our lives.

To find our deep center is to find a deep Person. Jesus. He is supposed to be the center of our life. If our center is not Jesus, we end up unbalanced, unfocused and blurred.

We must see ourselves the way God sees us. We must see God’s vision for our life.  Jesus Himself said, “I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.”  He alone can give clarity to our blurry life.

Now do you get the big picture?

Love Eva

Today, November 9, 2009, marks the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  I remember watching the incredible news on TV, as a young college girl back in Guatemala.  The images of loved ones hugging each other and of young people in heavy coats, huddled together, dancing and chanting in their German tongue, while others climbed the wall and lifted their arms in triumph – still move me.

But the images that will forever be embedded in my mind were those of the people who grabbed sledgehammers and began pounding on the wall, “a symbol of oppression between free West and communist-side East,” as WI Congressman Ron Kind described it.

Rep. Kind was present at the time the infamous wall fell and even took a sledgehammer to knock chunks off the wall.  In an interview with the Associated Press, he showed the reporter a chunk he saved, which he keeps at his office as a constant reminder of his participation in “one of the most important moments in the history of our lifetime… The East and West reunited, knowing that from that point on the future would be remarkably different.”

The fall of the Berlin Wall, he concluded, demonstrated that, “individuals working together for a common goal can accomplish great things.”

Two thousand years ago, a humble carpenter broke down the greatest wall that divided mankind from God.  Ephesians 2 says that Jesus “is our peace, who has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… to reconcile [men and women] to God through the cross.  He came and preached peace to [those] who were far away and peace to those who were near.  For through him we have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (NIV)

By tearing down this “wall of hostility”, Jesus offered salvation and access to our Heavenly Father.  However, many other walls still need to be torn – walls people build for safeguarding, which end up becoming their prison; walls of anger, hurt, resentment and addiction that come between loved ones.  God is calling his children to participate alongside with Him in breaking down these barriers.

Just like those eager German men grabbed sledgehammers to help bring down the wall that for more than 30 years divided the country in two, we Christians can individually and collectively “knock chunks off” dividing walls with our prayers, our faith, our obedience to God’s Word, and with actions that reflect our Savior’s love. 

In his famous speech, President Ronald Reagan urged then General Secretary Gorbachev, “If you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, tear down this wall!”

Dear friends, if you seek peace within and around you; if you seek spiritual and physical prosperity; if you long for freedom; grab on to your faith, swing your “sledgehammer” and start tearing down those walls!

Ana

http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com/

My oldest son Josh played offensive line on his football team when he was younger.  Solid and strong, Josh’s job on the line was to hold the defensive line back long enough for the quarterback to do his job.  The offensive line isn’t the most glamorous job on the field, but when they don’t do their job well, everyone is quick to see.  Normally, these steadfast men hold firm, protecting their guy.

Sitting at the practices night after night, I noticed a common issue among the novice players on the field.  They often stopped blocking too soon.   Shouts of “Block ‘til the whistle blows!” filled the sweaty September night, and time and time again the tired players lined back up and tried again. 

The boys knew what they were supposed to do, but often gave up when they thought the play was over.  Other times they gave up because holding back a powerful defensive player was tiring.  Unfortunately, the play wasn’t over until the coach or referee blew the whistle.  Until that whistle blew, anything could happen. 

I’ve realized this is often what happens in our own lives – especially in the area of ministry.  It gets tiring serving others – especially when we don’t see results.  It gets tiring praying for people – especially when God’s answer seems to be “Not yet.”  It gets tiring forgiving those who hurts us – especially when it keeps happening.

So many women I meet these days are simply tired.  I know  because at times, I’m one of them.  Some days I’m confident.  But other days I’m just tired … tired of dieting …  tired of feeling overwhelmed with problems … tired of feeling inadequate to solve those problems … and so on. 

But quitting isn’t an option.  That’s why praying for each other is so powerful.  We need the prayers of our sisters in order to press on in spite of being tired.  Here’s what Colossions 1:9-12 says about praying for each other:

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

If you are feeling tired today, please post a comment so your sisters can pray for you.   We know you are facing your own battles today, and want to be there for you. 

Then just like those football players, we will keep going till the whistle blows.   Or as the Bible says, till the trumpet sounds:

“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”   Matthew 24:30-30.

God bless you today!

Glynnis

www.GlynnisWhitwer.com

Healthy Things Grow

 Have you ever noticed that healthy things grow?  Plants, children, emotional lives, our relationship with God, and our relationship with other people are a few things that come to mind.  If these things are healthy, they are progressing, moving forward, changing, metamorphasizing so to speak.

 Years ago in a pastoral staff meeting, a pastor by the name of James Ryle addressed us and told us this saying which has had great impact on me over the years:

 “Healthy things grow

Growing things change.

Change challenges us.

Challenge forces us to trust God.

Trust leads to obedience.

Obedience makes us healthy.

Healthy things grow…”

 As you can see, it is a cycle.  Even in our relationship with God, it seems as soon as we get comfortable, there will inevitably be some change which forces us to trust God in a new way.

 For example….let’s say you step out and pray out loud for someone for the first time.  It is scary.  It is change.  (But it also helps you grow spiritually.)  The next thing you know, you might be leading in Children’s Ministry or leading a small group.   It is challenging. Things come up which you have no answer for.  It forces us to trust God and seek Him.

And then there are those times, when the person in your group does not get healed, the check does not come in the mail, _________(you fill in the blank) and easy answers just don’t come. And we learn to be obedient to God anyway.  It is healthy.  It is challenging and it forces us to grow.

 We must choose to remember, that even if it is not easy, growth and change can be good.  They may be challenging, but that forces us into the arms of our Father. (Or elsewhere if we make a poor choice)

 May your journey be filled with healthy growing things!

Blessings,

Thora

The sky was dark, the moon was out, and all the little children were going door to door dressed in costumes shouting Trick-Or-Treat”.

I watched as my Lil one put his King Arthur Costume on and ran down stairs ready to go! While we drove through the streets we saw super hero’s, witches, and goblins. I was asking myself why do I even leave my home on this night full of darkness and evil. I was a little confused as to what I thought of halloween night.

We stopped the car to let all the little vampires cross the street and then we turned the corner… There it was …The reminder of why I was not home waiting for this night to be over!

It was a park located in the center of a dark neighborhood, surrounded by the homes of low income families.

That night the Park  became a place full of light and full of people sharing the  love of God!

There was free hot dogs, cotton candy, games, music, prayer booths and most important God’s Presence!!

The Church was there halloween night shinning it’s light for all the neighborhood to see! What was I thinking? Why would I give up even one night for the enemy! Every day belongs to the Lord and even in the darkness His Light will not be hidden!

I was touched to see how many people went up for prayer and I enjoyed watching the smile on the little children as they ran and played in a safe place.

It was totally awesome to see not only our church there but several other churches joining the Vineyard to make this night happen!!

May God bless all of you who gave of your time to be a blessing to that Glendale neighborhood. Your good deeds brought glory to our Father! You reminded me once again that everyday is the day the Lord has made we should rejoice and be glad in it!!

How about you? Do you allow your light to shine in the darkness that surrounds your life?

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Love, Eva 

Take a step back in time and consider the dreams you had as a child.  Most children can quickly tell you what they want to be when they grow up.  Are those dreams simply childhood musings or seeds God plants in our hearts?  What happened to those dreams?   For many women, those dreams got lost in the reality of life.  We take a job we don’t want because we need the money.  We set aside our dreams for those of our children.  Or we pursue something we think we want, only to find it didn’t answer the longing in our hearts.

 When I was young I wanted to be a teacher.  My father was a high school biology teacher and I loved helping him at night grading multiple-choice tests, entering figures into his grade book and hearing him talk about his class projects over dinner.  As a young girl, I loved being in school.  In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I volunteered in my elementary school library to re-shelve books.  I admired and loved my teachers, and worked hard to earn their respect.

 Time passed and somewhere along the line I lost my dream to teach.  It’s possible that my Dad’s growing frustration with the school administration and difficult students subconsciously soured my opinion, or more likely, my own fascination with a businesswoman’s lifestyle took over.  When it was time to declare a major, I chose public relations.  I knew I loved to write and I could just see myself carrying a briefcase, heels clicking down the hall on my way to an important business lunch.  After graduation, I launched wholeheartedly into my career, never once asking God if that was His will for my life.  For years my career and my faith were on parallel planes.

 As the years wore on, that dream to teach got buried as life took different turns and twists.  But God never forgot it.  Although I didn’t pursue teaching as a career, God always brought teaching into my life with kids of all ages at church.  However, it wasn’t until I surrendered my plans for my career and started working from home that God revealed His plan to integrate my faith and career, and fulfill my dream to teach as an editor, speaker and writer.  My dream just didn’t look like I thought it would when I was a child. 

 As Christians, we understand that everything we do, whether cleaning our homes, driving a carpool or running a home-based business is offered as a service to God.   Paul encouraged the slaves of his day with these timeless words in Colossians 3:23 and 24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the LORD, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”   

 What childhood dream have you lost?  Whatever it is, I guarantee you, God hasn’t forgotten it.  He may not fulfill it in the way you expect, but perhaps it will be even better as you surrender your plans, and offer them to God for His use. 

In His Love,

Glynnis

www.GlynnisWhitwer.com

 Enjoy the Change!  Have you ever heard that phrase?  Some people try to avoid change.  Now that I’m 48, I’m thinking we better get used to it.  The only constant in our world(besides Jesus) seems to be change.  Our world, our country, our leaders, our economy, our church, our families and ourselves—all of them keep changing.  Speaking of change, you should see the skin under my eyes…..well, maybe you shouldn’t. 

 Change is going to happen.  We simply can’t stop it.

Brian, my husband, has said to our children Zoe and Luke, on occasion, “I think we’re just going to stop you from growing any older and keep you at this age forever.”  The kids used to look at him like, “Is this possible?”

Now that they are the ripe old age of 6, they have figured out this is not possible and they just say, “naaaaaa.”

They know we cannot really keep them from growing older.   The truth is, they will keep changing.  (and we better enjoy it!)

 My prayer is that as we change, we are changing for the better. 

 May we draw closer to Christ and not further away from Him.  May we continue to be learners and not grow tired of the process.  May we face each new day with excitement of what God might do!

May we enjoy the changes in our families.  May we enjoy the things we can about growing older.  May we enjoy the wisdom we gain as we grow older.  May we learn to enjoy the seasons of life.  May we enjoy the things God teaches us…even when they are not easy.

 May we enjoy the change!

Blessings,

Thora

I know we have all heard of the five stages of grief, and unfortunately most of us have experienced them due to the loss of a loved one.  As I was reading about these steps (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) I began to see just how often we walk these steps in other situations in life.

What about the death of a dream?  As young girls most of us probably had dreams of growing up and meeting Mr. Right.  In our dreams he was tall and handsome,  passionate and compassionate, loving, caring, a great father, and of course he was filthy rich, at least in my dream. 

For some of us, one day we woke up to see this dream shattered. We became aware that our husbands were unfaithful, dealing with an addiction that  whittled away our nest egg, or that they are finding solace on the computer late at night.  Our dream became a nightmare.  Do we have a right to grieve that dream?  ABSOLUTELY!!!

I implore you to examine these steps again but in doing so, recognize there is one more very important step in this process: forgiveness.  While the other steps of grief are predominately involuntary, forgiveness is a choice.  We can choose to let this dream die and die with it, or we can choose to walk in the Word of God and forgive.  It is in this forgiveness that we find our new normal.  Life as we know it changes and we begin to live a different (not necessarily worse) life. No matter where that choice takes us, forgiveness is non-negotiable if we desire to live a happy and contented life.

Jesus says we are to forgive 70 times seven, that if we do not forgive He will not forgive us, and that unforgiveness is like a cancer to the bones. He is very serious about this issue in the Word.

No matter how the dream changes or what the end result, Christ is first and foremost concerned about us.  He cares about our well-being and knows that it is only in forgiveness that we can walk complete and whole.  He is more concerned with our peace and growth than about how  OUR dreams are playing out.

Sometimes we must understand that the dream is not what makes us. It is what we learn from trusting God with that dream, that transforms us into what He desires us to be. 

Ladies, life can be painful and full of sorrow (1 John 16:33) but do not fear. Release your situation to the Lord and walk in forgiveness and the Lord will guide your steps and give you new dreams … His dreams.

God Bless,

Dina, a guest blogger.