Interview :: Mrs. Heather C

Remember this post a couple months ago? Today, we have our first interview to share with you! A huge thanks to my dear mother for joining us for this interview. :) 

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JOJ (Rachel): Thank you for joining us today, Mom! :) Can you please share a bit about yourself to our readers?

Mrs. C: I am the very happy wife to my dear husband. We have been married almost 20 years. God has been very good to us and has entrusted us with 8 children. I am passionate about making our house a home of rest, creating an environment full of creativity, joy and a home where God is sought, taught, and glorified.

Rachel: Thank you! :) Now, on to address some questions our readers have submitted. What is the most encouraging thing that has ever been said to you?

Mrs. C: Probably when you said I was your best friend ~ it is the desire of every mother to have her daughter's (and children's) heart.

Rachel:  Could you share any tips you might have for time management?

Mrs. C: Conquer the procrastination monster. Say NO to being away from home for everything. Get rid of excess! Minimize and you will be so surprised how much smoother and easier it is to live a fully and truly happy life. You will enjoy cleaning! :) Also, go to bed before 10:30 pm. Stay off the computer. An orderly life is priority ~ NOT the computer. That is only after our tasks and responsibility are done well.

Rachel: What is the best thing you think a young lady can do with her time?

Mrs. C: Here are two things: Seek Jesus and HIS will for your life. Serve your family and church families...Ask mother how she needs you to help the most.

Rachel: Thank you so much for joining us today! Do you have any closing exhortation to share with us young ladies?

Mrs. C: True contentment is great gain. Live the life God has given you and desire to be content. If you are discontent with parents, family, and direction your life is headed, Seek Jesus like you never have before. Everything will fall into place. Grace, Peace, and Joy to you!

Mommy, sister, and I :)

Stay tuned ~ We hope to have an interview with a sweet young lady out before too many months! ;)

Can I really?

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13

I KNOW THIS IS GOD’S REALITY FOR ME!

Lately, God has been teaching me a lot about trusting Him for strength. In June of this year I signed up for the National Bible Bee. Although I’ve competed for the past three years, I’ve never made it beyond the state level. This year I was hoping to make it to nationals – but I felt so out of focus. I lacked concentration when I studied, and I was soooo busy,

Then July came. Four of my siblings and I were supposed to volunteer at a summer camp. I was super excited about the trip when, the night before we were scheduled to leave, I got really sick. I had really, really wanted to go and I felt like God had let me down… I prayed and prayed that I would wake up the next morning and be well enough to go, but it just didn’t happen. Instead, I spent the next week in bed.

That morning as my siblings pulled out of the driveway without me, my sister leaned out the window and said, “Beth, maybe God is keeping you home from camp because you need the time to study; you’ll probably make it to Nationals!” I shook my head and thought, “No way am I going to make it… I’m only a few weeks away from my test and nowhere near ready.”

Time flew and before I knew it, the test day was only a week away. I felt so unprepared, I almost gave up altogether; but a dear friend of mine talked to me into persevering. She told me I had committed to compete and I shouldn’t’ be a quitter. I knew she was right.

During the last seven days of study, I began to pray. I prayed really hard that God would show me exactly what to study in the little time I had left. When testing day arrived, I felt completely at peace. I wasn’t nervous at all, even though I had not completed all of the study I had wanted to get done.

I WAS READY TO DO MY BEST, AND TRUST GOD FOR THE REST.

I had a lot of people praying for me that day. As I took the test, God brought all the things He had been teaching me to mind. As I clicked the “finish” button on my test,  I somehow felt like it had gone really well. In fact, I even dared to hope that maybe I had a shot at getting to nationals after all.

A week later I went to the Bible Bee awards ceremony to receive my score. I had been praying all week that God would help me to be content with where he had placed me – whether I got to go to Nationals or not. As the host read off the scores I waited for my placing fully expecting that I either wouldn’t make it all, or that if I did I would be #120 (the lowest position which can qualify). Then they said my name, followed by “you placed #88 in the nation.”

I WAS LITERALLY JUMPING UP AND DOWN… I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT.

Here I was, ready to give up altogether, discouraged because I had missed camp…shaking my head in disbelief when my sister had suggested that maybe God was keeping me home so I could study… and now I was on my way to nationals!

I wasn’t ready when testing day came along, but God showed me that He can take my weaknesses and use His strength to show himself strong. As Christians when we are facing an “impossible” task, we don’t need to fear because we serve a God who does the “impossible” all the time.

“For we know that with men this is impossible. But with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

A huge thank you to my dear friend, Bethany Stelzl, for sharing with us. :) I am so excited that we made it to Nationals together...I can't wait to compete with you in November! :D Bethany occasionally blogs over at 1 Love for Christ. 

Photo Credit: Flickr

Preparing to: set the world on fire

I first read this post on a friend's blog: Alisha in Progress. She graciously gave me permission to re-post it here. Thanks Alisha! :) Hope y'all are blessed. ~Rachel

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Since April 3^rd, 2013 my life has belonged to God! I'm truly set free from all the past sin in my life {praise God Almighty}, but is it only about being saved? Is that what life as we know it all about? Does our Maker want us to only pray, “God forgive my sins, and come into my heart”? This is what most Christians today think! God wants to us to draw close to Him, so He can draw ever more close to us. If the Christian's life isn't about only being saved then what is it about? What does our Father desire?

At 19 I have finally found out for myself what my Father desires...the One who gives us life, desires for His children to be close to Him. It's not just about praying the “prayer of Salvation” and then attending church every time the doors are open. If that's not what it is all about, then how do you become close to our Father?

You start by prayer! Prayer is one important key element in the devout Christian's life. This is a way to communicate with the Lord. Talking to Him on a daily basis ... two times at least is a good start in order to become closer to Him. “Two times a day, when am I supposed to pray to the Lord two times a day?” How about the first time you pray, is when you get up! The first few things you should grab in the morning are your Bible, prayer journal, and any devotional you use. You shouldn't grab your Ipod Touch, cell phone, lap-top, etc. right when you wake up (I constantly struggle with this =/), and leave your Heavenly Father on the back burner of your life! And the second time is...can you guess? How about the second time is right before you go to sleep?

The next step to be ever more closer to Him is Bible reading! This step is crucial in your walk with God. How else is God supposed to speak to you if you aren't in the Word and aren't spending time in prayer? You don't need to read the entire Bible in one sitting {it has been done}, you just need to start your day out in the inspired Word of God. Start by reading a Psalm & Proverb correlating to what the date is. For instance, recently I read Psalms 13 and Proverbs 13 because the date was March 13. Then little by little add in a book of the Bible that isn't too long, for example Micah {if you read a chapter a day, you'll finish it within the week}. Or Jude {you'll be able to read that in one sitting}. Bible reading is a crucial element in the life of a believer!

The last step is application! This is the key element in the Christian faith, and will help your faith blossom like you can't imagine. Our Father doesn't want you to read something and then forget it...He wants you to apply what you read to your life. Whenever you read a verse, and you are able to apply it the same day you read it...take the challenge and try doing what the verse says! Not only is this the best way to grow in your faith, but it is also a wonderful way to be an example to others, and being set-apart for His glory!!

This very last step correlates to the step of application...a willing heart! God can't use you if you aren't willing to change the way you live your life. This is another common problem in most “Christians” today. They aren't willing to die to the flesh, and flee the youthful lusts {1 Tim. 5:22}

 Sweet young ladies, be willing to change for the Good! Allow God to make you, who He wants you to be!

In HIS grace, Alisha

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

Hello readers!

Here's a shout out to all you "secret readers"...maybe you read our blog, but have never commented. Or maybe you are a regular reader, and have commented before, for which we're grateful! I'm now inviting all of you who read our blog, to please comment, even if you never have before. Tell us how you heard about JOJ, a little about yourself, and whatever! We love hearing from our readers. 

Would you mind completing our short survey HERE? It's just 4 questions long, so will only take a minute. Your input is greatly appreciated!

If you can't get to the form, feel free to answer the questions below in a comment:

                                -Your name 

                                -What do you want to see more of on JOJ?

                                -Would you be willing to write for us sometime?

Looking forward to hearing from you!! 

Missy’s Testimony: Beyond the Raging Storm

Introduction: Missy wrote this story back in February, and shared it on a few blogs. Recently, I remembered it again, and thought this would be a good time to share her testimony. When she originally shared it, she said that it would be great if others wanted to share her story as well, and good old “copy and past” is fine with her. So if you find this encouraging—as I do—then feel free to pass it on. –Esther

 

A Testimony of God’s Incredible Faithfulness Through Intensely Painful Situations
by Missy

Leah Nicolette made a button to go along with this story—if you decide to share the story, you are welcome to use this as well.

Link to original picture (or, click on above photo): http://goo.gl/wFoH1V Or, grab this embed code: <center><img border="0" src=" http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u523/erose100/Blogger%20Uploads/2014%20Posts%20on%20Blog/Missys%20Story/Button_zps772db399.jpg " /></a></center>

A bit of the past:
     A few of you know that the past few years have been extremely difficult and harsh for my family.
     For more than three years, my dad, Corrie and I took care of my mom and grandpa – both of whom were suffering through different mental illnesses.  During that time, we kept what we were going through a secret and even now, for my mom and grandpa’s sake, I will be very vague about the details of the horrifying things that we went through.  As the only one through that period of time who did not have a job, I turned into the main caretaker for my mom and grandpa.  Thankfully either my dad or Corrie were able to be home at least a little almost every day to give me a break.  At times, when things were at their worst, they would both have to take off work in order for us all to provide 24/7 care for my mom.  We could not afford to place my grandpa in a home and we could not get medical attention for my mom – not unless she were to try to take her own life.   Looking back now, I can say that it was only by the grace of God that we ever made it through.  It was a physically and mentally crushing and spiritually trying time in all of our lives and even now we still have much recovering to do.
     After taking care of my mom and grandpa for almost three years, my mom (due to her mental illness) was completely done with me and kicked me out of the house on the night before Thanksgiving. (2012)  At that point, I was so crushed and overloaded that I was unable to handle anymore.  Thankfully, at that time, both my dad and sister were home and I was able to spend that night, Thanksgiving, and the next night living out of my dad’s sleeper on his semi-truck.  The day after Thanksgiving, I called an older couple (D&D) who I had known for a few years and asked if it would be alright for me to stay with them for a few nights.  They were more than happy to help.
     The days after that event were horrible.  I felt as though I had deserted my family when they still badly needed me – but at the same time, I knew I had given my all and that I was not able to take anymore;  Not without hurting someone or myself.  I sobbed and prayed and sobbed more.  Then D&D shared something with me that astounded me.  D&D had not heard from me in months and they had no idea what was going on in my life - but while praying, they felt strongly like I was going to need a place to stay for a while.  Acting on faith, they began to remodel their basement.  The remodel took a couple of months – All this time, they did not hear from me at all.  Two HOURS after they finished remodeling the bedroom (the last part of the basement that needed remodeled)  - I called them asking for a place to stay.  I had no idea that I would be needing a place to stay – but God knew and D&D acted by faith with much prayer.  That was the first major confirmation that I was supposed to leave my family – even though it felt completely wrong at that time.
The second confirmation came shortly after.
     D&D let me stay with them – not just for a few days but I was welcome for as long as I needed a place to live.  I began immediately searching for a job.  I searched everyday – online and in person.  I filled out stacks of applications but jobs are scarce – especially full time.  During that time, I prayed much about a job, and I had peace.  I knew that if the Lord wanted me to have a job, he would guide me in the right direction.   I was calm about finding a job and trusting, but I was still emotionally wrenching from the harsh circumstances that I had just left and the thought that I had deserted my family.  D&D were very supportive and prayed very much for us even though it was not until two or three months later that I was able to open up and share with them what had been happening.

My Job:
     The phone call was completely unexpected.  Yes, I was hoping for phone calls – hoping that someone would contact me regarding a job, but this phone number I already had as a contact in my phone and I had not spoken with them in two or three years.
     Tristan from Stickit Signs called me – asking if I would be interested in a job working for him as the Chewelah Office Manager.  The best part is – he had NO IDEA THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR A JOB!  When Corrie worked in Chewelah, her office was right next to Stickit Signs and that is how I had originally met Tris three years previously.  I had done a little bit of photography work for him in exchange for some vehicle magnets.  We had not been in touch since then.
     After I interviewed with Tris and started work, I found out that he and his wife had been in deep prayer about who they should hire as an office manager.  It was going to be a big job.  Until that point in time, Tris had run the business alone.  He did everything out of his head and so there were no set systems or price sheets and he had no need for them running it solo.  However, his business needed to grow and he was looking for the right person to build systems and price sheets and help him build the business up.  He had to find the right person, and he knew that God had the solution.  For weeks, he and his wife had been thinking of me as a possibility but they did not call me until that day.  If they had called me two weeks earlier – I would have turned the job down because I was still caring for my mom and grandpa.
     Again, God’s timing was so perfect and he had laid out a complete plan before me.

The beautiful view out the side window of my office at Stickit Signs in Chewelah

Two months later:
     After a long paperwork battle, my dad was finally able to get enough financial support to have my grandpa moved into an assisted living home.  I had regularly changed my grandpa every day when I was taking care of him, but after I left, he became much much worse to the point that even if I had been there, I would have no longer been able to take care of him anymore.  Dad was the only one that could handle him and it was very rough.  As soon as my grandpa was relocated, I began to clean out his cabin and work on remodeling it.  My intention was to move into the cabin (right across the creek from my parent’s house) so that I could help again with my mom without actually living in the same house with her.  Even moving into the cabin would have been horribly difficult for me with the state she was in, but Corrie had been offered a new job and was planning her move to Spokane and I couldn’t just leave my dad with the way things were.   I continued to live with D&D but I worked on the cabin whenever I could.  Sadly, it had been badly damaged by my grandpa and was going to take a lot of time, repair and money to fix.

My Miracle Car:
     It was a huge blessing being able to live with D&D, however the drive to my new job was 40 minutes one way IF the roads were good…. And they were not good.
     Every day, as I drove to work, I could feel the worn out car I was driving shake and moan and I felt as though it was not going to last too terribly much longer.  It was extremely high in miles and not worth fixing at all – but it was what I had and once it died I was going to be stuck.
     Thankfully the Lord had a plan for that as well!
     Every day, I thanked the Lord for the car and how far it had been able to go.  Then I would also thank Him for my next car.  I told Him,  “I have no idea where it is coming from – But God, THANK YOU for my next car!  I know it is going to have to be another miracle!”    - And it was.
     The day finally came.  While I was just about to pull out of a parking lot, the old green car suddenly began to shake horribly, I lost power steering and most of the brakes.  THANKFULLY there were just enough brakes left for me to slam on them with all of my might to keep myself from ending up right in the middle of oncoming traffic.  I was somehow able to get the car into reverse and it had just enough noisy, shaky strength to back up into a parking space where it died for good.  I sat there for just a minute and thanked God one last time for the car that had taken me so very far – and then I thanked him once again for the next car that I had no idea how I would get!
     I happened to have my bike in the back so I called my dad, pulled out my bike and rode around for an hour until he was able to come and get me.
     I stayed the next few nights at the house with my family sleeping on my sister’s bedroom floor.  At the time she still worked in Chewelah and so she was able to take me to work when she went, then either her or my dad would pick me up later.  Corrie worked part time and I worked full time so it was difficult for a few days but we did it!
     That weekend, I called my grandma in Montana to chit chat.  While we were talking I mentioned what had happened to the car.  There was silence on the other end of the line and then she asked, “Do you need a car?”  She owned a car and a pickup and she wanted to get rid of her car.  She fully intended to give it away to a family member but she was uncertain who to give it to because none of her family really “needed” a car.  It had been heavily on her mind and she had been praying hard about it for months.  She kept feeling like she should give the car to us, but she didn’t want to cause friction with other family members since at that time, none of us really “needed” it.  Now I was desperately in need of a car and it was an answer to her prayers and a huge delight to her to be able to bless me with it.
     Corrie and I drove to Montana right away and I drove back my new car!  It is a humble little car, it had belonged to my Great- Grandma, then my Grandma, and now me.  That makes the car sound old – but it was very low in miles and well taken care of.   The Lord is the best planner and provider imaginable.

Traumatic Event:
     I had now been living with D&D for over 5 months and was working hard on the cabin so that I could help keep an eye on mom again.  Grandpa was in assisted living care and Corrie had just moved to Spokane.  Dad had to work on and off but that left mom alone a lot even during the times when she still needed 24/7 care.  We were all so burnt out from the past years there very little we could do any longer.  I stopped as often as I could to check on her and bring groceries.  On Friday, April the 19^th, I stopped at the house after work to do more repairs on the cabin and to check on my mom. Both the driveway to the cabin and the driveway to the house were completely covered in broken glass and random other broken items that were everywhere.  When I went inside of the house it was much worse.  Mom was in a very bad state and I could not leave her alone.  I stayed there and dad arrived later that night.  It was a horrible weekend.  On Monday, April 22nd, I had to go to work while dad stayed there.  The house was quiet when I left and it seemed like my mom must have been sleeping – or so I thought.
     I received the call at about 12:15 pm.  It was my dad… he was sobbing… My mom had tried to commit suicide.   At times she would not sleep for days at a time and so when she finally did sleep – she slept hard and long.  Dad had thought she was sleeping and so he did not want to disturb her.  The room had been quiet and he didn’t want to wake her and so he didn’t check on her until that time.  However, instead of sleeping, she had been quietly torturing herself to death.
     I rushed home and arrived shortly after the police and ambulance.  I was able to say goodbye to her before they took her away – I really didn’t know if I would see her again.   Then I climbed in the car and drove to the hospital with my broken dad next to me.
     Mom went through surgery that night.  They had to remove air from around one of her lungs, remove a large section of her intestines, and stitch up several other holes.
     I packed my things from D&D’s and moved back into my parent’s house to take care of the animals and to be there for my dad.   Corrie had moved into town only two weeks before and she lived only a couple of miles away from the hospital.  This was yet more proof of God’s perfect timing!  Dad was able to stay with Corrie at her new apartment to be close to my mom.  If she didn’t have the apartment, he would have had to drive an hour one-way every day to be there.

     My mom ended up being in a few different hospitals over the next seven months.  I worked hard to be able to drive the hour and a half one-way drive every weekend out to see her and dad and Corrie went as often as they were able to as well. 

     During those months, my physical body went through a series of different stages of shock.  There were times that my health was so bad that I wanted to die.  Thankfully I had some very close friends that helped me through. 

     Shortly before Thankgiving 2013, my mom was relocated to a better place where she has more freedom and she is close so I can be there for her.  Since she is now stabilized on medication, she is like a completely different person and thankfully, there are a lot of things from the past years that she does not seem to remember at all.  I feel like I am gaining back some of the mom that I never thought I would see ever again.  I am so incredibly thankful.
     My dad has been such a huge inspiration to me.  He has proven himself to be so faithful and patent even though he has suffered so much.  He still is suffering and is very broken from the things we have been through.  He is in need of friends and prayers.  I feel as though I can do so little for him – but I am thankful that I can make the house into a home for him and be here when he is home.

The Present:  February 2014
     Corrie is still and will always be the best sister ever to me!  She is still living at the same apartment in Spokane and is enjoying her new job as office manager, accordion repair tec, and piano and accordion teacher for Able To Play Music.  She is also still heavily involved with the Portatos Accordion Band and anything else to do with accordion and music!  Last year, Corrie took first place in one of the performance sections of the Leavenworth Accordion Competition.  Not only was it her first time to win first place  - the best part is that she did it with her own composition!
      Corrie has continued to grow steadily with the Lord and He has taken her through even more hard trials.  She is such a huge inspiration to me and to others who know her.

Corrie and I in November 2012 at the end of the
World Accordion Competition when it came to Spokane

     Grandpa is still in an assisted living home and it is a much better place for him.  He has old friends and family members who visit him often and even though he can’t remember who they are – He enjoys the company.

     I am still living with my dad and we have been working hard to repair all the damage inside and outside of the cabin and the house that was caused by my mom and grandpa’s illnesses.  Paint, repair, and new decorations are beginning to make the house into a home and it is helping to slowly wipe away all of the bad memories.   The house is really beginning to look like a different place now and it has been healing for both dad and I.  To our best knowledge, my mom will never be coming back here again. 

My dad's fire place remodel project - didn't he do an amazing job!?!



Clean up and repair

 

After

 

After #2

     I am still working at Stickit Signs and am so thankful for my job.  After hard work of building price sheets and systems, we opened a second store and have hired two new employees that we have been training.  This has been a very humbling process, because as I train others – I realize just how much I have yet to learn myself!  I am just about to move out of the customer service angle of the business and will work as our main artwork designer, book-keeper, and do a little bit of everything else that I possibly can! 

     My health has still be quite bad, but it is much better than it was over the summer!  I am really focusing hard on natural healing and am doing a lot of physical exercise as well.

     Things are changing and getting better.  We have much to heal from but even more to be thankful for. It is well with my soul.   

      GOD IS GOOD – I hope you are encouraged and inspired to trust Him though all of life’s storms.

Thank you for reading.
~ Missy

Recipe Wednesday: Meat Potato Quiche

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). In a baking pan, stir together:

• 3 cups coarsely chopped raw potatoes
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil

Press evenly into pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Layer on hot crust:

• 1 cup grated cheese
• ¾ cup meat (ham, sausage, chicken, hamburger etc.)
• ¼ cup chopped onion

In a bowl, beat together:

• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp. salt
• pepper

Pour egg mixture onto ingredients. Return to oven and bake about 39 minutes or until lightly browned. (You can also put corn flake crumbs mixed with butter on top.)

Enjoy!
-Jessica S.

Guest Post: Created a Jewel

by Abigail

It’s a gorgeous morning. The sky above the mountains is a vivid blue, with streaks of white clouds stretching above the blue haze of mountain peaks. The breeze is cool and invigorating, and feels good as it brushes against my cheeks. I’m so glad to be alive—so happy to be the person God created me to be.

Last night, however, I was feeling blue and lonely, and so mad at myself. I had just been to a youth gathering, and although I had a good time with my friends, I was struggling against worthless feelings. We had been playing volleyball, like usual, and I am one of the worst volleyball players. The ball doesn't seem to cooperate with me very often, flying to the side or hitting the net. I hate messing up my team, and when sides were chosen, I of course was chosen last. (Thankfully we usually number off. :) ) Also, I felt mad at myself for being so quiet and introverted. I am a deep-thinker and a quiet personality by nature, so when the young people are talking in a group I like to just sit and listen, and smile, maybe add a little comment here and there. I do better one on one, but I’ve never been much of a talker unless I know someone extremely well, or feel really comfortable.

And last night, I was mad at myself all over again. It seemed like no one really liked me. Sure, they were my friends, but they didn’t really miss me if I was gone or really care if I was around. I was just the quiet Abigail, and I didn’t really matter that much. At least, it was easy to think that way.

After a long talk with my dad, I felt a lot better, but it was this morning at the youth’s prayer meeting that God really hit the truth home to my heart. Our youth leader was talking about peer pressure, and one statement struck my heart like a dagger. “Don’t let peer pressure define the person you are.” Suddenly, I got it. (again :) ) God had created me quiet. He had made me not such a big talker. I wasn’t very charming or especially smart, or good at volleyball. But I could smile. I could love others and genuinely care about them. I could splash God’s love over to others who were hungry for it, and I could be an encourager. God had given me gifts, and after all, I do talk a lot sometimes.

It wasn’t about me. I was nothing. But Christ had made me something. He had created me good, given me His very nature, put Himself inside me, and given me the ability to become a beautiful young woman, radiant with love and joy. And right now, I feel so happy I could burst. Because I’m free to be the person HE created me to be. He made me myself…and has awesome plans for me!

For all of us.

I am a 17-year old daughter of the King, living in Montana with my parents, five younger brothers, and little sister. I love living here in this gorgeous place, and every day God shows me a little more of how awesome He is. I have a passion for Israel and the Jews, and it is my dream to live in Israel and help God’s people someday. My interests include writing, art, piano, swimming, volleyball :), flower gardening, working with moms and babies, poetry, reading biographies and writing novels, and spending time with friends and family in the great outdoors.

Guest Post–Hebrews 13:15

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Hebrews 13:15

This verse has been powerful in my life.  God calls us to continually offer Him the sacrifice of the praise of our lips. So let’s break down this verse, looking at each word individually in order to gain a deeper understanding of what it says.

    Therefore: Because God is so good, and because we await His return, and because He is coming back to rule over all the earth, we must offer the praise of our lips to Him.
    By: It is not on our own power that this is possible, but only by Him.
    Him: He has done it all. We are weak, He is strong. We are sinful, He is perfect. By His blood, His name, His grace, and His strength, we can move mountains for His glory. It’s all about Him.  He will give us the power to give praise to Him continually.
    Let: This is defined as to cause, to assign, to permit to enter, to make an adjustment, to allow.
    Us: This is an action that we, by His grace, must do.  We can’t just sit back and expect it to happen, but we must get up from the chair and do something.
    Continually: This is something we are to do all the time—no exceptions.
    Offer: Defined as an expression of readiness to do or give something if desired. We must be ready to willingly, of our own will, give what is ours to Him who bought it with His blood.
    The: Pretty self-explanatory.
    Sacrifice: This is the act of forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.  Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim. We are giving up something, much as our flesh wants to keep it, in exchange for something so much better, Christ’s name being glorified.
    Of: Nothing needed here.
    Praise: We are to express our appreciation of God and the mighty things He has done. Declaring Christ’s works to all who we see. Expressing our admiration of God and His greatness.
    To: We do all the above to one Person, with the goal of bringing Him glory.
    God: All of our praise is to be offered to God. He is worthy of all of our praise, and because of His holiness, we offer the fruit of our lips.
    That is: Defining what the sacrifice of praise is.
    The: I think you have the general idea.
    Fruit: Basically the outcome of our lips; our words.
    Of: Nothing needed here.
    Our: Not God’s, not the preacher’s, not our peer’s, but ours. Even if no one else around us is praising Him, it is our job to be offering the fruit of our lips to Him.
    Lips: The things God has given us to talk with.
    Giving: Synonymous with offering. It must be done willingly and with sincerity.
    Thanks: Expressing our appreciation and gratitude for all He has done. Notice, it does not say complaining or grumbling.
    To: Who our thanks is directed at.
    His: Not ours.
    Name: What identifies Him as the King. His name has exceedingly great power. We must give glory and thanks to His name.

It is my prayer that you too may by Him continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God,  giving thanks to His name.

About the author:
Allison is a 15-year-old daughter of the King.  Her aim in life is to be pleasing and honoring to Him.  She has a passion for encouraging other young ladies in the Lord.

Recipe Wednesday: Chai Tea Latte

“Mary Cassatt: Tea” by freeparking :-| is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 2 Lipton tea bags
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 whole clove
• ¼ tsp. ground ginger
• 2 ½ cups milk
• ¼ cup sugar (or less)
• whipped cream
• ground cinnamon

Directions:
     Combine water, tea, cinnamon stick, clove, and ginger; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in milk and return to boil for 1 minute. Strain off nonliquid ingredients. Add sugar. Top with whipped cream and cinnamon.
     Note: I use Chai Tea instead of Lipton with spices.

A super good, warm drink on a winter or rainy day! :)
-Jessica S.

Faithful to Answer

The following post was written by my grandma a while ago, and I was very blessed when I read it, so I asked her for permission to reshare someday. She gladly gave it, and since I’m away this weekend on a quick 3-day holiday I thought this would be a good time to share. :)
~Esther

Faithful to Answer
By: Diane

I’ve been asked whether God really cares about us as individuals, and, if so, if He answers prayers. I know that the answer to both questions is a resounding “yes!”, but for some reason my mind often goes blank when I try to come up with specific examples. Wouldn’t it be nice to be quick with a comeback! However, when an answer came recently, I wrote it down so I could pass it along as an example.

The other day at the store when I was busy mixing bread, something came up that really bugged me. It wasn’t anything big nor especially important. Maybe you know how it goes, though: one grouchy thought leads to another, and pretty soon the grouch grows really big and way out of proportion to whatever started it in the first place. Worse yet, it is almost impossible to change to another channel. Finally, I prayed briefly, confessing that those negative thoughts were sin and asking Father to just take them and get rid of them. Wow: they went away fast! It wasn’t long before I couldn’t even remember what the problem had been (okay; I didn’t try for long, because I didn’t want to get caught in the same spiral again!), and had started thinking about what a privilege it was to be making bread from the ingredients provided by the King of the Universe. God is so good!

The next line of thought considered how this seems like such a little thing. Well, Luke 16:10 says, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” (NASB) That can apply to us–but I think it also applies to our God. If we can trust Him to be interested in our little problems, only then can we trust Him to be faithful in the big things. And by the way–I have no concordance with me to help locate this verse, my NASB has no cross-references, and the verse is not in a passage I’ve memorized, so I asked Father to show me where it was. After a very little looking (like through a couple of chapters after I guessed what book to try), there it was… Wow.

Recipe Wednesday: Chocolate Mint Bars

Chocolate Mint Bars

“Brownies mint” by Gabriela is

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Ingredients:

  Base:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 1 ½ cup flour
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts, optional

  Frosting:

• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 2 tsp. peppermint extract
• Green food coloring

  Topping:

• 3 oz. (90 gm) coating chocolate
• 3 Tbsp. butter

Directions:

Base:  Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add cocoa, flour, salt, and nuts. Mix well. Pour into greased 9×13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool.

Frosting:  Cream butter; gradually add powered sugar, milk, peppermint extract, and food coloring. Frost cake and let set until frosting is firm.

Topping:  Melt chocolate with butter, spread over frosting. Chill 30 minutes, then cut into bars.

Rich and sweet, but good!

-Jessica

Recipe Wednesday: Mousetraps

Mousetraps (Cheese on Toast)

Butter some slices of bread (we use day old or two day old bread) and place on an oven tray.

“simple dinner” by paul goyette is

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Cover the buttered bread with tomato sauce. This makes it taste really good!

Grate some cheese and sprinkle that on top. Now you can add slices of tomato, pineapple, capsicum or basically any fruit or vegetable! Note if you use something like potato you will want to boil or fry it first.

Sprinkle some mixed herbs on top now. You can also add a tiny pinch of ginger or something like that to spice it up even more!

Cook in the oven on Grill. They should only be in there for a few minutes or they will burn.

My family enjoys this tremendously. :) Enjoy!

-Elise

A note from Esther: I was surprised when I saw this recipe come in. It’s basically an embellished version of a common snack around our place. We usually spread some mayonnaise on bread, then put sliced cheese on that and grill it for a couple minutes. Then we serve it with prepared mustard.

If we don’t feel like doing the extra step, sometimes we’ll leave out the mayonnaise and just put plain cheese on the bread and melt it. It’s scrumptious! I think this version (above) would taste even better, though!

Also, we need more recipes—this is the last one. Have something to share? Please do not hesitate to stop by the Submissions Page and then hopefully we’ll have another recipe here in two weeks! Thank you!

Guest Post :: Gleaning Gems of Wisdom

Gleaning Gems of Wisdom

-Courtney Minica-

Credit: Minica family

The deep furrows traced on her gentle hand reminded me of a fresh-plowed field of sod. As she cuddled my newborn brother, I marveled at the difference time and trials had made in her wrinkled skin, once so fresh and soft. I held his chubby hand to hers, and realized what a priceless gift I possess in her. I contemplated the difference in their palms; one life just dawning, and the other growing dusky and dim. My mind wandered through all the sweet memories I have of our special relationship...

...”Dranny, tan do outside?” the little girl with bouncing curls begged eagerly. ” See, shoes!” “We just went outside ten minutes ago!” the indulgent granny laughed. “Are you sure you want to go again?” “Me twime on wocks adain. Pwease, Dranny? Me weally want do outside.”…

...”Wook Mama – dere’s Dranny!” shouted the excited child from the shopping cart, pointing towards an elderly lady with white hair who vaguely resembled the said granny. “Shhh, that’s not Granny, sweetheart,” remonstrated the laughing mother. “Dranny, Dranny, hi Dranny!”

Sad indeed was I when the lady didn’t turn out to be “Dranny” after all…

Though I remember little of those days when Granny babysat me, the few memories I have of them are among my most cherished. Even though now I see her less often, I often think how blessed I am to have a great-grandmother still living.

Granny was born during the Great Depression. She enjoyed a relatively peaceful life, but she did not lack her share of struggle. Throughout the course of her many years, Granny began to doubt some of the religious beliefs her family held, and searched the Scriptures to find the truth. She eventually came to see many of the traditions and doctrines her church and family held in a new light, and as a result she became estranged from both. She sacrificed much for her faith. Like silver, Granny was tried, and was found worthy.

Granny married a Minica in 1941. God blessed them with three children, one of whom is my grandfather.

Each time I talk with Granny, I am impressed by her godliness and how God has worked through her life. She is almost 92 years old – I know that every day with her is precious.
One memory of Granny that particularly stands out in my mind was at my thirteenth birthday party over a year ago. In our family, we have started a tradition of throwing a womanhood/manhood party for the one turning thirteen. One of the highlights of the event is when my parents and other mentors share words of advice and encouragement with us, and invite others to do the same. I specifically recall Granny’s words, sitting because she was too weak to stand for long, her loving eyes fixed on mine. She spoke of when she cared for me as a toddler, and how I never wanted anything to eat but bread and peanut butter. She analogized that memory with Matthew 4:4, which speaks of how we should rely on God’s words even more than our daily bread. She encouraged me to always lean on the words of God. I could see how she applied that to her life, which made her words much more meaningful to me.

Thinking through these things as I sat there, I resolved to spend more time with

Granny. I looked thoughtfully at her aged palm that had soothed teething babies, hand washed laundry, cooked thousands of meals, cleaned hundreds of messes, held the Book of Books for hours upon hours, been folded in prayer, and I wondered. I posed the little baby hand next to hers, each one so very different and special. I decided to take advantage of this great gift from the Lord, and use the little precious time I have with my only remaining great-grandparent. Now, while I am young, and my spiritual “skin” is still fresh and unscarred by the world, to be able to interview the years that have gone before me, and gather what wisdom I can from the lessons she learned in her life – this is not a privilege to be taken lightly.

Though many of you who read these thoughts may not have living great-grandparents, or some of you even living grandparents, I urge you to learn from your parents and other elders! When they are gone, their years of wisdom will be gone with them, never to be found again. Question them, unearth long-buried lessons from their failures and their triumphs, their struggles and their victories. Soak in their stories, never get tired of listening to them speak about their lives. Do not spare any pains in order to learn as many things from them as you can! You will be glad you did.

...........................................

Courtney Minica (14) is a daughter of the greatest King, and her greatest desire is to serve Him. Her hobbies include babysitting, crocheting, painting, playing piano and participating in the National Bible Bee.

Recipe Wednesday: Covered Grapes

A note from Esther: Today’s recipe is very simple. But it looks delicious, too! This is something I want to try sometime soon.

Also, this is the last recipe I have to share with all of you. If you have one you think others would enjoy, please do not hesitate to stop by the Submissions Page and then hopefully we’ll have another recipe here in two weeks! Thank you. :)
 

Covered Grapes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup powdered sugar 
• 1 cup sour cream 
• 4 oz. (½ cup, 125g) cream cheese 
• 1 tsp. vanilla 
• Approximately 2 quarts grapes 

Directions:
Mix first 4 ingredients. Toss in grapes.

My whole family really likes these!! It’s so good…. :)-Jessica S.

Recipe Wednesday: Creamy Roasted Garlic Soup

A note from Esther: Hi, friends. I’m sorry this has taken so long to get up. You’d think that surely on one of those three previous weeks I would have remembered to start this but…well, here I am now. Hopefully I can remember in the future to get these posted! Today’s recipe looks scrumptious. I’ll have to remember to try it some day. God bless, and keep cooking for the King’s glory!

Creamy Roasted Garlic Soup

Submitters comment: This is a favorite recipe of our family’s. I have no idea where we picked it up from but it’s delicious.
 
Ingredients:

• 8 Tbsp. butter (one stick) 
• ½ onion, chopped 
• 6 entire heads of roasted garlic, skins removed (see note below) 
• ¾ cup flour 
• 6 cups homemade chicken broth 
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning (see note below) 
• 1 tsp. sea salt 
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 cup cream or milk 
• Olive oil, balsamic vinegar and grated Parmesan cheese (optional garnishes)

Preparation:
Melt the butter in a medium size saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add all of the roasted garlic cloves and saute for 5 minutes more. Add the flour and stir thoroughly to combine. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the flour is a light golden color. Add the broth one cup at a time, stirring and incorporating very well after each addition. Add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring soup to a simmer and allow to cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree soup with an immersion blender or, if you don’t have one, in a regular blender in small batches. However you do it, make sure the soup returns to the saucepan and turn on the heat to low. Add cream. Stir and make sure the soup is thoroughly warmed. Taste it and adjust the spices to your taste. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese, and drizzle of olive oil, and a splash of balsamic vinegar, if you wish. Any one or all of these make good additions to the soup.

Enjoy!

Notes:

To roast your garlic heads cut about ¼ – ½ of an inch off the top of the head exposing the individual heads. (If you don’t see some of the lower cloves, that’s alright, you can fish them out later, just make sure that most of them are showing.)

Remove any of the excess papery skin, but make sure you don’t remove it all! Put the heads top side down in a small pan and drizzle generously with olive oil, roast in a 375°F (191°C) oven for 40 – 45 minutes until garlic is golden brown but not burnt (I’ve done that a few times!). Once it is done, allow it to cool unless you are like me and don’t mind burnt fingers! Then squeeze the garlic cloves out from the skin. They should come out very easily. And that’s all there is to it!
 
The recipe for Italian seasoning is as follows.

• 1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• ¼ tsp. thyme
• ½ tsp. dried celery flakes

Shake all ingredients together and store in a jar. This is also a good recipe to use in vinaigrette salad dressings and to season meatballs and sausage. Or anything else you think it might go with!
 
Also if you have a family of ten like I do six cups of soup is not going to be enough, so just add broth until the soup level is up to the point where you know it will be enough to feed your family. Then just add a little extra flour. If it clumps up a little, don’t worry that will disappear when you blend the soup. And adding a little more broth does not dilute the soup. Garlic goes a long way!

May God bless you as you cook for Him!
Christianna

The White Woman’s Prayer

At church a while ago one of our pastors shared the following story.

He told us he had been speaking with a certain member of our church (a lovely elderly Chinese woman) and asked her how she became a Christian. This is apparently what she said.

She said that one of her ancestors (great-aunt or something like that) was very very sick and was almost dead. The sick woman’s family, knowing that they couldn’t do anything more for her, took her into the city in the hope that they would find help for her. But they had not money to pay for hospitals or anything so she found herself on the street, near death.

That was when a westerner (white woman) walked by. This lady stopped when she saw the Chinese woman who was critically ill. Taking compassion on her, she knelt down beside her, and, speaking in her own language because she knew no Chinese, closed her eyes and prayed to Jesus for the healing of the sick woman.

The sick woman got well.

All of her relatives knew that the white lady’s God had healed their sick family member. So they decided that since that God was so powerful, they must worship Him! He must be the true God! Since the white woman had prayed in her own language, they didn’t know which God to worship though. All they knew was that the white woman had prayed with her eyes shut.

So they set out on a mission to find the God to whom people prayed with their eyes shut. They found a church full of Christian people and eventually the whole extended family got saved.

And now, six generations later, this lovely elderly Chinese member of our church here in Christchurch is a Christian because many years ago a kind white woman took pity on a sick Chinese lady and prayed for her. Isn’t that amazing?

I’m sure the lady who prayed for the sick woman didn’t think anything of her action. I’m sure it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. She probably didn’t even remember it! But I can just imagine when she gets to heaven and sees this entire extended family (and lots of generations, too!) of Chinese people coming to greet her…and she gets told that they are all there because she prayed. Such a simple act! But with such incredible results!

Matthew 10:42 says “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

About the Author: Bonnie is the second eldest in a homeschooling family of nine children. She plays the violin and piano and loves dancing and singing. Among other things, some of her hobbies include playing and umpiring netball, sewing, writing, climbing trees, crocheting and knitting, drawing pictures, taking photos and playing practical jokes on people. She blogs at Bonnie’s Blessings.

Photo courtesy jamesclk on sxc.hu.

Guest Post: God Speaking

Originally posted on her blog, Bonnie agreed to do a guest post on this! Thanks, Bonnie!

This morning our sermon was the third in a series about God speaking. We have been exploring how God speaks to His people, with a special focus on how God spoke to His Church in the book of Acts.

Some things we have discovered so far are:

Photo Credit

- When the Holy Spirit is present EVERYTHING changes
- The Holy Spirit is for EVERYONE who believes in Christ
- The Holy Spirit is present with everyone, empowers everyone, gives gifts to everyone, and speaks to everyone.
- The consequence of this is that the community of Spirit-filled believers is also responsible to listen together, weigh up together and act together on what God says.

What we have learnt to apply so far is:

- Each individual in the church has the privilege of coming into God's presence and hearing from Him, which we all should do on a daily basis.
- The church as a community is to be dwelling in God's presence and hearing from God together. When they do, they are to act on what God has said.

In a nutshell: God's vision is an empowered community who dwell in His presence, listening to Him and outworking His purposes.

In the book of Acts we see this empowered community not only hearing from God as individuals and as a community for the benefit of the church, but also hearing how God wants to work through them in the marketplace. There are many examples of this in Acts.

Read Acts 8:9-25

Verses 9-14.... Sent to Samaria Luke the author is obviously linking what is going on in this passage to Jesus' promise in Acts 1:8. The point is that the gospel is for the world, not just the church. The church is the agent for the gospel, not the recipients of the gospel.

For the Jews in the church it would have been weird to think of God moving among the Samaritans. God is with the Jews not the Gentiles. Likewise we can often think that God moves in the church, not in the world around us, but God wanted to surprise the church then, as He does now, that God is working in the world as well as the church.

Do we have a bias as to where we think God is working?

Do we think God is involved in the world as He is in the church?

Verse 14..... Sent by the church... listening and obeying like Acts 13 Notice in this part the clarity that those ministering have. The Holy Spirit is revealing to them where to go, what to do and how to go about it.

Photo Credit

Verses 15-17.... Philip, Peter and John all need each other It takes a church to make disciples, not just an individual. We all have different gifts that we share, so that through our interdependence God does his work. We may often be called to build on what someone else has started.

Verses 18-25.... Peter has Godly insight and boldness We might think "I could never do that!". Peter is empowered with supernatural insight and boldness. However, when we go on a mission we may be surprised how the Holy Spirit uses us! It is exciting what God can do when we are listening and obeying.

The unusual thing that happens in this account is the actions of Simon. How come he returned to his old ways after believing in Christ? True repentance hadn't taken place. The point is, we need to truly repent and totally surrender to Christ before His Holy Spirit can fill us.

How does the clarity, boldness and effectiveness of Peter's actions inspire you and your situation?

God wants His people to take His presence and power into the world around them, where He is already at work. As we do so, we will see God move and grow in confidence and partnership with Him. The Church then becomes a place of empowerment, equipping and celebration.

A good way to remember the application to our lives is by using the acronym APP. Yes, think of this as the Holy Spirit APP for your life, rather than an app for your phone.

Photo Credit

A = AWARENESS of God's presence
Like the early church, let's get into the habit of coming into God's presence every day and inviting the Holy Spirit to be with us, guide us and speak to us throughout our day. Pray for opportunities to share what God has given you and expect God to be working around you.

P = Develop God's PERSPECTIVE
Like the book of Acts, let's see beyond the natural circumstances. Let's ask questions like "What would Jesus reigning in this situation look like?" Then be listening for an answer and be willing to act on God's leadings.

P = PRACTICE
What is impressive about the book of Acts is that they gave it a go. There comes a point where you just have to take the risk and try something. We will never know exactly what is going to happen, but what we see in Acts in our experience is that often God surprises us.

About the Author: Bonnie is the second eldest in a homeschooling family of nine children. She plays the violin and piano, loves dancing and singing and dislikes being called ‘Bons’! Among other things, some of her hobbies include playing and umpiring netball, sewing, writing, climbing trees, crocheting and knitting, drawing pictures, taking photos and playing practical jokes on people. She blogs at Bonnie's Blessings. Feel free to check out her website…more followers of her blog are ever appreciated! (But don't bother unless you want to. :-))