These words from J. C. Ryle have brought me much encouragement:
“Reader, if God has given you His only begotten Son, beware of doubting His kindness and love, in any painful providence of your daily life! Never allow yourself to think hard thoughts of God. Never suppose that He can give you anything which is not really for your good. Remember the words of Paul: ‘He who spared not His own Son—but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things’ (Romans 8:32).
See in every sorrow and trouble of your earthly pilgrimage the hand of Him who gave Christ to die for your sins! That hand can never smite you except in love! He who gave His only begotten Son for you, will never withhold anything from you which is really for your good. Lean back on this thought and be content. Say to yourself in the darkest hour of trial, ‘This also is ordered by Him who gave Christ to die for my sins. It cannot be wrong. It is done in love. It must be well.’"
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
A few new recipes.....
Old Bay Chicken Marinade
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning (I put some extra)
1 Tsp. parsley flakes
1/4 Tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts
Combine ingredients in glass dish or plastic bag. Add one pound boneless chicken breasts. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Grill or broil (we grilled).
This recipe was fantastic. It will definitely be added to my rotation of meals!
Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
10 slices bacon, finely chopped
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
4 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheddar, for garnish
Directions
Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.
Jordan and the children LOVED this soup! I was in the mood to try some new recipes last week, and both were a success!
Let me know how you like them!
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning (I put some extra)
1 Tsp. parsley flakes
1/4 Tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts
Combine ingredients in glass dish or plastic bag. Add one pound boneless chicken breasts. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Grill or broil (we grilled).
This recipe was fantastic. It will definitely be added to my rotation of meals!
Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
10 slices bacon, finely chopped
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
4 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheddar, for garnish
Directions
Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.
Jordan and the children LOVED this soup! I was in the mood to try some new recipes last week, and both were a success!
Let me know how you like them!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Thoughts on Prayer
"The example of the Lord Jesus was not one of prayer in crisis only, but of prayer as a way of life."
"If we only understood the importance of prayer, we would give up sleep before we would give up prayer. Jesus did."
"Busy, busy, busy.....Work, work, work....I have so much to do today, I must spend the first three hours in prayer."
and my favorite,
"Of all the examples we can draw from Jesus' humanity, perhaps none is more compelling and more practical than the example He set for us with His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, When He asks, "Father, if Thou are willing, remove this cup," He shows us that we can ask the Father for the desire of our hearts. When Jesus concludes with "...yet not my will, but Thine be done," He teaches us the importance of surrender to the will of the Father. When that is our heart, we can bring any honest entreaty to our Lord."
"If we only understood the importance of prayer, we would give up sleep before we would give up prayer. Jesus did."
"Busy, busy, busy.....Work, work, work....I have so much to do today, I must spend the first three hours in prayer."
and my favorite,
"Of all the examples we can draw from Jesus' humanity, perhaps none is more compelling and more practical than the example He set for us with His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, When He asks, "Father, if Thou are willing, remove this cup," He shows us that we can ask the Father for the desire of our hearts. When Jesus concludes with "...yet not my will, but Thine be done," He teaches us the importance of surrender to the will of the Father. When that is our heart, we can bring any honest entreaty to our Lord."
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Isaiah 40:28-31
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up on wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not grow weary."
This is the passage God has given me this week. He has used this to encourage me in more ways than imaginable. I love that I have a Savior who never tires, or grows weary of hearing my petitions. I am so thankful that He wants me to cry out to Him! I serve such an awesome God!
This is the passage God has given me this week. He has used this to encourage me in more ways than imaginable. I love that I have a Savior who never tires, or grows weary of hearing my petitions. I am so thankful that He wants me to cry out to Him! I serve such an awesome God!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Being Thankful
I have been reflecting on all of the things that the Lord has blessed me with, and am amazed at all of the things I can think of (and I know that I am missing some)!
While I am overwhelmed with gratefulness to God for all He has blessed me with, His blessings do not surprise me. The Bible tells us that the Lord blesses those who walk upright, those who love Him and obey Him, those who trust Him, those who honor Him in their daily lives.
I am by no means perfect – I struggle with sin daily. While I am not pleased with this, I do know that if I confess my sin to the Lord, He is faithful and just to forgive and purify me.
What I do know is that I am in a good place with the Lord. I feel like I have truly learned what it means to be a follower of Christ, and that I have fully embraced it. My life is not filled with compromise, and I find it a joy to obey the Lord. I trust that He is sovereign and that He knows every single detail of my life. God is in control, not me!
Following Christ is not always easy. In fact, Jesus tells us that it requires full surrender of our lives to Him. For justification, this is about trusting in Christ alone to save us from our sin. For sanctification, it gets a lot more practical – removing the things of this world that are not honoring to Him, be it certain television shows, tabloids, gossip, etc.
There are times when I do not understand everything that God is doing. I don't get it sometimes. But I then take those times to rehearse the promises God has given me in scripture:
"For I know that plans I have for you, declare the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
~Jeremiah 29:11-13
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting."
~Psalm 136:1
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love God, and are called according to His purpose."
~Romans 8:28
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all mean generously and without reproach, and it will be given him. But he must ask in faith, without any doubting..."
~James 1:2-6
"I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
~Psalm 116:1-2
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
~2 Corinthians 1:3-4
"I will give thanks to You, O Lord, my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever."
~Pslam 86:12
Those are just a few of the verses that I have been dwelling on lately, and I have taken great joy in each one of them. It iss so freeing to know that I am not in control, but God is. He is the One who knit me in my mother's womb twenty-nine years ago, and He is the One who will guide each step of my life, no matter how short or long it may be!
Our Pastor shared a quote from Charles Spurgeon on Sunday that I absolutely loved:
"The Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who is not."
I want this quote to be true of my life. I want to take everything to the Lord first. I want Him to be the One who directs my steps!
While I am overwhelmed with gratefulness to God for all He has blessed me with, His blessings do not surprise me. The Bible tells us that the Lord blesses those who walk upright, those who love Him and obey Him, those who trust Him, those who honor Him in their daily lives.
I am by no means perfect – I struggle with sin daily. While I am not pleased with this, I do know that if I confess my sin to the Lord, He is faithful and just to forgive and purify me.
What I do know is that I am in a good place with the Lord. I feel like I have truly learned what it means to be a follower of Christ, and that I have fully embraced it. My life is not filled with compromise, and I find it a joy to obey the Lord. I trust that He is sovereign and that He knows every single detail of my life. God is in control, not me!
Following Christ is not always easy. In fact, Jesus tells us that it requires full surrender of our lives to Him. For justification, this is about trusting in Christ alone to save us from our sin. For sanctification, it gets a lot more practical – removing the things of this world that are not honoring to Him, be it certain television shows, tabloids, gossip, etc.
There are times when I do not understand everything that God is doing. I don't get it sometimes. But I then take those times to rehearse the promises God has given me in scripture:
"For I know that plans I have for you, declare the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
~Jeremiah 29:11-13
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting."
~Psalm 136:1
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good, to those who love God, and are called according to His purpose."
~Romans 8:28
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all mean generously and without reproach, and it will be given him. But he must ask in faith, without any doubting..."
~James 1:2-6
"I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
~Psalm 116:1-2
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
~2 Corinthians 1:3-4
"I will give thanks to You, O Lord, my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever."
~Pslam 86:12
Those are just a few of the verses that I have been dwelling on lately, and I have taken great joy in each one of them. It iss so freeing to know that I am not in control, but God is. He is the One who knit me in my mother's womb twenty-nine years ago, and He is the One who will guide each step of my life, no matter how short or long it may be!
Our Pastor shared a quote from Charles Spurgeon on Sunday that I absolutely loved:
"The Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who is not."
I want this quote to be true of my life. I want to take everything to the Lord first. I want Him to be the One who directs my steps!
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