Beauty Restored

Last year around this time, something huge happened in my life.  Although I have yet to share the details publicly, I have been thinking back to this time last year and the hopelessness that I felt.  I can't wait till the Lord allows me to put into words what I went through but I could not let this week go by and NOT give Him glory for where He brought me from.  It was an extremely dark time in my life and I know that I am only here today because of Jesus.  He has brought restoration and life back to something that was dead.  As I revisited some of the emotions I felt last year, I wrote this poem....my prayer is that those of you that may be experiencing a dark time in your own life - that you would HOLD ON - breakthrough IS coming!!  Beauty will return..... 

Beauty Restored

One dreadful night, my world shattered

The blow that came left my heart bruised and battered

Crying out to God came bucket of tears

A broken spirit casting down fears

Learning to trust in God alone

Trusting Him for peace in my home

It wasn't easy and didn't happen overnight

I had to press through and put up a fight

I fought for life and for those that I love

Reaching out to the One above

Healing came and joy returned

Beauty restored where ashes burned

Don't give up, my precious friend

You will dance on your feet again.

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Integrity

in·teg·ri·ty

noun\in-ˈte-grə-tē\

: the quality of being honest and fair

: the state of being complete or whole

"Integrity" - this word has been burning in my heart for the past few weeks.     

What exactly is integrity?  Do people truly value it anymore?  Am I willing to sacrifice MY integrity for some "thing" or some "one"?  These are all the questions that have been drilling through my mind.

Integrity is choosing your thoughts and actions based on VALUES rather than personal gain.  What are my values?  Am I standing up for them?  Am I compromising them?

I've been praying about this certain situation and these have been the questions I've been asking myself and God.  The thing I've learned is that NOTHING (or No Thing) is worth me sacrificing my integrity......Nothing!

This scripture really spoke to my heart as I was doing some digging on integrity, "Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways"  (Proverbs 28:6 ESV)  No matter what - it's best to walk in integrity!!


 

Happy Friday

Have a great weekend!  Try to do something F-U-N this weekend!  :D 

Fighting Against Discouragement

Today marks day 5 of our 24 day Challenge which means we are HALF way through our 10 day cleanse!  It's going great, by the way... I was a little nervous because I have never done a cleanse before and I have a sensitive stomach so I wasn't sure what to expect but it has been totally doable!

So, since we are half way through the cleanse, we wanted to check in on our results - so yesterday we stepped on the scales.  I lost 2 lbs and 1" in my waist which made me VERY excited; until John stepped on the scale....he is down 7lbs.  Don't get me wrong, I am extremely happy for him and I celebrate his losses with a grateful heart BUT I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a ton of discouragement at that point.

I started the comparison game.  

That was until I was reminded that this is NOT a competition between he and I but a competition with myself to be better than who I was!  Then, I was thought of this scripture:

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Here are my new thoughts - things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy- 

• Men and women burn fat at different rates and I feel GOOD, it doesn't matter what the scales say.  
• I have stuck with this wellness plan, and unlike a "diet", it is a lifestyle change.  In the past when I have tried to eat better and workout, I have failed miserably or I have cheated....these past five days - I have not cheated ONCE - that is HUGE for me.  
• My husband is ROCKING this 24 day challenge and I really want to celebrate that with him. 
• The time we are spending together working out - is the most precious time.  We have been getting up early and truly having one on one time together.  It's been like a date night every morning.

Discouragement can creep up on any one of us  - not just in fitness and weight loss, but in other areas of life.  So, just remember to think on those things that are TRUE, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy!!

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3 Keys to Surviving Life's Storms - Key 3 - Stand

The past 2 days we have looked at keys to Surviving Life's Storms.   Key #1 - Prayer and Key #2 - Examine your heart.

Today we will take a look at Key #3....

3.  Stand

Sometimes after we've prayed and asked God to examine our hearts, there is nothing else we can do but S-T-A-N-D!  Wrap our arms tightly around the foundation of TRUTH and stand firm on the Promises of God.  We put our trust in Him and keep our focus on our own actions and just wait out the storm to pass.

May peace surround you, dear friend, as you weather the storms in your own life. 

3 Keys to Surviving Life's Storms - Key 2 - Your Heart

Storms in life can kill us or they can make us stronger.  Yesterday we looked at how prayer helps us to weather the storms and today we will continue with key #2....

2.  Your Heart –

Storms come in our lives for various reasons and sometimes they involve other people.  Fleshly nature can cause us to quickly judge the other person and give all of our focus and attention to what “they” did or are doing wrong.  

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 Can I just be honest and real with you for a minute?  I spent many days guilty of this!  Very guilty.  Those days I spent trying to get the speck out of the other person’s eye, left me full of bitterness, resentment and anger.  I don’t know about you – but I don’t remember THOSE being fruits of the Spirit. 

After several weeks of just living in pure sourness, my eyes were open and God began revealing TRUTH to me.  While some people could look at my situation and tell me that the circumstances surrounding my storm justified me to look at the other person’s actions as unjust and that THEY were the one that needed to change, the TRUTH is the only person in the situation I could control was ME….and boy, was I out of control!!  

The fact that I was so bitter, well, that was bad enough but God showed me that there were other lessons to be learned during this storm and they were lessons for ME!  I had to allow my heart to be moldable and open to God. 

Once I stopped trying to control the situation, surrendered myself to God and trusted Him with the outcome, everything in me changed.  Circumstances didn’t change but my outlook did.  I’m serious – God turned my mourning into dancing; I was able to face the storm with my umbrella in hand, jump in the puddles and even dance in the rain.

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Tomorrow we will finish up with the last key to weathering the storms of life......just STAND.

3 Keys to Surviving Life's Storms

 Yesterday's revelation had me revisit something I wrote last year - it was a great reminder to me of just what God has brought me through and where I know He will lead me in the future.....

We all go through storms in life –  some long and rainy, some short with hurricane force winds, and some with just a drizzle of rain – but we all go through storms. 

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I’ve been walking through a dark stormy season in my life recently and while I am still holding onto the promises of the Lord, if I’m honest with you (and myself), it’s been a hard and long roller coaster of a road.  I am praising Jesus as I can see the sun shining in the horizon and I can honestly say that I am thankful for the lessons I’ve learned along this path.  Sometimes there is no better teacher than real life experiences, huh? 

Through this recent stormy season, I’ve learned 3 important keys that helped me survive on my darkest days.  Today I’ll be sharing the first key with you –

1.  PRAY –

I’d like to say my first response to my stormy days was to pray but sadly that would not be an honest statement.  Although there were many days I prayed during my storm, there were just some days it took everything in me just to make it out of bed and be sure the kids were taken care of.  Then, there were the days that I would start to pray but then just couldn’t find the words to say.   But in the midst of it all, there were some other ways prayer intertwined through my life…

My friends prayed…….I am blessed with some close friends that committed to praying WITH and for me (what a treasure) and let me tell you, I FELT their prayers!!  Don’t ever feel ashamed or guilty when you ask for prayer – that’s what friends are for, right?  I’m not one to tell my business to everyone I meet or post it all over social media but I think it is definitely beneficial to share with a few close {safe} friends so they can encourage and lift you up to our Father in Heaven. 

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I sang………Another awesome prayer tool for me was song.  Many afternoons on my drive home from work, a particular song would come on and the words would touch my heart so strongly.  It was like God was speaking back to me what I was feeling in my heart.  Before I knew it, I would be singing from deep within and tears would be flowing.  I remember one day vividly, singing out the words to “Lord, I need you” and just crying my heart out because I DID need Him more than ever!! (You can listen to the song here)

The Holy Spirit interceded for me……But the greatest thing about prayer – is that we have the Holy Spirit.  He intercedes for us and on those days that I tried to pray but couldn’t find the words to utter, he examined my heart and interceded for me.  How amazing is it that the KING of the universe knows my heart and prayed for me?  That is mind blowing….

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Standing on the Rock

I'm not a huge fan of storms.  Ever since Hurricane Hugo, when the wind starts blowing hard or the rains come in with force, I get a little nervous.  I've also noticed that I can get a little nervous when the storms of life start to rush in.....does that ever happen to you??

This morning as I was praying about a certain situation, and I started having this feeling that everything was crumbling around me.  I cried out to the Lord with desperation because I felt like a hurricane was coming. 

God reminded me that I have a foundation built on Him and that even when the storms come (cause they will come) I just have to hang on to Him and stand on the foundation of Jesus. 

Then he brought to my remembrance this portion of scripture in Matthew:

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

What peace this brought me!  I felt like a storm was coming but I have peace in knowing that I have built my rock on Jesus and that the rains can come, the streams can rise, the winds can blow BUT I will not fall - Jesus is my rock and my foundation. 

Praise Jesus!!  I am ever so thankful for His peace and protection! 

Remember, friend, when the storms of life come your way - STAND firm on the rock of Jesus - He will see you through!!  

And if seeing it once in the Bible doesn't convince you - here it is again in Luke:

⁴⁷ As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

  

Running with Endurance

My Bible study this morning brought to memory this post I wrote back in 2013.  It also brought back the reminder to keep my eyes on Jesus!  So much is going on around us these days - we gotta stay focused on Jesus and not be distracted.  (and well, it also reminded me how much I need to get back into running)....

Do you find it funny how everything these days is a competition?  Recently I've realized how much pressure is 'in the world' to compete.  It really is sad.....I'm better at this than you or my kid can do this better than your kid or my husband is the BEST at this.....the list continues.  As I typed that list, I didn't feel an ounce of love in any of those statements, did you?  

I'm thankful that the Bible doesn't mention anything about being a good competitor but yet to run a race of endurance.  I enjoy running.  It is a new found passion of mine and last year as I was training for my first 5K I realized that I could not start out the race running as fast as I can but yet, I had to pace myself and that when I first started running, I wasn't able to run 3 miles straight at one time but had to build up my running ability and if I didn't stretch my muscles beforehand and eat properly that I didn't have the stamina to finish my run.  

It's the same with our spiritual walks, isn't it?  We have to stretch our faith and feed on the word to have stamina for this race.  We have to pace ourselves and build up our God given abilities as we 'train' with Jesus.  So, today I am thankful for endurance.  Thankful that God gives me strength to run this race of life every day and that He helps me to not compare myself with others or 'compete' with them but focus on the finish line....eternity with HIM in heaven!!  There's work to be done, friends, may we all press on with endurance and strength!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."  Hebrews 12:1-3

Cherish Each Moment

Yesterday marked another milestone in our family.....the 1st day of school 2014.  This year is unlike those before as we have one entering into his last year of middle school and the other starting her last year of elementary school.  That means that soon, I will no longer have any children in elementary school.....can that even be true? 

It's hard for me to imagine that not so very long ago, I was washing bottles, changing diapers and pushing them around in the buggy at Wal-Mart.  Just WHERE did the time go? 

It's definitely bittersweet watching your kids grow up.  I remember thinking the sleepless nights and cries to be carried throughout the mall would last forever but little did I know that soon they'd be too big for me to carry (or at least comfortably). 

So, mama (or daddy) whatever season you are in - know that it won't last forever.  Cherish each moment of each day....even in the worst of days, try to find the rainbow.  One day, you will long for a time when you can read just one more story at bedtime.....or just one more ________.   

And yes, I even have to remind myself to enjoy the season of parenting a teen and tween cause I know that just as the toddler years FLEW by - these will as well.  I'm choosing to cherish each moment of each day because they go by way too quickly. 

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens"

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Let Your Words Be Life

This morning I woke up to a very simple message in my inbox that tore me at my core.  My first response was one of anger and then it turned to hurt.  I wanted to respond back to this person and just tell them exactly how I felt....to plead my case in this situation they were mentioning.  I knew they only had one side of the story and my flesh wanted them to hear mine.  But I waited.

Through my wait, I knew that God was giving me a choice.  He had laid 2 paths out in front of me and it was my choice which to take.  I waited.

As I waited, I heard the lyrics "Let my words be life" sing in my mind.  I knew that God was speaking to me.  I knew that even though I had justifiable reasons to be upset with this message I received, I had to let my words speak life.

So, I opened up the computer cause I was going to nicely respond but I knew it was more than I wanted to type on my smartphone.

"Let your words be life"

I closed the computer.....took out my phone and just responded with a simple "thank you" and left it at that.   I knew that nothing positive was going to come from a lengthy response.  I know who I am and more importantly, I know who I am in Jesus so I don't need to justify anything to them.   

God speaks to us daily - hour by hour - in different ways.  Are we listening? 

Running with Endurance

Do you find it funny how everything these days is a competition?  Recently I've realized how much pressure is 'in the world' to compete.  It really is sad.....I'm better at this than you or my kid can do this better than your kid or my husband is the BEST at this.....the list continues.  As I typed that list, I didn't feel an ounce of love in any of those statements, did you?  

I'm thankful that the Bible doesn't mention anything about being a good competitor but yet to run a race of endurance.  I enjoy running.  It is a new found passion of mine and last year as I was training for my first 5K I realized that I could not start out the race running as fast as I can but yet, I had to pace myself and that when I first started running, I wasn't able to run 3 miles straight at one time but had to build up my running ability and if I didn't stretch my muscles beforehand and eat properly that I didn't have the stamina to finish my run.  

It's the same with our spiritual walks, isn't it?  We have to stretch our faith and feed on the word to have stamina for this race.  We have to pace ourselves and build up our God given abilities as we 'train' with Jesus.  So, today I am thankful for endurance.  Thankful that God gives me strength to run this race of life every day and that He helps me to not compare myself with others or 'compete' with them but focus on the finish line....eternity with HIM in heaven!!  There's work to be done, friends, may we all press on with endurance and strength!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."  Hebrews 12:1-3

Make Ahead Freezer Meals for the Month

Meal time is always one of the most stressful times in our house.  From not knowing what to cook to just not having the TIME to cook it.  Last Saturday, I spent ALL day in the kitchen, preparing various meals to put away in the freezer so that we will have hassle free dinners for the rest of the month.

Last week's dinner time was AWESOME!!  It was so nice to come home and just pop dinner in the oven with NO preparation.  I was able to do things around the house outside the kitchen.  Even better was the little to NO clean up left after dinner.....I mean seriously, how hard it it to clean a spoon and the dinner plates?!?

Here is a link to the recipes I used. 

The meals I prepared were:

1.  Mini Meatloaves
2. Ham & Cheese Braid
3. Beef Ravioli
4. Smothered Pork Chops
5. Farmer’s Casserole
6. Buffalo Shrimp
7. Shepherd’s Pie
8. Baked French Toast
9. Tater Tot Casserole
10. Simple Lasagna

For our family of 4, there ended up being enough for 2-3 meals from each recipe.  Let me know if you try it and how it goes for you!!

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Heavenly Moist Chocolate Chip Cookies (with applesauce)

I whipped up some Chocolate Chip Cookies for a New Years Eve party that we went to and they received RAVED reviews by those young and even younger.  I was pleasantly surprised because I had to do some improvising while I was whipping them up.  I ended up not having enough butter [isn't it AMAZING how much butter cookies take?]  I used the basic recipe here while substituting some of the butter with applesauce.  (see Recipe below)  I also took a risk and used my brand new NINJA to help with the cookie dough - all around these cookies are heavenly......to make, to bake, and to E-A-T!

Enjoy!! 

Heavenly Chocolate Chip Cookies  

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/2 pkg chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Stir baking soda, flour and salt; set aside.
2. Combine butter, sugars and pudding mix, beating until fluffy.
3. Add vanilla and egg; beat until smooth.
4. Add dry ingredients; mix well.
5. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
6. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes.

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