Book Review: Jesus Calling

My little book review is on a great little devotional book that I have been reading lately, by Sarah Young, entitled Jesus Calling. It is simple but to the heart. The entries are written as if Jesus were talking to the reader. There is an entry for every day and usually 2 or 3 scriptures references at the bottom of the page that go along with that day's devotional. The author, Sarah Young, has a really inspiring testimony, which is included in the book. I HIGHLY recommend it. I am almost certain you will be encouraged and inspired to stop more, to be still and listen to the LORD, and enjoy His presence and the words that HE has to say to you. Nothing impacts me more than His words to me. That can be through the Bible or through what other people write or say, just always remember to check what you read in devotionals or what is said, making sure that everything lines up with scripture. If you are looking for a solid sermon on the ways that God speaks, then follow this link:

http://www.fcsouthwest.com/messages ( then click on 2/20 God Speaks mp3 file on the right)

A great sermon from our church, Fellowship Church Southwest, on the ways that God speaks.

My life has been changed in countless ways for the better through listening to Jesus, here is to more listening and more changes for the better....

Joel, Joel, Joel!

Oh Joel! Seriously, this child constantly surprises me. Today, we set out to make Valentine's Day cookies, and in the process, I couldn't get the vanilla open. I stood in the kitchen for a few minutes trying with all of my might to get the bottle open. Joel, standing by my side like any good assistant, watching and playing in the flour. I said, "Joel, we are going to have to open this with pliers, come on." When I finally found the pliers and got the bottle open, Joel said, "Mommy, I so proud of you." And gave me a big hug. I guess he could see that I was really trying to open that bottle of vanilla. :) That not to mention that he knows that you need to press down the brown sugar when you are measuring it. I guess he has had lots of practice helping make cookies! We do love homemade cookies! Then, when he got tired of helping me with the cookies, he decided to turn on the tv, and watch Nemo. He was loving it, just chuckling away. I started on dinner and then went back in to check on him, and tell him it was time to turn off the tv. He had turned the tv off, opened the Nemo dvd that we borrowed from my sister forever ago, ejected a different dvd out of the dvd drive in the computer, put in the Nemo dvd and was sitting at the computer trying to figure out how to get it come up on the screen when I walked in! He could hear it but couldn't see it. This from my 2 year old son, who is growing up Oh so fast. Happy Valentine's Day Joel. You are the cutest!

My recurring dream...

I keep having this dream that I am getting ready for a soccer game in college and can't find anything I need. It is game time and somehow, everyone is already out playing in the game, and I am searching for my shinguards, my jersey, the right color socks and I can't find anything. Eventually I find some socks, but I know that they are not the right socks, they have stripes and my team does not wear striped socks. Then I eventually find a jersey, but it is the away jersey, and we are playing at home. I run around asking a few friends if they have some extra shin-guards or if I can borrow their jersey. The boys soccer team always played either right before us or right after us, so I keep thinking... if I can just find a friend, then I can borrow their jersey, socks, and shin-guards and get out there in the game. What am I doing in this locker room still getting ready when everyone else is already out there playing? There is this sense of urgency, which might sound funny, but if you are the Captain of the team, you definitely don't want to show up late to a game, without your uniform, and apparently totally unprepared. As I was thinking about this dream today, I realized that that is how I feel in some regards about my life right now. And I had this thought that I should write about the dream, because it seemed like God was trying to tell me something. Soccer is something that I LOVE. Very few things in my life do I say adamantly, that is for me. I can go back and forth on a lot of things, but I have always loved soccer. I don't play anymore, but I would if I could find somewhere to play and someone to babysit Joel. As I think back on the dream, I notice a few things..... I never see the faces or really zone in on the uniforms of the players that are already out there playing. I just know that I am not ready, and I feel that I should be. My coach has not come in to yell at me and tell me to hurry up. I am just frantically trying to get ready. Later on in the dream, I start finding the right pieces of equipment, slowly, one at a time. First, I finally find the right socks. White socks without stripes. Then, I somehow, come upon a jersey, the right one. Instead of thinking, ok, I am almost ready, I am so focused on the fact that I do not have any shinguards and I cannot possibly play a college soccer game without shinguards, you can't even play in soccer game without shin guards if you are 8 years old. Then I notice that I either don't have shoes or I can't seem to get them on quick enough. There is just this overwhelming pressure that if I don't hurry up, I am going to miss the game. Sometime later on that morning, I was struck by the fact that, in the terms of this dream, God had everything that I needed waiting for me, it just wasn't where I thought it would be or wasn't where I would normally put it. I played soccer for years, and never once showed up for a game without my uniform. In the dream, I just had to wait to find the right equipment and then I would be ready to play. If you hate soccer then stick with me.....

Do you ever feel like this in life? That you are missing the game. That you are ten steps behind everyone else. That you had your life all planned out and then someone came along, threw your things in the air and sent them flying in different directions. As you search frantically to find them you find yourself in a different position, one you thought you would never be in. You always have things organized and ready to go, people are counting on you, or rather, you were counting on yourself. My view of this dream has led me to really think about how I see my life and my role in it. Do I think that I am in charge? Often, I would really like to be. I know how I like things, organized, planned out. Everything organized in my soccer bag and ready to go. Not strewn all over the locker room or coming off of someone else's back. BUT, I AM NOT IN CHARGE OF MY LIFE. I am in charge of some parts of it, but ultimately God is in charge, and it is my job to be obedient to Him. Even if I am thinking, come on let's get things organized and go. Where are the socks, where is the home jersey? He says, the socks are here and while you get them you can learn that perseverance pays off, it will help prepare you for the game. The jersey, you found after looking for a really long time, it will help you learn patience. In the middle of all of that, you realized that you needed to change one more thing, go ahead, don't hurry, prepare well. You will be glad you did. When you think you are ready, you will remember that you don't have your shoes on, and have to borrow some, remember your friends and be thankful for the help and encouragement they are to you. As they give of themselves they help prepare you for the game, and you grow as you accept help and realize you can't do it on your own. Then when you step out on the field you will realize that you are more ready than you ever would have been had you packed your bag, showed up early, and done everything yourself without so much as a bump in the road. You will lead better as you understand the struggles of others, you will play harder being content that you are "Finally" in your own mind, IN THE GAME! You will leave your heart on the field and lean on those who play alongside of you, those running and moving the ball towards the same goal as you.

I have a strong sense that this unexpected period of rest in my life and the life of my family will be used for God's purposes. While in my flesh, I have wondered at the "slowness" of things coming together, even now, I see how it has been good. Thank you LORD that you are strong enough to lead someone as stubborn as me. Thank you that YOUR plans are the ones that prevail!

2 Great Meal ideas, that are EASY!

Idea 1: Grilled Chicken on a bed of lettuce with pecans and berries!

Basically that is it.

What you need:

A head of romaine lettuce

strawberries

blueberries

pecans

chicken breasts (sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper)

Wash up the produce, chop it up, and then saute the chicken, and you are done!

The flavors of the berries blend SO well with the chicken, lettuce, and the pecans!

Idea 2:

Sprouts chicken with veggies

Sprouts Farmers Market, which is a store in various states (TX, CA, AZ and CO) has this amazing seasoned chicken at the meat counter called: pollo assado. It is seriously delicious!

So, all you need is a few pounds of the seasoned chicken, which on sale I believe is $1.99 a pound or maybe $2.50 a pound, I can't quite remember. Then just brown it for a few minutes and throw it in an oven safe pot with whatever veggies you like. We have done carrots, green beans, and new potatoes or regular potatoes. Cook it on low for a few hours in the oven with the top on and it makes an amazing chicken stew-like dish that hardly takes any work. You could also try it in a slow cooker, and put it on before you go to work or get your day started.

Both of these ideas are courtesy of my Dad. He discovered this chicken at Sprouts and loves the berry salad. Thanks for the great ideas Dad.

Lazy Saturday.....

Today is going to be a lazy day, Joel has been down with a cold, and despite my efforts to take Vitamin C and continually wash my hands, I think I am getting it. Yesterday Jude was SO sweet to watch Joel and let me have some time to just read and rest. Today looks to be more of the same. I am reading a good book snuggled up under a blanket and thankful for the time to rest. Somtimes when life is going full speed ahead, I wish that I had more time to read, rest, and relax. Well, here it is, a lazy saturday, and the perfect opportunity for me to do those things. Off to get a cup of hot tea and read some more.

Fall

I am waiting for fall. I haven't been in Texas in the Fall in 4 or 5 years. I am so excited!!! The leaves are already changing and the beginning of crisp cool days here in Texas is on it's way. I am still waiting for the full onset of fall but I will take a cool day here and there. My husband and I are going away for the weekend for our anniversary and I hope to have some wonderful fall days then. (We did get some great fall days! I even got to use a shawl (did I spell that right??) that I bought in Mexico and love!) Fall leads up to an obvious change and period of stillness in the winter as far as nature. Some animals take a break and hibernate in the winter. Plants loose their leaves or die. I am struggling with the aspects in my life that seem to be in hibernation or winter mode. I do not like to wait and lately I feel like so many things in my life are in the winter season. I believe that we all probably have something that we are waiting on. In my life right now, it is a number of things, but what am I going to do about my time to wait? Am I going to tap my foot every instant begging and pleading for God to hurry things up so that I can get on with my life the way that I have it planned out? Am I going to let it put me in a bad mood? I have to confess that is what I have been tempted to do..... I know it isn't the right thing to do, but that is where I have been struggling. Yesterday evening while reading Joel his bedtime stories, I opened his children's Bible to the story of Jesus telling about the birds and the flowers of the field and how they don't need to store up food or clothing. (Matthew 6:25-34) and I was so convicted. That is what I have been doing. I have been worrying about the future and not trusting in God. I think this may be one of those battles where I need to put scriptures on notecards all over the house and carry them in my purse. Not knowing what the future looks like for us is hard for me. I am a planner, so when I am completely taken out of the game as far as planning, it is hard. I am convicted to even write this as I know so many who are in much more difficult situations than being unemployed and starting over in a new place. I have a great place to stay, I have food and clothing that are far beyond what I genuinely need not to mention a great husband, a wonderful son, a great family, a new church that I am growing to love more and more, a new small group - which has already proven to be such a blessing, and I could on.... So, I will put my pride aside and publish this post. Don't we all need a reminder to be humble and thankful for the things that God has continued to say yes to in our lives time and time again... instead of focusing on the unknowns, or worrying, or whatever it is that you are tempted to do when you don't know what is coming or when things don't fit into your plan. Get out your Bible and start copying some truth. Write it down and read it, again, and again, until you are reminded, blessed and convinced! Put it up in your bathroom, in the dash of your car, on your screensaver, anywhere you may be reminded to trust in the Lord.

John 14:1

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me." -Jesus speaking to his disciples.

Psalm 20:7

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

okay, obviously this is 2010 we probably aren't going to put our trust in a chariot or a horse, but do you put your trust in your transportation? "I have a new car, so I don't have to worry about getting where I need to go." " I have a safe car, so I don't need to worry about getting hurt." God is the only One who can protect us or take us anywhere and if we are tempted to put trust in things of this world then I believe that we are robbing ourselves of a joy that comes in knowing and trusting the One who is in charge of EVERYTHING.

Proverbs 3:5

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; "

I wrote this post a few days ago, and now when I read it, I am so excited thinking about the winter time. Things are slower and it is a time with more "waiting" I guess but that is a good thing. Think about all that God is doing under the cold surface to bring about new life in the Spring. So, as long as I am in the winter, whatever area of my life it may be, I hope that I can remember that God has something planted deep down ready to spring into life come the right time. Enjoy your snuggly blankets and be reminded of God's goodness to you today. I know this post is preachy, but hey, it is mostly for me. That is also why the illustrations are "corny", corny just works for me, what can I say!

Here's to Joel!

This morning Joel woke up early as he does on many days. We ate breakfast, watched some cartoons (waking up at 5:50, Mommy needs a few cartoons some coffee and prayer before she can start the day Joel speed ahead!) We started our day with a walk to the park, as we do most days. We played, ran, walked under the bridge by the park to shout and hear the echo. Then it happened, Joel picked up a dead bird at the park. Come on, say it with me, YUCK!!!!!! I walked quickly over and carried him to the diaper bag so that I could clean his hands with a wipie, then we actually played a few more minutes and left to go home. What has happened to me that I did not go home right that second and give him a hot bath, yuck, really, a dead bird. I have a SON, that is what happened to me, I am getting used to that kind of thing, despite my femininity! As I saw him with it in his hand, I wanted to run home and take a shower. But I didn't, I just walked over grabbed his hands so he didn't touch his clothes, and cleaned him off. That is SO not me! Oh the life of a mother. Here's to you Joel, you are ALL boy and Mommy loves it.