Grace Realities Day 4
Grace Realities Day #3
Grace Realities Day 2:
Eat This: Guac that Rocks
I’m watching The Chew right now and they are doing a Tex-Mex party show with a vignette revolving the avocado. I have not always been an avocado fan. There was a time when I wouldn’t eat it. I don’t know when that changed, but believe me, my husband knows there are three favorite foods in my brain:
Delicious baked gooey macaroni and cheese (blue box will do in a pinch, but I really want the gooey stuff).
A delicious steak. This means the freshest piece of meat, cooked medium, and preferably cooked either by my husband (in house) or my brother (on the grill).
And guacamole. Not fancy quac – 5 in gredient guac. That’s all you need to make the perfect guacamole.
Bring in one of the best food blogs around – Jenna at EatLiveRun and the Super Bowl. Husband and I chose to watch the game at home this year and then I forgot about the time change and it was a boring game. The best part of the whole evening was the guacamole.
What you need:
perfectly ripe avocados. These are hard to find. Wal-Mart always lets me down even though they are cheap. Mostly I find them at Kroger or Whole Foods. If you are going to use them ASAP – then you want them with a slight give to them. Just pushable. If you are going to use them tomorrow = then buy them firm. You do not want them mushy. They will be brown. Listen…do NOT buy them MUSHY!
Kosher or Sea Salt. Don’t use the table salt. How long has your table salt been on your table. Salt loses its flavor. Use kosher salt or sea salt. It brings out the amazing buttery goodness of the avocado.
Limes. Don’t buy the lime juice in a bottle. Just go buy little limes that have juice in them. You can have liven your finished product up with some of the lime zest. You don’t get that from a bottle.
Cilantro. Bright fresh green cilantro. A little goes a long way. You can always add more.
Red Onion. Same with the cilantro – you don’t want a lot. You want the main star to be the avocado, not the red onion.
Knowing God #OT14
God has been so kind and gracious to me, teaching me more about Himself even in the books of Leviticus and Numbers. Here are several things that I learned in this week’s readings:
1. The Lord demands offerings. He demanded, commanded, offerings from his people. Even though we as post-Cross Christians don’t live under the demands of the Law, we still serve a God who desires us to make offerings. This may be our very lives. Our church is having a missions conference coming up. Serving in foreign countries may be exactly what God is wanting you to do – but it may be sacrificing and offering your gifts and talents to those less fortunate in an opportune way to share the gospel.
2. The Lord desires acceptable worship. He has told us already what he desires of us: Micah 6.8 How are we living that truth out as acceptable worship in spirit and in truth under the freedom of the gospel?
3. God frees us! We are no longer in Egypt. We no longer make bricks with no straw. We are free to love Him and serve Him and follow Him because He first loved us! Isn’t that glorious news!
4. The Lord sanctifies us! I’ll be talking about this more when I do a write up on Ephesians 5 – but let this be a gracious thing in your life – not one that you despise! He is a good and gracious God in his sanctification of his children.
5. The Lord desires rest for his people. In Hebrews it says that’s what Jesus us. In the gospels it says that Jesus wants us to come to him and rest. Don’t you see how Jesus fulfills all of the Old Testament – everything that was prophesied of him or that we can’t do for ourselves – the answer is Jesus!
6. The Lord speaks to us in our wilderness. Do you ever feel like you are wandering? Call out to him! He hears us. He speaks to us in the dry and dusty places where there doesn’t seem to be any water!
7. The Lord requires a Mediator. See #5. Christ is that wonderful forever mediator for us!
8. The Lord does what He says He will do. He is faithful. If he says he will do something, even though we don’t know the when or how – we can rest assured in his character that he will do it!
In your reading of the Word this week, what has God been teaching you about himself?
Link Love Special Edition: Valentine’s Day
The internet is ablaze with all things love, pink, hearts, chocolate, red, wine, romance, etc. Perfect timing as this week is Valentine’s Day. How do you intend to spend Cupid’s Day coming up at the end of the week? Here are some delightful things that have caught me eye.
These Yes MaAm notecards made especially for Valentine’s Day. All of them are wonderful but I’m especially attracted to the gold foil hearts!
You can make these in any shape you want – and I’m going to be decorating them with pink icing to take to some widows in our church on Valentine’s Day. Who doesn’t love these. And yes, they may be as addictive as crack (though I wouldn’t know).
I am making these on Saturday for a brunch with some single ladies at our church. They are perfect for brunch and include delicious red raspberries perfect for the special day of love.
My friend Laura has more card creativity in her little pinky toe than I have in my whole two hands put together. Here are some of her ideas for Valentine’s Day cards for the loves in your life.
These truffles would make any fine chocolate lover swoon. Make them soon. I think I might. Just to say I’ve made them and to take pretty photos of them!
If the special one in your life loves chocolate and cake – you can’t go wrong with this one for dessert any time you want to express your love. Unless they are on a diet – then have them make an exception!
Why do all things chocolate and peanut butter scream my name? I guess there is protein in peanut butter right? Check out this delicious torte by Michelle over at Brown Eyed Baker.
So maybe you aren’t a chocolate fan (anyone out there, I know of at least one), so maybe lemon and raspberries are more your thing. Light. Springy. Delicious combination. And pie crust to add the borders of a scrumptious filling.
I hope I have inspired you with some of these Valentine’s Day treats. There is still plenty of time to plan something for your love!
W&BT Found In Him: Chapter 6
The beauty and glory of the Resurrection and how it impacts every moment of every day we live. I know, its not even Valentine’s Day and I’m already talking about Easter: but as I sit and watch my littler boy squirm as he tries to take a nap, basking in the warmth of the sun in our master bedroom, I know that the only reason that he is alive and breathing and cooing and sucking on his hand is because of the Resurrection. All living things found their start in Christ (Colossians 1, John 1)
Love Elyse’s mention of 1 Corinthians 15. Paul reminds his reads of the GOSPEL. We stand in the GOSPEL. And we are growing in Christ-likeness because of the power of the GOSPEL. All of life, from beginning to end, is about the GOSPEL!
Have you ever thought what it would have been like for Mary to hear her name from the very one who loved her, changed her life – but then had died such a horrific death? Can you imagine her heart as it started to beat faster and she turned to see the Master? Oh that we might know the dearness and the nearness of the One who has called us by name out of darkness into HIS marvelous light!
There is a whole blog post coming on our “believing God” but I wonder if the disciples fully believed Jesus? Often He had told them of his resurrection, still they doubted up until the time they saw Him that Easter Sunday. Do our actions do the same? We say believe God – but we worry, we are anxious, we don’t like correction, we mourn as those who have no hope. I know we live on this side of the empty grave – but still I wonder how our actions speak of our doubt – not our faith – in God and in His Word.
I had opportunity to share this one thought with a friend this week: we worry and become anxious over practicalities. We don’t actually believe God at his word that our worry can do nothing for the event – and our worry actually tells of our disbelief – not out belief. Mary and Martha – we see this. This speaks to me often. I worry about getting some place on time. If we are later or I don’t have everything in control – this is when my non-gentle and quiet spirit appears. And in reality it is always there – and I long for the Lord to re-create this part of my heart.
Do we let Jesus reign on our every day life – not just on Resurrection Sunday? How have you seen God reign in your every day?
Bloggers in Bloom Recap (AFGS2014 Giveaway)
(This post has a giveaway at the end! Please comment for a chance to win. The AFGS provided me with these tickets at no cost to me and all opinions are my own. Thankful for their generosity and I look forward to the event to see the beauty that will be displayed.)
All day the city of Little Rock looked like a frozen glass house. Ice was on every tree limb and wire. But, at a blogging and flower and foodie event: it was warm and colorful inside.
Last night I went to a wonderful event hosted at a lovely home here in Little Rock. It was all about flowers, food, spring, the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show (coming up in a few weeks), warm weather, friends, and wine & food pairings. What a night filled with beautiful color and helpful information and prime rib and salmon (oh the salmon)!
For me, the night was about color.
Yellow is such an inviting color. Have it in your guest room, your entry way, or anywhere in your home where you would like people to feel completely welcome.Art can make a statement.
The owners of the home we were invited in to love art. There was a piece on every wall. Gorgeous ways to bring in color to your home.
Strawberries and black pepper – new fave combination!
I had on a pink scarf and there was so much purple in the room – love it! All these different hues found everywhere at the event!
I’ve been reading in Exodus in my devotions about how God was detailing the colors for the tabernacle. I love God gave us colors and instructed us to use them in worshiping Him! He is a colorful, creative God!
The last thing I learned was later when I was talking with my husband about the event: make sure your home tells what is really the most important thing in life. When people come in your home – what will they remember? What will their takeaway be?
And I have a giveaway for you!!! Thankful for the free tickets to the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show. I have three pairs to giveaway to readers! So, if you are going to be able to attend the event at the Statehouse in a few weeks, leave a comment below (only blog comments will count) about your favorite flower and how you bring it into your home to brighten up the blah months of winter. I will pick three winners who will each get a pair of tickets to the event. Thank you AFGS!!! I can’t wait to attend the event on Friday morning with my family! And if you have Sunday afternoon available – it is going to be a great time for the youngest gardeners out there!
So thankful for the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show, the owners of Colonial Wine and Spirits, Chris Olson and his talents for making flowers come to life inside your home, and the Arkansas Women Bloggers, and all those who gave us such lovely SWAG for this wonderful event.
The Word of God in the Soul of a Child
This is where I am. Starting to train up our older son, who is almost 17months and already has the “no” word down pat! Definitely his favorite word. Trying to change it to godlfish, chicken nugget, yes, or something better than no. Our conversations with our older right now are consisting of “God says to honor our father and mother. And we don’t talk to our mommy and daddy that way” – those conversations don’t seem to be getting anywhere with him – but hopefully one day they will.
One story from my childhood…I grew up attending a Christian school. And I loved Sweet Valley High books in the 6th grade. It was the thing to read in the fiction area. I think I had most of them – and never know what happened to all of them. I had loaned one of the books to a friend, who took it home and was reading it at night by flashlight as to hide it from her parents. Her mom found it, called the school, and I got in trouble. My punishment…to write out Scripture. I would tell you what Scriptures, but I don’t remember what they were. I think I mainly saw it as punishment then.
As I’ve come into being a parent, and shepherding our boys’ hearts with my husband, we definitely want our boys to have hearts that are soft to the Spirit. We want the Word to break the stony grounds of their hearts and give them hearts that desire to please The Lord, love Him, and make Him known.
How we discipline and parent has an eternal impact. Here is how.
If we think that just because we quote Scripture in our home, make them memorize the Word, even for punishment, or memorize Scripture at the table or in family worship – that our children are going to automatically love the Word and have hearts that obey it…we are wrong.
The Pharisees in the NT knew the law and obeyed it – but their hearts were far from them. There are many who know the right words to say but inside they have cold hearts toward the gospel.
Here may be a better way to parent with the soul of your child in mind:
As you have the need to discipline:
1. Pray for yourself as you need to discipline your child. Pray that your heart would be one of correction for the purpose of training in the fear of The Lord and not out of anger, inconvenience, etc. Your heart matters.
2. Identify the heart of the problem. That may mean you first have to stop the outward disobedience, but there is always a heart problem.
3. Know verses that correspond to these heart problems. Whatever heart problem there is – Scripture has an answer! The Gospel is the answer!
4. Tell them those verses with a humble heart. Be humble before your kids. We are all sinners. That will go a long way with your children.
5. Encourage them to learn these Scriptures – and you learn them along with them. That will encourage them that they are not alone in their sin journey – and journey in sanctification.
6. If your children have received Christ – talk to them about how as believers our desire should be to grow in godliness and have hearts that please The Lord. Not out of have-to but out of want-to.
7. Pray for your children. Pray, aloud, in front of them, that the Spirit would soften their hearts towards the Gospel. Pray they would come to serve God as The Lord of their life and that they would obey His Word.
8. Pray for behavior change – but more importantly heart change. And know and rest in the fact that you can’t do anything about the heart change. That is all the fabulous work of the Perfect Holy Spirit.
And in that, as parents and as sinners, we can rest!
Link Love
Here it is Wednesday, again. I sometimes think time flies, and sometimes I think the weeks crawl by!
Here are some of my favorite things on the web this week.
This book is coming out. I’m very excited and Carolyn is one of my favorite authors. I look forward to hearing what she has to say about success and how we define it as women.
These bowls. Wow – such gorgeous plating options. I read an interview with her in this month’s Southern Living. I’m glad you can buy her creations on line, but I look forward to going there on a future visit to NC. My MIL would love that store, too.
My husband is wanting to eat more healthy, leafy greens. I think I might try this recipe soon.
These free downloads from a Pair of Pears.
I love spaghetti squash and her recipe looks so yummy. Perfect for cold nights.
I’m putting together my desk space which is right now (oh for the next 10 years or so) in our dining room. I’d love to make it pretty and functional as it is also our dining room – and all me and inspirational. So, I looked at hers for some inspiration.
And since I’m working on said desk space and baking cookies and have a baby who needs feeding – I’ll let yall go with these for this week.