a breath of a prayer

Father, thank you for your profound presence in the midst of my consuming chaos. Meet me in this place Jesus. Fill my heart and mind with gratitude and peace. Allow patience and kindness to flow out of me as naturally as the breath from my nostrils. Bless the work of my hands that you may receive the glory and fame. Bring your Spirit of peace and rest, that it may cover me like a blanket and shelter me from the storm. Thank you for your love even when I fail to acknowledge your goodness. Please Jesus, bless others through me I pray. I present my life, my strength and my efforts before you as a humble offering. Be glorified in them and through them I pray. For it is to you and by you and because of you that I have breath in my body and hope in my heart. I love you Jesus.
Amen

<><tce

encouragement from an Apostle

'But we have this treasure in jars of clay,

to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;

perplexed, but not driven to despair;

persecuted, but not forsaken;

struck down, but not destroyed;

so we do not lose heart.

Though our outer nature is wasting away, 

our inner nature is being renewed

day by day.

For this slight and momentary affliction is preparing 

for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

as we look not to things that are seen

but to the things that are unseen.

For the things that are seen are transient,

but the things that are seen are eternal.'

2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 16-18
~Apostle Paul

We are not called to pretend as though we are not struggling. We are not called to deny our affliction, our persecution or the fact that we are perplexed or struck down. We are called to look beyond what is seen and set our eyes on what is not seen. 

"What in the WORLD does that mean?" you wonder. First, it is not easy, simply because what is seen and what is tangible is a lot more natural to believe or follow simply because it is just that, tangible. But, as we pursue God through prayer, fellowship with other believers and reading His Word--His love letter written for us--our perspective will change. We will begin to understand what Apostle Paul means when he calls our affliction slight and momentary. We will begin to see the eternal value in our pain and God is not only using it to refine us, but to minister to those around us, if we will allow. In all of eternity, our life is  only a moment in time, a vapor. The things that perplex us now will have no eternal place on the other side of heaven. 

Are you powerless? I am too. But our God isn't. Surpassing power belongs to Him--power that surpasses any moment in time, any betrayal, any hateful word or spiteful act. Although life may be unraveling, our bodies are wrinkling and our checkbooks are a mess, these are only temporary. God is using these things to prepare us as well as to refine us into people of grace, mercy and perseverance. 

O Father, that we would long to linger over the words of Your love letter to us this morning. O God, that our hearts would rest in the simple beauty of Your presence. May your Spirit, strength and mercy wash over us today as we seek Your face and pursue Your likeness. Amen

<><tce

28 days

There sits before you twenty eight days. Unopened. Undefiled.
A new leaf. A new day. A new beginning.
January is only a collection of memories, as joyful or painful or uneventful as they may have been, memories just the same.
Take from them what will make you more gracious and loving, hopeful and diligent. Leave what will make you bitter and arrogant, spiteful or angry. The new year's resolutions that have yet to begin await you now in the twenty eight untouched days.
May your heart be encouraged. May your spirit be inclined to the soft voice of the Spirit of God over your life. May the next twenty eight days not bring you happiness as much as they bring you holiness. Seek God while you still have time. Love like you have never loved before. Seek to have integrity in all things. Believe in His omnipresence and sufficiency. Believe.

'Now to Him who who is able to do far more abundantly 

than all that we ask or think,

according to the power at work within us,

to Him be the glory 

in the chrch and in Christ Jesus 

throughout all generations,

forever and ever. 

Amen.'

Ephesians 3:20,21

<><tce

a purposeful example

It's quiet. It's early. The cat and dog are curled up happily nearby. My children are still tucked in warm upstairs. It's just me, the sound of the pecking keys and the purr of the furnace. It's Monday morning. Soon the day will start, the week will start and tomorrow a new month will start. There will be bills to be payed, housework to do, and phone calls to make. But for now, I will rest.

'And God blessed them. And God said to them,

"Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth

and subdue it and have dominion over 

the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens

and over every living thing that moves on earth."

And God said,

"Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed

that is on the face of all the earth,

and every tree that with seed in its fruit.

And to every beast of the earth and to every bird 

of the heavens and to everything that creeps

on the earth, everything that has the breath of life,

I have given every green plant for food."

And it was so. 

And God saw everything He had made, and behold it was very good. And that was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden to work it and keep it.'

Genesis 1:28-31, 2:15

As much as we love it or hate it, God created us to work. Before that however, God created us for Himself and His glory. In the middle of Genesis 2, you will find God giving Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, their work assignment. As we set about our work as God has gifted us and equipped us to do, we honor and glorify Him. As you read through Genesis 1 and 2, I think it is really important to see that first, God is a God of order and purpose. He is very intentional in His actions and His method by which He created all that is. Each of the six days of creation, God had a specific task at hand and when it was finished, He stepped back, assessed it and called it good. As we set about our week, it is important to be intentional. There lie ahead of us a multitude of tasks to be sure. While this can be overwhelming, it can bring peace and clarity when we step back and look at the example that the very Creator set forth for us to follow.

God took it one day at a time, one task at a time. Did He have to do this? Certainly not. He is God and has no limits. He is not confined to a human mind, human body or the plague of time the same way we are. And yet, in spite of this, He still took performed Creation one day at a time. Jesus Christ Himself said as is recorded in the book of Matthew chapter 6, "therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (v 34). Someone once said,  'Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a present.' We are only guaranteed this moment. While planning and plodding for the future has their place, it is important to remember God's example as well as His command about anxiety. One day and one task at a time.

When a day and task was complete, He took time to step back, assess it and call it good. It is important that we take joy in the work of our hands. The God given talents and abilities to set about a task and complete it is truly magnificent, and we are called to take joy in that. By doing so and recognizing that every ability and gift is from above (James 1:17) we glorify Him and find our ultimate fulfillment.

'Thus the heavens and the earth were finished.

and all the host with them.

And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done,

and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.

So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,

because on it, 

God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.'

Genesis 2:1-3

Finally, God rested. Again, did He need to rest? No. The Bible says that God does not grow weary, He will neither slumber nor sleep (Psalm 121:4, Isaiah 40:28). Then why did God take the time to rest? To set forth an example. We have a God complex. From the beginning of time and creation, you see humanity wrestling with this. Take a look at Adam and Eve and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Why did they eat the fruit? To be like God--to BE God. (Genesis 3:4-6). Since the beginning of time, we wrestle with and despise our limitations. While much good has come from this, it is important to remember that God has given limitations so we will depend on Him and follow His instruction for our lives. My children have a little 50cc 4 Wheeler. It is a model from the 80's and is a 2 stroke--which means it is capable of high speeds. (It was manufactured before the big push for helmets, airbags or car seats...you know, when we were kids ;) My husband created a throttle stop for it so when the kids are on it, it is only capable of going a safe speed. He didn't do this because he hates them or wants to deprive them of anything, just the opposite in fact. He did this because as an adult, he is aware of their ignorance and knows that they can not safely handle the high speeds even though they think they can. God has dealt with us in the same way. He has put forth limitations for us, to preserve us, to protect us and create within us a hunger to know Him and rely on Him.

Rest is something I struggle with. Growing up, my mother struggled with depression and she slept a lot. To this day, I will not take a nap unless I am almost dead from illness or fatigue. I grew up seeing sleep as laziness and the easy way out.  While this can be true when sleep and rest are abused, it is important to know that God, in His goodness, truly did think of everything when He set about the magnificence of His creation. There is a time and place for rest just as there is a time and place for work. There must be balance and there must be both. It is important that we work hard and are diligent about the task before us, take time to assess it and take joy in it and then take time to rest and reconnect. It is then and only then that we truly glorify God and understand the simple beauty in the purposeful example He graciously set out for us.
Blessings to you dear friend, as you set about your work, take joy in it and rest this week.
<><tce

one more thing...

I know that I have already blogged today, but I thought of something I really wanted to share. I know that this isn't a domestic blog about nutrition or anything like that, but I came across a couple of things that I really wanted to share.

A desire of my heart is to become a Proverbs 31 woman and I believe that part of that is keeping my eyes peeled for good deals, good recipes and good things to make on my own. I love being in the kitchen and am convinced that it pays off in the long run.

Here are a few recipes that I keep on hand that are easy, yummy and pretty kid friendly. Both came from www.allrecipes.com, a website that I swear by. It is great for ideas, user feedback and comments as well as being user friendly. So if you're sick of the same old thing, log on and check it out.
Anyway, here are a couple of keepers that I got from there. Keep in mind--time is a very valuable commodity in my house as is nutrition and both of these fit the bill. Happy cooking!


Play date Granola Bars

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I decrease this to about 1/2 C)
• 1/2 cup wheat germ (I have a 7 grain cereal I slip in instead. If you want, you can omit this altogether)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Um..we LOVE cinnamon, so I use a lot more than this!) 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

We really like chocolate chips for a little treat and then these become dessert as well. 

You can add dry cranberries and any fruit for that matter; white chocolate chips etc or anything else that suits you

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I use a heaping TBS of the minced garlic I have on hand)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (butter works too)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder (I just kind of dump it in...if you are not spicy kind of people, you can omit)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth (water with bouillon works well too)
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
• 1 cup white hominy (we are not fans of hominy and I don't think it really adds to the soup, but it's up to you) 
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chili peppers
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• crushed tortilla chips
• sliced avocado
• shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (or any kind of cheese for that matter)
• chopped green onions

1. In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Stir in corn, hominy, chilies, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes. (I cut the chicken with a kitchen shears, throw it on a dinner plate, cover it with wax paper and microwave it for a couple of minutes. It cuts on the pan use and it's quick) 
3. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

"An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 

The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 

She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. 

She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. 

She is like the ships of a merchant; she brings her food from afar. 

She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. 

She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. 

"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." 

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. " 

Proverbs 31:10-15, 27-30

Have a great weekend!

<><tce

the day I met God in the jungle

The time was 5am. Our destination was the jungle. More specifically, Trinity Evangelical Free Church of the Bassa Tribe. The road we traveled had been washed out and was mostly traveled by those on foot. After five hours of jostling and potholes the size of a small country, we came to the end of the road. We then crossed a jungle river by a log turned canoe that was navigated by a lovely indigenous man who graciously shuttled his white faced guests across. Once across, we were greeted by some very excited children on their way home from school. They accompanied us for a while as we began our journey into the heart of the jungle, but in time it was just us, the sweet song of the birds and the trail. We enjoyed good conversation as we moved quickly along the trail, crossed little streams via small logs stretched from shore to shore and tried to stay hydrated. It wasn't until about two hours into our journey by foot that we heard it...the quiet sound of drums beaten by weathered tribal hands.

Deep in the heart of the jungle quietly existed a small village. The people there were beautifully unaware of the fast paced world just beyond their jungle. They knew no English, no technology and no further education. They did know Jesus. Surrounding their small village existed the great presence of darkness. Demonic darkness. Witchcraft and spiritism invaded the quiet village as evil battled the Spirit of God for the souls of these sweet people. However, in spite of the intense darkness, the presence of Light was profound and captivating.

I entered the bamboo roofed church from the back and stood quietly off to the side as men, women and children entered, moving fluidly to the sounds of the beating drums and the unhindered songs of praise. The only response I had was tears as for the first time, I completely understood that the Spirit of God truly is everywhere. As the reality of His omnipresence settled over me, I realized that our God is not confined to churches built beautifully and adorned with stain glassed windows and velvet lined pews. God doesn't dwell in the rituals of man nor is He only present in the urban churches with large choirs, large pulpits and large ministries. His Spirit is not quenched in the face of darkness or profound evil. In fact, when our hearts are enraptured in His presence, even the darkness is as light to Him (Psalm 139:12).

The truth is, most people on earth will never know these humble villagers. Common society will never speak their language and many, if not all of them, will live and die without ever seeing life beyond their village. The amazing thing is, is that in spite of their 'ignorance' and the darkness that vies for their souls, God is there. God is present and dwells with them.

'O Lord, you have searched me and you know me!

You know when I sit down and when I rise;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

You see my going out and my lying down,

you are familiar with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue, 

You know it completely O Lord.

You hem me in behind and before, 

you have laid your hand upon me. 

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain. 

Where can I go from your Spirit? 

Where can I flee from your presence? 

If I go up to the heavens, you are there!

If I make my bed in the depths, you are there!

If I rise on the wings of the dawn 

and settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me and your right hand will hold me fast. 

If I say, "surely the darkness will cover me,

and the light become night around me,"

even the darkness is not dark to you; 

the night will shine like the day, 

for darkness is as light to you.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

all the days ordained for me were written in your Book

before even one of them came to be."

Psalm 139: 1-12, 16

You may not live deep in the heart of the jungle but isolation is something you know well. You may walk the aisle of a lovely church, but the presence of God is a foreign thing to your soul. You may look at your life and feel as though the darkness has become a heavy shroud, hiding you from who you once were and even from the God that created you.

Dear friend, take heart in knowing that there is no darkness greater than the Spirit of God. There is no jungle that He does not know and there is no tribe or tongue that God did not Himself create and does not dwell within.  The future is not a mystery to Him. He knows your days, He knows your mortality. As we seek His heart, as weak and weary as our souls may be, He will be faithful to honor that search. It is impossible to flee the presence of God. He is in the joy, He is in the depths. Just as I quietly entered the small church and stood unnoticed, I pray that you too, would dare to step into the presence of God and allow the beauty of His fellowship and omnipresence revive your spirit and speak to your heart.  

<><tce

...and not faint.

'Why do you say, O Jacob,

and speak, O Israel,

"My way is hidden from the Lord,

and my right is disregarded by God"?

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God, 

the Creator to the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary; 

His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint,

and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths grow faint and be weary,

and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.'

Isaiah 40: 27-31

Regardless of what today holds for you, I pray that you would take heart and know that your way is not hidden from the Lord. He sees every hurt, he sees every sinful thing and his invitation remains. He extends mercy where condemnation resides. He provides strength where there is only weariness. He breathes life into the broken. He pours water over the dry land. As we draw near to the heart of God, confess our need for a Savior, and wait upon Him as we take refuge in the shelter of His wings, our strength will be renewed.

Come and rest. For it is in resting and waiting that you will run and not be weary, walk and not faint. 

<><tce