Recipe Wednesday!

This recipe is SO simple, but yields phenomenal results!! Mmmm! They're melting in my mouth...sort of. I'm on a very strict weight loss program, and eating cookies isn't allowed! Boo!

The recipe as listed here is doubled from the one in the recipe book. The extra cookies will not go to waste. Promise!

I recommend using name brand ingredients...trial and error tells me so!

1 c Crisco
1 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar, lightly packed
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp real vanilla
2 c all purpose flour
1 12 oz bag of semi sweet chips
Nuts are optional

Cream together the shortening, sugars, eggs, vanilla, salt & soda. (Don't use an electric mixer...too much air gets whipped in). Add flour and mix well. Add chips and nuts. Mix well. Drop by heaping teaspoon (or by tablespoon) onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 6 1/2 to 7 minutes. The truck is to get them out of the oven as they begin to brown around the edges. , but not on top. Unless you like a crunchy cookie!

Enjoy! Let me know how they turn out for you!

Shine on!

{Matt 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.}

It's all about Him. Never forget that.

Take time to make time

As I sit down to try to put some meaningful words together, it strikes me at how long it has been since I have done much of anything worthwhile for the Kingdom. How sad that is. Over the last 7 months or so, we have sold our home, moved to a rental home, then bought a new one and had to make one final move. Throw in work, Thanksgiving, Christmas, life in general, and it seems like I've been busy. Then, I look at my notes from church today and read a question that I wrote down... "Do you feel like you don't have time for anything "God"?"

Hmm... maybe I have actually identified one of my biggest problems. Finding time for God (Bible study, prayer, discipleship, writing, reaching out to others, etc.).

It's not often that I have trouble finding time for my family (although my daughters may argue that point), or for my job - I show up every day; I also seem to make it to the grocery store for food, gas station for fuel. I also shop for things I want (instead of need), go out to dinner, maybe enjoy a coke with a friend. I browse the internet for bargains, or news stories, or vacation destinations. My iPhone has a ton of apps that I use for fun. I watch NCIS on a faithful basis. Our clothes get washed, dog gets fed, etc.

So you see, I have time for "things". My issue - gulp - is that I have chosen to not have time for God. Ouch. That one stings. Why do I put God behind frivolity? I don't need to "make" time for Him, I simply need to put Him back where He belongs.

I know I am not alone in this, but I hope you've done a better job at keeping Him #1 than I have.

This is me... finding my way back to studying and learning, and hopefully making a difference for the Kingdom of God.

Join me?

I've been thinking...

Borrowed ::

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7a (KJV)

The day started off just fine, but ended with confusion and tears. As a timid middle-schooler, I climbed the steps of my school bus eager to get home after a long afternoon.

Sitting quietly in my seat, all of a sudden I got this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Although my surroundings appeared to be the same, something was not right.

The bus was the normal sunshine yellow. The seats were standard black vinyl, displaying rips and tears from years of students. The floor was littered with the usual misplaced pencils, erasers and wadded-up papers. Yet, I felt out of place.

That's when I realized I did not know any of the kids sitting around me. And I had never seen the bus driver before. Frantically, I searched for anything familiar. My cheeks grew hot and my heart raced with panic as I realized I was on the wrong bus.

Although I WAS headed somewhere, it was NOT where I wanted to go.

I'd been distracted by conversations with friends, thoughts of sleepovers, and how much homework I had. My thoughts were not focused on where I was going. The actions that followed caused me to end up somewhere I did not want to be.

Thinking back on that day, I've considered how our thoughts determine a lot about the direction of our lives. Like my school bus, our thoughts will always take us somewhere, but it may not be somewhere we want to end up.

If we spend time thinking about how our boss does not appreciate us, our thoughts will take us straight to a bad attitude at work and possibly poor performance.

If we focus on how much we do for others and how little we feel appreciated, our thoughts will take us to a place of resentment, with lack of patience and love.

If we spend an entire day fuming over something our husband or kids did, and mentally practice the harsh words we plan to say to them, those thoughts will lead us into a place of arguments, hurt feelings and damaged relationships.

If we dwell on why God has allowed certain problems in our lives, we will transport ourselves into a state of insecurity and unhappiness as we stop trusting God.

If we focus our thoughts on money, career, success and pleasure, we will find ourselves in the land of the lost—feeling frustrated and discontent.

Our thoughts are powerful and need our navigation. If we allow them to run rampant in negative directions, focusing on things that lead us away from God's perspective, we will eventually end up stressed out - from the inside out.

In today's key verse, God shows us why we should choose carefully what we think about, because our thoughts determine who we are and how we live.

Reacting to stressful situations by becoming a chronically negative thinker will eventually increase our stress and possibly take us to a destination we would never choose.

My childhood memory reminds me to consistently ask God to help me keep my mind on Him and on the thoughts He has for me. That way I can live according to His plans and with His perspective, seeking to be acutely aware of where my thoughts may lead me.

Our thoughts really do have wheels. Where are your thoughts taking you today?

Times are rough sometimes, aren't they?

As I was talking to God last night, my mind kept wandering to friends of mine who are struggling.   As I'm asking God for His presence and peace in the life of one, I was reminded of the life of another who is facing a different struggle.  And again.  And again and again. Do you know what these different circumstances have in common?  I don't either.  My heart simply sees that my friends are hurting, and Satan is reveling in their pain.  It's an opportunity for him to plant doubt, worry and all sorts of questions in the minds of Godly women.

I realize that I have not walked the same path as each of them (or you), that I have not been faced with the same circumstances.  For many things that they are struggling with, I can not honestly say that "I've been there".  

What I CAN tell you - without hesitation or doubt of any kind - is that God is with you.  He loves you.  He sees your struggle.  And He is near.

No matter what you are facing - depression, doubt, the end of a relationship, the stress of career or debt, the loss of someone dear to  you, failure of any kind - doesn't matter.  I'm begging you to NOT lose hope.  Do NOT lose sight of God who loves you.  Do NOT turn away from Him. 

For in Him are all your needs.

Love you all.

Reflections

[1 Corinthians 3:16, 17  Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.  For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.]

[I Corinthians 6:19, 20  Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.]

The above passages make references to our body, and the fact that our body is God's.  If we have chosen to follow him, we DO belong to God.  Not sure about you, but when I hear a biblical reference to my body (as in the above passages), my immediate interpretation is of a physical, sexual nature.  No affairs allowed, right?

But if we look at this passage a little broader - our body is much more than that.  We hear (and sometimes we actually listen); we think, talk, eat, walk, hug, growl, grimace, laugh... you get the picture. 

Hmmm.  Is that all there is to it?

What if we applied these verses to something besides a physical aspect?  What if we paid more attention to what went into our body via our eyes and ears?  What if we paid more attention to what came out of our body via our actions and words?

Our lives are not about us.  Our lives are about Him.  Always.  It's not about doing what we think or feel is right for us in our own eyes.   It's about reflecting Him.  Our selfish ways tend to justify the things we allow into our bodies...i.e., (via your ears & eyes) "I know that people don't really talk/act in real life like I'm hearing/seeing on this TV show."  "It's just entertainment."  "It's a good movie."  "They're my friends, and I don't act like they do." (or physically) "I think I'll marry him."  (or our actions)  "I don't have to speak to someone I don't know."  "She's so stupid."  I could go on and on and on with ways we can stop ourselves from allowing the selfishness to overtake the godliness.

Today...let's work on that together?  Because it's all about Him, and it's up to us to make sure our choices/actions reflect Him.  It's the only way we can reach others for the kingdom of God.

Be BEAUTIFUL!

[Psalm 139:14  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.]


[I Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."]

[Proverbs 31:3  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.]

[1 Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.]

[1 Timothy 4:8 Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next.]

__________________________________________________

Today, I went shopping for a new outfit to wear to a bridal shower tomorrow.  I was immediately reminded of why I shop only when absolutely necessary.... I HATE seeing myself in the dressing room mirror...Yikes!  And it's gotten worse over the last few months.  I'm ready for the magic pill that will make my extra pounds just m.e.l.t. away.  In chocolate, please.  (That's a fat joke!)

There are times when I am pretty hard on myself for the lack of physical beauty that is me.  I'm short, overweight, and have a jawline that I credit my maternal grandmother with.  Making matters worse, all the cute clothes are in tiny sizes.  The clothing options for anyone above a size 12 are quite limited, and often make the wearer look pregnant or 93.  And I avoid having photos made, because they look like me! 

But the verses above remind me that my true beauty isn't measured by the scale, or the opinion of someone else's standards.  It's HIS standards that concern me.  He looks at my heart... am I fostering the things that He says make me beautiful?  Do I fear the LORD?  Am I exercising my spirit?  Am I living and breathing the fruits of the spirit.. you know.. Love.  Joy.  Peace.  Patience. Kindness.  Goodness.  Faithfulness.  Gentleness.  Self Control. 

Don't get me wrong...I'm not okay with the extra numbers I see on the scale.  I will be focusing on that.  But the MOST important thing about my beauty is not about what I see in the mirror. It's about what is seen on the outside (my actions towards others, my words, my worship, my service, etc.) because of what I have on the inside... I have the creator of the universe Who has adopted me as His own.   And He tells me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made!

But it doesn't stop there.  He commands me to spread the word.

(...to be continued...)