Can God Meet My Needs?

Michael and I are reading a book called Preparing Sons to Provide for a Single Income Family by Steven Maxwell (a man whose 2 oldest sons who were able to pay cash for their first homes).

It is actually geared toward the dad and his example to his boy/s, but has been beneficial to both of us. It goes way beyond the common "start saving up now for college" statement and delves into the spiritual, heart issues.

I came across this quote under a section titled "Contentment" that I thought was worth sharing:

"Your attitude regarding your income is far more important than how much money you actually make. Are you trusting God to meet your needs? If we can't trust God to meet our needs, how can we ever trust Him to save us from hell? Which one is more difficult for Him?"

We have seen this first-hand in our own lives (over and over!).
God has always met our needs and a lot of our wants. He is so faithful!!!!

Back to School Breakfast ideas- Granola Bars & Breakfast Burritos!

Since it is back to school season, I know there are a lot of moms out there trying to think of good things to feed your families... Especially for hurried mornings.
Those of us *ahem* who tend to run late, need to plan ahead. ;-) I am working on this... really ;-)

For those who may be reading this and do not know yet; we are home-schooling. HOWEVER, it means this Mom here has to plan ahead and be MORE prepared/organized!

I, personally, am a big fan of granola bars! Below is a recipe that I used tonight. After the pan had cooled, I cut it into bars and wrapped them up individually for breakfasts or snacks! Because I doubled the recipe, it made a BUNCH! So... if you are planning to make these and wrap them up, make sure you have a lot of freezer bags or plastic wrap before you bake them.

We really like it. If you want to double the recipe like I did, an over-sized cookie sheet is perfect.
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Extra Chew Granola Bars

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups of rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup of butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups mini choc chips OR raisins, dried fruit, nuts, and coconut (whatever your little heart desires!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease one 9 x 13 pan. In a large mixing bowl
combine everything. Lightly press into the prepared pan. Bake 325 degrees for 18-22 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and then cut into bars. I cooled mine in the freezer for 10 minutes
Completely cool before removing and serving.

Another idea is:
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Frozen Breakfast Burritos
Michael really likes having these on hand... they only take a minute or two to heat up!

You need:
18 eggs
favorite vegetables:Bell peppers, onions, mushrooms (whatever you want)
favorite meat: either bacon, sausage, or ham
large pkg shredded cheese
Lg Pkg Tortilla shells 10-12?
Plastic Wrap or freezer bags

Cook meat & drain. Set aside. Stir Fry vegetables. Add eggs and drained meat pieces and scramble with the eggs. Add cheese when eggs are done and stir

Spoon by Tablespoon onto tortilla and wrap individually. I have actually had eggs left over, and when this happens I just freeze them in a freezer bag. You can make a sandwich with them, put them on a bagel or English muffin, or just eat them like they are.

*Frugal tip*
P.S. To save money, I use plastic baggies (I always buy the more expensive kind since they are durable) and re-wash them (except for raw meat). They last a long, long time!
"A Penny Saved, is a Penny Earned" ;-)

Forest Adventures - Part I

On Saturday we decided that we would take the boys to our favorite place ( a friend's farm and woods) . In this post- part I-are pictures on the farmland. Part II are pictures of the woods.

There were butterflies EVERYWHERE. They seemed to love this flowery bush.Here are the boys on top of a hay-roll.

Ryan picked me a piece of clover. He is so cute... he always hides flowers behind his back before he gives them to me. :-)

Ryan walking through the rows of corn

I can't believe I got them all to smile and look at me at the same time! RARE photo moment! :-D
Right before we got to the woods, Michael asked the boys if they would like to "explore the secret valley". I think it is so funny because he said it in this hilarious, quiet, mysterious voice. Of course, the boys were very excited and kept asking when we'd get to the "secret valley".
The "Secret Valley" is actually a place deep in the woods that Michael visits often while hunting. It's really nice with a creek and lots of neat things to see. Pictures below in Part II.

Forest Adventures - part II

Here is Michael and Ryan entering the forest

The boys conquered the climbing of a big rock on the side of the hill.

Justin found a newt.Unfortunately since the picture was fuzzy, black and white was the best way for it to show up. It was a dark color (black) with light spots.

Jonathan was "beside himself" because he wanted one too, but of course there was only one there. He made sure to go on a mission to find one. I was hoping Jonathan would find one, but I felt kind of doubtful .
Thankfully I was wrong; he found a cute little brown salamander a little bit later.
Look closely.. it was tiny. Thankfully the boys are learning that the best thing for these critters is to let them go so they won't die.

Ryan loved this wall of slate. He told me he was making a puzzle out of the pieces. I could hardly get him away from it.

This was a great hollow tree with a neat-looking mushroom growing inside. Here are the boys looking in.....

Here is the mushroom. It almost looked fossilized, but it was wet.

My favorite fellas..... I am so blessed!

This tree was at the end of the woods. It had knots from the very bottom all the way to the top. I thought it was really weird!

Loving our Neighbor

The other day I was listening to a book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer called Life Together. I haven't finished the book, I am not sure if I agreed with everything he said in the book (that I have heard so far). Not that I DISAGREE; I am just not sure.
However he said something very good. Since I don't have the words in front of me (it was an audio book), I can't quote him. But his basic idea was that we should love our brothers and sisters in Christ instead of criticizing them. We should be thankful that we have them whether they meet up with our expectations or what we think God's expectations are.
Bonhoeffer was in prison waiting for his martyr's execution during the writing of the book, so he was longing for Christian fellowship. He didn't want others reading to take it for granted either.

So what about our brothers and sisters in Christ? Are they are too "conservative" or too "liberal"?
We should not criticize them, but we should love them. I have always believed this personally, but I have been thinking a lot more about it lately. I believe it, but do I live it? What about going out of my way... out of my comfort zone to show that love?

It is interesting that during my devotions, this book by Bonhoeffer, and Jasmine's blog(a copy posted below) all tie together. Love our neighbor. If he or she is more careful than I am in their walk. Is it my business to criticize them?
We might say, "Well they are judging me!" My response would be "Are you assuming this? And what if they are???"
We might think, "They aren't following this Biblical rule" My response would be, "How do you know if they have light on that issue or not?? And what if they do have light? Does the Bible give us permission to criticize them?"

I am commanded to LOVE my neighbor! Does the Bible say "love they neighbor IF...."?
Matthew 22:35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Ouch! Verse 39 says on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. What about I Corinthians 13 "The greatest of these is LOVE"? We can be "liberal" or "conservative" but what does it profit us at all if we don't have love? I can say I love someone until I am blue in the face but how am I SHOWING my love?

Love shows itself through our treatment of others. Are we being friendly, kind, ARE WE PRAYING FOR THEM?


I have a couple of blogs I truly enjoy. I don't know these ladies personally but their blogs are great. They make me think; they uplift me spiritually. Jasmine's blog is one of them (Jasmine is 18 years old!). Her post has a lot to do with labels. I think Christians should shy away from labels and LOVE (regardless of the other person's actions)!

With my thoughts added, this will make a longer post but it is definitely worth the read:
Here is the link to her blog with the blog post below it:
http://joyfullyathome.blogspot.com/

"Pharisee"

I'm sure most of my readers have heard this word thrown around a lot in Christian circles. I know I have, especially after our elders preached through the Gospel of Mark a couple of months ago. It's sad to say, though, that usually, when I hear the word, "pharisee," people aren't talking about the group of men in the Bible whom Jesus addressed again and again; they use the word "Pharisee" or "pharisaical" to describe brothers and sisters in Christ that they see as "legalistic."

Now, the dictionary definition of Pharisee is a member of a Jewish sect of the intertestamental period noted for strict observance of rites and ceremonies of the written law and for insistence on the validity of their own oral traditions concerning the law, but our "Christian" definition has become a bit different. I've learned that, no matter what people say, their definition of a Pharisee is anyone who is more serious about the law of God than they are.

It seems sad to me that, many times, when Christian men and women are committed to learning the law of God and obeying it out of love for Him (1 John 5:2-4), they are accused of "pharisaism," a word I can't seem to find in my Bible... maybe it's not in the ESV?

The sin of the Pharisees was not striving to obey the Lord's commandments. The sin of the Pharisees was thinking that, through obeying these commandments to the letter (which no human can ever do, because we are all sinners incapable of righteousness without Jesus), they would be saved (Matthew 5:20). They were adding to Scripture, creating laws around laws to fit their own purposes. Their sin was a heart issue! (Matthew 15:7-9) Correct me if I'm wrong, but there is no place in God's Word where the word "pharisee" is applied to blood-washed Christians living out the Lord's commandment to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, and our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).

They weren't obeying the Lord's commandments because they were saved; they were obeying the commandments thinking that through them, they would be saved.

We can not obey the law to the letter; it's impossible, because we are fallen, sinful humans. We can not be saved through obeying the law, because the only way to achieve salvation is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). There are parts of God's law, I believe, that are not binding on us today (ceremonial law, for instance, was, I believe, abolished by the death of Christ on the cross). But I do believe that "all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17-18), and that we would do well, as followers of the Lord, to search the Scriptures, to learn, cherish, and delight in the law of the Lord.

This does not make me a Pharisee. This makes me a Christian.

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him... ~1 John 2:2-4

This train of thought was sparked by reading "By This Standard: The Authority of God's Law Today" by Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen. I encourage anyone interested on the subject of biblical law to read with it. Whether or not you agree with every word Dr. Bahnsen says, this is definitely a book that will get you thinking more seriously about the Word of God. Click on the book in the Amazon widget on my sidebar to have a closer look.

Rambled by Jasmine

My Justin is Eight!

Our Justin turned 8 years old on August 4th. It is so hard to believe he is no longer that mischievous little toddler, but growing into a fine young man that we are very proud of.

I am still marvelling over the fact that my boys are growing up so fast. I know I must cherish every second I have with them. It won't be long and they will be graduating to adulthood.

Justin riding his new scooter given by Papa and Grammy for his birthday

We drove to Brownstown on the Saturday to spend the day celebrating. Our first stop was Dairy Queen. We had a lot of fun there! Michael and I split a Frozen Latte (we are addicted to anything with coffee in it!). As you can see in the pictures below, the boys enjoyed their ice cream!

Justin is very interested in treasure hunting for rocks,gems, and fossils. So for his birthday, we took him to a couple of places showcasing these types of things. He was able to find a few treasures that he could keep, and we bought him a book to help him identify different types. All three boys enjoyed this.

Here are a few pictures from Dairy Queen.