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June 24, 2014

The Power of a Praying Parent

It is 2:30 a.m. and I am having trouble sleeping so I thought I would do some blogging. This subject has been on my mind a few days so I must be supposed to post about it.

I do not think that most Christians utilize their most valuable commodity which is prayer. Prayer is the one thing you can do that is constructive and powerful for it moves God (as long as it is within His will) and because of Jesus we in this day and age have bold access to the throne of God. Hebrews 4:16 tells us this! Prayer is a much more productive use of time than fretting and worrying. Both of these do nothing but cause anxiety, nervousness, raised blood pressure and other physical ailments.

 Not only do Christians in general not utilize prayer but especially parents do not. The most important thing a parent can do for their child is to completely cover them in prayer...about everything. Parents, start when they are born and never stop! Pray for their health, for their safety, for God to use them, for their surrendered will to God. When my kids were teens I began praying that they never be allowed to get away with sin. I would pray "Lord, if my kids do something wrong, let them get caught". (I learned this idea from an article in a Christian magazine written by another parent) Pray for their character. Pray for their purity until marriage. Pray for their future spouses to be godly. Pray for their salvation from the time they are born until it happens. When they begin driving, pray for their safety. Pray for evil influences to be kept at bay (especially secret influences that they may try to hide from you).

Also, teach your child the power of prayer, of God's love, and a relationship with God. Teach them that God hears and always answers even if at times the answer is "no" or "wait for my timing". Lead by example. Let them see you praying other than at meal time. Pray with them, too, not just for them! Have times of a family circle of prayer. Prayer is sooo important. God tells us in the book of James that "ye have not because ye ask not". Let your kids know that nothing is too big or too small to pray about. My kids used to hear me pray over a new recipe I was trying. My daughter definitely has prayed over her own since becoming a new wife over the past year. I believe that was her seeing me do it. She trusted a small thing to God!

PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!

June 19, 2014

Homemade Ideas

Just wanted to share some homemade ideas and/or remedies...

First of all, I think I have been doing this since February of this year (2014). Coconut Oil makes a wonderful moisturizer for the face and neck!  I read about it in a magazine and decided to try it as soon as my Oil of Olay ran out. I just put a scoop of coconut oil into the washed out container that the old moisturizer was in and it works great! I feel like my face is softer and has less lines than before I started using the coconut oil. The patchy dry and flaky spots went away almost instantly that were happening during the winter and early spring months here in Missouri. (We had such a long cold winter!)

**I love this recipe for homemade deodorant...

3 T. coconut oil
2-3 drops Tea Tree Oil
1/4 c. baking soda
1/4 c. baby powder or cornstarch (I use baby powder)
Few drops of essential oil of choice (I use peppermint and/or lavender)

Melt coconut oil in small sauce pan on low heat. Add rest of ingredients. Mix well until lumps are gone. Pour into small container of choice. Allow to harden at room temperature or in frig. Apply with fingers. In winter it is harder in the jar and takes some rubbing around to get onto fingers to apply to pits but in summer it is almost runny at times but still works the same. If you don't like it runny you can keep in frig or cool place.
(Commercial deodorants put aluminum into your body and that causes many health issues over a period of time) Do some research on your own.

**Using cider vinegar as a rinse makes the hair soft and shiny and brings out natural highlights.

**White vinegar is a great cleaner for nearly anything. You can dust with it, clean mirrors and windows, makes tile, wood or vinyl floors shine, makes marble and chrome shine, and is good to use from a spray bottle after the shower on the shower walls (works like the clean shower stuff only it is all natural) Mix with baking soda and you have a great "comet" type cleaner that bubbles!

**Honey is great for bee stings, allergies, and burns. Also, mix honey and cider vinegar and sip for sore throats.  

**Alkaseltzer (I use Walmart brand) is a wonder cure for UTIs and sometimes yeast infections. (Not the cold med but the plain stuff for stomach pain). I used to get lots of UTIs and haven't had to be on antibiotics for over 4 years! I take one tablet in water at first signs of symptoms and it takes care of it. I have only had to take more than 1 tablet about 3 times in four years! Pretty good statistics if ya ask me!! :)

**Lavender Essential Oil is nearly the best thing to put on burns. Especially if blisters are present. Do not pop blisters but put the oil on and leave alone. If skin gets dry then add more throughout the day. Recently I had opportunity to try this after hot grease from a fry daddy splashed out on my hand and face. I immediately used cool water and then dried and put the essential oil on and kept it on for about three days. I had no pain and no scars! (Essential oils are expensive but worth it to keep around the house and they last forever!)


Hope some of these are a blessing idea for someone. I will only post things like this that I have tested. Seeing and experiencing is believing after all, right?








God is ALWAYS on the Throne!

Just some thoughts today about God. So often when tragedies come in this life and in this world people question "where is/was God during this"?

Welp, I'm here today to say that He is on the throne! He never leaves it just because you don't like or understand what is happening.

He was on the throne when he supplies my needs, gives me peace and comfort, and blesses me when I don't deserve it. He is also on the throne when the trials come. He was on the throne when I was 12 years old and told that my dad had a massive coronary and died of hardening of the arteries. Though this changed my life forever and hurt beyond belief, God still had a plan and a reason for it. I may not have liked it and still do not fully understand but I trust God with my life. He was on the throne when my paternal Grandma had a heart attack and then the paramedics revived her after she had already turned blue. She lived several more months after and then past away in her early sixties on the day after her birthday. He was on the throne when both my maternal grandparents died. He was even on the throne when my mom got cancer and fought it for 1 year and 2 months before passing into eternal life.

He is all powerful, all knowing, omnipresent (everywhere all the time), always just, always loving (even in his correction & discipline) and always merciful to me, his child. If I do not believe and hold to this notion, I will become bitter and angry at God and certainly will lack trusting him. I may tend to question every moment of my life, especially when the bad times come. I understand that He is still on the throne know matter what is happening in my life. Everything is ordained by him or allowed by him and it is for my good and/or for his glory. I realized a long time ago that much of what a person goes through in life has sometimes more to do with those around them than actually to do with them.

God doesn't take a vacation from being in control. CEOs and Presidents go on vacation and take breaks from being in charge at the company. God does not leave his throne of power ....EVER! Questioning God's reign of control and wondering if he forgot to use his power or love just because something bad happens is like questioning a parents love, power and authority just because a child falls down and skins their knee while holding the parent's hand. Were the parents still the authority? Did they love the child while they got hurt? Yes! But the parent is there to pick them up, dust them off, tend to the injury and hold them as they cry. God does the same for us.

We should not question where he is but just realize that he is still on the throne and in control.

June 12, 2014

Future Sighted


There are many people out there with vision problems. Some people are blind completely, some are near-sighted, some are far-sighted, some have cataracts, and some have just the "over 40" need glasses to read syndrome. (that is me!) No matter if you have 20/20 vision or one of the before mentioned eye problems; you still have a need to be "Future Sighted".

This year at Rock Solid Baptist Church (the one we recently closed) the theme for the year was Philippians 4:13 - "Pressing Toward the Mark". The idea was to not stop moving forward for Christ and to press towards Biblical Christianity. Bob got the opportunity to preach on Wednesday night while our pastor was out of town and he covered this topic. The sermon actually reminded me of our lives right now. While the points he made are very relative and applicable to my life, there was also a much deeper meaning for me. Some people do not understand the life Bob and I have chosen or the call on Bob's life to be a pastor and in full time ministry. Believe it or not, some women do not understand me following Bob wherever God leads him. They question me being willing to move (out of state if need be) or willing to place myself under so much stress or "fish bowl syndrome" that comes with life in the ministry. I reckon that from an outsider looking in or from a point of view of someone who may not be saved or at the very least not living their life pleasing to the Lord, I can sorta understand the questioning. However, for me I want to be used of God. I want to be in the center of His Will and I want when I am gone from this present world for it to have mattered that I was here. I want someday to hear "Well done thou good and faithful servant". No one will probably ever know how much this is a goal of mine. Most of the time I feel I fall short. That is probably a good thing or I may be tempted to get prideful and full of myself and not keep striving to do better. Because of this, I must be "future sighted". I must focus on rewards in heaven and not on treasures on earth. Sometimes life on earth is hard. Sometimes what God asks of us seems impossible or may even bring pain or heart ache but with heaven's view in mind I can know wholeheartedly that God loves me and wants what is good and best for me and this helps me remain future sighted. Don't get me wrong, I struggle some days with the not understanding and questioning but in the end I turn palms up and remember that no matter what happens here on earth....it is well with my soul! And...

 

I hope that this post will help someone to remember to be "Future Sighted" and keep heaven's view and reward in mind. This life is only a vapor ... just here for a short time and in the end only those things done for Christ will matter.

June 10, 2014

Low-Cal Stuffing Mix for Peppers

Made up this recipe for a diet Bob has been on. It is very tasty and I figured I would share it.

Ingredients:
Anaheims, Banana or Peblano peppers (preferrably large enough to stuff) Your choice!
1 lb ground turkey
1 small onion chopped small
1 T. minced garlic
1 pkg (8oz) FAT FREE cream cheese - room temp
1 16oz LOW FAT cottage cheese (I prefer small curd)
1 T. lime juice
1 t. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground red pepper of choice
1 t. Cilantro (or to taste)
1 small tomato diced small

Preheat oven to 350. Brown turkey with onion and garlic til cooked thoroughly. Let cool. In mean time, mix remaining ingredients until well blended and then add turkey mixture. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and then stuff into peppers of choice that have been sliced open length wise and de-seeded. Place toothpick across to hold together. Bake in baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake til peppers are tender. Enjoy!

***This recipe is safe to eat on the Nutri-System diet if only two large peppers are eaten. It qualifies as a smart carb!