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Tuesday, October 2, 2007
This realization is one that has actually been simmering - pardon the pun - since the first months of my married life. The Quiche Incident is one that will forever be remembered in McKay Family Lore. Let's just say it involved some very underdone eggs in a graham cracker crust. In my defense, when a recipe says 'pie crust', it should specify the particular flavor or lack thereof required to make the finished result edible. I'm just saying. Clarity, recipe people. It is essential. Now that you have a bit of back story I can now proceed with telling you about my Harry and David's Chicken Enchilada Soup Harry and David's has this signature Pepper and Onion Relish that makes the most wonderful cream cheese dip appetizer so anytime I am near the store, I generally buy a jar or seven. However, this time there was an extra treat on top of the jar - a recipe for Chicken Enchilada Soup. I read over the recipe and it sounded somewhat simple so, seeing as how I am already guilt-ridden over the lack of home cooking here lately, I decided I would WOW my family with a batch. Here's where the trouble began. The recipe said I needed 'cream'. No other explanation, just cream. When I think cream, I think dairy so I went to the Dairy Dept. and bought cream - Heavy Whipping Cream. I got home, started making the soup and hubs came in. I should have known disaster was brewing when the first thing he said when he hit the door was, "What smells like a skunk?" Retaining my Preacher Wife composure, I lovingly explained it was the garlic in the soup. He came in to the kitchen, saw my cream, and said, "That's not the kind of cream you use for cooking is it?" I not so lovingly told him to get out of the kitchen and that obviously he knew nothing about cooking. I then snuck to call his sister who confirmed I indeed had the wrong thing. Rats. I was not about to let this little set back keep me from this great soup so, deciding I could get the right cream the next day, I put the beginnings in the fridge and took the kids to the burger joint for supper. The next day, I went to the store and bought Pet Milk like my SIL instructed. Note here: Nowhere on the can does it say 'cream'. How's a girl to know? Really, how?? To make a long story endless, I went home, pulled out the soup, and added the cream. My thought was, "Wow, this looks awfully milky. I read the recipe again and realized, oh the horror, I had misread the amount and instead of 1/2 a cup, I had added 1 1/2 cups times two for the doubled recipe. The result? 3 TIMES the amount of cream I needed. The only way to fix it at this point was to triple all the other ingredients which would require returning to the store and also using my last jar of relish which I knew I could get no more of for a few months. So I did what I had vowed I would never do - I quit. Have you ever tried so incredibly hard to accomplish something, to resist temptation, to make amends and find no matter what you did, it still turned out badly? I'm reminded of Peter who experienced this very thing. Peter with the foot-shaped mouth. Peter who removed people from their ears. Peter who denied Christ when he swore that would never happen. We can learn an important lesson from Peter's retreat to fish after Jesus' death - sometimes the best thing we can do after failure is back off and regroup before we try again. The benefits are a fresh perspective, fresh information, and fresh faith. Peter returned to pen 1st and 2nd Peter which in my estimation are some of the richest books of the New Testament. What a come back! So back to my soup - petty compared to what some of you are experiencing but it is a great visual for me as to the importance of trying again! Next time, I'll remember what I've learned from my mistakes and work out all the kinks beforehand. And hopefully my hubby will be none the wiser.   Please come visit my personal blog, The Preacher's Wife. Labels: Encouragement, Endurance, Lisa's Articles Leave a comment... 17 Comments Links to this post “…And, yet God, You’re still sovereign, Your throne intact and eternal.” Lamentations 5:20b Have you ever had those moments when you just really felt like everything was going wrong, times when life just seems to be spinning out of control? Perhaps it is a health issue with you or a family member. Maybe it’s the loss of a job or just the stress of too many responsibilities. Whether it’s from our own poor choices, decisions made by those around us, or just circumstances beyond our control, we’ve all had times when we just felt like the bottom was falling out from underneath us. That is exactly where we find the children of Israel in Lamentations chapter five. In this case, they were being disciplined by God, their loving Heavenly Father, for their sins. They had chosen to “buy into the pagan system” of their day (boy, does that sound familiar) and God was grieved and angry. The bottom had fallen out of their lives. They were dealing with famine, war, violence, and complete despair. The writer of Lamentations is drawing the desperate picture for us, and right in the middle of all the discouraging details, he penned these words in verse twenty. “…and yet God, You’re still sovereign, Your throne intact and eternal.” No matter how bad things were, he recognized Who was still in control. This isn’t always easy, but this is an amazing truth that is often times our only hope. No matter how difficult life may get, God is still sovereign and His throne is still intact and eternal. We can trust Him with our health concerns. We can rest in His sufficiency, knowing that no matter how hard the storm rages, His Anchor holds. Corrie ten Boone said it so eloquently, when she said, “There is no pit too deep, that He is not deeper still”. We are never so far that His arm cannot save us. Our life is never so dark, that He cannot see exactly where we are. When life seems to be spinning out of control, hang on, my friend, because God, the Creator and Sustainer of this universe, is still in complete control. He is still on His throne, where He will remain for all eternity, and He is working all things (the good, the bad, and the ugly) together for our good and for His glory! Lord, thank you that you are God and you are in total control. Thank you that your reign is eternal and there is nothing, or no one, that can overthrow you. Thank you that you are, right now, working everything together for our good and we can trust you. Help us to remember when life is hard, whether it’s due to our own sin or circumstances out of our control, that nothing surprises You and nothing is too big for You. In Him ~ Tammy… You can read more from Tammy by visiting her personal blog at Steps In Our Journey Labels: coping, courage, Endurance, Faith, fear, grief, heart matters, Hope, peace, Suffering, Tammy, trust Leave a comment... 7 Comments Links to this post
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Some mornings bring with it the very essence of chaos: the children have awakened before me and decided to redecorate and reorganize the kitchen and living area, the phone has rung 4 times and everyone on the other end of the line demands my immediate attention. The kids put too much tissue in and the toilet overflows. I am out of toothpaste, all the boys want something different to eat for breakfast, I have to get dressed, and I need to start the kids lessons by at least 9:30 and it is already 9:25. All of this and I haven’t even finished my coffee! Now, I finally get everyone fed, pancakes all around. I take care of myself and I begin the lessons on dinosaurs. They begin to complain and I become fussy and irritated as well. While they are doing independent projects I try to begin tidying up. All of a sudden they forget how to do a notebook page! What is going on today? Stress doesn’t begin to describe the way I am feeling. I continue with lessons only to stop ¾ short and call it a day. I have so much to do and things just aren’t going well. I begin to work on ministry things and all of a sudden I hit a brick wall and can’t go any farther. “Why is this happening God? What is the problem here?” I ask as I am putting up dishes from the dishwasher. “I am doing all of this because I know that it is what you want me to do. Where are you? I could use some help!” Then, just as I turn around, I see it. It is my partially sipped cup of coffee that is now cold. It is right next to my unopened bible on the kitchen table. I froze. My heart sank.  I glanced over at the chair and in my spirit I saw Him sitting at my table. He looked me in the eye and then I heard Him say, “I’ve been right here all morning. I’ve been waiting for you.” Oh my! As life as I know it happened today I forgot to sit down and spend some time with Jesus. My heart broke as I comprehended that I had been too busy to even realize that I had indeed forgotten Him. I never did sit down to read and pray. I had kept Him waiting.
All morning I had been doing things I deemed Godly and in the name of Jesus: training my children, preparing food for my family, taking care of my home, doing ministry things, and making last minute wedding decisions. Yet, I forgot one thing… the most important thing. I forgot to spend time with Him. Jesus knows He is always welcome in my home and so do my friends for that matter. However, I would never just open the door for my friends, not say a word to them, and then just disappear. I wouldn’t go off to clean up or prepare a feast without first spending time with them. I would at least thank them for coming, give some hugs, sit down and chat and laugh a bit, then go prepare some food or beverages and return for a full visit when I was done. So then, how in the world could I not give more to my Lord? We must sit at His feet in order to be raised up by Him. We must be taught by Him if we are going to teach our children. We can’t be worried about eating food and cleaning our home until we receive our daily bread from His word and receive cleansing from repentance through prayer. We can’t blame God for the multitude of work and then ask for help when we have yet to submit ourselves to Him for that day. God loves us. He is concerned over the details and will help us with them. He knows what we need but how can we expect to receive it from Him if we never spend time with Him? I stopped picking up dishes, I turned off the phone, I sent the boys outside to play and I began to read and pray. “God forgive me for not spending time with You this morning. I want to be in your presence all day. I pray that I never again forget to invite you into my day again. I need You to guide me. I know how much simpler and greater my days are when You are a part of them. I love you Lord. Please help me to never forget again.” Then I stumbled across this scripture: John 8:12 (emphasis mine) Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." I had been stumbling through darkness all morning. I realized this after I read that scripture. My day began to replay in my mind just like a movie. I heard the alarm go off, the phone ringing, I saw the mess I needed to clean, I felt the aggravation of the overflowing commode and the absence of toothpaste. I sensed the urgency of getting something to eat for the kids and getting their daily lessons started. I heard the clanking of the plates right before I turned around and saw Him. This time He smiled at me. Suddenly I heard Him say something to my spirit that I will never forget. “Amy, as long as you follow me, it is impossible that I did not walk before you and prepare the way.” Wow! How profound is that? I began to absorb this into my spirit and my intellect. It was so true. It would be impossible! If I am following Him then He has to be in front of me, my eyes must be on Him. If He is walking before me then He has to be preparing the way! He is lighting the path for me! He is showing me how to avoid the obstacles. He is guiding me through the day! How do I follow Him? I keep Him as my number one priority in everything. I go to Him every day before I do anything else. I must always be aware of His presence. I acknowledge Him everywhere I go and in everything that I do. Tomorrow morning when I wake up I will spend time with Him... before the pancakes and dinosaurs! How has your day been going? Is He still waiting for You?
I'd love for you to visit me at my personal blog: In Pursuit of Proverbs 31 Labels: Amy's Articles, Endurance, The Word Leave a comment... 9 Comments Links to this post This week I was preparing a Bible study lesson and meant to type the word, 'righteousness'. I noticed my spell-checker protesting bright red so I scanned to see what I had mis-typed. The mistake I found was one which stirred courage in my heart therefore I fell in love with it instantly. The word? 'Fighteousness'. Don't you love it? I immediately thought of this verse:
Girls, we do not achieve righteousness without fighteousness. I can not tell you the name of one individual sanctified by a passive practice of Christianity. No crowns have been earned by any human save through overcoming trial and tribulation. Paul knew this full well. Stonings, beatings, humiliation, rejection were all his earthly sentence for an exemplary faith yet he pressed on for the verdict and reward of a Righteous Judge. My faith has not been an easy one. I have experienced many heartaches, weathered devastating storms, and revisited debilitating old wounds. I can honestly say Christ has blanketed every hurt of my heart with His Word and continues to fill every needy place. There are still many periods of time when the voice of Satan says, 'you can't take one more day of this. It will destroy you to be obedient. Why is He so strict with you and not her? He wants way too much from you. Just lay it down.' That voice can be so winsome, the way it coos and beckons. That evil, slumber-inducing lullably can only be silenced with a Holy Spirit smack of the cheeks which calls, "Wake Up! Fight! You are stronger than this...Not in your power, but Mine." "I have written to you , fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one." 1 John 2:14 Where the Word of God abides, there stands an Overcomer. There is a wife who will not grow weary in well-doing. There is a mother who will persevere. There is a daughter who loves nothing more than His Appearing. There is a woman with some Fighteousness.
Labels: Encouragement, Endurance, Lisa's Articles, victory Leave a comment... 7 Comments Links to this post Quick- what did you have for lunch yesterday? Where are your sunglasses? How about your car keys? If you're like me, you had to pause and think... I'm still thinking! I actually can't remember what I had for lunch today, muchless yesterday. And let's just say it's a good thing I have several pair of sunglasses! But, boy can I remember other things. I can readily recall things I feel really guilty about, past sins, or hurtful things people have said to me. I can immediately call to mind things I've done that made me feel proud or accomplished- even if just for a moment or a season in my life. "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14 "Forgetting what is behind." Sometimes that's so hard, isn't it? I find it interesting that Paul doesn't say we are just supposed to forget the bad things. We are to forget "what is behind," anything from before this moment that might hold us back from pressing ahead. Sometimes those are negative, painful events. It might be past sins we have committed. But it might also be our past righteous acts done in service to the Lord, the "works prepared for us" that we've already done (our "track record") in which we might be tempted to rest instead of seizing fresh, new opportunities to serve Him. Regardless, if we keep holding on to the past, it's harder to "strain toward" what is ahead. But, some things are so hard to forget! Here are three steps on how to do that, from one of my favorite resources, Loving God With All Your Mind by Elizabeth George. Her advice is so wise and it has really helped me to forget what needs to be forgotten, or to as she puts it, "remember to forget." Find the Gold. When prospectors would pan for gold, they would scoop up dirt, rocks, sand and silt, and look for what had value. If God has allowed certain events in your life, it must be because it has value. Perhaps it was a character quality it brought forth in you, or an attribute of Himself He wanted to reveal to you. Without become bogged down in the dirt and silt of your past, dig down and look for the gold. Keep what is good and let the rest go. I have felt such joy in "finding the gold" in past situations and circumstances. It truly is like finding treasure! Sometimes I want to celebrate as loudly as they must have during the Gold Rush! But it doesn't stop there: Find Forgiveness. If some of what you are "digging up" involves sin on your part, ask forgiveness for the sins and for the resulting bad that happened. As 1 John 1:9 promises, God is faithful to forgive. What a promise! Forgive Others. Once we have found the gold in our situations, and have come to God for cleansing and forgiveness ourselves, we must extend forgiveness to others. To fail to do so is to choose a life of bitterness, which will surely hold us back from "pressing on toward the goal." If, after all, the goal is becoming like Christ, then we must forgive as He did. Mrs. George says, "With the gold gleaned from the past, and forgiveness both extended and received, you can now reach forward and tackle the challenges of the present with all your energy." Oh, how I pray this for all of us in the days to come. Press on!  Please visit my personal blog, One Day More. Labels: Christian walk, Cyndi's Articles, Endurance, Forgiveness Leave a comment... 5 Comments Links to this post When Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come to me," did he mean twins? I'm watching my sister's two-year-old twins for her this week while she and my brother-in-law are in town looking for a place to live. That's right - they're moving to Texas from Seattle! (hooray!) Actually, they're looking about 3 hours south of my house, so I won't see them all week. Why anyone would want to move her from Seattle is beyond me, but so is keeping twins for a week. So, if you feel inclined to pray for me, that would be awesome. I will say this: I'm doing remarkably well so far. By that, I mean it's been 48 hours now and they're still breathing. I can't really take credit for this amazing feat; my own children have been a great help! They played with the babies most of the day Sunday and when they got home from school yesterday. They came up with all sorts of clever amusements to keep the little tykes entertained, like computer games, DVD's and my guitars. After all, they're just guitars. They can always be repaired. Uh...or replaced. Very soon. So here I am on day three of seven and I miss my best helpers. My kids have school every day this week. That means I'm pretty much on my own until the school bus gets here in the afternoon. Every day this week. All day. With twins. Two year-olds. By myself. Prayer, please. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. Psalm 10:13-14 I'm so thankful God never feels overwhelmed by me. I can certainly be twice the handful compared to most folks I know. And He doesn't even need help to manage my tantrums, my messes, my quirks and demands. Even in the midst of my most troublesome moments, He has compassion and patience with me. He teaches me and loves me, comforts and protects me. I am, after all, His child. My only question: how does He get a shower?  Carol's blog can be found here. Labels: Carol's Articles, Children, Endurance, Parenting Leave a comment... 4 Comments Links to this post
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