This week's recipe is definitely not one for those counting calories...sorry! However, it is a tribute to my momma. As far back as I can remember, my mom has made Milky Way Treats for every family gathering, and they are always one of the first things to be finished. I don't have a picture to post of them, but trust me, you want to try this yummy dessert sometime. :)
Ingredients:
1 pkg crescent rolls (original)
8 fun-size Milky Way bars
melted butter (this will vary - you need just enough to dip the crescent rolls in after you have wrapped them)
Icing Ingredients:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 t. of cocoa
3-4 t. of milk (start with 3)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Unroll crescent rolls. Place 1 Milky Way bar onto the larger side of each crescent roll. Roll the crescent roll toward the smaller side. Pinch up the sides of the crescent roll to make sure the Milky Way is completely covered. Dip the sides of each crescent roll into melted butter then place in a muffin tin. Bake for 11-12 minutes.
Icing Directions:
After Milky Way Treats have finished baking and are cooling, begin to make icing. Mix all icing ingredients together and the spoon on top of Milky Way Treats.
Variations:
You can use any type of candy bar you would like as long as it's fun-sized. I believe my mom has used this recipe and substituted a Reese for a Milky Way. However, Milky Way has always been our favorite!
Thanks, Mom!! Enjoy!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
The Terminal:What do I do when I'm in transition?
This past Sunday we had two awesome words from God at Courts of Praise Church! In the morning service, we had the Cole Family minister to us in word and song. Bro. Faron Cole gave us five points on how to thrive in this life and not just survive. In our evening service, Miss Delores Galyon preached a very encouraging and challenging message to those that are in transition. As I was reflecting on these two messages, I realized how closely the two related. I feel so excited and encouraged, because I know God's doing great things, and he's setting us up for even greater things in the near future!
Being in transition is not easy! It can be extremely difficult to wait on the next season in life, a job promotion, a spouse, a child, healing, etc. Oftentimes we feel that the Lord has forgotten us. It seems as if he has left us sitting by the wayside waiting while he's leading others to what we feel should be our blessing. I don't know about you, but when I'm in transition, it seems like everybody I know is receiving the very thing that I'm waiting on. We must beware of these feelings however, because they can be a trick of the enemy to cause us to covet and become impatient. God's timing is perfect, and his ways are not our ways. Instead of becoming jealous of what others are receiving, we must rejoice with them knowing that our time is coming. GOD NEVER BREAKS A PROMISE! If he said it would happen...it will. He never leaves us or pushes us to the side. He wants what's best for us and therefore does everything in due season.
One of Bro. Cole's points that he made was to "work worshipfully." He made the statement that whatever we are doing, we should do our very best at it. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Colossians 3:23 restates this idea and adds, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Everything we do should be done with our very best efforts. What a witness it is in your workplace, home, or church to do your best at every task. When we give something our all, we worship God. He has given us the ability to work for him, and he gives us the opportunities to work for him. We are not only disobeying God when we don't give something our all, but we are not going to receive all the blessings that he wants to give us when we do something half-heartedly. Think about it...if you hire someone to mow your grass and they only do half the yard, are you going to be satisfied with their work? No! What makes the Lord any different?
Another part of working worshipfully found in Ecclesiastes 9:10 is to be looking or searching out ways to work for God. Notice it says "Whatever your hand FINDS to do..." To find something, you must be looking for it. There are way too many complacent Christians who are content with sitting back and letting everyone else do the work. We don't want to be bothered with the work of God, because we have our own agendas we want to see fulfilled. This will not lead to the abundant life that God wants for us if we are not seeking out opportunities to work for him. If you don't know what to do, go to your pastor or a church leader and ask for a job. There is no job too small or insignificant in God's kingdom.
In 2004, there was a movie released starring Tom Hanks called The Terminal. This film was about an immigrant who was detained for a very long amount of time at JKF airport. He could not get into the US because of complications with his passport, and he couldn't go back to his native country because of war. Hanks' character was told to wait in an area called a terminal. While staying in the terminal, Hanks' character sets to work. He finds ways to make money to buy food, plays matchmaker for a catering car driver and a customs officer, and falls in love with a flight attendant. Being in the terminal didn't stop this man from surviving or from helping others. In fact, he used his waiting time at the airport to bring good to many people.
If you are in a time of transition, there is no better thing to do then to continue to work worshipfully. Don't be discouraged in times of transition. Be encouraged as Sis. Delores said. God's taking you somewhere great! Work worshipfully in your transition. In my education classes, they taught us that it is vitally important to not lose any time during transitions. This could be moving from one subject to another, one activity to another, or one class to another. During transitions, an educator could sing a song or have some type of daily routine so that the students don't "check-out." In our spiritual times of transition, the same principles need to be applied. We shouldn't be losing any valuable time waiting. Instead, we need to work worshipfully while we wait. A wonderful pastor's wife said it like this: "Turn your waiting room into a work room." In other words, don't ever stop just because things are changing. Keep working through the change.
As I stated before, transitions aren't easy. Change is usually not enjoyable but is extremely necessary. Regardless of the difficulty, we can't put God's work on hold just because we are waiting on the next step. We need to work through the transition to see God's kingdom grow. "WHATEVER your hand finds to do..." Let's give it everything we've got this week to work worshipfully. The Father is worthy of our best.
Being in transition is not easy! It can be extremely difficult to wait on the next season in life, a job promotion, a spouse, a child, healing, etc. Oftentimes we feel that the Lord has forgotten us. It seems as if he has left us sitting by the wayside waiting while he's leading others to what we feel should be our blessing. I don't know about you, but when I'm in transition, it seems like everybody I know is receiving the very thing that I'm waiting on. We must beware of these feelings however, because they can be a trick of the enemy to cause us to covet and become impatient. God's timing is perfect, and his ways are not our ways. Instead of becoming jealous of what others are receiving, we must rejoice with them knowing that our time is coming. GOD NEVER BREAKS A PROMISE! If he said it would happen...it will. He never leaves us or pushes us to the side. He wants what's best for us and therefore does everything in due season.
One of Bro. Cole's points that he made was to "work worshipfully." He made the statement that whatever we are doing, we should do our very best at it. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." Colossians 3:23 restates this idea and adds, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Everything we do should be done with our very best efforts. What a witness it is in your workplace, home, or church to do your best at every task. When we give something our all, we worship God. He has given us the ability to work for him, and he gives us the opportunities to work for him. We are not only disobeying God when we don't give something our all, but we are not going to receive all the blessings that he wants to give us when we do something half-heartedly. Think about it...if you hire someone to mow your grass and they only do half the yard, are you going to be satisfied with their work? No! What makes the Lord any different?
Another part of working worshipfully found in Ecclesiastes 9:10 is to be looking or searching out ways to work for God. Notice it says "Whatever your hand FINDS to do..." To find something, you must be looking for it. There are way too many complacent Christians who are content with sitting back and letting everyone else do the work. We don't want to be bothered with the work of God, because we have our own agendas we want to see fulfilled. This will not lead to the abundant life that God wants for us if we are not seeking out opportunities to work for him. If you don't know what to do, go to your pastor or a church leader and ask for a job. There is no job too small or insignificant in God's kingdom.
In 2004, there was a movie released starring Tom Hanks called The Terminal. This film was about an immigrant who was detained for a very long amount of time at JKF airport. He could not get into the US because of complications with his passport, and he couldn't go back to his native country because of war. Hanks' character was told to wait in an area called a terminal. While staying in the terminal, Hanks' character sets to work. He finds ways to make money to buy food, plays matchmaker for a catering car driver and a customs officer, and falls in love with a flight attendant. Being in the terminal didn't stop this man from surviving or from helping others. In fact, he used his waiting time at the airport to bring good to many people.
If you are in a time of transition, there is no better thing to do then to continue to work worshipfully. Don't be discouraged in times of transition. Be encouraged as Sis. Delores said. God's taking you somewhere great! Work worshipfully in your transition. In my education classes, they taught us that it is vitally important to not lose any time during transitions. This could be moving from one subject to another, one activity to another, or one class to another. During transitions, an educator could sing a song or have some type of daily routine so that the students don't "check-out." In our spiritual times of transition, the same principles need to be applied. We shouldn't be losing any valuable time waiting. Instead, we need to work worshipfully while we wait. A wonderful pastor's wife said it like this: "Turn your waiting room into a work room." In other words, don't ever stop just because things are changing. Keep working through the change.
As I stated before, transitions aren't easy. Change is usually not enjoyable but is extremely necessary. Regardless of the difficulty, we can't put God's work on hold just because we are waiting on the next step. We need to work through the transition to see God's kingdom grow. "WHATEVER your hand finds to do..." Let's give it everything we've got this week to work worshipfully. The Father is worthy of our best.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Recipe of the Week/Italian Red Potatoes
I love to cook!! I wish I was better at it, and I really wish I did it more often. I found the following recipe the other day and loved it! It was an easy side dish to prepare, and for those counting calories, not too bad on the waistline. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Italian Red-Skin Potatoes
Ingredients:
-2-3 lbs red potatoes (This should be adjusted per family. With just two of us, 2 pounds gave us enough to have for dinner and the next 2 days.)
-1 packet zesty Italian dressing mix
-extra virgin olive oil
-minced onion
-salt/pepper (to taste)
-grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Cube red potatoes with skin left on. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Add packet of zesty Italian dressing mix and stir to coat. Add minced onions for flavor and salt and pepper to taste. Put in single layer on a baking sheet and cook for 45-50 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top and bake another 2-3 minutes.
Nick and I had this for dinner with Italian sausages with sautéed onions and peppers. It was a very yummy meal! Enjoy!
Italian Red-Skin Potatoes
Ingredients:
-2-3 lbs red potatoes (This should be adjusted per family. With just two of us, 2 pounds gave us enough to have for dinner and the next 2 days.)
-1 packet zesty Italian dressing mix
-extra virgin olive oil
-minced onion
-salt/pepper (to taste)
-grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Cube red potatoes with skin left on. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Add packet of zesty Italian dressing mix and stir to coat. Add minced onions for flavor and salt and pepper to taste. Put in single layer on a baking sheet and cook for 45-50 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top and bake another 2-3 minutes.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Power Outage: The Importance of Staying Connected
This past Sunday my husband preached a sermon entitled "Power Outage." This sermon dealt with the issue of staying connected to the "Power Source" which is God and God alone. As he was preaching I was frantically writing down things that stuck out to me, as well as a few thoughts I had resulting from the sermon. Here are a few of those notes:
- It is essential, vital, of utmost importance, top priority, A #1, to stay connected to your Power Source. If we went without food for as often as we went without reading our Bibles or seeking God, how weak would our flesh get? In the same manner, we HAVE to stay connected daily to God. Salvation is not the only experience we should have with the Father. He wants to continually pour into us. He desires to be in a covenant relationship with you and me. I don't know about you, but that excites me!
- Not only are we to stay connected to the Father, but we need to stay connected to fellow Christians. God never ever meant for us to be alone. As Pastor Nick states in many of his sermons and classes, Jesus always sent out his disciples in groups, typically pairs. Why do we need each other? As the old saying goes "there is strength in numbers." In Deuteronomy 32 it says that with God's help one can put 1,000 to flight, but two can put 10,000 to flight. Every service at Courts of Praise Church is like a surge to my spiritual battery. My brothers and sisters not only encourage me, but together we overtake the enemy's territory. My husband has preached a sermon before called "Beware of Loneliness." When you isolate yourself, you are asking for major trouble! The devil preys even more on us when we are lonely.
- My hair dryer has a reset button on it. Sometimes my hair dryer will be plugged in, but will not work because it needs to be reset. Just like a hair dryer, we may be connected but we aren't exuding any power because we need some time to "reset." Whether you've been saved for 4 days or 40 years, we need time to reset ourselves by renewing our covenant with God. Like couples renew their vows to strengthen and refresh their marriage, we must refresh ourselves often with the Lord to make sure our flame for him isn't dying out.
- When there's a problem that needs solving, the best place to start is at the source. I hate losing things! It's one of my biggest pet peeves. When attempting to find the item I have lost, I always try to start back at the place I last remember having it. The same is true for our walk with God. When we find ourselves lost or venturing off the path, we need to go back to the source. We need to remember our soul's first love (Revelation 2: 1-7). When a breaker blows, you go straight to the breaker box - the source - to fix the problem. When we have a problem, we must go to our source - the Father.
My prayer is that we stay connected to the Father this week more than we ever have. Also, get connected somewhere. If you don't attend a church - find one and get connected!! Get involved! We are all responsible for connecting ourselves to the Father and to each other. No one can do it for you. Thanks for reading...
- It is essential, vital, of utmost importance, top priority, A #1, to stay connected to your Power Source. If we went without food for as often as we went without reading our Bibles or seeking God, how weak would our flesh get? In the same manner, we HAVE to stay connected daily to God. Salvation is not the only experience we should have with the Father. He wants to continually pour into us. He desires to be in a covenant relationship with you and me. I don't know about you, but that excites me!
- Not only are we to stay connected to the Father, but we need to stay connected to fellow Christians. God never ever meant for us to be alone. As Pastor Nick states in many of his sermons and classes, Jesus always sent out his disciples in groups, typically pairs. Why do we need each other? As the old saying goes "there is strength in numbers." In Deuteronomy 32 it says that with God's help one can put 1,000 to flight, but two can put 10,000 to flight. Every service at Courts of Praise Church is like a surge to my spiritual battery. My brothers and sisters not only encourage me, but together we overtake the enemy's territory. My husband has preached a sermon before called "Beware of Loneliness." When you isolate yourself, you are asking for major trouble! The devil preys even more on us when we are lonely.
- My hair dryer has a reset button on it. Sometimes my hair dryer will be plugged in, but will not work because it needs to be reset. Just like a hair dryer, we may be connected but we aren't exuding any power because we need some time to "reset." Whether you've been saved for 4 days or 40 years, we need time to reset ourselves by renewing our covenant with God. Like couples renew their vows to strengthen and refresh their marriage, we must refresh ourselves often with the Lord to make sure our flame for him isn't dying out.
- When there's a problem that needs solving, the best place to start is at the source. I hate losing things! It's one of my biggest pet peeves. When attempting to find the item I have lost, I always try to start back at the place I last remember having it. The same is true for our walk with God. When we find ourselves lost or venturing off the path, we need to go back to the source. We need to remember our soul's first love (Revelation 2: 1-7). When a breaker blows, you go straight to the breaker box - the source - to fix the problem. When we have a problem, we must go to our source - the Father.
My prayer is that we stay connected to the Father this week more than we ever have. Also, get connected somewhere. If you don't attend a church - find one and get connected!! Get involved! We are all responsible for connecting ourselves to the Father and to each other. No one can do it for you. Thanks for reading...
Friday, June 1, 2012
A Pulpit of My Own...
As a pastor's wife, I have the honor of getting to hear my husband preach each Sunday. However, I also often get a "preview" of each sermon before he ever stands behind the pulpit. I am often astounded at the things the Lord speaks through him and love the creative way my husband and staff of Courts of Praise Church bring forth that message each week. Even though I do get those "previews," I am still challenged to do better in my walk with God and left with lots of thoughts after the service has ended.
The Lord has laid it on my heart to share some of those thoughts. Even though I am not one to get up and speak from behind the pulpit, I am a firm believer that every Christian should use whatever is at hand as a "pulpit." Just because we don't have the title of "pastor" or "evangelist" doesn't excuse us from sharing the gospel with others. We must daily be searching for the opportunities that God places in our path to be an encouragement to someone. Yes, HE DOES THIS DAILY. Somedays those opportunities may be seemingly small and insignificant to us, but to someone else it may mean the choice between life or death.
My goal in this blog is to be not only an encouragement, but to just have a place to be real about everyday life. Sometimes we get so caught up in our "churchy" conversations that we overlook the simple, everyday things of this great life that God has blessed us with. Anyways, enough rambling for now. Be on the lookout for your "pulpit" today. Thanks for reading!!
The Lord has laid it on my heart to share some of those thoughts. Even though I am not one to get up and speak from behind the pulpit, I am a firm believer that every Christian should use whatever is at hand as a "pulpit." Just because we don't have the title of "pastor" or "evangelist" doesn't excuse us from sharing the gospel with others. We must daily be searching for the opportunities that God places in our path to be an encouragement to someone. Yes, HE DOES THIS DAILY. Somedays those opportunities may be seemingly small and insignificant to us, but to someone else it may mean the choice between life or death.
My goal in this blog is to be not only an encouragement, but to just have a place to be real about everyday life. Sometimes we get so caught up in our "churchy" conversations that we overlook the simple, everyday things of this great life that God has blessed us with. Anyways, enough rambling for now. Be on the lookout for your "pulpit" today. Thanks for reading!!
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