Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Walking In Victory in Seasons of Trial!
A 10 year, $75,000 battle for custody of my son who was ripped from my arms and kept from me for 8 long years at the Sovereign hand of my all good, all knowing, all powerful, all loving Heavenly Father who allowed "the King's (Judge's) heart to be controlled (& hardened toward me) like a watercourse and allowed me to be falsely accused, attacked, and persecuted for my own good and His glory?
After 10 years of praying, hoping, & trusting God for a miracle, my deliverance looks like this? A restored relationship with a very broken 18 yr old who is currently living on the streets behind a dumpster, where he also finds many of his daily meals, because he would rather live that way than give up a lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, gang activity, & criminal behavior?
Phone calls from that wayward child at all hours of the night on a regular basis that he is being arrested, being taken to the hospital by ambulance, notify me that he has been in a car accident, or otherwise have me walk him through the process of getting whatever substance he has overdosed on from one day to the next out of his system to save his life?
Recovering from job loss a year ago and the financial devastation that resulted, (from whatever had been recovered from the cashing in entire life savings and selling homes to fight for the above mentioned child to no avail?
A season of attack on my marriage to extraordinary degrees?
A relocation and life transition and adjustment 9 months ago to an area that is an entirely different way of life than what we've ever known leaving all of our support system, family, friends, church relationships behind and having yet to establish those things in this wilderness, walking through it all completely alone?
Just coming out of a time of year that is always extraordinarily difficult for our family at the sobering anniversary of my brother being tragically taken from us?
Concern for suffering loved ones?
Uncertainty of the future?
Can you relate? What storm is in your path in this season? From the daily mundane to the little storms to the catastrophic ones - any magnitude challenges are faith! Right now I want to complain, fret, cry, be depressed, declare woe is me, walk in hopelessness, despair, and defeat. To be honest, there are days, I know in my know what I need to do to engage in the battle, but I simply don't want to and sometimes if I can get past the wanting to, I don't have any energy or fight left in me to! I absolutely have to look up and so do you! So on the days when I know all the things I'm suppose to do to gain victory in my battles but don't want to or don't have the fight to, on the days I go get on my knees and don't even know what I could possibly pray for anymore...I mean, let's face it, in my really huge thorn in my life with my wayward child, I think I've covered it all in prayer over the last 10+ years, on those days, where do I turn?
So what do I do on the days I don't want to battle for faith, I don't know what else I could possibly pray for, it all seems hopeless, etc.? I can turn it all back to praise, take the focus off of me, listen to a song with words that actually encourage me and give me hope worth having, not a false sense of assurity or something that temporarily makes me feel better. But if I truly focus, reflect and declare some things over my situation on the days when all of my own creativity is gone, it's amazing how you're thoughtlife begins to line up with those truths. Once your thoughtlife is lining up with truth, it overflows to your heart, which overflows from your heart to your actions! Try it today! If you're where I'm at today, what do you have to lose? I will post a few songs that have been extraordinarily encouraging to me today! I pray you are encouraged, that your thoughtlife and posture of your heart follows, and in turn you walk in victory no matter what you are facing today!!
After 10 years of praying, hoping, & trusting God for a miracle, my deliverance looks like this? A restored relationship with a very broken 18 yr old who is currently living on the streets behind a dumpster, where he also finds many of his daily meals, because he would rather live that way than give up a lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, gang activity, & criminal behavior?
Phone calls from that wayward child at all hours of the night on a regular basis that he is being arrested, being taken to the hospital by ambulance, notify me that he has been in a car accident, or otherwise have me walk him through the process of getting whatever substance he has overdosed on from one day to the next out of his system to save his life?
Recovering from job loss a year ago and the financial devastation that resulted, (from whatever had been recovered from the cashing in entire life savings and selling homes to fight for the above mentioned child to no avail?
A season of attack on my marriage to extraordinary degrees?
A relocation and life transition and adjustment 9 months ago to an area that is an entirely different way of life than what we've ever known leaving all of our support system, family, friends, church relationships behind and having yet to establish those things in this wilderness, walking through it all completely alone?
Just coming out of a time of year that is always extraordinarily difficult for our family at the sobering anniversary of my brother being tragically taken from us?
Concern for suffering loved ones?
Uncertainty of the future?
Can you relate? What storm is in your path in this season? From the daily mundane to the little storms to the catastrophic ones - any magnitude challenges are faith! Right now I want to complain, fret, cry, be depressed, declare woe is me, walk in hopelessness, despair, and defeat. To be honest, there are days, I know in my know what I need to do to engage in the battle, but I simply don't want to and sometimes if I can get past the wanting to, I don't have any energy or fight left in me to! I absolutely have to look up and so do you! So on the days when I know all the things I'm suppose to do to gain victory in my battles but don't want to or don't have the fight to, on the days I go get on my knees and don't even know what I could possibly pray for anymore...I mean, let's face it, in my really huge thorn in my life with my wayward child, I think I've covered it all in prayer over the last 10+ years, on those days, where do I turn?
So what do I do on the days I don't want to battle for faith, I don't know what else I could possibly pray for, it all seems hopeless, etc.? I can turn it all back to praise, take the focus off of me, listen to a song with words that actually encourage me and give me hope worth having, not a false sense of assurity or something that temporarily makes me feel better. But if I truly focus, reflect and declare some things over my situation on the days when all of my own creativity is gone, it's amazing how you're thoughtlife begins to line up with those truths. Once your thoughtlife is lining up with truth, it overflows to your heart, which overflows from your heart to your actions! Try it today! If you're where I'm at today, what do you have to lose? I will post a few songs that have been extraordinarily encouraging to me today! I pray you are encouraged, that your thoughtlife and posture of your heart follows, and in turn you walk in victory no matter what you are facing today!!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Layered Chicken Parm. w/Spaghetti
This is a "Walking In Victory" recipe because it requires only 6 or so ingredients, can be made for an entire family for $10-$12, can be prepared in 10 minutes & then it bakes itself in the oven for an hr. It requires only one 9x13 baking dish and a kettle for the spaghetti and within those 2 dishes, contain most of the food groups you need for a meal (it covers your meat, dairy, vegetables, & bread groups). I'm all about meals that can be prepared for $10, in under 10 minutes, with less than 10 ingredients and in one baking dish! It's a simplified version of the classic Chicken Parm and is a great alternative for the teen, single, or new wife & mother learning cooking skills, or for the busy working, homeschooling, or stay at home mom, or for the elderly who still enjoy cooking but need to keep it simple! For that matter, wives - your hubbies could even manage this one if they wanted to treat you to a special dinner for two, date night at home! Here's what you need:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 C. Bread Crumbs
1 1/2 C. Spaghetti Sauce
2/3 C. Grated Parm Cheese
1 lb. Spaghetti (I use whole wheat)
Salt, Pepper, & Garlic Powder to taste
Here's what you do:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 baking dish w/cooking spray. Place each chicken breast on bottom of baking dish. Top each chicken breast w/Tbsp. butter. Cover & layer with 1/2 of the sauce, then bread crumbs, then remaining sauce, then parm cheese, salt, pepper, & garlic powder. Bake at 350 for 1 hr to 1 hr & 15 min. until chicken is done and top is golden. About 10 minutes before chicken is ready to come out of the oven, boil salted water for the spaghetti and cook according to pkg instructions. Drain, heat additional sauce, and serve the chicken parm over spaghetti, cover with additional sauce as desired, & sprinkle w/a little additional parm cheese.
That's it! You did it!! Get your husband, family, friends, whoever around the dinner table, light a candle, and enjoy a great meal that looks like you spent all day in the kitchen that was easy as pie and "walk in victory!"
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 C. Bread Crumbs
1 1/2 C. Spaghetti Sauce
2/3 C. Grated Parm Cheese
1 lb. Spaghetti (I use whole wheat)
Salt, Pepper, & Garlic Powder to taste
Here's what you do:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 baking dish w/cooking spray. Place each chicken breast on bottom of baking dish. Top each chicken breast w/Tbsp. butter. Cover & layer with 1/2 of the sauce, then bread crumbs, then remaining sauce, then parm cheese, salt, pepper, & garlic powder. Bake at 350 for 1 hr to 1 hr & 15 min. until chicken is done and top is golden. About 10 minutes before chicken is ready to come out of the oven, boil salted water for the spaghetti and cook according to pkg instructions. Drain, heat additional sauce, and serve the chicken parm over spaghetti, cover with additional sauce as desired, & sprinkle w/a little additional parm cheese.
That's it! You did it!! Get your husband, family, friends, whoever around the dinner table, light a candle, and enjoy a great meal that looks like you spent all day in the kitchen that was easy as pie and "walk in victory!"
Thursday, March 3, 2011
A Walking In Victory Apology To My Faithful Readers!
Good morning all of my faithful friends!! Your encouragement and support, as well as desire to allow me the privlege of speaking into your lives is what spurs me forward! I have been convicted over the last few days (well, actually the conviction came long before that), but a heavier conviction the last few days about my lack of faithfulness to you and this ministry the Lord has so graciously called me to. I have been asked to serve on a new Women's Ministry Leadership Team at my church and as we launch this ministry and prepare for our first event, an upcoming Spring Women's Conference, my priorities have somewhat shifted.
In addition to serving on the Leadership and Planning Team for this conference, I am serving on the Worship Team, have a small part in a skit, and am one of the speakers of one of the workshops being offered. So with my priorities of God 1st, husband 2nd, children 3rd (which includes homeschooling), weekly planning meetings, coordinating worship for the conference, practicing my part & making my costume for the skit, and preparing my message for the workshop I am teaching, I haven't had an abundance of extra time to devote to my Walking In Victory Ministry.
I have been greatly convicted about just "leaving all of you stranded!" Many of you have asked where I am and expressed how much you look forward to getting up and getting your daily dose of encouragement and I am so honored and humbled by those expressions of love! Each of you are truly what makes it all worth it! :) So I've asked God, how can I tend to my first calling of growing in personal holiness, my second calling of being a wife and mother, and my 3rd calling to ministry which right now in this season not only includes Walking In Victory Ministries, but the Women's Ministry at my church and this upcoming Conference?
I believe He has given me pockets of time and I need to grow in managing my time wisely and for this season and purpose He has called me to. I believe He is calling me to do much with little pockets of time. So although I may not have the extra time to devote to all that goes into writing messages on this blog for you right now at this particular time, I feel like He has given me grace to do little things that I can do in those little pockets of time such as share a verse, a quick funny "mommy" story that is relatable and keeps life in perspective w/a little humor and laughing at ourselves and with one another. I can share a recipe that would help mentor my new wife and young mother audience in serving their husbands and families. Sharing a song from You Tube seems to be something you all enjoy and a very popular "hit" in my archives. I feel like I could also cut and paste and share exerpts of what I'm preparing and writing as my message for my upcoming workshop (while leaving enough out so that I'm not giving it all away for my readers who will also be in my audience in my workshop on the 19th)!
So know that I have not vanished, I'm not going anywhere (not that I know of at this moment anyway - although the Lord seems to plant some and uproot some and my family seems to be in the latter category)!! :) I'm committed to this ministry, to all of you, and most of all to the Lord! Hang in there with me and I am going to make a committed effort to share at least something with you several times a week! For now, keep on keepin on and "walking in victory!" I love you all!! :)
In addition to serving on the Leadership and Planning Team for this conference, I am serving on the Worship Team, have a small part in a skit, and am one of the speakers of one of the workshops being offered. So with my priorities of God 1st, husband 2nd, children 3rd (which includes homeschooling), weekly planning meetings, coordinating worship for the conference, practicing my part & making my costume for the skit, and preparing my message for the workshop I am teaching, I haven't had an abundance of extra time to devote to my Walking In Victory Ministry.
I have been greatly convicted about just "leaving all of you stranded!" Many of you have asked where I am and expressed how much you look forward to getting up and getting your daily dose of encouragement and I am so honored and humbled by those expressions of love! Each of you are truly what makes it all worth it! :) So I've asked God, how can I tend to my first calling of growing in personal holiness, my second calling of being a wife and mother, and my 3rd calling to ministry which right now in this season not only includes Walking In Victory Ministries, but the Women's Ministry at my church and this upcoming Conference?
I believe He has given me pockets of time and I need to grow in managing my time wisely and for this season and purpose He has called me to. I believe He is calling me to do much with little pockets of time. So although I may not have the extra time to devote to all that goes into writing messages on this blog for you right now at this particular time, I feel like He has given me grace to do little things that I can do in those little pockets of time such as share a verse, a quick funny "mommy" story that is relatable and keeps life in perspective w/a little humor and laughing at ourselves and with one another. I can share a recipe that would help mentor my new wife and young mother audience in serving their husbands and families. Sharing a song from You Tube seems to be something you all enjoy and a very popular "hit" in my archives. I feel like I could also cut and paste and share exerpts of what I'm preparing and writing as my message for my upcoming workshop (while leaving enough out so that I'm not giving it all away for my readers who will also be in my audience in my workshop on the 19th)!
So know that I have not vanished, I'm not going anywhere (not that I know of at this moment anyway - although the Lord seems to plant some and uproot some and my family seems to be in the latter category)!! :) I'm committed to this ministry, to all of you, and most of all to the Lord! Hang in there with me and I am going to make a committed effort to share at least something with you several times a week! For now, keep on keepin on and "walking in victory!" I love you all!! :)
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