10 Things Tuesday

I am so thankful that:

1. The sun is shining through my living room window and though there is a chill in the air outside, I am warm and cozy inside on this beautiful Fall morning.
2. As I sat reading my Bible and devotion this morning, my son sat by my side reading along.
   
3. The kids were all ready to go out the door on time this morning. We even had enough time to go back in the house for a forgotten backpack.
4. Today is a planned "at home" day. No errands to run. Just time at home, straightening, cleaning, and purging.
5. CD, my youngest child, follows me around all day asking what he can do to help!
   
6. The construction on my road is almost complete! Tomorrow they start paving.
7. Yesterday I saved a bundle on groceries using coupons combined with great sales and was able to re-stock my pantry.
8. We have enough room in our budget for unexpected expenses, like new glasses for my husband.
   
9. My wonderful husband cooked dinner last night so I could finish up folding and putting away the laundry.
   
10. After dinner we had family movie night and there was lots of snuggling involved. :)

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24

Rejoice with me friends! What are you thankful for today?

Glad Surrender

"Discipline is the wholehearted yes to the call of God. When I know myself called, summoned, addressed, taken possession of, known, acted upon, I have heard the Master. I put myself gladly, fully, and forever at His disposal, and to whatever He says my answer is yes."

-Elisabeth Elliot, Discipline, the Glad Surrender

I have been thinking a lot about surrender lately. We sing about it when we worship Him. We talk about the surrender of our whole hearts unto Him. However, the Bible does not "directly" address the matter of what it means to surrender totally and completely to Christ. So what does it really mean to "surrender all?"

Mark 8:34-35 says this:

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."

Jesus lists three conditions here for those who wish to come after Him:

1. Deny yourself.

2. Take up your cross.

3. Follow Him.

Total and complete surrender. I abandon my own will for Christ's. Not without sacrifice, but with much reward.

Jesus promises in Mark 10:29-30:

"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life."

Eternal life. That is the reward of total surrender.

This morning in church we sang the song "Worshiping You" by Deluge. The words are simple:

Take this offering that I bring
humbly I fall on my knees
to proclaim your everything.
My life's nothing without you
take my hand and lead me through
you are my sustaining love.

I live to worship you (2x)

CHORUS:
Here I am worshiping you, with all I am worshiping you.
Bowing down in spirit and truth with lifted hands worshiping you.

Why do we lift our hands to the Lord when we're worshiping Him? It's an attitude of surrender. For me, it means letting go of whatever He asks. I gladly surrender to Him my life, because my life is nothing without Him.

What does total surrender mean to you?

Ingredient Spotlight: Diced Tomatoes

I'm linking up with Eat at Home for her Ingredient Spotlight this week: Diced Tomatoes. I agree with her that diced tomatoes deserve a special pantry spotlight because they are useful in so many ways! The recipe I'll share today is so easy and only has 6 ingredients, all of which I keep on hand. It was one that a friend brought over to share and soon became a favorite around here. We named it after her, but I'll just call it Black Beans and Rice Casserole here. :)

Ingredients:
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (drained)
1 lb ground beef
1 can black beans (drained)
1 box rice pilaf
1-1 1/2 cups shredded mexican cheddar blend
taco size flour tortillas (can use wheat if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare rice as instructed on box. Brown ground beef in large pan on stove. Add tomatoes and beans to pan and simmer until warm through. Place two tortillas at the bottom of a 2 1/2 qt casserole dish. They will overlap some. Spoon rice on top of that. Pour meat mixture on top of rice. Top with cheese. Bake, covered for 25 minutes.

Use extra tortillas to spoon casserole into or just eat plain. (My husband likes it without tortillas but with a little sour cream.)

Enjoy!

Company Girl Coffee 10.8.10

It was a couch night for me last night. No, I'm not talking about the type of couch night where you've had an argument with your spouse and end up sleeping on the couch. We've never actually done that before in our marriage. I call it a couch night, because one of my kiddos was up most of the night feeling sick. When that happens I usually just rest on the couch where I can hear them if they need me.

Luckily, he doesn't have a fever or the flu bug. He was up feeling ill because of an issue we've dealt with since he was born. He just doesn't seem to digest his food very well. We've tried treatment with Miralax and other methods. We've made sure he has plenty of water and fiber. He's had procedures done to make sure that there's not a "break" in his intestines, and we've done tests to make sure it's not Celiac. No matter what we do, we don't seem to find an answer. He just gets backed up (for lack of a better explanation) every once in a while. I feel sorry for the little guy and I wish I could help him more.

What I can do, is stay close to him when he's up and try to make him feel as comfortable as possible. I can pray with him and reassure him of my presence and God's. When I was little and one of us girls was sick, my mom used to break out the sleeping back and camp out right next to us in the bathroom. It always made me feel better to know she was there. Now, we have a much smaller bathroom here so it's not possible for me to camp out by his side, but I want my kid to know that I'm there for him. So once I've prayed with him and gotten him anything he needs, I choose to camp out on the couch because it's within ear's shot.

He seems to be feeling better today but because he didn't get much sleep last night, I kept him home from school. He's sleeping peacefully now, and I hope to fit in a little nap later too. I don't mind feeling a little sleepy in exchange for knowing that he felt loved and cared for last night. Love makes sacrifices, and I know many of you sleep-deprived new mommies out there know what I'm talking about! (Along with all of you seasoned moms, too.)

"Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]." -1 Corinthians 13:7 (Amplified)

Have a great weekend all!

~Melissa

10 Things Tuesday

There was a time when I posted ten things that I'm thankful for every Tuesday. I stopped because the person that was sponsoring "10 Things Tuesday" stopped posting. (If you're reading this friend, then I hope you don't mind my picking up the label again.) Did I stop being thankful? Absolutely not. In fact, I'm going through a season where it is even more necessary for me to remember to give thanks, lest I be consumed by my sorrows.

There's a song that I've been listening to with my 3yr old that reminded me how important thankfulness is. "I'm thankful, thankful, thankful for everything, yes I'm thankful, thankful, 'cause God gives us all good things." Today I'm bringing back "10 Things Tuesday" with a special twist...I'm making the list with my son.

1. We're thankful for silly songs that make us laugh.
2. We're thankful that the sun is out today.
3. We're thankful for banana bread.
4. We're thankful for friends.
5. We're thankful for outings and adventures. (Specifically, going to the grocery store with mommy...and I'm thankful for the shopping buddy!)
   
6. We're thankful that Jesus goes with us everywhere.
   
7. We're thankful for penguins.
8. We're thankful for daddy.
9. We're thankful for toys.
10. We're thankful for coloring.

What a fun list to make with my son! I love his attitude of thankfulness. He hardly ever thinks about the next thing that he wants, but enjoys what he already has. A lesson that I can certainly take away from this activity.

Have a great day everyone! And don't forget to stop and be thankful today. :)

A Good Day

It began with some quiet time in the Word.
Kids were ready to leave for school on time.
Then it was off to Moms Inc. for some much needed fellowship.
Lunch with my boy.
An hour's worth of good hard housework while he napped.
Fun at the park with my youngest two while we waited for the older three to finish X-Country practice.
Snacks.
Homework.
Dinner.
Awesome family time making s'mores for dessert and watching stars in the back yard.Yes, it was a good day. But even on my bad days, I know the Lord is with me.

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. -Psalm 73:23

In Loving Memory

In loving memory of my dad:
August 18, 1936 - September 9, 2010

No words can describe how much I miss him.
I will carry his love in my heart, always.