Romans 12:13

I was perusing other blogs I read and one of my bloggy friends posted a question about being hospitable. She asked how do we practice hospitality?

Romans 12:13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

What a very simple verse. Then of course I was curious about the definition of
hospitality.

Hospitable:
–adjective
1. receiving or treating guests or strangers warmly and generously: a hospitable family.
2. characterized by or betokening warmth and generosity toward guests or strangers: a hospitable smile.
3. favorably receptive or open (usually fol. by to): to be hospitable to new ideas; a climate hospitable to the raising of corn.
4. Favorable to growth and development; agreeable: a hospitable environment.

So now I'm thinking and wondering what this will look like in my everyday life.  What can I do to put this into practice.  I remember one of our Elders tell about this lady that baked bread every week and gave a loaf to the visitors at her church.  How cool would that be to be visiting a new church and someone introducing themselves then giving me something they had baked from home.  I think I would go away from a place like that thinking how kind the gesture was.

This week I'm going to talk to my boys and see what kind of ideas they may have and how we can practice hospitality.  I love how God uses just about anything to get my attention!

So, what will you do to practice Romans 12:13 this week??

Pasta Bake Knock-off from Pizza Hut

I don't have much to post about so thought I would post this recipe that I made for dinner tonight. My family really liked it and I will definitely be making it again. Clay suggested that next time I could add hamburger. Any who...here is a picture with the recipe. Enjoy!

1 box of Penne Pasta or whatever shape you like
1 Jar of spaghetti sauce
1 bag (2 cups) of mozzarella cheese or any Italian cheese
(I also used some Monterey Jack)

Boil pasta according to directions on box, drain add back to pan then add in the jar of spaghetti sauce and cook until it is heated through.  Place this mixture into a baking dish and add cheese.  Mix in some of the cheese and then add rest to the top.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 12-15 minutes.

Very simple and quick!!

I choose YOU!

I'm up earlier than usual waiting for the sun to come up. I opened my bible this morning and decided to read my favorite verses, Psalms 103. I LOVE this passage of scripture. As I read it now I replace all of the pronouns with I or me. It is amazing how doing such a small thing can change how these verses impact me personally. God is so amazing, so true and just and longs for me to be in relationship with him. I feel the same longing but, so much of the time I ignore those feelings, those longings and tell myself...later. Later I will spend time with him, later after I do this, this and this. It isn't enough to read my devo and pray with my boys, God longs to spend some quality time with ME alone. I know, it sounds crazy, what's crazy is that He wants that with you too. He is so amazing that He can have a deep, deep relationship with every single one of us and each relationship is unique and different just like our earthly relationships. How amazing is that?? I have a few close friends but, no one touches my heart the way God does, so why do I wait until later to spend time with him when I know how he will impact me and my day. Today I choose to spend time with him before this, this and this happen, before life happens.

Raising the bar

For the last week I have been fighting the flu and stuck spending most of my time in bed. Normally I would welcome the down time but, I just felt so miserable and all I thought about was things I wish I were able to be up and doing.

Anyway, Sunday I attended a Leadership Meeting after church. Generally I dread meetings, I'm not sure why. The meeting Sunday began a little slow but, it ended with a really great challenge for not only our leadership teams but, for me personally. The challenge is to Raise the Bar. I have been very guilty about putting off projects or even just finishing up on projects for reasons I really don't know. My church is very relaxed and in so being has become a little lax in other areas too. Casual is good for many things but, not so much when it comes to getting things done i a timely manner. Another point was: If we settle for doing a good job we may never accomplish great things. Just because something is good doesn't mean it can't be great. I think I often settle for good not thinking that God probably has GREAT in mind for a job I'm doing. I need to raise the bar! I don't want to do only good things for God but, I want to do GREAT thing for Him!

Now I feel ready to get busy finishing up some projects that I have been working on for months, that just need a few finishing touches and the end result will be GREAT! I don't want my work to be just "good enough" God is calling me out for more and I'm more than capable of more. I'm also praying that God will open up the "creativity gates" and let it flow. I'm ready to roll.

Here is one thing I plan on finishing this week: Last August a team of volunteers helped to paint this incredible mural down our children's hall and I have been dragging out finishing up a few things. So, here I am 'fessing up to putting off what I know I need to do and it will look so much better. Here is a before picture.

I need to finish replacing the signs and adding a few shadows to some of my figures then it will be finished!

Happy Birthday Taylor!

Today Taylor turns 15! Wow! He has brought so much joy the past 15 years! When he was very small he could always make you laugh, he is very funny. He is quiet and doesn't waste his words just talking to be talking. He has a deep, deep conviction for right and wrong. He loves Jesus and won't back down in defending his faith! He is kind and polite and grateful. He is a saver and doesn't spend his money easily. He is smart and wise and not afraid to speak his mind, no matter who may hear. He brings me so much joy and happiness! He makes me a better mother and person.

Taylor, Happy Birthday! I love you Taylor!

When do you get ready for Sunday?

I'm on day 2 of the flu or what feels like the flu with sore throat, coughing, fever and aches and pains. The fever I think is gone today but, I still am in the bed hoping that tomorrow I will feel like getting out of it. As I am confined to my room, with no tv, and just plain bored my mind is thinking about everything. Things I need to be doing, things I would love to work on, projects, places I would like to visit for vacations and also about life in general and how we live it. So, I thought I would boldly blog about my thoughts on Sunday Morning Worship and how or when do we prepare for it and how do we teach our kids the importance of it. There are no right and wrong answers only thoughts of what seem to be working in our family as we raise our 3 sons to love God and to serve others by attending worship on Sunday mornings, which is the only meeting time as of right now for corporate worship. Just a disclaimer, Sunday morning is only a very small amount of time that we worship God and serve him together with our church family. Our worship must happen everyday all week long, NOT only on Sunday mornings. So with that said onto the question: When do you start preparing for Sunday?

When Clay and I were first married we were regular attenders and were close to our church family but, before kids came long, if we felt like missing a service every once in a while, then we did. I can remember times I would stay home and sleep in and Clay might go without me or me without him. It never seemed like a big deal and maybe it wasn't, I don't really know. Then we had Zach and everything changed. I knew the weight of responsibility that God had place on my shoulders, on our shoulders. I(we) were now responsible for teaching this child about God, His Son, how to love others the way He does and how to serve the way Jesus taught us to serve. I knew that one day I would stand before my Almighty, Loving God and I would have to give an account on how I raised my son. I wasn't raised in the church, so I'm not sure where this "instinct" came from but, I knew and still know the truth of it. If we weren't faithful to attend church regularly then how would our sons know the importance of attending regularly? If we didn't lead by example then we would pay for it and our boys would pay for our mistakes and maybe even our grandchildren and so on. The tricky part of this is it's not just about attending and punching the "church" time clock so that we look good but, it's about being there each week to love on others and to be loved on too. It's about encouraging others and being encouraged. Granted, there have been many, many Sunday mornings that I have longed to stay in bed up to my eyeballs but, my sons would know that I was "playing hooky" and see that it wasn't important to me. There have been a number of times that Clay would let me stay home and he would take the boys, and this was because my own daily obligations were catching up with me (which is totally my fault) and something would have to give or I would hurt someone.

For as long as I can remember we have always prepared for Sunday morning on Saturday. We have been pretty strict with our boys about being out late or staying up too late with friends because we attend church on Sunday. There are no exception in our house, if one of the boys stays over at a friends house he is expected to be at church the next morning. If one of our sons isn't able to go to church because he is staying over at a friends house, then he can't stay the night. Our boys know the rules and over the years if Clay or I even subtly mentioned we may not go to church the next day for illness or weather, our boys would almost have a melt down. They love going to services! They have been trained that Sunday is important to God, to others needing them to be there and they need to be encouraged too. This may seem harsh "making" our boys attend church but, we "make" them go to the dentist and "make" them go to the doctor or to school because it is what is best for our boys. What could be more important than serving God by serving others. Our boys are far from perfect but, they love God and they see us loving God in a very flawed and real way. As long as they live here they will always be expected to worship on Sunday mornings. What are your thoughts??

Lazy Sunday and Cake Balls!

Well we have had a lazy day today hanging out at home, watching mindless tv and eating junk food. The boys have been out all day with friends, so it is nice and quiet. I'm fighting a cold/cough thing and don't feel like doing much of anything.

Yesterday I made Cake Balls and they are the most wonderful little things EVER. Here is the recipe and believe me you will want to make these gems!! I should have taken some pics to show you but, since I didn't I'm copying and pasting from this site:

http://www.bakerella.com/red-velvet-cake-balls/
Her Cake Pops are just adorable, she does really wonderful work!
Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Red Velvet Cake Balls
1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

I also only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

Well, I am very please with myself on how my blog turned out. I have never really done much with personalizing it myself. In the past Zach, my son, has always added things for me but, I am teaching myself how to use HTML. It is a little scary but, I'm up for a good challenge.

Our holiday break is almost over. Zach has been off from his college courses and I have loved being able to spend so much time with all three boys. We have seen a few movies, shopped, went to a few museums and spent some time hanging out in downtown Indy. The time together is precious to me and I know as they continue to grow up the amount of time we are all able to spend together will become less and less.

Monday we will all go back to our schedules packed with school and learning. Until Monday we are catching up on much needed perging around our house (2 of my sons don't see the need for giving anything away). It feels really good to give away things we no longer use or really need. Owning too many things suffocates me. As January is passing I'm ready for a new year with a new attitude and a new outlook on our lives. I am gearing up to see the oncologist again in March hoping for better news. I saw her a week before Christmas and was hoping to move my appointments apart to yearly but, my scans show 1 cm of growth in two areas and I'm anemic. I have been anemic off an on all my life so hopefully this is not related to the cancer. I have to go back in March for more blood work but, no scans this time. I hope everything comes back good and maybe she will move my appointments further apart. God is allowing me to suffer in ways that I never imagined physically and I can see how it has helped me to grow spiritually. It hasn't been easy and I am definitely still learning, learning to be more compassionate towards others with illness or physical pain. I want to see others through His eyes and be an encouragement to those who need it. Anyway, I am looking up as I climb this mountain and knowing He is worth the climb. Maybe I should say that I am worth the climb, I am worth working hard to change my way of thinking, my way of loving others and my outlook on my life in general. It is hard not to become frozen and stranded on a "ledge" unable to allow others to throw me a rope and help me along. Even if the ropes that are offered allow me to fall I know that He will catch me.

New Blog for 2010

I am trying my hand at changing my blog lay out and Zach isn't even helping me. :)

2009 Wordle