Listen to God

We were blessed and honored to have guest speaker Linda Hilderman join us yesterday morning.  Every day we make hundreds of choices and decisions - some trivial, others life impacting.  Linda spoke to us on the importance of making wise decisions and that the key to making wise choices an be summer up in 3 words... "Listen To God".  Proverbs 2 says if you want better insight and discernment, learn the importance of having reverance for the Lord and He will show you how to distinguish right from wrong.   Linda spoke about six steps we ask ourselves take to test our decisions:

1. The Ideal Test - is it in harmony with God's word.  This should always be the first consideration.  Is there any specific scripture teaching on this issue?  We need to base our decisions on the unchanging word of God and not on popular opinion or tradition or even feelings.
2.  The Integrity Test - would I want anyone to know about this decision?  We need to develop integrity... you are who you are when no one is watching.  Be more concerned about your character (inner self) than your reputation (public self).  Provergs 10 says sin will be exposed so don't do things that require a secret life.  Money is often a test of character that many people fail. 
3. The Improvement Test - will this make me a better person and a better Christ-follower?  We have Freedon in Christ but not everything we are"free" to do is beneficial or even necessary.  We need to guard our hears and minds and practice discipline in the books we read, the movies we watch, etc.
4. The Independence Test - could this become addicting or begin to control  my life?  Even good things can begin to control our lives if it takes up all our time and energy.
5. The Influence Test - will my decision hurt anyone else?  We are responsible for the effect our decisions have on others and will be asked to give an account of our actions.  We need to think about the effect our decisions will have on the people we influence... family, neighbours, friends, co-workers, etc.  We must remember that people who are notn Christians are watching us and are deciding if they want what we have.  The true tests come when we do not get our way or things don't go as planned.  Martin Luther King said, "The measure of a man is not where he stands in times of comfort, but where he stands in times of controversy and challenge."  It is the space between what we know is right and what we do where we often lose people.
6. The Improvement Test - is this the best use of my time and my life?  Ephesians 5:15-17 tells us to use our time wisely and use every opportunity to do good.  Time is life and we all have a limited amount given to us.  Once wasted, we cannot get it back.  We need to redeem the use of our time, even time spent doing mundane tasks to pray.

 
Linda continued, stating, "Other things to do to help in making decisions... take time with God to pray and ask for His direction... prayer releases power and wisdom into a situation, talk to people you trust who have Godly insight and wisdom, don't look back and second guess decisions, in marriage look for unity and be willing to compromise, learn and grow from mistakes knowing that there will be consequences.  We decide every day whether to follow God's wisdom or our own.  We can be bold and strong when we walk closely with God.  We all make choices but in the end, our choices make us!" 

Thank you so much for sharing your notes with us Linda!

Crackers

I had a wake up call this morning.  Call it a light bulb moment, smack upside the head, rude awakening or whatever you may but I think it was God telling me to take a breather.  Do you see anything wrong with the picture?  I always tell people that after I had Jeremy I actually started to relax a bit more.  I realized that I should just be grateful for the help instead of critical that it wasn't done the way I wanted it done.  Take towels for instance.   When my husband used to fold towels, instead of thanking him for his help I would pull them all out and refold them - but not before making him well aware that he did it wrong and showing him how it was supposed to be done.  Just typing that out and reading it makes me think I'm crazy - seriously, he folded towels without me asking him to do it.  What was I thinking?  Pretty sure a simple thank you would have been in order.  So back to the box of crackers.  Notice how the top flaps are ripped open and the bag has obviously been pulled out and then stuffed back in... which in turn makes the cracker box bulge out?  Well, I did and went to put something back in the pantry today and saw this sitting on the shelf.  I pulled it out and asked (loudly), "Who opened this box of crackers?"... thinking it was one of my girls (who are 11 and 13) and really, they should definitely know better than to actually shove the bag back into the box and make it bulge out and more yet... NOT close it?  The light bulb, smack upside the head rude awakening moment  (which is now making me cry as I type this)...  Jeremy (who is 6) comes into the kitchen and says "I did!"  and he is all happy.  You see, he didn't want to bother me when he was getting his snack yesterday so he got the box of crackers down, opened it up, pulled the whole bag out, got some scissors to open it and then put them back in the box... and even put them back into the pantry.  He then says to me, "See Mommy?  I got one of those clip things like you do and closed the bag cause you said it makes the crackers stay fresher that way."  And that is when I stopped and thought to myself, "Wow am I ever stupid."  I was so sure it was one of the girls and I was ready to freak and boy would I give them a lesson on how to properly open a box of crackers.  Why did I think it was okay to give them crap about that?  My first answer is because I wasn't in the most friendly of moods this morning and hey, when we're not having a good morning, why not take it out on the kids right before they walk out the door for school right (please read that in the most sarcastic of tones)?  And in case you didn't read earlier... my kids are 6, 11 and 13.  I am 38.  Which makes me the adult.  Yea, not one of my proudest moments.

As I stood there looking at his smiling little face I literally felt the world spinning around me and I knew I was going to blog this.  He was so proud of himself.  I should be so proud of him - he even remembered to close the bag with the clip thing!  This tiny human of mine had done his best.  Not one of my proudest moments but definitely one of his.  We moms are not perfect and this is good.  Why would I want my kids to grow up thinking they have to be perfect when I would only be setting them up for failure?  Something that is so small to us can be hugely important to our kids - because they are trying so hard to do their best for us.  So while a box of crackers may seemingly be quite insignificant to the majority of people - Jeremy showed me this morning that it is not.   Thank you God for the simple innocence of our children who can teach us more lessons that any Professor at any University.  Now go eat some crackers. 

We are human... and we are all different.

We were blessed to have guest speaker, Angie Fedorchuk, join us this morning at MOMS.  Angie challenged us to reflect on a few things.  She stated:


"We are human.  We are all different.  What makes you unique is not what makes me unique and that is good.  Appreciate the difference that you have.  What are you strengths?  Truly - what are your strengths?  Focus on those and not your perceived shortcomings!  Focus on the beauty of you and not that little bit that isn't perfect.  I would like to challenge you to reflect on a few things.  Take a tea, find your happy place and take a look at the following questions...

1. What are my strengths?
2. What do I want my life to look like?
3. I am most happy when...
4. I feel like I am honoring God when...
5. The things that make me feel most out of control are?

These things will help you discover your uniqueness, your values, your place here in life."


Angie also suggested that we start gratitude journals because even when we feel like nothing is going our way, if you think about it - there is always something to be grateful for.  At the start or end of each day, take a moment to reflect and write down 10 things that you are grateful for.   It doesn't have to be big and monumental - just something that happened that day that you are grateful for.  I have done this in the past and one of the best things about doing it is that when you are having a really bad day you can read back through your lists - it really helps to put what is happening to you at that moment into perspective and focus on the positive rather than the negative.  Have a wonderful week ladies!

Future Family - Part 5

If you were unable to make it this morning (or were in the back volunteering for childcare) here is the link to the video series from Andy Stanley's Future Family - it will automatically start playing part 1 so be sure to click on part 5.    What a great morning this was.  I thought it was awesome to hear Andy and his Wife, Sandra, talk about how they handle things in their home.   If you would like to see the discussion questions they are located within the link under the video on the right.  See you next week!

Future Family Part 5 "Our Way, A Way"


 

Future Family - Part 4

For those of you who weren't able to make it this morning (or were in the back volunteering for childcare) here is the link to the video series from Andy Stanley's Future Family - it will automatically start playing part 1 so be sure to click on part 4.    This was a tougher morning and forced quite a few of us to stand up.  If there is anything you would like the Leadership Team to pray for - please send us an email, private FB message and you are always welcome to call one of us.  If you would like to see the discussion questions they are located within the link under the video on the right.  See you next week!

Future Family Part 4 - "All the Fixin's"

Lions, Lambs and Polar Bears (oh my)!

The end of March is right around the corner - sidenote; I was having a moment and thought March only had 28 days this year - end sidenote - and I'm sitting here thinking of this whole in like a lion out like a lamb or lamb lion.  Really?  I think the entire month of March was more like a polar bear than a lamb or a lion.   I don't remember ever having this much snow piled on our deck.  Thankfully the weather has slightly perked up over the last few days and I have had a few people tell me "supposed to go up to 7 on Sunday!".  I'm not sure what weather man they are listening to but I'm looking at the 5 day forecast as I type this and it's supposed to SNOW on Sunday.

I've been doing my best to keep myself positive but I'm kinda losing steam.  I did start shoveling my upper deck off on Sunday and have done some every day.  My goal was to have the larger half cleared off and dry for Sunday (cause apparently it's going to be  +7) so I could bring out my anti-gravity chair and lounge in the sun... even if I have to have my winter jacket on while lounging.  I say my goal "was" instead of "is" because I've accomplished it!  I even found our stairs to the lower deck.  The bad news is the snow piled on our lower deck is now higher than the upper part and every time I see that pile I wonder how in the heck is that going to melt before the end of summer????  More bad news... there is no +7.  It's -4 with a 70% chance of SNOW.

So how do we keep our spirits up through all this cold and snow?  It's hard.  Especially if you have depression.  January is usually the worst month for me but I found it not too bad this year.  February went fairly quickly because we (we being my husband and I) got to go to Vegas during February break without kids - another sidenote; you might be thinking "of course without kids, who would take their kids to Vegas?" and I have to say you might be thinking wrong!  There were LOTS of kids there.  We even saw a Dad at a slot machine snuggling with his daughter (looked to be around 8 or 9) WHILE he was gambling! - end sidenote.  But I must say, I had a really hard time in March. 

March is supposed to be the month where we start to hear the birds chirping, our pants start getting wet on the bottom cause there are puddles everywhere and everyone comes out of hibernation to slowly chip away at the snow/ice piles on the streets (or deck in my case - even though I will get to the street eventually).  I love spring.  I love getting outside to chip away at the snow and ice, making huge water puddle dams with the kids while Ryan tries to find the drain and getting the driveway cleared off so the kids can pull out their scooters and skateboards.  So I am finding this weather really tough to get through.  My motivation is nowhere to be found and I'm losing my patience with my kids a lot faster than I normally do, I don't want to go out much less DO anything inside either. 

So back to getting through the end of winter and depression.  What helps me get through it?  My friends.  Plain and simple.  I have a group of friends who I don't have to hide myself from or hide my moods from.  Next up... my Church.  I love being at the Church and my Tuesday mornings and the meetings I have with the Leadership team get me up and out of the house... closer to my friends and other women who are going through the same things I am.  I know that the snow will melt, the weather will warm up and we will see grass at some point - but until that happens I will lean on my friends and ask them to help me.  I encourage you to do the same!  Don't hide how you are feeling - don't be miserable and unhappy at home only to put on your happy face when you go out.  Talk to someone.  Be yourself and be honest.  You might be surprised at their response.  I would also like to encourage you to find one of your friends who you know is having a hard time and invite them to MOMS one Tuesday.  We need to be rely on our circle of friends to help us get through the tough times and be there with us to celebrate the good.  Life is hard (especially if you live in Saskatchewan) but we need to enjoy the journey while we are on it instead of looking at the 5 day forecast. 

Future Family Part 3

For those of you who weren't able to make it this morning (or in the back volunteering for childcare) here is the link to the video series from Andy Stanley's Future Family - it will automatically start playing part 1 so be sure to click on part 3.    I don't know about you ladies - but I am going to be watching these at home with  my husband too.  If you would like to see the discussion questions they are located within the link under the video on the right.    Enjoy and have a great Easter weekend!  See you in a couple weeks!

Future Family Part 3 - "Common Cause" 

Future Family Part 2

If you missed Tuesday morning click on the link below to watch the second video from Andy Stanley's Future Family - the link will automatically start playing Part 1 so please make sure you click on Part 2.   If you would like the discussion questions they are within the link under the video on the right.  See you next week!

Future Family Part 2 " Power Down"

Future Family Part 1

If you missed Tuesday morning click on the link below to watch the second video from Andy Stanley's Future Family - the link will automatically start playing Part 1.  If you would like the discussion questions they are within the link under the video on the right.  See you next week!

Future Family Part 1 - "Ideally Speaking"

First Morning Hashbrown and Egg Casserole

Bernice (our masterful food coordinator) mentioned that there were a few of you asking for the Hashbrown and Egg Casserole recipe so here it is!

INGREDIENTS:
1 (2 pound) package frozen hashbrowns, thawed
1 pound pork sausage
1 small onion, diced
5 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and ground black pepper to taste
12 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart baking dish. Place the hash brown potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish.
2.    Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook and stir the sausage and onion until the sausage is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink; drain. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and pour over the potatoes. Layer with half the Cheddar cheese, the sausage mixture, and the remaining Cheddar cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.
3.    Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove cover; return casserole to the oven and bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

If you would like to visit the original recipe on allrecipes.com click here.

Side note about the recipe from Bernice...  P.S.  I made this the night before and baked it in the morning.  So to avoid the hashbrowns getting soggy,I baked then at 350 for 1/2 hour on a cookie sheet, then added the egg mixture. I also added more eggs as that is what some of the reviews suggested, so for a cookie sheet, I used 10 eggs and about 3/4 cup milk or cream milk.  I think I used more cheese as well!! :)  We all love cheese!!  Enjoy!