Dive In Friends...(Sermon in the songs series) Day 1

I'm going to start a new series on this blog I will call the Sermon in the Song.  It will be a serial blog post.  There may be many other posts between each sermon, but I'll try to number them so you can know how many there are and which to read to keep up.  Each sermon will be a short message based on some song lyrics.  They will mostly be Christian music, especially Casting Crowns because they are basically just sermons in themselves, but I may branch out into all genres to find interesting new ways to make a message from music lyrics.  *I may/may not have a Rock N Roll and Jesus type of book that I'll borrow from sometimes ;)

Anyways, here's today's sermon in a song.

I want everyone to really contemplate this message I'm about to share with you!!

First off I'll start with the lyrics that started this sermon in my mind to begin with...

Casting Crowns- Somewhere in the Middle
(Chorus)
Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle??

Christians ask yourselves this...are you living inside your picket fence world with a heart of a warrior but no guts to really fight the battle? Are you reckless and willing to abandon all that you are and all that you know but won't because common sense tells you it's crazy? Are you faithful enough to call yourself "deep water" but yet stuck in the shallow end instead? Are we all just going to keep God at arm's length and let Him be what we create Him to be so we can keep on with our American dream lifestyles or are we really faithful enough to lay down our lives and become true disciples and follow Him everywhere He leads, be it to Africa, Middle East, San Francisco, or across the street? People won't hear the message of Jesus if we are stuck in this lukewarm world where we just won't GO when He says GO! Don't be a Jonah. I want to be Fearless, a warrior armed with my shield and sword, reckless and deep. I want to be someone that's not afraid to loose my common sense and just GO when called.

Let's look at the scriptures on this:
Revelation 3:16
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Hebrews 11:13 and 39-40 (Read Chapter 11 in full for context) All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Matthew 14:29
“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

I don't want to be lukewarm in my faith. I want to be on FIRE. And what if all the men and women in Hebrews just used their common sense or stayed inside their little picket fence comfortable lives? They would have not furthered the kingdom at all. Yes, they may have done radical things and didn't even live to see the full results, but we know that radical things came from their choice to not stay in the shallow end.

Peter walked on water...common sense was completely obliterated here. Aren't you glad he chose to ignore the warm fuzzy of that boat and walk out onto that stormy sea? How would the world be changed if every person who calls upon Jesus steps out in faith and starts doing these CRAZY, RADICAL, and AMAZING feats that common sense would tell them not to do? We could really change the world, for today and for tomorrow. Trust in Jesus, take the leap of faith, and GO BIG!! Dive in friends, the deep end is waiting for you! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0KwqFvucdw 

Summer Reading plans for toddlers

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond.

Day 1:
Read the book of course!
If you have access to a toy mouse use him for a buddy to read with.

Snack: chocolate chip mini cookies

Craft: cookie
Supplies needed; one piece white construction paper with circle traced on it, black dots precut out for chips, brown crayon, child scissors,  glue stick.

Easy color, paste on chips, cut out. Teaches shape circle and colors brown and black.

Have your child color the cookie then use glue sticks to stick on chips.  When finished help them cut their circle out.

Ok it's about time I really did something to loose 20 lbs before I'm still trying to at 500lbs :)

So it begins,  it's time to move my butt, eat better, and loose this weight and get back into shape.  There is no more excuses or reasons to feel so bad about myself and my saggy and fat body.  Time to get it back to high school hotness.  Here's an article to motivate me TOP 10 WAYS to Lose 20 Pounds and a picture to help me eat better. 

I'm also going to start logging my eating habits and exercise into My Fitness Pal app.  Please join me on my journey and blogging my healthy living start up.

Also for those reading that have know me dealing with my PPD and other issues, I have finally weaned off medication (zoloft) down to about 25mg every 3-5 days when my head gets a tad dizzy.  I feel more energy (even when I was dealing with severe  RLS and not sleeping at night) and I feel myself again.  Sure I'm a tad moody at times and I definitely have my burst into tears at every sentimental moment, but that's really me and I'm glad to have me back versus the emotionless pit that I was before who slept til noon before she could function each day.  I'm glad to have my life back and hoping it gets better as I try to exercise and eat better. :)

I'm also now using emeals.com recommended by Dave Ramsey for our meal planning.  One week's menu is lasting our small family about 2-3 weeks due to leftovers.  I'm also doing freezer meal parties through Hy-vee so if you have one of those check out their club room for programs like ours.

Have a great night!

What I'm Reading Now...Christian Mama's Guide series review

Just wanted to give a review of "Christian Mama's Guide to Baby's First Year" written by my new blogging and writing friend Erin MacPherson.  First off let me say that I adore Miss Erin for all her hard work and dedication to getting these books out to us moms.  We have the usual books on pregnancy and surviving mommy hood such as the series of What to Expect books, and even some humorous books by Jenny McCarthy.  But none of those books can give you the spiritual insight and good Christian humor that comes from Erin in her series of Christian Mama's Guide books.



So here goes:

I loved the book!  I think Erin MacPherson is a fabulous writer.  She inspires me to be a better woman, mother, and wife.  Her scripture additions to the newest book I've read are really amazing.  There are moments that I look back on in my son's first year and think how did I ever do this without those prayers and scriptures to help me?  Erin's encouragement through her book makes you feel like she's there with you, as a friend, as your MOPS table member, as your church Sunday school classmate.  She doesn't talk above your head but rather tells her story as a fellow mom and friend.  She makes things easy to understand and makes you feel like you are right there with her for all her silly and fun moments as a mom.  She tells the truth about post pregnancy and newborn care.  She doesn't leave anything out that I can recall.  She gets information from her sisters and other friends for things she hasn't done herself but still manages to write it down so honestly and so heartfelt.  I love learning about all her advice for mommas and feeling her encouragement that I can do this!  Thanks again Erin for yet another great addition to your series.  I look forward to reading the Christian Mama's Guide to Parenting a Toddler right away!! :)


BY THE WAY...click the link of the book title to buy your copy now on amazon.com :)

How to teach your kids about EASTER through an egg...

As I was up late tonight rocking my son to sleep I started to think about how I could merge the worlds of Easter bunnies and eggs into the reality of what Easter is all about.  Then it came to me, in Sunday school we compared the trilogy of God, Christ Jesus, and The Holy Spirit to an egg's shell, white, and yolk.  So here's the story of Easter's true meaning in an "egg" shell. :)


Here is a simple little egg
There are three parts to this egg
There is the shell
Then the white
And finally the yolk



The egg as a whole represents the God-head, all three in one.  There is God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.  Each are separate parts and yet all make up the same thing, just as the egg is three separate parts all making up one egg.

The egg's shell represents God.  It is hard and protects the inside parts like God is strong and protective of all the things He made and loves.  It is also gentle and with a simple tap can be broken up to reveal more just like God is gentle and loving and gave us the Bible to reveal more to us about Him.

The egg's white represents Christ Jesus.  The white reminds of that Jesus died so that his blood would wash us white as snow.  Our sins are covered and gone and we are made new and pure as white as the whites of an egg.

The yolk represents the Holy Spirit.  It is at the center of the egg just as when we accept Jesus the Holy Spirit enters into the very center and core of our hearts and lives.  Also when you crack open the egg and poke the yolk it spreads everywhere it can.  The Holy Spirit also will spread anywhere and everywhere there is a heart willing and ready to accept the gift God gave of his son Jesus.

 

So you see, the eggs at Easter really can mean more than just a colored prize to find in the grassy hiding spots they are placed by a bunny.  They can also show your child the wonders of Christ and tell the true story of why we are celebrating Easter.

I suggest dying hard boiled eggs RED to show Jesus Blood was shed to make us PURE on the inside (show the whites).  And you can do a runny egg yolk experiment as well to show the spreading of the Spirit.

The most amazing thing I as an adult am just coming to understand is how if God/Jesus/Holy Spirit are all the same thing then that means the when I asked the Holy Spirit to enter into my heart, He came in and brought God and Jesus along too.  So that means that I have God inside of me and I am far more powerful with Him than I can ever possibly imagine.  



Happy Easter to all my friends and loved ones and I hope you can use this to teach a short but simple message of Jesus to your little ones.

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe (Pinterest tweak)

So I borrowed this from a couple pinterest recipes and combined them with my own ideas to come up with this final product:

 

Chicken and Dumplings

5-6 pieces of thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tbsp butter or margarine

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can chicken broth

1 can mixed veggetables

1 can 8 ct. buscuits

Place chicken in the crockpot, add butter, cream of chicken and broth.  Cook on high 4-6 hours until chicken shreds easily.  Shred chicken and add can of mixed veggies.  Cut biscuits into small pieces (about 9 sections per biscuit) and add to the top of the chicken mix, make sure they dunk a little for flavor and cook another 30min-1 hr until they are no longer doughy.

THIS IS REALLY YUMMY!!

So today was the midwest snowpacalypse.  We were buried under 11" or more of snow and it's still snowing again tonight.  It's been a fun day inside baking and playing and watching movies with my baby boy.  Hope everyone stays safe on the roads tonight and tomorrow.  Hugs.

Top 10 Most "Dirty" Things You've Never Thought About

This list is NOT based on any kind of data or research, but if you think about what I'm suggesting I think you'll agree that these things are filthy and often overlooked.

10: You vehicle steering wheel (do you ever clean it? nope. me neither. think of all the germs you have had on your hands all day that get displaced on the wheel. yuck)

9: Your credit/debit cards think of how many times per day you hand that card to someone else to swipe and they hand it back.  does anyone ever clean theirs?  they are probably covered in germs from other's hands and your own. ewww

8: Your purse/wallet both items are gross.  Your wallet contains your dirty cards and money which is one of the filthiest things on earth, purses often get put on the floor of bathrooms or the sinks where who knows what germs lie.  Also purses go on the table and spread all the bacteria they picked up off the floor to your dinner  tables. yuck

7: Light switches How many times have you ever wiped down the light switch in your home?  You touch them all day everyday as well as people out in businesses touch them in public bathrooms and such.  Think about it.



6: Your pillow case Now some people may wash them frequently but not everyone does.  Your head, slobber, and skin flakes are all over that thing nightly.  Please wash them!

5: Remote control/computer keyboards/cell phone These objects are all touched daily by several people in the household and no one ever thinks to wipe them down with disinfectant.  Now maybe you will do that.

4: Refridgerator handle Who remembers to wipe down back behind there daily? Not me.  We touch it often though. Imagine the ones in breakrooms not just at home.  Who's nasty hands have grabbed that handle today?

3: Stair/escalator railings and elevator buttons if you think of all the thousands of people going up and down stairs, escalators, and elevators in one day that's a lot of germs to place on those objects that never get wiped down.

2: Money most people realize that currency is exchanged by many people's hands and is not cleaned at any point.

1: Your belts/pants buttons or snaps Now you wash your pants we hope, but if you're like me you sometimes wear them for a few days before you wash them.  Think of the first thing you touch after using the toilet?  Usually it's your button or snap on your pants and then your belt.  No one that I know of ever washes their belts down but think of how many germs from your restroom usage over the course of a belt's life get  placed on that buckle BEFORE you ever wash up from the toilet.  Bet you are running to clean that belt now :)



Well hope you enjoy my random blog today about all the things that creep me out in this dirty would.  It's part of my OCD to be a bit grossed out by lots of things and overthink how germy things may be.  But we should pay attention to the things we use and clean them more often. Thanks.