Mentoring Woman: "A SWEET AROMA"

Mentoring Woman: "A SWEET AROMA": Thanksgiving is almost upon us, in fact I am having our family celebration this Sunday.  One of the things I like about this holiday is the ...

"A SWEET AROMA"

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, in fact I am having our family celebration this Sunday.  One of the things I like about this holiday is the sweet aroma that fills my kitchen.  Spices, turkey, and pies baking all fill the kitchen with the most delicious smells.  In fact I have a yummy apple cinnamon candle burning today, just so I can get into the Thanksgiving mood.

Did you know that we can we a sweet aroma to God as well?  II Corinthians 2:14-16 says:  "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.  For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death, to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to the task?  (NIV)

When we gather with our unsaved relatives and friends, we can be the fragrance of Christ.  And who is equal to task?  We are!

I am taking a week off for Thanksgiving weekend next week, but never fear I will back the following week.  The Lord has been placing on my heart some new ideas for Christmas!

Here is a wonderful sweet potato casserole recipe that I will be serving Sunday.  It was given to me over 30 years ago by one of the sweet ladies in our church. 

 Joan's Sweet Potato Casserole:

ALL READY FOR THE OVEN!

3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes ( I used the can of cooked 40oz ones, but you can also use fresh)

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 lightly beaten eggs

1/3 cup melted margarine or butter

1/2 cup milk

1/8 teaspoon  cinnamon (the original recipe did not call for it but I love the taste of cinnamon)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease 2 quart baking dish.  Mix well and pour into dish.  Pour on topping and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

TOPPING:  Melt 1/3 cup margarine, add 1 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour and 1 cup chopped pecans.  Crumble together and spread over sweet potato mixture.

Mentoring Woman: A SURE CROWD PLEASER!

Mentoring Woman: A SURE CROWD PLEASER!: As I have shared with you before, my grandmother played a major role in my life.  I can still recall her saying to me.  "If everyone pa...

A SURE CROWD PLEASER!

As I have shared with you before, my grandmother played a major role in my life.  I can still recall her saying to me.  "If everyone painted their head green, would you?" and "I suppose if everyone jumped off a bridge, you would also!"  What usually brought on this discussion was, in order to keep my legs warm in the winter, she wanted me to wear slacks under my dress to school.  Now to me,  this was the worst idea possible!  Back in the day, girls did not wear pants to school, only dresses! We've come a long way baby!  I raised a huge ruckus, because I did not want to stand out from the other girls.  So upon arriving at school, I would slip into the bathroom and remove the pants or  I would complain until she relented and finally said "okay, just freeze then!"  Yes, ladies, if I had only listened to my grandmother's wisdom, I might have become a fashion trendsetter that would have allowed our liberation from dresses to pants a lot earlier!  But I was a crowd pleaser then, so sorry!


And so begins my mentoring challenge for us.  Are we teaching our children that it is better to go along with their peers than to ever stand out from the crowd?  Or how about ourselves?  Do we blend in with society and our friends so much that our lives do not make any kind of statement for what and who we believe?

I was thinking that when Christ lived on this earth, He did not fit into the normal society mold. Really the only time I can remember him being a "crowd pleaser" was when he was healing others or when he rode in town on the donkey and the people waved palm branches for him.  But then again, these were the very first people to shout "Crucify Him!"  Just after the Beatitudes, Christ says this;  "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  Matthew 5:11-12 (NIV)  So let's remember, it is good to stand out from the crowd, if we're doing it for the right reasons!

Here is a crowd pleasing recipe !

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

1 T. oil

1/2 onion

1 T. flour

2 teaspoons cumin

1 T. minced garlic

1 T. sugar

3/4 c. chicken broth

1 can Hunts Traditional Pasta Sauce

Heat oil in a pan and add onion.  When onion becomes translucent, add flour, cumin, sugar. garlic, broth and sauce and cook 5 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken.

Brown hamburger or chicken in a skillet.  Place the meat in a flour or corn tortilla.  Add a small amount of shredded cheese and some of the sauce.  Roll up and place seam side down in a 9 x 13" pan. Do the same for the remaining tortillas.  Pour more sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Top with lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.  Makes 10 tortillas.

   

Mentoring Woman: "THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKIN!"

Mentoring Woman: "THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKIN!": My American Girl Doll Creation This Week You ever just have those moments when you know that you are supposed to do something?  I star...

"THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKIN!"

My American Girl Doll Creation This Week

You ever just have those moments when you know that you are supposed to do something?  I started out this week thinking about this very blog subject and then somewhere along the line got sidetracked onto another subject (a rabbit trail so to speak).  However, this week I am finishing a bible study with some other ladies on 1 and 2 Thessalonians called "Children Of The Day" by Beth Moore. Yesterday's study was about our feet and the responsibility and privilege we have as believers in Christ.  The world calls it an "Ah-Ha Moment" but I call it a "God Moment".

Since we have been friends for some time, I wanted to share my story today. I trusted Christ as my personal Savior when I was in grade school at a church camp one summer.  I realized that Christ died for my sins, was buried, and rose on the third day.  I like to call it my "fire insurance conversion" because of what I know from scripture, I would have gone to heaven.  However, it wasn't until later on, I realized Christ wanted to be Lord of my life. At the age of 20 years old we were faced with a fire in the home we rented.  We lived in a farm house a 1/2 mile from our neighbors.  The fire started in the kitchen while my oldest son and I were outside.  I saw the smoke rolling up from the inside, where my middle son was asleep in his playpen, not 10 feet from the flames.  I ran around to the front door and grabbed him out of there, but the phone was already too hot to touch.  I knew my only recourse was to run that 1/2 mile down the road to the neighbors, since I did not have a car at my disposal.  There I was, with the hand of a four year old and a baby on my hip, running to the neighbors. Those who know me personally, know that I had polio as a child, so running a half a mile was no easy task for me (even though at the age of 20, I was in much better shape than I am now!) To make a long story short, the fire department was called and the fire was put out.  That afternoon, after everyone dispersed, we were left with a smoke filled house and no where to stay.  A girlfriend said her apartment was empty, since she was out of town, so we spent the night there.  I remember that night, my husband crying out loud to God, "God, if You are real, You are going to have to show Yourself to us, or we are moving lock, stock, and barrel back to Missouri where we came from!"  I know that may seem irreverent to some, but these were desperate times!  The next day, a little church where we had been attending at times, came with 3 carloads of food, kitchen utensils, and other necessities that we had lost in the fire and the pastor found us an apartment to stay for the duration of time while the house was being repaired.  We experienced first hand what "the feet" of Christ was all about and it began to be a life changing experience for us!

I share this with you for two reasons.  First to tell you that God cares for you just as He did us after the fire.  You were in His thoughts since the very beginning of time, so much so, that He sent His one and only son to die in your place and even though Christ was buried, He was raised on the 3rd day so that you can be raised and live with Him forever!   And as I did, all you need do, is tell Him that you believe this, and You want to live for Him.

The second reason, is to remind my sisters in Christ, that we are His feet to this world.  Remember how I told you I had polio?   As I have aged, I find it much harder to be His literal feet, so I have had to be more creative in how to tell the world, "The Good News".  These blogs have provided that avenue, for they have reached places than I could or would never go!  I have seen readers from Hungary, Germany, and South Korea check out this site!  How awesome is that?  My mentoring challenge for each of us today is this:  Where has God sent your feet to go?  It might be across the street to your neighbor, it might be the gym, or a classroom, or it might be a more far reaching place like Hungary or South Korea. Wherever it is, you sister, are His feet and as I entitled this blog "these boots are made for walkin!"