The Death of Grace

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Comparison is the death of contentment"?  That saying has always stuck with me over the years. It drives home the point that when we compare our lives, abilities, or possessions to someone else's we are bound to become disgruntled.

Recently I was working through a Bible study on the prophets and came across another profound statement...this time on the death of grace.  Grace is my Word of the Year for 2011.  I have been focusing on how to give grace to others and for that matter how to accept it from God. Of course, as God would have it the need for grace has popped up all over the place since I picked the word!  Don't you just love God? He really knows how to drive home a point!  This year has been an extreme struggle to work through forgiveness for someone that attends my church.  It is a battle.  I know that I need to forgive and show grace to this person.  My whole intent is to do just that, and yet, it doesn't come easy.  The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is definitely weak in this area!

So back to the statement on the death of grace.  What would cause its death? What sin would make grace impossible? To answer that question, you really have to think about what grace is. It is favor towards a person that doesn't deserve it. It is saying, "I know what you did, and yet I am going to show you kindness and love."  In order to do this I have found that I am having to give up my rights, my position, my entitlements to put the other person ahead of myself.  It is a tough thing to do. Putting the other person first means that I have to humble myself.  Being humble means that I have to get rid of my pride. You see, Pride is the death of Grace.

Think about it.  If I look on someone else and say...

"I would never do what she did."

"How could he have done that?"

"What was she thinking?"

Or my favorite Pharisee version,

"God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers- or even like this tax collector." {Luke 18:11}

...I will never be able to give them grace!  It is when I humble myself...when I realize that I am just like them that I can give grace to those who need it...even to those who have trespassed against me.

Freezer Pizzas

I have done a lot of freezer cooking over the past few years, but I have never attempted to make frozen pizzas.  Honestly, I thought it wasn't doable. I recently came across a site called Freezer Dinner that changed my mind. So a few weeks ago I set out to make personal-sized pizzas to put in the freezer.  The idea of making big pizzas scared me, so I thought I would start small. I was amazed at how easy it was!

Here is a video on freezer pizzas from the author of Freezer Dinner.  It will take about 15 minutes to watch the two parts, but it is well worth it.  I hate reading instructions, so being able to watch the whole process was so much easier. But if you are the type that loves to read the directions, here you go. Her recipe is for four large pizzas.  I happened to use my own dough recipe.  I am thinking that your favorite pizza dough recipe would work.

The author of Freezer Dinner has a cookbook out called Fabulous Freezer Meals.  I am looking forward to buying it in the near future.

Between a Rock and a Grace Place

Grace is my Word of the Year.  I had initially thought that I would focus on how to give others grace.  I recently read Carol Kent's book, Between a Rock and a Grace Place.  If you don't know Carol's story it is one of heartache.  About a decade ago, her son, Jason, committed murder. Carol's books chronicle their journey through this difficult circumstance and how God has met them every step of the way.

 

What surprised me about Carol's book was that not only does she talk about giving grace to others, but she describes how sometimes we need God's grace to get through the tough stuff of life.  For me this year has had one opportunity after another to extend grace.  Some of this "extending" has stretched me in ways unimaginable.  Some of the "extending" is not done yet.  All of it has been painful.  So maybe it is me that needs a bit of grace to get through all of this.  Not sure.

 

Here are some of the concepts in this book that I needed to hear:

"Compassion and mercy come to me more easily now that I'm a mama with shattered dreams." -Sometimes it is the hard stuff in life that makes us more like Christ.

"When we trust that he is in sovereign control of our hard place, we can press into a grace place where there is rest, peace, and a different kind of contentment."

"Freedom is an inside job."

"Favor and kindness are gifts that keep multiplying because as fast as we splash favor on others, our own supply is replenished in surprising ways."

If you would like to read about Carol's amazing journey check out her books:

When I Lay my Isaac Down

A New Kind of Normal

Between a Rock and a Grace Place

 

Super Cook

I recently came across and great website to help in the meal-making department of life. Super Cook is a different kind of search engine.  You set up an account (which is free) and list all the ingredients in your house.  Super Cook then searches the web for recipes!  You can now make dinner without going to the store! I was actually able to make some of my freezer meals this month by simply using what I already have. Love it!

Multitudes on Monday

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Easter

He is Risen!

Egg hunts

Spending time with family

The melting of snow

Family portraits

A clean puppy

A long walk on ice-free roads

The anticipation of summer

Planning for next year

That God works together all things for good

Reading Lists- Part II

Here is the reading list for Noah for the coming year.  He will be in 5th grade.  This list is really longer that what he will actually end up reading since there are times I will give him choices.  I have links to the really great books.

First Quarter


If You Lived With The Indians Of The Northwest Coast

The Double Life of Pocahontas

The Landing of the Pilgrims


The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Childhood of Famous Americans: Daniel Boone

The Foundling

Traitor in the Tower

Literature analysis: Indian in the Cupboard

Second Quarter

I, Juan de Pareja

Justin Morgan had a Horse

The Gold-Laced Coat


Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George?

And then what happened, Paul Revere?
Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold

The American Revolution

Literature analysis: Island of the Blue Dolphins

Third Quarter

Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution

Why not, Lafayette?

Simon Bolivar


Peter the Great

Imprisoned in the Golden City


Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman

Literature Analysis: Carry On, Mr. Bodwitch

What are you Figuring now, Benjamin Banneker?


Fourth Quarter

Lewis and Clark: Explorers of the American West

The Journeyman

If you lived with the Cherokee

Amistad Rising

Amazing Impossible Erie Canal (Aladdin Picture Books)

Moccasin Trail

The Boy in the Alamo

Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille

Literature analysis: Where the Red Fern Grows

Reading Lists--Part I

I am setting up the boys' reading for next year.  Zach will spend more time doing in depth literature analysis with Progeny Press guides or Novel Units. I also have him doing some reading on faith and logic.  Here is what he will be reading...

9th Grade

First Quarter
The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning

The Call of the Wild

Romeo and Juliet

Second Quarter

A Christmas Carol (Bantam Classic)

Light in the Forest

Treasure Island (Qualitas Classics)

Third Quarter
Short Stories (See my list here.)

The Chosen (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

Eternity in Their Hearts: Startling Evidence of Belief in the One True God in Hundreds of Cultures Throughout the World

Fourth Quarter

Fahrenheit 451.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde


The Last of the Mohicans (Signet Classics)

A Garden of Christians

A few Sundays ago, we had one of members preach since our pastor was out of town. This church member did such an awesome job that I wanted to share with you what he shared....


The subject was the "Church Garden" and what it needs. He started out by reading part of Genesis 2 which describes the garden of Eden. There are three main components in a great garden:

*Good Soil
*Good Plants
*Good Workers

We must have a good soil to start. Jesus talked about sowing seeds in the gospel and that seeds thrown along a road, among the rocks or in thorny soil won't produce a good garden. The soil (our hearts) must be prepared to receive Christ and follow Him.

Every garden needs excellent plants...here are some ideas of things to plant:

Three rows of squash

-Squash indifference.

-Squash criticism.

-Squash gossip.


4 rows of turn ups

-Turn up for meetings.

-Turn up with a smile.

-Turn up with a visitor.

-Turn up with a Bible.


Five rows of P's

-Participation

-Prayer

-Persistence

-Patience

-Peace


Five rows of Let-us

-Let us love one another.

-Let us welcome strangers.

-Let us be faithful.

-Let us worship God.

-Let us give generously.



Every church garden needs excellent workers!

Great workers come in the form of corn and sweet potatoes!

Christians that are like corn have tons of ears. Christ tells us that we should listen more than we talk! Many words lead to sin! Christians also need to be like sweet potatoes. You can cut them, fry them, bake them and boil them, but no matter how you treat them they turn out sweet!

There are also characteristics that we should avoid as Christians. We should never be like bell peppers, green beans, or okra. What do you see when you cut open a bell pepper? It is hollow inside. We should never be hollow Christians, but should be people of substance. "Green Bean Christians" are runners and climbers. They won't produce much unless they are staked! Remember to be still and know that He is God! Ever tried to pick okra? They are prickly and an irritant to the skin! As Christians, others should be able to approach us without fear of rubbing us the wrong way and receiving a prickly disposition from us!

We started out with Genesis 2 and the first garden...we finished with Revelation 22 which describes the eternal garden...so the Word of God begins and ends with a garden! I never thought about that!

May God bless our gardens!

Easter and Spring Goodies

Easter is around the corner, and spring is in the air.  I am gathering some fun ideas for goodies the boys can make.  What do you think of these???

{How about an edible garden?}

{Easter Baskets}

{Bird's nests}

{Flowers}

Max on Life by Max Lucado

Sometimes we have questions about life.  We know that we can go to God's Word to get the answers.  Max Lucado is one of my favorite authors and his newest book just came out, Max on Life.  Max uses God's Word and wisdom to answer the tough questions of life. The book is broken up into several categories:

Hope

Hurt

Help

Him/her

Home

Haves/Have Nots

Hereafter

Each page has a question with Max's answer (in which he uses a lot of scripture to get his answers). The back of the book has a topical and scripture index. I found this book to be informative, helpful, and a great reference tool for the issues of life.

Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.  I am not required to give a positive review.  All my opinions are my own.

Grace is the Place

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Reading Between a Rock and a Grace Place

Realization of a friend

Time to grieve

Sunday School going well

Healing from God

Sunshine

Walks with Titan

Safety as we walk on ice

Peace

Family humor

Sandwiches

Books to read

Protection

The realization that I need to go easy on myself...not be so hard on myself at times

That I have the most humorous friends out there

 

April Cooking Plans

Each month a friend and I cook and exchange meals to put in our freezer.  Here are the meals that I am making this time around.

Veggie Soup with rice (no recipe, just using up what I have)
Southwest Chicken Casserole
Chimichangas
Chicken Fingers with Marmalade Dipping Sauce (1/2 cup marmalade, 2 t. Dijon mustard, 2 t. lemon juice, and salt)
Polenta casserole