Thrifty Thursday ~ 100 FREE photo Christmas Cards

First, I must say Happy Thanksgiving. I am one of those that refuses to decorate for Christmas or listen to festive music until the day AFTER this forgotten holiday. Now, lest you think I'm breaking my own rule please understand that being organized requires me to bend my personal conviction just a tad. You see, the below deals are just too good to pass up! Plus, cards should be mailed on Dec 1st...right? Without further ado...the deals:

Get 100 FREE custom photo Christmas cards with envelopes from SeeHere when you order by November 30, 2009! If you're not planning on sending out Christmas cards (or you're really organized and have already done so) get creative. You could use the photo cards as gift tags, birth announcements, we've just moved notice, etc. Here are the details:

• Go here and create an account. Upload a photo and create and save your Christmas Card. Put 50 photo cards in your cart and go to check out and use coupon code newbaby. Viola! All you have to pay is $3.19 for shipping.
• Log back in and click on your saved items and order another 50 photo cards. Check out using coupon code freebies4mom-1109. Again, you pay $3.19 for shipping. This is a GREAT deal!

Don't have a good photo for your Christmas card?

If you're in the Charlotte area book a session with Angel Eye Portraits and get a FREE family package! Package includes one picture of your choice and you get: 4- 4X6, 2- 5X7, and 1- 8X10. Michelle took some amazing pictures of my family! I'd share them, but then it'd ruin the surprise of my Christmas cards. So, above is a collage of her work. Click here to set up your session and be sure to mention Roof With A View to get your FREE family package!

Oh yeah...and Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday In The Word: Psalm 17:8

Happy Thanksgiving! I pray that you all have a blessed Thanksgiving.
When holidays roll around it is exciting to watch children's eyes shine with awe and amazement, see people that we haven't seen in a long time and just take a little time to relax with family and friends. However, I do think it can also be one of the most stressful times of the year. The expectations are high, there may not be enough money and there are many people that are alone or have lost someone that they used to enjoy spending the holiday with.

Here is a good scripture for all of us this time of year to pray over our lives.

Psalm17:8

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.

From the rooftop:

Through every day during this holiday season look to Jesus.

You are the apple of His eye.

When things get a little stressful remember you have a place of refuge.

You have been given shelter from the heat of stress in the shadow of the presence of Jesus in your life.

Look to Him because He is looking over every move you make and He loves you.

I am praying for you that when the heat in your life cranks up that you seek relief and shelter in the shadow of His wings.

I Love You,
Glenda

Train Up Tuesday: 5 Kernels of Corn

No doubt you are busy already this week - cleaning, grocery shopping, baking, cooking, perhaps packing for a trip. I’ll make this week’s excerpt pretty short but sweet (though a little late...so sorry). In reading “The Light and the Glory,” I came to learn (or re-learn) that although the first Thanksgiving was historical, it isn’t the only Thanksgiving that we should remember of the early Pilgrims. It was the second observation that I present to you today.

It was another harsh winter met with loss of lives due to starvation and to the severity of the bleak environment with which they were faced. Things were so tight among their meager food rations, that there were months when all they had to “sustain” their hunger were five kernels of corn. Can you imagine? Yet, as we often see among God’s children, these struggles continue to knit these men and women together with each other and closer to the heart of Christ. They survived the winter, thrived in the spring and summer, and once again, were compelled to observe with gratitude the day that we now celebrate annually.

Then from perhaps a bit of wisdom, humility, and true gratitude, someone presented an “appetizer” for the feast that was truly unusual - five kernels of corn “lest we forget”.

What have you been through this year that you never want to forget? I hope this year to begin a new tradition with my family - serving five kernels of corn at the beginning of our annual celebration. What a great way, too, to share five things for which you are grateful each year! Hope this inspires new traditions for you!

Much love and with many thanks,

Ashlie

Training Up Tuesday~ The Thankful Tree

This is a Thanksgiving tradition that we started a few years ago. It was the way we announced our pregnancy with our second son. It's always special to look back over the years and read what we were thankful for. Here are the details:

Cut as many leaves out of autumn-colored papers as you have guests. Ask each person to write down what they are thankful for, and place them on the tree or in a basket or bowl on the dinner table. If you have one of those little wrought iron trees that you can set on your Thanksgiving table, this will make a beautiful centerpiece. Tie little ribbons through a hole in the top of each leaf, so they can be hung on your "Thankful Tree." Take turns reading them as you enjoy dessert, then collage them into a Thanksgiving album as an after dinner activity.

Tearing Down Walls

Ladies:

I have missed taking time to contribute to the blog and letting the Holy Spirit work in me so I can share a word of encouragement to you all! I know I grow the most when I am challenged to exhort others so thank you for this opportunity. The following content should inspire you to grow as a person which will then equip you to fulfill your calling as wife, mother and friend.

In recent weeks a cloud has come over my spirit. I have been feeling down, sad, irritable and just unhappy. I try to push it off as PMS, hormones or just an off day, but in the past few days God has been challenging me to examine my life a little deeper. He is asking me to look back on areas I have wanted to just brush off and pretend they have not affected me because I know God is all I need. I have been doing a lot of "self talk" trying to pick myself up out of this pit and just get back to business as usual. I mean really, I am a Bible Study teacher and leader, an example of one to follow...not someone who needs anything herself. So I thought.

I know over the next few weeks God is going to be teaching me and I will be able to share more of the story but for today this is what God has revealed:

1) All have sinned and fall short... WE ARE NOT PERFECT!
2) All need a redeemer, someone to release us from the prison of sin
3) Apart from Jesus we are all dead, deceived and living in darkness
4) In Jesus we are alive, complete and made blameless in God's sight

The sin part really messed up the world, messed up the perfect creation and created a great love story in which God comes to earth to die for you and me, returns to heaven and waits until the fullness of time is finished and He can reveal himself again on earth...this time as the King no one can overcome. Our redeemer lives, our redeemer is watching, our redeemer has conquered the grave and we must surrender our lives at His feet so He can work in our lives.

Take a minute to listen to this wonderful song and meditate on the truth it speaks.

Living Victoriously,
Annie

Stay-at-home Saturday

The holidays provide lots and lots of opportunities to make simple memories. Dad (and maybe mom!) are off from work, school's out, and everyone has a festive spirit about them. I love food, so many of my holiday memories, be they Thanksgiving or Christmas, involve specials meals or treats. One meal that especially holds great honor for my family on a holiday is breakfast. We actually have the time to make a hot breakfast and I usually choose something out of the ordinary. I want to share two recipes with you, one savory and one sweet. These aren't necessarily the most spectacular recipes you'll ever encounter, but they are simple and delicious. I hope you find time this Thanksgiving to try something new and maybe even start a new tradition!

I'll start with the savory dish because it's short and easy-peasy.

Cream Cheese and Sausage Croissants

Makes 16+ croissants (I almost always have filling left over to freeze for another time)

-1 block of cream cheese

-1 lb. sausage (my family is picky - we only use Neese's)

-2 cans croissants

1. Brown and crumble the sausage over medium heat. Drain.

2. Add cream cheese and stir until cream cheese is melted and combined.

3. Roll out croissants on cookie sheet (spray with nonstick spray for easy release).

4. Put a spoonful of filling at the top of the croissant triangle. Roll up croissant.

5. Bake according to croissant directions.

Doughnuts!

Your kids will love this! Homemade doughnuts and they're so easy! Warning: your house will smell like fried food for a while. This is okay though, because you had a great family breakfast!

-Canned biscuits - estimate approx. 3 per person, maybe more for Dad (these don't have to be fancy. You don't need Grands! or anything like that. I buy my biscuits at Aldi and they're something like $0.33 a can. Sigh. I love Aldi.)

-A lot of vegetable or canola oil (*see note below if you like to conserve!)

-Powdered sugar

-White sugar mixed with cinnamon

-Any other toppings that sound good to you!

1. Fill a medium or large pot with several inches of oil. This will be a lot; be ready to use maybe 1/2 of a big container or so.
2. Lay out biscuits on a cutting board. Cut circles out of each biscuits. Don't throw these away - doughnut holes!!

3. Turn the heat under your pot to Med-Hi. After it heats for a few minutes test the oil by dropping in a doughnut hole. If it rises to the top and starts frying with bubbles around it, it's ready. If is sinks to the bottom and just sits there, you need another minute or two.
4. When the oil is ready, drop in several doughnuts and doughnut holes. (No kids during this part - it can spatter!) After about a minute, they should be ready to flip. You're looking for a golden color. (After you fry a few batches you may need to turn the temperature down. If it smokes at all, turn it down.)
5. After cooking on the other side, remove doughnuts and drain on several layers of paper towel.
6. Roll the doughnuts in sugar and/or toppings.
7. Eat up!!

Love,

Amy

*You can strain and reuse oil from frying. Just cool, then strain out any solids in the oil. You can store it in a jar or something to reuse at another time. (I recommend cooling the pot in the garage to help eliminate the frying smell in your house.)

My daughter read me about Jesus being our stronghold which caused me to want to look up strongholds and understand that word better. I came across this blog post from David Wilkerson. It seems to be worth the read, may we all make Jesus our stronghold.

DEALING WITH OUR STRONGHOLDS
Many Christians quote 2 Corinthians 10:3–4: “We do not war after the flesh: for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” Most of us think of strongholds as bondages such as sexual trespasses, drug addictions, alcoholism—outward sins we put at the top of a worst-sins list. But Paul is referring here to something much worse than our human measuring of sins.

First of all, he isn’t speaking of demonic possession. In my opinion, the devil cannot enter the heart of any overcoming Christian and claim a place in that person. Rather, the figurative meaning of Paul’s word stronghold in Greek here is “holding firmly to an argument.” A stronghold is an accusation planted firmly in your mind. Satan establishes strongholds in God’s people by implanting in their minds lies, falsehoods and misconceptions, especially regarding God’s nature.

For instance, the enemy may plant in your mind the lie that you’re unspiritual, totally unworthy of God’s grace. He may whisper to you repeatedly, “You’ll never be free of your besetting sin. You haven’t tried hard enough. You haven’t changed. And now God has lost patience with you because of your continual ups and downs.”

Or the devil may try to convince you that you have a right to hold on to bitterness because you’ve been wronged. If you keep listening to his lies, you’ll begin to believe them after a while.
Satan is the accuser of the brethren, coming against us time after time with his army of accusers, planting demonic lies in our minds. These lies are his stronghold—and if we don’t resist them by God’s Word, they will turn into imbedded fears in our minds.

The only weapon that scares the devil is the same one that scared him in the wilderness temptations of Jesus. That weapon is the truth of the living Word of God. According to Micah, here is the promise we are to cling to: “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18–19). In Hebrew, the word subdue means “he will trample on them.” We do not subdue our sins; he will subdue them through repentance and faith.
Posted by David Wilkerson

Train Up Tuesday: Peanuts and Popcorn for Thanksgiving

If you are like me, you love the last quarter of the year for many reasons, one of those being the Charles Schulz Peanuts TV specials. No doubt you have seen “ A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”; it’s a classic, for sure. But have you seen the bonus cartoon “This is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers”? If you have the DVD version, be sure that you don’t skip over it. If you don’t have it, it is scheduled to air on Thanksgiving day. What a great way to round out the day or to expose family members to our countries’ true founding (the cartoon is quite accurate in most things...but don’t forget, it IS a cartoon).

The original classic, “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” is great, too. I remember watching it a few years ago wondering, “What kind of kooky meal is Snoopy, Charlie, & Linus coming up with? Toast, jelly beans and popcorn?” Do you know, it wasn’t until I watched it again this year and remembered, “Oh, yeah, popcorn is actually quite Thanksgivingy.” Let’s not forget, it was the native Americans who introduced this treat.

So, this Thanksgiving, consider popping in “Peanuts” on the TV and having some popcorn, too. Perhaps you could even strand some of the kernel goodness for table decor or a tree outside (to remind your neighbors, too)! :)

Have fun!

-Ashlie

Stay-at-home Saturday: A Tip and a Lesson

Did you know?
You should clean your coffee maker regularly to prevent impurities from tainting the taste of your coffee. Here’s an easy way to do it: Put a ½ cup of white vinegar in your pot and fill the rest of the way with water. Add to the coffee maker and brew. Pour out water and refill with a full pot of water. Brew. Voila! A clean machine! (By the way, I got this from Woman's Day magazine a few months ago. I wish I could claim to have come up with so many nifty ideas but I can't!)

Pumpkin Lessons

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, you may need to use the following information that I'm about to share. Have you heard that there is a shortage of canned pumpkin this year? Well, there is, so you'll need this critical information more than ever: I roasted and pureed my own pumpkin this year. I'm not sure why, but I had this need to do something homemade and maybe to save a little money in the process. Let me say that I did not enjoy this process, not one bit, so my perspective is a little on the, ah, negative side. If you have done this before and had a great experience I'd love to hear from you.

First, let me say that the pumpkin my dear husband chose for me to roast was way too big for this job. Way too big.

The pumpkins at the pumpkin patch that were good for pies, etc. were all $4, no matter the size. So we walked off with a prize-winning pumpkin that I had to wrestle when I started my task. You are supposed to be able to chop off the top, then cut it in half, then quarters. Well, I just had to cut off any side I could, and here is the result: After you get the pumpkin cut into quarters (or manageable pieces, in my case) you scrape off the seeds and strings. No one prepared me for how gross this was. I was not expecting the seeds and stringy-ness to be so slimy. Shudder. Oh, and it stained my hand orange. I was told not to discard the seeds so that they can later be roasted. I set them aside to deal with later. Update: I roasted the pumpkin seeds. I burned them.

After you scrape the sections clean then you put them on a roasting pan. You don’t have to put any oil on them but I recommend spraying your pan, as I now have two pans with permanent spots on them where I can’t get the pumpkin residue off.

Into the oven they go for about an hour on 400 degrees. You’ll know they are ready when they are fork-tender. When they have cooled enough, you separate the pumpkin “meat” from the skin. There’s probably a better way to do this, but I was so over this project by this time that I just ran a knife under the meat and called it done.
Dump your pumpkin into your food processor or blender and purée away! If needed you can add a few tablespoons of water, but my pumpkin was plenty juicy so I puréed for a minute or so, scraped down the sides, and puréed some more. Here is what I got: I poured one-cup portions into bags and stuck them in the freezer. Done! Thank goodness. I got 6 cups of purée out of my pumpkin, so at $4 that’s about $0.66 a cup. Not bad I guess, but my time is worth away more than that. Next year it’s canned pumpkin for me, baby! Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

Amy

Wednesday In The Word

As I write this there are piles of laundry on my kitchen table, the floor needs to be vacummed and the dogs are barking because they are hungry but I feel compelled to just sit down and write this Wednesday In The Word. Perhaps, your house or life feels like mine right now but God wants to speak to you as He did to me.

Lately, some interesting choices have come into my life. I have even laid awake at night trying to sort out motivations because I don't want to do any thing that God does not want me to do. I have lived enough life to know about the self inflicted chaos that comes from just choosing to do something without asking God what He would want me to do. Last week as I tossed and turned and prayed it was if God said to me, "Glenda do you love me?" Of course, my answer was,"yes." Then it was followed with this question, "Do you love me with your whole heart?" That answer was yes. Finally, I was given a peace that I had not known, it was if God was saying to me that this is all He wants.

The Bible says in Deuteronomy 6:4,5

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you might.

From the rooftop:

If you know Jesus all He ever cares about is your heart being His

If your heart is 100 percent His you are free and not bond by old stuff that used to hold you back

We have the will and mind to decide to love God with our whole heart

It is freeing to love God with our whole heart because He is in control of all things and not limited to the little boxes that we put Him in.

God's love for us is unending and has no boundaries. Can our love for Him be the same? He has places for us all to go, people for us to talk to and things for us to see that we can not even imagine. He wants to use us to bring people into a relationship with His Son, Jesus. He may take us to the most unexpected. exciting places if we just love Him with our whole heart and ask Him where He wants us to go.

I love you,
Glenda

Train Up Tuesday: Lessons from the Mayflower

Well, did you have a chance to get a copy of “The Light and the Glory” after reading last week’s mini-review? I hope so! I’m learning so much from it, being reminded of our nation’s true heritage, and am being challenged in my own life.

I’m sure those of you who honor the Thanksgiving holiday in true form with moments of giving thanks are looking forward to sharing what God has done for you in the past year or how He has ministered to you. An attitude of gratitude is indeed a beautiful thing.

In your reflection over the last year, don’t forget about the moments when you have been squeezed tightly. What “juices” have oozed from you in those moments? I hope they have been precious ointment and a lovely fragrance (like Glenda wrote about last week). I wish I could say that’s always the case for me. Even if I thought I could get by and say it is the case...my kiddos could tell you it didn’t always go that way.

Let’s consider those Pilgrims of the Mayflower. No doubt, most of us remember that the 102 Pilgrims were in pretty cramped quarters while trekking through the Atlantic for a new home. As Marshall & Manuel describe it:

“ [they] huddled in the lantern-lit darkness of the low-ceilinged ‘tween-decks’ women and small children allowed to have the captain’s cabin; no hatches open because of continuous storms; all non-essential personnel required to stay below decks; the constant crying of small children; no chance to cook any meals.”

All this for seven weeks, people! It’s almost as if they were sailing in a huge coffin. Just reading this alone almost makes my skin crawl and feel a little claustrophobic! No doubt hidden, buried sins were coming up to the surface and had to be faced, repented of, and cleansed. Fortunately, these travelers were no foreigners to on-your-face prayer.

The most amazing thing of their trials in just getting there is the testimony that they left with the crew members...but I’m not giving that away; you’ll have to read up on that yourself. ;-)

Don’t you wonder about those families? We may elevate them to a “sainthood” status because they were Pilgrims. But, I think they were probably a lot like you and me. When squeezed really tight, their hidden ugliness came to light and had to be dealt with in all humility. Can you think back on those times when you and children faced a storm together? Perhaps you did react in a way you didn’t want your kids to learn to repeat. Did you use it as an opportunity to learn together? In the end, did you see evidence of the impact your testimony had to those surrounding you? The world is looking for examples of God in families thriving together. Don’t forget to celebrate making it through a storm in the last year as you share your victories over the Thanksgiving holiday!

This leads me to share a family tradition in our household. Although we all intend to have a heart of gratitude, the business of the day or the awkwardness of family openness (or lack thereof) often prohibits actually sharing things together. About 3 years ago, I came across the idea somewhere to write out your thankfulness on a tablecloth to be reused each year. It’s been wonderful to see our family expand (seriously...in 3 years we’ve had 2 marriages and 5 children to increase the brood) and to see the progression of thanks. It’s a nice way to preserve those memories.

Much love,

Ashlie

Lunchbox Love

I found these ADORABLE lunchbox cards at Michael's in the dollar bin. They have an encouraging note on the front and trivia on the back. Will LOVES to get a note. And, it's helping him with reading. Go to Michael's and get some, or go online at sayplease.com.

Stay-at-home Saturday: A Tip and a Recipe

Did you know?

Antibacterial dish soaps don't get your dishes any cleaner than ordinary dish soaps. Soaps with the ingredient triclosan are made to kill bacteria on your hands, not your dishes. Hot water and regular dish soap will get your dishes just as clean. Remember, using many anti-bacterial products could potentially cause resistant bacteria to emerge. You'll end up killing weaker bacteria and be left with strong bacteria that aren't killed by these products. Yikes! (Good Housekeeping, November 2009)

A really bad day

A few days ago I had a bad day. A really bad day. I was having so much trouble with my 3 year old that I wanted to pull my hair out. Since this isn't Train Up Your Child Tuesday I won't go into the details, but it was one of Those Days.

I noticed something throughout the course of this Really Bad Day. I wanted cake with icing all day. I dreamed of pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing and yellow cake with chocolate icing (Hello, Emotional Eater!). Since this isn't Slim Down Saturday either, I won't go into the strategies of fending off emotional eating, or how to battle your urges to binge. I will just tell you how to make chocolate icing. The very best chocolate icing you've ever tasted. It will leave you wondering why in the world you ever let Betty Crocker frost your cakes. Trust me.

This is a buttercream frosting, and making it will make you feel like a real cook, even if you're a terrible cook. I would venture to say that if you make this you will never go back to a store-bought tub again. At least that's what I was telling my husband as I was licking my fingers after making the frosting (and the bowl, and the beater, and the spatula).

Okay, here we go. The only investment you need to make for this is about $3 for unsweetened baking chocolate squares, found in the baking section alongside of chocolate chips. They may even be less than that during the holiday baking season. Otherwise the other ingredients are probably some things you keep anyway.

4 oz. cream cheese, softened (I use reduced fat cream cheese and it works fine)
3 unsweetened baking chocolate squares
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 box powdered sugar
milk

1. Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler (if you don't have one, see below).

2. Put cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar in a large bowl.

3. Add melted chocolate and butter.

4. Mix on low (otherwise the powdered sugar will cover you and your kitchen).

5. After ingredients are combined, add a splash of milk and mix. Keep adding splashes until frosting reaches the consistency of, well, frosting. (This is where I get in trouble with my dear friend, Carolina Clipper. She hates descriptions like a splash and a pinch. I'm sorry! That's all I can tell you! Just pour a little splash in and go from there.) If you don't use the icing right away you can refrigerate it. Just bring it back to room temperature before using. Here's what I did with mine. I am definitely not a professional, but not bad for a Thursday evening!

*If you don't have a double boiler don't worry, neither do I. Just put about an inch of water in a pot. Put a glass bowl (or another heat safe bowl) on top and bring the water to a simmer (don't let the water touch the bottom of the bowl). Add ingredients and stir occasionally until completely melted.

Love,

Amy

Thrifty Thursday ~ Coupon Burnout Club

Are you tired of clipping, sorting, and filing coupons? Do you know this week is triples but can't get your act together and don't really care anyway? Welcome to the Coupon Burnout Club. I've been there a few times. If you're there now, I encourage you to take a break! Here are a few easy tips on how YOU can save money without the Sunday paper.

1. Remember, most of your savings come for the sale price, not the coupon. The below picture is from my Harris Teeter shopping trip last week. I spent $86.98 and saved $134.77! In this example, if I didn't have one single coupon, I still would have saved $90.89!!! Simply make a shopping list from the items that are on sale. Point: Skip the coupons and you will still save over 50%!

2. Use your printer. In the above example, I can't help but point out that I saved an additional $43.88 from coupons. However, $8.50 of those coupon savings was from Internet printable coupons (IP's). When you plan your shopping list from websites such as Southern Savers it will tell you exactly what's on sale and if there is an existing coupon to match that sale. Just click on the link and print the IP's from home! Tip: After you print the coupon click the "back" button to print a second coupon.

3. Only shop at one grocery store. When I first started shopping the sales I would go to four stores per week. Wow! I'm exhausted just typing that. Remember that sales run on cycles and if you stock up when items are at their lowest price there's no need to go to other stores. Simply wait a few more weeks and those items will come on sale at the store that you frequent the most. Tip: Click here to learn how to know if something is at the lowest price.

Wednesday In The Word: Fragrance

A true story was told to me recently that definitely sticks in my mind as a wonderful illustration of what a fragrant life is all about. No names will be used to protect the innocent but listen to this:

A man lived in the mountains on the side of a hill and had the suspicion that there was a critter residing under his house. He set a trap and sure enough in a few days he caught that critter. It was a skunk! The man proudly disposed of that little critter and got ready to go to work. When he walked into work he noticed that everyone looked at him funny and avoided him if at all possible. Finally, someone came to him and said,"man you need to go take a bath, you smell."
Well the man couldn't smell and the skunk had sprayed under that house and it had definitely seeped in to the man's living quarters. What a mess and what a smell.
I have thought on this little story all week and there is an obvious picture that we can not miss.
The Bible says:

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:1,2

From the rooftop:

The Bible makes it clear that we are to be imitators of God
We are loved
We are to love as He loves us
We are to be as Christ and live a life of abandonment toward others
When we follow the example of Christ our life will have a sweet smell

How many times have you and I gone about our days thinking that we were doing the right thing, saying the right thing or just going through the motions only to discover that our motivations were not right and everything just blows up in our face. There is a difference between doing what we are supposed to do and acting out our days motivated by the foundation of Christ in our hearts. A lot of times when we just go through the motions with little thought or time spent with God we are like the man that can't smell in this story. Our lives don't have a very sweet smell.

I am praying for you and you pray for me that we would look to Christ as our example and love one another as He has loved us and allow that basic fact to affect every action we take.

I love you,
Glenda

Train Up Tuesday: Teaching the Truth behind Thanksgiving

Sister on the Roof, it is November! Ah, I love this month (and not only because it is my birthday month)! I know that many of you, like myself, love the chill in the air juxtaposed against the warmth of family inside the home, gathering for many holiday occasions around the corner. I have so many things to share in the coming weeks in anticipation of Thanksgiving! Oh, where to begin?

I think of primary importance is to set things straight about the joyous Thanksgiving Day, especially in an age where it has become known as “Turkey Day” or the day before all the good sales start. :( So much of the origins of this wonderful day are almost a mythological story lost in translation. I was raised in a wonderful Christian home and attended Christian schools throughout all of my elementary and high school education. I’ll be honest, history wasn’t my favorite subject, but I do remember some of it...that our country was founded on Christian principles. However, it was pretty basic and historical in its presentation (or at least in the way that I remember it). Though I have always cherished the Thanksgiving Day and have implemented some family traditions (that I will share in the coming weeks) that I believe honor God, this year, my heart has ached for something more. Thanks to some godly men in the faith and some of my own questions, my heart has been pointed in the right direction with information that truly has been a “Light” to me. The book “The Light and the Glory” by Peter Marshall and David Manuel was loaned out to me by my brother-in-law, with two important chapters dogeared for me.

I was eager to devour the chapters relating to the first Thanksgiving. And the timing must have been divine, for my 4 year old was at his Grammy’s and my 18 month old took a 2 hour nap (compared to usually only an hour). I poured through these two chapters with my mouth no doubt hanging open. Yes, I knew the Pilgrims were godly and were seeking a new land with true freedoms for worship...but to see it really spelled out that God truly purposed this embarkment to a new land, that Squanto was saved for “such a time as this” like Joseph of the Old Testament, that the Pilgrims could notice “greed” in themselves and were repentant. From what I read so far in the book (and I intend on reading it all), it is more than simply the perspective of two Christian authors with an agenda (forcing their personal beliefs on history) because much of the content is direct quotes from journals, letters, and quotes from those that were really there. It’s such a great story...no...TRUTH! And it does need to be shared with our children, lest they grow up oblivious and brainwashed into thinking we are not a Christian nation. I also received a “The Light and the Glory for Children: Discovering God’s Plan for America from Christopher Columbus to George Washington” a few days ago. I can’t wait to share this with my children as part of our Thanksgiving traditions.

That’s all for now, but come back next week for a few glimpses into our real history! Oh, and buy the book this week so you can be prepped for the day of thanks!

Much love,

Ashlie