WWJD November 2, 2009

How many times have you seen the initials W.W.J.D.? Amongst Christians it’s become a very popular slogan, displayed on everything from coffee mugs to t-shirts to doormats. We think that we know what it means- What Would Jesus Do? But do we really? If we were really asking ourselves what Jesus would do in our situations, don’t you think we’d live a little differently?

It’s interesting to me when I have a customer come in to where I work, and they’re wearing a shirt with a “Christian” slogan on it. At first, I get excited: but then I see them cussing with their friends, goofing off with their boyfriend/girlfriend, or acting sullen and unhappy with their parents. Go figure, right? I think we’ve become too comfortable with our little slogans and sayings, touting them proudly as though wearing something with Christs’ name on it makes us more like Him. But what would happen if we started really thinking about them, started really living like we mean them?

What would our lives look like if when we questioned whether something was correct, instead of asking ourselves “Should I do this, or not do this? The Bible doesn’t say anything about this-so what do I do??”, we instead asked, “Would Jesus read this book? Would Jesus watch this movie? Would Jesus go online right now, when He hasn’t done his personal devotions yet? Would Jesus laugh at this joke?” How would our attitudes and actions change, when viewed through the perspective that Jesus is standing right beside us, watching our every move? Would we snap at our younger siblings? Gossip about co-workers/friends behind their backs?

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in “thinking things out logically”, and coming up with our own conclusions as to why certain things are right or wrong. Wouldn’t it just be so much easier if we just asked the simple question: What Would Jesus Do?

Homemaking: Menu Planning October 26, 2009

At the girls’ camp I go to each year, the classes focus on practical homemaking skills, and this year I took the Home Hospitality class. As Christians, we’re commanded to extend kindness to all, but especially to display Christ’s love to those we allow inside our homes. What better way to win someone for Christ than through showing them how you live out your faith on a normal day, when company’s around?

I know it’s not always easy to be hospitable- especially if company drops in without any warning! But we should do our best to show Christ’s love to everyone that enters our home, whether it’s Dad’s co-workers or the kids down the street.

Probably the most challenging part of homemaking/hospitality is planning the menu. Each day in class, we had to spend some time writing out detailed menus for various events, and I found it was harder than I thought! We didn’t just plan out whatever we wanted-we had to plan according to what we had in our “pantry”, according to how many guests we would have, and whether we had any money we could spend to buy extra ingredients. That exercise definitely gave me more of an appreciation for what my Mom does on a daily basis!

So, here’s what I want you to do. I’m going to give a list of ideas, and you choose one to try out. You don’t have to report back or anything like that, I just want you guys to have some fun, and see kind of what our Moms do. If you want to tell me how it went, I’d love to read your comments!

#1- Try planning out a day’s worth of meals (breakfast, lunch and supper, plus one snack). Go through your pantry (see the link below for a list you can use to help!) and see what you have. Then, use ONLY the items you have in your house now to come up with your menu for your family. Use whatever cookbooks your Mom has, or your imagination, to come up with ideas, but just keep in mind that you need to vary the ingredients (you can’t use all of something in one day-otherwise you won’t have any for the rest of the week!).

#2- Try planning a holiday meal (Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July, etc) using what you have in your pantry, plus you can use $15 to buy other things if you need them (if you have sale papers you can look in those for prices, but if not, just ask your Mom-she’ll definitely know! ). Also try and think about how you’d like to arrange the table, and if you’d like to do any activities/games.

#3- Plan a tea party that you can host soon! Pick a theme, and then plan from there. You can use what you have already, plus $25 to buy extra ingredients/other items you’ll need.

#4- You could also try planning a whole week’s worth of meals for your family, using what you have in your pantry. It’s challenging, but once you’ve done it it’s a lot of fun!

To help, here’s a link to a master pantry list. You can use it to mark off what you have, so when you’re planning you don’t need to keep running to the cupboards to check.

http://www.stallionstore.com/index2/pantrylist.htm

I know most of us are years away from actually running our own homes and using this on a day to day basis, but I think it’s important to learn now how to be a homemaker, and to help our Moms! Hopefully this will give you a greater appreciation for all she does, and maybe you can even help her out by giving her ideas for meals. My Mom gets frustrated often in trying to come up with a menu that will suit all the different likes/dislikes in our family, so when we give her ideas it really makes her happy.

Have fun with it!

It’s all just icing October 19, 2009

After a week like I just had at camp, it’s really hard to condense all your thoughts that are running 100 miles per hour into a short blog post! God touched my life in so many ways, through so many different talks/discussion panels/conversations, and just observing the lives of the women and girls I was surrounded by all week, and I just want to tell about it ALL!

But there’s one thing that keeps sticking out in my mind; one thing that I hope I’ll keep with me the longest. On Friday evening, since the lady who was supposed to come and speak was in the hospital after having her baby six weeks early (mom, dad and baby are all doing exceptionally well, for those who may be concerned ), we had a special guest speaker come to give a talk at our special end-of-the-week tea party. God used her words to really convict me, and I’d like to share them with you girls here, as well.

“Your relationship with Christ is foundational. If you’re not secure in your love of God, if your whole focus and devotion is not for God and God alone, your life’s walls are going to come crumbling down around you very quickly. Your whole life should be focused on how you can better serve the Lord, and how you can fall more deeply in love with your Savior. Everything else in your life-whether you get married, have kids, run a successful business, have a good relationship with your parents/siblings, have good friendships, have your dreams fulfilled- is all icing on the cake. Nothing else matters-but only that we serve and love the One who gave us Life Eternal. It is God alone who satisfies our soul.”

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.” Psalm 62:1

A healthy snack October 12, 2009

Granola Bars

Recipe by Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups
• 1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup
• 3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup
• 1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup
• 6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup
• 1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed
• 1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries

Directions

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

I love a good granola bar for a quick, healthy snack! The fun part in making them is experimenting with the different flavor combinations and ingredients you can use to make one batch totally unique from the next. We love them plain, with just chopped nuts, but we also love to add chocolate chips, raisins, chopped apples, M&Ms, mini marshmallows-the possibilities are endless!
Have fun trying these out, and let me know how you like them!

Sometimes it stings October 5, 2009

MS (Multiple Sclerosis) is an illness that affects over a million people in the U.S. alone. Life can be very painful for people who have it, and the medications they are usually given don’t seem to help much. But there’s one lady who has found something that does work for some people- bee stings. The bee venom helps the person’s body to “heal itself”, and despite the initial pain of the sting, the people who have tried it say that that pain is worth it.

In this world, we have a disease called sin. It affects everyone, not just certain people. All of us go through a lot of pain because of sin, and the remedies that this world has offered don’t help (and usually make it worse). But there’s a remedy that does work for everyone- the truth in God’s Word that convicts us and brings us to repentance. That Truth stings, a lot. And the refining process that comes afterward is an even more painful sting. But those who have gone through it have come out much stronger. The pain that sting causes doesn’t leave scars like a physical sting would. Instead of truly hurting you, it makes you better!

Don’t be afraid to speak the truth (in love!!) to others about your faith. It might sting them-but it won’t hurt them. And don’t be afraid to let the sting come to you-it will be totally worth the temporary pain in the end!

Yes, Livi prompted this post…every time I talk to her I think of bees! (She likes to call me ‘Bee’ )

Time for dessert: Brownie Trifle! September 28, 2009

Who doesn’t love a good, chocolate-y dessert? I had this trifle for my birthday this past December, and since trying it our family has made it a regular request for special occasions.For my birthday dessert, I chose chocolate chips and chopped almonds for my “sweet treat”, but we’ve also used Butterfinger bars, Twix bars, M&M’s, and Zero bars for our toppings. If you try this recipe, let me know what sweet treat you use: I’m always up for ideas!

Brownie Trifle

Ingredients:

1 package of brownie mix, plus ingredients to make it (or you can make a batch of brownies from scratch)

1 package of chocolate pudding

2 tubs of whipped topping

1 jar of caramel sauce

1 bottle of chocolate syrup

Chocolate Chips, crushed nuts, or your favorite candy bar chopped-any sweet treat will do!

Directions:

Prepare the brownies and bake. Let them cool, then cut into bite size pieces. Prepare the pudding as well, and let it set.

In a trifle bowl (a casserole dish or just a regular mixing bowl is perfectly fine if you don’t have a trifle bowl!), place a layer of brownies in the bottom. Add a layer of the chocolate pudding, making sure to completely cover the brownies. Next, add a layer of the whipped topping, with a drizzle of caramel sauce and chocolate syrup, topped with your sweet treat. Repeat the layers once more, then cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. When ready, serve immediately out of the fridge. Depending on your serving sizes, you should get anywhere from 15-25 servings using this recipe.

I’d like to remind everyone that we still need entries for our Bible Verse contest! Send your verses in to sistertosisterblog@gmail.com by October 4th!!

Will you have some tea with me? September 23, 2009

In case you were wondering, I was supposed to post this on Monday, but forgot. Thanks Amy for letting me do it on your day!

Hello! It’s nice to meet you. If you were to meet me in person, you’d quickly find out why I always remind people that I’m a LOT more outgoing in writing. When we’re sitting face to face, I’m more of the quiet, observant wallflower type. I do a lot of people watching, a lot of thinking, and very little talking, although I am trying to be more conversational these days.

I’m a 17 year old (don’t let the braces fool you! It’s not just immature 13 year olds that get them! *frowns*) homeschooled graduate. I’m currently NOT going to school anywhere, and am instead learning all I can about photography while trying to find a kind-hearted photographer willing to take me under her wing for an internship. I don’t aim to be the best photographer ever…I’m not the competetive type (you should see me play sports-I’m pah-the-tic!). I do, however, want to do the best job I can do with this gift God has given me, and whether that means becoming a “professional photographer”, or just taking pictures for my own and others’ enjoyment, I’ve not been shown yet.

When I’m not messing around with my camera (don’t worry, I’m not as careless with it as that sounds), I work at Panera Bread as an Associate, mostly working the cash registers in the Bakery. I love my job there…the people, though…they have their moments. My schedule is always crazy (I work about 30 hours a week), but I’m used to crazy.

Oh yeah, I’m also the oldest of 8 kids. Does that explain for you why I’m so used to crazy? No…I love my family, they’re great. We all have our moments (*ahem* A LOT of them ), but we try to work our problems out. I don’t know what I’d do without my family…they’re so crazy and weird and…my family!
I have three sisters and four brothers, ranging in age from 16 years old down to 2 years old. I help my Mom keep the younger ones active and quiet (don’t ask me how that’s done…the two words have nothing in common) while she works on schoolwork with the older ones, and then I help one of my brothers with his schoolwork. Now that I’m working, I end up doing fewer chores than the other kids, but I try to clean areas of the house that everyone else misses, when I have the chance.

Every other Thursday, I babysit my neighbors’ 19 month old daughter for about 3 hours so her Mom can run errands without a toddler in tow. She’s the most adorable and SPOILED little girl there ever was, and I love her to pieces! My 14 year old sister also babysits her on the weeks that I don’t-we’ve both become very much attached to the cutie pie.

I’m a very conservative Christian, and I attend a local gathering of believers with my family on Sunday mornings. We have several elders as the leaders of our small body, rather than one pastor. I’m actually quite new to this idea of not having a pastor (so is the rest of my family, for that matter ), but I really like the way they all work together to lead us in our walks with Christ. The sermons that I sit under each week do heavily influence my posts here, so you’ll have a nice glimpse into what our church is learning each week.

Since my youngest brother is two, and therefore can’t sit still during church services, my Mom and I take turns each week stepping out of the service with him, and staying in the toddlers class (he won’t stay on his own yet…he is getting more comfortable there, though ). I love hearing the sermons and soaking in all that I can of the teaching, but I also enjoy spending the time with the little ones, seeing how they react to the Bible stories and songs, and just having them cuddle up in my lap when they feel tired.

Just recently, I’ve become involved in our college age Bible study on Fridays, and am really enjoying that. You never realize how much you crave fellowship with like-minded believers until you experience it!

Let’s see…what else do I have going on? Aside from church, work, family stuff, photography, and babysitting, I also love to read (both fiction and non-fiction), try my hand at writing (I don’t do much, though…my writing fits aren’t very frequent ), listen to music, watch movies with my friends and family, sew, knit, bake/cook, swing in the hammock, read and write letters to my friends-from-far-away, figure out how to edit photos on the computer, play with my sister’s hair, and listen to other peoples’ conversations. No-it’s not eavesdropping if they’re sitting right next to you! You can learn a lot just by listening to what other people say!

Some random things I like love: PURPLE, tea, heavily doctored coffee (you know I had to be specific), people who are willing to talk issues of faith with me whether they agree with my beliefs or not, extra cheesy pizza, DSLR cameras (oh how badly I want one!), sunny days in the fall or spring, hammocks, bare feet, Tomato Basil bread, period dramas (think P&P, Emma, etc), The Princess Bride, a good book, cute toddlers who are just learning to talk, friends who are always there to be with you/pray for you/love you no matter what, my family, scrapbooking for hours while listening to some awesome music, chatting with crazy friends online, playing in the rain, and CHOCOLATE!!

If there’s anything else you wanted to know that I missed, just holler. Oh, perhaps that’s one thing I missed: I’m a southern gal. *ahem* Sweet tea has to have LOTS of sugar, or it ain’t sweet tea! And 60 degrees Fahrenheit is cold, whether you like it or not!

Don’t just stand there… September 21, 2009

After watching a movie like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, it’s not exactly easy to find words to say.

One scene from the movie keeps rolling through my mind, the one in which Bruno and his family are attending his Grandmother’s funeral. His mother notices some words on a card laid on her coffin, which give praise to Hitler. Bruno’s Grandmother (for those who haven’t seen the movie) was outspokenly against Hitler’s agenda, and so the card upsets Bruno’s mother. She turns and makes mention of this to her husband, but he shushes her. She reaches her hand out to remove the card, but he grabs it and holds her back tightly.

He’s a high ranking soldier in the Nazi army-why should he allow his wife to make a scene clearly defending his mother’s stand against his leader? His whole reputation would be ruined-he would probably be killed, along with his family, for daring to defy the Fuhrer in such a way.

Knowing what we do now about the Holocaust, about all that Hitler did to the Jews -and to the entire world for that matter- we can look at this scene and say, “No! How could you be so blind as to follow that man, and put your family through all that? Why didn’t you speak up? Why didn’t you do what you knew was right?”

But isn’t that how we are, sometimes? We see someone do wrong, but we don’t stand up and confront them about it. We’re questioned about our faith, but we don’t contend as we should, and instead let an opportunity for witnessing pass by. We avoid conflict if at all possible, especially conflict over matters of life and death. We don’t want to step on toes.

But World War 2 wasn’t won without some toes being stepped on. And this spiritual battle we’re in as Christians won’t be won without a fight. That fight might mean we need to become a prayer warrior, read our Bibles more and memorize more verses, or simply talk about God and our faith when we’re asked. But we need to fight nonetheless, because we’re in the most important battle of our lives. The souls of the lost won’t be won by a bunch of onlookers.

We need to be willing to stand up and live differently-we cannot stay silent and unconcerned like the rest of our peers!

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” ~Romans 12:2

Who Inspires You? September 14, 2009

“Remember those who led you, who spoke the Word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”
Hebrews 13:7 NASB

Our culture pushes us to have role models, idols, people who we look up to and admire. People that we strive to be like, and try to model our lives after. Unfortunately, the majority of the people society says we should look to for inspiration are doing the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches to be God’s way. Sure, we can learn some good lessons from people who aren’t following Christ, but should we really be imitating them, and trying to be like them?

This verse says to imitate the faith of those who have gone before us, who have proven themselves faithful to God, and who stood fast in their faith. Obviously, Jesus is our ultimate example-it’s Him we really want to imitate. But we can also look to some amazing Christians that have impacted our lives for the better, and whose faith is worthy of recognition.

So who inspires you? Which people in the Bible do you look at and say, “They made mistakes just like I have, but they also became very mature Christians-I want to be like them”?

Who else has encouraged you to live your life sold out to Christ? Missionaries? Martyrs? Someone in your family? A musician?

Make a list of people whose faith has inspired, encouraged, and challenged you. Then, beside each person’s name make a short list of the character qualities that this person portrayed/portrays that make your attention go immediately to Jesus. It could be “prayer warrior”, “patient”, “gentle”, “boldness”, etc. Whatever qualities they’ve shown that you want to gain, write them down.

Refer back to your list often, to remind yourself of the things you need to be working on. And remember…don’t just look up to others: try to be a role model yourself for the people God has placed in your life! You never know who you can inspire by just living your life as God wants you to.

Have Your Way September 7, 2009

A big Thank You to all of you who took our survey! We appreciate your participation-it’s really going to help us figure out where this blog will go in the coming months. If you haven’t taken it already, would you mind spending just a minute to help us out? Thanks!

So often I look at all the problems and troubles in my life, and I feel overwhelmed. I think, “God, how can you expect me to go through so much, and to suffer like this, without seeing any good come from it?” I try for awhile to do good and live the way I’m supposed to, but when I don’t see results and changes in my relationships in the timing I think is reasonable, I begin to feel discouraged. But I have to remember: God’s timing is so much different, and so much better, than mine! Relationships don’t heal overnight. God can make that happen, but that’s not how He chooses to do it. If you’re feeling discouraged about a relationship, or anything really, and you’re tired of your ideas and plans for things being disappointed, maybe it’s time to say “Lord, have Your way.”

Have Your Way
by Britt Nicole

Feels like I’ve been here forever,

Why can’t You just intervene?

Do You see the tears keep falling?

And I’m falling apart at the seams.

But You never said the road would be easy,

But You said that You would never leave.

And You never promised that this life wasn’t hard,

But You promised You’d take care of me.

So I’ll stop searching for the answers,

I’ll stop praying for an escape,

And I’ll trust you, God, with where I am,

And believe that You will have Your way.

Just have Your way.

Just have Your way.

When my friends and my family have left me,

And I feel so ashamed and so cold.

Remind me that You take broken things

And turn them into beautiful.

So I’ll stop searching for the answers,

I’ll stop praying for an escape,

And I’ll trust You, God, with where I am,

And believe that You will have your way.

Just have Your way.

Just have Your way.

Even if my dreams have died,

And even if I don’t survive,

I’ll still worship You with all my life.

My life.

Whoa-oh..

And I’ll stop searching for the answers,

I’ll stop praying for an escape,

And I’ll trust You, God, with where I am,

And believe that You will have Your way.

Just have Your way.

Just have Your way.

I know You will.

I won’t forget.

Whoa-oh

You love me.

Have Your way.

Yeah