The waiting is the hardest part

8 Mar

How patient are you? Do you truly wait things out, or do you wait a fraction of a second and then jump to the end? I would like to say I can wait things out pretty well, unless it comes to matters of family. We all want our family to be happy, healthy, prosperous, etc., etc. That is a given. however, when it comes to one-off events (you know, those things that are typically once a year and even though you know it’s coming, you aren’t ever really read??) sometimes waiting really IS the hardest part.

Take, for example, the next 11 days of our kids’ lives. The county fair. If any of you were ever in $-H, FFA, or the like, you know what those three words mean. The mean sleepless nights writing project record books (Kids crying, “I’m never doing this again!”), volunteer hours, more writing in the record books, OH! did we miss a volunteer opportunity, making sure everything stays alive (animals and horticulture projects), and…finally, the opening day!

That is where we are right now. Opening Day! It’s a whirlwind of emotions. There’s relief that the projects are being taken to the fairgrounds, a bit of anxiety that leaves man blow off his tree en route, happiness when the projects are no longer in our hands, and then the existential dread of knowing you still have to be judged on what you have accomplished. My kiddos seem to take it all in stride and essentially just want it to be over with. Fortunately, they both present their projects within the first few days of the fair. But as the parent, I am nervously waiting for their show days to be finished. They have both worked VERY hard to learn about their respective projects and now they just have to exude their confidence and present what they know to the judges. I know they can do it, but it’s still a bit anxiety-inducing regardless.

So, as my grandma would have done, I will lean on the Word. Philippians 4:6- “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

I want to break free…

29 Jan

Are you looking for a breakthrough? Have you gone through all the motions but now you’re a bit stuck?

I would LOVE for you to follow along with me and do the Breakthrough Challenge with me. We are on week two but I’m just starting week one today (as I was finishing my Fruits of the Spirit study). Each week a new set of weekly devotional prompts are posted at the above link. There are even links to the message from which the devotional came.

This series has been immensely powerful for many who have been participating. I think you’ll find it to be a worthwhile endeavor.

Let’s BREAKTHROUGH together!

Choose Joy!

22 Jan

When I first came on staff at our church, I added an email signature that has remained unchanged for the last 5 years, “Choose Joy!”

It’s simple but impactful. By making the conscious effort to choose joy over all other emotions, we set ourselves up for immeasurable blessings throughout the day. Look at the story of Job. He was a man with very little to be thankful for, after he lost everything…and I mean EVERYTHING. Yet, he still found himself praising God through it all.

I kinda forget about the signature on the email most days. Since I don’t type it each time, it slips my mind that it’s there. However, in recent days, I’m reminded of it. When I receive a reply email, I see it. When I get a screenshot of the email (because I can’t find it sometimes) from a friend, I see it. It’s there reminding my email recipients, and myself, to choose joy.

My verse mapping has been of the Fruits of the Spirit. All of them are ones we can have, but they have to be cultivated and grown, like real fruits. Joy, I think, is one of the easier ones to start with (the opposite is true for patience 🤣). Start your day with joy. Joy you are alive. Joy the sun rose. Joy in the mundane. Joy that my 10-year-old remembered to get up and do her animal chores. The opportunity for joy is everywhere. You just have to make that effort to choose it. Some days will be easier than others. But, finding the joy in it all will become easier and easier.

Choose Joy!

Map it Out

18 Jan

Last week was my birthday. The celebrations ended with an amazing Thanksgiving feast. I know. I know. Thanksgiving was two months ago (or 11 months away). However, growing up with Grandma’s cooking, I can enjoy good, Thanksgiving-style cooking ALL YEAR. So, that is what we did! It was glorious.

I am very blessed with some amazing friends and one of them gave me an equally amazing gift. When I first saw it, I thought it was a Bible. Similar shape, size, etc. But, when I opened it, it was a treasure trove of Bible study tools/accessories! It is from a company called The James Method. It is based on the verse James 4:8, ”Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” The method is verse mapping: a systematic way to read and study a particular Bible verse and how you can apply it to your life. As a Bible journaling addict (yes, I write in my Bible…a LOT) this was one of the most applicable gift I could ever receive.

How fun is this set?! They have many more items that I plan to add to the ever-growing stash of washi tape, highlighters, sticky notes, etc.

So, I needed a place to start and I ordered their Fruits of the Spirit plan for only $3. I will be honest, you do NOT need a plan. Choose a set of verses and go. But I am a tangible type and needed something I could print.

I then found these sheets that are FREE and help me map everything a bit simpler. The James Method will likely be what I gravitate to, but these are a bit easier to start, for me. You can find them here at 4 His Beloved

So, I’m on day 3 of mapping the Fruits of the Spirit and the verses that are related to that particular set of verses in Galatians. It looks a bit like this, and I also write/highlight in my Bibles directly. Yes, I said, “Bibles,” plural.

It can get a bit hectic, using looseleaf pages. I will have to switch to a bound journal when I move to the next study. But it works to get me started. So, how about you? What do you ready/study? What methods for best for you?

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Let Me Reintroduce Myself

15 Jan

When I started, this blog I had just received the “With Love From Grandma’s Kitchen” cookbook. My aunt had painstakingly compiled all of her recipes, journal entries, and random bits and pieces of paper, into a beautiful cookbook, full of memories and photos of my grandmother‘s life. It was with this cookbook that I learned how to can preserve, I made many items I would never have made otherwise, and just learned a lot about who my grandmother was. Each recipe ends with a note and a date date those were taken from her journals, and include little snippets into what happened on that particular date.

Today’s recipe I’m gonna share with you has a note from August 1999. “8/22/99- S.S. (Sunday school) and church. BE WITH ME LORD, TODAY, AS I TRY TO TEACH YOUR WORD TO S.S. CLASS. HELP ME HEAR YOUR WORD IN CHURCH. Lunch with Lance & Barbara Horton, & w/Barry, Haley, & Braden Monroe. 8/26/99- Haley takes me to Nacogdoches doctor. PLEASE LORD JESUS TAKE CARE OF MY PROBLEMS FOR TODAY. Lunch at Cotton Patch.

Dill Pickles 🥒

This recipe is a simple one for anyone just starting out. Unfortunately, I don’t have an acre garden from which to harvest veggies to can. I do, however, know where to get some mini cucumbers to make into pickles.

Follow proper canning procedures when using a water bath canner, mason jars, etc. If you’ve never preserved anything, this is NOT the time to try your hand at rebel canning. It’s best to use proper techniques and find your groove after a while.

Dill or Sweet Pickles

  • Cucumbers
  • Fresh dill
  • Clove of garlic
  • Piece of onion (I omitted this)
  • 1QT white vinegar
  • 2QTS water
  • 2/3 cup salt
  • 2 scoops of sugar, sweet option (I do NOT know how much a scoop is here. Many of her recipes had similar terms and I had to call my aunt. In this case, I’d suspect a scoop is about 1/2 cup. But you’d have to try it for yourself.

Wash and dry cucumbers; packing jars. Add dill, garlic, and onions. Bring vinegar, water, and salt to a good boil; pour over cucumbers; seal jars. (Add sugar to vinegar for sweet pickles).

Amber’s note: it took a while for me to sanitize my jars and lids. So, by the time my vinegar mix had come to a boil, and I needed to transfer it into the jars of cucumbers, it had cooled down a good bit. So, I also added it to a water bath for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Also…make sure to leave about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of headspace (the space at the top of the jar above the ingredients) so that when the cans seal, they don’t overflow. Wipe the rims with a paper towel in vinegar to clean them just before you add the lids. Finger tighten while the lids are sealing. Once all the lids “pop,” take the rings off and test the lids. If they properly sealed, they’ll be secure on the jar. Taking the rings off is a newer technique that allows you to know if a deal has broken a bit easier. When rings are left on, a seal can still break but you wouldn’t necessarily know it until too late. When I say, “newer technique,” I mean since my grandma was around (2007).

Let me know if you make these and how they turn out! I’ve made two batches now. The first was spears and slices. This second one I made whole pickles. They were just as crisp as any commercial brand out there too!

Enjoy!

Just Keep Going!

12 Jan

Today’s post is really geared towards my Christian followers. Can you get some great information from it, if you aren’t a Christian? Sure! I just don’t want someone to say, But I’m not **insert religious phrase here** I am **insert other phrase here,** all because it doesn’t directly apply to you.

Ok…now that I got that disclaimer out of the way, we can get started on this final chapter of daring to dream BIG!

Of all the things we have talked about these past few days, loving God is the most important. That is what makes everything else possible. If Moses did love God, there would have been no burning bush. If Jacob didn’t have a future with God, God would not have revealed himself in a dream. If Jeremiah didn’t love God, he would not have been the messenger that he was.

Here’s the funny thing…when we truly love God, and I mean REALLY love him, all of the plans and dreams we have will transform in such a way that they are HIS dreams for our lives. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 37:4. “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” I always thought that meant that I would get anything I wanted if I just followed God and his commands. As I got older, I realized it means that when I am really in the Word and following God, my desires become His. I will no longer long for things of this world, but, rather, things of Him.

What does that mean, in the context of this study? Well, it could mean one of two things…if your dream (remember from THIS POST) is one that goes along with your talents (see THIS POST for that refresher), then staying close to God and loving him will only further your efforts to reach that goal. It is likely in his will that you see this through to completion and glorify Him through it all. It *may* also mean that your dreams and goals will begin to shift and change based on your walk with Him. Sometimes that shift is obviously needed and other times it’s a gradual shift/evolution into what God wants. Yeah, I said, “evolution.” That gradual adaptation to change is exactly what may happen.

It’s no coincidence that Jesus said the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might.” When we do that, everything else will fall into place. There will be no room for anything else!

  • When we love God, we feel his presence.
  • When we love God, we want to discover what HE wants us to do.
  • When we love God, we are paying attention to the messages He is sending.
  • When we love God, we trust Him to to give us what we need to do His work.
  • When we love God, we want to use our gifts to do God’s work.

Pop Quiz!

11 Jan

A few people made comments yesterday, through social media, that they didn’t know what their gifts are. I’ve compiled a list of secular and Christian resources for you. These are not 100% foolproof, but it may confirm you suspicions or give you a bit of guidance on what your gifts are. These sites are free to use.

Finally, you may want to take an enneagram test. WebMD says this about enneagram types: According to the Enneagram theory, each person develops one of nine predominate personality strategies (or types) by adulthood, which helps them cope with the external environment. The corresponding fears and desires related to each type are examined to understand the underlying motivations behind someone’s behavior.

I’m not a huge fan of the enneagram and I feel like many people hold their identity in the answers. As Christians, your identity should be in Christ. Enneagram tests are fun to get an idea of what your personality traits are. GIFTS are not the same as personality traits.

Ok now that I’ve given you a few tools to help you find your gifts, I’d love to know, in the comments below, what you’ve found you’re gifted in! I’ll take the tests and post my answers a bit later.

Happy testing!

Use Your Gifts!

10 Jan

We all have different gifts. You might call it your “love language” or your talent, but each and every one of us (regardless of religion or culture) have gifts. My daughter, while only 10, has an innate ability to encourage her friends. Encouragement is defiantly being developed in her as a very possible gift. She and my son are also very gifted at dance. He’s also a math whiz.

You might have the “gift of gab,” as my mom used to call it. Maybe you talk a lot but that ability means you can talk to anyone, anywhere. Do you enjoy hosting events or parties? You might very well be gifted in serving! Whatever you gift(s) is/are, use it! When I was in school I HATED group projects. There were always one or two people who did all the work and the others rode their coattails right through to an “A” grade. Looking back on it, those shirkers actually were just gifted in different ways. It was hard to see then but now I realize that I didn’t enjoy doing the research. I liked making the presentation boards and presenting. But one of those lower energy workers did a lot of the background searches for us. And back then, there was no google or internet searches! They were gifted in finding the information.

Now, however, I’ve found that I can see the gifts in others and It makes it much easier to delegate tasks for projects at work. I’m so thankful too! I enjoy teaching but it’s not my gift. I have a fantastic group of volunteers who help teach each week. I am organized, but it’s not my favorite. I have an AMAZING assistant director whose first thing to say is, “Let’s meet this week and get next month’s lessons put together!” If I didn’t have these people in my life, I could do the work, but it would take much longer and the fruits of my labor would be minimal.

In today’s reading, Paul writes to the Christians in Rome (Romans 12:6-11). He was pretty good at writing to the various churches. Some letters were nicer than others. In this case, it was a letter of encouragement. In verse 6 he starts with, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” The key word is different. I wish you all could have know Grandma (of whom this blog is really about). Her gifts were teaching, singing, and cooking, to name a few. She loved learning and got her master’s degree at 70! Her three boys, my dad and his brothers, each have different gifts as well. Her husband, Grandpa, was gifted in farming. They each had/have different gifts.

Today I want you to make another list.

Title: My gifts

Knowledge here are some things I know a lot about:

Abilities here are some things I can do and some things I am good at doing

Interests here are some topics/subjects I am interested in and some things I really enjoy

Here are some ways I can use my gifts to follow the path to reach my dream, to do God’s work, or to live well each day:

*Know this: if you are younger, and I mean like 25 and younger, you are likely still developing your gifts. It is not something you just do all of a sudden. You may be talented in something but not gifted in that. That is OK. You have plenty of time to figure it out. If you are in your 30s and 40s, you likely know what you are gifted at. Hone in on those things and develop the heck out of it. If you are over 50, you should have been using your gifts all this time and could probably mentor those of us younger. Reach out to your local nonprofit, church, or school and see if you can help develop the younger generation and their gifts!

Whatever you choose to do, I know you are capable! ❤️

Don’t Be A Moses

9 Jan

No excuses!

If you’ve followed this far, you now have all the tools you need to pursue your dream. It is not a coincidence that you “stumbled upon” my blog. You are here for a reason.

We’ve made our lists and figured out who or what is going to help us most. We have considered our burning bushes. Now…now we have to stop the excuse train and hop off. Heck, JUMP off the train as it barrels down the tracks. It’s never going to stop.

Moses was a pretty famous guy. Born and sent up the river to be raised as one of Pharaoh’s children. He then realizes he isn’t royal and belongs with those who are being treated terribly by the only family who he ever knew. He leaves and eventually is called by God himself to lead the nation of Israel to a promised land. Yet, even after a LITERAL burning bush experience, he makes excuse after excuse (see Exodus 3:11-4:14). Even to the point of God becoming angry. That’s a lot of excuses! Moses finally concedes and there’s a huge storyline that happens after that. But still…

What if he had just listened to God in the first place? Instead of wasting time with excuses, Moses could have already been with his people and getting them out of Egypt. I feel like I would have been less likely to make excuses, but I don’t know for sure.

So, today I want you to write down the first three excuses you’ve been using to get out of whatever it takes to reach your dream. My list includes: time, sleep, money, lack of support, fear of the unknown…

Your list may be similar.

Now, cross out each excuse and give a solution to each of them:

  • No Time Make this my priority
  • I’m Tired Stop doomscrolling and get to sleep earlier
  • I don’t have the money Budget better
  • I don’t have support God has promised He will be there.
  • What happens if…? But what happens if you don’t?!

I know you are ready to do this work. Whether it’s a personal project, something with a cohort, whatever…even if you are unsure about it all, YOU can do this. Make no excuses and trust yourself and those put in your life for this exact season.

Messages from God

8 Jan

If you’ve been in church for any length of time, or grew up in some sort of Bible school, you’ve likely heard the story of Moses and the burning bush. Moses have left his royal upbringing and now identifies with the nation of Israel. Read Exodus 1: 7-22, 2:10 for Moses’s backstory. He comes upon a bush, burning, in the middle of nowhere. It didn’t even burn up! Turns out that it was the Lord speaking to Moses through this foliage aflame. basically God told him that He was aware of the plight of the Israelites under the strong arm of Pharaoh and that He would deliver them from that. This was the beginning of a very long story for the Israelites in the Old Testament.

“Why are you talking about burning bushes, Amber? If I saw a bush on fire I’d call 911 and probably record it on my phone!”

Fair enough. We may not have the same types of burning bush moments as our Old Testament cohorts, but we still get messages from God. Some call it fate, coincidence, or divine intervention. Somehow it’s difficult for us to just call it what it is: God speaking to us.

Have you ever been wishing something would change in your life? Someone told you to “pray about it,” so you did. You believe fervently and “all of a sudden” things start falling into place or, someone completely random says or does something that you would otherwise discount…but this time it’s exactly what you’ve been looking for??? Friend, that was God’s way of talking to you.

Some people will say that they’ve audibly heard God’s voice speak to them. I have not, but He has spoken to me through situations, people, events, and music (that’s a GREAT one). His messages didn’t stop thousands of years ago, in the Old Testament.

So, today I want you to think about what messages you have received the past few days. Have you seen or heard anything that would go along with our journal entries last week? Did you get a promotion (or were you let go) at work that would allow you to peruse that business plan? Did you come into some unexpected money that will help you pay off your debt and really tackle your dream? Or, did you talk to that friend/family member you listed that will help you achieve your dream?

If you are comfortable sharing in the comments, I would love to hear what you may have heard!

On a side note: I did try out one of Grandma’s canning recipes this weekend. PICKLES! They are so delicious.

Even Grandma would eat these!

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