November 16, 2024

GCH:What’s on Your Plate? – Roasted Winter Veggies & Broccoli Craisin Salad!

November 19, 2012 by

Thanksgiving week!  Oh boy…here we go!  Don’t you just love it?  I do.  My favorite foods on the table are always the side dishes.  So this week I am going to share two recipes.  Maybe one of them might even end up on your table this year!  Both of these recipes also fall into the healthy but oh-so-yummy category, too!

The first recipe is for Roasted Winter Veggies.  I love roasted veggies…the melange of colors, and textures, and flavors; the nicely caramelized bits; the few little pieces that hover just this side of burnt!  Making roasted veggies is a very forgiving recipe, too.  I have the veggies ready to go into the oven the moment the turkey comes out to rest and be carved.* There are a few basic ingredients; but then you can add and subtract to your heart’s content.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil

1 medium butternut squash, halved, seeded and peeled

1 large Vidalia onion, peeled

3 large Yukon Gold potatoes  (or 4-5 medium red potatoes), peeled

1 bag (12-16 ounces) carrot chips (or baby carrots)

1# brussel sprouts, trim end off and remove outer leaves (if large, cut in half)

1 small head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1+1/2″ florets

12 ounce pkg Baby Bella mushrooms, stemmed and cleaned; cut into appropriate size

3 medium red beets, peeled (rinse your hands after handling the beets..unless you like a pink tint to your nails and fingers!)

1 tablespoon each: sea salt,  freshly ground pepper

 

Directions: Prep the veggies, washing anything that needs it. Place two really large low-sided roasting pans (sometimes called cookie sheets with sides) into the oven and preheat oven to 425. Cut everything into approximately 1+1/2″ pieces; don’t cut the veggies too small as all they will shrink a bit while roasting. Just try and have everything fairly close to the same size.

Place all the veggies, EXCEPT for the beets, into a really large bowl (or stockpot). Pour most of the oil over the veggies (add the rest if necessary), add salt &pepper, then gently mix together making sure to thoroughly coat each piece of veggie. Pour onto the heated pans. Then place the cut-up beets into the bowl stirring to coat, and add them to the veggies on the roasting pans. It is important that the veggies are not piled up on one another. You do not want them to steam but to roast.  They should be in a single layer. It might be very snug but they will shrink slightly as they roast.

Roast for 30-35 minutes ‘til the most dense veggies are done when poked with a fork.  I like to <attempt> to turn the veggies over after the first 15 minutes; that way more sides of each piece will caramelize; yum.  Be fairly quick during this turning process as you don’t want to leave the oven open very long!  Once you have determined that they are done, remove from oven.  Turn off the oven.   Carefully taste, adding additional salt and pepper (I always add more!) and place into your serving bowl.  <3

A few other things to keep in mind:

If you are preparing this recipe…and there is nothing else in the oven…follow the directions in the recipe.  HOWEVER, if you are making this on Thanksgiving Day: put the pans into the oven for about 10 minutes before you take the turkey out.  Then while the bird is resting, and being carved, and the gravy is being made, the veggies can be roasting. When the turkey is removed, bump the heat up to 425.  Fill the heated pans, and place them back into the oven.  Roast the veggies for approximately 30-35 minute, check that the densest veggies are done and, if so, remove the pans from the oven and turn off the oven.

At this point, if the meal is not ready to be brought to the table, place the veggies into a serving dish, and place back into the oven ‘til you are ready to go. Other veggies to consider: asparagus, broccoli, parsnips, sweet potatoes, fingerlings, fennel. Leftover roasted veggies?  (Hard to believe, but…) Use them as the key ingredients to roasted veggie lasagna, roasted veggie chowder, roasted veggie omelet or frittata, roasted veggie burritos…the list could go on and on.  These are particular dishes I have made.  How kind would you be to yourself but to have one of these chosen as a quick and easy meal to come home to after Christmas shopping-til-you-drop?

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

And here is the recipe for the second side dish: Broccoli-Craisin Salad.  This is a beautiful raw salad, a very healthy but oh-so-yummy addition to the side dish array on your Thanksgiving Day table.  It has a slightly smoky (from the bacon), slightly sweet (from the honey), slightly tart (from the vinegar), very mellow taste.  I have had MANY supposed broccoli haters be prompted to try just one tiny taste…only to find they enjoy it and come back for more!  We enjoy this salad all year long!  Hoping that your family enjoys it, too!

Ingredients:

2 heads broccoli crowns, cut into small florets*

1/2 pkg Craisins (dried cranberries)

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2  cup sour cream

1/4 cup honey, warmed

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 cup sunflower seeds

freshly ground pepper

 

Directions:

In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, honey, and vinegar; set aside. In a large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Take mayo mixture and pour over broccoli mixture, tossing gently to thoroughly coat. I pour the dressed mixture into a large zip-top bag to go into the fridge.  Every once in a while, give the bag a flip-over and a couple of squeezes to massage the yumminess all around!

Then when your meal is ready to go onto the table, just pour the salad out into a serving bowl.  Easy-peasy!

Should be prepared at least 4 hours beforehand, up to 8 hours or so. Just prior to serving, stir in the sunflower seeds and ground pepper to taste.

* The biggest hint I can offer to you for this salad is to cut the broccoli florets as small as you possibly can.  I consider it a labor of love and, oh, so worth it!  It is MUCH more palatable to have little florets in your mouth as you munch on this salad rather than a large hunk of broccoli!  Trust me!  You can do the chopping ahead of time, even a day or so, and simply store in the fridge. 😉

Honestly, I have been known to sit in front of the television while doing it! <3

Have a wonderful, thanks-filled Thanksgiving Day! May we each always remember how very much we have to be thankful for and give thanks to the One Who so perfectly and abundantly and graciously provides for our every need!

Psalms 30:12

To the end that my tongue and my heart and everything glorious within me may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. <3

God loves you!  and I do too.

Coleen <3

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Lord, Teach Us to Pray – Week 8

November 17, 2012 by


Today we continue a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray!  Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus’ disciples did — “Teach {me} to pray”?

Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray.  I believe that, as we continue to look at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we will develop into daughters who delight, yearn, love to pray to their Father!!!  This is my heart’s desire.

Jesus was asked this important question by His disciples. One of the places that it is recorded is in Luke 11, verse 1: “Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….”

Listen to the words that He spoke to them when they asked:

Pray, therefore, like this:

Our Father

Who is in heaven,

hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts,

and have given up resentment against) our debtors.

And lead (bring) us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13

The first week, in this series, we focused on the very first, and most important aspect, of Jesus’ instruction—addressing God Almighty as “Our Father….” We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba Father!

The second week, we looked at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of  importance—”Who is in heaven.”  This attribute tells of the utmost importance of God Who is in heaven.  And we also were reminded of an awesome promise from God, that we will dwell for all eternity with Jesus and our Father, Who is in heaven.

Then we came to the third aspect, as we followed Jesus’ instruction,— “hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.”  And we looked at five examples in the Scriptures where Almighty God is described as holy: we saw the Psalmist proclaim that ‘You are holy’…that the prophet Habakkuk called Him ‘my Holy One’…that Isaiah saw in a vision God seated on His throne with the seraphim proclaiming ‘holy, holy, holy’…that Jesus our Lord prayed  ‘Holy Father’…that one of the seven angels praise Almighty God saying ‘You Who are and were ‘O Holy One.’  What a privilege that our Father…Who is in heaven…would allow us to come before Him and call Him ‘holy!’

After that we looked at the next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed important—‘Your Kingdom come.’  We considered the question, “What is the Kingdom?” by focusing on just two ways to understand what Jesus meant.  The first connotation that “Kingdom” has refers to the eternal Kingdom.  And then to understand “Kingdom” in another way, we looked specifically at Matthew chapter 13  where Jesus spoke in parables and used tangible examples to help His disciples (and us!) to understand the importance of having the Kingdom established in our hearts.  He wants you and me to be in that Kingdom along with Him.

The following week we focused on another aspect of Jesus’ instruction: ‘Your will be done.’  It is Almighty God’s will that we are to be concerned about…not our own.  We considered scripture after scripture and saw our Lord’s constant example showing that it was not His will that was important but His Father’s.  If it were ever possible for anyone to justifiably state and act on their own will, it would have been Jesus; true?  Jesus always desired His Father’s will, always sought His Father’s will, always purposed to know His Father’s will so that He always did His Father’s will.  And what did we find was His Father’s will?—salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ.  We were assured that at the very foundation of God’s will lies our hope, which is salvation through Jesus leading to eternal life.

And the next week we studied the phrase ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ from the perspective of our Lord’s life and ministry.  In John 6:38 we read that Jesus came down from heaven not to do His own will but to do the will of His Father on the earth.  Jesus was always the perfect example to His disciples, and of course, to us.  We, too, can live with that same heart as Jesus did.  God has promised to lead us, to guide us, to show us His Will.  We looked at a number of promises that God has given us regarding our knowing His will.  Jesus, Who knew His heavenly Father like no one else did, desired to do God’s will.  God’s perfect will.  He simply and clearly taught His disciples AND US to do the same. 

Last week we considered the phrase, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  We recognized that Jesus IS the ‘bread of life.”  We looked at John chapter 6 where Jesus spoke repeatedly about this.  We clearly saw Jesus’ heart of compassion, wanting them (and us!) to live forever by partaking of the Bread of Life—Himself—and receiving that blessing.  We also looked at  Jesus’ instruction that if they would pray, “give us this day our daily bread…” they would be humbly acknowledging that their heavenly Father already KNEW what their needs would be that day.  For us, just like Jesus’ disciples, it is when we recognize our immense need for God’s provision that we step back from trying to accomplish it (whatever ‘it’ may be for that day) and let the One Who has so much to give to us provide so perfectly for us!  Let’s remember: Jesus answered their plea to teach them to pray, and in the midst of that instruction, He directed them to pray, “give us this day our daily bread.”  Then, He gently reminded them that God already provided that daily bread for them!  (AND for us!)

Here in week eight, we are focusing on the next direction Jesus gave as He taught His disciples (and now us!) to pray.  It is the request to “…forgive us our debts.”

In Matthew chapter 18, Jesus addressed the issue of forgiveness in two different ways.  The first occurrence is recorded in verses 21,22:

“Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? [As many as] up to seven times?  Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven!”

Oh boy!  Can’t you just picture Peter’s jaw dropping?  I’m thinking that is not exactly the answer he imagined the Lord would give him, right?  But that was, and is, our Lord’s response.  Nothing has changed.  We, too, are to forgive “…seventy times seven…”  (In other words, just keep on forgiving!)

Jesus goes on to give further clarification and direction to Peter along with the other disciples about this important issue of forgiveness.   We are going to look at verses 21-35; you can either open your Bible, or follow this link to read this entire record.  <http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2018:23-35&version=AMP>

Jesus tells quite a story in this parable!  He hold nothing back in communicating that forgiveness, or the refusal to forgive, is an issue of the heart.  See how He portrays the king towards the man who owed him much money.

“And his master’s heart was moved with compassion, and he released him and forgave him [cancelling] the debt” (verse 27).

Wow!  This king was owed over 10,000 talents.  A talent was an amount of money used in Jesus’ day and time.  Biblical scholars do not agree on the total equivalent in today’s monetary value.  I’ve seen it quoted in the range of $10,000,000 to $3 billion.  But we can say with certainty that 10,000 talents was a vast amount of money to owe.  The king had every right and reason to imprison the man for his failure to repay.  He didn’t; he forgave him the entire debt out of a heart of compassion.  This is forgiveness.

As Jesus continues, He depicts this man (the servant) now going to his fellow attendant and demanding what was owed to him.  It is NOT with a similar attitude of forgiveness that he addresses his peer.  Rather, it is with a hardened, merciless heart that he refuses to forgive and, instead, he (the original, forgiven servant) has the man (his fellow attendant) thrown into prison until he can repay this small debt.

The record continues as we see the king (the master) call the first man back to him, and chastise him for being pitiless and merciless toward his fellow attendant.  The king then does have him thrown in jail because of his contemptible attitude and lack of forgiveness to his fellow attendant.

And then Jesus clearly states His second point.

“So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offenses” (verse 35).

God through Christ has forgiven us for so, SO much!  And He compassionately, mercifully, and lovingly continues to forgive us as we repent and ask.

Colossians 2:13,14

And you who were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (your sensuality, your sinful carnal nature), [God] brought to life together with [Christ], having [freely] forgiven us all our transgressions,

Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross.

Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So.  <3

—————————————————————–

This week, in our study A Daughter’s Worth, we have been focusing on family relationships and their importance in our growth as Christians.  Forgiveness is a foundational need among family members.  We have so much need to be continually forgiven, as well as we must extend much forgiveness to our parents and siblings.

Ask yourself:  ______ (insert your name here), how much worth do I have if God has so graciously and mercifully forgiven me for my sins?  How much worth do I have if  Jesus was willing to die for me so that I could have forgiveness of my sins?   <3

“…Forgive us our debts….”

****************************************************************

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

GCH: What’s on Your Plate? – Loaded Baked Potato Soup

November 12, 2012 by

Yum!  Who doesn’t enjoy a baked potato with all the fixin’s?!?  Just picture it!  What is your favorite topping?  I admit it—mine is bacon.  And even choosing just what to put on top…when my husband gets done “loading” his potato, it is a masterpiece (and he enjoys every bite)!

Healthy but oh-so-yummy Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Last winter a friend asked if I would include this soup on the menu for one of our soup nights.  I had never even heard of ‘Baked Potato Soup!’  Well, you can only imagine the variety of recipes to be found out on the internet!  Sadly, most I found were “loaded” with more than just yummy toppings!  They also were loaded with many more calories than I desired to serve to my husband and guests!

And that is how we get here to our healthy but oh so yummy version.  This recipe includes cauliflower.  Using cauliflower as a main ingredient does a number of things in a healthy but yummy way:

– provides our bodies with more veggies

– and for those of you trying to sneak veggies into your family’s repertoire…perfect!

– keeps the carb count down (approximately the same # of carbs in an entire head of cauliflower as in 1 russet potato)

– bulks up the soup so it is thick and creamy without the any of the usual additions

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

(makes approximately 5 cups; 4 servings)

soup:

2 medium-sized russet* potatoes, washed and dried

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1-1/2 cups chicken broth, or vegetable broth

1-1/2 cups 2% milk (warmed)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

toppings:

2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (you can use turkey bacon if you wish)

1/2 cup light sour cream

1 cup reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese

dried parsley

First get your baked potatoes going.  After scrubbing them, pierce potatoes with a fork in 4 or 5 places.  I prepared mine in the microwave oven (on high for 5 minutes; turn over and cook another 3-5 minutes, until tender).  Or, you can bake them at 400° for approximately 1 hour or until tender. Either way, when potatoes are done, cool for 10-15 minutes. Then they can be peeled and chopped.   This recipe is also a great way to use up leftover baked potatoes!

While the potatoes are cooking and cooling, you can prepare the other main ingredients.

Here’s how I cook bacon: I stack the slices and, using kitchen scissors, I cut it into approximately 1-1/2″ to 2″ pieces. I find that the bacon cooks much more quickly and evenly this way. Place the pieces into a COLD small frying pan, heat over medium heat.  Once the bacon starts frying, reduce the heat a bit and cook to the desired degree of doneness, keeping a careful eye so that it does not burn.  I like to cook bacon over a medium low heat so that most of the fat is rendered out.  Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove the bacon, leaving the drippings, and place onto a couple of paper towels to finish draining.  Set aside for topping the soup.

Now while the bacon is cooking, place the cut-up cauliflower into a medium-sized pot along with the broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then cover and simmer ‘til tender.  Do not drain.

Once cauliflower is cooked, add warmed milk and the chopped potatoes to the pot, and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer ‘til thoroughly heated, stirring once or twice; this will take just a couple of minutes.  Remove pot from heat.  Now you are going to puree (smooth out) the soup.  I use an immersion or stick blender** to puree.  Other options would be to use a potato masher, or to puree the soup in your blender.  You must be very careful doing it this way because it is hot! See below for tips (just ‘cause God loves you…we don’t want to see you get hurt!).  I like to leave a few pieces of cauliflower and potato for texture. Once pureed, place pot back on very low heat, add sour cream, half the parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper. cook on very low ‘til heated to your preference, stirring occasionally.

OK!  Time to “load” your potato soup!  Ladle soup into each bowl. Top each serving with cheese, a sprinkle of the remaining parsley, and crumbled bacon.  Healthy but oh so yummy!

_________________

God loves you!  And I do too!

<3 coleen

Notes and stuff!

*Russet potatoes are the quintessential “baking potato.”  They have a high starch content, and when baked, the insides are light and fluffy.

**Here is a link giving lots of info on immersion blenders, and a good review of a few options <http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment/overview.asp?docid=23596>

*** and a link to a quick tutorial on safely pureeing soups in your kitchen blender. Faithful Provisions is a great website for so many things! <http://faithfulprovisions.com/2011/10/26/how-to-puree-soup-in-a-blender/>

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Lord, Teach Us to Pray – Part 7

November 10, 2012 by

Today we continue a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray!  Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus’ disciples did — “Teach {me} to pray”?

Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray.  I believe that, as we continue to look at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we will develop into daughters who PRAY—who delight, yearn, love to pray to their Father.  This is my heart’s desire.

Jesus was asked this important question by His disciples. One of the places that it is recorded is in Luke 11, verse 1: “Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….”

Listen to the words that He spoke to them when they asked:

“Pray, therefore, like this:

Our Father

Who is in heaven,

hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts,

and have given up resentment against) our debtors.

And lead (bring) us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13

The first week, in this series, we focused on the very first, and most important aspect, of Jesus’ instruction—addressing God Almighty as “Our Father….” We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba Father!

The second week, we looked at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of  importance—”Who is in heaven.”  This attribute tells of the utmost importance of God Who is in heaven.  And we also were reminded of an awesome promise from God, that we will dwell for all eternity with Jesus and our Father, Who is in heaven.

Then we came to the third aspect, as we followed Jesus’ instruction,— “hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.”  And we looked at five examples in the Scriptures where Almighty God is described as holy: we saw the Psalmist proclaim that ‘You are holy’…that the prophet Habakkuk called Him ‘my Holy One’…that Isaiah saw in a vision God seated on His throne with the seraphim proclaiming ‘holy, holy, holy’…that Jesus our Lord prayed  ‘Holy Father’…that one of the seven angels praise Almighty God saying ‘You Who are and were ‘O Holy One.’  What a privilege that our Father…Who is in heaven…would allow us to come before Him and call Him ‘holy!’

After that we looked at the next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed important—‘Your Kingdom come.’  We considered the question, “What is the Kingdom?” by focusing on just two ways to understand what Jesus meant.  The first connotation that “Kingdom” has refers to the eternal Kingdom.  And then to understand “Kingdom” in another way, we looked specifically at Matthew chapter 13  where Jesus spoke in parables and used tangible examples to help His disciples (and us!) to understand the importance of having the Kingdom established in our hearts.  He wants you and me to be in that Kingdom along with Him.

The following week, we focused on the next aspect of Jesus’ instruction ‘Your will be done.’  It is Almighty God’s will that we are to be concerned about…not our own.  We continually saw Our Lord’s constant example that it was not His will that was important but His Father’s.   We looked at a number of records in the Scriptures which clearly spoke of Jesus’ great desire for His Father’s will.  If it were ever possible for anyone to justifiably state and act on their own will, it would have been Jesus; true?  We were reminded of the great humility and the beautiful love that He and His Father shared in Their relationship.  Jesus always desired His Father’s will, always sought His Father’s will, always purposed to know His Father’s will so that He always did His Father’s will.  And what did we find was His Father’s will?—salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ.  We were assured that at the very foundation of God’s will lies our hope, which is salvation through Jesus leading to eternal life.

And then last week we studied the phrase ‘

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” From the perspective of our Lord’s life and ministry.  In John 6:38 we read that Jesus came down from heaven not to do His own will but to do the will of His Father on the earth.  Jesus was always the perfect example to His disciples, and of course to us.  We, too, can live with that same heart as Jesus did.  God has promised to lead us, to guide us, to show us His Will.  We looked at a number of promises that God has given us regarding our knowing His will.  Jesus, Who knew His heavenly Father like no one else did, desired to do God’s will.  God’s perfect will.  He simply and clearly taught His disciples AND US to do the same.

Now this week we are considering the phrase, “Give us this day our daily bread.”  There are a number of connotations that I believe can be applied to understanding what Jesus was teaching them here.  The first would be to recognize that Jesus IS the ‘bread of life.”  In the sixth chapter of the book of John, He repeatedly helped them to understand the eternal importance of recognizing Him as the Sustainer of life—eternal life.  In verse 35 Jesus states,

“I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry, and he who believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me will never thirst any more (at any time).”

Further along in this record, He reiterates this statement and adds,

“I am the Bread of Life [that gives life—the Living Bread].  Your forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and [yet] they died.  [But] this is the Bread that comes down from heaven, so that [any]one may eat of it and never die.  I [Myself] am this Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever.”  (verses 48-51)

And He qualifies it even more by saying,

“Just as the living Father sent Me and I live by (through, because of) the Father, even so whoever continues to feed on Me [whoever takes Me for his food and is nourished by Me] shall [in his turn] live through and because of Me.  This is the Bread that came down from heaven. It is not like the manna which our forefathers ate, and yet died; he who takes this Bread for his food shall live forever.” (verses 57,58)

So we clearly see Jesus’ heart of compassion, wanting them to live forever by partaking of the Bread of Life—Himself—and receiving that blessing.  Jesus always knew His mission, “…this is the Bread that comes down from heaven, so that [any]one may eat of it and never die.  I [Myself] am this Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever…” (John 6:50, 51).

I think that when Jesus was addressing their desire to learn to pray, He focused on the basics: 1) recognizing God as their Father Who is in heaven and that He is holy; 2) asking for God’s Kingdom as well as His Will to be accomplished on earth and in heaven; and 3) acknowledging need of their daily bread.

Immediately before giving them this beautiful sample (Matthew 6) of how to pray, Jesus was talking to them about how not to pray(verses 1-7), and was using the prayers of the Pharisees as a ‘bad’ example.  He encourages them in verse 8, saying,

“Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

THIS is the essence of Jesus’ instruction.  If they would pray, “give us this day our daily bread…” they would be humbly acknowledging that their heavenly Father already KNEW what their needs would be that day.  For us, just like Jesus’ disciples, it is when we recognize our immense need for God’s provision that we step back from trying to accomplish it (whatever ‘it’ may be for that day) and let the One Who has so much to give to us provide so perfectly for us!

Further along in this chapter, immediately following Jesus’ teaching them HOW to pray, He also reminds them of how WELL their Father in heaven takes care of them.

“Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, or  about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (verses 25-26)

For our practical application, let’s remember: Jesus answered their plea to teach them to pray, and in the midst of that instruction, He directed them to pray, “give us this day our daily bread.”  Then, He gently reminded them that God already provided that daily bread for them!  (AND for us!)

“Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear?

For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all.” (verses 31, 32)

God, our heavenly Father, Who is  Holy, knows our need AND has already provided for  our need, gives us our daily bread.  And the reason is…  Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So.  <3

—————————————————————–

This week , in our study A Daughter’s Worth, we have been looking at the importance of having godly friends along with being a godly friend.  This is another oh-so-important daily need of ours!  Having Christian relationships and friends who hold us accountable, and build us up, and forgive us when we are wrong, and bring out the best in us as we share our hearts on spiritual matters and God’s goodness is vital to living well as a Christian!  And God has graciously provided for this in our lives, too.

Ask yourself:  ______ (insert your name here), how much worth do I have knowing  that  my “heavenly Father knows well my needs” and provides for them all?  <3

“…Give us this day our daily bread….”

______________________________________________

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

GCH:What’s on Your Plate? – Mac and Cheese

November 5, 2012 by

Coleen’s Mac & Cheese

Mac and Cheese.  C’mon, who does not like mac and cheese?  I read a poll, and Mac and Cheese was voted overwhelmingly as ‘favorite comfort food!’  Now I am hoping that your favorite version doesn’t come out of a blue box. 😉   But, if it does, perhaps you might try my version and see if it does not convince you to try it versus the blue box, in the future.

This version of Mac & Cheese has lots of veggies hidden in there.  Some of the pasta is made with pureed carrots and tomatoes, and there is butternut squash throughout the cheese sauce.  I love this because it makes the cheese sauce even more colorful causing the eaters to ‘think’ it is more cheesy!  Also, there is only 6 ounces of shredded cheese in the whole dish which helps to ‘healthify’ this recipe.

Have you ever made a white, or Bechamel, sauce?  Well, today you will!  It is very easy, and a great technique to add to your repertoire!  In a future post, I will share some recipes that need a white sauce and by then you will be a pro at making it!

The following recipe makes an abundantly filled 9×13 pan…enough to feed 6-8 hungry folks.  (or, if you have a husband who LOVES leftovers like mine, lunch for 2-3 days.)  This recipe is easily doubled, and I always make a double batch.  A menu suggestion: M&C, steamed broccoli, grilled ham steak.  a big, delicious salad is often our only accompaniment.

Macaroni:
1# box small macaroni (shells, penne)
12-oz box veggie pasta (I used penne made with carrots and tomato) *

Cheese Sauce:
1/2 small onion, diced
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 cup 2 percent milk
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash, thawed
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
4-oz sharp Cheddar, shredded (about 1+1/3 cup)
2-oz Monterey jack cheese, shredded (about 2/3 cup)
1 tsp salt, 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp ground (dry) mustard

Topping:
2 slices stale bread, crumbled into fine crumbs
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp olive oil

Pre-heat your oven to 375.  Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with small amount of  butter.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add 1 tsp of salt and the macaroni;  cook  according to package directions.  Drain in a colander and place back into the  cooled pot (this is where you will mix the macaroni and all that cheesy goodness together!)

Meanwhile, over medium heat, melt the butter in a medium saucepan, adding the  diced onion. Cook ‘til the onion is soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes.  Then sprinkle the flour over the cooked onion and, using a whisk, stir constantly for  1 minute.  Adjust the heat to very low, and cook for 2-3 minutes to get the starchy taste out of the mixture.  Do not let the mixture brown.

Increase the heat back to  medium and immediately slowly pour in 1/4 cup or so of milk while whisking briskly.  Just keep stirring!  As this is absorbed, continue to slowly add the balance of the  milk in a steady stream, followed by the broth; stirring constantly as the liquid  becomes absorbed.  This will take about 3 minutes.  Adjust the heat lower again and  let this mixture simmer slowly for another 5  minutes, stirring occasionally.  (You  have now made a white sauce!! Congratulations!!!)

At this point, add in the thawed  butternut squash, stirring ‘til it is incorporated, allowing the mixture to come back  to a simmer.  Remove the saucepan from the heat.  Stir in the ricotta, and the  other cheeses, along with the ground mustard, salt & pepper.  Carefully taste (it’s hot!) the  cheese sauce, adjusting for seasoning.

Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni in the large pot and stir gently to combine.  Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the 9×13 baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Adjust the top rack in the oven to a higher position, and turn  the broiler on.  Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil in a small bowl.  Mix with your fingers; get a little messy!  Then sprinkle over the top of the cooked  mac and cheese.  Carefully place the baking dish back in the oven and broil for 3  minutes.  Keep your eye on it; you want the breadcrumbs to brown but not burn and  for some of the macaroni to get just a little crispy (my husband loves that part!).  Again, carefully remove from the oven…and you are ready to serve!

*here is a link to the type of veggie macaroni I used.  Check it out!

http://barilla.com/content/prodottobarilla/veggie-penne-freshly-pureed-tomatoes-and-carrots

God loves you…and I do, too! <3

Coleen

 

______________

 

Are you interested in joining us for one of our Women’s or Teens Online Bible Studies?  Click HERE for more details, and to sign up!

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lord, Teach Us to Pray: Part 6

November 3, 2012 by

Today we continue a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray!  Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus’ disciples did — “Teach {me} to pray”?

Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray.  I believe that, as we continue to look at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we will develop into daughters who PRAY—who delight, yearn, love to pray to their Father.  This is my heart’s desire.

Jesus was asked this important question by His disciples. One of the places that it is recorded is in Luke 11, verse 1: “Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….”

Listen to the words that He spoke to them when they asked:

Pray, therefore, like this:

Our Father

Who is in heaven,

hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts,

and have given up resentment against) our debtors.

And lead (bring) us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13

The first week, in this series, we focused on the very first, and most important aspect, of Jesus’ instruction—addressing God Almighty as “Our Father….” We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba Father!

The second week, we looked at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of  importance—”Who is in heaven.”  This attribute tells of the utmost importance of God Who is in heaven.  And we also were reminded of an awesome promise from God, that we will dwell for all eternity with Jesus and our Father, Who is in heaven.

Then we came to the third aspect, as we followed Jesus’ instruction,— “hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.”  And we looked at five examples in the Scriptures where Almighty God is described as holy: we saw the Psalmist proclaim that ‘You are holy’…that the prophet Habakkuk called Him ‘my Holy One’…that Isaiah saw in a vision God seated on His throne with the seraphim proclaiming ‘holy, holy, holy’…that Jesus our Lord prayed  ‘Holy Father’…that one of the seven angels praise Almighty God saying ‘You Who are and were ‘O Holy One.’  What a privilege that our Father…Who is in heaven…would allow us to come before Him and call Him ‘holy!’

The following week we looked at the next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed important— “Your Kingdom come.”  We considered the question, “What is the ‘Kingdom’? by focusing on just two ways to understand what Jesus meant.  The first connotation that “Kingdom” has refers to the eternal Kingdom.  And then to understand “Kingdom” in another way, we looked specifically at the 13th chapter of the book of Matthew where Jesus spoke in parables and used tangible examples to help His disciples (and us!) to understand the importance of having ‘the Kingdom’ established in our hearts. .He wants you and me to be in that Kingdom along with Him.

Last week, we focused on the next aspect of Jesus’ instruction ‘Your will be done.’  It is Almighty God’s will that we are to be concerned about…not our own.  We continually saw Our Lord’s constant example that it was not His will that was important but His Father’s.   We looked at number of records in the Scriptures which clearly spoke of Jesus’ great desire for His Father’s will.  If it were ever possible for anyone to justifiably state and act on their own will, it would have been Jesus; true?  We were reminded of the great humility and the beautiful love that He and His Father shared in Their relationship.  Jesus always desired His Father’s will, always sought His Father’s will, always purposed to know His Father’s will so that He always did His Father’s will.  And what did we find was His Father’s will?—salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ.  We were assured that at the very foundation of God’s will lies our hope, which is salvation through Jesus leading to eternal life.

Now in this sixth week of wanting our Lord to teach us to pray, we come to the phrase “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  There are a few different avenues of approach to understanding the meaning of this phrase.  But, as always  Jesus gives the very best, the simplest understanding.  In John 6:38 we read,

“For I have come down from heaven not to do My own will and purpose but to do the will and purpose of Him Who sent Me.”

Clearly Jesus states the essence of today’s study.  He was coming to earth from  heaven to do His Father’s will.  Jesus always exemplified the type of heart and behavior that He was teaching to His disciples.  He taught them so much by example.  So, it makes sense that when He was teaching them how to pray, He would include this critical aspect.  The disciples probably had no true concept of what ‘come down from heaven’ really meant.  But they were convinced that what Jesus taught them was of vital importance.  As we, too, should be convinced.

We, too, can live with that same heart as Jesus did.  God has promised to lead us, to guide us, to show us His Will.  The following are just a few of the many, many promises God has given us regarding our knowing His will.

Proverbs 3:5,6

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

Psalms 32:8

I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

Romans 12:2

…But be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

James 1:5

If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and begrudgingly, without reproaching or fault-finding, and it will be given him.

Jesus, Who knew His heavenly Father like no one else did, desired to do God’s will.  God’s perfect will.  He simply and clearly taught His disciples AND US to do the same.

How thankful are we to know that?  Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So.  <3

—————————————————————–

This week , in our study A Daughter’s Worth, we have examined some negative and positive emotions, and focused on the truth of knowing God’s will in each of those areas: that when we are disappointed, it is God’s will to help; when we have anxiety, it is God’s will that we give Him our concerns because He cares for us; when we allow jealousy in by having an ungrateful heart, that it is God’s will for us to be thankful; that when we experience confusion in our relationships, it is God’s will for us to reconcile and to have peace.

Ask yourself:  ______ (insert your name here), how much worth do I have if my heavenly Father—Almighty God—desires to show me His will?  <3

“…Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven...”

_________________________________________________

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lord Teach Us to Pray: Part 5

October 27, 2012 by

Today we continue a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray! Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus’ disciples did — ”Teach {me} to pray”?

 

Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray. I believe that, as we continue to look at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we will develop into daughters who PRAY—who delight, yearn, and love to pray to their Father. This is my heart’s desire.

Jesus was asked this important question by His disciples. One of the places that it is recorded is in Luke 11, verse 1: “Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….” Listen to the words that He spoke to them when they asked:

Pray, therefore, like this:
Our Father
Who is in heaven,
hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts,
and have given up resentment against) our debtors.
And lead (bring) us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13

 

The first week, in this series, we focused on the very first, and most important aspect, of Jesus’ instruction—addressing God Almighty as “Our Father….” We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba Father!

The second week, we looked at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of importance—“Who is in heaven.” This attribute tells of the utmost importance of God Who is in heaven. And we also were reminded of an awesome promise from God, that we will dwell for all eternity with Jesus and our Father, Who is in heaven.

Then we came to the third aspect, as we followed Jesus’ instruction,— “hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.” And we looked at five examples in the Scriptures where Almighty God is described as holy: we saw the Psalmist proclaim that ‘You are holy’…that the prophet Habakkuk called Him ‘my Holy One’…that Isaiah saw in a vision God seated on His throne with the seraphim proclaiming ‘holy, holy, holy’…that Jesus our Lord prayed ‘Holy Father’…that one of the seven angels praise Almighty God saying ‘You Who are and were ‘O Holy One.’ What a privilege that our Father…Who is in heaven…would allow us to come before Him and call Him ‘holy!’

And last week we looked at the next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed important— ‘Your Kingdom come.’ We considered the question, “What is the ‘Kingdom’? by focusing on just two ways to understand what Jesus meant. The first connotation that “Kingdom” has refers to the eternal Kingdom, commonly understood as Heaven, where God and Jesus dwell. Our Lord communicated in His instruction to constantly have the attitude of heart of yearning for that time when the Kingdom comes! And, oh, don’t we long to live for eternity in that heavenly Kingdom!!! And then to understand “Kingdom” in another way, we looked specifically at the 13th chapter of the book of Matthew where Jesus spoke in parables and used tangible examples to help His disciples (and us!) to understand the importance of having ‘the Kingdom’ established in our hearts. Our desire is for Jesus’ words to be at the center of our heart, the focus of our pure living, the impetus for our choosing His ways over the ways, the cares, the pleasures of the world. The kingdom of heaven is of great and precious value; Jesus wanted them (and us!) to know this. Our Lord’s strong desire is for us to have Him, the King, ruling in our hearts and that a lifestyle of that will allow us entrance in the future to eternity, in the Kingdom, with Him and Almighty God. Jesus, Who God has made to be King of our lives, wants us to thoroughly understand the TRUTH about the Kingdom…He wants you and me to be in that Kingdom along with Him.

Now, we are learning about the next aspect of Jesus’ instruction—‘Your will be done— during this fifth week of our study. It is Almighty God’s will that we are to be concerned about…not our own. We continually see Our Lord’s constant example that it was not His will that was important but His Father’s.

“I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord—but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear, I judge [I decide as I am bidden to decide. As the voice comes to Me, so I give a decision], and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me” (John 5:30).

If it were ever possible for anyone to justifiably state and act on their own will, it would have been Jesus; true? Here we see the great humility He had before His Father. As well as the beautiful love that He and His Father shared in their relationship. Jesus always desired His Father’s will, always sought His Father’s will, always purposed to know His Father’s will so that He always did His Father’s will.

“For I have come down from heaven not to do My own will and purpose but to do the will and purpose of Him Who sent Me” (John 6:38).

And what IS His Father’s will? Listen as this record continues…

“And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new life and raise [them all] up at the last day.
For this is My Father’s will and His purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day” (verses 39,40).

We are made aware of a primary aspect of God’s will: salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ. And we are assured that at the very foundation of God’s will lies our hope, which is salvation through Jesus leading to eternal life. How thankful are we to know that? Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So. < 3
—————————————————————–
This week , in our study A Daughter’s Worth, we have read about knowing when and how to defend our faith; knowing about choosing our words; knowing what to/not to wear; knowing how to direct and order our steps; knowing to work hard, and why. And now we can add, knowing God’s will.

 

Ask yourself: ______ (insert your name here), how much worth do I have knowing that it was God’s will to send Jesus to be my Savior, my Redeemer and God’s will to give me new life in Christ Jesus my Lord! And that it was Jesus’ will to always do the will of His Father! <3

“…Your will be done…”

Crank it up! <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70qxTWhltBc>

With love,

Coleen <3

___________________________________

For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Lord Teach Us To Pray: Part 4

October 20, 2012 by

Today we continue a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray! Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus’ disciples did — ”Teach {me} to pray”?

Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that—teach us to pray. I believe that, as we continue to look at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we will develop into daughters who pray—who delight, yearn, love to pray to their Father. This is my heart’s desire.

Jesus was asked this important question by His disciples. One of the places that it is recorded is in Luke 11, verse 1: “Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….” Listen to the words that He spoke to them when they asked:

Pray, therefore, like this:

Our Father
Who is in heaven,
hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts,
and have given up resentment against) our debtors.
And lead (bring) us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13

The first week, in this series, we focused on the very first, and most important aspect, of Jesus’ instruction—addressing God Almighty as “Our Father….” We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba Father!

The second week, we looked at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of importance—“Who is in heaven.” This attribute tells of the utmost importance of Who God is…He is in heaven. And we also were reminded of an awesome promise from God, that we will dwell for all eternity with Jesus and our Father, Who is in heaven.
Last week, as we followed Jesus’ instruction, we came to the third aspect referring to Almighty God— “hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.” We looked at one definition of holy: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness And we looked at five examples in the Scriptures where we saw the Almighty God, ascribed by the Psalmist as ‘You are holy’…that the prophet Habakkuk called Him ‘my Holy One’…that Isaiah saw in a vision God seated on His throne with the seraphim proclaiming ‘holy, holy, holy’…that Jesus our Lord prayed ‘Holy Father’…that one of the seven angels praise Almighty God saying ‘You Who are and were ‘O Holy One.’ There is no doubt Who each of these examples is speaking about—our Father. What a privilege that our Father…Who is in heaven…would allow us to come before Him and call Him ‘holy!’

***************************

Now here we are, this fourth week, looking at the next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed important— ‘Your Kingdom come.’ We, of course, need to ask the question, “What is the Kingdom?” I believe it is represented in two distinct ways in the Scriptures. There are more than 125 references in the New Testament alone to “Kingdom.”

The first connotation that “Kingdom” has would be in reference to the eternal Kingdom, commonly understood as Heaven, where God and Jesus dwell. Jesus had already taught the disciples the proper and respectful attitude toward God Almighty when He brought attention to ‘our Father, Who is in heaven…’ Throughout the Bible much is spoken of (especially in the books of Isaiah and Revelations) about Heaven, or as we are discussing here, God’s Kingdom. This is one of the things I believe our Lord communicates in the Lord’s Prayer—to constantly have that attitude of heart as we pray to be yearning for that time when the Kingdom comes! And, oh, don’t we long to live for eternity in that heavenly Kingdom ?!!!

Which bring us to another understanding of “Kingdom.” There are a number of records in the Gospels that show us Jesus’ great desire to give us understanding about the Kingdom. (You can use a Bible search engine and do a short study to help you get a better grasp on this; I use <biblegateway.com>). We are going to focus today on just one time that Jesus was teaching about His Kingdom.

In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus spent the day, sitting on the shore and finally, because the crowds listening had grown so large, sitting off-shore a bit in a boat, teaching and sharing about the Kingdom. During this time, He spoke a parable to them about the Kingdom comparing it to a sower and his seed (verses 2-9). He spoke another parable to them about the Kingdom relating it to a grain of mustard seed and how it grows (verses 31, 32). He then told them another parable about the Kingdom comparing it to the leaven used in baking bread (verse 33). Finally, He withdrew along with His disciples and talked with them continuing to help them to understand the parables. However, while still with the crowds, Jesus began to answer privately their questions.

verses 10-13:
“Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables?
And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is the reason that I speak to them in parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand.”

And He explained a parable, verses 18-23:

“Listen then to the [meaning of the] parable of the sower:
While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside.
As for what was sown on thin (rocky) soil, this is he who hears the Word and at once welcomes and accepts it with joy;
Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little while); and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble [he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey] and he falls away.
As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure and delight and glamour and deceitfulness of riches choke and suffocate the Word, and it yields no fruit.
As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps and comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred times as much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty.”

Don’t you just love the heart and compassion and attention that our Lord gave to his disciples (and us!) as He explained. The subject over and over is the Kingdom. But He uses tangible examples to help them and us to understand the importance of having ‘the Kingdom’ established in our hearts. Our desire is for Jesus’ words to be at the center of our heart, the focus of our pure living, the impetus for our choosing His ways over the ways, the cares, the pleasures of the world. Further on He uses other examples through parables to explain about the Kingdom.

verses 44-51
The kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field.
Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and precious pearls,
Who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet which was cast into the sea and gathered in fish of every sort.
When it was full, men dragged it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted out the good fish into baskets, but the worthless ones they threw away.
So it will be at the close and consummation of the age. The angels will go forth and separate the wicked from the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God)
And cast them [the wicked] into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth.
Have you understood all these things [parables] taken together? They said to Him, Yes, Lord.

verse 53: “When Jesus had finished these parables (these comparisons), He left there.”

The kingdom of heaven is of great and precious value; Jesus wanted them to know and realize this. Our Lord’s strong desire is for us to have Him, the King, ruling in our hearts and that a lifestyle of that will allow us entrance in the future to eternity, in the Kingdom, with Him and Almighty God.

Jesus, Who God has made to be King of our lives, wants us to thoroughly understand the TRUTH about the Kingdom…He wants you and me to be in that Kingdom along with Him… Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So. < 3

—————————————————————–
This week we have talked and talked about fully embracing how beautiful we ARE: because I am who God made me to be; believing the TRUTH not the lies; holding in our minds that truth and not allowing the world’s viewpoint to color our thinking; that who we are in Christ makes us SO beautiful; that our eternal VALUE–it makes us beautiful! As I have reconsidered the value of who God made me (and you!) to be, and I think on these truths, and I recognize that I am beautiful in light of this, it has reminded me that I have value and I am beautiful inside&out because Jesus IS my Lord, my King, and that I have His Kingdom NOW reigning in my heart. And YOU, my sister, too!

So let’s embrace this truth…ask yourself: How much worth, ______ (insert your name here), do I have if Jesus, as King, wants to reign in my heart? My heart…His home! Truly, how beautiful and valuable am I to my Lord and my God…I can only imagine! <3

“…Your Kingdom Come..”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_OB7d-B1Vw

Grace, mercy, and peace to you
from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ

with love,
coleen

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For the A Daughter’s Worth Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We’ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter’s Worth! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Balsamic Glazed Turkey Meatloaf

September 16, 2012 by

This week’s edition of ‘healthy…but oh-so-yummy!’ centers on another comfort food— meatloaf.  The way we have upped the healthy quotient is to use ground turkey along with <shhhh!> sliding in some veggies, like zucchini, mushrooms and onion. Also, this recipe works for gluten-free eaters as the bread crumbs are eliminated and instant mashed potatoes are substituted!   This might be a good recipe for the NON-mushroom lovers to try ‘cause you will never be able to detect them in the final product!  Balsamic Glazed Turkey Meatloaf  is also low in fat, high in protein, and simply delicious!   I almost always double this recipe ‘cause the leftovers make a great meatloaf sandwich.  Enjoy!

Balsamic Glazed Turkey Meatloaf

2012-11-27 19.17.58

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small zucchini

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms 2012-12-02 02.31.17

1 small onion

3 tablespoons chopped garlic in oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

1 pound ground turkey (15% fat)

1 pound ground turkey breast (7-10% fat)

1 cup instant mashed potatoes

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup ketchup, divided

3 tablespoons prepared mustard

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (alternately, I use 1 tablespoon molassses)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a small roasting pan with foil.

Cut up the vegetables into a “small dice”-size, approximately 1/4″ cube (or use a food processor to chop them). Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.

Add the zucchini, mushrooms, and onions sauteing for 4-5 minutes; take care not to allow them to burn.

Add chopped garlic, reduce heat to low and saute for 2 more minutes.

Remove pan from heat, season well with salt & pepper; set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg and herbs in a large bowl.

Stir in the parmesan, 1/4 cup ketchup,  mustard, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar.

Add the cooled vegetables; mix until just combined.

Crumble the ground turkey over the mixture in bowl and add the instant mashed potatoes.

Using care to not overmix, combine all the ingredients.

Pour the mixture onto the foil-lined pan, and shape into a rectangle (or you could use a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan).

Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and the brown sugar/molasses  in a small bowl; brush the mixture over the entire loaf.

Bake for 1 to 1-1/4 hours.  Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Our menu this night included cauliflower mash (“mock” mashed potatoes), steamed broccoli and rosemary bread.  here is a good recipe for the mock mashed potatoes  to try:  <http://laurasglutenfreepantry.com/2012/08/mock-mashed-potatoes-nightshade-free-dairy-free-option.html> <3

God loves you !

And I do, too.

Coleen

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Coleen’s Journey to GCH:decaf!

September 15, 2012 by

Introducing……

GCH: decaf blogger Coleen Hayden

I love this J.J. Heller song.  Take a listen…or sing along.  Wait!  Maybe you should get a tissue or two first…you ARE going to cry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Kf51ulLEM

Who will love me for me

Not for what i have done or what i will become

Who will love me for me

‘Cause nobody has shown me what love

What love really means

 

<Big sigh!>  wiping away the tears that have splashed onto the keyboard, I pray, “Please, Lord, help me to love ’em!  Please give me YOUR heart!  Lord, please show me how!”

…and I struggle, wondering how I can possibly help a girl living in Montana trying to maintain her purity. “What can *I* really do,” I thought, “for a teenager in Texas who really doesn’t think she is smart enough to pursue honors classes and go to college?”  How can I even begin to be Jesus’ hands and feet to a young lady in Virginia whose parents are divorcing and her heart is being torn apart?  I don’t know how to even start to help a girl in LA see her beautiful self through God’s eyes not the world’s viewpoint… and what do *I* possibly have to say that could bring peace to the heart of a teenager in New Jersey, where gangs and violence make her scared to go to school?

 

Then I remember… I can PRAY!!! For them, with them, over them, and I can show them in the Scriptures that THEY have access to their heavenly Father.  I can teach them how to lay down their worries, fears, cares, and concerns at the feet of Jesus.  I can help them to recognize that God is always listening. I can inspire them to believe that God hears and answers.  I can encourage them to voice their own prayers…simply and with faith.  And, even from a distance, I can pray with them and show them God’s love. This, THIS is why I have committed to GCH: decaf.

 

Thousands of girls all over the world have hearts that yearn to feel safe; to be cared for and wanted ‘just because’ They want to be filled with peace & joy, they desire to feel pretty, and they need to know that who they are is enough.  I know Who knows exactly how to meet their need—my Lord, Jesus Christ. All that they need, want, yearn for, and desire can be met through Jesus Christ. He is the only Way to His Father, the Almighty God.  GCH: decaf is a place to come and meet my Savior, to learn about Him and His Father, to find a relationship with Jesus.  And, if you are privileged to already know this awesome Jesus…to build on and grow in and thrive in your relationship with Him!

 

Perhaps GCH: decaf is the place where you, if that is your heart, can come and be encouraged.  Maybe Girlfriends Coffee Hour is the place where moms and daughters can have a meeting place where they can grow together.  Possibly GCH: decaf is where you will learn about God’s love and all that He provided when He sent His Son to die for all mankind.  GCH: decaf, for me, is where love and compassion and acceptance are found.  Come visit us at GCH: decaf and see if you agree.

 

My name is Coleen Hayden and, with God in Christ in me, I will…

 

Love you for y.o.u…..

Not for what you have done…or have not done

Not for what you will–or won’t–become

I will love YOU just simply because you’re YOU

and, by God’s grace,

we will each be reminded of what love…what love REALLY means.

God loves you…and I do, too. <3

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Please “like” our Facebook Community page here to stay up-to-date on all we are doing for teens over here at GCH: decaf: https://www.facebook.com/GCHdecaf.

Be sure to email our lead barista, Megan, if you would like to join a small group or if you have any questions about the study or this ministry. She would love to hear from you!  Teens@girlfriendscoffeehour.com .

Our first study will start October 1st!  We will be studying A Daughter’s Worth by Ava Sturgeon.

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Coleen Hayden enjoys the privilege of being a housewife.  She and Robert have been married for 18 years and currently live in the Capital District area of New York state. They have one beautiful daughter, Kassia, who is married to the best son-in-law, Matt, and their marriage has produced 3 sweet grandchildren—Elijah, Kaylie Joy, and Levi.  They thankfully live close to these sweethearts and spend much joyful time together.  Her extended family includes 7 siblings and their spouses, 19 nieces/nephews, her mom, dad and step-mom, and her step-granny.

Coleen has a testimony of God’s awesome grace & mercy towards her when Jesus captured her heart 31 years ago.  She was an unwed soon-to-be mother with little hope, but God had a plan for her life and made a way for her and drew her to Him.  She is still growing and changing and, by God’s grace, becoming more like the image of God that He made her to be.

The Haydens have led a home Bible fellowship each week for over 5 years.  The folks who join them share a meal, Bible study, sing praises to God and pray for one another. Coleen also facilitates a womens’ small group which meets in her home.

Coleen has been blessed by God with gifts of intercession, hospitality, and encouragment.  There is not too much that makes her happier than living out Titus 2:4. Well, maybe her grandbabies…. 🙂

Coleen and Robert are thankful that God has allowed them to minister together through praise & worship.

Coleen’s hobbies include sewing, cooking, and playing the piano…. and if you need someone to pray with, she would love to do so!

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As you can imagine, we are so happy to have Coleen working with us on our Leadership Team AND with your precious daughters! Please take a moment to leave her a comment and let her know how happy you are that she is answering God’s call!

Filed Under: Teens Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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