May 5, 2026

The Five B’s: Butternut, Brussels Sprouts, Baby Bellas, Bacon, and Balsamic

November 11, 2013 by

2013-11-06 18.45.34

 

Raise your hand, please, if you—like me—are planning out and testing recipes to serve at your Thanksgiving Day meal!  Over the next few weeks, both here on the blog and also over in our FaceBook GCH-Fellowship page, we will be chatting about recipes for the big feast.  Last Friday, Dana shared that “…it is always good to have a couple of side dish recipes in mind.”  She gave us her recipe for a delicious-looking side dish salad here on the At Home with GCH blog.

So today I am giving you a recipe entitled The Five B’s: bacon (yum!), butternut (oh, yum!), brussels sprouts (yumm-o!), baby bellas (yum-yum!) and balsamic (yummy!)….silly, I know.  But seriously, consider trying this as a side dish for your Thanksgiving feast!  Easy to prepare (the veggies can be prepped the day before).  And the prepared dish can be popped into the oven the moment you take the bird out!  It will be done and piping hot when your bird has finished resting and been carved.  This dish definitely fits into our healthy but oh-so-yummy point of view!  Enjoy!

2013-11-06 18.45.52

Five B’s: Butternut, Brussels Sprouts, Baby Bellas, Bacon and Balsamic

Ingredients:

3-4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2# thickly sliced bacon, chopped
1+1/2# Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 medium-large butternut squash, cleaned and cubed
8 ounce container Baby Bellas, cleaned and quartered
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup (the REAL stuff, please!)
1+1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
pinch fresh grated nutmeg

Preparation:

  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • In a medium-sized saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook 8-10 minutes ‘til crispy. Lay out on a paper towel to drain; set aside.
  • Lightly oil a large sheet pan (or two!) with olive oil.
  • In a very large bowl, or stockpot, pour in the prepared veggies…Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, Baby Bella mushrooms…along with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil; stir well to evenly disperse the oil and season well with salt & pepper.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, additional 1 tablespoon olive oil, and maple syrup. Drizzle this mixture over the vegetables and toss so that they are evenly coated.
  • Spread out vegetables in a single layer (very important!) in the pan(s); sprinkle with salt, pepper, allspice and nutmeg.
  • Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes; carefully remove pan(s) stir and flip over the veggies so that the other side can caramelize. Place back in over and continue to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or ‘til the veggies are slightly brown and caramelized.
  • Remove from oven and, just before serving, top with crumbled bacon

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

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16 Day Love Challenge: Chapter 6 – Love Is Not Rude

November 11, 2013 by

16daylovechallengeloveisnotrude

“Oh, dear Lord, please forgive me!” were my words when I looked at that list of adjectives that Rebecca used to define the word, rude. “Lord, I am so deeply convicted in my heart! Not only have at least one of those words been directed towards me but I clearly recognize more than one that can describe my behavior at times!  Please forgive me, Lord!  I so want to be loving…and that my love can speak of just Who You are!  And, Lord, I realize that sometimes I think these things in my heart—not necessarily out loud.  Please help me to not be a hypocrite.   Change my heart, please God…please help me to change my heart!  I need You…in Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

Love is not…rude
1 Corinthians 13:5

Well now, THAT had to happen first.  How about you?  Might I ask if any of you had a similar response of crying out to God, seeking His forgiveness, His mercy, His help as you recognized the sin of being rude?  Oh, how easily it happens…but that is not an excuse. We have the ability to love as Jesus loved.  Our Lord made it clear to His disciples (and us who followed!) that love was the standard.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another:
just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
By this all people will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another.
John 13:34 and 35 ESV

And, Paul and John (both of whom clearly lived in submission to Jesus), themselves wrote about the need for Christians to love.

Owe no one anything, except to love each other
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:8

Little children, let us not love <merely> in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
By this we shall know that we are of the Truth and reassure our heart before Him;
1 John 3:18 and 19 <addition mine>

My granddaughter, Kaylie Joy, and I were talking about rudeness and what it means. After talking together and my relating to her a few Scriptures, she said to me, “TaTa, then being rude means not caring about somebody else’s feelings…and being mean, too!” There it is!  Rudeness thinks about me…while love thinks about others.  If we love others the way that Jesus loved while He was here on this earth then we will not be thinking about ourselves.  We will not be impatient, or unkind, or envious, or boastful, or proud—all the things we talked about last week.

I encourage you to take Rebecca’s challenge to heart today…perhaps right now. We have a loving heavenly Father Who never withholds His forgiveness when we ask. He will guide you and help you, giving you wisdom and courage to truly be loving and seek the forgiveness of others you may have sinned against by being rude. (And, if I can be of any help to you…perhaps pray with you as you handle this matter…please message me; I would love to walk through this with you!) <3

* * * * *

Lord, we thank You for the blessing of Cherie and Rebecca, and their obedience to the Holy Spirit in the writing of this beautiful book.  Thank You for working in them to hold a standard up to us that cannot be denied—all that LOVE truly is (and is not)!  We are so thankful for their willingness to write and say the hard things that would confront and challenge Your daughters who would read this book.  Bless them for their obedience, Lord!
And, Lord Jesus, please continue to work a work in our hearts to rise up to this higher standard of LOVE that You set for Your followers.  Father, we thank You for Your forgiveness where we have sinned; we thank You for Your help in changing our hearts. You are so good to us…we love You!  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.

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You Are My Hiding Place

November 8, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
Psalm 32:7

Sometimes we find ourselves in the place where we want to hide…to be in a secret spot…away from trouble and strife. At those times, it is best not to run and isolate; and try to be alone. It is best to seek our God.

Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me,
and I will hear and heed you.
Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity]
and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:12 and 13

To know God’s promises brings such peace and comfort to our minds, does it not? Here we read of His particular promise to hear when we call and His promise to be found when we seek Him. His promise to us (to me and you!) is so simple! Listen…

my part: call upon Him…seek Him with my whole heart
His part: He will hear and heed…He will be found

The psalmist surely understood these promises! David was chased, hunted down by Saul and his army. He had to hide in caves and amongst the rocks on the cliffs. He was all alone during most of this time…alone—except for the abiding Presence of his God! David knew that his God would hide him.

For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter;
in the secret place of His tent will He hide me;
He will set me high upon a rock.
Psalm 27:5

For David this was literally true. For us, however, most of our ‘hiding’ is not out in the wilderness. Our hiding is in plain sight—we hide our hearts, our feelings, our thoughts. But we can turn to the One Who loves us so and seek Him.  And when we do, He will be found.  And He will hide us in His shelter.

Think back…maybe you don’t need to go too far into your memories…to a time when you called out to your heavenly Father and sought Him with all your heart. When, perhaps, you were going through a situation and you needed His protection over your heart. When He heard you…and was found by you…and He hid you (your feelings, your thoughts, your heart). How did you feel then? Did you have that “…peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, <which> will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus?” (Philippians 4:7) I trust you did!

And so I encourage you, my friends, cling to His promises and purposefully take a stand on them!  He will hide you!  Trust Him knowing that,

I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Psalms 27:13 and 14

* * * * *

Lord, thank You for Your promises!  thank You for Your love!  thank You for the joy of knowing You will hide us!  thank You for the peace we have that is beyond our ablity to understand…but we do trust You and we do believe!!!  thank You in Jesus’ name.  amen.

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16 Day Love Challenge: Chapter 5 – Love is not Proud

November 8, 2013 by

16daylovechallenge5fridaypride

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
1 Corinthians 13:4

In this verse, we are first told a bit about what LOVE is—LOVE is patient and kind. Earlier this week, our sisters Cherie and Rebecca (the authors of The 16 Day Love Challenge: Matching our Words and Actions with 1 Corinthians 13:4-8) encouraged us to honestly and bravely ask God to show us if we really are patient and kind women. We looked at the state of our own hearts to see how impatience had cost us in our relationships and if we were really willing to “be kind no matter what!”  I, myself, love these challenges; how about you?

Then we see two things that LOVE is not—LOVE does not envy or boast. Again, Cherie and Rebecca prompted us to search our hearts and seek God’s help in dealing with any and all areas of envy and boasting. Because they are sin…enough said, yes?

Now here we are at the end of Verse 4 where the Scriptures tell us “LOVE is not proud.” Now this is not talking about the kind of pride where a momma is ‘bust my buttons’ proud over the accomplishments of her little ones. Nor is it the type of pride that we are to sing “I am proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free!” Nor is it the kind of pride my young grandson has when he stands up during circle time and—from cover to cover—reads a book to his classmates without a stumble or a falter. Nor the pride we boast of when we proclaim and exclaim over the power of Jesus’ Cross.

No, this pride talked about in Verse 4 is NOT good. This pride is “the absence of love.” Wow! Not where we want to be, hmmm? As Cherie says to us, “…Pride has invaded your heart and separated you from your husband, friends, co-workers, neighbors, family members…” But there is great HOPE! Listen…

But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.
James 4:6, 10

alright, quick now: what DOES humility mean?
From Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
Lowly; modest; meek; submissive; opposed to proud, haughty, arrogant or assuming. In an evangelical sense, having a low opinion of one’s self, and a deep sense of unworthiness in the sight of God.

So, to paraphrase, if one is humble or has humility, then they are modest, submissive, with a deep sense of unworthiness compared to God (and, to a lesser extent, compared to others also).

In closing, consider this section from 1 Peter 5:5-7:

You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

From these verses, we see four motivations to be humble:

  • God is opposed to the proud. Could there be anything worse? God opposed to you? So don’t be proud.
  • God gives grace to the humble. Could there be anything better than to have your awesome God treat you so graciously. He does that to the humble.
  • God exalts the humble: Under His mighty hand, God will exalt you at the proper time.
  • God cares for the humble: So give to Him all your worry, care, concern, because He cares for you.

May I encourage you (me, too!) to be a humble person because, if you are proud, God will be against you in your pride; but if you are humble he will give you grace, exalt you in due time, and care for you along the way so that you don’t have to be anxious.

* * * * * * *

Here are a few other verses to help hide God’s Word regarding humility in your heart:

Proverbs 15:33   The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord brings instruction in Wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Zephaniah 2:3   Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.

Ephesians 4:1-3 Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us.

Philippians 2:3   Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves…

Colossians 3:12 and 13   Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;

1 Peter 5:5   Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

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Frozen Pea Salad

November 8, 2013 by

Frozen Pea Salad Resized

Here we go, ladies – we’re heading into the holiday season!  Every time I go to the supermarket now I see dozens of magazines at the check out, with photos of glorious turkeys and fantastic centerpieces.  But let’s be honest – not everyone will have to make a turkey this year. In my case, my newlywed brother-in-law and his wife will be hosting Thanksgiving, so they are in charge of the turkey.  But it’s always good to have a couple of  side dish recipes in mind.  I’m usually responsible for making at least one pie and cornbread stuffing, plus some kind of vegetable  dish.  This year, I plan to bring this Frozen Pea Salad.

Before you think I’ve gone off the deep end, No, the peas are not frosty little balls of ice.  They are thawed and cold, but not actually frozen anymore.  The version of this recipe my Mom used to make featured sour cream and a little mayonnaise.  I’ve switched that out for Greek yogurt to up the protein and lower the fat a little bit.  This can easily be doubled or tripled, depending on how many people you are serving, but I would suggest not adding in the cashews and bacon until you are ready to eat, so the textures stay distinct.  It’s sweet and salty, crunchy and chewy, cold and delicious!  If you need an easy, off-beat vegetable side dish, read on, friends!

Frozen Pea Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or more, to taste)
  • 2 green onions, finely sliced
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup salted, roasted cashews (you can break them up a little or leave them whole)
  • 4 slices bacon, fried crisply and drained

Directions:

  1. Take the peas out of your freezer and empty the bag into a Pyrex or other casserole dish.  Set them by the stove as you fry the bacon.  The heat from the stove will help the peas thaw.
  2. Fry the bacon crispy, drain it well, blot with paper towels, and dice.
  3. Are your peas thawed yet?  If not, microwave them for thirty seconds at a time, stirring well each time, just until the ice melts and you can squish a pea between your fingers.  You still want them very cold, just not icy and crunchy.  When thawed and still very cold, drain any extra water in the bowl.  Mix in yogurt and green onion, and season with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  4. When serving, sprinkle the pea salad with cashews and bacon.  If you have leftovers, either keep the cashews and bacon separate, or make sure they stay on top.  If they get mixed into the salad and then saved that way, they will soften up.  It will still be delicious, but it won’t have the crunchy versus soft texture difference that makes this salad so fun!

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

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Broken Mirrors or Broken Hearts

November 7, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogoLooking at a mirror, one would see a hard image.  You can tap on it, and it does not give. You see your reflection and possibly vibrant colors all around as you gaze into the mirror.  What you see at surface level, the mirror reflects those images back to you.  But if the mirror breaks, you throw it away.  It is no longer of any use, or value, to you.  And since a mirror is simply an object, it can easily be thrown away if there is a crack in it or if it’s shattered into many broken pieces with sharp, razor-like edges.

I’m so glad that God doesn’t throw us away when we sin, and actually wants us to come to Him broken.  For you see, we all sin. “…For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23).  He wants us to come to Him and to ask for forgiveness.  He can heal our hearts and forgive us the sins of our past, present, and future.  We can ask for forgiveness for our words, actions, lack of words, and lack of actions.  We can even ask God to forgive us if we’re not sure if we handled a situation correctly or not.  No matter what, I want to be coming to Him—sharing and being close to Him in this life.  Don’t we all want that?

Many of the Psalms are written by David, a sinner, yet God describes him in this way, “…the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people…” (1 Samuel 13:14).  How is that so, when he was so obvious a sinner, as recorded in Scripture?  Because David loved and trusted God!  He knew that being close to God was where real life and joy was found!  Even though he was a sinner, David rejoiced in knowing that when he came to God and was broken over his sins, he was forgiven!  He could only claim any righteousness because of his faith and belief in God.  David knew he was surrounded by God’s unfailing love because he trusted in Him. In his brokenness, he was restored by God.  And it was worth singing about!!!

Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.  Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;  sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Psalms 32:10-11

We are so much more than mirrors!  But let our lives reflect that we know and love a Savior!  And let us be broken over our sin—coming to the Lord for forgiveness.  Just as a broom sweeps shattered glass into the dust pan, let us bring our broken hearts and sins before God so that He can sweep them away for all eternity.  He alone can truly mend our hearts with healing and forgiveness.

* * * * *

Dear Lord, let us focus on Your unfailing love and Your continuing mercy, grace, and forgiveness.  Let us always be thankful that in this life You are near to forgive and love us; to help those of us who love and trust You.  In Jesus’ precious Name I pray.
Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

16 Day Love Challenge: Chapter 4 – Love Does Not Boast

November 7, 2013 by

16daythursboast

Boast~ To puff oneself up in speech vaingloriously,vanity. To speak of or assert with excessive pride.

Then they said, ‘Come let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches the Heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the earth.’

Genesis 11:4

Why is it that we feel so inadequate?  If we are made in His image—and we are—and He created us to be exactly who we are, why are we not content?  The parable in the Bible that this book talks about could very well be modern day, in any setting, church, Bible study, or soccer field.  And as Christian women seeking God, we are not exempt from this.  The enemy loves nothing more than taking two strong women, who are leaders for Jesus, and dividing them against each other.  A house divided against itself will not stand. We easily forget who the real enemy is and we start fighting each other.

We start comparing ourselves: whether we feel better about ourselves and become prideful, or, we feel less than and retreat.  These thoughts are quiet at first.  But eventually we start living them out loud; and then we slip into a pit of self-pity that leads to self-destruction.  Friends, let’s remember who the real enemy is.  Let’s remember that when we become proud or boastful, we are no longer an effective warrior princess for the Kingdom of God.

Remember Gideon in the Bible?  We find his story in Judges starting in chapter 6.  At first he is a humble servant threshing wheat in a winepress, just doing his own thing.  He is staying out of the spotlight and trying to provide for and to protect his family.  The angel of the Lord appears to him and tells him that he is going to be a great warrior for Yahweh! And that he will defeat the Midianites and tear down the altar of his own father Baal. Gideon tests God several times before he actually believes God.  The prophecy actually comes true and Gideon goes on to defeat the Midianites and tears down the altar of Baal and defeats the enemy with only 300 men, clay jars, and lit torches.  He was humble… until he wasn’t.  Fast forward after he wins some battles, Gideon starts boasting and taking credit for himself.  He actually asks people for their jewelry to melt and make himself a form of an idol.  After Yahweh had given him all that he needed to defeat the enemy, Gideon forgets who deserves the glory and takes it for himself.  He goes on to live successfully for the rest of his life but he loses that contact with God that he had and he no longer hears God’s voice.  What a terrible place to be!

As children of the King, we are equipped and ready to do any task that God has set before us.  He has given each of us different gifts and talents to use in the life that He has planned out for us.  All of us are different…no two alike; aren’t we blessed?  When we place ourselves above others we are prideful, and when we place ourselves below others we are saying God isn’t enough.  Remember, His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).  He is weaving a beautiful tapestry in our lives, every one of us a new design of His glory.  He is the Master, not us.  He is the Creator, not us.  He deserves the credit, not us.  Your life in Him is the greatest story and being all that He created you to be is the greatest gift we can give back to Him!

We began today looking at Genesis 11:4…the Tower of Babel had just been built and the people were boasting about their creation.  Humans trying to hard to leave a mark of themselves on earth. Don’t you know that when you devote yourself to His glory you are leaving your mark on the world?  An eternal mark; don’t cheat yourself of the most glorious privilege of all, bearing the name of Jesus!!

Here are some verses in His Word about boasting:

Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.

Proverbs 27:1

You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.

Romans 2:23

 People who boast  of  their wealth don’t  understand  they will die  just  like animals.

Psalm 49:20

Let’s pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, You are our Creator, our Master; and You are worthy to be praised.  May we never forget Who the Blesser is and may we never become too content to give thanks for all You have done for us.  Help our thoughts to stay focused on You so that we don’t get caught up in comparing ourselves to each other. Help us to remember who the enemy is and to put our energy into fighting him and not each other.  Lord, may we never take credit for what You have done in us, for us, and through us.  And when we become too proud, humble us even if it is painful.  For whatever you have entrusted to us can be taken away if not used for Your glory.  Forgive us for our pride and for boasting and stepping on each other to get to the top.  We love You and we ask that You continue to equip us for the task You have set before us.  In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen

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Confessions from a Control Freak to Avoid Holiday Stress

November 6, 2013 by

With the holidays right around the corner, I can quickly go into my “control mode” to have everything perfect for the next 8 weeks. I will have the perfect holiday menu, plan numerous activities, make elaborate crafts for my kids to take to school, despite not having a creative bone in my body, and please EVERYONE’S wishes to attend every holiday function. Yes, I confess, by nature, I am a CONTROL FREAK. I will attempt to do it all which is not a way to avoid the holiday stress that can happen during Thanksgiving and Christmas time.

For me, I have learned that I can’t do it all and maintain my sanity. I know I have to make exercise a priority when all of the hustle and bustle kicks into high gear.  It may not be with the time and intensity I have at other times of the year, but it is the key to avoid the stressful holiday demands, not to mention the extra pounds. When I am tempted to forego a workout because of everything I HAVE to do, it is usually more about what I THINK I have to do or undue pressure I have put on myself.

Have you ever felt or done this?

  • Added tasks to your plate without taking something off
  • Said yes to someone or something before evaluating your schedule or responsibilities
  • Skip exercise because you think you do not have time

Have you tried this?

  • Before agreeing to take on something new, put something else on hold that does not need to be a priority.
  • Instead of quickly saying ‘yes.’ respond with “Can I get back to you on that?”
  • Stick with your favorite family traditions that are special and memorable and don’t add more.
  • Forget thinking you have to spend a lot of time exercising.  Get a “holiday” modified workout.  The key is maintenance for the next couple of months.

Decide today that exercise will be a priority and schedule it each week, even if is 20 minutes each day. Remember that you are no good if you are not taking care of yourself.  Focus on what is really important and ask God to direct your time with all you have to do.

When this “control freak” slips into thinking all plans have to go according to my time frame and way of doing things, I stop and say this simple prayer to our Heavenly Father.

Psalms 31:14-15
But I trust you, O Lord,
I say, You are my God,
my TIMES are in your Hands.

Think about it.  Is it stressful or do you bring it on yourself?  Take some time to evaluate your plans this season with a little walk.  Get some exercise and avoid the holiday stress.

In Good Health,

Your Wellness Coach and Control Freak,

Crystal

 

 

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School Projects in a Jiffy

November 6, 2013 by

School Projects in a Jiffy.

amynov6-3.jpg

For me, being a crafty person has paid off this week. Tristan, my sixth grader, told me last night that he had a science project due in the morning.  Luckily, we had all the supplies he needed at the house.  Below is a list of items that would be good to have on-hand if you have schoolaged children.  This is also what Tristan used for his diorama science project.

Items Needed:

Paint
Paint brushes
Box (shoe box or decorative box)
Foam animals
Plastic Trees
Plastic Rocks
Glue Gun
Stick Glue
Note cards
Tape
Pens, Pencils, or Markers

Directions:

Tristan’s project was to create an animal habitat. We looked through the house, his toys, and my art supplies and found what we had in order to create an animal habitat. It turns out, that we had enough items to create a rain forest with frogs.

Tristan painted the scenery: blue for the sky, light blue for the pond, and green for the grass.  He hot-glued the rocks, trees and frogs in place.  He then labeled the parts of the habitat with a marker and cut out pieces of note cards.  He  used the stick glue to glue those in place.

Tristan had to make a presentation about his project, so he made notes on a note card and taped it to the top of the box.

Below is the before and after project.  I am so proud of Tristan.  He did a great job with very little direction from me. This is something fun to do with your kids. Hope you give it a try.

amynov6-1.jpg

 

amynov6-2.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have Fun!

Amy

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

Forgiveness

November 6, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity
and in whose spirit there is no guile (deceit).
Psalms 32:1-2

The only true and happy people are those who have received forgiveness of their sins from God, so that the guilt of their transgressions does not weigh upon their hearts and minds and their consciences are no longer troubled.  Such blessedness is open to all sinners who come to the Lord.  Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29 “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”  As long as we come to Him and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, He will forgive our sins/transgressions and we will be at rest; for then we will have learned of Him.

The psalmist describes God’s forgiveness in three ways here in verses 1 and 2:

  • He forgives the sin (that is, to pardon it); we also know that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins…” (1 John 1:9).
  • He covers the sin (that is putting it out of sight); we are told that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1).
  • The sin is not counted against him (that is God does not impute the iniquity, or, the guilt is concealed from the record). We know from the Scriptures that “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” (Romans 4:6-8)

Forgiveness comes when we ourselves come to a point of acknowledging that we have come up short of the glory of God and we confess sin with an honest, sincere, and repentant heart.  This will always result in God’s gracious pardon, the removal of guilt, and the gift of His abiding Presence.

God treats sincerely repentant sinners as righteous not because righteousness is something they earn through works but rather they receive as a gift when they confess their sins and believe in the Lord.

In my previous blogs I shared how we gain righteousness. And I wrote, “When Jesus Christ died He saved us when He rose from the dead; He made us righteous through Him. So righteousness is not a thing that we attain by working tirelessly to earn it.”  It was imputed (freely given) to us by God through the resurrection of Christ Jesus.

* * * * *

Father, we come to You with our sincere and honest hearts seeking Your forgiveness in all our transgressions and sins.  May we walk in Your truth for righteousness’ sake.  In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.

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