May 6, 2026

At Home with GCH: Freezer/Pantry Challenge Update – Week 2

February 14, 2013 by

Freezer Pantry Challenge Header

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

I hope you have planned something special for you and your Sweetie!  My husband surprised me early this year and gave me a card, a HUGE mug filled with the cutest little bear and chocolates, and a live miniature rose bush!  Totally took me by surprise!  He’s usually the one who forgets holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries!  When I saw his gift, he looked at me with much excitement in his eyes and said, “LOOK!! I remembered!!”  Boy did he score some major brownie points!! 🙂

With Valentine’s Day in mind, did you all remember to plan for this special occasion while planning your meals for the month?  My husband works that night, so our Valentine’s dinner (Yes, candlelight and all) will be tonight!  He doesn’t know it yet, so it will be a surprise to him!

How have you done this week with the Freezer/Pantry Challenge?  Have you been able to stick with it, or has it become a real challenge?  So far, this week, the only thing I’ve needed to purchase is milk and fresh produce!  I’m pretty happy about that!  I haven’t had the desire to go out and purchase more because I truly want to stick to this challenge to the best that I can. I really want to see if this can be done!

In talking to others about this challenge, they are telling me how EASY I am making it for all of you.  They’ve been through some challenges that doesn’t allow you to purchase anything throughout the month.  They are required to use exactly what they have on hand, and nothing more!  Now THAT would be challenging!  Maybe one day I’ll be ready for that kind of challenge.  🙂

One thing I am learning about this challenge is that I am also seeing it pour into other areas of my life.  I am becoming very aware of how we are spending our money.  It’s making me think before I give in and say “Yeah, let’s just go out and eat tonight.  I don’t feel like cooking!”  I’ve even told my husband that Papa Murphy’s Pizza will have to wait until next month, OR hey, here’s an idea….how about we make our own pizza!!!  What a concept, huh?  LOL  It’s been awesome seeing how we are working together in this now.

Here is my Menu for this week

Thursday: Soup / Salad

Friday: Scalloped Potatoes w/Ham

Saturday: Date Night

Sunday: Soup / Salad

Monday: Pancakes, Sausage Links, Scrambled Eggs

Tuesday: Grilled Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad

Wednesday: LEFTOVERS

Here’s my total grocery bill for the last week:  $21.70

How is this challenge working for you?  Are you feeling challenged?  Are you working through it?  What are you doing to try and stick with the challenge?  I would love to see your comments below!!

Have a GREAT day, ladies!  See you next week!

Christi

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Captivating: Chapter 6 – Let Him Father You – A Deeper Healing (Pg. 106 – 112)

February 14, 2013 by

Daddies.  I have come to find that this can be a tough topic for many women.  Some have had wonderful doting fathers that made them feel like princesses.  More often than not our dads have fallen short in some way, and sometimes not intentionally.  Some work to provide and give their family as much as possible, but leave us emotionally void, never saying “I love you” or knowing we are cherished.  Some say all the right things, but their actions do not show love or respect for their family.  And unfortunately there are fathers that take advantage of their position in the family and violate their daughters in ways that no girl should have to experience.  What is wonderful though is that no matter what your experience with your dad, you have a Heavenly Father that loves you and cares about you more than any human father can, no matter how amazing they are!

I, like Stasi, have heard many times that we view God through the lenses we view our own fathers.  I can definitely see the validity in that, and I have seen women who definitely do that, but I don’t know if that is necessarily true for everyone.  For me, my dad was one of those dads that worked very hard to provide for our family.  I also knew that he was always in my corner.  But he was not someone who made me feel cherished, or like his little princess.  “I love you” was rarely verbalized in our house, and there was no “twirling around” in dresses or cuddling up in his lap that I can ever remember.  Despite that, I put my daddy on a pedestal and thought he could do no wrong.

To this day, I have very similar feelings.  But my view of God was just the opposite.  I thought of him as the “punishing God” just waiting for me to mess up.  Someone to be afraid of, and who would never “be in my corner” or provide for me.  So I viewed my Heavenly Father much differently than how I viewed my earthly father.  I think it was more about the faith I was raised in, rather than my dad.  I don’t think I ever heard God referred to as a father, except in prayers I was given to memorize, and even then it just seemed like words and not an actual relationship.

But praise Him that I know the truth now.  I know who He is.  He is my Daddy, my Papa, my ABBA Father.  I can snuggle up in His lap whenever I want, and He welcomes it.  I can talk to Him about anything and everything and He listens like I am the only person in the world.  I can ask Him, “Do you love me?  Am I beautiful and captivating?” and His answer will always be yes.  Isn’t that amazing?  What a loving God we serve. Do you believe this for yourself?  Are you still working to earn His love?  Rest easy sisters, there is nothing you can do to make Him love you any more or any less than He does right this minute.

A line in this chapter really stood out to me, “What if you have a genuine and captivating beauty that is marred only by your striving”.  Wow.  That stung a bit, and I definitely saw myself in that comment.  I know God loves me, right now, where I’m at, human and stumbling.  He does, and He loves you too.  So why do I still try to earn His love in so many ways?  I tend to try too hard in all relationships, tend to overthink every issue I face, put too much energy into pretending that everything is fine, try to do more and more for God through ministry or studies or any other number of things.  I am striving.  And I am holding myself back.  I am learning that is isn’t about “doing for” God, it is about “being with” God.  I take comfort in that.  I need to sit in His lap more and listen.  I need to embrace His love.  I need my Daddy.  How about you?

 

Captivating_Ch6_109

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LET’S PRAY

Lord we come humbly to You today.  Father, we need Your love.  Come to the core of our hearts, come and bring Your love for us.  Help us to know You for who You really are, and perhaps not as we see our earthly fathers.  Reveal yourself to us.  Reveal Your love for us.  Show us what we mean to You.  Come and father us, we need You Daddy.  In Your Heavenly Name we pray.  Amen.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

Part of the reason women are so tired is because we are spending so much energy “striving”.  So much energy devoted to suppressing issues and keeping a good appearance.  We want to give you permission to relax. Rest in the security of the Lord’s love.  Let it go sweet sister! How does the thought of giving up all that struggling make you feel?  

 

 

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Life’s Healing Choices: Chapter 6 – Make the Choice (pgs 182-186)

February 14, 2013 by

MAKE THE CHOICE: Repairing Relationships


“Today is a new day. Starting today, you can refocus your life on doing God’s will in your relationships” (Baker, 180)

I think we would all agree with John Baker’s assessment that broken relationships are the root of much of the pain we experience. The action steps this week allow us to move towards forgiving those who hurt us, and making amends with those we’ve hurt. Let’s explore how we can live unashamed, forgetting our troubles, full of hope and blessed (Job 11:13-10)

WRITE –
Throughout this study, we’ve taken a lot of time to write about our experiences, our actions, and our pain. I believe that writing gives us the opportunity to clearly see the thoughts that run through our minds, but by using both the thinking & writing tasks, it becomes more real to us. We take an active approach to the thoughts. We see it in black & white (or purple & white if you were to see my journal), and it’s no longer something hidden in the back corners of our lives.

Start out this week’s exercise by writing down a list of people who have harmed you in some way, and their relationship to you. Now, I’m not talking about the guy who cut you off on the road. It’s not the petty little stuff we’re dealing with here. Go back to your inventory lists from Chapter 4 if necessary. We are creating our Forgiveness List.

Once you have the list of people, or maybe just one person, describe what they said or did to hurt you. How did it make you feel? Dig deep and find the descriptive words for your feelings, don’t just say “angry” or “hurt”. Do you struggle with finding words to describe how you feel? You’re not alone! I know in counseling sessions, we were given charts & lists to help us as a family learn to communicate our feelings more clearly with one another. I found these links that might be helpful if you struggle in expressing words for your emotions:

http://www.professional-counselling.com/list-of-human-emotions.html

http://www.ami-tx.com/Portals/3/EmotionsFlyer.pdf (this is great picture chart for children!)

Now, let’s move to the Amends List. Write down names of those you’ve hurt or offended, and their relationship to you. As we did with the previous list, write down what you said or did to this person. How do you think this person felt? Why are you sorry for hurting this person? Do you stop to think about how your words or actions affect another person? So often we can point out every little offense of other people, but we dismiss what we did as nothing.

Baker gives a list of questions (p. 184) to help jump start your thinking if you’re struggling to think of those you have hurt:

  • Is there anyone to whom you owe a debt that you haven’t repaid?
  • Is there anyone you’ve broken a promise to?
  • Is there anyone you are guilty of controlling or manipulating?
  • Is there anyone you are overly possessive of?
  • Is there anyone you are hypercritical of?
  • Have you been verbally, emotionally or physically abusive to anyone?
  • Is there anyone you have not appreciated or paid attention to?
  • Is there anyone you have been unfaithful to?
  • Have you ever lied to anyone?

SHARE –
Our accountability partners will be crucial in this process. We do not want to run to someone who hurt us and put ourselves in a vulnerable position where we can be hurt again. In some instances, we will not actually face (or contact) the person we are forgiving because the risk of further harm is too great. Your accountability partner is there to talk with you, serve as a sounding board, and help guide your steps. Share your Forgiveness List with this person BEFORE you go to the one you are forgiving.

Heb10_24

Also share your Amends List with your accountability partner, and work together to develop a plan to make amends with the people you have listed. It’s not about running out to accomplish all that we can as fast as we can. There will be an appropriate time, location, and way to manage this step. Your partner knows you and will help guide you to the best way to accomplish your task.

I shared with you on Sunday my lesson in forgiving others. This was an action I needed to do, not just because God expects this of me, but because my life & health depended upon it. Harboring the resentment and anger would have caused more harm in my life … my ability to love and trust others, my ability to demonstrate His love to my daughter, and my ability to draw close to Him. But outside of the day I spoke to the court, I did not face my ex-husband to have a personal conversation with him. It would have been inappropriate to do so. I do have fleeting moments today where I think I should write him a letter, but going through this study has shown that it would bring harm to him. I said what needed to be said years ago. To make contact now would only stir up the issues and the emotions. Deep down, the flesh side of me wants to show him how well we’ve done in the years since. But that’s not what God wants. Forgiveness has been given. It was spoken, it was done.

At this time, I can think of one other for whom I need to forgive, and as much as I’ve said over the years that I have forgiven him, this study has made me see that perhaps I really haven’t. If I have forgiven this person for his actions years ago, would it still bother me that I only hear from him on birthdays and Christmas? If I have forgiven him, would it bother me that I don’t often receive replies to emails? If I have forgiven him, would it annoy me that he doesn’t seem to interact with family in ways I feel would be more appropriate? If I have fully forgiven him, would I actually have this list of things that bother me so? Or am I just holding on too tightly to the emotions the memories evoke? Either way, I haven’t fully given the issue to God, and I believe this is the area I need to really explore more deeply.

Power Verses for Chapter 6:
Luke 6:31-37
Hebrews 10:24
Philippians 2:4
Romans 12:17-18
Matthew 5:23-24
1 Peter 5:10
Colossians 3:13
Romans 8:31
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Taken from the Celebrate Recovery Participant’s Guide 3, I want to share with you the following prayer to closer out this week’s activity:
Dear God, thank You for Your love, for Your freely given grace. Help me model Your ways when I make my amends to those I have hurt and offer forgiveness to those who have injured me. Help me to set aside my selfishness and speak the truth in love. I pray that I would focus only on my part, my responsibility in the issue. I know that I can forgive others because You first forgave me. Thank You for loving me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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If you would like to send Amy a private email in regards to this blog, please email her at: Amy@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Crazy Love: Chapter 6 – When You’re in Love (pgs 109-111)

February 14, 2013 by

Back when we were married for just a few years, my husband had to change jobs. It was a good move, but in the first month we were strapped for cash.

The bills came in and we were able to pay all of them but one. It was a daunting $100 (back then that was a lot of money to us)!  We didn’t have it.

So we prayed and told God that we wanted to be good stewards of our money, but we just couldn’t pay that one. We went to church that week and told God that we couldn’t do it without Him.  We made a plan to make up for it in the coming weeks, but the bill would be late.

It was hardest on my husband as he was never late with his bills. While we were discussing how we were going to pay this bill in the future, I kid you not, there was a knock on our door.

It was one of the deacons from our church. He handed us an envelope and said someone was told by God to give this to us anonymously. He said the person wanted nothing in return except that, when we could afford to, we would bless someone else who needed it! We were stunned!! I mean we never told anyone about our need! How did they know?

This was a good lesson on how faithful God is to His children. We prayed and thanked God for His provision for us in that time. We have also  been able to do this a few times since and know the joy that person must have felt when they gave it to us. You can’t out-give God! We’ve learned that over the 35 years that we have been married.

YouCantOutGiveGod

The seasons that we go through in life are a testament to  God’s faithfulness. We can be real and cry out to him and hold nothing back.  He already knows our needs and what we feel anyway.

What does God need from us? Absolutely nothing!! He has everything He could ever need; after all, He created it! Including us!!  So what can we give that means anything to Him?

We can give Him ourselves…that’s what He truly wants! Our heart, given to Him willingly, open, and truly waiting for God to fill it. Wanting God is the thing He wants from us, and we need Him too.

In Christ,

Donna

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Let’s Pray: I like the prayer at the end of the chapter that Francis Chan writes so let’s pray that prayer:

“Jesus, I need to give myself up. I am not strong enough to love You and walk with You on my own. I can’t do it—I need You. I need You deeply and desperately. I believe You are worth it and that You are better than anything else I could have in this life or the next. I want you, and when I don’t, I want to want You. Be all in me. Take all of me. Have Your way with me.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Your Assignment:

What holds you back today from giving your all to God? He wants you and you need Him. If you can, list those things; and let’s pray for one another to let go of them and live full on for God.

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If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study for Crazy Love, click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to email a private message to Donna in regards to this blog, please email her at: Donna@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

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Life’s Healing Choices: Week 6 – Repairing Relationships By Making Amends (pp175-181)

February 13, 2013 by

I made amends (or attempted to make amends) to someone I wronged, not directly, but by allowing others to do them harm and not stepping up and standing up for what is right. It’s just as wrong to stand by and watch someone you love take abuse at the hands of friends, both of our friends. It was a long time ago yet I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me to make peace with her. To apologize for not standing up for her; for not stopping the madness but watching it happen, maybe even enjoying it. It didn’t turn out well—my amends. Venom spewed from her side and I was left with more questions than answers.

The incident was years ago but to her it may as well been yesterday.  Aren’t mamas that way when their children get hurt? But amends aren’t about reactions, are they? They’re about action on our part. It’s about taking responsibility, and actually accepting, admitting what we did was wrong. We hurt someone else, whether sober or not, we did it. God calls us as His children to ask forgiveness from our peers. We may not get the warm fuzzies from the person we are apologizing to. We must not do this for ourselves or our own recognition, like “look how great Kim is for apologizing” or “Kim really has it together!” It’s been about us for so long. It’s time that it is about someone else or Someone Else. It’s time our lives reflect Whose we are. Now that we have established THAT we need to make amends, we have to look at HOW to go about it in a way that most represents God’s way.

Obviously we must spend more time in prayer over each one and let the Holy Spirit really guide and direct us on who we need to contact and how. (Don’t you love the “empty chair” approach and the “fake letter?”) Be careful though not to use these for the ones that deserve actual contact. The book gives us certain situations for which these methods are the only appropriate choice. This is between you and God. Use His guidance. First clear your mind, empty to fill, and let Him speak through you. Your day of freedom is here, deliverance from your regrets and mistakes. You’ve really allowed God to empower you to do the right thing—admit your wrongs.

From this point on, the past is the past and the future is wide open. The baggage of yesterday has been dropped. Oh yes, there will be more amends made along the way, and you will still have to apologize for mistakes to come and wrongs you will do, but the key now is not to hold resentments and to always promptly admit when you are wrong.

If you borrowed, return it. If you need to come clean with the law, do so. If you owe money, pay it. Let’s be who He created us to be and let’s be the light to others around us, who are still in darkness. We can guide others to Him by living our amends. For isn’t that the best way—to live out our apologies?

Let’s be different now and desire different lives than the old one. And most of all, may we desire what He wants for us!  So, how ‘bout that list? Ready to start writing and righting?

Freedom Is Yours

 

Scriptures that apply:

Matthew 5:23, 24

Job 11:13,15 and 16

Hebrews 12:15

Romans 12:18

Luke 6:33

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord Jesus, we praise You.  You never change.  You’re the same yesterday, today and forever. Thank You for empowering us to do more than we ever could without You. Guide us as we make lists of our wrongs.  May we repent and release them to You. Speak to us, remind us what relationships need repairing and then give us the words to speak and when. For You bring healing to all. You make all things new.  The ones who refuse us, Lord, may we hand them over to You.  We love You. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Your Assignment:

Look up these verses and pray them to Him. Praying His word to Him is so powerful. Allow Him to speak through you as you make your lists and follow through with repairing relationships. Talk to your accountability partner about this. Let us know how it’s going! Remember we are praying for you!

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If you would like to email Kim directly in regards to this blog, please email her at Kim@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

 

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At Home with GCH: Focus on Health

February 13, 2013 by

beet and goat cheese salad

In writing this blog series, “Focus on Health.” I am reminded of several articles I read around the start of the year, listing “The Healthiest Foods You’re Not Eating.”  Basically, all the lists were comprised of super foods—those veggies, fruits, grains and other ingredients that we know are good for us but that we avoid for whatever reason.  One that we’ll be looking at this month is BEETS.  Yay, beets!

Beets are high in folic acid, which is crucial during pregnancy.  They are also chock full of vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, calcium and iron.  They are being studied for their cancer and heart disease prevention properties.  Especially of interest to scientists is the pigment that gives beets their bright red color—Betacyanin—because it has been shown to fight cancer and possesses powerful antioxidants.

Perhaps you had them prepared the wrong way, like boiled to death.  Perhaps you see them in the store and just don’t know what to do with them.  In any case, beets are in season now, just waiting for you at your local farmer’s market or grocery store.  Let’s look closer!

There are two main varieties:  common red beets, and golden beets.  Both are delicious and are prepared the same way, but golden beets have a milder flavor, while red beets have a stronger, earthier and sweeter taste.  When you buy them, look for bright, strong leafy greens attached.  The greens are edible and are highly nutritious themselves—don’t throw them out! If you aren’t going to cook the beets the day you buy them, keep them in the fridge, with the greens wrapped in a damp paper towel.  The beets can last quite a while in your fridge, but the greens must be eaten quickly, like within a day or two, or they get limp and gross.

My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them in the oven.  Wash the beets, remove leaves and stems, and place them on a large square of aluminum foil.  Drizzle with olive oil, bake for 45 minutes at 375F, and let cool.  The skins will slip right off in your hands.  One warning:  beet juice stains!  You might want to wear gloves or an apron, and wipe up any spilled beet juice quickly.  Okay, ready for some recipes to try?  Here we go!

Twenty years ago I was a vegetarian and living on my own for the first time.  My go-to snack?  A can of beets and a spoonful of orange marmalade, simmered until hot and the juice is thick and sweet.  Better than dessert!

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This might be my favorite salad of all time:

http://frugalgirlmet.blogspot.com/2011/02/roasted-beet-and-goat-cheese-salad.html

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I am making this salad on Valentines Day because I love the pink color:

http://paleospirit.com/2012/roasted-beet-and-cucumber-salad-with-yogurt-dressing/

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This recipe for Pennsylvania Dutch pickled red beets and eggs is one my Mom made all my life.  Now that she’s gone, my sister has taken on the tradition.  She makes them every year for Easter.  The color of the eggs – maroon on the outside, white and yellow inside – is shocking and delightful!

http://www.yankeemagazine.com/recipe/for/pennsylvania-dutch-pickled-beets-and-eggs/106

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Beets can be shredded and eaten raw, too!  Here’s a very minimalist raw beet salad:

http://content.markbittman.com/recipes/raw-beet-salad

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When I think of Russian food, my mind immediately goes to Borscht.  Ever had it?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/roasted-beet-borscht-recipe/index.html

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And for you juicers out there, beet juice is the best!  Try out a combination of beets, carrots, and apples for a sweet and healthy treat.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

Please visit me at Frugal Girlmet for more unique recipes!

If you would like to contact Dana in regards to this blog, please email her at Dana@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Crazy Love: Chapter 6 “When You’re In Love” – Help! I Don’t Love You (pp 103-109)

February 13, 2013 by

I’ve talked a lot in my blogposts about how we absolutely have to be WILLING to let God change us. So, when Chan started this section of the chapter talking about this very topic, I had to laugh. I think many of us make it much harder than it really is. Let Go, Let God. Right? Easy as pie.

<pause for laughter>

Oh, if only it were so simple. We are all running after something. It could be a dream God laid on our hearts. It could be our own selfish desires that are interfering with God’s divine plans for us. Either way, we are chasing after something. Do you want the race you are running to be worth it and bring glory to our Lord? Have you talked to God about your race lately to make sure you are following His Will and not running in another, safer direction? Do you even know the race that God wants you to run? We are only human. We want the easiest path; the less painful road; the one that will cause us the least amount of stress. It is just human nature.

But, my dear girlfriends . . . Jesus did not die so that we could live a complacent Christian life. He died so that we could live a full, rich life . . . walking alongside HIM! Jesus says that we will have trouble in this world. It is not a question of if, but when it will happen! When we take our eyes off of our Savior, our lives lose focus. Things get foggy. All of a sudden, the race gets a bit muddy and we have no idea which direction to turn. And sadly, this is when Satan can get a foothold into our lives and draw us even further away from where we should be.

“As we begin to focus more on Christ, loving Him and others becomes more natural. As long as we are pursuing Him, we are satisfied in Him. It is when we stop actively loving Him that we find ourselves restless and gravitating toward other means of fulfillment.”

(Francis Chan, pg 104)

BUT GOD IS ALWAYS RIGHT THERE! And He LOVES us SO very much!! We may stumble; we may even fall. But God is always there to help brush us off and get us back on the right track. When you lean into the Lord and put 100% of your focus on Him, He will make your path straight. That is a promise straight out of His Word.

Prov3_5_6

So, put all of your focus on loving the Lord with every single molecule of your being. Let God move into every area your life. Ask Him what race you should be running and commit to taking a step of faith for His glory. Let every word that you speak, every keystroke that you make, let all you do glorify your Lord today.

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Let’s Pray:

Father, letting You into our lives may not be easy. There are some areas that are just difficult and may even be strongholds for us. Lord, I ask that You tear down these walls. Show us a step of faith that we can take today to let You into an area of our lives that we have closed off to You. We want to run the race that You have set before us. We do not want to chase after something that is not pleasing to You. Help us to love You, Father God, with all of our hearts. Remove any obstacles or barriers that are interfering with our love relationship with You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

Your Assignment:

What is something that you KNOW God is calling you to do, but you have been afraid to take that step of faith and actually DO it? Commit it to the Lord today and pray for strength and courage to take that step. God is right with you. He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you. Share with us so we can pray with you.

If you are interested in joining this amazing online Bible study for Crazy Love, click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, you will receive an email with further details.

If you would like to email a private message to Jennifer in regards to this blog, please email her at Jennifer@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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Captivating: Chapter 6 – Forgiveness and Healing (pp 102-105)

February 13, 2013 by

Look at the title of this blog.  Do you realize that you can’t have one without the other? Those two words are not mutually exclusive.  Ladies, you cannot have the whole healing Christ offers freely without not only accepting His forgiveness, but offering it to those who have hurt you as well.

I was a very emotional child.  I would carry around hurts of “he said, she said” or “she talked about me behind my back” or “he gave me a dirty look” all of the time.  I carried those burdens.  In fact, I still do.  I still find it hard to let go of things when people hurt me.  In those times of intense anger or hurt, I remember what my beautiful mother always told me.  “Take the stone out of your own eye, Carissa.”  This principle she taught me comes directly from Scripture.

“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” Matthew 7:5 (ESV).

Our authors discuss this point as well:

“It might help to remember that those who hurt you were also deeply wounded themselves.  They were broken hearts, broken when they were young, and they fell captive to the Enemy.  They were, in fact, pawns in his hands.  This doesn’t absolve them of the choices they made, the things they did.  It just helps us to let them go—to realize that they were shattered souls themselves, used by our true Enemy in his war against femininity.” (pg. 103)

Helps put things in perspective, doesn’t it?  Our enemies are not the people who hurt us…it’s Satan.  He’s the one who causes evil in this world.  He’s the snake behind The Fall of Adam and Eve.  Yes, the responsibility is still ours; we make wrong choices daily.  But, be assured that one day, we will all be held accountable for our actions and words before God.  He will judge; He will right all wrongs.  We are accountable for ourselves, not for anyone else.  So that is why Jesus calls us to “forgive as the Lord [forgives us]” in Colossians 3:13.

When we forgive, a burden on our heart is lifted.  So what burdens are you still carrying?

WhenWeForgive

 

Once we forgive and let go of those hurts, we can receive fully the healing promised by God.  David, tortured by his oppressors, praises God in Psalm 23.  Meditate on the truth below today. God loves you and will heal your broken heart!

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters,

He refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

For His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil,

For You are with me,

Your rod and Your staff,

They comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

In the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me

All the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

Praise Him,

Carissa

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Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father, You are so magnificent! We praise You, Father, for Your endless mercy and forgiveness because we deserve nothing.  Help us to forgive those in our past, present, and future. Heal our hearts, Daddy.  We love You, and know that You promise complete healing if we ask.  In Jesus’ precious Name, Amen.

 

Your Assignment:

What’s holding you back from offering forgiveness to those who have hurt you?  Please share so we can pray with you!

_________________________

 If you would like to send a private message to Carissa in regards to this blog, please email her at: Carissa@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

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At Home with GCH – Organizing Your Fridge with Baskets

February 12, 2013 by

shandy's refrigerator

Is your refrigerator and freezer in need of a little TLC? Maybe you’re constantly throwing away food because you forgot it was there. Or perhaps you don’t have an organization system in place, so everyone ends up putting away items wherever they’ll fit, creating a messy looking fridge in the process. Or (whispering) maybe you know someone who has a science experiment growing in their fridge. (Not you. You would NEVER have moldy food in YOUR fridge. Right?) If you found yourself admitting to any of these things, then this is for you! {Or maybe you have a case of spring fever like me, and are getting a start on your spring cleaning and just want to freshen things up a bit after a cold, dreary winter.}

When I told my oldest daughter what I was blogging about today, she said, “I think we probably have the cutest fridge ever.” My youngest daughter agreed, “I love our fridge! It’s so cute!”

I’ll admit… we have a happy fridge. Like me, it loves the color aqua, and it appreciates that I am OCD enough to use labels and custom fridge mats/coasters/whatever you want to call them. You don’t have to label everything in your refrigerator, but it would love you for it if you did.

Ok, so you want your fridge looking fab? Here’s what you do:

  1. Toss any expired foods and science experiments.
  2. Take EVERYTHING out of your fridge. Put perishables in a cooler to keep cold.
  3. Clean the shelves, walls, and every nook & cranny.
  4. Group like items, and put each “set” of like items in a basket. {Read the FAQs and Helpful Hints to learn what I do.}
  5. Label the basket if you wish.
  6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 until finished.
  7. Repeat the above steps to organize your freezer.
  8. Do a happy dance, ’cause your fridge & freezer look awesome!

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Q: Where did you get your baskets? A: Dollar Tree. Seriously. I bought 10 baskets for a buck each. Score!

2. Q: Where did you get those labels, and how do they hold up? A: I bought the labels at Staples. They’re from the Martha Stewart Home Office collection, and measure 1 3/4″ x 1 5/8″. They hold up very well – I “laminated” them. Why did I put quotations around ‘laminated’? Because I cheated. I don’t have a fancy schmancy laminator, so I used packing tape. I also used packing tape to affix the labels to the shelves and baskets.

3. Q: What on earth is a fridge mat/coaster/whatever you want to call it? A: Great question! I was perusing Pinterest (of course!) and came across a pin for this blog, and what did I do? Well, I ran right out to the store to buy plastic placemats to make my fridge look cute, too! (Ok, a lot of stores. Eight to be exact! I couldn’t find many places that sell them, and the ones that did didn’t have a pattern or color that I liked, so I ended up getting them at Walmart for $2 each.) They serve double duty, by the way. Not only do they liven the fridge up a bit, but they make clean-up a breeze! And they are easy to make: 1. Take the shelves out of the refrigerator. 2. Trace each piece on a placemat. 3. Cut out. 4. Set it in place. 5. Put shelves back. 6. Smile! {I like these so much, I’m doing the big shelves in my fridge next!}

fridge collage 2

4. Q: What “categories” did you use for your baskets and shelves? A: I’m happy to answer this. I’ll start on the top shelf and work my way down, then over to the shelves in the door.

  • milk & other beverages (This label is on the interior wall to the left of our milk.)
  • dips & condiment packages (This basket lives on the top shelf and is home to sour cream, ranch dip, cream cheese, and all of the condiment packages we’ve collected from fast food places. Don’t judge.)
  • snacks (This is the basket where we keep individual size snacks, like pudding, applesauce, fruit cups, etc.)
  • sandwich kit (This is a basket filled with deli meat and cheese slices. I have a hubby & school-age daughter that I pack lunches for every morning. Grabbing baskets makes this so easy!)
  • meat (This is the drawer where we keep our ground beef, steaks, roasts, etc.)
  • veggies for lunches (for daughter’s and hubby’s lunches)
  • fruit for lunches (for daughter’s and hubby’s lunches)
  • dinner helpers (This basket is where we store our crescent rolls, and other items that help make up our dinner menu.)
  • cheese (This is the basket where we keep all of our shredded, block, string, and spreadable cheese, and hubby’s cheese curds. We used to live in Wisconsin. Can you tell?)
  • fruit (Our fruit drawer has a bowl in it to separate the citrus & apples from the other fruit.)
  • veggies (This drawer is where we keep our refrigerator-loving veggies.)
  • butter
  • condiments
  • jams/jellies & salad dressing
  • juice
  • pop

…and in our freezer:

  • breakfast foods (basket)
  • frozen veggies (basket)
  • crock pot meals (basket)
  • meat (slide-out bin)
  • juice (shelf in door)
  • cold packs (shelf in door)
  • ice cream (shelf in door)
  • canned goods (shelf in door)

fridge collage 3

Helpful Hints:

As soon as I get home from the grocery store, I spend 30-60 minutes (it’s well worth it to save time later!) doing the following….

1. Produce is washed and put in different containers. If it’s fruit or veggies for weekday lunches, they get portioned, put into individual baggies, and put in the appropriate basket. If it’s not for lunch, it gets washed and stored in the fruit and veggie drawers.

2. Deli meats get taken out of their packaging, put into baggies, and get placed in the sandwich kit basket.

3. Outer packaging comes off of individually wrapped cheese slices, string cheese, butter, fruit cups, pudding cups, juice boxes, etc.

4. Anything else that needs to be portioned gets portioned, put in a baggie or container, and put away…chips, trail mix, large packages of ground beef that need to get divided in half/thirds, etc.

5. Pasta, cereal, flour, sugar, etc. get put into the appropriate containers in the pantry or baking cabinet.

This really does save time in the following days and weeks! 

I’d love to hear if you’re going to put some of these ideas to use in your home! Also, feel free to share pictures of your new and improved fridge with me! Just send me a message at the email address below!

Love & Blessings,

Shandy

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

Be sure to visit Shandy’s personal blog Aprons ‘n Pearls for crafts, recipes, home keeping tips & more!

If you have any questions, just ask in the comment section, or send me an email at:

shandy@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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

Captivating: Chapter 6 – Will You Let Him? (pp 92-98)

February 12, 2013 by

“Will you let me come for you?”

Yesterday we talked about letting God into our painful places to bring healing. The miraculous movements that He will make in our life, the beauty that He will bring in place of the ugly pain and hurt that has piled up for so long; if only we let him. Yesterday we said “if you let Him,” today it’s a question: “Will you let Him come in?”

For so long we have done things on our own…for so long we have trusted our own system, our own way of dealing with the pain…for so long we have been doing it wrong. To borrow from the quote that John and Stasi included in this section, “The trouble with steeling yourself against the harshness of reality is the same steel that secures your life against being destroyed secures your life against being opened up and transformed.”   The walls I built—the walls we built—were an attempt to protect what remaining parts of my heart I felt I had left and I think that goes for a lot of women. We want to hold on to what we feel we have left, but in doing this we shut out the one person who can heal those damaged parts, the one who can make our hearts whole again.

God promises to be tender, to care for our hearts in a manner that would never bring pain.

Hosea 2:14

Therefore I am now going to allure her

I will lead her into the desert

And speak tenderly to her.

Another version I read said that He would “speak comfort to her.”  Imagine the healing and comfort and peace we can have if we say ‘yes!’  If we open our hearts to God and let His hands repair what years of pain has broken down. He is knocking on our hearts. Knocking and waiting. Knocking and waiting. He knocks and we hold more tightly to that key; he knocks and we fear that opening the door will bring more pain.  We fear that it will make us more vulnerable than we already are. But, lovely ladies, it is very opposite from that. Opening the door to Him will heal that hurt, He will strengthen us through His love, and He will remind us that ours are hearts of beauty and wholeness.

 

Psalm61_1thru3

Ladies, God is knocking and asking us to turn the key over to Him.  He is asking us to unlock the door and let Him in to begin the healing work He wants to do. He is asking us to stop believing the lies of our hurts and to remember the healing message in His truths.

I have worked as a hospice bereavement counselor for three years,  One of the main pieces of information I give to patients and their families is to allow themselves to feel the emotions they are having. Not to stuff and ignore…but to allow the emotions to flow.  To cry, to be scared, to be mad, that it is okay to feel in response to their situation. To “let it out.” We have to let ourselves feel again, ladies; to feel without fear of opening ourselves up too much, to feel without fear of being wrong in our feelings. To feel with the knowledge that God has our heart in His hands, to feel and give those feelings to God, the fear, the anger, the hurt.

He is knocking. He is waiting at the door to our hearts. He wants us to cry out to Him…to give Him the key.  He wants us to let Him in to heal our hurts.  To make our hearts the complete masterpiece He designed them to be.

With Love,

Tonya

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Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, thank You for not leaving us.  Thank You for knocking and waiting. Thank You for not giving up on the women you created us to be. Thank You for Your love and compassion, for Your healing touch. I bind the spirit of fear in Jesus name, it has no control over our lives, it has no say in our emotions. Our hearts belong to You, Lord.  In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Your Assignment:

There is a prayer on page 101 (I’m not sure what page it is in the electronic version, but it is at the end of the “Renounce The Agreements You’ve Made” section. It is a prayer for the spirit of truth, it is a prayer to renounce the lies we have believed over the years.

If you journal, this would be a great place to write this prayer.  If you feel comfortable, you can pay it in our private Facebook group, as well.

Also, please stop in and share your thoughts from these sections. Your insights may bless another.

__________________________

 

If you are interested in joining this online Bible study, please click HERE to sign up.

Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

If you are interested in sending a private message to Tonya, please email her at TonyaEllison@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com

 

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