Courage to be Me

 

I was at bible study this morning and the topic of courage came up. (Yay, my word of the year!) And it made me think about how I felt pretty good about some of my progress in courageous steps. I've been making a better effort to reach out to people, I've even been starting conversations with people I normally would not ever have the confidence to speak to, and so I know this is Christ in me. I have stepped out of my comfort zone to share an experience with my husband that I knew he would so enjoy...I shot a shot gun for the first time! So I was already getting complacent. I checked a few cool things off my list and was sorta thinking... ok, that's good for now. Oh no, the Lord was showing me this morning, that that was not it, He has so much more in store for me.

He has been bringing me to a spot, through the "Made to Crave" book study, that I need to have the courage to constantly put food in its place of only being nourishment of my physical health. It does not bring happiness or mean I am loving on myself when I get to eat yummy food. This verse really hit it home for me this morn. :

Isaiah 8:13 Make the Lord of Heaven's Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. (...not weight gain, or looking bad, being unpopular) That is what usually fuels weight loss, the shallow fears. Not the Lord. I want to have the courage to face the Lord each morning honestly and say to Him "I want to honor You with my life." He has given me the privilege to courageously do His will boldly because He has already given me the victory. I don't need to fear anything, I have every right to be me as He has made me, and in faith follow His leading. He is not done with me yet, and that's ok, because Christ died for me when He knew what I would be like. I fall but like a father with a new toddler on wobbly legs He lifts me up and encourages me to try again with His loving arms ready to catch me. Oh do I ever forget that He does take me as I am, and that I have to remember I can go to Him as I am. That's when He can truly shine through me, and show Himself.

I get so excited when I even just think back in my own life, and all the things the Lord has done. We are called Gods children because we can be courageous only through Him. Like a child to their Father we will always need to go to the Father and constantly ask Him what to do, ask for guidance, "check in", lean on Him, lament to Him, cry to Him, get comfort, tell him everything, ask for stuff... He is our daddy. He accepts me as I am, He wants me to have the courage to do the same. He loves me so much, that He refuses to leave me that way, and He wants me to have the courage to believe that and let Him work in and through me.

 

New Every Morning

What more can we ask for when the Father is so faithful in His love, and His mercies. This is what every human being yearns for. Every being is crying out for unconditional love, and true acceptance. Just when we feel defeated the Father wants us to never forget, that His mercy never ends, its always new. This to me is so freeing. Satan wants us to never really "get" this. To feel ashamed to think we can have another do over. To get wrapped up in guilt that clouds Gods promises. We all have the right to be courageous and turn to the Lord for victory over our stumbling blocks, turn a deaf ear to Satan's lies that we are to be punished/punishing our selves. Christ already took our punishment, and He wants us to live a new life, a free life, in Him.

Red Neck Travel Mug

 I doubt I'm the only one that loves a coffee that is around for a sip here and there while going about in the house, that stays warm for when that time arises. So here is an all cozie, convenient, and fun(ny) way to help with those occasions.
 Keeping your mason jars makes for lots of handy uses. But this time its a red neck travel mug. The kind with a one piece lid, not a ring and snap seal top.
 The sock sleeve is what makes this- cozy and feasible. You just simply cannot handle a steaming beverage in a jar. Plus you cant use the traditional sleeve to hold this handy mug, because it'll slip and crash. You are going to have to make a snug sock cover. With, literally, a sock. Yup, just yank the one off of someones foot... well you can use another one or new one, if you have an issue with that.

 Grab your sock, turn it inside out, and measure how long it will need to be, leaving some room from the top, so your lip doesn't get fuzzies stuck on it, but there is enough for seam allowance.
 Trace the bottom of the jar onto the sock, for the bottom of the cozy.

 Pin the bottom edge of the tube with the edge of the circle, right sides facing. Zig-zag stitch about 2 or 3 times, to ensure it will not unravel. Use a tight, small stitch to hold it together. Turn it right side out, then stitch the fringe inside the cozy to the edge of the side, very close to the bottom. So you will end up seeing a seam on the outside of the cozy at the very bottom, but this will give extra durability and will better hold the shape of the tube.

 

Now I can savour a steaming cup of joe, warm my hands, and I get to enjoy the smell of my honeys feet wherever I take it!

 

 

Put the lid on and have another steaming sip in a bit.
I love it, and my kids each want their own! Gimme your socks guys!

To Do:

So, courage is on the agenda for this year in our home. I wanted to pick a word that had to do with being positive or looking on the bright side (I have a tendency to be negative and complain...a lot) but I couldn't find one accurate enough to describe that. Courage I think can cover a lot of angles and circumstances. Courage to face new opportunities, a new day. Courage to see a good outcome. Courage to try even when I could fail. Courage to try another way than what I am used to . I think those can describe those first ideas.
I was reading in Numbers 13 about Gods people about to enter the promised land of Canaan. They were full of fear! But when we are courageous we live out our faith to the fullest. Faith in action. And when we fold over in fear and let it take us down we loose out on Gods blessings, like the Israelites!
He leads us the way, shows us the positive outcome, but we need to do our part in the end.
Take the first courageous step and follow through the rest of the journey in faith.
Lord help me to trust you in all life's circumstances, trust that you know the whole picture and will guide me on, when I am courageous enough to follow You. Amen.
Myself - to keep my mind focused I need constant encouragement in many forms, ie. written words, motivational pictures, friends to lean on, to keep me encouraged to reach my goals.
Here we go! Funny but it just might help!

 

 

To be real honest and specific, I need to trust God that His outcome is better than what I can think up, what is comfortable for me, and stop trying to control everything (like choices that family members make).

Too much comfort in this life leads me to believe that I have it all under control.

I, most of the time hate getting out of my comfort zone, and that can keep me real isolated, and in a position that doesn't nurture growth.

My first reaction to comfort myself is with food. I felt I could conquer that with loosing a bunch of weight. I want to believe that I can let my guard down and carry on in my own strength, then I'm back sliding before I know it.

When things get hard its easy for me to think I'm a failure and God will punish me. But I need to believe, He is a merciful God. If my initial thoughts were true, when would the punishing ever really stop? Thank you Jesus that you died for the penalty of my sins!

Lastly I want to stop comparing myself to others. I believe in the back of my scar-ed mind there is a totem pole and I need to never let my guard down because it might reveal I don't measure up. This one never seems to lighten up.

That's the nitty gritty of my daily struggles. But with the Lords help I can bring all these needs to him to be fulfilled, by having the courage to let go and trust the Lord to handle it all. :)

Love Sent in a Box

Cost of brownie ingredients...$6.

Cost of shipping packaged Brownies...$19.37

Family being able to enjoy Grandmas baking over 3000 km away...priceless

We can so feel the love. Thanks Mom. We love you and miss you!

And you didn't forget the recipe :)

Man-Catcher Brownies
30 Kraft caramels, unwrapped
2/3 cup evaporated milk
15.25-ounce package German chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
-Heat oven to 350° F and line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment. Melt caramels with 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk in a small saucepan, stirring mixture occasionally; set sauce aside.
-Stir together cake mix, melted butter, and remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk to form a dough. Press 1 1/3 cups of the dough into the pan in an even layer. Bake until puffed but not cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and pour caramel sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle chocolate chips over caramel in an even layer.
-Top with remaining dough, crumbled into bits and scattered. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and return to the oven. Bake until brownies are puffy and set, 10 to 11 minutes more. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Isaiah 45:3

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I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness- secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.

I was intrigued by the context of this verse. I found that this is what the Lord told King Cyrus because he was obeying the Lord. King Cyrus agreed, with having nothing in return to allow the rebuilding of God's city Jerusalem and set the exiles free. He was chosen by God to carry this task out.
The Lord set it all up that when Cyrus carried out this task everything he needed would be set in place. And you know, even though God set things in place for him to carry out the task with ease, these were necessary but huge perks! God would empower him! Before Cyrus, mighty kings would be paralysed with fear! Their fortress gates would be opened!... And among all this, these were not even King Cyrus' rewards! God rewarded him with treasures hidden in the darkness- secret riches.
So what does this mean to me? God is always there empowering us when we will accept His leading, strategically placing all we need, right in front of us. And these are blessings in themselves! Healthy food to eat, leads me to gain better health. Exercise brings energy and so on. All this and that isn't even the reward! We will in the end have peace with God, feel whole and fulfilled. All the while giving glory to God to further His Kingdom!
Can I get an Amen?