Homemade Butter and Changes

Happy Friday to those of you reading my blog today. I absolutely LOVE Fridays! Especially since January when my work schedule adjusted to allow me to work Mon-Thurs and have each and every Friday off. When I first began this schedule I had grand plans of what to do with my new 'free' time and some of it has actually happened. Being the Type A, plan too much and try to cram it all in kind of gal that I am, there have been more than a few weeks when my fantasy did not match up with reality. However, I am settling into a flow and being more selective in how I spend these days.

For instance, today I thought about all the things I wanted to get done. A 'to-do' list from two weeks ago had some tasks without a checkmark or line through. Meaning I still wanted/needed to do them. Then there is the never ending list of household chores that keep popping back up no matter how many times you do them. This morning as I was ending my quiet time with the Lord and began to think about how my day was going to proceed I was prompted to separate my list of 'want to do's' into two categories. First, what are the things I want to do that either require solitude or are things that I won't do once surrounded by family again. On the other list are those things that can be worked into the normal weekend routine. What a revelation!! 'Cause I can tell you that normally I just jump into the list of household chores first and find myself leaving out the things that are more important.

Here is how that worked for me this morning. After my extended quiet time with the Lord, I worked on my speaking topic for the upcoming women's retreat (Oct. 15-16...get it on your calendar if you are in the Hopkinsville area!), caught up on a couple of emails, ordered a book from Amazon that I want to read, and then made homemade butter.

Yep, homemade butter! I got the recipe from Kelly Hancock at Faithful Provisions. Love, love, love that gal's website and all of her helpful hints on saving money on your grocery shopping and her yummy recipes. If you aren't familiar with Kelly, check out her website at www.faithfulprovisions.com I promise you will love it! (You can find her recipe for homemade butter too...big smile!) It is resting and cooling in the fridge..can't wait to try it on my toast at breakfast tomorrow.

Now I am off to the shower so I can meet my sweet hubby to do some b'day shopping for one of our sons, try to snag some scrapbooking bargains at Hobby Lobby, and then have supper together. As you plan your weekend, I pray that God will help you build in some quality quiet time with Him and some focused time with your family. Chores have to get done sooner or later, but let's ask God to help us keep it all in perspective.

Now about the 'Changes'. In the next few days I will be posting my personal blogs on a new blogspot. Sharing the Journey won't go away but it will become primarily a place for you to keep up with what is going on with the Women's Ministry at Hillcrest. I will put a link here for you to pop over and visit me at my new bloggy world home. (And I do hope you will follow me over there 'cause it surely is precious to a blogger's heart to know that someone is reading what they write.) So stayed tuned...............there is LOTS more to come as we continue our journey toward Home.

Blessings and hugs,
Molly

Back to School..but it's still summer!

Just a few years ago back to school signalled the start of fall. Summer ended with Labor Day weekend and school was back in session the following Tuesday. Temps, though still quite warm in the daytime, began to moderate with cooler evenings. Back to school clothes shopping included jeans and jackets...never shorts.

Slowly our school schedules changed and now we send our children back to the classroom in early August. Temperatures are sweltering and I would guess that most kids plus their parents are nowhere close to being ready for the summer to be over. (Now would be the time for me to step up onto my soapbox and launch into my 'speech' about the misguided folks who come up with the current school calendar and our education system's shortcomings but that would change nothing and is not the direction of this post.)

Regardless of our opinions of when the school year should start, the fact remains - Tuesday our kids will be back at school for a new year. Tomorrow at both morning services, we will honor our teachers and other educators and pray for our children, parents, and teachers as they each face the coming year. For some it will be the first time in the classroom. Others will find themselves in a new school, perhaps in a new town. Some will simply move up a grade with their friends with a new teacher but in familiar surroundings. All need our prayers and support.

My 'kids' graduated long ago and now have children of their own. My grandchildren range from baby to high school senior. I see the challenges facing them from a different perspective than the one I held when my own children were in school. However,one thing is a constant - our community children need our prayers. Their parents need our prayers and their teachers need our prayers. They need our support.

I will pray tomorrow morning along with others gathered at church. May it not be just a one time, one day prayer. May we all make it a priority to daily petition our Heavenly Father on behalf of the precious children in our community, their parents, and the teachers who strive to love and educate them.

Hugs,
Molly

Do you know St. Francis?

What came to your mind when you read the title of this post? Do you know anything about St. Francis other than the oft-quoted prayer? I confess I did not until recently. What prompted me to learn more about a man who lived over eight hundred years ago? Answer: an enticement to read a new novel by Ian Morgan Cron, "Chasing Francis". I participate in the Blogger Review program at NavPress Publishers and this particular book was on their list. The brief introduction to the book was enough to whet my appetite. It was definitely a good choice!

Chapter One introduced me to Chase Falson, founding pastor of a mega church in New England. Though successful in the eyes of his church members, his peers, and the town where he lives Chase found himself at a crossroads of faith. Disillusioned with the typical American church culture, he even begins to wonder if his faith is really any kind of faith at all. When this leads to a breakdown of sorts in front of his congregation, he is asked by church leaders to take a leave of absence to 'get his head together.' And so begins his journey back to the roots of his faith. As Cron lead me through Chase's investigation of the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, I was surprised to learn that the culture that St. Francis attempted to serve and teach in was similar to post modern America. Granted, some of his theories and practices were radical then and would still be considered radical today. However, in a society where the church has more often than not blended into the culture instead of standing out from it I believe we have much to learn from the life of St. Francis. Not into history books and dry, textbook-like reading? Then grab a copy of "Chasing Francis". I promise you it will keep you enthralled from the first page to the last with surprises tucked away in unexpected places.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

If you decide to read this book, I would love to hear your stories. Just come back to this post and leave your comments.

Hugs and happy reading,
Molly

The Responsibility of Freedom

Yesterday was a day of great celebration through out our country and rightfully so. We celebrated the day that marks our declaration of independence from British rule and the founding of a new country, one founded on Christian principles by God fearing men. Listening to the vocal minority in today's United States, we hear a vastly different message. Guess they don't read history books? It is evident that their message blatantly leaves out the written evidence of our founding fathers' belief in and trust in our God as they determined what would be our governing documents.

Looking at where we are now, one has to wonder how long we will remain a free and thriving nation. In his sermon yesterday, Bro. Greg talked about the sin against America's God. He pointed out that, as a nation, we no longer fear the God we say we trust. For too many in this land, there is no moral compass. Government has gotten too big because we have come to expect our government to fix everything so that we can maintain our comfortable standard of living. Success has become determined by how much money you have, what kind of car you drive, where you live, etc. etc.

Unfortunately, this manner of living and thinking extends into the American church. I confess that I too am guilty of having fallen into the trap of the American dream. Just as our country has drifted away from God, we have drifted into and adapted to the culture around us. If I say I will go wherever God calls me to go, yet I pray that He won't ask me to leave my grandchildren have I really surrendered? I say I care about the poor but I continue to spend on items that most people in the world would consider luxuries instead of giving that money to help someone. I want to be willing to be uncomfortable but my lifestyle speaks otherwise.

God first started stirring my heart about this a few months ago when I read Jen Hatmaker's book, "Interrupted". He is now piercing my heart through the book "Radical" by David Platt. I highly recommend both of these books. I believe it is no coincidence that God placed these books into my hands. For quite sometime now I have had a deep conviction that God is calling His people to throw off the shackles of this world and to be totally committed to serving Him, to telling others about Him, and to be living as He commands us to. We, as His church, must stop thinking the immoral, unsaved masses are the enemy and admit we are the enemy when we have become blinded to God's ways, adapting so closely to the culture that we no longer bear the image of Christ.

As Bro. Greg ended the service yesterday he asked us to gather at the altar to pray for our nation. I prayed that God would be merciful to us, His church. That He will grant us one more opportunity to repent and forsake our sinful ways. Whether He will stay His hand of judgment on our nation is only known to Him. But I believe it is imperative that we who proclaim to be followers of Christ to be about His business. May God have mercy on us all.

Convicted,
Molly

A Few of my Favorite Things - Summer Style

It is summer time and the living is easy. At least that is what a song or ad...well, I've heard that expression somewhere before! I'm sure the writer was referring to the more casual lifestyle that a lot of us adapt to in the summer months. My schedule and activities don't really change that much as the seasons change. However, I do spend lots more time outdoors. If it isn't dark and I want to settle in with a good book, you will find me out on our patio. If the grandkids are visiting, they are playing outside and I'm right there with them. Which kinda brings me to the title of my post.

Sitting on our patio on Sunday afternoon I realized that I am thankful for outdoor ceiling fans. It was a very hot and humid day but the breeze created by the fan made it comfortable enough to spend some quality reading time there. When I paused to thank God for ceiling fans, I felt a prompting to think about other things I am thankful for. So here is my summer time list:
soft breezes, watching tree branches move in the wind, lightning bugs, watching my grandson catch lightning bugs, sunsets, the smell of freshly mown grass, homemade ice cream, grilled hamburgers, home grown tomatoes & squash & corn & all sorts of veggies, my backyard garden and the farmers' market, heat lightning, the sound of summer bugs, the sound of rain, distant rumbles of thunder, camping, watching the Perseids meteor shower in August, night time starry skies, vacation planning.....

These are all things that bring a smile to my face and a lifting in my spirit. No matter what life storm or circumstance I am in. Taking time to acknowledge those gifts from God and to thank Him for them brings me closer to Him. It takes my focus off the negative and onto the good. It is a surefire cure for the Eve syndrome. (You know that propensity we have to look at what we don't have while ignoring the abundance of what we do have.-)

I hope this inspires you to make your own list of your favorite things - summer style. Want to share? Then just post a comment below. All comments are moderated so it may take a few hours for yours to show up, but please be patient...it will!

Happy summer y'all!
Molly