Dog Hair, Poopy Diapers and the Family Wagon...I'm Loving It!

"... I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness."

Psalm 84:10(b)

NKJV

Have you ever wished you were someone else, somewhere else doing something else? I think one of the most difficult words in our dictionary today is: content. 

Content (adj.): In a state of peaceful happiness

Are you content? I wish I was, but honestly, content isn't my middle name. I'm a mom of a toddler, the owner of a dog that sheds like nothing I've ever seen and the majority of my days consists of sweeping dog hair, changing diapers, cleaning and cooking.. It's not necessarily glamorous in this day in age. I wish I had the skills to sing like Whitney, be a top "pinner" on Pinterest, a world-wide blogger with 6,000 followers, or the owner of a cupcake bakery that puts Sprinkles to shame but alas, I'm not. I have 3 followers on Pinterest, I sing lullaby's to my toddler and I bake solely for my family's stomachs. :) I'll never be an Etsy maven or a Paula Deen; that's for sure. So why do I get so discontent? Because the enemy constantly tells me that I need to "make something of myself"; that I'm nothing unless I can hold down a full-time job, have a Masters Degree, be a mom and drive a BMW all at the same time. Somehow it's not "fashionable" or "popular" to be a good mother or a great wife. So, I start thinking I need to be something or do something to make my name known to this world. And then, my mind stops and I realize, "wait a minute, what does God say?" 

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men." 

Colossians 3:23

Who am I trying to please here? God, or men? Am I trying to accomplish something for eternity or for some fame and fortune here and now. And then the question arises... "What has God called me to be?" Well, truthfully, I know exactly what God has called me to be: His child, a wife and a mom. But not just a wife and mom; a great wife and an amazing mother who seeks His heart above all else. And it's so very, vitally important. No one else can be my toddlers' mother, no one else can be my husbands wife. It is my God given gift. I might not ever have a clothing line at Target with my name on it but hopefully, and more importantly, I'll have fruit in heaven with my name on it. And guess what... I LOVE being a wife and a mother. I have the cutest toddler around and the most amazing husband alive. What could be more awesome than serving them, loving them and helping them be all God desires them to be? Nothing, is more awesome than that. So I want to do it with all my heart!

The other night my husband and I went on a last minute date. We both got dressed up and wore something other than sweats and tennis shoes and went and saw "The Dark Knight Rises". We love superhero movies and couldn't wait to get away to see it. It was a blast and at the end of the night we walked out to our car. And there she was in all her glory, our old, almost 100k mileage, WAGON. Yes, we drive a family wagon. All of a sudden it hit me, and I burst out laughing. "Hun, we drive a wagon!! We're old!" hahaha. We used to hop into the Mustang or his truck, but now, its a family wagon with a few dents. And guess what?! I love it!! I'm so glad I'm not zipping around in a fancy car that my child can't spill milk in or lose a french fry (or two or ten) in the middle seat. Both my husband and I looked at each other and knew we wouldn't trade our life for the world. 

So who are you? Who or what has God called you to be? A great mom and wife, a volunteer at church, a grocery checker, a retail clerk, food server ... ? Instead of wishing you were someone else, somewhere else; be all that God wants you to be exactly where you are at. I love Psalm 84:10(b) "... I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." 

Wouldn't you much rather be exactly who God has called you to be, right where you're at, than to be everything the world says you should be and end up with nothing in the end?

I'll take dog hair, poopy diapers and the family wagon over anything this world has to offer. My name may never be in a magazine or emblazoned on a purse. But my name will be written in the Book of Life.

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies...Cookie Monster Moments

Some days are cupcake days and some days are chocolate chip cookie days!!!  My son loves Sesame Street and whenever Cookie Monster arrives on the scene I always laugh. His constant phrase is, "Me want cookie!". There are a lot of days I say the same thing! :) 

Chocolate chip cookies are the perfect little dessert to have during the week...I have made countless chocolate chip cookies over the years; searching for the perfect recipe. I love to experiment with Jesus and make-up our own recipes! We recently made some chocolate chip cookies and they were awesome! I substituted applesauce for the eggs and they turned out amazing! I didn't have any fresh eggs so I needed a substitute and it turned out great.

Here is the basic recipe...

2 1/2 - 3 cups flour (I used a little less than 3 cups)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup applesauce (or two eggs)

1 tsp vanilla (or two :) I love vanilla)

1 bag chocolate chips

A splash or two of milk (if your dough consistency seems to floury) 

Now since I made my cookies without eggs I was free to eat the cookie dough without fear of any bacteria! Whoop Whoop! I could have ate the whole bowl BUT I didn't. :)

Preheat oven to 375. 

Sift together your flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and set aside. Blend together butter, sugars, applesauce and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour to the mixture and blend it in. This recipe calls for a lot of flour. If your dough seems a bit too floury, add a couple dashes or splashes of milk. :) Lastly, mix in your chocolate chips with a spoon. 

Drop rounded amounts of cookie dough on cookie sheet (mine are probably about 1 1/2 tablespoons worth of dough for each cookie) and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden on top. Let set on pan for a minute and then move cookies to cooling rack. Every oven is different so the times may vary slightly. Keep a constant eye on your cookies for the first batch and see how much time they need and then adjust for every subsequent sheet. I usually take my cookies out when they are a nice light golden color.

FYI (The pictures I used above of cookies were from a previous batch I made with a different recipe...I didn't get a snap shot of this posts' particular recipe. They will turn out smaller and more rounded! They are so pretty! I like this particular recipe better)

Enjoy! God bless your weekend!

I'm Not Happy...Searching for Happiness

Are you happy? I don't just mean having a temporary "happiness" that only lasts for a few minutes or a couple hours or a day. But a true, lasting, not-fading joy. Most people would say, "I'm not truly happy". And why? I believe it is because a lot of people don't have Jesus! 

I love having a blog because I know that there are people reading it that I may or may not know, that I've never met and I have no idea what is going on in their lives. Maybe you are searching for happiness. I grew up in a Christian atmosphere but I had some seasons in my life where I was really searching for joy and for peace. I tried things other than Jesus to see if any of them would bring me that joy I was looking for. None of those things worked. In my early teens I realized that I needed more than what the T.V., the music and the magazines were telling me I needed. I needed something drastically different and it was Jesus Himself. 

There is a true story in the Bible about a woman that was thirsty. Not thirsty for water, but thirsty for something more. Her story is told in John chapter 4. I'm going to paraphrase the story and make it a little shorter but in essence she was a woman looking for joy; looking for peace. She had been married numerous times and was now living with a man that wasn't her husband. She had tried to find fulfillment and peace in relationships. But it didn't work and she kept having to try another and another until she came up empty. Jesus knew what she needed; she needed Him. He met her one day as she was going out to get water from the well in her city. He sat and talked with her and said...

"Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

John 4:13 (NKJV)

As you can imagine she wanted this water! She didn't want to be thirsty inside any longer. Jesus talked with her a while longer and after some time she believed Him and her life was changed. 

Are you thirsty for something? Maybe you've tried relationships, sex, money, popularity, drugs, approval from others etc. And yet, you're still thirsty. 

Only a real relationship with Jesus will quench that thirst. God loves you and it says in the Bible that...

"...God so loved the  world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

John 3:16 (NKJV)

God loves YOU. And He loves you SO much that He sent His only Son to die in your place. All of the sins and bad things that you have done, no matter how bad or awful, can be forgiven because of Jesus' death on that cross. You can have forgiveness, peace and true joy. It doesn't mean that every day of your life is going to be perfect and that you're never going to go through bad or painful things. But God promises us again in the Bible...

"...I will never leave you nor forsake you." 

Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) 

He will stay by your side when times are good and when times are bad. He will help you, He will guide you and He will love you. 

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8

How many people do you know that would die for you? Probably not that many, if any, realistically. But God loved you SO MUCH that He sent His Son to die for you. AMAZING! If you have never asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to come into your life; do it today! Don't wait! God loves you and has a truly wonderful plan for your life! :) 

"...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." 

Romans 10:9

 

Jesus is alive and wants to save your life! He isn't in that grave any longer...He rose from the dead! You don't have to be thirsty any longer...

 

If you have never prayed to ask Jesus to forgive you or to come into your life you can pray a simple prayer just like this:

 

Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner and I know that I need forgiveness. I believe that you died on the cross, and that you rose again. Please forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Change me and make me all that you want me to be. 

In Jesus' name 

Amen.

 

Make it your own. God is listening to YOU; not to some written down words!

 

If you would like to talk to someone about your decision you can comment on this post! Jesus loves you!   

Does God Really Love Me???

"Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."

Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV)

Do you ever have those days when the harsh reality of not being "perfect" hits you? I do, almost every day. Today I looked in the mirror and saw flaws; but not just physical flaws. I saw spiritual flaws and character flaws. Last week I lost my temper at my toddler because he threw his dinner on the floor, the other day I had overwhelming anger over my defiant, crazy 9 month old puppy, because she wouldn't listen and this morning, I had a feeling of guilt. Guilt over mistakes, sins and failures in my life. I'm not perfect. I've made lots of mistakes; some bigger and some smaller. Maybe you can relate. Sometimes as Christians I feel like we ask, "How are you?" and the response is always "Good, how are you?". We plaster on a mask and a constant smile but inside we're not smiling. We give the impression that life is perfect, we are perfect and that's that. But how many of us are actually honest enough to admit that we have some really big burdens, guilts and hurts going on inside? That just maybe, we actually lost our temper yesterday or said something we shouldn't have, or did something that might shock someone else. And now we're feeling so guilty, so imperfect.

One thing I've struggled with all my life is really, truly believing that God loves me. I mean, we hear it all the time, sing it all the time and tell other people all the time. But I can't always get it through to my heart that God really loves me. I feel like I constantly fail whether it's in my attitude, actions or decisions. I try so hard to do "all the right things" but then I come up miserably short. I'm not a perfect mother, I'm not a perfect wife, I'm not a perfect child of God. I try to be but it's only by God's grace that I ever "get it right". 

This is where the enemy loves to come in and ruin my day, my week and my life. One word I've become all too familiar with is condemnation. It's an ugly word isn't it? I'm not talking about good ol' fashioned guilt when you do something you know is wrong. I'm talking about that feeling that tells you that you're hopeless, worthless and that God doesn't love you. Have you ever felt that? The enemy loves to take every failure that I have during the day or in my life and turn it into a massive condemnation road trip; even after I've asked for forgiveness from the Lord.

"Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns?"

Romans 8:33, 34a (NKJV)

Hallelujah for scripture!!! I love how God's Word comes in and smashes satan's lies! Don't you? You can be in the depths of despair and then read a scripture like that and BAM the fight is over! 

Or how about this one...

"I even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins."

Isaiah 43:25 (NKJV)

Whoa! Back the condemnation truck up friends! God just said, "I will not remember your sins". I don't know about you but I remember my sins. I remember the bad attitude I gave my mom when I was 14 and just about every other sin I've ever committed. But God is saying He does NOT remember! If I've repented of those sins and turned from them, then I can be confident that God isn't the one reminding me of my failures; it's the enemy. 

I love the song, "Jesus Loves Me". I've sang it to my son just about every night from the time he was growing in my tummy until now. I love the words...

Jesus loves me, this I know

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones to Him belong

They are weak but He is strong

Yes, Jesus loves me

Yes, Jesus loves me

Yes, Jesus loves me

The Bible tells me so

Isn't that amazing....it's so simple, yet so true! How do we know Jesus loves us? Because the Word of God shows us over and over. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

John 3:16 (NKJV)

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

 Romans 8:37-39 (NKJV)

So when is the last time that somebody told you God loves you.... 

GOD LOVES YOU! GOD LOVES YOU! GOD LOVES YOU!!! :)

No matter what your past failures or sins; if you have turned from those sins and have asked Jesus for forgiveness, you can be confident that you are forgiven and you are loved. Loved by an amazing Father, Savior and Friend!