God's Resolutions towards us

Resolve-verb  To come to a definite or earnest decision about .

Today I planned to sit and write out my resolutions. Today God had another path for me to go. My intentions were right but I think my heart wasn't in the best possible place. I am not in a hard spot today but as I tell the boys in everything they do their aim should be for the best. So today God needed to set my heart right before I could ponder my plans. As I was on the tread mill I listened to a sermon on oneplace.com. It was about New Years Resolutions. I took 2 pages of notes as God spoke to my heart. Yes on the treadmill, today was just a walk day.
I believe God likes us to plan. Proverbs tells us so many times that man plans but God directs his paths. God plans. God resolves. As I walked I was stunned to think that I want to resolve to follow Him more closely, to be more like His Son, to be more patient. But I don't think even my greatest thoughts towards Him would even compare to what we resolves towards His children.
The boys gave me a new ESV Bible for Christmas so that is what I will be using.
Romans 8:31-39
God’s Everlasting Love
31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written,"For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.


1. God's resolve is for us to be like Jesus. He says I am for you! He is our advocate! Romans 1 says He wants us to not be lacking anything so that we can reflect His glory. It is not talking about our houses, our cars, our jobs, it is talking about Jesus character. Before we can fully understand He is for us we have to understand He should be against us. It's not like we are a famous all star athlete who trains and does his best and we are cheered on for that accomplishment. We haven't accomplished anything for God. We are actually lazy, unmotivated, over indulgent, selfish bench warmers. God isn't cheering us on in that way. He desires us so much to be like His Son He will not give up transforming us until we are like Jesus. That is His promise. He gave us His righteousness, a.k.a. Jesus, if we accept Him.

If you resolve to be like Jesus He is for you!


2. God's revolve is for us to be forgiven. Your sin cannot make you unfit to inherit the future! If you are a child of God we get to inherit the future! The future! Out best laid plans are nothing in the future without accepting Jesus.  When you don't keep those resolutions you make or you sin, God has already forgiven you.  He resolved long ago to forgive your future sins before you even commit them.  Don't stay there with them.  Let go of the guilt.

God bases our inheritance on what Jesus deserves not what we deserve!

3. God's resolve is to love us. Whatever this world throws at us God will use it for us. Nothing can come between us and His love. The world will be a part of our lives but we will never be separated from God.

God has heart felt devotion to US!



As you ponder your future remember the Gospel. We are tied to it , it is our life and everything we touch should reflect that. Resolve to have soul focused resolutions.

New Year Desires

Just a post reminder that I am working on for the new year.

Happy Past Year

If I am being honest here these past few days have been HORRIBLE! Tom is working 12 hour days, which he signed up for and we discussed would be good right now so we can pay off the van. But him being gone so much is starting to drive me crazy. We have been on a 2 week so far break and staying up every night past bed times and sleeping in. You know that is getting old when your 14 year old brings his Christmas candy to you and asks you to put it up and asks to get back on proper bedtimes. When they feel it and ask for the old ways you know it's past time. Being here in Indiana away from all of our family, really always have been but for some reason this year seems hard. Maybe it's because we really aren't close to any of our families and I feel saddened by that truth. We have been away from the house these past 3 days from early in the morning until time to come home and cook a decent dinner because lunch out these past 3 days have not been healthy. ***Personal woman content warning*** I am officially going through menopause! Yes at 39! Have been really for the past two years and am on the 65th day count down to 365 days of no cycle. So needless to say I am waiting on hormone level testing to come back to go see a wonderful nutritionist to help me with supplements. If I could warn anyone before they do things to their bodies I would say never go on birth control pills and certainly not for 5 years! And never have a tubal ligation. Those things are detrimental to a woman's health. Please don't email me hate mail, these are things that in my own personal opinion I would do over if I had the chance, if I had the wisdom then that I do now.

So I have been reading book after book on the change of life. How dreadful that sounds. Am I now considered at the top of the hill??? It seems that when you are going through something you forget that others have or will. You can kinda make it all about you can't you? So to try and not make this day about only me as these last few days have been I had the boys do a writing project. I have been reading blog posts about New Years resolutions. Some have been very good! I especially like Doug from Vision Forum. I read his last year and we all started journaling. Some months I was better at writing, some months I simply forgot. But it sure was nice to look back and "see" what we did, what we learned. I had the boys write down each month and then remember something about that month. They wrote out a sentence about something that stood out to them. Tomorrow's assignment is to write a paragraph about each month. Go into more detail about the canoe trip with dad. Tell more about the Awana grand prix you placed in. Remember all the mowing customers God placed in your life. I plan to do the same and make a slideshow of pictures to go along with it. Hopefully I can figure out how to post a slideshow?

I would encourage you to look back over this past year BEFORE you look to the future. Write it out, go back over you calendar, go through pictures, look over your check register you might remember that awesome dinner date you had with your husband! Remember and thank God for it ALL. That is a sure way to get out of a slump!

Leek & Potato Soup

Leek and Potato Soup

■1 bunch leeks, carefully washed
■2 bay leaves
■1 tsp dried thyme
■3 strips bacon or 1/2 c butter if you don't use bacon
■5 -6 cups chicken stock
■1 to 1 1/4 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
■1 1/2 teaspoons salt
■1/2 cup heavy cream OR 1 cup half & half, but reduce the chicken stock to 5 cups
■fresh ground pepper to taste

In a heavy pot, cook the 3 strips of bacon over medium low heat. While the bacon is rendering its fat, wash the leeks carefully. Cut the white portion from the green leaves and discard all but 2 of the leaves. Cut the leeks in half and rinse well under running water to wash away any grit.

Slice the leeks thinly. Add to pot with bacon or butter and soften. Add stock, seasonings and potatoes until soft. Use and immersion blender to make soup smooth and add cream.

Southwestern Breakfast Potatoes

Southwestern Breakfast Potatoes
8 large potatoes, scrubbed clean
coconut oil
1 large yellow onion sliced into rings
1 cup mixed mushrooms, sliced
1 -2 teaspoon spicy seasoning salt or 1 -2 teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste
2 avocados, diced
Tabasco sauce or hot sauce, to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and brown. When almost done add onion, mushrooms, and seasoning or salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the potatoes are crisp and brown.

Top the potatoes with the avocado and hot sauce and serve immediately.

Wilted Spinach Salad a.k.a.your daily calcium requirement

Wilted Spinach Salad with
Feta, Red Onion, Dried Cranberry, and Toasted Pecans
red onion, sliced
2 bunches of spinach
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
salt & pepper
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb bacon

To toast pecans scatter them on a baking sheet and place in a 350 degree oven, stir after 4 minutes and bake for an additional 3 – 5 minutes watching closely. There is a fine line between toasted and burnt.

Cook bacon, drain and crumble.

Toss everything in a big bowl except oil. Take grease from bacon or you can use the olive oil. Heat up slightly and toss salad with the oil. The heat from the oil will wilt the spinach. This is good, it's called wilted spinach salad ;)

Done.

Peace on Earth

As I sit to write Christmas Day I am not sure of what to write. The only thing that I can sigh is Peace. Fullness. Peace. Blessedness. Happiness. Peace.

Unbelief that the God Most High chose me. Chose my family.

I think a lot, sometimes that is good sometimes it can get me in trouble. I try to figure out why would God chose this life for me. I feel so privileged. I feel like I have more than I deserve. I feel rich beyond words. I have a wonderful husband who provides me space to be who I am. He lets me go out on a limb when all he can do is shake his head. I have 3 amazing boys, men really. I don't deserve this. That is where I can get in trouble. I scare myself out of allowing God to give me His best.

Today, today I have peace to gratefully accept EVERYTHING He gives.

Brown Rice Penne with Wild Mushroom Sauce

We are taking a 3 week break from regular school days. We are still gaining wisdom, just not traditionally. Every morning we are doing our chores, eating together, praying, having our personal time with God. What we are doing different is reading more together. We always read together but during these next 3 weeks I hope to read a considerable amount more. My list so far is:

Little Men
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Tales of the Brothers Grimm
Freckles

Going to the library today to pick out more. What would you suggest?

What's for dinner? Well it is one of those stick to your bones kinda meals. One that we can have on occasion because of the milk and cheese. But one that I crave because I happen to be a cheese lover.

Brown Rice Penne with Wild Mushroom Sauce
You can serve this sauce over any type of pasta or tortellini. Makes 2 cups of sauce. So naturally I will be doubling this one!

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp onion, minced
3 cups chopped mixed mushrooms, choose several types not just one
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp marsala
1/4 tsp dried thyme
salt & pepper
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour or arrowroot(gluten free)
3 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
package Penne

Cook Penne according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl.

In a 2 quart saucepan heat oil and cook onion until soft. Add mushrooms, cook about 4 minutes. Add broth, marsala, water, herbs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl.

In the same saucepan melt butter. Add flour until absorbed. Stir in mushroom mixture until it boils. Stir in cream and cheese. Add parsley. Top pasta with sauce.

Heat up a nice loaf of crusty bread and warm some butter.