Casting your cares.....

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you 
1 Peter 5:7

Something we know we need to do....but is so hard at times.  Mostly, because I keep grabbing mine back or let the worry distract me from taking it to Christ.
My devotion today hit the spot on this...

As you've not doubt discovered, becoming a Christian does not make your problems go away.  But it does give you an Advocate to whom you can take very concern.  The Christians Peter addressed were facing persecution.  They did not know whom they could trust; a friend, a neighbor, or even a family member could betray them, resulting in suffering and even death.  But Peter had walked with the risen Christ, and he had personally experienced the love that Jesus had for His followers.  He knew that Christ was in control, capable of handling every trial and that He wanted to do so as an expression of His love.

Casting our cares is a choice.  It means consciously handing over our anxiety to Christ and allowing Him to carry the weight of our problems.  At times this is the difficult art of trusting God!  We don't like turning over the responsibility for our problems.  We have been taught that self-reliance is good and praiseworthy.  we may even enjoy worrying.  Yet if we are to be freed from the burden of our concerns, we must choose to cast them into the strong hands of our Father.

Peter does not distinguish between little cares and big cares.  God does not differentiate between problems we should handle on own own and God-sized needs.  He asks us to turn the ALL over to Him.  One of our greatest errors is to assume we can deal with something ourselves, only to discover that we rally can't.

God sees you as His child, burdened with a load that surpasses your strength.  He stands prepared to take your load and to carry it for you.  Will you let Him?

What burdens do you need to give to Christ today?


This devotion was from Experiencing God Day-by-Day by Henry T. Blackaby

Project 365- Week 39

 Week 39.

Holy Smokes....do you realize there is only ONE week left in September?!!!!

How in the world did that happen?  I would really appreciate it if someone could please slow down the clock for me so that Jared's senior year doesn't just fly by me in a flash!

thank you.

Here's my week:

Sunday

 Have you played this game...one of my favorites!
We played this at Life Group tonight....boys vs girls...
....girls ate their lunch!!!
..as usual!!  :)

Monday

 Fried pork chops for dinner tonight with mashed potatoes, gravy and peas.  Jared was not too thrilled with the peas, but they were the only vegetable I had in the house....I think I need to go to the grocery store!!!

Tuesday

 Stepped out of my car this afternoon and almost stepped on this guy...in my garage....ick!!!!  I am sure you are thinking "really, Sara, it is so tiny"...but it doesn't matter the size...I don't like snakes!!!

Wednesday

 I got a new camera!!!

And I spent some time this afternoon playing around with it.  Look at the color in that rose?!!!  I love it!

 One of my big wants was more zoom.....this little guy was pretty far from me!  I can already see I am going to get some great shots of Jared on the field at the next game!!!

 It has so many functions and one is for shooting food....go figure!

This was Steve's and my pizza tonight....caramelized onion and prosciutto!!

Thursday

 This was dinner tonight.  I had started eating before I thought to take a picture!!  You can find the recipe for these ham and cheese sliders and the balsamic green beans on my Pinterest board!

Friday

 Playing around with my new camera today.  Look at the detail in that macro!!

This next one was taken while Steve was driving 70 down the highway and through the window glass!!!  I LOVE this new camera!!!

Saturday

 Jared had his All-Region Orchestra concert today.  It just amazes me how these kids can learn this music in a day...they are so talented. 

Jared and his wonderful band director!

I had a pretty great week....how about you?

Put on your thinking cap!

I remember my mom and teachers saying that a lot as a kid!

It always sounded funny to me, but now as I am older, I realize how much of our brain we don't use....especially when it comes to God's Word.

This was my devotion today...so good.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  1 Peter 1:13

Your mind is a wonderful thing!  You can memorize life-changing passages of Scripture that can under gird you in your daily life; you can meditate upon God's Word, discovering His magnificent truths; you can discern between truth and falsehood; you can recall God's past blessings.

Some of God's most effective servants were those who disciplined their minds for His service.  Moses, educated in the best schools of Egypt, assembled the books of the Law for the Israelites.  Isaiah used his scholarly mind to write an exalted prophetic book in Scripture.  Paul learned under Gamaliel, the outstanding teacher of his day, and it was through Paul that God presented much of the theology found in the New Testament.

Sadly, may Christians today to not exercise their minds to be of service to God. They allow others to do their spiritual thinking for them. If they can find their theology from a book, they will not bother to study God's Word themselves.  If a speaker makes an authoritative statement, they readily accept it without verifying whether it is biblical.

Paul urged Christians to strive for maturity in their thinking.  He said there was a time when his spiritual thinking was immature, but he had prepared his mind to know and understand the great truths of God.  He had not allowed others to do his thinking for him. When you became a Christian, God renewed your mind. Be certain to use your mind in a way that brings glory to God.

This year God gave me the desire to dig deep into His Word.  I am taking an inductive bible study on Isaiah.  Yes, it's a lot of work and takes quite a bit of time, but oh.my.word....what I am learning.  What better teacher do we have, than God Himself?  

So.....put on your thinking cap!!!

It doesn't matter what kind of student you were/are.....I never was a great student.....God promises to teach us through His Word.....we just have to open it up and dig in!!

Project 365 - Week 38

 Week 38.

So where was everyone last week?  We had so few link up...I think 1/2 our normal group!!!  It must have been a busy week for everyone!!  I hope we will see everyone back this week....you have worked too hard to quit now!!!!

This has been a great week for me!!!  I was so, so happy to start both of my bible studies.  There is something about jumping back into God's word after the summer that is absolutely wonderful!  I am feeling like my schedule is starting to gel, though I am still busier than I would like to be.  However, this being my baby's last year.....I will be doing everything I can!!!!  :)

Here's my week:

Sunday

I made this for our Life Group tonight....Rosemary Skillet Chicken

Oh my, it was so good!!

You can find the recipe on my Pinterest board

(no this is not my picture, I forgot to take one!)

Monday

 I was so excited for this bible study to start tonight!!  I am ready to dig into God's Word in a deeper way.  

Tuesday

Worked on band buttons today.

Our show has a 70s them....hence the love ribbon!

Wednesday

 I was gone ALL day today.  We started our church bible study, Esther and then I had to run errands.  I had a 2 hour meeting at the school at 1:00 and then had more errands to run...ugh.  Jared had plans tonight so Steve and I went out for Sushi.  I had a coupon so we got to try some Sushi rolls that were a little pricier....oh.my.word....they were amazing!!!

This one has lobster inside!!!!

Thursday

 Thursday night is our night with Alyssa.  We have a scheduled night for her to come to dinner (and she does her laundry)  She has been so swamped with grad school, it was great to see her.  And I made her favorite meal....stir fry!

Friday

 We fed the band tonight before the away game.  Here they are listening to a devotional done by one of the dads.   Sadly, right after this they canceled us going because of rain.  :(

Saturday

  Yesterday was my neice's birthday.  So Alyssa and I drove down to Arkadelphia, picked her up and took her to Hot Springs for lunch!  We had a GREAT time....even if we did get a bit lost on the way back!  :)

So how was your week?  Are you getting back into a groove for fall?

Currently...

I copied this from Meredith's blog. Here are my September currents...

Current Books: The Fool's Errand in the Tawny Man series.  This is a sequel series to The Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb.  I am not one who is able to read more than one book at a time and unfortunately, I haven't picked up this book in more than a week!!  so sad.

Current Playlist: Are you ready for this.....I don't listen to music much.  I don't use an iPod. I like the silence of the house or car when I'm driving.  Don't get me wrong...I LOVE music.  I'm just not an all-the-time listener.  weird.  I know.

Current Color:  I LOVE color, so picking just one.....impossible. But I would have to say that red is my favorite.....or maybe it's blue...

Current Drink: I am SO excited that Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back!!!!!  I really need to find a way to make them at home!

Current Food:  I have been trying a lot of chicken recipes lately.  In fact, 2 days ago, both my men looked at dinner and said "we've had enough chicken for a while!".  Then the next day when I asked what they would like for dinner, both said "anything but chicken!"  Funny....I'm not tired of it at all!!!

Current Favorite Favorite: My Thankful Tree.  I am enjoying focusing each day on what I am grateful for!!!

Current Wishlist:  I really want a "real" camera.  my point-n-shoot is a very good one and takes great pictures, but I am ready to move to something better.  The problem is that I don't know what I want....too many choices, not enough knowledge to know how to choose.


Current Needs:  Patience and endurance


Current Triumph: Getting our children's ministry fully staffed for the year!  Seriously, I was beginning to think this would never happen!  But it did!!!  And I have been doing the Snoopy dance ever since.

Current Bane of my Existence: Cleaning bathrooms....the shower specifically.  I hate it.  And sadly, I save it till I just can't stand it any longer.....you can feel sorry for my husband.


Current Indulgence: already mentioned it.....Pumpkin Spiced latte!!  


Current Mood: Happy!  I slept ALL night last night without waking up!!  Those of you who are my age understand what a momentous event that is!!!!  It is amazing what a good night's sleep will do.  Plus I am enjoying being back in my bible study and starting my mornings off digging into God's Word!


Current #1 Blessing: my husband.  I am so thankful for this man.  This could be a post in and of itself, but one example was just seeing how he cared for me and a house full of kids when we were sick last week...it was amazing.  I love him!!


Current Outfit:  Pjs and my robe......it's still early.....really, it is!

Current Excitement: Bible study!!  God has given me a strong desire to dig deeper into His Word this year.  So, not only am I studying Esther with my friends from church, I have joined a Precepts class that is studying Isaiah.  It's a lot of work......but I am loving every minute of it!!!!  And honestly, I can't wait to get to it each day!!

Current Link: That would have to be Pinterest.com.  Seriously, I spend WAY too much time there.....as evidenced by my right hand hurting from all the scrolling I'm doing!!!  How can you not love that site....it was a brilliant idea!!!


So, what's on your current list?

Some days it's hard....

....in ministry.

and

..in life

..in your job

..in relationships.

Today was one of those days for me.

But God reminded me of my devotional the other day.  It didn't really resonate when I read it then, but as I turned back to it today...it fit perfectly.

And I needed to hear it.

Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.  1 Samuel 12:23

It can be tempting at times to give up on God's people!  They are so imperfect and can be so sinful, yet they are His people.  Samuel had thoroughly warned the Israelites of the dangers of appointing a king over Israel.  Yet they wanted to be like the nations around them, insisting that they were willing to pay any price.  almost as soon as the people were granted their desire, they recognized their sin.  But it was too late.  What was Samuel to do?  They had ignored his warnings.  Now they wanted him to continue to minster to them. It would seem appropriate for Samuel to abandon them and allow them to suffer the consequences of their actions.

Samuel knew, as Jesus knew, that God sends His servants to the sick, not the healthy.  Samuel did not take the people's response as a rejection of him but as an indication of their walk with God.  Samuel was serving God, not the Israelites.  When God commanded him to minister to them, he could do nothing else, despite their resistance to his message.

At times people will not respond as they should to the message God speaks through you.  Don't become discouraged; it is a refection of their relationship with God.  You are God's servant; if Jesus spent His time with the spiritually needy, you can expect Him to ask you to do the same.  Don't lose your patience with God's people.  Keep in mind that God loves them as much as He loves you.

It's so tempting at times when I am tired and frustrated to just give up..

..what's the use..

..they aren't listening.  

I am so thankful for this reminder today of Whom I am serving.

Project 365 - Week 37 and remembering 9/11

 Week 37.

Remembering 9/11....

I remember exactly where I was when the planes hit...I'm sure most of you do too.  I was getting my children ready for the bus.  Alyssa had already left for school, but my boys were just getting ready to leave.  I had the Today show on as we got ready.  It caught my attention as Matt or Katy said there was a rumor that a plane hit one of the towers...which was quickly confirmed as fact.  We sat in utter shock as we watched the 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower.  For several months afterward, my youngest son Jared would frantically run into the house every time a plane flew over.

I remember spending a good portion of the day trying to get a hold of my dear friend, Ellen.  Ellen and I worked together in NYC in my first years of marriage and had remained close friends over the years.  I knew that Ellen worked in one of the towers and I was frantic to get a hold of her.  I would finally talk to her toward the end of the day to find out that she had over slept and missed her train that would take her into the City.  God is good.

Three months after 9/11, I had a trip to NYC scheduled and we decided to go ahead and go.  It was so strange to see military in the airports with machine guns...a stark reminder that things had changed forever.  I can't tell you the emotions we felt as we went down to ground zero.  There was a fence they had constructed around the site, but in several places, you could peek through and get a glimpse of the wreckage and the burned out buildings surrounding it.  It made your stomach completely drop.  All the memorials and pictures from people looking for family were still up and overwhelming to see.  It wasn't the same City I worked in and loved so many years before.

I have since been back to NYC. I took my daughter there for her 16th birthday.  The City was still changed, but was alive and as wonderful as I remembered it.  I had so much fun showing my daughter around the island and we both cried and reflected when we visited the memorial site.

NYC has a special place in my heart and I am praying today for all those who lost loved ones on 9/11. But the people of NYC have also shown us that we are a resilient people. And the terrorists did not win. I pray today that we would, as a nation, return to our first love.  That we would remember that we are one nation UNDER GOD. That we would, individually, place Him first in our lives.

Here's my week:

Sunday

 My niece, the blonde, and her roommate are here for the weekend.  Went to church this morning and when we got home, Jason was there with 3 of his friends from college.

 We had a GREAT time playing water volleyball and then the kids hung out on the deck for a while.

 Of course, settlers was brought out later in the afternoon and then the girls and I went to see The Help tonight......just as good the 2nd time!!!!

Monday

Well, Labor Day didn't turn out as I had planned.... 

 We woke up to Kayley and Janeal throwing up with a stomach virus...ugh.  Kayley spent most of the day right here....poor thing was so sick.

 The other kids enjoyed another round of Settlers. 

I enjoyed watching the US Open in between caring for the girls and getting the food ready for the BBQ.....I think I was too busy to realize that I was getting sick too.

 Steve manned the grill and made these awesome wings that I found on Foodgawker.  Go here for the recipe!!!

 The stomach bug hit me hard in the early evening and Steve had to take over caring for everyone and getting the house all picked up after the boys left.  The girls were still too sick to leave for college.

Tuesday

No picture today....I was just too sick.

The girls were able to leave for school about noon.

I never made it out of bed.

My poor husband is so tired...he washed all the sheets the girls slept on and got the house cleaned and back in order, went to work, plus took great care of me....I love that man!

 

 

Wednesday  

 Didn't feel like doing much..still feeling puny.  So I worked on my Children's Church schedule and curriculum most of the day.

Thursday

 Still not feeling well enough to get out of the house or do much.  So, what is a girl to do...but spend the day on Pinterest, Foodgawker and watch the US Open...

...guilt free!!!!

Friday

I think Fall might just be creeping it's way in!!!

It was so cool we had our windows open this morning!!!

 

Saturday

  If you saw my post yesterday, I saw and pinned a picture of a Thankful Tree.  Today, I made my own for my foyer and I LOVE it!!!  As we head toward Thanksgiving, my family and those who visit my house can add the things they are thankful for!  I can't wait to see what it looks like in November!!

That's my week.  What did you end up doing?

  

What's a girl to do.....

..when her Labor Day plans change because the stomach flu hits her house, and she comes down with it Monday night, and once she can actually lift her head but doesn't feel good enough to get dressed or leave the house?

Spend the day watching the US Open and searching through Pinterest and Foodgawker...

....GUILT free!!!

Here are some of the things I have found:

 I LOVE this idea and will be searching garage sales for an old rake!!!

 I want to make this for my foyer for November...what are the odds I actually will?

 So simple but so elegant!!

 This would look so cute in my dining room!!!

 This is gorgonzola garlic bread....looks A.MA.ZING and I will be trying it this weekend...well as soon as my stomach allows!!

Skillet Rosemary chicken.

I think I will be making this for my life group this weekend. 

 oh.my.word...caramel apple cheesecake bars....swoon!

And this last one makes me lament that my children are no longer small!  Is this not the cutest idea ever?!!

So, the week has not been a total loss!!!!

and if you are one of the few people that has not been completely addicted to Pinterest...click on my red button to the right and check it out! 

Project 365 - Week 36

 Week 36.

This was a busy but great week for me.  I felt like I got a lot accomplished and still had plenty of "me" time.....pretty perfect!! And to top it off, football season started which means so did marching band!! I loved being back in the stands watching my son!!!

I have been on a new-recipe-trying kick and tried several new ones that I found on Pinterest.......if you haven't heard of it or gone to check it out yet, what are you waiting for?  I am very quickly getting addicted to it!!  Between that and Foodgawker......sheesh.  But I think my family is happy about it because they have loved all the recipes I am trying!!!

I am actually writing this on Friday because I am busy getting ready for a house full of college students this weekend!!!  My house is going to be full, noisy and so much fun!  I can hardly wait!  I hope everyone has a safe and fun Labor Day weekend!!

Here's my week:

Sunday

Today's snack for our Children's Church Safari theme!!

Monday

I was really in a funk today.

But I was able to have lunch with my bff, Wendi, and it made things so much better!!

I came home and made this wonderful recipe for dinner!

Tuesday

Jared's first game as Drum Major!!

Wednesday

Another new recipe!!

we all loved it!

Go here for the recipe.

Thursday

 My favorite baby boy came for a visit tonight while his parents went on a much needed date!!! And he was very snuggly, which made it even better!!!

Friday

It was a day of watching the US Open...oh, I love this time of year!!  

Saturday

 my buddy, Daniel was here again today.  His mom was very sick and asked if he could spend the afternoon with me....of course I said YES!!!

 My niece and her roommate are here for the weekend.  They are getting some homework done while we are watching football....their parents would be proud!!!  :)

So how was your week?  do you have big plans for the weekend?