Hope Continually -- Psalm 71:14

Soup...I love soup!  One soup I had not made in a long time was the simple Broccoli-Cheese Soup.  Mmm!  Last week, I pulled out this recipe and boy, did my girls gobble it up!  Perfect for a rainy day like today. Broccoli-Cheese Soup 3 cans chicken broth 2 bags frozen broccoli florets 1/4 cup onion, diced 1/2 cup flour 3 cups milk 1 can cheddar cheese soup 1 8 oz. bag shredded Mexican cheese Bring the chicken broth and broccoli to a boil for 6 minutes. Saute onion in a little margarine/butter.  Add flour and milk. Add flour combination to broth mixture. Add cheddar cheese soup. Cook - do not boil. Add cheese and stir until melted.   Serve with a BLT sandwich for a delicious lunch or dinner.

 Day after Thanksgiving is our family's tradition to put up the Christmas tree.  :)  Since we have lived in Nevada, we also began cutting down a tree as well.  Here, you purchase a permit for $10 and you are able to go in designated parts of the wilderness and cut down your tree.  I love it!  I always wanted that experience as a kid to go traipsing through the woods to find that perfect tree to cut down and take home.   It is just a neat experience.  We saw three different herds of deer along the way.  Awesome!  And check out the view!  My husband always lets me pick out the tree and I usually go with my first choice. :)  We both saw the same tree and agreed we both like this one!  We always have put the tree inside; however, I made a decision that now our real tree will be on our deck.     After our trek to the woods, we came home to decorate Old Faithful.  My husband and I's very first Christm...

Craziest day of the year.  Used to be anyways.  Now it is a month of crazy. Black Friday.  Cyber Monday.  Sales upon sales upon sales.  Wal-Mart decided to match any Black Friday deal a week early BEFORE Black Friday.  Stores open on Thanksgiving now.  All for the almighty dollar. I do love sales.  I love a great deal.  But it certainly adds a stress and pressure this time of year.  Am I getting the best deal?  Will there be a better deal tomorrow? What did Thanksgiving used to be like, Mommy? Thanksgiving Day night was probably the best day of the year as a kid for my sisters and I.  We spent as a family the day at Grandma's house.  Traditional meal...family together...great times.  Then all the parents would go home and the grandkids got to spend the night at Grandma's house.  It was a time of traditions. The grandkids at my Grandma's funeral. Decorating the Christmas tree.  Sa...

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  Can you think of one thing you could do for one person tomorrow? Maybe a neighbor...a single mom...an elderly person who lives alone.   Bake them a pie. Invite them to your home for Thanksgiving. Make a plate of food and take it to their home. Give them a gift card to a restaurant. You could be what they will be giving thanks for.   Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are my ten tips in preparation for Thanksgiving Day : 1.   Clean out your refrigerator.    You will need room for your Thanksgiving dishes as well as leftovers after the meal. 2.   Put beverages in fridge to chill. 3.   Gather all items needed for set up on that day.   Example:  Tablecloths, napkins, dinnerware - Count out how many you will need for the number of guests you are expecting.  (I set my table the night before! :) Serving dishes - very important! Some dishes you may not use very often such as the turkey platter. Find all you will need.  Place the items with the dish if possible.  For example:  Chips with the chip/dip tray.  Olives and pickles with their dish. Cooking utensils - extremely important!  What items do you need to cook that turkey?  Thermometer, baster, baking bag, etc.  Place them all together. 4.   Have plastic containers ready to place leftovers ...

Yesterday, we had our Thanksgiving Chili Dinner at our church so I thought I would share my chili recipe.  I have been making this recipe since I was first married 13 years ago living in a one bedroom apartment in Cedar Lake, IN.  It is so easy and quick and can be put together in minutes. Rebekah's Chili 1 lb. ground beef or turkey 1/2 onion, diced 1 can tomato soup - 10 oz. 1/4 cup milk 2 cans chili beans 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies salt and pepper Brown the ground beef with the onion.  Drain.  Add the remaining ingredients and heat through. Serve with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.  And maybe a melty grilled cheese sandwich. :)

Saturday, we were out passing out packets for our church.  The packets included a John and Romans, a church postcard, a letter regarding our Christmas program, a magnet and a pen.  I had placed a packet at the door of a house and started crossing the street. A lady comes angrily out that door yelling at us.  She threw the packet at my husband and it landed on the street.  She said some angry, choice words and stomped back in her home.  Vehement anger.  Rage. Rage that someone had left a Bible and invitation to church on her door.  Sad indeed. What was more sad was one of our group spent 23 years in the military...fighting for her and her freedom of speech.  As well as a free country to live.  And she threw it in his face. Thank you, Bro. Scott, for giving those years for her...for me...for us all.   And yet, there was another who fought for her.  Well, He actually died for her.  Yes, that woman that thr...

My goal for my teenager... No, I don't have a teenager.  Yet.  That saying scares my husband and me.  Yet the thing that people do when they are afraid of something - they avoid it.  Avoiding a situation doesn't make it go away or get better.   Back to teens.  What is our goal for our daughters? Our goal for our daughters is that they would choose what has been chosen for them. I was raised in a Christian home.  My dad was an assistant pastor and then a pastor.   The Christian life was chosen for me.   And I chose it too.   As a teen, I chose to have a personal walk with my Lord.  I chose to dress modestly in my public school.  I chose to carry my Bible to my public school.  I chose to not smoke, drink or do drugs.   I chose to be a leader in my youth group.  I chose to tell others about Jesus.  I chose to be involved in MY church.   Yes, even though my dad was the pastor...

Thanksgiving is just around the corner!  Here is a tip that I use that may help you in your holiday preparations. I created a Home Organization Binder .  The last section in my binder is my Meal Planning Section.  I have a calendar to record the meals I want to make that day/week.   After planning what meals I want to make, I take those recipes and place them in the binder.  This enables me to do two things: 1.  Create my grocery shopping list from the recipes. 2.  I have all the recipes I need for the week at my fingertips.   No searching through cookbooks, recipe cards, browsing the internet...what was that recipe called??? For instance, I have my Thanksgiving dishes planned. I placed all the recipes I need to use in my binder. I typed out my grocery list. Just a little tip that will take some stress out of your holiday! :)

"Hey, I just got to the church and it is flooded.  There is standing water in the hallway and auditorium."  These are the words I heard over the phone yesterday morning. "I'll be right down."  I was typing out my Thanksgiving grocery list and was heading out to do my shopping for our Thanksgiving meal.   Instead, I spent the entire day with a Shop Vac and carpet cleaner in hand.   Stress.  You will have it daily in your life.  You will respond to it.  So what will my response be?   You see, I was contagious.  We all are. Did my husband need me to be negative and down at that time?  Absolutely not.  I could have easily infected him with a bad attitude, woe is me emotion.  He really didn't need that. Sundays. It is hard to maintain that smile...that joyful spirit...that contagious happy attitude when you get up to sing in the choir and the sea of faces is frowns.  People, you are contagious!...

I like this picture.  This is the perfect photo to describe my husband.  Surrounded by people...in his element. I think God made him just perfect.  He was a way to connect with people.  He loves them deeply.  He understands them.   If God makes people for specific purposes, he certainly made my husband to be a pastor. (But I did tell him he doesn't get to grill the hot dogs anymore because he fellowships too much and grills too slowly!  LOL!)

"Here, honey," said my husband.  I was blow drying my hair and reading my Bible in our bedroom.  My husband hands me a cup of coffee he had made for me. "Thank you!" I said.  I take a sip while he watches me.  He says you're welcome and heads out the door.   I set the cup down next to the cup of coffee I already had been drinking.  :) What better way to make your morning great than with a kind gesture...and two cups of coffee.  Make someone's morning better today! (No, he never realized I already had a cup of coffee.  LOL!)

Last year, we held a Chili Dinner as a special Thanksgiving service for our church family.  It was a big hit and we decided to do it again this year! You may decide to do this for your church or as a special event with family or friends.  I have included the planning sheets with all the information that will help you as you plan your event.   SVBC Chili Dinner/Service Planning Sheets You will find... Our menu Our order of service List of volunteers needed for the event  Items the church needs to purchase A detailed sign up sheet for the meal A floor plan of the fellowship hall *We also create a Thankful Video for our service.  Some churches have people stand and give testimonies of what they are thankful for that year.  We ask people to e-mail five photos per family (or you could do person) and we create a video slide show that is played during our meal/service. Last year, I worked this entire event by myself.  I cooked a...

There is something about watching your children take steps as they grow in the Lord and serve Him.  I have seen kids from Christian families that never take an interest in the Lord and it saddens me.  Recently, my daughter asked Jenny, our pianist, when she would be allowed to join the church choir.  7th grade was the answer.  Then it was changed to 6th grade if their parent also sang in the choir. My daughter was so happy!  She immediately begin putting together her choir notebook, asking questions, making sure she had the right songs.  I loved it. It is important that you are instilling in your children the desire to serve God.  Why?   You don't reap the same season you sow.  I want teen daughters that are beautiful inside with a heart for God.  I want girls who desire to serve in their church with their pastor dad and pastor's wife mom.   I want teen daughters that own this thing called the Christian life. ...

Guest Post:  Jenny Musser I have been getting my Thanksgiving recipes together so I thought I would share one more before Thanksgiving Day! I got this one from Josh's Aunt Barbara.  It's great to make the night before and have out for people to snack on before dinner time.   Holiday Cranberry Cheeseball Ingredients: 1-8oz block of cream cheese, softened   2 T. orange juice 1 T. sugar 1/8 t. cinnamon 1/4 C. finely chopped pecan 1/4 C. finely chopped craisins  Zest of an orange Directions: Use mixer to mix cream cheese, OJ, sugar, cinnamon and pecans.  Then fold in craisins, roll into a ball & chill until set. Roll in additional finely chopped pecans.  Serve with crackers.

Have you ever over-bought on hot dog buns?  Perhaps you had a backyard BBQ and had a couple packs leftover?  You can either eat regular hot dogs for a couple more meals (with groans from your husband and children) or you can try a few different meal ideas! By the way, when you are a young family with children, food budgets are often lean.  Food is expensive no matter what you try to do!  So, the following are some cheap and kid-friendly meal options that our family uses and enjoys using the good ol' hot dog bun! Lunch/Dinner Options This first one may sound odd but I guarantee it was a hit with my kids and even my husband!  Try it and I think you will find it a keeper! Tator-Topped Dogs hot dogs and hot dog buns instant mashed potatoes-Prepare according to package directions Shredded cheddar cheese Place one cooked hot dog in each bun. (I sautee my dogs in a skillet with a little oil until heated through and have some grilled-lik...

Being in church leadership can be tricky.  It is something that you will never master...should always be learning and perfecting...and just will be tough at times. Why?  You are dealing with people.   And as long as you are dealing with people, it will always take more time, energy, and thought. May I encourage you as a church leader?   Often, we can get so engrossed in the result that we want to achieve that we railroad and forget those that are doing the work to achieve that result. Your goal in ministry is to also build, train and encourage those under you. For example:  We have three children's Sunday School teachers at this time.  I oversee the teachers, help with any problems, teach and train.  I also oversee my personal adult ladies Sunday School class and a co-teacher for my class. My responsibility in leading these ladies is to not simply lead them to just get the results I need from a teacher.   The goal is t...

Last night, we hosted a College and Career activity at our home.  Here are a few tips to use for your next group activity: The food and drink was divided up between all the youth and hosts.   Everyone was assigned items to bring.  One young man paid the money to buy the ingredients for the soup and one of the chaperones made the soup and brought it to our home. The menu was: Cheeseburger Soup Chips Soda-2 liters S'Mores Coffee and hot cocoa We first ate around our dining room table.    Add a specialness to your activity with candles, fall tablecloths and fall decorations.   Then everyone moved around the bonfire outside.  We roasted marshmallows, made s'mores and talked and laughed.   A simple yet special activity. Here is Jessica's recipe for Cheeseburger Soup . :) INGREDIENTS ½ pound ground beef (use 1 pound) ¾ cup chopped onion ¾ cup shredded carrots ¾ cup diced celery 1 teaspoon drie...

In my ladies Sunday School class, I taught on praise.  I challenged them to take the 30 Day Praise Challenge .  You can find the book  The 30 Day Praise Challenge  here.   The 30 Day Praise Challenge Challenge:  To spend 20 minutes a day intentionally praising God for 30 consecutive days. 1. Intentionality. - Praise on purpose! 2. Praise music that prompts you to worship. 3. Flexibility. - Morning, afternoon, night - Just do it! 4. A journal. - Keep record of your praise journey. Read at least one chapter from the book of Psalms each day.   Sing, listen to or read one hymn/praise song. Write in your journal one characteristic about God that I discover from this chapter for which I can praise God today.  Let that be the characteristic of God that you carry with you throughout the day. I finished the challenge today.  What did it mean to me? 1.   It made me slow down.   When your mind is so busy...