Friday's Challenge on Posted by Rebekah

Every Friday @ 12:30pm (CST), you can hear a weekly challenge from me on Faith Music Radio.  My podcast is called Posted by Rebekah. You can listen online HERE or download the free app for your smartphone.  I would love for you to join us, listen and take the challenge!

Tune in any time of the day to Faith Music Radio for uplifting Christian music and talk. 

Here is today's podcast in blog post form. :)

I have a side job that entails taking photos of new construction homes for an inspection company that is inspecting these jobs for a lender.

Last week, I had eighteen lots to do.  That is quite a lot for one job.  It took me awhile - I was held up for a particular lot because they were pouring concrete for the foundation.

You see the lot starts out with a lot of preparation.  Everything is built so to be able to create a solid and firm foundation.

That is what you and I need in our lives.  It has been said over and over again - if you don't begin your life with the solid foundation of Christ - you are facing a possible broken down life later on. 

Every time you read the Word of God, you are adding another footing that will strengthen your foundation.

Each time you go to church, you are adding that protective sealant to the footers.

And then the amazing process begins.  It was the pouring of the concrete.  It was done by a large truck and two concrete mixers.  Once that cement start pouring out the hose, it took a team of men to guide it, level it, and lastly, finish it.

These guys had to work fast!  There was no time for one person NOT to do their job.  Everyone needed to know their job and do it well.

I found this to be similar to a church.  We all have different jobs in our churches.  Some guide the cement hose, some supervise, some level and some finish.

So what can we learn from this analogy?

1.  There is one supervisor.  

What ministry are you involved in?  The choir?  Then your supervisor is your choir director.  The nursery?  Your supervisor is the nursery director.  A member of a Sunday School class?  Your supervisor is your teacher.  

And all is under the pastor.  Give him the go ahead to help lead you according to the Word of God.

I have been a pastor's wife for five years and have seen members that never give the pastor the go ahead to pastor them.  They don't heed his preaching, they don't ask his counsel, they don't look to him to lead them in any way, shape or form.  Give your pastor the joy to be your "supervisor".  He is there to help.

2.  Churches - it really does take a team.  

A group of people banded together for one cause - Christ.  You may feel insignificant in your church family.  Believe me, you aren't!  Every person, with the right heart and spirit, is needed on the team called a church.  Get in and join the team!

3.  It takes a lot of hustling.  

Hard work.  Elbow grease.  Blood.  Sweat.  And a lot of tears.

Once you decide to join that team called Church, get it and work your tail off!  The pastor can't do it all.  The youth director can't do it all.  The pastor's wife can't do it all.  We need every person on the team to get all in.  

Whatever ministry you are in, put as much passion, soul and spirit along with time, energy and work into it as you would if you were the supervisor.  

You may call me a crazy person but it was exciting - a little thrilling - to watch this team of men lay this foundation.  It was awesome to see the result at the end of a beautiful finish.  

And you know what else?  It is even more neat to think that because this team worked together - they gave a family, somewhere, a new home.  And when you work together as a church - a team of believers - you will see new families join your family and give them a new home in Christ.  That will give you goosebumps and yes, you will stay excited to see more lives changed for eternity.

Today's challenge is:  Join the team called Church, get behind your supervisor and hustle, hustle, hustle for lost souls!  

Will you take the challenge?

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Beef and Creamy Potato Casserole

This is an great recipe that is comfort food...ease of a slow cooker...simple ingredients!

Slow-Cooker Beef and Creamy Potato Casserole

1 lb. ground beef

1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

1/4 pepper

1 can (2.8 oz) french-fried onions

4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

1 bag (12 oz) frozen cut green beans

In a skillet, cook beef until brown.  Drain.  Stir in soup, milk, pepper and half of the onions.  

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.  Layer potatoes and green beans in cooker.  Top with beef mixture, spread evenly.

Cover, cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Top with remaining onions before serving.

My Week

Monday was a pretty normal day in my life. :)  Housework, water lawn and garden, call and schedule a few appointments, order a few things online.

For dinner, we made Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup.  We made a second batch and took it to Josh and Jenny for their dinner.  Sometimes, it is the most wonderful thing to have dinner made for you. :)

My husband got a great deal from the store manager on two coolers and a tent.  Sometimes the employees can buy items that are returned and they can't resell.  A plus for us!

Then it was off for my 11pm-7am shift at my client's home.

Tuesday, I got off from work and went straight to a photo job that was right down the street from my client.  Got home and uploaded them to Dropbox and then we were off again.

 The girls had haircut appointments at the beauty school.  You can't beat $4 when you have four girls.  LOL!

 I have to confess I was very sad about Summer.  Her hair was down to her waist but she wanted it short so I relented.  With a tear in my ear.  LOL!

Lunches at the park at noon, piano lessons at 1pm.

We had some stormy weather in the afternoon.

So, tomato soup and grilled cheese sounded just right for dinner!

Wednesday morning, the girls and I took a walk/hike in a little place down the road from our house.  I enjoy so much mornings and especially out in a nature setting.  The girls loved it too and talked my ear off.  But we had a lot of fun and want to try out somewhere else sometime soon.

 After we got back, I threw in the ingredients to make Ranch Chicken Tacos.  Super easy.

3 large chicken breasts

1 packet taco seasoning

1 packet ranch seasoning

1 cup chicken broth

Cook on low for five hours.  Then you just shred it and let the chicken soak in the juices.  Serve on soft tortillas with all toppings.

I got this chicken on sale for $1.39 lb.  Yay!

Then I spent some time doings some recordings for my podcast.  You can listen in to them every Friday @ 12:30pm CST.  I enjoy doing them and I hope you enjoy listening to them!

Then it was our weekly church admin meeting at 4pm.

Thursday, I did errand running around!  LOL!  Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Home Depot, Winco, Office Depot, Marketon, library, bank.

In between the raindrops.

I got the penny deals at Office Depot - yay!  Stocked up on my paper clips - I use a lot for school and they never seem to make it back to me.  1,000 for $2!  Red pens for a new grading year - $.01.

Got some good fruit deals at my Spanish market.  Cherries - $1.29 lb.  Grapefruit - 3 for $1.

Peaches $.50 lb.

And again, grateful for ground beef sale for $1.99 lb.

When we got home, the girls got working on making sandwiches and packing lunches for our trip the next day.  Disclaimer:  They wear goggles when they cut onions.  I don't know if it helps or not!  Ha!

Sierra helped me fry up the ground beef.  Then we just freeze until we need a lb. for a recipe for dinner.  A little more work at once but makes it super nice down the road for many meals!

Don't you just love the quiet after a library day? :)

Summer does lend to beautiful skies. :)  Then it was off to my Thursday shift 11pm-7am.

Friday was our annual Six Flags trip.  The girls participate in a home school reading program where they earn a ticket to Six Flags.  

I will be honest - I am not a theme park person.  I don't like crowds.  I get sick on rides.  I enjoy quiet vacations - away from the hustle and bustle.  But I do this for my kids.  They had a super day and it was fun to see them enjoy themselves.

My favorite part was the dolphin show.  So fun!

To save money, we packed our lunches and snacks and ate in the van.  On the way home, we stopped and enjoyed Chic Fil A.  We don't have one in Reno.  Mmm!  We made it home about 11:45pm.  Zzz.

Saturday, we had Community Outreach for our church family.  At 1pm, the girls and I went to the baby shower for Jenny.  

It's a boy!

Then I planted some flowers, watered lawn and garden, loaded the dishwasher, made my To Do list for next week.  I did get a few green beans from my plants.  Just not doing too well this year.

Sunday was a good day serving at SVBC. :) The spirit and attendance was good.  For lunch, one of our young men gave us a gift card to Chili's to use for a family meal.  We very much appreciate that!  Also, another couple took my husband and I for sushi to thank us for doing their wedding.  Yum!  We appreciate all the folks who contribute to the ministry of Sierra View - it takes teamwork to make the dream work! :)

Friday's Challenge on Posted by Rebekah

Every Friday @ 12:30pm (CST), you can hear a weekly challenge from me on Faith Music Radio.  My podcast is called Posted by Rebekah. You can listen online HERE or download the free app for your smartphone.  I would love for you to join us, listen and take the challenge!

Tune in any time of the day to Faith Music Radio for uplifting Christian music and talk. 

Here is today's podcast in blog post form. :)

The other day, I was looking for a hair brush in the organizational unit that we have hanging on the bedroom door for all our hair supplies.  I didn't see any in the normal spot where the brushes are always kept.  I asked the girls, "Hey, where are all the brushes at?"

My oldest daughter replied, "They're right there!  I just moved them to the bottom row because Sierra could never reach them at the top."

Critical thinking from an 11 year old.  But that's a different post.  

And there they were!  Same unit, just a different location.  

Did you know God is always with you as a Christian?  He is there just maybe in not the form that we tend to recognize Him in.  Of course, God is there when we go to church on Sundays.  Is that just because that is the location that we EXPECT to see Him in so we recognize Him there?  
What other "locations" do you find God in during the rest of the days of the week?

The first place I like to find God is in the quiet of the day.  My quiet that I spend with the Lord is in the morning. I can't just depend on Sundays to get me through spiritually through my week. Every morning is a time to recharge and to hear God.

The second place I love to find God is in nature.  
Do you see Him in the beauty of a flower?  The promise of a rainbow?  The blessing of a summer rain.  The majesty of a mountain.  Nature is one of the most beautiful ways to see God.

The third place I like to find God is in unique ways He shows me He loves me and is taking care of me.  
This month, I was feeling a little defeated.  It seemed like there were so many "extra" things coming up...car repairs, health expenses, travel expenses.  It felt like I was barely keeping up.  I told the Lord that I needed help and encouragement.  I know how the Lord answers my needs - He just doesn't rain money from the sky into my bank account.  He gives me extra work to provide our needs with the money.  So in two weeks, I had four photo inspection jobs and I was given a second babysitting job.  

How do I find God? I find Him in unique places and situations to me.  Why?  Because He is real to me.

Is He real to you today?  
Today's challenge is to find God in your unique ways and places!  
Look for Him everywhere you go and in everything you do...and you might just see how He was right there all this time. :)  
Same unit - different location.

Five Favorite Things for the Week

I love big, old trees.  Ones that you know have been around awhile.  I remember this huge tree down by the creek where we used to live as kids.  It was all by itself.  I used to think, "I wonder what pioneer family rode by this tree in their covered wagon?  I wonder what this tree has lived through and 'seen'?"  Old trees are history and I like to imagine the history.

Summer thunderstorms.  They never get old.

Meat sales.  Meat is SO expensive and I am grateful to get it for a good price!

I also love to have it cooked up and frozen to make dinner prep a whole lot quicker. :)

School supplies.  I love this time of year preparing for a new year of school.  

Fresh garden produce.  Unfortunately, my tomatoes are not doing well but these were given to me by my client's daughter.  And they were delicious!

Recipe: Pizza Grilled Cheese

Here is a fun, kid-friendly recipe!

Pizza Grilled Cheese

bread

butter

mozzarella cheese slices

pepperoni slices

Italian seasoning

Parmesan cheese

pizza sauce

Butter slices of bread.  The filling for the sandwich is cheese, pepperoni, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese.  Make like you would a regular grilled cheese sandwich.  

Serve with pizza sauce for dipping and you have a great snack after school or summer lunch!

My Week

Monday is always a good day to get a good start on your week.  Many people don't like Mondays but I am partial to them! :)  I spent some time in the morning working on my raised garden beds.  Above is my compost bed and I was able to transfer a lot of soil into my vegetable beds from the compost bin.

I was happy to see little pickling cucumbers on my plant this week!

Then in between regular housework like making the bed, sweeping the floor and loads of laundry, I decided to organize the school books for this year.  I think I thought it was going to be a quick job but it entailed bringing in former boxes of material from the garage, sorting through doubles, repacking materials from last year into boxes.  It did take a good chunk of the morning but it was worth the time.  School time will be here before we know it!

Then, I was out of steam and did not want to go clean the church but I like to do it on Mondays.  My husband works until 8pm so it works out with his schedule and it is nice to have it checked off for the rest of the week!  

And again, I barely started and realized the vacuum was clogged.  I took it all apart and found this.  A bobby pin.  Oh my goodness.  Nothing breaks you down quicker than struggling with a vacuum cleaner every other week!

This little girl though makes me smile even when I am hot, tired and discouraged.  She loves to help and I love her spirit and love.  She helped me mop and boy did she work!

Then for just fun, the girls and I had a bonfire for dinner.  Hot dogs, french fries and of course, s'mores!

I love sitting at the campfire.  No distractions...heart to heart talks...singing.  It's all good stuff. :)

Tuesday was a good day.  The morning was spent on laundry, ironing, housework, watering garden/lawn.  At noon, we got the free lunches at the park then off to piano lessons at 1pm.  Then it was to the beauty school for pedicures and manicures with Grandma Raeanne.  I then took the girls home and my husband enjoyed dinner and fellowship with the Benningers.  BBQ and then delicious dessert at their home.  

Wednesday was busy with some errands and catching up on some odd and ends To-Do's.  We made chicken stir-fry for dinner along with a few loaves of banana bread.  Cooking and baking is something that just makes me feel good.  I enjoy it so much. :)

We had our admin meeting at 4pm and then my shift 11pm-7am that night.  After I got off work at 7am, I decided to knock out a big photo inspection job I had to do.  18 houses.  After taking the photos, I went home and uploaded 400 to Dropbox to finish the job.  Whew!

I then went with my husband to take the Maurer's to the airport...stop at Wal-Mart...then home to visit with Grandma Raeanne.  She had asked to have a small birthday party at our home for the August birthdays so Addie made some delicious chocolate cupcakes.  We had the get-together and then it was back for a second night of 11pm-7am.  

Friday morning, we enjoyed food and fellowship at Peg's with the Benninger's and our visiting special speaker, Pastor Bob Parker and his wife.  We enjoyed it very much!

After the meal, we stopped and I did a second photo inspection job of five houses.  Not too bad. :)

I was looking through the updated version of K-5 curriculum for this year.  I love that they named the reading groups, Candy Bars, Peppermints and Lollipops!  LOL!

And yes, this is me.  Ha!  

After a busy week, I felt like just getting out.  My husband had the men's prayer breakfast so we went to the Goodwill for some shopping. :)

I found a new colander which is bigger than the one I have had since my single days!  LOL!  I also found a new gravy boat to replace the one my dog chewed up.  And a t-ball bat for Summer for this fall.

Always need a stash of binders!  And another file for my hanging folders.

Also a paper towel holder and a serving stand.

 

Then it was lunch at McDonald's and home.  We babysat Reagan at 1:30pm and then it was off with my husband to Lake Tahoe.  He is a wedding officiant and had a wedding to do at 5pm.

The park where it was located was just gorgeous!  The weather was perfect.  It was a beautiful wedding.  And of course, my husband did a great job!  I like being able to go with him and share this part of his life and work with him.

All ready for Sunday!  We upgraded our baptistry.  LOL!

Six folks were baptized this morning - praise the Lord!

We had a special guest speaker - Dr. Bob Parker from Jacksonville, FL for Sunday's services.  He was a wonderful blessing and help to our church family! You can gain much wisdom from a seasoned pastor if you will be willing to open your heart to hear what God says through him. We enjoyed having them very much.

I hope you have a wonderful week!