In the meantime

Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (KJV) The ESV helps us better understand the meaning of  “quicken”: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” The Spirit will quicken, or make alive, our mortal bodies. We needed to be made alive because we were dead--much more dead than the corpse turned to dust after lying deep in the earth for a century. Not only were we dead, but there was absolutely nothing we could do to change our state. However, we read in Ephesians 2:5 that “even when we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us [ made us alive (ESV )] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;).” We were dead, but through His Son’s life, God ha...

A combination of a couple different recipes, I’ve made this several times recently.  Just the other day, while we were eating it,  Isaac kept making comments like “Mmmm, this is good, Angie” and  “Mmmm, I’m so full” and  “Mmmmm, that was really good.” If it’s husband-approved, I think it’s a keeper! Aside from being husband-approved, it also has several things going for it that makes it “cook/mom-approved:” - It’s a crockpot meal that only cooks 3-4 hours (compared to all-day on low.) - It uses up leftover rice. - The rice makes the hamburger go further. - It’s quick and easy to put together. I’ve mentioned adapting a baked stuffed cabbage roll recipe into a stovetop, unstuffed cabbage rolls recipe —which is pretty good.  While it is a pretty easy recipe to make last-minute, I think I like this crockpot, stuffed version better!  The process of “stuffing cabbage rolls” has always sounded tedious to me, but all t...

My last post Miscarriage, part 1: When Your Friend Has One gave a few ideas on how to minister to your friend who has gone through a miscarriage.  However, because of the statistics, it is likely you yourself may have also had a miscarriage.  In this post, I’d like to share a couple things that were extremely helpful to me as I've worked through losing our twins 1.  Music  I don’t know about you, but music is a incredible balm for my soul. Shortly after our miscarriage, several songs became very special to me, for they reminded me of Who my God is.  Those songs, along with some select albums, are now part of a playlist labeled “Angie’s List.”  {haha, yes, I know…so original!}  I like to think of those songs as my go-to songs to help “lift my eyes to my Savior” when the emotions flood my soul or when I am tempted to wallow in a private pity party.  That list has ...

While this blog doesn’t have a strict purpose or subject, it does, admittedly, have frequent posts about my journey down the road of having gone through a miscarriage.  In some ways, writing here helps me work through it in my own heart. Because miscarriage is so incredibly common , chances are you either know someone who has had one or you have had one yourself.  I’d like to share a few practical things those around me did that God used to be an encouragement to me when He called me and Isaac to walk this path.  While there are many, many practical ways to do this, my list is just what I personally experienced to be helpful. Hopefully it can be helpful to you in knowing how to interact with a friend who has had a miscarriage. 1.  Say something .  We’ve all had those thoughts of I don’t really know what to say   when someone we know is grieving the loss of a loved one.   The temptation to just not say anything is g...

No matter how many times we read God’s Word, there will always be something new for us to learn.  We will never understand all of it, perhaps not even when we stand face-to-face with its Author in our glorified bodies.   For, while we will understand more perfectly those glorious things spoken of in Scripture, we will still spend all of eternity learning about our awesome God.  While I many times do fail to spend time in the Word every day, I am learning to cherish this precious Book, written so that I might know Him better.  Isn’t that a humbling thought: The Most High God has revealed Himself so that I might know Him?  “What is man?!?!?” Anyway, big news: I am *almost* done with my chronological reading plan { that I think I started over 3 years ago.}   I am finally in Revelation! woot woot!  Anyway, while my reading plan is nothing more than a list with what chapters/books to ...

While this word is often associated with romance, the dictionary defines passionate as an “intense desire for something” or “tending to have strong feelings.”  When it comes to how God feels about His glory and name among the nations, I believe passionate is a very accurate adjective. We see this idea come out in the first two commandments that God gave to the Israelites: Exodus 20:1 A nd God spake all these words, saying,  2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:   5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God… He is the One and the Only, and there is to be no other who takes His place in our...

Here’s a favorite goodie for snack-time at school.  I came across this recipe on the internet awhile back, but I just scribbled it on a piece of paper, so I have no idea what site it came from...otherwise I would link to it, you know...give credit where credit is due sort of thing.  Anyway, not only is it popular among the students, it is one of my favorites as well, particularly since it is super easy to mix up and makes a big batch! These are also yummy straight out of the freezer!  Here's the recipe: 1 Cup Brown Sugar 1 Cup Sugar 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cup Peanut Butter 3 eggs 1 Tablespoon Vanilla 1 1/2 cup quick oats (or 2 cups Old Fashioned, ground in a blender) 3 cups Old Fashioned oats 1-2 cups M&Ms 1 cup chocolate chips Mix all together and spread into a greased cookie sheet.   This is where the plastic wrap over the dough to help press it into the pan comes in super handy! Bake at 350 for 18-20 minu...