He Made Serving Others a Priority

Talk about "me" time!

**This post is part of the current series "Who Was Jesus?  Practical Ways to Teach Our Children About Who Christ IS"  You can find the entire series linked up here when we are done.**

Think about our world today.  About what our children are watching on television.  We have slowly and steadily been fed a diet of slogans that beg us to examine our activities and adjust them to make sure we get the most out of life.  We are told if something hurts, don't do it.  If it costs too much, go into debt to get it to get it NOW.

Fast food restaurants have found their way into our grocery store freezers to help busy moms make more time for themselves.  Almost every aspect of our lives has been invaded by a "I need it now and if I can't have it now I won't be happy attitude". 

Unfortunately for many people - for many families - they look at Christianity, at GOD, in the same light.    We want our prayers answered NOW.  We fill our lives with practices, games, activities, trips, shopping, television, facebook, blogging..... we have wound ourselves up so tight with schedules and shuffling kids from one event to the other that we get stressed out that we don't have any extra time.  We say that God is a priority, but on Sunday morning are we are too exhausted from the week's worth of events to worship him with all of our hearts and minds?  Jesus was the ultimate servant.  He was the ultimate time manager.  Despite distractions from his own disciples, he stayed the course on what he came to earth to do.  Jesus taught the disciples that the true meaning of greatness is humilty and service.  How did he treat those he came into contact with? 


Does this mean that we need to bend over backwards to serve others?  To cram more service projects into our already busy schedules?  Certainly not.  Think about the attitude of Jesus.  Start by reading Chapter 5 of the book of Mark.  Jesus had been teaching and traveling for many days.  No doubt he was a little weary and eager to have a little time to himself.  In fact, he was tired enough to sleep through a pretty big storm... and had to be woken up by the diciples who were afraid for their lives!  He gets to the shore and is bombarded with a demon possed man, a man wanting Jesus to heal his daughter, a sick woman, and a father whose daughter had died.  And not once does he tell anyone that he can not come because he is too busy.  He does not sigh or roll his eyes and ask his disciples to pencil it in or put it on his schedule of things to do.  He goes. 



Serving others doesn't always mean literally. 
We can start by developing a
servant's heart towards
those we love most...  our family.



As followers of Jesus, we find ourselves in a daily battle to uphold the faith in our lives, our families, our children and it can certainly get tiring.  As followers of Jesus, we can be certain that we will face constant battles from our secular culture that we must be prepared to engage in if we are to win our families to Christ (much less others!).  Jesus never promised life as a disicple would be easy, nor the moment to moment choices we must make that we encounter.  So how can we teach our children to make serving God and serving others a priority?  Here are a few questions we can ask ourselves to make sure our priorities stay in check...



1.  How can we arange our lives to allow for commitment to God to be our highest allegiance? 

2.  How willing are we to arrange our calendars and checkbooks in ways that demonstrate God as our first priority?

3.  In what ways do we struggle to love others as much as we say we love God?

4.  Is our live in order to the degree that we can confront hypocrites with a clean conscience?

5.  Do we genuinely seek to live out our faith?  Do our actions support our words?

Father God, before I can teach my children about making you the right priority, I need to do battle for Christ inside of me.  I must place proper priority on You.  I need to ensure that I am more than the words that I say.  I want to take time Lord to take a personal inventory of where I spend my time, where I spend my money, and for whom I compassion.  I want my life to be aligned with Your priorities in every way so that my children will learn Your ways from me.  I want to reflect Your heart, Your love, Your attitude when serving others and to not feel like it is one  more thing on a giant list of things to do.  In your name, amen.



The King of Casseroles: The King Ranch Chicken

Oh the casserole.  We Texans, probably more than any other American, love our casseroles.  Much more, we love our casseroles cheesy and with a little kick in 'em.  Without a doubt, The King Ranch Chicken casserole is the most popular Texan casserole.  With its cheesy mixture of tomatoes and peppers, corn tortillas, and cream...  it goes down easy and is the ultimate southern comfort food. 

King Ranch chicken is basically an enchilada casserole, but it is cheesier and creamier and spicier than most.  It gets its name from the epic King Ranch (where my husband happens to work, actually).  It's not the prettiest dish to serve either.  But once you taste it, and once you make it, you will see why it has its place in Texas history.  According to a Texas Monthly article, no one really knows its history or where it came from and long time King Ranchers who tout their beef and game recipes won't claim it to have originated on the Ranch.  What is certain is its sudden appearnace since the invention of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Chicken soups - two of the casseroles staples.  It is a clear mixture of authentic Mexican cuisine and a 50's era casserole.  Love it or hate it, it is a Texan staple.  Here is the recipe that I use:

King Ranch Chicken CasseroleIngredients:
1 cooked 2 1/2 pound fryer (cooked with cumin, onion, celery and garlic) and then shredded
10-15 corn tortillas
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese (plus more for sprinkling on top)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup of chicken broth
1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 tsp. of chile powder

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine soups, broth, Ro-Tel tomatoes and chile powder; blend until smooth.
3. Mix in the Chicken and peppers and about 1/2 cup of cheese.

4. Tear or cut up the tortillas and make a layer on the bottom of a 9x13 pan with half.
5.  Cover with a layer of the soup and chicken mixture, cover with cheese.
6. Repeat layers, ending with cheese.
7. Bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes or until brown and bubbling.

He Overcame Fear

**This post is part of the current series "Who Was Jesus?  Practical Ways to Teach Our Children About Who Christ IS"  You can find the entire series linked up here when we are done.**

As parents, we probably have had more than a few times when we have had a night's sleep interupted by a toddler after something scary prompted them to come get us.  As adults, we don't really have the option to run to our parents when things get scary.  But just because we are adults doesn't mean that we don't face things that are scary.  If anything, there is more to fear in this day and age than ever before....  tough economic times make it hard to see past the fear of job loss, turbulent political policies make it hard to sail the ship of Christianity, and loose moraled television shows make it difficult to find entertainment.

Fear.  It can overcome us quickly and easily when unplanned circumstances come to fruition.  How many of us are forgetful to get on our knees in prayer during those times.  I know I am.  Why is it that during the most turbulent of situations of life do I not turn to God immediately?  Is it because I like to be in control of my situations and I think I can fix it better than God?  Is it that I am afraid to seek God's face during those times because I feel rejected and become even more afraid of the things He controls?  If we know that he will work all things for good and for His glory, then why are we afraid of the storms He controls?

In Mark 4: 35-41, the disciples experience a storm.  The waves were raging all around them, they were full of fear, AND JESUS WAS SLEEPING!  How many times in our lives are we experiencing something horrible, and we feel like God is asleep at the wheel? 




Obviously the disciples didn't feel very safe. Their boat was taking on water, the waves were getting bigger, and they were getting scared. They woke Jesus up and asked him "don't you care if we drown?" (Mark 4:38). How many times have we experienced something we didn't like and we scream out to Christ... Don't you care about what is going on down here? How many times have we been too full of fear to obey Christ?

Jesus directly commanded the storm to be still. He then rebuked the disciples for not having faith. Jesus called them to focus on Him instead of the surrounding storm. No matter what kind of storm we are in, if Jesus is in our boat, we can't ever let our fear of the unknown interrupt our relationship with our Savior. So how do we teach this to our children in a practical way? How do we teach them that our God is in control of the things they fear? Here are a few suggestions...

1. PRAY:
When you see that they are scared, stop, drop, and pray.

2. READ:
The following bible stories are great to read when it comes to how to deal with fear -
Mark 4:35-41
Matthew 8:23-27
1 Samuel 17
The Book of Jonah
Mark 6: 45-52
Matthew 14: 22-33

3.  Play the game with your child where you ask them to fall backwards and you stand behind them to catch them.  Talk to them about how even though they can't see you, just like we can't see God, that they should have enough trust in us to fall back even though they might have a fear that they are going to fall.  That is the same kind of trust that they should have in God when they are fearful of something... that He will catch them and protect them.

4.  Similarly, talk to them about trust.  Show them (or ask them to show you) things we put our trust in.  For example, we put our trust in a chair or couch that it will hold us as we sit down.  When we trust that God will take care of us, even if difficult times, we do not need to fear.  Ask them to name times when they have been scared or nervous (in school, speaking in front of their class, talking to someone, at night, getting lost, etc.).  Remind them to pray in those times to God for security.

Father God I pray that you calm the storms in my life.  I pray that in times of fear, frustration, or hardship that I realize that you are not asleep, but in control.  I pray that I immediately look to you for peace.  I pray that my children would do the same thing.  I pray that they will remain strong in the faith that you will protect them in whatever it is that they are going through.  I pray that when they face storms of any kind in life and when they feel like they are falling or things are out of their control, that they don't struggle to regain control but that we thank you that YOU are allready in control.  In Jesus name. 

He Faced Rejection

**This post is part of the current series "Who Was Jesus?  Practical Ways to Teach Our Children About Who Christ IS"  You can find the entire series linked up here when we are done.**

Have you ever been dumped? Have you ever been the last kid picked for the team? Not received an invitation to a party? Have you ever interviewed for a job and didn't get it? A promotion that you deserved given to someone else? A contest or game we didn't win? How do we handle it? Do we take it personally and desire revenge?

As Christians, we face rejections of a different kind. When someone rejects us because of our relationship with Christ. When someone rejects Christ? Rejection by our friends is bad enough, but how much worse when our family rejects us? Or when God rejects a prayer because He has something else in mind?

Everyone has experienced rejection in some shape or form at some point in their life no matter age or geographic location. Rejection and life go together like peanut butter and jelly. It is unavoidable. So how do we deal with it?

Do we turn into the Grinch? Or like Christ, do we continue to seek God? Chances are, when we face rejection, we feel like a damaged apple left on the stand at the grocery store. We try and we try as much as possible to shine ourselves up, to hide the scars, to cover the blemishes, and we put ourselves out there, and we are crushed when we are rejected, because we compare our scars and blemishes and sin to the spotless.

The good news for the Christian is that God does not work that way. He does not look at us like apples on the shelf, rejecting us because we are tarnished or bruised from life choices. Jesus gives us unconditional love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes in all things, endures all things.

Imagine the rejection that Christ felt in the garden when kissed on the cheek by Judas. When sold out by Peter. When hanging on the cross when he asked God to forgive those who put him there because they did not know what they were doing? But there was one other rejection that Jesus suffered which is greater than any of us can ever understan... one we don't have to know. As he hung on the cross, God turned his back on Jesus because he became sin and God cannot look on sin. The cry from the cross, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" is beyond our ability to understand.

So how can we teach our children to handle rejection in the same way Christ did? Here are a few suggestions...

1. PRAY:

When rejection happens, pray with and for your child and like Christ, pray for the rejector. 

2. BAKE:
Show your children that they can still be used even if they are rejected by baking some banana bread. Follow any recipe for making banana bread, but while you are going through the steps, explain that the ripe bananas that are usually bruised and brown make better bread. Explain that they are stripped and smashed, and the perfect green bananas are usually too hard to make into a good paste. Take whole pecans and explain that they have to be broken and crushed (like Christ) to be used. When adding the sugar, allow your children to taste the batter before adding the sugar. Allow your children to taste the plain sugar and explain to them that when we accept Christ, we are adding a sweetness to our lives that will forever change us. Explain to them that no matter what rejections we face, no matter how crushed and damaged we may feel, that God will conform us to his likeness, and when we add Christ to our lives, we become equipped to deal with our pain and heartache and disappointment and rejection with sweetness.

3. READ:
Find and read the following stories in the bible that deal with rejection:
The story of Joseph and his brothers:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+37&version=NIV
http://biblestudy.pppst.com/genesis/joseph.html

Jesus is rejected by his hometown:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%206&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%204:14-28&version=NIV

Verses that explain why God won't reject us:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%204:7-21&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2015:5-8&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2026:9-13&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%204&version=NIV

Father God, I pray that when my children face rejection of any kind that you use me to teach them how to handle it. I know from my own life experiences that facing rejection is not fun or easy, but it has helped shaped me into who I am today. Father I thank you that Christ faced the ultimate rejection so I would not have to be rejected from You. I pray that you teach my children through the rejections that they will face that they are still loved and can still be used by you! In Jesus name, amen.

He Confronted the Religious

**This post is part of the current series "Who Was Jesus?  Practical Ways to Teach Our Children About Who Christ IS"  You can find the entire series linked up here when we are done.**

How often have we found ourselves driving on the freeway only to be passed by someone going so much faster than the speed limit allows. Dangerously fast. Cutting in and out of traffic. I don't know about you, but my initial thought is usually "I hope there is a police officer up there so they get caught!!"

But what if the car that passed you was racing to take their young child to the hospital in order to save their life?  If you only knew that, what would your initial thought be then? I know I would pull over and get out of the way! I would probably even pray that they made it safely and that the child would be ok.

What is the ultimate purpose of any law?  To maintain order, right?  In Mark 2:23-28, the Pharisees take issue with Christ picking grain on the Sabbath.  They were questioning His non-conformance to THEIR religious standards concerning the Sabbath.  Christ reminded them that even King David ate when he was hungry, even if it meant that they had to work to get the food they needed in order to survive.  The Pharisees were revered because of their religious nature.

However, Jesus could see them for what they were.  "....You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."

It doesn't matter how many times we pray.  Because even the Pharisees prayed. It doesn't matter how many times we go to church. Because the Pharisees were ALWAYS in church. It doesn't matter how many Sunday School classes we teach, or if we are in the choir, or how many mission trips we've been on, or how many service projects we've done.

When we have a judgemental nature, we become like the Pharisees.
So how do we teach our children about hypocrisy? How do we teach them to avoid having pious, judgemental, critical, or prideful attitudes? First, we need to examine our own lives and compare them to those that Christ considered the most hypocritical. We can do that by asking ourselves these tough questions....
1. Do I ask my children to pray, when they do not see me pray?
2.  Do I ask our children to respect their father (or mother), when they see me being disrespectful?
3.  Do I ask my children to do their chores with a good attitude, when they see me complaining?
4.  Do I tell my children that they may not watch a certain show based on bad ethics, only to watch what I want later?
5.  Do I tell my children not to gossip, but what do they hear me talking about on the phone?
6.  Do our actions follow our words?  Do we tell our children that they shouldn't play video games all day when we are blogging, facebooking, or on our Iphone all day?
7.  Do your children hear you talking about setting priorities and putting God first, but see you sleeping in instead of having quiet time or reading a magazine instead of the Bible?

Father God, I pray that you align my priorities!  I pray that my actions and my words and my heart are one for You.  I pray that You help me teach my children to recognize when they are becoming hypocritical in their relationship with you and more importantly, that you help me recognize when I am becoming hypocritical so that I can stop and turn myself around to become closer to YOU!  In Jesus name, amen!

WWWeekly Roundup

In case you might have been wondering what you might have been missing on the good old www this week, here ya go folks...

Great article about poker.  Yeaaaa, not that kind of poker...  God is calling your bluff, are you going to answer? 

It's not too late to pick your word.  Do you have your one word?  If so...  how ya doing? 

Got some time you want to waste....  go here now:  totsandgiggles.com you're welcome.

Got an iphone?  My kids new favorite ap camwow kept them entertained all day yesterday!  See..




Got any friends you really want to annoy?  send them this.  Got any enemies?  Send it to their kids. 

I may be a little late for Father's Day, but this had our family cracking up.
peace out yo.

Wonder

Today's 5 Minute Friday prompt from The Gypsy Momma is "Wonder"...

To be filled with wonder at the solar system...

To be filled with amazement at creation...

To be filled with awe like a child...

To marvel at the unknown....

To be curious at the simple.... 

To witness something miraculous.... 

And I wonder if there is a greater picture...

He Knew Who He Was.

**This post is part of the current series "Who Was Jesus?  Practical Ways to Teach Our Children About Who Christ IS"  You can find the entire series linked up here when we are done.**

Jesus was and is the son of God.  He is the Christ, the Messiah.  He fulfilled prophecies that pointed to no one but Him.  He was filled with the Holy Spirit.  He overcame temptation.  He took authority over sin and radically changed lives.  He hung out and recruited sinners and pointed them in a new direction.  He was uniquely perfect and he calls us to live uniquely for Him.  But when we answer that call - to whom do we think we are answering? 

The first people to hear the message of Christ were the opressed, the poor, the hopeless.  And if you really think about it - that's what we are without Jesus.  And yes, he changed lives, but he never promised that following him would be fun or easy....

Then he said to them all: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily & follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

²⁶ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:23-27 (NIV)

So how do we explain to our children that they are to look to Jesus as the ultimate example of how to live if we are not taking up our crosses?  Every day we come into contact with different types of people.  We all have some sort of sphere of influence, starting with our immediate family.  Inside of this sphere, we may have run into people who flat out reject us when we begin to talk about Christ.  Jesus Christ most certainly faced rejection, but He did not let it move Him from what He came to do.  He did not decide to change who He was because He was not getting his point across. 

In Matthew 19:23-30, Jesus tells the man to go and sell everything he own to follow him.  3-30.  When the man walks away sorrowful, we don't read anything else.  We don't read about how the man might have changed his mind days later, or how Jesus turned back 30 minutes later and said...  oh ok, nevermind...  come follow me anyway and heck...  bring all your stuff.  Christ gives us free will to choose him or to not choose him.  period. 

So how do we go about teaching our children to have the same character.  To not waiver in the face of confrontation.  To stand strong in what they believe to be right.  To live passionately and uniquely for Christ? 
Here are a few tangible suggestions...

1.  Pray with your children.  Pray outloud and in front of them that they will develop the character of Christ.

2.  Talk with them about the difficulties of being a Christian.  Make sure that they know that it is not always blessings and roses and that not everyone that they come in contact with will share the same belief (like reading the story from Matthew 19 above), and that it is not our job or theirs to be that person's Holy Spirit.  We can only simply introduce them to Christ and tell them or show them the difference Christ has made in our own lives.

3.  If your church has an outreach ministry (our church has something called FAITH teams, where people go door to door to witness to others), take your child on an outing so he or she can see other to people about Christ.  The more your children see you discuss and explain your faith in Christ with others, the more your child will understand who you are asking him to believe in. 

4.  Go on a mission trip with your children.  Taking your children to impoverished countries will open their eyes at God's greatness. 

5.  If you have older children, consider going along on a prison ministry outreach - or helping to prepare for one.  Your child can learn alot from talking to those who talk with prisoners about Christ on a weekly basis.

6.  Sponsor a child from a program like Compassion.com.  Help your child write letters to the sponsored child about the love of Christ.

7.  Visit sites like http://www.ijm.org/takeaction to find out how you can volunteer to take action for Christ.

Jesus calls us to come out of our comfort zone and experience fear with Him by our side.  It can sometimes be a challenge to know Jesus because we might  not want to go where He is.  Jesus said "Those that are well don't need a doctor, but the sick that need one" (Mark 2:17).  Go where Jesus is...  with the poor, the orphans, the hurting, the opressed, the cripled, the lost.  See how He will get to know YOU more in the process.  Know Him by going to Him. 

Father God I pray that my children will come to know you deeply.  I pray that when they come face to face with others who question their faith that they will know you strongly enough to explain who you are.  I pray that they stand strong and do not waiver.  I pray that they do not change who they are to please other people, but that you would change them because they want to please YOU.  In Jesus name, amen!

He Hung Out With Sinners

**This post is part of the current series "Who Was Jesus?  Practical Ways to Teach Our Children About Who Christ IS"  You can find the entire series linked up here when we are done.**

My dad was famous for saying things like...  "You are known by the company you keep" and "If you lie with dogs, you're gonna get fleas" or "You can't roost with the owls and fly with the eagles".  He was MORE famous for throwing those little quips at me or one of my sisters, clanging a wooden spoon against a pot, and flicking the light on at about noon, when trying to get some "beauty" sleep after making some less than honorable choices in staying out late the night before.

During any political campaign, we can often see candidates attempting to disgrace their opponent by associating them with individuals deemed by some to be of questionable character.  Guilt by association.  As adults, there are probably a list of certain individuals that we can all think of that we would never be caught hanging out with for fear of what it might say about our morality. 

Yet.... Christ's life was filled with different types of associations that were questioned by his disciples...

Mark 2:15-17

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

So what about the old saying? If a man is known by the company he keeps, then does that make Jesus a sinner? What we do know about Christ is that He had a heart for those who were deemed of questionable moral conduct by society. He sought out the sinner who was rejected by society. But no matter the company He kept, He always loved, He always accepted, and He always pointed to the Father. But He never sinned as a result of befriending the sinner.

So how do we teach our children, especially our older children to make the right choices in the midst of sin. How do we teach our children to model Christ in this way? How do we teach them to stand up to peer pressure at certain times in their lives, and to be willing to face rejection and ridicule for making the right choice?

Here are a few suggestions...

1.  Pray for your child. 

Outloud.  In front of them.  At dinner, at bedtime, whenever, wherever.  There is something very powerful about your child hearing you pray for them.

2.  Help build your child's self esteem and confidence through different activities. 

Even if your child is not in sports or clubs, you can praise him or her for making the right choices.  It's never too late to start!

3.  Help your child understand unconditional love. 

Tell them that you will ALWAYS love them - no matter what and constantly remind them that there is nothing that they can do that will make you stop loving them, but that when they make a bad choice, there will be consequences. 

4.  Get to know your child's friends and their parents. 

There is a lot to be said about what kind of choices a child will make based on what kind of upbringing he has.  You are not going to know, unless you make the move to meet the parents. 

5.  Ask them about children who they consider "of questionable character". 

There are kids who they deem "wild" or "crazy" or "poor" just like the kids that are popular.  And when talking to them about who hangs out with who - you can discuss how to handle situations that come up.  Things like bullying, cheating, stealing, etc.  There is also no reason why these children shouldn't be invited to birthday parties, outings, or to come over and hang out.  Remember, Jesus always pointed to the Father.

6.  Give them a plan on how to get out of a bad situation. 

I can remember going over to a friend's house when I was in 8th grade.  I had been friends with this person since elementary school and my parents knew and trusted her parents, so they dropped me off without any questions to spend the night.  When I walked in, I discovered that not only were her parents not there, but there were high school kids there who were watching "bad" movies and making "bad" choices.  But there were lots of (questionable) people there and I remember feeling trapped.  I didn't want to risk looking "uncool" by calling my dad and ratting them out.  But I also was not aware of the many risks associated with just being there.  I was not prepared to handle a situation like this, and had no idea how to get out of it.  As a parent, we need to make plans with our children on how to handle social situations.  Had my parents talked to me about calling with some type of "code" I would have called in a heartbeat - but had I called my dad and said - Can you come get me, I forgot my pillow...  he wouldn't have had a clue what I really meant. 

Father God, I pray for my children as they face difficult peer situations.  I pray for my children's friends that come into their lives.  I pray that they will be unwavering in You.  I pray that the only opinion they care about is Yours and that when they face peer pressure that they feel greater pressure from YOU.  I pray that you carry them in Your hands always, but do not shelter them from the sick and the sinful. Teach them to be lights Lord, and lead them to make choices that glorify you....

Who Was Jesus? Practical Ways to show your kids who the real Jesus Is.

I am planning on starting a monthly or weekly series here on Southern Grace.  I have a heart for Jesus and I feel Him calling me to tell others about how much He loves them, and I hope and pray that this blog will be one of many ways that I can accomplish that.  To start the series off, I will be doing a series called "Who Was Jesus?"

Not long ago, my middle daughter asked me about who God was.  Where did God come from?  What does God look like?  Hard questions to answer, but great questions nonetheless.  It is hard for our children to understand who Christ is unless they see it lived out through their parents, and through tangible examples.  So I prayed about ways in which I could show my young children who God is.  I started to search the bible and all kinds of bible studies and magazines and came up with  list of ten attributes that I could use to describe God to my children.......  hence the birth of this series - Who Was Jesus?  It will be a guide to teach our kids about who Jesus was and who Jesus is.  A guide with some tangible simple teachable ways to live out the words of Christ.  Here is the list of posts that I'm planning.  I'll hope you'll join me on this journey of bring our kids, our families closer together and closer to Christ.

1.  HE KNEW WHO HE WAS:  How to teach your children to stand firm when they are struggling with their identiy.
2.  HE HUNG OUT WITH SINNERS:  How to raise our teenagers to make the right choices in the midst of sin.
3.  HE CONFRONTED THE RELIGIOUS:  How to teach our kids about being hypocritical.
4.  HE FACE REJECTION:  How to teach our children about rejection.
5.  HE OVERCAME FEAR:  How to teach our children to stand up for themselves and deal with peer presure.
6.  HE MADE SERVING A PRIORITY:  How to teach our children about priorities.
7.  HE DIDN'T SEE THE BLING:  How to teach out teenagers about passing judgement on others.
8.  HE USED HIS WORDS CAREFULLY:  How to teach our children about the impact our words have on others.
9.  HE SUFFERED FOR ME:  How to teach our children about the dangers of revenge thinking.
10.  HE IS THE ONLY PERFECT MAN:  How to teach our children about rationalizing bad decisions.

Best Mac and Cheese Ever

INGREDIENTS:
1 (8-ounce) package elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter, add the garlic and cook until the garlic is softened.  Add the onion powder, then whisk in the flour and milk, then cook until slightly thickened.  Add three cups of the cheddar cheese and stir until melted in the mixture.  Toss the cheese mixture with the cooked pasta, salt and pepper to taste.  Stir the remaining grated cheese into the pasta.  Spoon into a large baking dish.
In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and melted butter.  I always like to add a bunch of freshly ground pepper and a sprinkling of sea salt to this mixture.  Spread over the pasta.  Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Smores Brownies

Ingredients:
Crust:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch fine salt

Brownie:
Box of store brought brownie mix, made up to instructions

Topping:
4 cups large marshmallows (or enough to cover 8x8 square pan)

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 by-8-inch square baking pan with foil so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch.

For the crust: Lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter. Stir the rest of the butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the brownie mix. Pour brownie batter into the prepared pan. Bake until done according to instructions or until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and carefully position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on low. Layer marshmallows across the top and toast under the broiler until golden, keep an eye on it, it can go quick!   Cool on a rack, gently removing the brownies from the pan using the aluminum flaps. Carefully separate any marshmallow from the foil and fold away. Cut and ENJOY!

Parmesan Potatoes

This could quite posibly be the easiest potato dish you might ever make. There are basically three steps...

1.  Cube up some potatoes, leave the skin on or off, however you like. 
2.  Stir them around in a big bowl with enough olive oil and the canned parmesan cheese (and a little parsely or basil or rosemary if you have it and want to be all fancy) to coat them.
3.  Bake them at about 425 until they are nice and golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Easy Summer Eats

It get's hot here ya'll.  I mean...  HAWT.  We love having friends over, and kids over, to swim and grill, and because of the heat, we are always looking for easy things to cook for appetizers, dinner, and dessert.  Did I mention it get's hot here?  Cause it was 102 degrees today, and although we are only on week one of summer, it sure feels like we're neck deep into August already.  Here are few things that we served at our most recent swim fest that are SUPER easy and quick to make...

parmesan potatoes

smores brownies

best mac and cheese ever

What are you cooking up this summer?

Pinterest

Used to, back in the good old days of surfing the web, as I came across a picture on someone's blog or website that I really liked, I would right click on it and save it in one of a jillion files that I had on my computer. I'm not sure who invented Pinterest, but I would bet that it was because there are half a million mom bloggers out there who go back to their jillion files to find a picture when blogging and are like... uh... I don't know where this cute dresser came from, but it sure is cute ain't it?

So back in the stone ages, I saved pictures like these, that are a few of my absolute faves.  I'm hoping you can help me out and tell me where they might have come from, since they were saved back in the stone ages...

I love the wall done here, and I've wanted to do this in my entryway, but I know that it will take ten years. 

These candles are so pretty!  Perfect for fall holidays!

I think this came from Martha Stewart, and I'm not sure why I saved it - but I think this was the start of my obsession with white dishes.  That and The Nester's hutch. 

Ever seen Ratatouille?  This is the only way I could get my kids to eat squash for a while.

I will make this dress one day.  I saved this before I started blogging.  Or sewing.  That was like 3 years ago.  Better get on that huh?

So I'm pinning all of my old images to pinterest today.  If you aren't on Pinterest, you can request an invite from me by commenting below.  OR follow me...   at JennyButtler.  I'm off and pinning....

Whitley's Wedding

We've had a lot of weddings around here lately!  My cousin Whitley (yes, I have a little girl named Whitley...  it's our grandmother's maiden name, and my cousin Whitley have always held a special connection) got married last weekend!  Probably one of the most beautiful weddings I've been blessed to be a part of.  Here are a ton of pictures, so you can see for yourself how gorgeous she is and how much fun everyone had...

The Beautiful Couple...  Ryan and Whitley

Whitley and her precious flower girls (my two girls and my niece Anna)!

perfection.

Little Whitley.

The first dance. 

Happy to be able to RUN!

You said be silly?

gorge. us.

My sweet sister KK

magical

I can almost hear her laughter!

This is about right.

My handsome handsome son. 

Ladies.

I know he wants to dance with his momma. 

This one has her daddy's heart tied up on a string.

bride Whitley

The Mavericks won, Whitley got married, what else is there?  Congratulations to Ryan and Whitley!!

Home

My home does not look like this....

And I doubt it ever will.  It looks more like this after movie night....

Yep, those are my two girls crashed out.  Oh, and then there's this...

And it's pretty much a mess on any given Sunday, and sure, I know it doesn't matter because life happens here, and because I stay at home and don't work, we have furniture from craigslist and we don't do many vacations.  But I compare.  And I whine.  And some days feel hard and heavy.  And I know that my home is lovely, but I forget.  And I forget that I have seen things like this...

Orphanages in Kazakhstan

And this...

These were her only pair of shoes in the world.  I don't
 know about you, but the words
"I don't have shoes to
match" have come out of my mouth more than once.

Where life is hard and heavy.  And I am reminded to look at my reality, my home, through the eyes of Christ.

And I see the blessing.  I wonder how Christ sees me. 

And as my children play 'family' and I cook, I get to see glimpses of me in the mirror.  I get to see how they see our home. 

How they see Christ through me.

How through every hug, every kiss, every word, and even as I stand and do the dishes, they see me.

I am not just making a home.  I am not just a wife.  I am who they see as an example of  making a home.  So even on days that are hard and heavy.  I lift my eyes to Christ and am reminded, that these walls and this life and this home are temporary, and that it both matters and it doesn't matter, and that life is not about what matters, it's about Christ.  That my real home is eternally more glorious than anything I could ever imagine.  And that there probably won't be any laundry to do.  And that gives me something to smile about while I fold....