Tuesday, January 31, 2012

grace

Sometimes I am just really tired of doing the little things. You know...... the dishes, laundry, cleaning, wiping, teaching, correcting, disciplining, reading, cooking and so on. Life seems to be full small tasks, tasks quite frankly I get cranky about. The other night I just didn't think I could pick up one more toy, wash one more pair of stinky socks, or referee one more argument between the kids. I cried, prayed and then picked up a book.  I didn't reach for the parenting book or the marriage book, I didn't want to read about being nice to anybody. But God  knew exactly what I needed. 

"Yet the duties God requires of us are not in proportion to the strength we possess in ourselves. Rather, they are proportional to the resources we have available to us in Christ. We do not have the ability in ourselves to accomplish the least of Gods tasks. This is the law of grace. When we recognize it is impossible for us to perform a duty in our own strength, we will discover the secret of its accomplishment." John Owen

 
Transforming Grace  Jerry Bridges


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

Ingredients
2 1/2 – 3 cups ripe or slightly over-ripe diced fruit
sweetener to taste: honey, sugar, agave, etc.
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
optional: seasonings, spices, extracts to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to lowest temperature.  140° or higher.  Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  Pour onto a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap, or a silicone baking mat (don’t use foil, parchment, or waxed paper), and spread to 1/8″ thick.  Place in oven and bake for 6-8 hours, until center is not tacky anymore.  Remove from oven and peel off of baking sheet.  Cut into strips and roll in parchment or plastic.  Store in airtight container or freeze.
Tips:
-All fruits will produce slightly different results.  Strawberries and Raspberries are two of my favorites, that consistently produce good flavor and texture.  You might have to experiment to find what works well.  If you’re going to make a giant batch, you may want to test one first to make sure it works well.
- The addition of sugar or honey enhances the texture and makes the fruit roll ups a little more chewy than if you leave it out.
- If using plastic wrap, it will shrink a little as the fruit dries, so do leave a little extra around the edges.  A silicone baking mat works the absolute best in my opinion.
 Enjoy!!!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

More Great Quotes

Gods wants us to equip our children so that they leave our homes with such a clear spiritual purpose that it can add the right touch to whatever part of the world they wander to. 
Grace Based Parenting

God calls us to be faithful not to be uptight.
Linda Anderson

Perhaps only when human effort had done its best and failed, would God's power alone be free to work.
Corrie Ten Boom
We know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do.
Corrie Ten Boom


Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Awesome Quote

O dear mothers, you have a very sacred trust reposed in you by God! He hath in
effect said to you, “Take this child and nurse it for Me, and I will give thee thy
wages.” You are called to equip the future man of God, that he may be thoroughly
furnished unto every good work. If God spares you, you may live to hear that pretty
boy speak to thousands, and you will have the sweet reflection in your heart that the
quiet teachings of the nursery led the man to love his God and serve Him. Those who
think that a woman detained at home by her little family is doing nothing, think the
reverse of what is true. Scarcely can the godly mother quit her home for a place of
worship; but dream not that she is lost to the work of the church; far from it, she is
doing the best possible service for her Lord. Mothers, the godly training of your
offspring is your first and most pressing duty.
Charles Spurgeon