Faith

"Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time." -Oswald Chambers

Tasty Tuesday-Strawberry Chocolate Trifle

Hello all!! I know that summer's over and fall is here, but I just couldn't resist sharing one of my favorite summertime recipes with you. I came up with this recipe a couple of years ago when I was looking for a quick and simple summer dessert. I make this almost every time I have people over and also for potlucks and such. It's so simple and delicious, and I get rave reviews every time I make it. If you like strawberries, then I guarantee that you'll like this recipe.

Strawberry Chocolate Trifle

1 loaf angel good cake

1 package instant chocolate pudding

1 carton strawberries

1 8oz container cool whip

1/4 bag chocolate chips

Cut up the angel food cake into 1 inch cubes. Set aside. Core strawberries and slice into quarters.Cover the bottom of a trifle bowl with 1/3 of the angel food cake cubes. Layer 1/4 of the strawberries on top. Sprinkle 1/4 of the chocolate chips over the layer. Mix the instant pudding according to package instructions and pour 1/3 of it on top of the strawberries. Cover with 1/3 of the cool whip. Repeat for two more layers. On top of the final layer of cool whip, arrange the remaining strawberries as desired and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. Refrigerate until chilled (about 2 hours).

Note: You can also add (or substitute) other fruit as desired. I've added raspberries and blueberries before, but I'm sure you could use any of your favorite fruits in this.

Standards, Convictions, & Judgement

Recently the subject of standards has come up a number of times in various converstations that I've had with different people. It amazes me how heated those discussion can get at times, and how much flack you can get if you don't believe the same way as someone else. It seems that may Christians are so concerned about outward apperances that they ignore what someone's like on the inside. Many times I have seen a woman who wears pants looked down on by other Christians. They see what she's wearing, and immediately decide that she's not right with God. However, more often than not, I find that those people that are looked down upon love God just as much as, if not more than, those that are judging her. When did what we wear, listen to, and do become a siign of whether or not someone's right with God?

A good, lovely, Godly Christian on the outside is not always a good, lovely, Godly Christian on the inside. I have seen instances where friendships have been torn apart because of disagreement over dress standards. You know what? Most of the time the ones being the most mean and brutal about it were the ones with the highest standards. That realization shook me to my core. It changed my perspective of what a good, lovely, Godly Christian was.

If our insides are worthy of being a good example, our outsides will follow. We may not always agree with other people's "outsides", but because our insides are right, that won't matter. If our example in spirit is right, we will be able to be examples in word, lifestyle, love, faith, and purity. And that, in the end, is what will bring the most glory to God.   

1 Samuel 16:7b …for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

1 Timothy 4:12 ... be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

We are not commanded to be an example in just a couple of these areas, but in all of them. We often get so caught up in being an example in one of these areas that we forget the others.

I could be the best example ever in my words, but if I am not an example in purity, then all is for nothing. Similarly, I could have the highest standards in living- music, dress, places I go, etc.- but if my spirit isn't correct, none of that matters. A lot of times we have that backwards. Sometimes we tend to think that because we’re a good church girl, we’re somehow more spiritual than others- maybe even "more saved" than others. If we only listened to the most conservative Christian music, never go into "bad stores" in the mall, our skirts went to our ankles, and culottes are the epitome of sacred-ness, then outwardly, we are perfectly in line with what some believe is everything a good Christian girl should be, but what about inwardly?

It would often surprise you if you could see inside the one who appears to be the good church girl, the one who you think from looking at her is one of the best Christians because she dresses the right way, talks the right way, and listens to the right things. Sometimes the one who seems to be the perfect example is really only an example on the outside. Inside, they may be bitter, rebellious, judging, and the list could go on and on. I know this because that used to be me. I wore nothing but skirts or culottes , listened only to the most conservative Christian music, and never dreamed of going to a movie theater. Outside, I seemed like the perfect little Christian girl. Inside was a completely different story. My heart was full of bitterness. I was rebellious, not outwardly, but inwardly. I didn't want to be known as the "goody two shoes" or "that religious girl" anymore. If I saw a Christian woman wearing anything except a skirt or culottes, I immediately looked down on them and thought that they weren't as "religious" or "spiritual" as I was. Thankfully, God did a work in my heart, and with His help I got rid of the bitterness and rebellion, and wasn't so quick to judge. I finally realized that it was not the outward appearance that mattered, but what we looked like on the inside.

I'm not writing this post to judge anyone or to get anyone to change their convictions or standards.. I'm just trying to get people to think. These things (dress, music, places we go, things we do) are personal convictions. Everyone has a right to their own beliefs and convictions on these things, so who are we to judge them? 

“Let every man judge according to his own standards, by what he has himself read, not by what others tell him.

“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.”

“To judge between good or bad, between successful and unsuccessful would take the eye of a God.”

Our God

"Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome and power"

"Our God" -Chris Tomlin

Growing

I'm going to start alternating Favorite Fridays with Five Minute Fridays. If you're not familiar with Five Minute Fridays, they were started by The Gyspsy Mama. Every week she chooses a different topic, and you write about it for five minutes - no editing, no backtracking, and no over thinking. If you would like to participate, I encourage you to go to her blog and link up! Also, make sure that you put a link back to her post at the end of your post.

-START

Growing. When we think of that word, we often think of a young child, such as a baby or a toddler or such. One who still is growing and learning new things every day. Or we may think of plants and grass and trees as they grow, showing the beauty of creation. But children and nature aren't the only things that grow. We grow every day too, you know. Not in the same way of course. But we grow through different experiences that we've been through. Ever day we grow. We grow mentally, and emotionally, and if we're a child of God, then hopefully we're growing spiritually.

We can encourage this growth in us through many different way. Trying new things, reading, things that we go through. Often the things that grow us the most are the hardest to go through. Things such as the loss of a loved one, or starting a new job, or finding out that you have a chronic illness. Although they seem impossible to get through at the time, they are learning experiences for us, and we can grow in ways we never thought possible. We grow in dependence on God, we grow closer to our family and friends, we grow emotionally as we're strengthened by these trials. So today, I encourage you to look around you, and see the various ways in which you are growing.

-STOP


Five Minute Friday: Growing

Choosing Joy...

One of the biggest reasons why I chose to start blogging again is that I was inspired by a blog that I read. I only discovered this blog a couple of months ago, but it quickly became one of my favorites. I found myself clicking over there every day to see if anything new had been posted. The blog is Choosing Joy, and is written by a lady named Sara Frankl. She's an amazing woman who has gone through quite the journey. You see, about 16 years ago she developed Ankylosing Spondylitis, a chronic disease that attacks your joints and causes pain...lots of pain.

Over the years, her disease progressed, and eventually it got to the point where Sara was basically bedridden. Her body had developed allergies to so many things that she couldn't really even go outside. She was confined to her condo. Through it all, she's decided to "Choose Joy." Although she deals with intense pain every single day, she doesn't let it get her down. She chooses instead to have a joyful attitude.

Sara is dying. Just over a month ago, she posted that she would be taking a break for a week or so as her health was getting worse. A week later, one of her close friends, Shannon, posted that Sara would be taking a sabbatical from her blog due to her health. She was doing this in an effort to try and get some of her energy back and get more rest in hopes that her health would improve. A couple of weeks later Shannon was back again. This time she was telling us that Sara's body was shutting down, and that hospice had been called in.

Sara's time on this earth is quickly ending, but she still is focused more on others than herself. In her last post on her blog, she stated that her thoughts were with her mom, her sister, her brother, her nieces and nephews, and her friends. She wanted to be sure that they knew she wasn't scared to go. She wanted them to know that she loved them, and that her thoughts were with them. Even in death, Sara is more concerned about others than herself.

If she crosses your mind, pray for her. She's headed Home. She'll be meeting Jesus very soon. Pray that these last few days and hours won't be too painful. Pray that her passing is quick and peaceful. As much as those who know her, and those of us that feel as if we know her, hate to see her go, we know that she's ready. She'll finally be pain-free, and she'll be reunited with her dad, who passed away a few years ago. I also encourage you to go read her blog. Read through the archives. You'll be humbled and amazed by the strength and faith she has shown throughout her journey here on earth.

Hello Again

I'm back...hopefully for good. For a time, I had deleted this blog because I just didn't have the motivation or time to blog. I know, I left without any warning, but I'm back now. I have more time on my hands now, and Blogger finally came out with a way to schedule posts (or maybe it was there all along and I just didn't know about it?).

Blogger has changed their posting format and such since the last time I posted, so please bear with me as I try to figure it all out! It doesn't look too complicated, so hopefully it won't take me long!

I am so happy to be back blogging again! I didn't realize how much I had missed it until recently. It seems like in the past couple of weeks I've been constantly forming blog posts in my mind. Now I can finally transfer from my mind to this blog. I'm excited to share with y'all what's been going on in my life.