In the Garden with Adam and Eve (Beat Poetry)

Fantastic Fashion Fridays!!!

Hello Everyone!!! I have been MIA!! Please forgive me!! I have had soooo many things going on and have not had time to post anything lately!! I'm back on track!! Here is my go to fashion gal, Krystal, and I am loving her outfit! This is something I would totally wear and it fits my personality so well!!! Check her out at http://thistimetomorrow-krystal.blogspot.com/

I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!! Much Love and God Bless!!

 

Fashion Fridays!!

Hey guys!! I hope everyone has enjoyed their week!! I sure have!! I am posting a cute little outfit today from Keiko at www.keikolynn.com She has great style to me and it is always different. She wears a lot of vintage and I LOVE VINTAGE clothing!! Check her out!! This is my pick for today!! I love it and will be recreating it!! :) Happy Friday!!

I No Longer Live



I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20



O Praise God!! O Hallelujah!! What a wonderful passage of scripture! It is one of the most important aspects of the Gospel!! I have to be honest, I did not always understand this scripture. I would often wonder what Paul meant by this, but thanks be to God that He has revealed this main truth to my heart! God is so magnificent and so awesome! How could we not praise and adore him? I often wonder what took me so long to come to the knowledge of the truth, and then I realize that I was in bondage just like everyone else.

When I came to Christ and received salvation, I honestly only knew that I was forgiven for my sins and that now I must "live right" While this is truth it is only partially the truth! Salvation is so much more than forgiveness of sins! I was in the dark a long time about what all Salvation entailed, I was steady "trying" to live right on my own, and trust me that is a hard thing to do. When we "try" we are actually still under the law and not under grace. By our trying, we are annulling the cross all together. Christ did not die for us to "try" and live right. Honestly, do we even know what righteousness is, aside from Christ? Our flesh cannot live right, it can only "try" and it will never be successful. I struggled and struggled and was weary! I felt like giving up. I begin to doubt my salvation and even doubt that God was real! I mean, honestly, what kind of God tells you to come to Him and find rest and then leave you with the burden of "trying" to be Holy on your own? This is something that I asked God. Many of you may be saying how dare I ask the Lord that, but I had to because I was tired of struggling and not having any real revelation or understanding of God. I knew deep in my heart that I was saved because my mindset was changed, my desires had changed and only the power of God can could have changed what was filthy into something pure! However, I was not having any real victory over sin! I was still sinning in thought, word, and deed. I was just tired of it! One day God had me read some writings of an older believer and in those writings was the answer to my prayers. Hallelujah!!! I was free!!

You see I no longer had to "try" and live right because I was crucified and it was Christ that was living in me and for me. Well after that sank into my heart, I asked the Lord how could I apply this practically. (I am a practical gal!:)  Practically applying this is usually the challenge for most believers. We read, we study, and we pray but somehow we don't get the application part right. I truly wanted to know how to apply this to my life and truly rest in the Lord. To apply this God told me to just say it and believe it. He told me to just say: "Lord I am helpless, I am unable to overcome, I cannot live the life you desire, Jesus you live, You overcome for me, you be patient for me, you be loving for me, you be all the things I need" You guys I am telling you that when I obeyed and spoke what God had me to speak and truly believed that Jesus was the one living in me and He was the one that was going to live for me, I could truly breathe!! It was as if something fell off my shoulders!! Jesus is real you guys, He really is and He really lives in us and for us! We will never overcome on our own, we will never have victory without Christ! He must live and we must stay crucified. We must remember that we have been crucified, WE ARE DEAD!! The task of daily living is to stay dead! Satan always comes and tries to tempt us to raise ourselves up and trust me it can easily happen if we don't guard our hearts and minds!! He constantly harasses and injects thoughts and wants us to take up and fight him on our own. Paul says that we are to put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, we may be able to stand our ground. Our daily requirement is to STAND on the word of God. Stand on the facts of the cross and benefits of our resurrection with Christ! We must reckon ourselves dead and continuously do so. We must realize that because Christ lives in us, He will live this life for us. No need for us to try and struggle in our own strength. Christ has paid it all and He will live out God's righteous requirements in and through us! Praise be to God!! We can have rest and we can stand on what Christ has accomplished!!

Much Love,

Stephanie

Tasty Tuesday!!

Hello everyone!! Sorry for missing Marriage Monday on yesterday. I have two sick little ones. One has a very bad ear infection and the other has a bad cold. So my day was spent running around to the doctor then getting prescriptions filled and keeping juice and movies available throughout the evening. I didn't even get to my cleaning yesterday like I wanted to. Today is a new day and the kiddos are much better, they did not go to school today so I am pressed for time on this post because I have to clean up today, no excuses!! LOL!! So the meal I am presenting today is actually what I cooked last night. I am EATING CLEAN from now on so my recipes and posts about food will be healthy and nutritious. I desire to lose some pounds and tone up so I must change the way I eat and it must be a permanent change. I am looking to live a healthier lifestyle and food is not really a problem, it's just the "sweets" I love cookies, cakes, breads, chocolate,etc... Anything with sugar! :( So I have to stop that! I am also going to join the gym this week, hopefully, and I plan to workout 5 to 6 times per week. It's just something that I have got to do! I can't keep making excuses. I took some pictures of my body yesterday and I was not happy with what I saw. So if I am not happy then I have to change it, because the way my body looks is totally in my control!

Anyway, I have went on long enough! Here is the recipe for today! I hope you try it and enjoy it. It was really good!!



Keep It Light Tilapia

Ingredients

• ¼ cup / 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tsp / 5 ml paprika
• 1 tsp / 5 ml ginger
• 1 tsp / 5 ml fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp / 5 ml dried mustard
• 1 tsp / 5 ml oregano
• 1 tsp / 5 ml chili powder
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 4 tilapia filets, thawed

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF/ 205ºC. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium-sized bowl combine olive oil, garlic and seasonings.
3. Dip each filet into the seasoning and place it on the baking sheet.
4. Pour any remaining seasoning over the filets on the sheet and place the baking sheet in the oven.
5. Bake for 10 minutes

Tangy Pumpkin Seed Salad

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp / 2.5 ml sea salt
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp / 5 ml Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup / 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 10 cups of the lettuce of your choice
• 1/3 cup / 90 ml toasted pumpkin seeds

Preparation

1. Rinse lettuce of your choice under cold water and set aside in a bowl.
2. In a small bowl, add minced garlic and salt.
3. Whisk lemon and Worcestershire sauce into the garlic.
4. Continue to whisk the dressing while slowly pouring the olive oil in a steady stream. Whisk until smooth.
5. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.
6. Add pumpkin seeds to the lettuce then pour the dressing over top.
7. Toss the lettuce to coat with dressing and serve.

*These recipes came from http://www.eatcleandiet.com/.* Go check it out!

Fantastic Fashion Fridays!!

Hey Guys!! Happy Friday!! I am so in love with the bold colors in this outfit. I think this is a wonderful outfit for Valentine's Day. I may try and recreate this and post it on Valentine's Day. That would be a good project for me to work on! Head on over to see Krystal at http://thistimetomorrow-krystal.blogspot.com/ You will find some other great outfits on her blog!!! I love her style and the fact that she is comfortable in her own skin and wears what compliments her!! Happy Friday and go out and paint the town with your outfit today! I would love for you guys to post what you are wearing on a Friday or your weekend wear! :)

Thrifty Thursday

Being frugal is something that I am not good with naturally. I have always been a spendaholic and within the last few years there has been a definite change in the way I handle money. I am not perfect when it comes to handling money, but I am learning quite a few things. The most important thing that I have learned is that our money is not "ours" The money that God has blessed us with through hard work is His. He lends it to us to be stewards over. Having a clear understanding of this will help us in the money area. Money is simply a tool that is used in the affairs of everyday life. We should not worship money or the things that money can buy. Many people chase after money and stuff, and it ends up costing them their life, their family, their time, etc... God did not create money to be a driving force, He created it to be a tool we use for trade/barter. Instead of using cows/goats, etc... we use currency. :)

Understanding money God's way will begin to take away the desire to misuse this resource and you will learn to put it in its proper place. I have often heard people say they love money, but the fact is that they love what money can buy them, be it power, fame, trips, cars, houses, etc... Thankfully God is delivering me from the love of money and He is teaching me how to handle it properly, so that my family can use this tool as an opportunity to bless others. I pray that you will seek the Lord about money because this area is a major hang up for a lot of people, and sadly Christians. We all could use more education and teaching on being a good steward of this resource.

Thrifty Thursday Tip: Shop at your local Salvation Army or Goodwill! I love these stores because they always have sales and you can find some really nice things there. I have not paid over $20 for an outfit in close to a year now. I even purchase most of my shoes from Goodwill. In the past year I have bought some name brand shoes that had never been worn, still had tags on them, i.e. Jessica Simpson pumps, BCBG pumps, Nine West pumps, you get my drift. LOL!!

Remember to use money wisely and thank God for Him entrusting you with His resources. Make Him proud! :) Happy Thrifty Thursday!!

Whatever Wednesdays!!

I decided to change my Workout Wednesday to Whatever Wednesdays!! I just want to post WHATEVER I feel like on today!! :) I was so blessed by this song this morning and I had to post it. Take a listen to it and really allow it to speak to you. This is the way God desires us to live our lives; without worry or anxiousness, realizing that He has the whole thing in His hands!! I love this song!! I hope you all are having a wonderful Wednesday so far! Remember that God loves you and desires to be close to you! Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you!

Not Gonna Worry by Gaither Vocal Band

Tasty Tuesday

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

photo:(www.comfyinthekitchen.com)

Our Meal for tonight, minus the salad. I have salsa and tostitos with our BBQ chicken sandwich. I chose this meal for tonight because we had fried chicken last night and there was left over chicken.

Ingredients:

Shredded cooked chicken

1cup of BBQ sauce

1 Tbs of brown sugar

Shredded cheddar cheese(or any kind of shredded cheese you like)

Mix all ingredients and heat on stove or in oven. Once heated through place mixture on buns or dinner rolls(we didn't have any buns so I used dinner rolls)

Quick and simple meal that everyone will enjoy.

 

He Is My First Human Priority!



Good Day Ladies!! Sometimes we forget but, yes our husbands are our first human priority! As of late I have gotten into the habit of breaking my priorities down by numbers. It helps me to organize my time and duties. For instance, God is my main priority and then my husband is human priority numero UNO and my children are priority numero DOS, spiritual growth, relatives, friends, ministry,etc... is further down the list of priorities. So through out my day I am focusing on what I can do to please my first human priority, who is my husband, this is after I have had time with my MAIN priority(God, through Jesus Christ) I wash things, fold things, tidy up things because I know that this pleases my husband. I try and have dinner ready for him or at least know where we will get something to eat from(#don'tjudgeme:) I go through my day thinking of him and what makes him happy. Of course physical intimacy is something that I must prepare myself for in case he desires that. I cannot say I am tired or I don't feel like it. My body belongs to my husband and he can have it anytime he desires! :) (1 Corinthians 7:4)

We must remember that marriage is a gift from God and it is like a garden. Seeds are planted and they must be tended to in order for something beautiful to come forth. Marriages don't make themselves, we must plant seeds of love, faith, hope, etc.. in order to reap such. The bible has told me that I must be obedient to my husband, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. (Titus 2:5) I must be subject to him in all things. This is a hard concept for many wives to follow and it certainly was for me in the beginning. I had no idea how to do these things, but then I met Christ and it was through His word that He showed my how I must go about living and prioritizing my life. It was Christ who showed me that my husband must be number one and I must be submissive to him in ALL things. I now treat my husband with a much deeper reverence than I ever have before. I now see him in another light. I see him the way Christ sees him and that helps me to respect and revere him. Not because he is perfect but because God has placed him in authority over our family. I respect him for who God made him to be and I honor his position in our household. Wives if we make our husbands our first human priority we will see a change in our home environment, you will even see a change in your children. Let us lift up our husbands and even if he is not where you think he should be, that should be more reason for you to pray for him, obey him, and submit to him. God has a way of working things out when we are obedient to Him. If we submit and obey our husbands, we will see them rise to the occasion and become the men God desires them to be! We will see a change in our men, if we would allow God to change us within!

Verses to Chew: Ephesians 5:22-24, Titus 2:4-5, 1 Peter 3:1-6

Wifey Wednesday!!



It is Christ who lives in me that does the work!

Hello ladies, today is Wifey Wednesday and I wanted to post something today to encourage women to love their husbands, their children, and the life that God has given them. While thinking on what to post God gave me a revelation: I cannot love my husband, I am not capable of loving my children, I am not a good wife, or a good mother. I am foolish and unwise. It is Christ who lives in me that loves these people and performs these tasks. It is only in Christ will my husband be admired, respected, loved, and cherished. If we do not have Christ then we do not have anything, and we will find that loving our husbands and children is an impossible thing to do on a consistent basis. Sure we can show some outward sign that we love them, sure we can give hugs,etc... but when any of those things are done in our own strength we will find that we cannot bear to do it under strenuous circumstances. It's hard to love or be kind to a husband who has cheated on you, it is hard to love or be kind to children who are disobedient to you. This is why we must allow Christ to live His life out of us. We must allow Him to love those whom we cannot. We have to realize that it is Christ who will love our husbands the way they are supposed to be loved. I cannot depend on myself for one moment to accomplish this, the minute I do, that is the minute I will fail. Sure it is easy to say all of this, but how do we apply this? How do I let Christ live?

We let Christ live by looking up to Him and saying" Lord, I am sorry for having lived my own way and in my own strength for all this time. I am foolish and I need you to live your life out of me. Lord be whatever I need today. You love my husband, my children, and any person that I may encounter today. Lord YOU LIVE!! Amen!

It is that simple. It is just allowing Christ to do what He desires to do. Christ didn't come to make us more loving, more patient, a better person. Christ came so that He can live this life for us! It is He who desires to live for you, so why don't you let him? Allow him to live His life through you and you will see that all the things you struggle with now, will no longer be a struggle. You won't have to fight anymore, you can just breathe easy and know that everything you need is taken care of. What a wonderful life this is wives!! We can truly love, be patient, kind, and generous to everyone we encounter, because it is no longer we who live, but Christ! (Galatians 2:20)

So the word for Wifey Wednesday is for us to remember that we have been crucified with Christ and that we no longer live, but He lives in us. And because He lives in us we can love our husbands and our children perfectly!

Be encouraged and look to Christ to be all that you need! Amen!

Tasty Tuesdays!!!!

I hope you all are having a wonderful day!! I am trying to collect healthy recipes for my kitchen. I have relied on recipes that I grew up with to feed my family and let's face it southern cooking is not the healthiest. I am, now, more health conscious than I have ever been in my life, mainly because of my children, but I guess also because I am a Health Coach!! LOL! What a hypocrite I would be if I wasn't doing anything that I suggest to other people, when it comes to the foods they eat (sadly, I am a hypocrite!)

Though I am not a steak lover I found a recipe over at http://www.skinnytaste.com/ that looks delicious! It is Skinny Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy! I love mushroom gravy and this recipe is a healthy version. Check it out!!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tsp oil
• 3/4 cup onions, minced
• 1 lbs 93% lean ground beef
• 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, to taste
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/4 cup water
• chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Sauté onions in oil over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes

In a large bowl, combine half of the sautéed onions, ground beef, ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, egg white, 1/4 cup beef broth, salt and black pepper.

Shape into 8 oval patties.

In a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties. Set aside on a dish.

Add mushrooms to the skillet, season with salt and pepper and sauté 2-3 minutes.

Return patties to the skillet with the mushrooms.

In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining broth until smooth. Mix in remaining onions, tomato paste, vinegar, water, worcestershire sauce and mustard powder.

Pour over meat and mushrooms in skillet.

Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over Skinny Garlic Mashed Potatoes with a vegetable on the side. Enjoy!!

I hope you guys head on over to Gina's blog, at http://www.skinnytaste.com/ ,to discover more of her delicious recipes!! Happy Tuesday!! Now go cook!! ;)

Encouraging Leadership from Your Husband



But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God." 1 Cor. 11:3


This verse, along with a few others, prove to us wives that our husbands are to be our, "Fearless Leaders." We go through a process of coming to Christ and learning our role as wives. If it were laid out in a 5 step program it might look something like this:

1. Redemption
2. Learning our roles as wives
3. Reverence for our husband
4. Submission to our husband
5. Letting our husband lead in everything

It's interesting how the enemy uses the same lie on each of us, and I'm going to guess that at some point, each of us have believed one or both. When we learn that we wives are to "submit in everything to [our] husbands," (Ephesians 5:24) this is the lie we hear:

"You will be a doormat. Surely God didn't say, 'in everything.'"

But when we come to the point that we reject that lie, and we truly want to be that joyful, submissive wife, "in everything," it's then that we hear the other lie:

"You surely are an amazing woman of the Lord. Just look at yourself, submitting to that wishy-washy man of yours. He really isn't much of a leader, is he? He doesn't even read the Bible to the family, and when he does he doesn't do it right. You need to take control here, for your family's sake."

We must recognize this deception as just that, deception.

For Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 1 Timothy 2:14

Once we see the lie, we can overcome. We can be the godly, encouraging wife. And we can actually assist our husbands in their call to lead our families. A major road block for our husbands not taking leadership as we had hoped they would lies with us.

Yes, us. We wives can actually hinder our husband's progress in this area.

In order to encourage our husbands to lead, we.must.let.them.lead.in.everything.

We need to let our guys take the lead.

"But I've tried that!" you say. "He just won't lead! So, somebody has to do it."

If wives were to step back and actually let the men lead, after a while, they would. It may take years, long long years. But it is not only essential, it is commanded.

Here are a few of the most common complaints, with my suggestions in parenthesis:

• "He finally decided we'd go to church as a family, but he won't pick a church." (That's ok, just stay home.)
• "My husband won't lead us in Bible reading." (He may try again if he knows you won't correct him.)
• "My husband won't make any decisions, he can't even decide where to go on vacation." (That's ok too, if he doesn't pick some place, he has chosen to stay home.)
• "My husband just doesn't care to lead, he's too busy with work." (Pray for him!! Continue to follow any lead he does take, and be supportive.)

Wives play such an important role here, and many don't realize it. Men desire their wives to be true help meets. They need our encouragement!! Be his cheerleader! They need our respect too. We make it difficult for them to be the godly leaders if we are often critizing them to our friends or family.

And ladies, I've just got to say it, they need us alone! We must make time for our husbands without the children around. Not always just in an intimate, physical way, but to just be with them, talking, spending time together.

Here's a little story I'd like to share:

Several years ago we had a fish tank with 1 single male guppie. He was the fancy kind. And boy was he pretty!! After a week or so, we decided to get a few females as we knew they would breed and thought it would be a good science experiment.

You should have seen Mr. Guppie when we dropped in those females!! He would swim past with his fins fanned out and upright. And just as he got within cenemeters of her he would flutter those fins! It was a sight to behold.

He would do this for hours on end! And she would act as if she didn't even see him!! Oh, I felt so bad for that little fish sometimes! But when he saw just a spark of interest from her, just a hint that maybe she noticed him, then watch-out-world because that little guppy looked like he was ready to take on anything! Just for her!

In the world of guppies he wanted to be her fearless leader. In the world of people, husbands do want to lead their wives, and they would do so joyfully, if only we would cooperate.

*courtesy of http://www.timewarpwife.com/*

Fashion Friday!

I am a fashion blog lover and I love eclectic styles. I am not into fashion that has no originality. I love for people to stand out and to wear what feels good to them and on them as long as it's modest. I am dedicating Fridays to fashion and I will be featuring looks from across the web and maybe some of my own from time to time. But to start this Friday off I am heading over to Diya In Her Stilettos where fashion blogger Diya shows off her style. While I am not into the tutu craze, I do love this outfit on Diya. It is original and it looks nice on her! This is my style choice for today! I hope you guys enjoy your Friday!! Go out and paint the town with your fashion today!! Happy Friday and see ya'll soon!

Check out Diya at http://www.diyainherstilettos.com/

New Blog Schedule

Hey guys!! I am changing things up a little and the blog will have a wonderful new schedule!! YIPPEE!! Mondays will be: Marriage Matters Mondays, Tuesdays: Tasty Tuesdays, Wednesdays: Wifey Duties Wednesdays, Thursdays: Thrifty Thursdays, and Fridays: Fashion Fridays!

I am so excited about this new year and all the wonderful things that are in store!! Happy New Year to you all!!

Fashion Friday up next!! :)

We Have Triumphed Through The Cross

Hello Blog World!!! I had to take a break and get my priorities straight. :) Maybe you guys know what it feels like to be pressed in on all sides. Not really knowing what steps to take and in what direction. It sure isn't a good feeling and though you put your best face on for those around you, the spirit of a man knows the truth.

I have been suffering head on attacks from my adversary, the devil, on and off for a while now. When you turn your life over to the Lord and you really begin to walk out what you believe, you will be attacked. Our enemy pulls out all his guns! He declares a war on you and anything around you! The devil is cunning and we must stay sober and be on watch! People on the outside have no idea what you are going through because you smile through it and you praise God anyway, but there is a war going on, a war for your very soul and mind! The attacks come in the mind, this is where the battleground actually is. There is no "positive" talk that will keep the enemy away, we must have the risen Lord Jesus on the inside of us in order to deal with Satan's fiery darts. We must have on the full armor of God in order to defend the very ground that Christ Jesus has placed under His feet.

One thing is for sure though, we stand and fight from the side of victory. The enemy has already lost this war, but he still loves to fight. His desire is that we, who are born again, forget our position in Christ. He wants us to come back to dust level with him, but no no Satan, I am seated in the Heavenlies with Christ. Thank God Christ has defeated my foe! Christ Jesus has made a public spectacle of that old serpent, the devil! Our Lord has killed off our enemy and he has NO power over those who believe!! Isn't that great news?!! Though we must defend our victory, we will not lose because Christ has already won!! This is the good news of the Gospel: our sins are forgiven, we are made into a new creation, and we have transcended above Satan and his earthly power! Remember friends, if you are a believer and you are walking in obedience to our Lord, Satan has NO power over you!! You have authority over the enemy because Christ gave authority to His church and we are the church!! Don't follow your feelings, follow God's Word!! We have triumphed through the Cross!! Amen!!