Why is Contentment Important?

Contentment doesn't come easy to most of us, especially at this time of year.

For some, contentment is as foreign to us as living under water or raising livestock in the backyard of our suburb homes.

Let's face the truth about contentment. We are afraid that if we open the door of contentment, two very un-welcomed guests will barge their way in: The loss of status and slothfulness. If you believe like "the world" does, then“getting to the top” is worth any sacrifice.

The world believes, contentment is something to be enjoyed between birth and preschool . . . retirement and the "old folks home . . . or among those who have no ambition or drive.

You only have to listen for a moment to any Christmas party conversation to hear a young person who is gifted with their hands being counseled not to “settle” for a trade school.

Competent, contented, and fulfilled teachers are frowned upon if they refuse to pursue the position of principal or administrator.

The owner of a Mom and Pop store on the corner who is happy and content is pressured to expand until she opens more stores in order to "get rich"—leaving contentment behind.

People serving as assistants or in any kind of support position often wrestle with feelings of discontentment. The pressure to continue "pushing forward" until they reach the title of boss or owner can be unrelenting.

Interestingly, as we live in the world of "got to be better than the Jones'" we have become a people who are more discontented. We have not only bought the lie, we have swallowed it hook, line and sinker. And we are left dangling from the line that has ensnared us.

Look at what the apostle Paul said:

1Timothy 6:8,“But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." (NIV)

Hebrews 13:5, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (NIV)

Philippians 4:11, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." (NIV)

Contentment is a learning process (believe me, I'm still learning) . . . and it can be uncomfortable to march to the beat of a "different" drummer.

However, I am confident when we do so, we will walk freely and contently.

What are your thoughts?

Black Friday

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things

Colossians 3:2

I don't know about you but Black Friday is a HUGE thing where I live. I have friends who start planning their Black Friday escapade months in advance. They leave their warm and happy homes before midnight on Thanksgiving night in order to be the first in line at store after store just to save on items from their Christmas shopping lists. While I'm all about saving money and finding a bargain, I just can't get into this shop till you drop and spend everything you have plus...

Especially at this time of year we are all bombarded with endless television commercials, newspaper ads, and the constant admonition to spend, spend, spend. As Christians we need to be wise to how Satan tempts us with the temporal. Here are a few ways to avoid the magnetism of the cash register or the credit card.

Substitution Danger . . . substituting the temporal for the eternal. Don't let physical and earthly "things" get between you and the things that are above.

Impression Danger . . . trying to impress instead of imparting the Word. We are doing God's business, not ours.

Financial Danger . . . spending more than you have. Before every purchase, think:Is this within my budget? Is it appropriate?

Believing the Lie Danger . . . believing your purchase will make things "all right." Money won't buy happiness.

Make Hebrews 12:3 your aim: "Consider Him . . . so that you may not grow weary and lose heart."

Financial Motto: If you don't have the cash, don't buy it.

What plans do you have in place to keep your budget in check before heading out to the Black Friday madness?

Please share your tips and techniques to balancing your spending and your checkbook.

Why should I be Thankful?

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.

Let the whole world know what he has done.

~ Psalm 105:1

After the fifth encounter with stressed out friends, a light bulb went off in my head and I thought this topic would be perfect for this week.

I would love if you would write a post sharing your thankful thoughts, your list of blessings, or your feelings about God and His greatness even in the midst of your stressed out situation(s). During this season of "stressful" gratitude I'd love to see what you are experiencing of God's loving-kindness, and in the process, this will serve as an encouragement to one another.

What Are You Choosing?

Joshua 24:15, "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (NIV)

I've spent the last few days driving around the city to look at different cabinet styles and colors for the new kitchen cabinets that will be installed in our home after the holidays.

Who knew there were so many shades of white? Choosing just the right shade of white has proven to be educational and frustrating at the same time. If it's too creamy, then the white trim molding in my kitchen clashes and the new cabinets will look dirty. If the white it too white, then the kitchen will appear cold and stark.

In all honesty, it's been tempting to just close my eyes and point to a style and color in the stack of ever growing samples.

But... that would be fool hardy and dumb.

You know, life is filled with decisions. What clothes to wear? Which roads will I take to get to my destination? Most of these day to day decisions are made out of habit.

On the other hand, there are some decisions that you spend time thinking about. What will I eat for lunch? Which email should I answer first and which ones will I delete without ever reading them? While these decisions seem small and insignificant, they form the tapestry of our daily lives.

Then there are life-altering decisions that cause you to struggle. Which career fits best with my skill-set and calling? Which church offers the best opportunity to grow and minister to others? These are often hard choices that deserve a great amount of thought.

So... how do we choose wisely? What criteria should we use to evaluate, to make the best choice?

Certainly we must gather information and carefully analyze our options. Next, we need wisdom and clear thinking in order to make the best choice based upon the facts at hand and our understanding of God’s will.

Many times I make bad choices because I move through the decision-making process too hastily, basing my conclusions on emotions, bad information or impulses.

While my “gut reactions,” plays a part in making choices I've learned the hard way not to base every purchase on feelings. Doing that has lead me to many instances buyer’s remorse.

Making decisions should not happen in a vacuum either. It's important to seek counsel and advice from others who are experienced and godly.

The only basis for really good choices is correct thinking. This kind of wisdom is given to us in four ways –

God’s Word, God’s Spirit, God’s Providence and God’s people.

Simply put, to make certain I'm using good habits for good choices, I need to be intentional about being renewed through God’s Word... every day.

I must also walk in step with the Spirit of God, paying attention to his prompting and leading. I've learned when I get ahead of His will or fall behind, my choices end up costing me unnecessary frustration.

Joshua told the Israelites to choose who they would serve.

They had two choices. They could choose to serve the true God or idols.

Every day you and I choose to do things that please God, or we do things that displease God.

So ask yourself this question:

Are you making the best possible choices for your life today?

Bacon Wrapped turkey Breast

Bacon Wrapped & Sausage Stuffed Turkey Breast

Serves 4 to 6

5 Pieces Butchers Twine– 12” to 14” long

1 Each Turkey Breast-4 to 6 pounds, tenders removed kept in one piece

2 Links Italian Sausage-removed from the casing, cooked and drained

1 Clove Garlic

1 Cup Ricotta Cheese-whole milk ricotta

2 Cups Baby Spinach-blanched, drained, cooled and chopped

1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano

4 Each Sun Dried Tomatoes-packed in oil, drained and rough chopped

1 Teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper

¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese-freshly grated

1 Each Lemon-zest and juice of separate

1 Pound Bacon-raw

To Taste Salt & Pepper

To Coat Olive Oil

To Make Filling:

Zest the lemon using the small holes on a cheese grater and set aside. Cut lemon in half and squeeze out the juice and set aside separately. Cook sausage that has been removed from the casing in a saute pan, with the juice of the lemon, when fully cooked lower the heat add the garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Cool completely in the refrigerator.

When the sausage has cooled completely place in a large mixing bowl with the ricotta cheese, spinach, oregano, sun dried tomatoes, black pepper, Parmesan cheese and lemon zest.

Mix by hand until all ingredients are combined.

To Stuff:

Lay the other 1/2 pound of bacon vertical on the board overlapping the side of the strips, then lay the butter flied turkey breast on top of the bacon, skin side down, season inside with salt and pepper. Place sausage mixture down the middle of the turkey, the entire length of the breast. Starting at the bottom begin to roll turkey around stuffing leaving the bacon on the board.

When turkey has been completely rolled around the stuffing lift and place the seam side down on the bacon and begin wrapping the bacon making sure to pull firmly around the turkey breast and keeping the sides of the bacon overlapping one another.

Take one piece of butchers twine and slide it under the turkey all the way to the center of the roll, tie a simple knot on top, pulling firmly but not so tight that the stuffing squeezes out the ends.

Repeat this process, placing one on each end of the roll and in between the end pieces and the middle piece. Season outside of the turkey roll with salt & pepper. This step can be done ahead of time or even the day before.

To Cook:

Pre-heat grill or oven to 350 degrees and warm an iron skillet to medium high heat, add enough olive to the skillet to just barley coat the bottom. Add stuffed turkey roll and sear on all sides just enough to give the bacon a little color then place iron skillet with the stuffed turkey on the top rack of the grill using indirect heat or on the middle rack of the oven. Cook for 30 minutes untouched, then add the butter and other 1/2 cup of wine to the pan, set a timer for 10 minutes, using a large spoon baste the turkey roll with the liquid in the pan. Repeat this process until internal temperature 150 degrees, remove from the grill and let rest for at least 15 minutes.

Remove from pan, cut into disks, shingling on a serving platter, stir basting sauce with a wire whip and top cut stuffed turkey disks with the basting sauce.

I saw this on our local morning show today and thought I'd give it a try this year, how about you?

Back to it

Hi friends,

It's great to be back in the saddle again so to speak.

Wow, that sinus infection was a doozy!!

So now that I'm up and at 'em I want to get caught up on everything. What's happening? What's the latest? How are you and what are you doing to get ready for next week's Thanksgiving holiday?

I thought I'd post a few recipes to get you going:

Pumpkin Pie:

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Roasted Vegetables:

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash, cubed
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
• 1 red onion, quartered
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine the squash, red bell peppers, sweet potato, and Yukon Gold potatoes. Separate the red onion quarters into pieces, and add them to the mixture.
3. In a small bowl, stir together thyme, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss with vegetables until they are coated. Spread evenly on a large roasting pan.
4. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.

Let me know what you think.

Knocked Out

Sorry to have been away friends,

I've been sick in bed for the last five days. A double sinus infection has knocked me out, literally.

Today is the first day I've been able to lift my head off the pillow.

Hopefully, I'll be back in action soon.

Fairy Cakes

Happy Monday friends,

Tom and I are back from the Homestead in Virginia. We attended a meeting there last week. It was wonderful to get a away for a few days and to be in such a beautiful place with beautiful weather was just fantastic!

I ALWAYS enjoy being with my sweetie pie, and being away in such a beautiful place was icing on the "fairy cake" (Although I don't eat sugar or icing).

So the next best thing are these bath fizzies that look like fairy cakes.

What fun!!! I found these on line and hope to purchase some as Christmas gifts.

Here's a link to making these. I just need to know what the "icing" is made of for the ones I saw.

So what about you, have you found any unusual items to purchase for Christmas gifts?

Share your ideas here and offer your sisters some help in the shopping department.

After all, Christmas is only 54 days away.