Proverbs 31 - Week Nine

Long awaited, this week's lesson was about Household Management. This is one of those chapters I could have used a long time ago, but God knew when to bring it into my life. It certainly could have been more in depth, but that would have made it much easier to fail. Most of us will benefit with just a point in the right direction.

But, this chapter includes more than just cleanliness in your home. Start with the 80/20 rule again. Divide your home into 10 zones and list them. Then, put a star next to the 20% of your home that causes 80% of your problems. Work on those two zones and you will make a huge impact on your chaos.

Next is the infamous clutter. Junk mail, catalogs, magazines, trinkets. The 80/20 rule works well here too, but also think about things that are outdated and unnecessary. Only keep things to pass down to future generations if they are things they want, ask them. Create a bin for these things and if you want to add items to it later, you have to take something else out. Suggested reading: The Messies Manual and Smart Organizing by Sandra Felton.

Cleaning supplies and chemicals are next. There are many ways these days to get back to the good ole days with cleaning supplies and any number of websites and product lines to help you do it. I won't go into that. However, Donna does recommend changing air filters monthly, leaving the home open (windows cracked, etc.) to prevent indoor air from becoming stale, washable pillow and mattress covers and hardwood floors over carpeting. Here's a surprising statement from her book: "I was alarmed when I learned that women who stay at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who work outside of the home, according to a 17 year study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency. Poor indoor air quality...is a far more serious issue than most women realize." This day's reading also includes information on removing all chemical cleaning products from your home stating that accidental poisoning in the home is the second leading cause of death in children under five.

Fortunately, the next days' lesson focuses on shared responsibility in the home. Starting with Joshua 24:15 - But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Notice that it says "we" will serve the Lord. "Mom isn't the household servant...Part of the 'faithful instruction' that needs to be on our tongue is teaching our kids how to run a household so they'll know what to do when they leave home." I was shocked (pleasantly!) to hear this information: "...young adults who had participated in household chores when they were ages three and four were more successful as adults than those who hadn't had household jobs to do...more likely to complete their education, get a good start on a career, develop adult relationships, and avoid the use of drugs...early participation in household chores was deemed more important in their success than any other factor, including IQ." WOW! Didn't know I was doing all that for my kids! Suggested reading: The Greatest Management Principle in the World by Dr. Michael LeBoeuf. Donna goes on to say, "Tell your kids you'd rather apologize to them now instead of having to apologize to their frustrated spouses later on...Your future sons- and daughters-in-law will rise up and call you blessed for teaching your kids shared servanthood."

This chapter finishes up with a spiritual cleansing of your home starting with Nehemiah 13:7-9. "If you've traveled to other countries, be particularly alert to the fact that some items sold as tourist trinkets are actually foreign idols...If you have a teenager, particularly a troubled teenager, I urge you to consider prayerfully a Nehemiah purge of your house." This can be especially effective if you are able to share this activity with those in your home. Let the Holy Spirit lead your decisions and pray about what you should remove and what you should replace the items with. Donna also suggests that you could have a spiritual leader pray over the items you use to replace in your home and over your home as a whole. "Rid your house of anything that might be offensive to God or anything that might serve as a foothold for the Enemy. Consider replacing the items with Scripture plaques, crosses, or other sacred items. Pray over and spiritually purify your home. Invite a spiritual leader to bless your house, if you desire."

This is a large chapter with a lot of activities for the week and some great examples that I couldn't possibly include here for length. I know that you will enjoy the book. The next week is centered on Family Relationships, may we all live in peace!

Recipe Central

I love this dish, hope you will too!

Tarragon Chicken and Potatoes

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup Butter Bud Sprinkles - dry - divided
• 5 large red skin potatoes
• salt & pepper to taste

Sprinkle chicken with dried tarragon, garlic and 2 tbsp Butter Bud Sprinkles.

Spray a crockpot with non-fat cooking spray.

Place chicken in crockpot.

Place potatoes on top of chicken. Sprinkle potatoes with remaining 2 tbsp Butter Bud Sprinkles. Cover.

Cook on low for 6-1/2 to 8-1/2 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired. Serve.

Servings: 5, Calories: 303, Carbohydrate: 26 grams, Protein: 44 grams, Total Fat: 2 grams, Cholesterol: 105 mg, Dietary Fiber: 2 grams, Sodium: 413 mg, WW: 6 points per serving.

5-10-15-20

• 5 - the 5 people you are praying for to know the saving grace of JESUS CHRIST
• 10 - 10 % of your earnings in tithes and offerings
• 15 - a small group of people that you connect with to live life
• 20 - 20 minutes in devotional study and prayer every day

What have you done for HIM lately?

Are you a lukewarm Christian that JESUS said HE would spit from HIS mouth? Or, are you on fire for GOD, living life from the Spring of Eternal Water that you thirst no more?

Your humble blogger

WOW! What an amazing experience! My family was blessed to spend some time in the mountains and it couldn't have been more relaxing, even though we were on-the-go every minute.

To be able to stand on top of a mountain, at the bottom of a waterfall, or go inside a cavern and view God's glorious world from all angles is something we we would never see here at home. The hiking, shopping, amusement and day parks, local restaurants, historical places, trains, scenery, everything was just beautiful.

I was also blessed, inside the cavern to hear another mom explaining to her child that just because scientists think the world is millions of years old, that's not what we believe. Those of us who believe in a mature creation and a flood covering the earth know that man can not comprehend God's ways. (http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2007/05/30/how-old-is-earth ) Can I get an AMEN?

Additionally, due to the Proverbs 31 study, this is the first vacation we have ever spent actually using a budget. I must say, we did pretty well. We went over our budget by less than 1 percent and paid cash for everything. It is a great feeling knowing that we will not be in debt for this vacation.

Unfortunately, I took the week off with my studies and I am feeling the impacts and finding it hard to get back into normal routines. Maybe when all of the laundry is done, I'll feel better about it :)

Thank you Jesus for a wonderful, relaxing time with family.

Quick Quotes

Alan Redpath had two daughters who loved to swarm him when he came home at night. As he came in the door one evening, his little girls ran to meet him. One grabbed his leg and hugged him with all her might. He snatched the other daughter up in his arms. The one squeezing his leg said, "Now, I've got all of Daddy." The daughter in his arms replied, "Yes, but Daddy has got all of me!"

Perhaps the question we need to continually ask is, "Does God have all of me?" - Alan Redpath

Recipe Central

Here's for all of you rice lovers out there...

Italian Rice

• 1 lb lean ground beef (or substitute ground turkey breast)
• 1 28 oz jar fat-free pasta sauce, any flavor
• 1 8 oz can sliced mushrooms
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups instant rice
• 1/2 cup fat-free grated parmesan cheese topping

In a large, 3-quart nonstick pan, bring ground beef, pasta sauce, mushrooms and water to a full boil, stirring occasionally.

Stir in rice and cover. Remove from heat. Let sit 5 minutes.

Evenly sprinkle all servings with fat-free grated parmesan cheese.

Serve hot.

Servings: 6, Calories: 353 (ground turkey: 337), Carbohydrate: 54 grams, Protien: 24 grams (ground turkey: 26 grams), Total Fat: 3 grams (ground turkey: 1 gram), Cholesterol: 41 mg (ground turkey: 51 mg), Dietary Fiber: 3 grams, Sodium: 746 mg (ground turkey: 739 mg), WW: 7 points per serving (ground turkey: 6 points).

Proverbs 31 delay

The next installment of my Proverbs 31 sessions will be delayed this week as I am enjoying some much needed R&R. It promises to be a great deal of very useful information relating to housework. I wish I had this book so many years ago!! But, the Lord knew when to put it into my life when I would get the most use out of it and be most interested in using it! Thank you Jesus! God is good, all the time!

Prayer Request

A friend of mine, Nicole has a child, just two years old, who was recently diagnosed with autism. The financial hardships and time constraints of treatment and therapy are a lot to deal with. The family also has another child who is under the age of one.

Spiritually, Nicole is at a stand still in her faith and is in desperate need of our prayers and support. She is at a point where she knows that she could turn away and not look back and we must not allow that to happen! We know that the devil prowls like a lion seeking whom he may devour and it appears she is his current prey.

Let's all lift her up now in prayer that she will know GOD's presence in this situation and that her faith will be strengthened through this, that GOD will raise up a mother to be a Christian presence in this scientific disorder and a child that shows the love of GOD no matter what the struggle.

Prayer Request

Please be in prayer for family and friends of Gina.

Please see this statement from a friend: "Gina was a young client of ours and she placed her 3rd baby for adoption at the end of the year last year & had really turned things around with the help of ALOT of people and over the weekend was shot [and killed] by her boyfriend."

Please pray for her family, her children and for our judicial system that the truth will be known. Also, please pray for those who assisted her in the adoption who will be attending the funeral Friday.

Prayer Request Update!

Here is an update regarding Jenny, a wife and mother of 5 who attends my church and teaches at my son's school.

Jenny spoke her first words to her husband this past weekend, saying: "I Love You". Isn't that amazing? Actually, it's GODmazing! She still has a long road for recovery and her left side is not working well yet, but she is making remarkable progress.

There is an account set up for her at the Blood Alliance, account #5553 for anyone wishing to demonstrate support for Jenny and her family. Donation locations can be found at http://www.igiveblood.com .

Please keep praying for Jenny and her family!

Quick Quotes

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. -Helen Keller

Proverbs 31 - Week 8

First, let me apologize again for the delay. My summer routine is not yet established, but I am working on it!

This week's lessons begin with a remarkable passage from I Thessalonians 4:11-12: Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (NIV)

Let's break that down a bit.

1. Lead a quiet life.
2. Mind your own business.
3. Work with your hands. (and do what you're told.)

And the results are:

1. Your daily life may win respect.
2. You will not be dependent on anybody.

Well, that sounds just fabulous to me!!! Where do I sign up?

Although there is some room for inspiration here, you could say that "mind your own business" refers to gossiping or nosiness. I am taking it to mean attending to my own line of business, whatever God wants that to be at this time in my life. For some time now and for many reasons, I have had a desire to have my own business. To be able to assist with the family budget in more ways than clipping coupons and shopping for sales. To have the sense of accomplishment that comes with making something to sell or to be consumed by others. To simply have conversations with other moms/adults that don't involve cartoons or crayons :) I can't quite figure out what to do. I would love to bake bread, cookies and pies to sell; have an online Christian book store; make beaded jewelry for sale at a local consignment shop. There are so many ideas.

Donna imparts so much wisdom this week, here are a few of her highlights:

• "...women start twice as many businesses as men and are far more likely to succeed."
• "...God intended the home to be the center of our lives, not just the place we come to recover from our lives."
• "...any woman can make extra money from home is she is willing to work."
• "...include your children in your business so they learn to be entrepreneurial and self-sufficient under God's sufficiency..."
• "...the Proverbs 31 woman had multiple streams of income...She operated various manufacturing and direct-selling enterprises: 'She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.' She invested in real estate: 'She considers a field and buys it.' ...she reinvested the profits into yet another income-generating business: 'Out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.' ...she diversified her income streams. If we are wise, we will do the same."
• "In direct selling companies, the person who does the work earns the money."
• "The best part about joining forces with an existing business is that you don't have to start from scratch."
• "Just $250 per month, beginning at age forty, will yield $330,000 for your retirement."
• "...there is no hard-and-fast rule that applies to all investing - except one: to profit from your investments, we have found it is vital always to diversify them. ...Ecclesiastes 11:2: 'Divide your means seven ways, or even eight, for you do not know what disaster may happen on earth (NRSV)." -Tamera Aragon
• "There are two ways for investors to make money in real estate: appreciation [when you sell or refinance; buy and sell] and cash flow [month after month, as long as you own the property; buy and hold]." - Tamera Aragon
• Real estate investments to consider: Rental properties, Lease options, Fixer-uppers, Vacant land, Forced appreciation, Preconstruction, Foreclosures.
• Internet Marketing: eBay, Craigslist, Amazon, etc.

Suggested reading:

• Homemade Business: A Woman's Step-by-Step Guide to Earning Money at Home - Donna Partow
• www.donnapartow.com/homebasedbusiness
• Multiple Streams of Income - Robert Allen

Next week, a true need for improvement for me, we will discuss Household Management. Hold on to your hat Martha!

Recipe Central

Here's the third installment of Recipe Central, I hope to start sending these each Tuesday, so keep looking for more great entries to your personal recipe box.

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

• 1/2 pkg (15 oz) refrigerated pie dough
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
• 1 10-3/4 oz can condensed 45% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup, undilluted
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tspn black pepper
• cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Unroll dough onto a lightly floured work surface (or parchment paper) and roll into a 12" circle. Invert 4 10 oz serving dishes over dough & trace along rim of dishes with a knife, cutting 4 circles out of dough. Discard any scraps. Cut 4 small slits in each pastry round & set aside.

Combine chicken & next 5 ingredients in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave at high for 2 minutes, or until warm, stirring half-way through.

Spoon mixture into 4 10 oz serving dishes coated with cooking spray.

Top each with a pastry round, pressing dough firmly against sides of dish. Lightly coat tops of dough with cooking spray.

Bake at 45o degrees for 15-18 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Serves: 4, WW: 8 points each

Quick Quotes

One is taught by experience to put a premium on those few people who can appreciate you for what you are. -Godwin

Recipe Central

Here is the recipe for this week, I hope you enjoy!

Baked Jambalaya

• 3 tbsp real bacon bits
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  
• 2 tbsp green onions, chopped
• 1/2 lb cooked kielbasa, sliced
• 1/2 lb diced, cooked ham (lunchmeat is ok)
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  
• 1 tsp cajun seasoning (optional)
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 14.5 oz can beef broth
• 1-1/2 cups uncooked regular long-grain white rice

Mix together in a large mixing bowl all ingredients*.

Pour into greased 9x13 baking dish.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hr or until rice is done.

Uncover and stir before serving.

*If you are making this dish to freeze & store for later use, do not add rice until ready to cook. All ingredients except rice would be put into a freezer bag, labeled Baked Jambalaya. Rice can be added in a separate smaller bag and both bags put into another freezer bag. Thaw before cooking.

Serves 8-10, WW: 6 points per serving.

Unfortunately, I did not have any additional nutrition information for this dish, but any WW member can tell you, 6 points for a dinner is very good.

Church Notes

What a great sermon Sunday by Pastor Chuck!

We are continuing our study on the book "One Month to Live" by Kerry & Chris Shook. This week's lesson is entitled Learn Humbly and will soon be posted online in the audio sermon archive at this address: http://www.creeksidechristian.com/ServicesandEvents/AudioSermonArchive/tabid/75/Default.aspx

• Adversity Builds Character
• When God's Will is clear to us it doesn't mean the road is going to be easy.
• "God is more interested in your character than your comfort." -Rick Warren
• Joy chooses to see the blessing of adversity.

Verses for your study:

• James 1:2-18
• Ecclesiastes 10:7
• Proverbs 28:13
• Psalms 20:7-8
• II Corinthians 4:16-18
• Hebrews 11:24

Please pray!

Please be in prayer for Jenny, a wife and mother of 5 who collapsed this past week due to bleeding in the brain. She has undergone surgery with a 50/50 chance and is still in critical care. She will have a long, hard road of recovery. Please pray that she and her family will know God's presence during this difficult time and that she will heal quickly.

Proverbs 31 - Week 7

Personal Appearance is this week's topic and covers everything from color choices and wearing the right size to modesty and countenance. Here are some highlights:

• Determine your core color and stick with it, shop during the season that compliments this color and only buy clothing that coordinates with this color. (Dark hair and eyes - black - winter; Dark hair and blue, green or hazel eyes - light skin tone - navy - summer, dark skin tone - black - winter; Blonde hair and blue, green or hazel eyes - navy - summer; Red hair - brown - late fall; Sandy/Blonde hair and brown eyes - camel - spring or fall.)
• Give away or exchange everything else in your closets.
• Determine your ideal body weight: "Your ideal weight is the healthiest weight you can maintain while leading a sustainable lifestyle." Use this website to help find your ideal weight range. http://www.consumer.gov/weightloss/bmi.htm
• Box up all of your clothing that doesn't currently fit, but is in your ideal weight range. Put a date on this box and get rid of anything left in the box if it still doesn't fit in one year.
• Give away or exchange anything that doesn't fit currently and isn't in your previous box.
• Expand this to your personal care items: skincare, makeup, toiletries, etc. Box everything up that you don't use daily/weekly. If it's still in the box after one year, toss it out.
• "...I have talked about how less is more. That's almost always true, but there is an important exception: fabric. When it comes to fabric, more is more....Remember, ladies, for the kingdom's sake, for modesty's sake, and, well, for mercy's sake: more fabric!"
• "Unless you are in stellar physical condition, you will probably look better in a skirt than in pants...I am a forty-something pear-shaped woman, and very few women over forty look their very best in pants. Conversely, almost all women look attractive in a well-made, properly fitting skirt that hits below the knee....Some apple-shaped women do look better in pants provided they wear long tunic-style tops. If you are a woman who carries every drop of excess weight above the waist...you can wear pants to your heart's content."
• "There are some women whose countenance reflects the love and care they receive, not from an earthly husband but a heavenly one. These are women who know deep down in their spirit that they are precious and honored in God's sight. These are who derive their primary identity from their relationship with God..."
• "A countenance that radiates a gentle and quiet spirit grows out of God-confidence."

I pray that you know you are precious in God's sight and know that you are a daughter of the King! May your appearance reflect God's love!

I am already getting excited about next week's topic: Home Enterprises.

The Pearl Necklace

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere--Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess--the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."

"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"

"Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. "What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.

So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures. God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.

What are you hanging on to?

--- Author Unknown

Get out of debt

There are several options for getting out of debt. One popular option is to payoff the largest balances first, another is to payoff the highest interest rate first. While both of these are good options, they do not give a sense of accomplishment very quickly like the next option I will show you. This is from The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.

The "Debt Snowball"

1. Lists your debts in order with the smallest payoff or balace first.


2. If you have two debts with similar payoffs, list the higher interest-rate debt first.


3. Pay off the smallest balance first. Anytime you get some extra money, put it toward paying off your debt rather than acquiring more stuff to clean, stow, and eventually give away. Meanwhile, be sure to make your [minimum] monthly payments on all your debt.


4. Once you've paid off the first debt, apply the entire monthly payment that you used to pay toward the first debt toward the second debt on the list. (You will be paying out the same amount of money each month, but you will be paying down this debt twice as fast.)


5. When you've paid off the second item, apply the entire amount you were paying on debt number 1 and debt number 2 toward debt number 3.


6. Continue until you have paid off all consumer debt.

This option can allow you to focus your money to eliminate the debt quickly. It is very important to stop using the cards when you begin this and remember, once you payoff that card, put it away and don't use it anymore. It's understandable to have a credit card for medical expenses and emergencies, but a huge sale at your favorite department store is not an emergency! Then, you can easily save and pay cash for things that you want rather than charging them and them being no longer useful by the time you have finished paying for them. My prayers are with you that you live within your means and your soul will prosper along with your pocketbook!

Proverbs 31 - Week 6

This week was definitely full! Here are a few of the highlights:

• John Wesley - "'Earn all you can; save all you can; give all you can.' Christians shouldn't be financially broke. We should be financially wise."
• "Which is greater: 90 percent plus God or 100 percent minus God?"
• Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad, Poor Dad) - "The poor and middle class work for money. The rich have money work for them."
• "...an asset is somthing that puts money in my pocket. A liability is something that takes money out of my pocket." - Robert Kiyosaki
• "Put the income into an income-generating asset, then you can spend, not once, but as long as the asset keeps generating income."
• "Lord, I know you work miracles. You can bring stones back to life from heaps of rubble and you can enable me to get my finances in good order."
• See a separate post about the "Debt Snowball."
• "When you get an offer in the mail, declare out loud: 'I know what this is. It's an invitation to the valley of Ono [Nehemiah 6] - and oh no, I don't want to go there!'"
• http://www.optoutprescreen.com/ or 1-888-5OptOut
• "How many items fall into the 'I never would have bought it if I had to save up to get it' category?"
• "'The secret of financial success is to spend what you have left over after saving, instead of saving what is left over after spending.' We all know there's never anything left over."
• "Over the past fifty years, the stock market has averaged an 11 percent annual return. That's no guarantee for the future, but stocks have never lost money over any ten-year period - and that includes the decade of the Great Depression. Your best choice is an index fund."

Recommended reading: Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki; The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach; The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

It's obvious to most of us that we live outside of our means and it can be very overwhelming to think about getting out of debt, but there are many small ways we can help ourselves. This week's study gave very specific ways to take small steps and make a difference in your finances while getting a sense of accomplishment quickly. You can do it! Start today!