Lord... hear our cries

Our family, along with thousands of other families throughout Lenawee County and surrounding cities, has been praying diligently for the three missing boys from Morenci. We have had our eyes and ears glued to the news hoping and praying for a report that these little guys have been recovered. We have been praying against all hope as the latest news reports suggest that what happened to these young, beautiful life-filled boys is nothing more than profoundly tragic.

During the last 5 days my thoughts have turned to my own family. My daughter Chloe. My husband Trevor. Tucking my sweet little one into her own warm bed at night has had more significance. Dropping her off to school in the morning has had a little different feel to it. Perhaps my embraces have been tighter. Maybe I've stared a little longer into her eyes and Lord knows I've prayed a little extra for her lately... for protection, for guidance and for a deep relationship with Jesus.

But... as a believer I know that regardless of the outcome - God is still GOOD and He is still in control! He still has a plan and purpose for that family and whether we choose to believe it now or not... He is working all things together in accordance with His will.

We may not understand this side of heaven the answer to that one single question... "Why?" but maybe, just maybe, we weren't meant to know. Just yet.

Jesus knows a little... no... a LOT about suffering. He's felt more anguish than anyone should ever know - and I believe when we grieve... He also grieves.

Let's continue lifting these little ones up in prayer. Let's pray for peace, comfort and protection for their families and for the rescue workers serving so selflessly to put and end to this tragedy.

But let's not forget to Praise Him in this storm. For He is who He is no matter where we are or what we are going through.

Ephesians 1:11b "...He makes everything work out according to His plan."

Recipe Friday - a day late!

Oops - - too busy putting up Christmas Tree yesterday to remember about posting on the blog. ;)

Here is this week's recipe... courtesy of a friend of mine. I'm so addicted to these things it's scary. Good Christmas-time dessert.

ENJOY!

Special K Bars

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
6 cup Special K Cereal
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips



Directions
Boil the sugar and the corn syrup at a full boil for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in the peanut butter. At this point either stir in the special K (if you used a large pot) or pour the mixture over the special K cereal in a mixing bowl. Place the cereal mixture in a well greased 9 X 13 pan. Melt the butterscotch and chocolate chips together and pour over the cereal mixture. Eat whenever you desire.

Notes: For easy cutting, let cool for an hour or so and then cut them all up. Do not smooth or compact the special K mixture or topping more than the minimum required to spread it.

Number of Servings: 24

A Note on THANKfulness...

It was almost a year ago that our family's world was... forever changed.

It was mid December when my husband, Trevor, was called away on business to Arizona. I wasn't too happy about him leaving in the middle of what was a very hectic and BUSY Christmas season for us here in Michigan, but I knew he had to go. It was only supposed to be a 3 day trip. He left on a Tuesday and was supposed to be back on Friday afternoon. No big deal. There and back.

But, God had different plans.

I don't know if you're like me, but there are times when... I just don't "feel right" about a situation. And this was one of those times. I remember the morning he left for the airport. He had left just moments before we had and as we turned left and he turned right, I remember thinking about how much I loved him and how much we were going to miss him. Anyone who knows me - knows I am pretty sentimental about these sorts of separations, but this one... this time... it just... felt different.

Two days into his trip I received a phone call from him saying that he was going to have to stay an extra 2 or 3 days in Phoenix. Apparently, there were some problems on one of the vehicles they were up-fitting and this was going to require an extra stay.

I was bummed. This meant that he wasn't going to be able to do last minute Christmas shopping with me and it also meant that I was solely responsible for all of the final Christmas arrangements that needed to be made. Shoot!

On Friday morning I received a phone call from Trevor asking me what he should take for an upset stomach. "I think I had some bad Mexican food or something" he said when he called to ask me whether he should take, "Pepto or Kaopectate?"

We finished the conversation with him telling me he was going back to the hotel to go to bed for the night. I should have known then - that something wasn't quite right... it was only 5 o'clock in the afternoon!

After a rough night of sleep, he woke up not feeling any better. In fact - he was worse! So - after MUCH encouragement (okay... persisting) from me, he decided to go to the hospital to "get checked out".

Boy - am I glad he did.

My husband was having a diverticulitis attack and this time - it was more severe then the other times he'd had them. So much to the point of needing to be hospitalized immediately and consulting with a physician about surgery!

Surgery! I thought to myself. This is a man who can't even remember the last time he had BLOOD DRAWN. This is a man who's not a fan of needles and dreads the mere thought of a doctors office! How can we be talking SURGERY?!

You know - God is SOO good. I believe sometimes He keeps us from knowing certain things that will ultimately cause us worry or grief. And let me just say right now - I am MOST thankful that I didn't know the severity of His diagnosis until after I arrived in Arizona!

After consulting with the doctors, it was determined that my dear husband was in very bad shape. What we would later learn is that he had a perforated bowel and was "septic"... an extremely dangerous situation that has a very slim survival rate. The fever that had been so bad for 2 days was a warning sign that his body was in grave danger and had he NOT arrived when he did... he may very well have not survived the next 24 hours.

On December 21 my daughter and I arrived in Phoenix, Arizona via a 7 p.m. flight from Detroit. During that flight, Trevor would be undergoing major surgery (second only to open heart surgery).

For some strange reason I was peaceful. I knew he was in good hands and I knew that by the time we would arrive at the hospital, this ordeal would all be behind us. We could then get on with a "normal" Christmas.

Once again, God had different plans.

We arrived at Chandler Regional Medical Center at just after midnight on December 22. Because of the H1N1 scare, all children under the age of 13 were not allowed inside the hospital without special permission from the house supervisor or at the bare minimum a face mask and NO child was getting past the first floor. This made it very difficult for us as Chloe was only 9. However, after some persistence and discussion with the house super, we were allowed to go up to see daddy (who we were told was on the fourth floor) as long as she kept her mask on and never left my side. To make her feel less "funny looking" with her mask on, I decided to put one on too. We looked like quite a pair, and certainly daddy would think we were silly and get a good chuckle from it too!

The ride up the elevator to the fourth floor was one of the longest of my life. I was so excited to see my husband recovering nicely or even just sleeping peacefully.

When the doors to the elevator opened up there were 2 nurses standing side by side to greet us. What I remember more clearly then anything else is that they both looked at Chloe as though they were surprised to see her. As we laughed and joked about our masks, it didn't seem to change the seriousness of the look on their faces. And that felt... really odd.

I remember... I was nervous at this point. Why weren't they laughing too?

Almost immediately one of the nurses took me by my arm and said something to me I don't think I will ever forget. She said, "Mrs. Bender, we need to talk to you in private please."

At the same time, the other nurse was taking my 9-year-old to the nurses station with her. I remember looking into the eyes of my sweet little girl with a mask on trying to keep it together for her without breaking down myself from the anxiety and discontent that was welling up inside of me. Hearing those words were indeed not what I was expecting to hear and certainly unprepared to handle.

The nurse led me down the longest hallway of my life. And I remember I began arguing with her to tell me that was wrong. "WHAT is it?" I begged her repeatedly as the tears flowed and the nervousness turned to overwhelming fear.

"Mrs. Bender, I'm not the nurse who was in with your husband during surgery, and I'm not sure I understand all that happened, but there were some complications and your husband isn't yet awake from the surgery."

As she continued, my heart sank. "After the procedure we took him to a regular recovery room where we take patients following surgery. At some point he became unresponsive and so we had to re-intabate him and he is currently downstairs in ICU."

I'm telling you now - NOTHING could have prepared me for hearing these words. Nothing.

I don't even remember exactly what happened next, except for them telling me that Chloe wouldn't be allowed to see him because of the "condition" he was in. So they took her away to another room with a bunch of stranger while I was taken to the room where my husband laid... unconscious.

I remember seeing my dear, sweet husband lying on that bed surrounded by all those wires and monitors. Definitely the scariest singe moment in my entire life. As I stroked his hair I remember CRYING out to God to spare his life. I wept as the unbearable images ran through my head. Images of life without him. Images of life as a single parent. Images of never seeing him laugh again, joke again or see his daughter be married. It's amazing the things that run through your head during a devastatingly painful experience.

After sitting with him a while nurses encouraged me to get some sleep. After all, I had a daughter who still needed me and I was in the middle of a gigantic city I knew nothing about.

They explained to me that he would be in that "condition" for a little while longer. His body had just underwent a tremendous amount of shock and they reassured me that they would be monitoring his every second of recovery.

That night, back at the hotel, was the longest night of my life. As I laid there holding my young child the sobs would not cease. On my knees I pleaded for one more chance to see my husband. I begged God for a miracle. Through my tears, I prayed and I prayed and I prayed and I prayed.

Like I've never prayed before.

For anything.

And every hour I called that hospital. Praying for good news.

And every hour I received the same response, "No Mrs. Bender, your husband has not woken up yet."

"PLEASE God" I begged, "PLEASE let me talk to him - one last time." "PLEASE God, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE."

And finally... one last phone call was made to the hospital.

This time... with the best news these ears could have heard.

"Oh, Mrs. Bender, your husband is awake and asking for his girls!"

DEAR GOD! THANK YOU!!!!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I could barely get my hands to work to get my cloths on and get out that door of the hotel and into that rental car to take us to the hospital to SEE MY HUSBAND!

Praises to God filled that car. From both Chloe and I.

PRAISE God for this miracle of life.

PRAISE God for His grace and mercy.

PRAISE God for His provision.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I can never describe to you the joy that filled our lives that morning as we celebrated ONE more day with the man God designed for me to love. The overwhelming thankfulness we had far surpassed anything I'd ever felt before.

I believe God allows situations to happen in our lives that cause us to CLING to Him with FULL dependence which will in turn cause us to give THANKS to Him and PRAISE Him with everything we have!

This THANKSgiving I am thankful for SO many things.

I have been richly blessed.

I am THANKful for the miracle of LIFE.

May I NEVER take for granted another moment.

Every breath comes from Him and to Him I say... THANK YOU!

God is Good

I was talking with a close friend of mine the other day and she was telling me about a conversation she had recently with someone that had left her feeling... disheartened. Her words to me were "The more I get to know some people, the more disappointed I become."

Wow... isn't that true?

I could really sympathize with her. After all, people are disappointing. People make mistakes. We see it all the time...

People lie.
People cheat.
People argue.
People are back-stabbing.
People gossip.

Furthermore,

We are self-seeking.
We are envious.
We delight in drama.
We harshly judge others.
We brag.
We are jealous.
We are self-righteous.

We just are. We are human. We make mistakes and some times, more times than we'd care to admit it, make the SAME ones over and over again.

I have learned a lot about people over the years and the bottom line is - they will disappoint you almost every time.

Now - I am NOT saying there aren't good people out there with good motives. I believe we all have a deep-seeded desire to please others. To help others. To encourage and motivate others. We all want to be loved, appreciated, trusted and respected, and I truly believe we all long to build those kinds of honest relationships where all of those traits are present.

However, sooner or later, humans WILL ultimately disappoint each other. In one way or another.

Mark 10 tells a story of a rich man falling at Jesus' feet begging Him to tell him how he inherits eternal life. He begins his request with, "Good teacher". Jesus replies to him with this profound question/statement, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone."

No one.

Jesus healed the sick, made the blind see, raised the dead to life and still considered himself unworthy to be called good.

God is good. He is who we need to place our trust in. He is the only one who won't fail us. Won't deny us. Won't betray us. He is the one in whom we should desire acceptance from because He is the one who loves us beyond comprehension.

People will fail us. They will hurt us. There's no doubt about it. But we have to let them off the hook too. They aren't God - and remember - we just learned that God is the ONLY one who is good.

As Christians, I believe we are called to live in the world but not be of the world. And living for the approval of man or expecting too much from men and women who are mere mortals is living as part of the world.

I believe that true living is when we place our hope, trust and love in the God of the universe... the One who loved us before we ever chose to love Him. Seeking His approval and His acceptance is the only goal I have here on this planet and I pray that I will live a life that is honoring to Him by expressing grace and mercy to those who... well... don't measure up. Lord knows I have failed MANY in my pursuit of perfectionism.

Letting people off the hook for failing to be perfect frees me up to focus more on living like Christ. Loving like Christ. Giving like Christ. And that's what matters most... to me.

God... use me to make the changes necessary in my life to reflect your love to a hurting world.

Recipe Friday

Happy Friday!

Made this recipe for our small group on Sunday night and it was a winner. I will note this: I added about one more cup of cheese than it called for AND I added cooked, crumbled bacon to the top before going into the oven. YUMMY! :)

Hope you enjoy!


Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

* 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 3 tablespoons flour
* 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
* 3 cups milk
* 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
* 1 bay leaf
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1 large egg
* 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* Fresh black pepper

Topping:

* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Doing Instead of Saying

Something has been on my mind lately and I'd like to share with you today...

How many times have we heard people say things like this to others going through a difficult season in their lives...

"If you need anything - let me know."

or

"Call me if you need anything."

Sincere people wanting to help. Wanting to do something to aide another one through their time of grief, suffering and pain.

I believe the motives are right. We want to help, don't we? We want to know that others can depend on us if they should need help in an area we can provide for them. And let's face it - we're pretty good at it. We help in all kinds of situations by doing all sorts of good things. We make meals, we provide child care, we give money, we pray for them. But sometimes, too often, we watch at a distance and wait for them to ask us for the help that they need.

I am in no way suggesting that we don't have sincere motives behind offering our help to others. I think most of us desire to actually be taken up on our offer to help. But - what happens when they don't ask.

All too often I've been a witness to people needing help but not knowing how to ask for it. No matter what kind of situation it is - some people just won't ask for help period. Perhaps it's pride. Maybe it's guilt. Just maybe they are too deep in their suffering that they can't possibly think of anything someone else can do that will ease even a bit of their pain. And although we may know something about what their going through - we don't know. This is THEIR journey, no ours.

A year ago a guest speaker named Tim Butler spoke at our church. Tim is a wonderful man, husband, father and counselor, who lost his daughter when she was just a young pre-teen to a terrible illness. Tim knows a little something about grief and suffering, and the desire to be comforted and supported during those days surrounding her death.

Tim suggests 4 guidelines for comforting those in grief:

1.) Make sure you have the right relationship for comforting close up and personal.
2.) Make plans to show personal support; include others if they are like-minded.
3.) Be prepared to find them in bad shape; be mentally prepared to allow them to be real.
4.) Sit with them and be silent; let them break for silence; do not let your anxiety control the conversation.

Tim went on to tell a story that I don't think I will forget. It was a story of practical support during the most devastating time of his life. A neighbor, knowing a little bit about what he was going through, made a decision to NOT ask Tim what he could do for him - but instead, decided to help in one of the most practical ways possible. In a visit with Tim late one evening just a day or so before the funeral, this neighbor told Tim that he had arranged to have a dumpster arrive at his home the following day. He explained to Tim that he knew he'd be needing it with all the visitors they'd be having at the house for the meal following the funeral. He went on to explain, "This is going to be very helpful for you and one less thing you have to worry about. Once it's filled, I'll just arrange to have it picked up."

Wow. This neighbor indeed knew how to be supportive and understood well that Tim would have never thought of this necessary item on his own as he was too knee-deep in his own suffering to even think about it. Or care. Thanks to this neighbor, the dumpster was the perfect way to support and comfort in time of need.

Tim suggests a number of things we should NOT do or say to someone grieving which includes things like:

"If you need anything call me." {They won't}
"I know how you feel." {You can't - this is their journey and everyone's pain is different}
"They are in a better place now." {They may know this to be true, but it doesn't help us when all we want is that person to be back with us}

and don't:
ask, "How are you doing?" {If you are not prepared to share their sorrow}
think you can fix them.
talk if you can't handle silence.

He goes on to provide us with a list of things TO do:

Listen.
Be present.
Laugh with them; weep with them.
Bring up the deceased by name.
Share any relevant stories that you had of their loved one.
Do something they will need/want - without asking.
Stay with them.

Tim goes on to say that perhaps it's just sitting... in the dark with them. And being still. And quiet. He says, "Sit in the dark space with someone you care about until your eyes adjust to the darkness and you can see what they see... that's what a helper is."

This is a real challenge for me. I am CLASSIC at offering my help by saying those words, "Let me know if you need anything." But I PRAY that God will make me into the type of person who gives without being asked. Who serves because Jesus came to serve. Who supports and comforts in tangible, practical ways that demonstrates genuine love for others. May I be used by God to DO instead of SAY I'm going to.

Recipe Friday

I made these about a month ago for my family. Used shredded chicken... and they were YUMMY!

Hope you enjoy!

SHREDDED BEEF OR CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Ingredients:

* 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
* 2 medium onions, chopped
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 1 cup milk
* 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 8-9 flour or corn tortillas
* 2 1/2 cups cooked, shredded beefchuck roast or shredded chicken
* 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
* 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
* 2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced (optional)
* Sour cream
* Salsa

Directions:

1. Prepare your meat however you would like. I baked three chicken breasts, with a small amount of enchilada sauce, in the oven for about an hour on 400 degrees F. Remove from oven, shred into a bowl and set aside. (You can be creative here, use whatever meat you want and cook it how you like).
2. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until onion is tender. Mix the flour in the broth, stir into pan. Stir in milk, chilies, salt and cumin. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
3. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Spoon a little sauce in the center of each tortilla; spread to the edges. Place meat down the center of each tortilla. Combine cheeses; sprinkle on top of meat. Roll up tortillas and place in baking dish, seam-side down.
4. Pour remaining sauce and some enchilada sauce over tortillas, if you like a wet enchilada use more sauce. Sprinkle with green onions and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Listening for God

Do any of you have trouble being still and quiet? I mean - really still. And really quiet.

I do.

I have always been an on-the-go person. Always going. Always moving. Always somewhere to go, someone to call, something to write, a book to read, a meal to make, a snotty nose to wipe, laundry to fold or dishes to do. I even have a hard time sitting in front of the television even if I'm purely exhausted to just sit. And listen.

My sweet husband has the amazing ability to come home and shut down. I don't mean shut down from his family - that's not it at all - but I do mean that once he comes through the door at the end of a hard days work, he can easily decompress and just "be".

I'm not so lucky. My mind's always wandering. Planning. Thinking. If this tells you anything about the way my brain works - I have a notebook in my living room, one in my bedroom, one in my bathroom and SEVERAL in my kitchen - which, by the way, tends to be the place we "hang out in" the most. These "notebooks" are for me to write down the thoughts that are in my head. It may be an errand that I need to make, a birthday card I need to send, a name of a friend who I need to call, email or pray for or even just a random thought that pops in my head for no apparent reason at all!

It's no wonder then that when God tries to get my attention about something... I'm often times "unavailable" to hear His call.

I confessed to someone recently that I struggle (a lot) with the idea of discernment. I'll admit that I'm often envious of people who express their abilities to "hear God". I've heard great women and men of God say things like, "I heard God tell me to ______" or "God has called me to _______". I cheer for them and celebrate with them - but for a number of years have not been able to relate to them.

Until recently.

You see - I decided that if I'm going to hear God, and I don't mean audibly hear Him, although I know He can and does speak this way to many people, if I'm going to really hear Him - then I have to be ready to listen for Him.

I believe God speaks to us through many different ways... through praying, through reading His word are just a couple - but I believe God speaks to us most clearly when we come to Him, prepared to listen and when we are still and quiet. There is so much distraction in our every day lives. So much noise. So many things that are pulling is in one direction or another. But when we decide to carve time out of our days to actively LISTEN to the God that created the universe and allow all other distractions to fade away and be STILL and QUIET... we're going to hear from Him.

I've learned recently that in order for me to FULLY hear what God is trying to communicate to me... I MUST give Him my full attention. So... these are the steps I've taken to prepare myself to hear:

1.) Create a Time
I've carved out a specific time in my day EVERY day to become a listener to what God is saying. To me this means the SAME time every day. A time when I know I will be undisturbed or distracted.

2.) Create a Space
I've dedicated a special place in my home which, for me, creates the ideal environment for receiving a word from God.

3.) Shut off the World Around Me
This is the most important. I turn off all distractions there could possibly be. My cell phone, the T.V., music, the dryer, dishwasher etc. I believe this says to God, "I am ready. I am yours. Let's talk."

I believe God desperately wants to have a conversation with us, but that doesn't mean that we do all the talking. He has things He wants to tell us... we just have to be ready and willing to listen. Really listen. Are you ready to listen? I am!

Loving Difficult People

Beth Moore has SUCH a creative way of getting to the HEART of matters that are so painful and difficult to deal with. Anyone who has ever heard her speak, listened to her podcasts, read one of her books, or taken one of her bible studies, know this to be absolute truth. She is an amazing woman of God who has been blessed with an incredible ability to minister to women.

A few weeks back I ran across one of Beth's videos posted on youtube and it hit me to the CORE. It's entitled "Loving Difficult People". I don't know if I'm the ONLY one out there who's ever dealt with this kind of thing before - but I knew the moment I found it that God was trying to speak to me.

This world is filled with difficult, unlovely people. People who hurt us with their words, people who drive us crazy by their negativity, and people who have left us drained and empty from their bitterness. It never fails... just when I think I've discovered freedom from the scars they've left, another attack comes... sometimes harsher than the one before it.

My prayer is that someone else out there besides me has been in this same situation before and will be blessed by Beth's teaching on Loving Difficult People. Below are some of the key points of her video sessions including scriptures. I have also attached the link to these video sessions below - please note there are 6 total sessions each approximately 8 minutes in length. If you've struggled in this area, I pray that you will take some time this week to listen to these sessions. Let's learn together about what God has to say about how to deal with these difficult people...

Loving Difficult People - Beth Moore {Life Today}

Do you have that kind of person who has such a negative and critical spirit that leaves you so frustrated and so empty that when you leave you just have to go each some Mexican food?

The people who drive you crazy the most are the people we are challenged to be around often or it wouldn't drive us so crazy!

Who is your THORNY?

The most effective things we could do to become healthy people in Christ is to let people off the hook for failing to be God. They will fail us over and over and over again but they'll never fail us as often if we just let them be man... only God can love like God.

God IS love - it's party of WHAT He is - it's IN His DNA. To have God not love us one day in our minds is to say "God isn't God today"... because love is what God is!

We need to say to ourselves... I love ________ because God first loved me. (1 John 4:19)

I can be so certain of God's love that I am freed up to love who does not love me back because I've already been loved back by God.

You've got to know your significant before you ever even walk out the door!

We can love people who can give us back nothing because God gives us everything.

God never calls us to love blind... biblical love is love with a smart heart.

Sometimes the people who hurt us the most had no idea how much that was gonna hurt.

1.) Know and rely on the love God has for us. (1 John 4:7-21)

2.) Learn to love with God's love. (Romans 5:5)

3.) Learn to love with insight. (Phil 1:9-11)

Ask God to tell you what's happened to them and give you compassion for what they are going through.

Let God deal with our stuff!

Is there a possibility that the person who nearly kills us to love is used by God to kill something in us to love? (It turns up the heat to reveal all our sin in us and skim it off of us!)

We will never look more like our Father in Heaven, then we love the unlovely!

We need to learn to love WELL!

1 John 4:20 "If anyone says, 'I love God' yet hates his brother, is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom He has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen."

Monday Moments with God

So... I am starting something new on my blog. It's called Monday Moments with God.

I have been abundantly blessed with such wonderful people in my life who have prayed for me. I mean, diligently prayed for me. I have felt these prayers through some of the darkest hours of my life... and I have appreciated their petitions to God on my behalf more than I can ever say.

So... I'm choosing to give back.

I've chosen to designate Monday as the day that I will pray for YOU! I find it an honor and a privilege to be able to serve this way and will pray for any and all requests that I receive.

Now - this doesn't mean that the only day I'm going to pray for others will be on Monday... please know that I am in prayer DAILY... however, I want to provide a way for my friends and followers, to be able to share their hearts with me. You may submit a prayer request by one of the following ways:

Comment on my facebook page

Comment here on my blog

Email me (wbender73@yahoo.com)

Thank you for allowing me to partner with God on your behalf. Again, I consider it an honor and privilege to PRAY for you.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Recipe Friday

Oops - haven't had any time to blog this week - but wanted to throw in my Friday recipe. I made this one this summer. It was very yummy! It's a Neely's recipe from TV Food Network.

Hope you get to make it - - enjoy!

Zucchini Gratin

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 6 zucchini, sliced into half moons 1/4-inch thick
* 2 plum tomatoes, chopped and seeded
* 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1/2 cup half-and-half
* 1/4 cup grated sharp white Cheddar
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch casserole dish.

In a large heavy bottomed saute pan over medium heat, melt butter. Saute onion and garlic until translucent. Add zucchini and tomatoes, about 7 minutes Add thyme, and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Add mixture to the buttered casserole dish.

In a medium size bowl, add brown sugar, eggs, and half-and-half. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the milk mixture over the zucchini and sprinkle with both of the cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes.