March Scripture Writing Plan--I AM

*A printable link is located at the bottom of this post.

I started this new year with a purpose of being intentional in growing in different areas of my life. One of those areas is reading my Bible, but I didn't want to read for the sake of saying I read. I wanted to be intentional in learning and digging a little deeper. I wasn't sure how I was going to juggle that with everything else.

I've always liked the Scripture Writing Plans I'd seen on Pinterest. I had pinned several over the years, but never incorporated them into my bible reading. In January, I decided to do one and just see how I liked it. Well, it turns out I LOVED it!

I made a commitment for that month to lay aside social media and my phone in general at bed time and take that time to do my daily reading. I was surprised at how much I came to look forward to this time every night, and how much peace I had. With the small but intentional act of reading my bible every night, I was reminded of how important it is to my spiritual growth.

As February approached, I knew I had to find a new scripture writing plan. My sweet friends recommended some great plans and I picked one, but the Lord was already showing me so much in January and I really wanted to be able to share it.

I started making notes of scriptures relating to God's promises with the thought of writing a bible study. Then, I felt the nudge to take those notes and make my own scripture writing plan for March. But His ways are not our ways and I couldn't get past the feeling that there was more.

I was SO excited to share "His promises are I WILL" as the March writing plan, but I heard that still, small (persistent) voice in my head saying, "Before you (they) know what I will do, you (they) need to know who I AM." Ok Lord, I hear you. That back-and-forth conversation about one month of scripture writing turned into four months of scripture writing plans.

After we journey into I AM and I Will, we will look at ourselves and see what the bible has to say about us by learning who HE says YOU ARE and what YOU WILL do as believers of Christ.

I hope you'll take this journey with me. I will be completing each of these plans as if someone else wrote them for me to learn from. I've never done this before and I'm no theologian. I'm just a crazy-busy wife, mom, and student who is trying to be more disciplined. With that said, I may have made some mistakes. I tried to keep the verses from 1-5 daily. Some days the scriptures are back-to-back in the same chapter. I split them up when I felt each section needed special emphasis.

So friends--grab a notebook, pen, your bible, and this printable. Then, join me and let's be intentional in our growth.

Click the link below to download a free printable version:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_O3Z99-Ce5VLU8tZFVabUpkS19sQktkY1lfamlNdlU5LVZR/view?usp=drivesdk

When Life Feels Like a Big Mess

This is a true story straight from my family’s crazy life. It is a few years old, but when I came across it today; it spoke straight to my heart once more. I decided to share it just as I wrote it then:

Through a messy situation yesterday, God spoke straight to my soul. This story is about a 3-year-old and poop. Yep, poop! So, if you can’t handle poop stories, feel free to scroll on now but if you can, read on. You will laugh, but hopefully you will receive the message through the mess.

Potty training hasn’t come easy for our youngest one, which means the process has been trying for mom and dad also. We were at the mall when she says she has to potty. Ok, no problem. I take her while dad and big sister go to the next store.

Somehow, I do not realize she has already pooped (I warned you) as I am helping her onto the toilet. Let’s just say we had a mess!! Now, let me insert this. Said 3-year-old cannot stand ANYTHING on her that is not supposed to be there. A stray piece of hair can attach itself to her fingers and she will start screaming.

So, here we are in a public bathroom stall. We are in a MESS! She is having a fit. She does not know what to do. This is not a simple fix. Her voice is frantic. Mine is this calm I can’t explain because I am telling you that it was not a pretty situation.

The conversation went something like this:

Miracle 2: Mama, it’s a mess!! It’s a mess!!

Me: I know sweetheart. It is, but I am going to take care of it.

Miracle 2: Mama, please fix it! Get it off!

Me: Sweet girl, look at mama’s eyes. Do you trust me?

Miracle 2: Yeah

Me: Ok, then trust that I know what I am doing. I am going to fix this. You’ve got to sit still and let Mama take care of the mess. I know what I am doing.

Miracle 2: Ok, but it’s a BIG MESS!

Me: Yes, it is but I can, and I will fix it.

As I am talking to her, I’m telling you right in the middle of our big mess I felt like God was showing me that’s how we can be. We have this huge mess (life situations) that is really bad. We don’t know how to fix it on our own. We ask God to help us, but then we keep telling him how big our mess is.

He KNOWS.

He CARES.

He just needs us to TRUST that HE KNOWS what He is doing.

Sometimes that requires us to sit still and wait patiently. He will get us through those situations that seem hopeless.

We just have to trust.

I Didn't Turn The Other Cheek

Sometimes I wish I could say whatever I want to people and walk away without ever giving those words a second thought. Actually, there was a time when I was that person but somewhere along the way that girl grew up and with God's help she stopped doing that. Well, mostly...except maybe occasionally she finds herself in situations where her actions aren't exactly proper. Actions that have deemed me the silent, crazy one by those who know me best. My sister loves to send me memes like "Hey! Your crazy is showing. You might want to tuck that back in!"

Tonight was one of those nights. I placed a simple order inside a fast-food restaurant. One kids meal & one Egg McMuffin, NO cheese. Order #176. 

I waited and waited. 

Order #177 got their order. 

Order #178 got their order. 

Ok, I'm still waiting. #177 even commented that she was surprised to get her order before me. I kindly responded that my sandwich was a breakfast sandwich (at 7 pm) with no cheese so likely the delay. 

I never acted upset. I never inquired about my food. It was obvious to me that they were busy and the cook, she was having a hard time keeping up. I didn't have to remind her because her manager said, "I need that Egg McMuffin" at least 7 times. Well, I saw the cook assembling said sandwich. I saw her grab the slice of cheese and I saw the order on the screen said NO cheese. As she's placing cheese on my food, I politely said, "The muffin is NO cheese." The cashier assured me it was in the system that way. Cool! Maybe that wasn't my muffin.

The manager once again says, "I need that Egg McMuffin." The cook, with her eyes firmly on me, abruptly informs her that it's in the bin. The manager hands me the bag & mumbles that she's sorry it took so long & asks if I'd like a free dessert to go with my meal. I said, "No thank you. I'd just like to check that there is no cheese." I open it and there is the cheese. The manager offers to remake it. The cheese hasn't melted so I just pull it off, toss it in the bag, and tell her it's all good since I was able to take it off.

Then, it happened!

As I'm walking away, the manager tells the cook she put cheese on the muffin. Very loudly, the cook says, "Well, she (talking about me) should have said something when I was making it!"

Dear Mary-and-Joseph and sweet Baby Jesus! I am sorry to say, that while I feel I "turned the other cheek" back-and-forth over this muffin; all my cheek-turning skills were quickly forgotten! I was already at the door when my skills abandoned me. Right there, in the crowded lobby where Order #179 was still waiting for their food, I yelled as loud as I could that I DID say something when she was making it! Then, I proceeded to walk out the door. 

So, why am I pondering this at 2:45 a.m. when I have to be at work in the morning?! One reason could be that the coffee I drank too late in the day today has me wide awake. Another reason could be that even though I had a right to defend myself, I should not have shouted across the lobby making myself look just as ridiculous as the cook. I'm going to go with the second reason.

Even though it truly felt her actions were intentional; I have no idea what may have been going on in her world. The only thing I'm certain of is this: All the good I thought I was accomplishing by being patient while waiting was of no worth the minute I opened my mouth with a response to rival hers. While I can't change my actions, I can choose to end my night admitting my short-comings, asking the Lord for forgiveness, and praying an earnest prayer for the cook who prepared order #176. 

When Words of Wisdom Ring True

I suppose it is a natural human instinct to want to share with others the wisdom we have acquired over the course of our lives. When you become a parent everyone, and I mean everyone, has something they need to tell you regarding how to parent your child. I’ve heard all types of things during my almost thirteen years of being a parent. I have learned things I did not want to know and then, there were many times I gleaned from the wisdom that was shared with me. A few phrases have stuck with me throughout this time as a parent and maybe they have stuck with you also.

It won’t be like this for long.

Cherish the time you have with your kids because it goes by so fast.

The house can wait, play with your babies.

As those phrases are shared with you, you’ll listen. You’ll think you really understand. If you’re like me, you’ll even hang the It Won’t Be Like This For Long sign on your wall. You’ll hang it because you know difficult days will happen and you desperately want to remember what’s most important on those days when you think your to-do list is so long that you can’t possibly stop and take a few minutes to play that imaginary game with your little one. Oh, the times I have been guilty of this.

Then, quicker than you could ever imagine, something will happen that will make those words of wisdom ring truer than true in your life. It will make those statements ever clear. It won’t happen just once, it will happen again and again. Each time those words ring true for you, they will hit you hard and make you evaluate how valuable this life is. Like many times before, this happened to me today.

Today it was a pair of shoes I found while transitioning my young child’s closet from Spring/Summer to Fall/Winter. Right there, on the pile of things I had been saving for my youngest, sat my oldest daughter’s ball cleats. It’s been several years since she played ball, yet turning the shoe onto its side revealed dirt that seemed like it was just placed there yesterday while she played her heart out on that field.

It’s crazy, really. 

Those little shoes were probably bought a size larger, so they would last more than one ball season. Yet, so quickly I find myself examining those little shoes at a very different season of my oldest one’s life. She was around 8 years old at the time those little shoes fit her feet. She was a little blonde-haired girl who would not wear a hairbow no matter my attempted forms of persuasion. Now, she is about to be a teenager and that blonde hair is a sun-kissed melody of brown and blonde. She stands nearly a foot taller than her mama. And, those cleats with seemingly-still fresh dirt, would not fit half her foot.

I am thankful for this season of life even though the seasons seem to change faster and faster with each passing year. I am thankful that something as simple as a pair of shoes can serve to remind me of the short span of time that my husband and I have been gifted with to pour into our children. I pray we consistently take time to evaluate what is truly important and make decisions that will prayerfully serve our children throughout their lives, so they will understand what it means to cherish the time God has given us, and the importance of using that time to diligently pursue His calling.

Raising Kids in this Gone-Crazy World

I can't sleep for thinking of all the things I have heard or witnessed over the last few days concerning children. These are stories of girls who are taking desperate measures to secure the attention of a boy, stories of elementary students bullying others with such hateful comments, and stories of lives taken at such an early age because a person felt they had no hope. These are not made up stories. These are not stories I read in a news article. These are the real-life stories of kids who live right in our own local neighborhoods--and these are just a few and just the ones I know about.  Some of these kids have terrible home lives and some of them are kids who are seemingly living the American Dream. I'm not writing to propose a perfect solution. Quite honestly, I don't even know what I hope to accomplish here. Maybe writing it all out equates to some form of therapy for myself or maybe something I say will spark some hope for someone.

 

I've used social media platforms many times to talk about the importance of talking with our children consistently about life. I've said that in my house we don't have "The Talk," we have "Ongoing Talks." I still believe that doing so is imperative to raising children who are better prepared to face the challenges this world gives them on a daily basis. Notice I said better prepared because I'm not certain any of us are ever fully prepared for the curveballs life will inevitably throw at us.

 

The most difficult aspect of being a Fire Family isn't worrying about the safety of our firefighter, as many might believe. I rarely have that concern because I am confident in the training my husband and his colleagues receive. I am confident because his department is comprised of leaders who understand that training isn't a one-time deal. It's ongoing. There are times that ongoing training requires my husband/their daddy to be away from home more than he is already required to be. A regular 24-hour shift or ongoing training may mean that my husband has to miss a special event. It may require him to adjust his schedule or me to adjust mine. It definitely requires consistent communication.

 

As adults most of us understand that sacrifices are often necessary to our success. However, too often we only correlate that to our careers. We must understand that our kids need us more now than ever before. As my oldest daughter completes her first year of middle school; I am finding this to be more and more relevant with each passing school year. In a world where everything is constantly pulling for our attention, she needs me to lay aside those distractions and spend uninterrupted, quality time with her.

 

You see, for me the most difficult aspect of being a Fire Family is having one-forth of the puzzle pieces to our family puzzle missing every third night. Sure, you can put the puzzle together but without all those missing pieces it will not be complete. There will be empty spots. The pieces surrounding the missing pieces aren't as strong because they depend on the support of the other pieces. It can quickly become a confused, jumbled mess.

 

Here's the thing, I can't change the outcome of the puzzle without the missing pieces; but I can choose to change my outlook about the situation. For me, that means making wise use of one-on-one time with my children when my husband can't be present. It means I spend quiet time with my little one while my oldest is getting ready for the next day. Then, without fail, once I get the little one settled in for the night, that oldest one who may have been holed up in her room doing what preteen girls do, is usually laying across my bed with that knowing look on her face. The one that silently tells me that even though it is a school night, we probably aren't closing our eyes anytime soon.

 

Even on those nights when I really just want a few quiet minutes of my own, I know that God has given me these quiet moments to spend listening to my girl talk about things that are important to her. She has questions--lots of questions. And believe you me, she doesn't want some sugar-coated, gloss-over-the-topic type of answer. Like her mama, she wants the straight truth. Now, I give it to her in doses that I know she can handle, but I do give her the truth.

 

Is it always comfortable answering those questions?  NO! NO! NO! But, I want her to know she can ask me and not feel like she has to ask a friend who may not have the right answer.

 

Do I think I have the perfect parenting advice?

Do I think that my "ongoing talks" will spare her from making mistakes?

Absolutely not! I am fully aware that I get it wrong many times and I am just as aware that no matter what I tell my daughter, one day she will have decisions she has to make on her own. All I know for certain, as her parents, we have provided an environment where she can ask questions and she understands that she can ask those questions without worrying what we will think of her for asking them.

 

Possessions, wealth, buying our kids every little thing they want--these things don't give them the most important thing. They need LOVE and that requires attention. These are two things don't require anything of us other than our time. Please join me and make an effort to break away from life's distractions and spend some time with your kids. If you don't have kids--find a kid to spend some time with. They need us.

Life Lesson in a McDonald's Booth

Have you ever been to eat at a place where the regulars go?

You know the place when you walk in because the waitress knows them by name and knows exactly how many creams and sugars they need in their morning cup of Joe. Those are the places where I love to find a corner booth by myself and eat while enjoying the overheard conversations of the regulars.

Recently, I found myself sitting in the corner booth of a McDonald's because (1) I needed a place away from the distractions of home to get some assignments done, and (2) they have the best coffee in my little town! I was surprised to see that even McDonald's has a group of regulars who come for breakfast. They were enjoying themselves and I was enjoying their lighthearted conversation from the comfort of my corner. I really don't know what they were talking about. The conversation didn't matter. The smiles on their faces did.

Then, I heard a few short words that took me completely away from my intended purposes.

Stop, that's not nice. Now, get back to work.

This very bold statement didn't come from the regulars. No, it came from the restaurant manager and was directed at two female employees who were saying something that wasn't so pleasant about someone else.

Have you ever had a spiritual revelation in the most oddest of places? He made his statement, then he carried on and they returned back to working instead of downing someone. All I could think about is how our heavenly father must feel when we talk about his children. I can just hear him say:

Stop, that’s not nice. Now, get back to work.

There is work to do for his kingdom. We don’t have time to fill our days with endless chatter, backbiting, gossiping, and the like. Our conversations need to be about lifting up people, not tearing them down. When we have disagreements with someone, and it will happen, we need to do as the Bible instructs and go to that person; NOT everyone else.

If women in the church house can't get along, how do we expect to win other women to Christ?

Are there people who are deliberately deceitful? Yes, but we can't allow their actions to cause us to disregard God's intended purposes.

We must stop talking about other women. We must stop calling Sister so-and-so to ask for "prayer" about the situation when we know good and well that our real aim is to find someone who will listen and take our side. We are talking about people's lives. We can't let petty things, which are worth little value, keep us from doing kingdom work. We must be vigilant in our efforts to seek peace.

 Stop, that’s not nice.

Now, get back to work.

 

Time Crunch Calls for Crunchy Chicken Strips

It's the middle of the week. You've been running around busy all week. The last thing you want to do is stand in the kitchen cooking an elaborate meal. I know that's how I feel during the week. The problem I have is finding a meal that didn't come from a drive-thru window, but is still quick and something the whole family will eat.

Mr. Handsome tried this recipe on us one night, and I am so glad he did! I have adopted it as one of my go-to, quick meals. And, my kids actually LOVE it! My youngest is not much of a meat eater, but she asked for 3 servings of this the last time I made it! It is super easy. Sometimes we add a vegetable or two, other times we just add some chips.

This recipe is in my favorite cookbook, Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book 15th Edition. At our house, we call this yummy goodness Goldfish Chicken. However, the proper name is Crunchy Chicken Strips.

You will need:

• Nonstick Cooking Spray
• 7 Cups Bite-Size Cheddar Fish-Shape Crackers or 14 Oz. of Pretzels
• (I use 1 bag of Goldfish Crackers)
• 1 1/2 Cups Bottled Buttermilk Ranch Salad Dressing
• (I use about a half bottle of Ranch dressing)
• 2 Pounds Chicken Breast Tenderloins (thawed)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425. Coat pans with cooking spray. (I use 2 glass baking dishes or a cookie pan)

2. Crush crackers. (I do this in a large zip top bag). Transfer to shallow baking dish. 
Pour the ranch dressing into another shallow baking dish or bowl.
Dip chicken tenderloins into dressing, coating both sides.
Then dip in cracker crumbs, coating both sides.
Place evenly in cooking dish.

3. Bake, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F.).
*The cook book suggests rotating the pans halfway through baking, I never do this but feel free.

Voila, a no-fuss, quick meal!

The Better Homes Cook Book shares the following storage tips for any left-overs:
Cool remaining chicken strips for 20 minutes. Place in airtight container; cover and chill for up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. To reheat strips, preheat oven to 400F. Arrange chilled or frozen strips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, until heated through (allow 15 minutes for chilled and 20 minutes for frozen strips). 
*I just pop them in the microwave for about 1 minute. IF there are any leftovers, that is.