Entering the Next Chapter

I wanted to respond to the many "Christians" who say that they are going to heaven because they are "good" people. I heard the Pope mention that Athiests will go to heaven if they do good works. Instead of ranting about what I think, instead I am just going to put scriptures that go against it. The vatican did say that they did not back what the Pope had said, but I still think it is important to respond because so many people in general believe it to be true.   (*I am not Catholic but I still found it shocking.)  Ephesians 2:8-9  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—   not by works, so that no one can boast. Luke 18:18-29    A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you sh...

Warning: This is me getting on my soap box. As always I do not expect anyone who does not share my beliefs to follow my beliefs. I also do not apologize for honestly giving my thoughts and beliefs, but am more than happy to hear your views from you... so please share in the comments section.  Today my girls and I went to visit my parents church which is lead by Pastor Sharp. What he brought up was the way we conform to the world instead of rejecting the views of it. I think that often we end up conforming to the world's views through slowly compromising, most often through a process we call "Political Correctness".  This is a picture of the Grand Canyon. What amazes me is that they think the shape of the canyon is caused by wind and water (the river). It is said that a constant drip of water can shape and wear down a stone or rock. This reminds me of American Christians. We are built on such a strong foundation. We are built on the rock but through allowing just...

There are a ton of sites that have recipes that you can prepare ahead of time and freeze. Some of my favorite recipes can make enough for two meals (feeds 3-4 people), one to bake that day and one to freeze for later.  I love to spend a Saturday and make a bunch of meals ahead of time so when things are crazy during the week I can just throw them in the oven and go... the other good part is the time you save. By cooking ingredients together at the same time that work with multiple recipes. It took me about 3 hours to prepare 7 meals from 4 recipes. It also saves money because I use similar ingredients for some of the recipes.  Meal #1: Roasted Chicken Meal #2: Lasagna (My Hubby's Favorite) * Meal #3: Chicken Pot Pie (One of My Favorites)* Meal #4: Creamy Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells* *- Recipe can be split to make two separate meals or can feed 6-8 people I do not claim to have created any of these recipes, they are ones that I have found and my have ...

Have you ever had a moment where everything seemed to come crashing down around you? Where frustration turned into tears of distraught and no matter how hard you try to pull yourself out of that bad place you were stuck feeling stranded and alone?  Most of the time I would consider myself pretty easy going. So many things happen all the time that even though they might bother me I am able to just keep going. Most of the time I am Dory... I just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.  But occasionally I find myself in a place where I can't swim anymore and I just need rescued.  Last Tuesday, I had one of those moments. Let me set the scene for you.  I had been battling a case of bronchitis for a week already and began to get worse. I hadn't been sleeping well due to being sick and due to the littlest one waking up every night at 1am and staying up for three to four hours. Both of my poor little girls were sick too. This day also seem...

Dear friend of mine,  I know that you are facing a difficult time in your life. I know that things seem overwhelming, confusing, and hopeless. It can be so hard to see God's hand moving at this time.  I wish that telling you that God is in control would make it all better, but part of faith is choosing to believe even when you don't feel it. My heart aches for you. I truly wish I could take this pain from you or help you through this time. Your burden is on my heart and I will be praying for you. I truly believe in the power of prayer and can see God moving in the lives of others as they face times of trial. I love you and am there for you if you need me.  -Faith The last several years have been very turbulent in my life. God has shown me His grace and peace in these times but they were times of great trials. For the last week we have been in a time of peace. It has been a great relief. Sadly, as I am in this time I see all those I love around me in times of pain an...

Tonight my heart is heavy with concerns for mothers who feel insecure, scared, and alone. I don't think that personal struggles are expressed openly in our society and I fear that it is causing more mothers to feel alone in their struggles. For example, postpartum depression is not often talked about amongst friends and yet it supposedly affects 11-20% of mothers. Personally, I wonder if the number would be higher if women did not feel guilt when admitting their struggles.  Let me start by saying that I truly feel that motherhood is an amazing gift from God. I am so blessed to have my children and wouldn't change a thing.  Now that I have said that, I am going to let you in on a dirty little secret. Motherhood is hard... actually it is not just hard. It is physically and emotionally exhausting. It is overwhelming, stressful, tedious, frustrating, painful, and the toughest things I have ever had to do. There are times that I am so overwhelmed that I can't decide whether ...