Being faithful with what I'm given

This week I have been finishing up the book of Matthew (which it seems that I have been reading through for months!).  I was especially struck by the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.  I've always had a soft spot in my heart for this parable, one of the first sermons that I ever heard, and the first sermon that I can actually remember was 5 yeas ago, on this specific parable.

Click here to read the parable in its entirety on biblegateway.com.

This parable has had me asking myself; Am I being faithful with what my Lord has entrusted to me?  With my provision, money, time, spiritual gifts etc.  And unfortunately the answer is no... in two specific areas. 

I'm not being faithful with my time... I'm being selfish, I'm doing the things that I want to do, with whom I want to do them, and am missing out on the bigger picture that I am blessed to be a blessing to others... to the nations (or if you want to refer to it in the hip Christianese that our church is using as we go through this series, I haven't been doing a good job of living sent). 

The second area in which I haven't been doing a good job of being faithful is in using my gifts... particularly hospitality.  And I don't mean that we haven't been having people into our home, we have been.  But I'm referring back to this post that I wrote referring to fellowship as inviting over others that are like us, and hospitality as entertaining strangers, and those different than us.  Not that I don't think God loves it and is glorified through us fellowshipping with our friends... because He does love that, and is glorified through it, and uses that time to encourage and refresh us.  But the key there is us, it's not all about us, and I need to do a better job of remembering this.  Of remembering that I have been entrusted with my gifts for specific reasons, for God to use them for His purposes and glory, and that I want to be faithful with them.  I want to hear my Master say "Well done, good and faithful slave".

Matthew 25:23 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'

So this is my current prayer; to learn to be faithful with what I have been entrusted, for the Lord to show me opportunities to do this.

This week my friends, spend some time in prayer and reflection asking God to show you if you're being faithful with what He has entrusted to you.

Shannon

Change...

As of today I have officially notified my employer that I will be a stay-at-home mom once our baby is born in October.  My employer handled it great and was very supportive.  As of now we plan on interviewing possible replacements for me in early October and then hope to have a little overlap for me to train someone before I leave.

This is all so bittersweet!  I'm so excited for this next season of life, for the blessing of a child, the opportunity to be able to stay home with our little one, the responsibility of raising up the next generation, the freedom to dedicate myself more fully to running our home and family.  But I'm sad to know that this current season of life is quickly coming to an end.  That soon I'll be saying goodbye to a job and co-workers that I love. 

And with our decision for me to stay home (at least as long as we can afford it) comes lots of sacrifice.  With cutting out my entire income we will be cutting out our entertainment/ date fund and will be adjusting other various areas of our budget.  Let's just say that things will be really tight.  But we are ready and excited to embrace that, we have weighed the costs and have decided together that this is the best decision for our family at this time.  Thankfully we are already used to living fairly frugally.  Thankfully we are already used to living on a budget, and therefore have a good understanding of how much it takes a month for us to live.  Thankfully the Lord has provided for us to make this possible.

So here I sit, enjoying the present moment.  Trying to cherish it for all that it's worth, because I know that just around the corner things will all be changing... not for the better, or worse, but it will just be different.  So I enjoy every date night with my husband just a little more knowing that they are limited.  I sit around the lunch table just a little longer with my co-workers, knowing that soon I won't see them everyday.  I savor each moment of sleep, knowing that soon I'll go a time where it will be limited.  I enjoy the freedom to be random and spontanteous and have my husband all to myself, knowing that soon we'll have an additional family member with whom to share ourselves.  I enjoy the long commutes with my husband each day just a little more, knowing that soon he'll be doing the drive all by himself, and that I'll be waiting at home for him after not having seen him all day.  This season of life has been sweet, and I want to enjoy it for all that it's worth before the Lord brings us to the next season.  I want to live in the moment, rather than anxiously awaiting and dreaming of what lies ahead, and all the while forgetting the current goodness that surrounds me.  I want to experience God where I am right now, as He works in and through and around me and not miss a moment with Him.

And so here I am, on the cusp of change, but not quite there yet. 

Shannon

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!

weekly verse: Matthew 28:18-20

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

 

This week I'll be memorizing The Great Commission.  Here are some of my thoughts so far;

-Jesus was given all authority
-"Go therefore and make disciples..." is more accurately translated to "as you go", "as you are going", or "along the way"... How often do I get annoyed at the "interuptions" that happen as I go about my day?  How often do I look at anything not on my schedule, plan, or routine as an inconvenience?  How many times have I passed up the opportunity to join God in what He is doing, because I was stuck on where I was going (or what I was doing) rather than what was happening along the way, and how He was working through that?  This should be a natural overflow of my love for Him and His work in my life, that disciples are made as I go.
-He doesn't give a program or formula for making disciples... it flows out of my relationship with Him
-I am to make disciples of all nations (not just the one in which I currently reside)
-He is always with me

Shannon

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos with quick refried beans

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

This meal is super easy and healthy.  It was so convenient to come home from a baby shower to dinner already made in the slow cooker and ready to go.  1 cup salsa could be substituted for the Rotel, and 1/2 Tbsp eash of chili powder and cumin and 1 tsp salt could be substituted for the taco seasoning.  I served this on whole wheat flour tortillas, but any variety of hard or soft taco shells would work great.  Serve with a variety of toppings including; sliced jalapenos, sour cream, cheese, shreeded lettuce, taco sauce, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, chopped red onion, and avocado. 

-2 lbs chicken breast, trimmed of fat

-1 can Rotel

-4 cloves garlic, minced

-1 Tbsp taco seasoning

Place Rotel, garlic and taco seasoning in slow cooker, stir to combine.  Layer chicken on top of tomato mixture.  Spoon some tomatoes on top of the chicken breasts.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Shred meat directly in slow cooker and serve.

Quick Refried Beans

These were the best refried beans that I've ever eaten!  Pinto beans could be used in place of the black beans, but I like black beans best.  Any liquid could be used in place of a jalapeno brine (water, broth, or lime juice), but I like the kick that the jalapeno brine gave the beans and that saved me from needing to add salt (if using water add some cayenne or hot sauce, and salt to taste).  This could be served cold or warm with tortilla chips as a great black bean dip, the bottom layer of a 7 layer dip, or as a healthy side to any Mexican meal.  I made a bean burrito with cheese, taco sauce, and sour cream with some of the leftovers and it was excellent.  You could also add some cheese when heating the beans (or to the top for serving), but they were so good on their own that I didn't think they needed anything else.

-2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

-1 clove garlic, minced

-a few Tablespoons of brine from a jar or can of pickled jalapenos

Place beans and garlic in food processor or blender.  Turn on to process beans.  Add a few Tablespoons of jalapeno brine at a time to processing beans until they have reached desired consistency.  At this point you could refrigerate for a few hours prior to heating and serving, heat and serve immediately, or serve as is for a cold black bean dip. 

Shannon

20 weeks

Here's what's going on this week according to babycenter.com;

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)  He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).  Congratulations! You've hit the halfway mark in your pregnancy. The top of your uterus is about level with your belly button, and you've likely gained around 10 pounds. Expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on.  Make sure you're getting enough iron, a mineral that's used primarily to make hemoglobin (the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen). During pregnancy, your body needs more iron to keep up with your expanding blood volume, as well as for your growing baby and the placenta. Red meat is one of the best sources of iron for pregnant women. Poultry (especially the dark meat) and shellfish also contain iron. Some common non-meat sources of iron include legumes, soy-based products, spinach, prune juice, raisins, and iron-fortified cereals.

As for me; I'm still feeling good, still growing, and still hungry.  There really hasn't been any change in my symptoms the last few weeks, just in the size of my belly.  I can feel the baby move around a lot, and Jeremy has now been able to feel the movement on two separate occasions.  We've narrowed down our names to our top favorite boy and girl name and now we're just waiting until Wednesday to find out the gender of our little one.  I'm still not much of a sweet person, but I did really enjoy dessert for the first time in months when I had some Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle today (I will definitely be making this soon!  And yes, I'll post the recipe when I do).  I'm still loving and wanting all things meaty and am really starting to wonder if I'll ever be a vegetarian again after having the baby.  This evening I got the biggest urge for orange juice at 8 pm and Jeremy was nice enough to indulge my craving.  We ended up on a spontanteous drive around Uptown listening to music and picking up my orange juice (that's the first time that we've run out to get something that I was really wanting, so far I've just ignored any major cravings that I had if they were for anything that we didn't have at home).  Cucumbers have also become one of my favorites lately and I love snacking on them at work.  That's it for this week, more to come after the ultrasound on Wednesay!

Shannon

afternoon cardmaking

this afternoon i squeezed in a bit of creative time for the first time in months.  i got my father's day cards made (to be shown later) and also made a few of these bird cards for random occasions to come.

What have you been creating lately?

shannon