The Fixin's

My new favorite thing to do when I have time to plop on the couch, which isn't often but I cherish what time I can get, is watch a show by Food Network called The Pioneer Woman. A pretty, red-headed rancher wife and mom cooks up the most appealing dishes and somehow makes it all look easy-peasy.  I have tried a few of her recipes before but this is my first documented one, big woop-tee-do I know. Why do I feel such happiness snapping photos of food? Is it the fact that the bright colors which pop so vividly are like artwork to the cook's soul? Or is it the fact that after I watch Ree Drummond effortlessly cook a cuisine while NOT worrying about the crumbs that just fell on the floor, I relish the idea of accomplishing just that. I want to make yummy things, and I want to not care so much about the mess. Granted she doesn't have any toddlers running around in the background and it looks like she has miles of counter top which is great for a person like me who gets overwhelmed if I do not have enough elbow room! 

Ree Drummond's Perfect Post Roast

~Click HERE to go straight to the source for all the details on this recipe~

Ingredients
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 3 to 5-pound chuck roast
2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 whole onions, peeled and halved
6 to 8 whole carrots, unpeeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup red wine, optional
3 cups beef broth
2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme

You first start by adding 2 cups of beef broth to your crock pot. I added 3. I wanted more what can I say...   Her recipe calls for 2 onion cut into quarters but I decided to only use 1. My husband bought huge onions, I reminded him they were only for added flavor and that he didn't have to partake of the actual onion. Cut up fresh carrots as well and add the onions and carrots to a preheated skillet. Let them cook just enough to get them sort of glazed over and then throw them into the crock pot. This is when I threw in my herbs too.

I decided to add potatoes to our roast.  I just purchased some small golden skinned potatoes and tossed them in peel and all. 

Next step is to seer the roast meat.  You will just throw it onto the hot skillet and let it cook on each side for a few minutes.

Once most of the raw parts on the outside are cooked, add it to the crock pot with the rest of its new family.

And here is the finished masterpiece which we so gratefully made last for 2 dinners.

*note* I did not buy the biggest roast the store had because I wanted more room for lots of veggies.

I garnished the top with more fresh rosemary :)

Hope you try it and enjoy :)

Meghan

The Little Things

This of course is what I would live in if I had to choose an eternal outfit. Just add a pair of brown, rope sandals and a floppy hat. Okay, so I am talking like it is the middle of July when in reality it is the middle of December. So, wear some leggings and a cardigan like always when it's cold....

Not only did this classy, striped lovely find me for $2.00 at a thrift store, but God also placed a handful of other desired items that I truly had on my mental wish list right before me. I told the cashier, It was like God kept them there just for me! I even got an amen from her.

              Psalm 37:23

            New Living Translation (NLT)

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.

 He delights in every detail of their lives.

What Are YOU Going to Believe?

I'm excited about reading this book by Joyce Meyer. A couple years ago I had did The Battlefield of the Mind Study but it seems to be reaccuring fluke in myself that I have to continually practice the art of casting out thoughts that are not in line with God's Words. {Could you taste a hint of sarcasm there?}  I can look back and see where my life, outlook & all were far better when I got into the habit of immediately shutting down Satan by refusing to dwell on negative thoughts that came into my mind. I was much more joyful and peaceful when I would speak out loud that I would not give up because I was a child of the One True God and He would take care of me. There truly is power in your life when you choose to purposely exercise the divine authority we have over the enemy. So here I go, reading yet another book that will gently nudge me in the right direction. I can't get enough of this stuff. I think I should start a Christian Womens Book Club at this point, my collection is growing quite rapidly...

M. E. Weyerbacher

Parables, Planting, and Produce

Good midnight to you my lovely reader. I was about to call it a night when suddenly a snippet of God's Word snatched my attention away from ZzZzZ's.

I was thinking about the message Pastor gave Sunday. Part 1 on Parables (Mark 4 is where I am but it is also in Matthew 13).
If you pay close attention to Mark 4:11 Jesus says that us followers, believers, are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But that He used parables for when he spoke to outsiders. I know this was to fulfill the Scriptures as He says. I find it interesting.  I will definitely be praying and studying up on this series. Feel free to comment with your take on this. And don't forget to read all of chapter 4 by the way!
-Meghan Weyerbacher

Sharing, Living & Loving Together

My mom used to talk about stewardship a lot. It was something that I agreed with in theory and knew was right, but never had the discipline to really do. This has all changed now that I am truly in love with Jesus. I feel born again all over again. It all started a couple years ago when a real revival broke out in church and I saw people crave real meaningful, Christ - centered relationships. It was during these 2 years of soul searching and turn around that I saw what my heart always believed to be true. That real love doesn't have to calculate to care. It just comes natural, like breathing. Love became an action to many. And so as I was reading the scriptures tonight, I had flashbacks of the beginnings of the new life we live. The one where dreams are bigger and go further than what color you paint your base boards, or how much the government is taking from your paycheck. The dream of wanting to look back on your life and know that you lived as many breaths as you could not trying to fulfill your own desires or every whim, but that you may have actually helped someone else live.

2 Corinthians 8:10-15
Living Bible (TLB)
10 "I want to suggest that you finish what you started to do a year ago, for you were not only the first to propose this idea, but the first to begin doing something about it. 11 Having started the ball rolling so enthusiastically, you should carry this project through to completion just as gladly, giving whatever you can out of whatever you have. Let your enthusiastic idea at the start be equalled by your realistic action now. 12 If you are really eager to give, then it isn’t important how much you have to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you haven’t. 13 Of course, I don’t mean that those who receive your gifts should have an easy time of it at your expense, 14 but you should divide with them. Right now you have plenty and can help them; then at some other time they can share with you when you need it. In this way, each will have as much as he needs. 15 Do you remember what the Scriptures say about this? “He that gathered much had nothing left over, and he that gathered little had enough.” So you also should share with those in need."

As I came to these scriptures tonight I was reminded of how we are to follow Christ's pattern. I have been blessed with so many real down-to-earth friends and family who are followers of Christ and who truly emulate what the picture of a whole, loving family ( the Kingdom Family,  the Bride of Christ which is the Church ) looks like.

We have had folks give us cars, let us live in their house, feed us, fill up our tanks, give us their kids toys, pass on clothes, and more. I just wanted to take a moment to praise God for putting such folks in my life. I never deserved any of it but know it was God all along showing me He cares; using these people as a vessel and I pray they are blessed ten fold in return.  I pray if Matt and I get opportunities to bless that we will be obedient and generous as so many examples in my life have been.

Meghan W.

Give Him Your Day Before It Even Begins

The days that I tend to dread (the random, unforseen issues of life that sneak up and try to wrap their bones fingers around my throat kind of days)......can have 2 outcomes.

1. If I give in to the overwhelming feeling of not knowing what to do and fuel the fire with words of doubt & worry: The outcome is nasty. It is life-draining. And it sucks the life out of those around me because misery loves company and it wants everyone else to worry with it.

2. If I take what I know to be true, AND in my acceptance of knowing there's only so much I can do, but that God is the Living River that never runs dry: The outcome is Hope. Thanksgiving. Dependence on Him. There has never been a time when I cried out to Jesus for help and He gave me a stone. Nope. He has always given me more than what I needed, quite frankly. Casting my cares upon Him really is the Truth of the matter.

He has shown me that life may not ever get easier, but that it is my learning to trust in Him that is what He wants.

I am His bride and He is my groom and after I said I Do, He has had to peel back layer upon layer of "issues" within me, so He can replace them with more of Him. How He loves me I won't understand fully until I see Him face to face. But this one thing I do know right now, when He said He wants to give us Life more abundantly....and on Earth as it is in Heaven.... (2 different scriptures),
I have found a hidden treasure in these messages: Life IS Him. He IS Life.

If two are madly in love...they are pursuing each other. They can't get enough of one another. This is an analogy of course because our relationship with the King is not that of a sensual romance novel.  The point is, when you seek Him in the day you will find Him. He was there waiting for you. When you go out at night and seek Him, you will find Him. He knew you were coming. When you want to start seeing Him in the lessor off folks, you will find Him. He'd always been there, waiting for you to respond. When you long to give and live every single breathing second to and for Him...you start seeing His omnipresence more and more. It is like a veil has been lifted and the scales on your eyes fall off one by one as you live and grow closer to Him each day. Oh how Glorious (not easy) it is when He answers the prayer of "Lord, let me see the world as you see it."

Meghan W.

God's Exit Ramp from Comfortville & On Ramp to New/Uncharted Territory

Everytime I think, "Ok, this time I am really letting go of the wheel, Jesus....you can have it," I find that I have only lifted a single finger up off of that scary, sticky wheel of life.  And He is gentle with me in the process, allowing me to learn to trust in Him, wooing me on a daily basis; a moment by moment basis.

But why does life get described as "scary & sticky" as I did so above? Well, let me clarify.
It is the season I am in right now. Everything was smooth sailing months ago when I was in a familiar place surrounded by familiar folks doing familiar things. My husband had a familiar job and though we loved God and have been in a process of growing in our walk with Him, things were just, well....easier.

So when I say scary and sticky I am not saying my entire life is this way or that I look at life from a glass half empty state. No, I am just going through a very different season right now.

My husband isn't around near as much due to his new job. It is a blessing ultimately because it has helped us trust God even more in different ways and gives us a unique amount of one-on-one time in His presence. (Aside from me being mom to 3 kids of course).

As I seek God more and more, I have found it difficult to sit as idly as I once have. My insides are stirring up and I feel the strong need for boldness, my weakest "link" if you want to call it that.

I was recently given a book called "The Way of the Master" and it has landed in my hands at the perfect moment. My heart is yearning for more, and daily as I feel less and less like I fit in with world and even other areas I used to feel comfortable in or places going or things doing, I am seeing now that it is all part of His plan, not that of my own.

If I had my way, it would be to make people happy. Don't tell them what I really feel because it may hurt them and drive them away. So I would stay quiet, or shy away. Avoid conflict. Blend in. But as I read the Word now, it is hitting me in the gut again like it did a couple years ago when God began to awaken me. I am being reminded, I believe,  that Jesus came to tell people of the hope in Him, so that they would have a chance to turn from their ways and be freed from the future of eternal separation from God. Jesus was bold. He got to the root of the matter and did not apologize for doing it. He said it in love of course, but at least He told the Truth. Having epically failed in being bold, I believe this book is an answer to prayer. No more cowardess. Help me Lord!

I leave you with a small excerpt from page 3 of The Way of The Master by Kirk Cameron & Ray Comfort.

"Oswald J. Smith said, "Oh, my friends, we are loaded down with countless church activities,  while the real work of the Church, that of evangelizing and winning the lost, is almost entirely neglected." We have been gazing to the heavens while sinners are sinking into hell. Worship is the highest calling of the Christian,  and we can see in the book of Revelation that the church will one day be consumed in worship before the throne of the Almighty. But when we look back at the book of Acts, we don't find the church consumed with worship, instead we find that those Christians were devoted to reaching the lost to the point that they willingly gave their lives to preach the gospel. Time is short let us not sit passively by during these crucial days of opportunity.."

Blessings,
Meghan W.

Our Speech has Consequences

What fruit does your mouth produce? Here is a scripture I came to today. The tongue has been an issue with me for years. But after much learning and more yeeeaaarrsss of learning and obeying, trusting, falling, getting back up again, relearning....It is getting EASIER, yes I said easier, to hold my tongue. If there is hope for me, there is hope for you! (In Jesus!) Jennifer Dukes Lee, author of The Love Idol talks about how the cure is in the process.

con·se·quence
\ˈkän(t)-sə-ˌkwen(t)s, -kwən(t)s\
noun
: something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions
: importance or value

Proverbs 18:20
New Life Version (NLV)

20 A man’s stomach will be filled with the fruit of his mouth. He will be filled with what his lips speak.

(This next one helps see the positive side of the coin; having a healthy conversation about things with a trusted friend can really help sometimes, but a reminder if it helps that much when speaking GOOD things, how bad it can be when speaking negative/false things)

Proverbs 18:20
The Message (MSG)

20 Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach; good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.

Have a good day folksies!
Meghan W.

Good & Evil Don't Jive, The Lord's Ways are Polar Opposite than the World's

EDIT* This just came to mind and I couldn't not add it in. Because I don't want to send the wrong message that those who are followers of Jesus need to go hide in a hole to stay away from the evil world. No, no...

Jesus did not avoid the evil, the dark, the unwanted....but He walked in such a way that those around Him were introduced to the Light. (And a choice was then up to them whether to follow or not) He did not go to the sinners to participate in sin, instead He wanted to show a different way. Even a different way than what the temple-goers, the religious folks thought to be "the only way." He lived with us for 33 years on this earth to show that change ultimately comes through a willing vessel and who is obedient to the Lord. He came not to hang out with sin, but to live alongside the sinners to show US how we should be living alongside sinners (who is US!)
Ultimate Love!!!!!

Today I was led back to a chapter in Psalm that I glanced at yesterday. There are some things I read that don't hit me in the gut quite as hard as others. This scripture isn't necessarily an easy read, but it is Truth and is just one of many verses that tell us that God can not tango with evil because He is a Holy God. The Bible does highlight God's main theme: unwavering, undaunted, unconditional love for humanity! As we read His Word we see that what He seems to be saying is, "I work differently than you all. You take the easy path, I took the road less traveled. You get upset with people and talk about them, but I show them love and pray blessings over them instead. You won't help even your own friends sometimes, but I DIED for the ones who were killing me." Now this is just my paraphrase on what I believe Jesus has shown in the Word to be the way to true life. It is completely and utterly backwards from what most of us have been taught,  whether at home or the church. It is time for believers to stop going to everyone and everything else to "learn" their behavior and way to excel in life and start going to the Word, the God who is perfect and just, righteous and holy, the Loving Shepherd! He wants intimacy with us. Intimacy requires spending time with Him, learning who He IS. So without further a do,  here is the verse in various versions so you can get a broader perspective on it if one has a term that is not so familiar.

Psalm 101:1-8
The Message (MSG)
A David Psalm
My theme song is God’s love and justice,
And I’m singing it right to you, God.
I’m finding my way down the road of right living, but how long before you show up?
I’m doing the very best I can,
and I’m doing it at home, where it counts.
I refuse to take a second look
at corrupting people and degrading things.
I reject made-in-Canaan gods, stay clear of contamination.
The crooked in heart keep their distance;
I refuse to shake hands with those who plan evil. I put a gag on the gossip who bad-mouths his neighbor; I can’t stand arrogance. But I have my eye on salt-of-the-earth people—they’re the ones I want working with me; Men and women on the straight and narrow—these are the ones I want at my side.
But no one who traffics in lies gets a job with me; I have no patience with liars. I’ve rounded up all the wicked like cattle
and herded them right out of the country.
I purged God’s city of all who make a business of evil.

Psalm 101:2-6
New Life Version (NLV)

2 I will be careful to live a life without blame. When will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a right and good heart. 3 I will set no sinful thing in front of my eyes. I hate the work of those who are not faithful. It will not get hold of me. 4 A sinful heart will be far from me. I will have nothing to do with sin. 5 I will stop whoever talks against his neighbor in secret. I will not listen to anyone who has a proud look and a proud heart.

6 My eyes will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so they may serve me. He who walks without blame will help me.

Psalm 101:2-6The Voice (VOICE)

2 I will seek to live a life of integrity; when will You come to me?
I will walk in my house with an honest and true heart.
3 I will refuse to look on any sordid thing;
I detest the worthless deeds of those who stray; evil will not get a hold on me.
4 I will rid my heart of all perversion; I will not flirt with any evil.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, I will silence; I will not tolerate a condescending smirk, an arrogant heart.
6 I will look for those who are loyal in the land so that they may live with me and know my pleasure. Whoever walks with integrity
will enter my service.

I hope we will read this and be willing to be offended by the Truth if that is what it takes to wake us up. I pray we will let God have His way in our hearts and lives, letting Him slowly transform us from the inside out so we CAN begin to walk in a way that will speak to those around us without us even having to speak. That is how Jesus presented himself as they made him endure the ridicules and persecution up to the cross. Out of everyone He had a the most right to stand up and defend himself, but He willingly laid down His rights to be obedient to His Father. Obedience was louder than anything.

Meghan W.

Weakness Does Not Mean Defeat

In my devotion today I did what I almost always do, which is look up the scriptures that go with it - comparing about 4 different versions. I do this to get a fuller understanding. I pray of course for the Lord to help me understand His Word and for Him to allow the Holy Spirit to move in me, so I can apply it to my own life. So here are the scriptures that I felt compelled to share today.

2 Corinthians 12:9
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

9 But the Lord said, “My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.” So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can stay in me.

2 Corinthians 12:9
Living Bible (TLB)

9 Each time he said, “No. But I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.” Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am; I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities.

2 Corinthians 12:9
New Life Version (NLV)

9 He answered me, “I am all you need. I give you My loving-favor. My power works best in weak people.” I am happy to be weak and have troubles so I can have Christ’s power in me.

2 Corinthians 12:9
The Message (MSG)

7-10 Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

So there you have them. Have a blessed day!
Meghan

I Begin, Again

 

 

 A glimpse of my faith-meets-action journey

  

It just so happens that the day I decide to start blogging again is July 4th, 2014.  Independence Day for North American's.  Yes indeed, I am free.  Timely too, since I just finished up the study some of us ladies did based on the book called, Love Idol.  I am free from the things that previously kept me bound up, thinking idle thoughts, and kept me just plain annoyed & annoying!  My intent in blogging again is not to write a novel each time necessarily, but just quickly share what the Lord has brought me to in scripture each day, and how I believe it applies to us today.  My heart is to share the Gospel, and this is only one of many ways to do it.  And might I add, out of all the ways, it might be the least.  Face to face building of relationships, being a servant to one another in our daily walk, is what is probably most fruitful. Nonetheless, this is where I am right now, sitting outside with my books everywhere and laptop plugged into the outlet on the outside of the duplex we reside in.  So if you have just a bit of time to read, I will be sharing Scriptural encouragement, things I have learned on my faith walk so far, and any other thing the Holy Spirit happens to lay on my heart to share.  I hope someone, even just one person can be uplifted by this blog.  And even if the only person ends up being myself, then I am okay with that - because God uses different strokes for different folks.

-Meghan Weyerbacher