Sunday
Pizza Lasagna (by Jerry)
Monday
Chicken and Dumplings (at Dad's)
Tuesday
Pork Chops
Mashed Potatoes
Cream Corn
Wednesday
Out to Eat
Thursday
Grilled Tilapia
Potatoes and Onions
Friday
Grilled Chicken and Avocado Sandwiches
Baked French Fries
Saturday
Chopped Beef Sandwiches
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
What's for Dinner?
Sunday
Superbowl Party
Monday
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Tuesday
Baked Potato Soup
Wednesday
Out to Eat
Thursday
Cheese Ravioli with Grilled Chicken in Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
Cheesy Garlic Bread
Friday
Beef Stroganoff
Green Beans
Crescent Rolls
Saturday
Valentine's Dinner
Superbowl Party
Monday
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Tuesday
Baked Potato Soup
Wednesday
Out to Eat
Thursday
Cheese Ravioli with Grilled Chicken in Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
Cheesy Garlic Bread
Friday
Beef Stroganoff
Green Beans
Crescent Rolls
Saturday
Valentine's Dinner
Friday, February 5, 2010
Faith to Obey
Over the last 13 years, God has taught me so many many lessons on faith through my acts of obedience. From my first missions trip to China until now I have been continually stretched to believe and learn that God truly will provide for my every need.
Recently I have come to realize that sometimes God asks me to do something in order to grow my faith, but at other times, he asks me to do something in order to prove my faith.
In 1997, I was a relatively new Christian when my pastor presented an opportunity to the congregation to join him on a trip to China. We were going to carry Bibles into the country and visit with some Christians who were truly putting their lives on the line for the gospel's sake. As a college student, this sounded like the adventure of a lifetime; the only catch was that the trip was going to cost a little more than $2000. That was about 3 months worth of living expenses for me which made it totally out of my reach.
I met with Pastor, and he simply said "God never gives vision without provision." That wise saying changed my life.
I began to pray earnestly that if I was supposed to go on this trip, He would make the way. I was willing and able to spend a week of my life overseas if people that had the money and the heart, but not the time or desire to go on this trip, would provide the finances.
I began to share my opportunity with everyone I knew; however, I did not get as much positive feedback or support as I expected. Many of my closest friends and family members thought I was crazy and that the trip was too dangerous for a young single girl to embark on. I prayed harder.
Slowly but surely money began to roll in, but with only a few days left until the payment deadline, I had right at half of my support raised. I was concerned, but I knew that I had vision and the provision was God's part. The very next day, in my mailbox, there was a check for $1000 from a man that I had met once! He was a friend of one of my friends, and I had met him when we were at lunch a few weeks prior.
Needless to say, God used this lesson to grow my faith.
Like David was prepared with the bear and the lion to slay the giant, I have oftentimes looked back on this experience as my foundational lesson in faith. It has given me the strength, faith and patience that I have needed so many times since then. (1 Samuel 17:34-37)
More recently, Matthew and I have had multiple opportunities to prove our faith. Over the past few years, we have been so blessed to play the role of prayer, payer, goer and stayer. We have been able to give to others in need and we have received much when we were least expecting it.
In August I asked Matthew if we could give some money towards an upcoming trip to Nepal; he said sure and wrote out the check. When we gave the money at church that night, we asked the missionary if he had need of anything more. He gracefully responded that there are always needs to be met in this ever growing ministry. At the end of the service, Matthew told me that he felt like God had told him to give more. I agreed before I knew how much it was; it was about the equivalent of a house note!
We were excited to be able to give such a significant amount of money towards the mission field, and little did we know, God was about to teach us another huge lesson in faith. Matthew lost his job the very next week. The church got wind of our situation and asked if we wanted our recent offering back. Without even discussing it, we both said absolutely not.
After talking about the situation, we realized two things: 1. It is not our place to question God and his sovereignty, and 2. God asked us to give that money when we had the means to give it and not after Matthew was unemployed. Like the widow woman in 1 Kings 17, God had put a word in our hearts that was awakened when we did His will.
Fast forward to the Christmas season... I was able to help create the Missions Gift Catalog that my church published this year, and I so wanted to purchase one of everything that was listed there. One Wednesday afternoon, I was feeling a little sad that we didn't have the money to give towards this effort when I felt God speak to my spirit that we should give any money that we received that day.
I talked to Matthew about it, and we were both looking forward to seeing what God was going to do. I began praying that we would get $35 to give. We proceeded to church that evening with great anticipation; nothing happened.
During worship I poured my heart out to God and told him that he had my heart and that we really wanted to give something. I thought that this must just be one of those times when God asks you IF you will do something for him, and I reminded him that we were full willing to obey His words to us.
After church, Matthew asked me if anyone had given me anything; I said no and so did he. Again we were a little disappointed, but we knew that our hearts were in the right place. Just as we finished the conversation, we walked in the house to see an envelope on the floor in our foyer; someone had slipped an anonymous gift into our mail slot while we were gone. It contained $500! With that money we were able to buy multiple gifts for multiple missionaries in multiple countries.
Good thing we had purposed in our heart what to do before the situation arose (Daniel 1), or that amount of money could have been hard to give away. After all, we had no income outside of Matthew's unemployment check, and most of us probably stretch ourselves during the months of December and January anyway.
Needless to say, God used that situation to allow us to prove our faithfulness.
So there it is... faith to learn and receive and faith to obey and give. I hope you get a chance to experience both of these types of faith in your very near future. I am trusting we will.
Recently I have come to realize that sometimes God asks me to do something in order to grow my faith, but at other times, he asks me to do something in order to prove my faith.
In 1997, I was a relatively new Christian when my pastor presented an opportunity to the congregation to join him on a trip to China. We were going to carry Bibles into the country and visit with some Christians who were truly putting their lives on the line for the gospel's sake. As a college student, this sounded like the adventure of a lifetime; the only catch was that the trip was going to cost a little more than $2000. That was about 3 months worth of living expenses for me which made it totally out of my reach.
I met with Pastor, and he simply said "God never gives vision without provision." That wise saying changed my life.
I began to pray earnestly that if I was supposed to go on this trip, He would make the way. I was willing and able to spend a week of my life overseas if people that had the money and the heart, but not the time or desire to go on this trip, would provide the finances.
I began to share my opportunity with everyone I knew; however, I did not get as much positive feedback or support as I expected. Many of my closest friends and family members thought I was crazy and that the trip was too dangerous for a young single girl to embark on. I prayed harder.
Slowly but surely money began to roll in, but with only a few days left until the payment deadline, I had right at half of my support raised. I was concerned, but I knew that I had vision and the provision was God's part. The very next day, in my mailbox, there was a check for $1000 from a man that I had met once! He was a friend of one of my friends, and I had met him when we were at lunch a few weeks prior.
Needless to say, God used this lesson to grow my faith.
Like David was prepared with the bear and the lion to slay the giant, I have oftentimes looked back on this experience as my foundational lesson in faith. It has given me the strength, faith and patience that I have needed so many times since then. (1 Samuel 17:34-37)
More recently, Matthew and I have had multiple opportunities to prove our faith. Over the past few years, we have been so blessed to play the role of prayer, payer, goer and stayer. We have been able to give to others in need and we have received much when we were least expecting it.
In August I asked Matthew if we could give some money towards an upcoming trip to Nepal; he said sure and wrote out the check. When we gave the money at church that night, we asked the missionary if he had need of anything more. He gracefully responded that there are always needs to be met in this ever growing ministry. At the end of the service, Matthew told me that he felt like God had told him to give more. I agreed before I knew how much it was; it was about the equivalent of a house note!
We were excited to be able to give such a significant amount of money towards the mission field, and little did we know, God was about to teach us another huge lesson in faith. Matthew lost his job the very next week. The church got wind of our situation and asked if we wanted our recent offering back. Without even discussing it, we both said absolutely not.
After talking about the situation, we realized two things: 1. It is not our place to question God and his sovereignty, and 2. God asked us to give that money when we had the means to give it and not after Matthew was unemployed. Like the widow woman in 1 Kings 17, God had put a word in our hearts that was awakened when we did His will.
Fast forward to the Christmas season... I was able to help create the Missions Gift Catalog that my church published this year, and I so wanted to purchase one of everything that was listed there. One Wednesday afternoon, I was feeling a little sad that we didn't have the money to give towards this effort when I felt God speak to my spirit that we should give any money that we received that day.
I talked to Matthew about it, and we were both looking forward to seeing what God was going to do. I began praying that we would get $35 to give. We proceeded to church that evening with great anticipation; nothing happened.
During worship I poured my heart out to God and told him that he had my heart and that we really wanted to give something. I thought that this must just be one of those times when God asks you IF you will do something for him, and I reminded him that we were full willing to obey His words to us.
After church, Matthew asked me if anyone had given me anything; I said no and so did he. Again we were a little disappointed, but we knew that our hearts were in the right place. Just as we finished the conversation, we walked in the house to see an envelope on the floor in our foyer; someone had slipped an anonymous gift into our mail slot while we were gone. It contained $500! With that money we were able to buy multiple gifts for multiple missionaries in multiple countries.
Good thing we had purposed in our heart what to do before the situation arose (Daniel 1), or that amount of money could have been hard to give away. After all, we had no income outside of Matthew's unemployment check, and most of us probably stretch ourselves during the months of December and January anyway.
Needless to say, God used that situation to allow us to prove our faithfulness.
So there it is... faith to learn and receive and faith to obey and give. I hope you get a chance to experience both of these types of faith in your very near future. I am trusting we will.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Politicing
Politics has become of a dirty word in our society; it has continually been associated with party lines and backdoor entrances into options that otherwise would not even be considered. Most politicians are automatically put into the category of the Biblical tax collector. However, God has been speaking to me about politics for a while now.
Proverbs 18:16 says, "A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men."
The Message says it this way: "A man's gift gets attention, it buys the attention of eminent people."
In the the book of Esther, Queen Vashti refused to cajole her husband, and for that she was permanently banned from the king's presence so as to make an example out of her.
Eventually the king decided he would allow "the girl who best pleased him" to become queen in place of Vashti. It was only after a year of preparation that Esther was allowed in the presence of King Xerxes.
After Esther became queen, her uncle Mordecai exposed a plot of two men who were attempting to kill the king. Not long after that, Haman convinced (bribed) the king to allow for Jews to be freely murdered on a given day. When Esther approached the king on her people's behalf, the king told her that she could have whatever she desired, even half the kingdom, before he even heard her request.
In the two days leading up to her request, Esther prepared fine dinners for both Xerxes and Haman, but before the second night came, Haman plotted to have Mordecai hanged. However, on that very same night the king discovered that Mordecai was actually the man who had previously saved his life, and he was honored more than any other man in the kingdom.
In the meantime, the dinner ensued and Esther revealed that she truly was a Jew and that Haman's plot put her very life and family in jeopardy. While the king went to cool off from the matter, Haman begged Esther for his own life; when the king returned he accused his servant of molesting his queen and ordered Haman be hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.
The king gave Esther Haman's entire estate which she then immediately appointed her uncle as the head of. There was a new decree sent out allowing Jews to defend themselves and their families which led, not only to a victory for the Jews, but also to Mordecai being ranked as second in command of the kingdom only behind King Xerxes himself.
Here's the politics of it all:
Vashti
Banished for not accommodating her husband.
Haman
Gave his gift of silver and got an irreversible decree passed.
Mordecai
Devised and worked a plan to bring his niece into the queen's seat.
He was also honored above all men because he worked to help the king prosper.
He also received a huge estate and became a leader in his country strictly based upon his connection to Esther.
The Jewish People
Had their lives spared because they were the people of Esther.
Esther
Went through "training" to prepare herself to become the queen.
She was allowed into the presence of the king although she was not invited because he favored her.
She was granted her request, before she asked for it, because she was well-pleasing to the king.
Her enemies were destroyed in order that she may live.
I believe it is time that good Christian men and women rise up and politic. We need to make sure that we know who to know-not only Christ, but also people in our community that have pull or the ear of someone else who has pull. Also our local elections are forth-coming, and it is our responsibility to make sure that the people in office are connected to the right side with the right heart.
Like we've heard it said before... "It's not what you know so much as who you know."
Proverbs 18:16 says, "A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men."
The Message says it this way: "A man's gift gets attention, it buys the attention of eminent people."
In the the book of Esther, Queen Vashti refused to cajole her husband, and for that she was permanently banned from the king's presence so as to make an example out of her.
Eventually the king decided he would allow "the girl who best pleased him" to become queen in place of Vashti. It was only after a year of preparation that Esther was allowed in the presence of King Xerxes.
After Esther became queen, her uncle Mordecai exposed a plot of two men who were attempting to kill the king. Not long after that, Haman convinced (bribed) the king to allow for Jews to be freely murdered on a given day. When Esther approached the king on her people's behalf, the king told her that she could have whatever she desired, even half the kingdom, before he even heard her request.
In the two days leading up to her request, Esther prepared fine dinners for both Xerxes and Haman, but before the second night came, Haman plotted to have Mordecai hanged. However, on that very same night the king discovered that Mordecai was actually the man who had previously saved his life, and he was honored more than any other man in the kingdom.
In the meantime, the dinner ensued and Esther revealed that she truly was a Jew and that Haman's plot put her very life and family in jeopardy. While the king went to cool off from the matter, Haman begged Esther for his own life; when the king returned he accused his servant of molesting his queen and ordered Haman be hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.
The king gave Esther Haman's entire estate which she then immediately appointed her uncle as the head of. There was a new decree sent out allowing Jews to defend themselves and their families which led, not only to a victory for the Jews, but also to Mordecai being ranked as second in command of the kingdom only behind King Xerxes himself.
Here's the politics of it all:
Vashti
Banished for not accommodating her husband.
Haman
Gave his gift of silver and got an irreversible decree passed.
Mordecai
Devised and worked a plan to bring his niece into the queen's seat.
He was also honored above all men because he worked to help the king prosper.
He also received a huge estate and became a leader in his country strictly based upon his connection to Esther.
The Jewish People
Had their lives spared because they were the people of Esther.
Esther
Went through "training" to prepare herself to become the queen.
She was allowed into the presence of the king although she was not invited because he favored her.
She was granted her request, before she asked for it, because she was well-pleasing to the king.
Her enemies were destroyed in order that she may live.
I believe it is time that good Christian men and women rise up and politic. We need to make sure that we know who to know-not only Christ, but also people in our community that have pull or the ear of someone else who has pull. Also our local elections are forth-coming, and it is our responsibility to make sure that the people in office are connected to the right side with the right heart.
Like we've heard it said before... "It's not what you know so much as who you know."
Monday, February 1, 2010
What's for Dinner?
In an effort to save some cash and get an early start on my spring cleaning, this is "clean out the pantry/freezer week" in the McCullough house. So here's what we'll be eating for supper this week:
Sunday
Grabbed a bite to eat on the way home from a meeting at church
Monday
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Garlic Bread
*This was excellent! I may add some kind of cheese and sausage to it next time.
Tuesday
Tuna Casserole
Wednesday
Out to eat between dance and church
Thursday
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Green Beans
Friday
Breakfast for Supper
Pancakes
Sausage
Eggs
Saturday
Beef Stroganoff
Cream Spinach
Crescent Rolls
Sunday
Grabbed a bite to eat on the way home from a meeting at church
Monday
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Garlic Bread
*This was excellent! I may add some kind of cheese and sausage to it next time.
Tuesday
Tuna Casserole
Wednesday
Out to eat between dance and church
Thursday
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Green Beans
Friday
Breakfast for Supper
Pancakes
Sausage
Eggs
Saturday
Beef Stroganoff
Cream Spinach
Crescent Rolls
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