Let's Chat...

Hi, everyone! I have missed our interactions over the last few months, but truthfully, I've not had the time to do any quality writing or live videos. To say that life is full is an understatement. BUT, I've been convicted of the fact that it doesn't have to be that way, nor should it be.

We've all at one time or another bought into the lie that we should have a full or overflowing schedule. "How are you?", we might be asked. "So busy!", is often my response! We proclaim it as if it were the crucible we are forced to wear or some badge of honor that all moms are expected to wear. We are too tired to cook dinner; too frustrated to read a bedtime story; to exhausted to give our husbands any attention in the evening once babies are in bed; and we are certainly too spent for any meaningful time with God.

Ladies, we've got to stop the madness. Our kids will live if we tell them no football for one season. They won't fail in life if they don't learn how to do a cartwheel. But, they will struggle emotionally if we are always frazzled and frenzied from an overflowing planner. Our house won't crumble to the ground if we leave the dishes alone for some time in the Bible. And our kids will never understand what a real, living relationship with Christ is like if we aren't showing them ourselves. Nothing will benefit your child more than seeing mom (and hopefully dad) in a thriving, authentic, head-over-heels relationship with Jesus.

Don't be guilted into saying "yes" to every opportunity that presents itself. You've got to first give God, your husband, and your kids your BEST. A good rule to follow is of course to always pray about the situation first, then ask a couple of questions (in no particular order):

1. Will this fit into our schedule? (Do I already have something else in this time slot?)
2. Will this be detrimental to our spiritual life as a family? (Does it squeeze out church or church activities? Will it make us too tired to have our family devotion time?)
3. Is this something that can wait another year or two? Sports, dance, music lessons- we are all too eager to put our three-year-olds in tumbling class, but too busy to take them to Sunday School! (And this is a tumbling teacher writing!)

Two books that I recommend on this subject of family scheduling are "Your Best Yes" by Lysa TerKeurst, and "Instructing a Child's Heart" by Ted and Margy Tripp.

But the best advice that you can receive comes of course from God's Word, the Bible. Here are a few scriptures that help me in my decision making:

1 Corinthians 10:23 (KJV) says,
All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.


I love the KJV of this verse. The word "edifying" is very poignant: if this activity doesn't edify you or your loved ones, then most likely it needs to be a "no."

And then one of my life-verses from 2 Timothy 2:22:
"So flee youthful passions (or useless activities), and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace along with those who call on the LORD from a pure heart."

We are instructed here to run away from ("flee") our fleshly passions. This isn't just referencing our sexual desires as this verse is often only used for. This is any desire or choice that is not edifying.

If your initial reaction to a new opportunity or activity is "I just don't know how I will make time for this," then you should probably say no. Run away from anything that will not benefit your family's spiritual/relational or mental health.

And just so know you, this is all just a sermon that I'm writing to myself. ;) 

This would also be a really good segue into the story of how we have decided to for-sure homeschool our kids once this school year ends. But... I'll save that for another day. :)

Early Bird

At the new year, I shared that I planned to start getting up before my kids every day so that I could spend time consistently studying the Bible. I reported later on that it had been going well; I have been getting up around 6:00 a.m., about 30 minutes before my kids start stirring.  Yes, they get up early, but it's because I put them to bed early.

Almost this entire time, though, I have to confess that the time "5:30" has been on my mind & heart. After a convicting lesson on worship & prayer in my Sunday morning Bible study, I finally acted on my conviction, which I believe is from the Holy Spirit. 

I am professing this here in an effort to keep myself accountable. This is not going to be easy for me, but I did it all of last week, and I loved it! Having an additional half hour to pray and read and meditate is a perfect way to start my day. Not to mention, I have been squeezing in some workouts too. If that's not a recipe for a good morning, I don't know what is! 

Speaking of meditating, Ben felt convicted that we needed to implement some kind of "system" to our weekly scripture memory. We have been doing this for over a year together, and Ben has been doing it even longer; we've never had a system for choosing passages/verses... until now. His conviction is that we need to be focusing on memorizing verses useful for evangelism, that is, sharing with a non-believer the Good News contained within the 100% truth of the Bible. ALL of the Bible is The Gospel, but Ben has done lots of research and has come up with a list of key verses for leading someone to a relationship with Christ. So far, the verses we have memorized are as follows:

Romans 1:20-23

Ezekiel 18:4

James 2:10

Matthew 5:48

Romans 3:20

Romans 3:23

Romans 3:10

Now, go on a treasure hunt and look them up for yourself! I challenge you to memorize these verses and pray for an opportunity to share them with someone who does not know about Jesus. 

The American Dream--- busted up!

I have about one page left in the book 7 by Jen Hatmaker. It has been a great book for me at this phase of life. It's all about the excess in our lives: clothes, food, possessions, media, waste, spending & stress. These are the areas that Jen addresses; she chronicles how she tackled these areas in light of the Gospel.

Jen is very aware of what is going on around her; she lives in Austin where she is a pastor's wife, and they are literally reaching out to the hurting, homeless, working-poor & refugees. I loved reading the stories about their family, including their three kids, interacting with these such people (beings created in God's image, may I remind you!).  Her children are so used to the situation that they are not afraid or timid; they interact with the people like they're neighbors!

I wish that I could have that for myself and my family! Isaiah comes to mind. You know where God tells us "...encourage the oppressed..." Ya, I'm pretty sure that what I do when I see a desparate-looking person is stare when they aren't looking and then awkwardly avoid all chances for eye-contact. OK, OK... I am getting better... A few weeks ago I did talk to a young girl holding a sign by the road, and Rush (my three year old) got to ask me questions about it. (Yay, God moments with kids!) But why? Why is this our normal response to sensing hopelessness in another? Sure, if they look nice and smell nice and are crying outside the grocery store, we'll probably ask them if they are alright. But if their appearance is undesirable, we shuffle around them, bolt for our car, and assume its their own fault. Why?! I do not want to do this anymore!!!

There, I said it. 

Lord, open my eyes to the needs of others. Give me opportunities to help the hurting and forgotten; to tell these lonely creatures of Your Love. 

One of my favorite excerpts from 7:

"It appears a good way to bring relief to the oppressed is to bring real relief to the oppressed. It's almost like Jesus meant what he said. When you're desparate, usually the best news you can receive is food, water, shelter... I guess that's why "Love people" is the second command next to "Love God." And since God's reputation is hopelessly linked to His followers' behavior, I suspect He wouldn't be stuck with His current rap if we spent our time loving others and stocking their cabinets."

You Can Do It!

I have been thinking about blogging a lot lately, but just haven't made the time to do so. I truly enjoy "journaling" the happenings of our family. It is refreshing to reflect on what God has done in our family's life. This is another reason why I love keeping a prayer journal. If you don't have one, start one. You will love reading back over your prayers and seeing God's providence over your life.

On to the update....

We have had more showings on our house recently, so I have been using my free time (ha!) to clean. I got to do a couple of deep cleaning things that have been on my mental list:
1. Do a self-clean cycle on my oven. It gets used a lot (you know how I love baking!), so it was pretty scary, but it is shiny and pretty inside!
2. Shampoo the carpet in the kids' rooms. So much spit up and throw-up happens in those two rooms... enough said.
I also accomplished the dreaded changing of the season closet swap right before we had a cold spell! Life is so funny sometimes!

The kids are sick right now; one with an ear infection and one with something viral. I am coming down with something as I type... so I guess you could call us the Sickly Family Mills. :(
This is not good because for some reason I let my running buddy talk me into training for another half marathon that I only have five weeks left to train for! I need to stay healthy!

Speaking of staying healthy, I want to brag on Ben. If you know Ben, you know that he is a naturally athletic guy; strength and endurance come easily to him. But he is human, and humans need consistent exercise to maintain a state of physical health. Ben works a long day, and most days comes home right after work and immediately helps me get the kids to the table, fed, bathed, p.j.'ed, read to and tucked-in, all (usually) by 8:00. At this point, you parents know you're next to exhausted, not just physically, but mentally too. We usually spend the rest our our evening cleaning the kitchen, taking care of miscellaneous household chores and unwinding by reading together and/or going through our memory verses, or playing guitar and singing. But if you try to call Ben around 12:00 in the afternoon the next day, he probably won't answer. He will most likely be out running around doing pull-up's on tree limbs, push-ups on sidewalks and whatever else he and his work friends can come up with to challenge each other! I really admire their commitment to exercising. And I am thankful that Ben works in an environment that encourages that lifestyle. If you care about something enough, you will make time for it.

Segue alert!
With that last sentence in mind, I want to update you on my New Year post. I had challenged myself to start getting up earlier in order to make time for being in God's Word every day. Not tooting my own horn here, but I do want to encourage you and say, it can be done, and if you truly care, you will make time. I have been getting up between 6:00 & 6:30 most mornings to have some quiet time with The Lord. It has not been easy, and I have had to forgo some exercise time, but I know that God will bless through the sacrifice. I have no secret for success, but my two personal "biggie" motivators that get me out of bed are 1. I set my coffee maker to brew automatically at 6:00 a.m. And 2. I do not ever calculate how much/how little sleep I will/won't be getting. I truly look forward to this time each day.

Make time for exercise... it's good for you!

Make time for The Lord. You and your family will be blessed by it!

An Old Habit I'll Never Break

If  you've read a few of my posts, you've most likely seen me mention scripture memory. Of all of the habits that I have tried to pick up, it's one that I have actually stuck with, and I'll tell you why: it has truly changed my life. Psalm 119:9-11 says,

"How can a young man (or woman) keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you. Let me not wonder from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

The results of "hiding God's word in my heart" have been amazing! Almost immediately after I memorized the first passage, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, God started using it to gently remind me not to complain about temporal circumstances. God has also revealed to me the importance of confessing my faults not only to Him, but to a trusted believer, and then asking for prayer to overcome the sin (James 5:16). Silently meditating through all of our passages got Ben through his first marathon in April, and one verse in particular stood out to him:

Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?  So run to win!  All athletes are disciplined in their training.  They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.  So I run with purpose in every step.  I am not just shadowboxing.  I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.  Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Through developing this habit, God has changed my heart, resulting in a changed thought process. When conflicts arise, when stress hits me in the stomach, when my friends are hurting, when my toddler is disobeying, I have the wisdom of God stored inside to direct me. I've been re-programmed.

My idle time is spent differently. Couch time does not always involve TV watching- instead we will "quiz" each other; and car rides have definitely become more interesting. Even Rush, our 3-year-old has started memorizing verses. Here's where I got his plan.

Speaking of re-programming, our pastor issued a challenge to our church yesterday morning (the last Sunday of  2012) to read one chapter of the Bible a day for all of 2013. In his sermon about the importance of knowing God's Word, he explained that being in God's word as a habit will re-program our minds. I can attest to that this is absolutely true! 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (one of our memorized passages) says:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 I feel trained and equipped more than ever! But there is still so much more for me to learn! I am so, so thankful for the blessing of God's Holy Word, and I cannot wait to see what I learn from it in 2013! I urge you to join me in memorizing one verse or passage per week and reading one chapter a day this new year. If you need a reading plan, visit our church website. You will also find a link to our pastor's blog where he will be sharing his thoughts on each day's reading.

I pray that 2013 is a year full of new wisdom for you as you make every effort to get to know Him more and more!

Question

"What kind of excitement are you sensing right now as the Spirit "hovers over" (Genesis 1:2) your study of His Word?"

(From BSF notes)

Does your Bible study time ever get you excited? I will be honest and say that a lot of the time, for me, it doesn't. I am so excited right now, though, as I have begun this systematic study through BSF.

"Are you now aware of a life-giving movement of God's Holy Spirit drawing you toward God and preparing your heart to receive God's spiritual light?"

A good study is life-giving and invigorating to my soul!

Do you have a way of studying that makes you wanna shout? Please share!!!

On a much less serious note, look at this cute notebook I found for my BSF materials! I LOVE school supplies and this is first time I have gotten to buy any since 2004.

I am hoping that we can get a post from Ben soon... who's with me?!

Changing Seasons

It seems like people in East Tennessee get the most excited about fall of all the seasons. I know there are lots of reasons for this, but here are some of my own:

• Perfect temperatures: more pleasant outside playtime, hiking, camping, eating dinner on the back deck, windows open in the morning and at night. 
• The food: I love using my slow-cooker and fixing all the yummy comfort foods that I associate with cooler weather.  
• The beauty: I feel like God gave me an extra little blessing by placing me in the Smokies. Wow! The leaves changing is an incredible sight to see! I love the colors of fall... if you have been in my house, you know this. I love all things brown & orange & red! Fall even has a certain scent that I love. [side note: speaking of scents, I went to Bath and Body Works to get some refills for my wallflower plug-in and I discovered a new one that I am loving: Plum Wine Amber... heavenly! ]
• Rush's birthday: this year is his 3rd! It seems like yesterday I woke up to my water breaking. I have fun planning his party, and this year will be extra fun since he actually has little "friends" that will be coming. He has asked for a "Choo Choo" theme. :)

Speaking of all things fall, I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I would like to make some homemade granola. I pinned a recipe for pumpkin granola a month or so ago and I have been waiting for the right time to make it. I gave it my own little twist...

5 cups rolled oats (I reduced by 1/4 cup & added 1/4 cup ground flax seed)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
¾ tsp. salt
¾ cup brown sugar ( I reduced to 1/2 cup.)
½ cup pumpkin puree (I think it needed just a bit extra (maybe a TBsp) to add moisture where it is lost in reducing the agave.)
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup maple syrup (I used maple flavored agave and reduced to about 1/5 cup.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pepitas

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine oats, spices, and salt. Mix well.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into oat mixture and stir until the oats are evenly coated. They will be moist. Evenly spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.

4. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and stir. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the granola is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and stir in dried cranberries and pepitas. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

it turned out to be very yummy! I took a picture of it next to one of the pumpkins from my dad & papaw's garden. :)

Nicole Nordeman has a song called "Every Season" that is one of my favorites. This is the verse about fall. I love how she captures the beauty of each season, but, of course, fall is my favorite!

And even when the trees

Have just surrendered

To the harvest time

Forfeiting their leaves

In mid-September

And sending us inside

Still I notice you when change begins

And I am braced for colder winds

I will offer thanks for what has been and what's to come

You are autumn

We memorized Jeremiah 17:5, 7-10 quite a while ago, and just this week we added verse 6. It is not the nicest verse, but a great reminder of how much we need to depend on the Lord.

"He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes.  He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives."

On another note...in true East Tennessee fashion, and as the wife of proud UT grad (I went there too), I will be spending this Saturday in a sea of orange watching the Vols take on the Gators. It will be my first time spending a day away from Lottie. I am looking forward to a fun time with Ben!

It's Not Good For Woman to be Alone

Ben was gone most of last week... I really hate it when he's gone... have I mentioned that?

 

He left on Wednesday morning and came home on Saturday evening. Not only was this a longer-than-usual work trip, but it came after a long weekend; I had been spoiled with his presence (one of the dialects of my love language) so it was extra hard to have him gone for 4 days! Did I say that I hate when he is gone?

 

By Thursday night, I was convicted (through the Holy Spirit and through a phone conversation with Ben) that I was relying too much on Ben's presence for my sense of security. (I almost don't know what to do with myself when he is away... does that ever happen to you?) So, after reading my bedtime devotional from "Utmost," I decided to journal out a prayer to the Lord to forgive me for not calling on him and to have a word that I could call on when I feel insecure. Here is an excerpt from my journal:

 

While I was writing this prayer, the Lord brought to my mind a line from one of my favorite memory passages: 2 Peter 1:3 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness..." I am trying to grab on to this verse whenever I catch myself not relying on Him. It is not good for me to be alone, but I must remember who I need to rely on more! Thankfully, I have the Holy Spirit and a husband who remind me of these things!

 

DISCIPLINE

On another note, we memorized Proverbs 1:7 a couple of weeks ago and the word discipline was really laying heavy on my heart. I realized (it was being affirmed everywhere around me: pastor, Bible study leader, friend conversations, books- does God talk to you that way???!!!) that I need more spiritual discipline. So, I feel compelled to do two things:

1. get up early to have some quiet time

2. start attending Bible Study Fellowship

My first class was just this morning. I am very excited/intimidated by this in-depth Bible study.

 

I will only be able to do these two things through the power of the Holy Spirit. Boy, am I a weak little woman! But, "when I am weak, then I am strong!" 2 Corinthians 12:10 (emphasis added) I just want to be "fruitful!"

Stirring Up!

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near," Hebrews 10:24-25.

This was our memory passage a couple of weeks ago, chosen by me for a reason. Earlier this summer I shared some of my thoughts on community and how much we need each other as Christians. My inspiration was sparked after being in close contact with a group of people that belong to a Care Group (as their church calls it) and after reading a chapter in How People Change called "Change is a Community Project" (chapter 5). So here are my thoughts:

We are saved; we thank God for all our blessings; we go to church (and maybe even Bible Study); we listen to Christian music; we serve in a ministry; we pray before we eat; we tell others that we are Christians. But how do we grow? How are we sanctified? How can we be motivated to stay on track in our Christian walk? Besides our personal relationship with God, I believe that real, intentional, intimate relationships with other believers is the way we can do all of this and thus produce more "love and good works."

Wouldn't it be awesome to have a group of people to share your thoughts and questions with about what you study? (This could be an entire other post, but I feel that Bible-talk should be in our everyday language and conversations SO much more than it is!) I would love to be able to share my sin struggles with a small group of ladies that I admire & trust. James 5:16 says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." This is just one of many verses about the benefits of "community" that motivates/convicts me to be more intentional in my friendships.

So, Ben & I have been inspired to, with the help of the Lord, foster some REAL relationships with other Christian families. It is SO hard to do this when you have little ones! (And our weak minds keep coming up with these and other excuses.) Please pray for us as we attempt to do something that we feel very ill-equipped for. More on the specifics later...

I have recently added Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to my library thanks to my brother-in-law. I was talking to him about small groups and community within the body, and he bought the book for us as a gift. I can't wait to read it with Ben! My favorite line on the back description says, "Life Together is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship."

Here is a picture of Ben and Lottie with Jared, our brother-in-law.

Recently, someone told me that their purpose for being in a small group was to live out all of the "one-anothers" from Scripture, so I looked them up. (This is not a comprehensive list.):

Love one another John 13:34
show mercy and compassion to one another Zechariah 7:9
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10
Live in harmony with one another.  12:16
Accept one another Romans 15:7
encourage one another 2 Corinthians 13:11
serve one another humbly in love. Galatians 5:13
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2
speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Ephesians 5:19
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus Philippians 2:5
Bear with each other and forgive one another Colossians 3:13
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Colossians 3:16
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Hebrews 13:1
we have fellowship with one another 1 John 1:7


I am pretty far behind on updating our family happenings...

Some of you know that Rush had walking pneumonia last week right before our annual trip to Hilton Head, SC. He is doing MUCH better now, and we did get to take our vacation. (More on that later...)

Ben had been traveling A LOT, but he has been home for a couple of weeks now. :)

We are reading The Five Love Languages together. I had read it a long time ago and then again about a year ago. It is a great marriage-builder. I HIGHLY recommend it! My love language is Receiving Gifts (it's a mixture of the gift of your presence & acts of service/gifts). Do you know your love language???

Freezer Group is next week already!!! I have got to get cooking! I will post my recipes soon.

My Guy

Ben was out of town most of last week. I don't like when he is gone, but it gave me the chance to make his homemade Father's Day gift without the risk of him seeing it. He loved it!

I am so thankful that Ben is the father of my children. Knowing that I never have to worry about what examples he is setting for them is such a comfort & blessing. May I take a moment to brag? I could list a million things that Ben does for our children that I know will have a positive eternal impact, but here are a few of my favorites:

He prays with them and for them, and now Rush is starting to pray too.
He sings Bible songs with them. Rush knows the books of the Bible because they enjoy singing together so much!
He gives them hugs and kisses freely.
He loves me in front of them so that Rush will know his role and Lottie will know what to look for.

In case you can't tell, I am so proud of my husband. We celebrated our 7th anniversary on Sunday. Without going into too much detail, I will simply say this has been the hardest year, but the BEST year! God has changed our view of what life is really about and it has altered our relationship with Him and with each other. Every day we are learning how to better love each other; how to encourage each other, how to lovingly suggest changes, how to talk about our thoughts, feelings & weaknesses. Our marriage had always been "good," and we thought we were living the "right" way, but here's what Oswald Chambers says about settling for "good and right" in life:

"Whenever our right becomes the guiding factor of our lives, it dulls our spiritual insight. The greatest enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but good choices which are not quite good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best."

Here's a picture from our wedding:

I want to live my BEST for the Lord and for my husband! I can't do it in my own strength. But if I am sensitive to the Holy Spirit (achieved through study, prayer, repentance, etc.) and my husband is too, then together, we will strengthen each other as individuals and become stronger as a couple, as we strive to do our BEST for His glory.

This leads me to share the verse that I am memorizing this week:

"The end of all things is near.  Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.  Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:7-8 

On a much less serious note:
We had our first PEP Moms steering committee meeting last week. Well, it was our first with our new committee and me as the director (yikes!).  I prayed a lot before the meeting that things would go well; that our committee would be completed (we had a couple of vacancies), that the conversation would go smoothly, and that we could leave feeling like we got something accomplished. The meeting went very well; it was basically a brainstorming session on speakers and topics for our upcoming year (September-April) and ideas for summer activities and outings.


Some of the summer activities include playdates at our church playground, free movie day at the theater, Safety City in Knoxville, and a few other possibilities. We try to do things that are free/low-cost and group-friendly. Do you have any ideas for us?

Sprucing Up!

Well, I have been a little perturbed with blogging lately. Over the period of about a week, I worked on a post that included a simple yoga workout (I have been teaching basic yoga classes for 7 years) with full descriptions of each of the poses. Somehow, the post was deleted! Ugh!

I had also included in that post our memory verse for last week. It is part of a passage that we have building on to: 2 Peter 1:5-7 says,"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. We have already memorized verses 3-4 & 10-11 and plan to do more later. Peter rocks! (Is that redundant?) ;)

I love the progression of verses 5-7: you can't master the next until you achieve the former. The more I have meditated on this passage, I am realizing that the items that Peter lists are in increasing difficulty to achieve. For me, the perseverance is where it all goes ka-put. Every person has something that they struggle with; some spiritual weakness. (I bet you can pick something from this list.) For me it's perseverance, or consistency. I get comfortable and lazy just when things start feeling good; when I have displayed self-control in ONE or two situations [rolling eyes here]. I studied my Bible a few days in a row. I may even declare, "Oh, how blessed my life is!" I start relying on myself, finding my identity in my earthly circumstances, and soon I feel empty and unfulfilled. Eventually [PRAISE HIM!] the Holy Spirit convicts me; I spruce-up my spirit by starting at the beginning again. (I need to write an entire post on sanctification now; I'll save it for another day.)

I want to be clear: I am not a blogger because I think my life is perfect and I believe that other people want to be like me. On the contrary, I want to shout out, "I'M NOT PERFECT, NOR IS MY LIFE!" What I do want people to hear from me is reality. I am selfish- sometimes I love my life too much, but Jesus clearly says,

"If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." Luke 9:24 NLT

What I am trying to say is that I hope none of you ever think that I am bragging about my little life. I only want to help people realize that we all need a little spiritual sprucing-up every so often (about every 5 minutes for me!), and the only thing worth pursuing is a journey that glorifies Him.

And this prompts me to go ahead and share this week's memory verse:

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

So, I challenge you: figure out what your weaknesses are. They may change from day-to-day. Admit the weakness to God first, and ask Him to help you have the wisdom to consistently defeat it. Then find someone that you respect spiritually (read my post on the importance of community), and share your weaknesses with them. Ask them to pray with you about overcoming them. Read 2 Peter 1:10-11. This can be your motivation for being real with God.

Speaking of sprucing up and motivation, we have been working on our yard all weekend! Ben brought home 3 truck-loads of topsoil and unloaded it shovel by shovel- yes, he's a beast (with a reeeal nice tan)! We had to rip out some shrubs that had gotten a mold last year, and we planted a few annuals for color and one new Cypress tree. AND, after 4 years, we finally put our Nicaraguan lanterns on the front porch. They are very special to us because we bought them on our first mission trip to Nicaragua. I will post a picture of the yard soon!

I got to do some more baking this week! I made King Arthur Flour's No-knead Whole Wheat Bread. I love it for breakfast with some orange marmalade on top! Here's a tuna sandwich I had for lunch one day. I smeared on a little bit of Hummus, piled on quick tuna salad and topped it with baby spinach leaves (a staple in our kitchen- new post topic coming soon).

I also made some delicious cranberry-orange muffins that my sister had given me the recipe for a couple of years ago. It is my favorite muffin to make!

As for what's happening this week, I will be practicing 3 songs for a wedding coming up next weekend. I'll also be getting ready for Freezer Group Swap next Friday! I am still deciding what to make, but I will put it in a post once I do decide.

Thanks for stopping by and checking in with the Mills!

Good Company & Week in a Nutshell, plus 2 recipes!

This past week has been a blur! Ben was out of town Monday night for work and Tuesday we found out that we would possibly have some visitors from the College at Southeastern. I taught a yoga class on Wednesday morning, and Thursday we had our weekly playgroup at the park (more on playgroups in a another post). We also played outside with the neighbors in most all of our free-time each day. Dinner was easy this week since I participated in my first freezer group swap last Friday. Groceries were just the staples; so managing the Restaurant Mills was a breeze.


So, the visitors did come on Thursday night. It was a group of four girls (3 students & 1 wife of a seminary student plus their baby girl) from the college/Open Door Baptist Church in Raleigh, where my sister and brother-in-law are in ministry. The girls were in town to support a friend who is from our area whose dad passed away earlier in the week. I was blessed watching them make the sacrifice to travel quite a long way on their first day of summer vacation to be here for a sister-in-Christ. They really just wanted to "love on" their friend- and they did. I was also impressed by how seriously these girls took the responsibility of taking care of fellow believers. I am sure that it was a blessing to this girl to know how much she is cared for by her friends.


This got me thinking about how much we need each other as a community. Coincidentally (I know there are no coincidences), I read the chapter in "How People Change" (check out my reading list on the homepage) about community this week. The authors write about how we avoid meaningful relationships because they require a lot of work; that many Christians try to work through life alone, but that is not what God has intended for us. Of course, our individual relationships with Christ are of utmost importance, but when we are in CLOSE community with fellow believers, we are singularly sharpened. James 5:16 says, "Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective." "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another:" Proverbs 27:17 is another reminder from the Bible of how much we need each other.


This subject of community has been on my mind since last fall. It started when I had a conversation with my sister about how tight they are with their "Care Group." I want to study more about community within the church body. It is clear that God is putting the subject at my fingertips: even my pastor's sermon was on the importance fellowship (with Christ & with others) this Sunday! (The sermon should be up sometime this week, but you can check out some others in the meantime!) I hope to post more soon about my thoughts on community.

Our Weekend!
It seems like our weekends have been so busy lately with the marathon in Nashville & Ben's 30th birthday then Mother's Day. So I had really been looking forward to this weekend since our only plan was to go to the National Park to Elkmont Campground on Saturday for lunch with some great friends.


Friday evening we ended up going on a DATE!!! The BBQ & Bluegrass event was happening, so we went and walked around downtown, got some BBQ, a funnel cake & homemade strawberry ice cream (I need to run a marathon). It was nice to have some time out without the kids. It seems our only alone time lately is in our living room after both kids are in bed. But I'll take that over nothing!

The picnic at Elkmont was awesome! I was nervous about the kids not getting naps, but it all worked out fine. The weather was perfect; the fellowship was great and so was the food!

The kids fell asleep in the car on the way back, and we took the scenic route home- such a pretty drive! Ben mowed the yard when we got back home while I got the kids ready for bed. Once we got the kids to bed we ate our pizza and watched "Top Gun" via Netflix! I hadn't seen that movie in years, and it still cracks me up! It was a fun date-at-home. I also made one of our date-at-home staples: homemade chocolate chip cookies.

1 stick of butter @ room temperature, 3/8 cup packed dark brown sugar, 3/8 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 large egg, 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4-1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional), 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix butter, sugars, vanilla & egg with mixer or wooden spoon until well combined. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (do not over mix). Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Using a teaspoon sized regular spoon, scoop out 12 heaping spoonful portions onto baking sheet. This will use about half of the cookie dough so you can refrigerate the rest for later. Bake for about 8 minutes. Let stand on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes before you gobble them up with a cold glass of milk!

That reminds me: since supper was so easy this week, I got to make one of Ben's favorite treats on Friday: homemade banana bread.

1 stick of butter (I always bake with unsalted, but salted would be fine), 2 ripe bananas, 1 tsp. vanilla, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 eggs, 2 cups whole wheat all-purpose flour (self rising can be used; eliminate the baking powder & salt), 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (almonds or pecans would work too) (optional)

Preheat oven to 350*. Cream butter & mash bananas & vanilla into the butter. Add the sugar and eggs, mix well. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt & nuts. Do not over stir! Pour into greased loaf pan; bake for 40-45 minutes. You may need to put the pan close to the top rack of the oven the 15 minutes or so. Just check it!

We made it to church on time for Bible Study for the first time in a while! I think it was a relief for Ben since he is always rushing off to help teach in 3rd grade. Church was great, as always, and we came home after the service was over- something we rarely do. It was nice to be home for the afternoon on a Sunday. I TOOK A NAP! And on that note, I think I'll stop rambling...

Any of you have a great small group that you love? Please share!

Love to you all who have taken the time to catch up with our family!

Baby Blog- Keeping my heart in the right place... plus a few of myfavorite things!

So, Ben and I now have 2 children: Rush is 2 1/2 and Lottie is 4 months today. It has been very interesting to see the differences in the two babies; particularly in how they find their "routine." Rush was a very easy baby as far as predictability went. He is still a very predictable toddler; from when he will eat to when he will "go" to when he will fall asleep. Lottie, on the other hand, has her own ideas about things. You can't really know how long she will sleep at night (varies from 8-11 hours), how long she will feed (still only breastfeeding; solids soon!), or when she will nap (if she does at all)! Needless to say, it has been a challenge for me. I thought all babies would go by the book like Rush did.

 "On Becoming Babywise" is a widely known book that I read before Rush was born and reviewed many times during the first year of his life. The general idea of the book is to establish a daytime routine of feeding time, awake time, nap time so that nighttime sleep is encouraged. Dr. Ezzo has done years of research and has found that this daytime pattern helps babies sleep better at night. I believe it, because everyone that I know that has followed his suggestions has their baby sleeping through the night fairly early on. I do not do everything exactly as Dr. Ezzo suggests, but I am a firm believer in the eat-wake-sleep routine.

Back to Lottie... this little gal came into our world as a sleeping beauty. She slept for the first two weeks of her life! She had some nighttime fussiness like a lot of newborns, but nothing too major. Suddenly, at about 7 weeks she started having trouble napping. I could get her to fall asleep in my arms, but then she would wake up screaming a few minutes after I put her in her bassinet or crib. To make a LONG story short, I decided one day to see what would happen if I put her on her tummy (gasp!). She took three 1 1/2-2 hour naps that first day! HALLELUJAH! She hasn't been diagnosed, but I think she has "silent reflux."

There are still days when she doesn't nap well, but I have had to just go with it. I could write an entire post on how her lack of napping affected me. Boy, did I let my heart get in the wrong place those days. I was so stressed out, unproductive, mean to Rush and exhausted. One day, during a frantic phone call to Ben {I don't know why I try to make him my holy spirit sometimes, but that's a whole entire other post!} he said, "You just have to remember 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18." I knew that verse; it was one we had memorized together. I started bawling. First, because he called me out and I was ashamed, and second, because I was so thankful that God has blessed me with such an amazing husband. I sometimes still get cranky and lose my temper when Rush won't stay in his bed or when Lottie won't stay asleep without me holding her. But I try to make that verse my mantra:"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

Do any of you have circumstances that arise that turn your heart away from Jesus's? How do you turn it back to the right place?

Some of my favorite baby products:
Moby Wrap
Schwinn Turismo Double Jogger
BumGenius! Cloth Diapers
Sophie the giraffe
"God Made Me" DVD (and others)

Some of my favorite Mommy Products:
Glamourmom nursing camisole
Motherhood Sleep Bra (I wear it all the time, not just for sleeping)

Storing up The Word & storing food

"I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11 ESV


Ben has been memorizing Bible verses & passages every week since last fall! I joined him in January and have been trying to catch up, so I double up some weeks. This week's passage is Colossians 1:15-16:

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him."

It has been challenging some weeks to really meditate on the verse or passage. It's easy to just memorize the words for "habit" or memorize just to say I did it. But when I am motivated by a desire to know Him and have a heart filled with His Word it is very fulfilling. Here's what Oswald Chambers says about "habits." http://utmost.org/the-habit-of-having-no-habits/. (It's a short read- click it!)


Speaking of Ol' Ozzie, Ben and I have also been reading "My Utmost for His Highest" daily devotional separately so that we can discuss it every day. I HIGHLY recommend it! It is hard to grasp sometimes because of the language of the day it was written in, but it is so to-the-point and in-your-face. It is very relevant and thought-provoking, and it doesn't take long to read. Ben got me the journal version for my birthday!


I have to say that memorizing scripture and having a serious spiritual subject to discuss has been GREAT for our marriage. Sometimes, you need a conversation starter, and what better conversation is there to have than one about our reason for being?! If you're not doing something relevant to eternity with your spouse, I would urge you to start today!


My first freezer group experience!

So, I have a friend that invited me to join her freezer group. I had heard of freezer groups before, but had no idea how they work. Basically, a small group of ladies meet once a month and swap meals that they have prepared and frozen ahead of time. We have 7 members currently (1 member is taking the summer off), so we prepare 6 of two different dishes (12 total) to swap. This month, since it is my first time, I tried to keep it simple. I made homemade Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken Tenders (recipe below) and Rachael Ray's Cheesy Hashbrown Chili Casserole http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/cheesy-hash-brown-chili/. I hope they are well-received! I brought home some yummy sounding stuff too! So far we have eaten sausage biscuit bites, stuffed shells & taco quiche. The shells were amazing! Rush ate three at a time! I want to get the recipe from the gal who made them. I am looking forward to trying the remaining 10 dishes in my freezer! I will keep y'all updated on how it goes.

Anyone have any good freezer recipes???

Here's the Teriyaki Recipe:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken tenders (I am sure breasts or thighs would do fine too)
1 can (6 oz.) pineapple juice (sold in cases of 6)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 TBsp sugar
1 TBsp minced fresh ginger or 1.5 tsp ground ginger
1 TBsp minced garlic or 1.5 tsp garlic powder
1 TBsp oil (I use extra virgin olive oil)
1 TBsp molasses
24 cherry tomatoes (optional)
1 cup chopped broccoli (optional)
1/2 cup matchstick carrots (optional)
steamed brown rice (about 2 cups will do)


Combine all ingredients in slow cooker except rice. Cook on high for 2-4 hours until chicken is not pink and veggies are cooked crisp-tender. Yummy!

Ideas...

I am still kind of surprised at myself for wanting to start a blog based on our family, but it hit me one day, and I figured, why not?! We're cool! ;) People might want to know what's going on in our lives here in the Mills house.

The ideas that I've come up with so far are here in no particular order:

updates on what's going on spiritually: scripture memory, sin struggles, Bible study, Rush's (and Lottie eventually) Bible learning, disciplining our children, book reviews/comments, friendship, marriage, family in general, etc.

updates on our activities: church, playdates, vacations, Ben's races, aerobics/yoga, PEP Moms https://www.facebook.com/pages/PEP-Moms-First-Baptist-Sevierville-TN/51037880408, Ben's work

updates on food in the Mills house: meal plans, my freezer group, grocery lists, new recipes, baby food recipes & tips

Baby Blog: cloth diapering thanksmama.com, breast feeding, baby food-making recipes & tips, feeding/sleeping, routine, pregnancy, growth & development, toddler activities, product reviews

cosmetic and household product reviews, tricks, and tips.

I am hoping that some of you out there will enjoy my ramblings and maybe even learn something useful. I want to be open & honest about who I am as a Christian wife & mother, stay-at-home-mom, daughter, sister, daughter-in-law & auntie. I desire for my life to be proof that "the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22 Hence, the name of our blog, "Fruitful Family."

Well, Lottie's awake; time to feed! ;)