White Chili

Tis' the season for hot home-cooked meals :)  One of my favorites is chili, the traditional kind and the white chili kind.

White Chili
1 - 48 oz jar of Northern Beans
24 oz. jar mild salsa
8-10 oz. shredded monterey jack cheese
1/4 t. cumin
1 pound cooked chicken cubed

Combine all ingredients into a pot, simmer until cheese is melted and all ingredients are blended.  Serve with toritilla chips. 

At home we would always leave the chicken on the side because my sister is a vegetarian, and that was good too!

Blessings in Christ,

 

Caramel Dip

This goes wonderfully with apples :)

1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 t. vanilla

Combine all ingredients except for the vanilla in a sauce pan.  Bring to a rolling boil and let thicken.  (225 degrees if using a thermometer). 

Add vanilla, stir and let cool. 

You can store this in the fridge or on your counter. 

Enjoy!!

Blessings in Christ,

 

Are Christmas and Easter...

...pagan or religious? In talking to someone I had just met, I learned that she does not celebrate Christmas or Easter because of their pagan and "occult" roots. I asked her to explain herself, and most of what she said went over my head. So I decided to see what I could find about the roots of both Christian holidays.


From what I can find, it appears that the time of year is what is pagan. Not the meaning behind the holidays. I think though, as Christians, we can focus on what the meaning of the holidays are rather than the fact that the day may not be the specific day that Jesus was born on. Just because we do not have a specific date given to us by the authors of the Bible, does that mean that we should not celebrate His birth?

Should we not celebrate His resurrection after He was so cruely crucified to save us from our sins? With Easter, we do know that He rose from the dead on "the first day of the week" (John 20:1). Typically the first day of the week is recognized as Sunday, although some might argue that Monday is really the first day of the week.

I know some people do not feel we should celebrate His birth on December 25th and I guess my thought on that is that we do not know the exact date He was born. The Bible does not tell us that. I do not mind celebrating His birthday on a date declared by humans while recognizing that it may not be His actual birthday. Nor do I mind celebrating His resurrection and the gift which He gave us all on a date that is not the actual date (especially since the date of Easter changes year to year...). I feel better to celebrate those two significant events rather than not celebrating and remembering them at all because we do not have a "right" date to put on the calendar.

What do you believe?

Blessings in Christ,

 

What pertainiths to a man?

I often wonder what God sees as pertaining to a man...wardrobe wise.  We are instructed that a woman should not wear anything which pertains to a man and a man should not wear anything pertaining to a woman in Deuteronomy.  This scripture is one that I am most often told as an explanation/reason for why women should wear skirts or cape dresses. 

I wonder if women should wear button-up dress shirts, or t-shirts because both of those were worn by a man first. 

I wonder if it is okay to wear clothing as long as it is bought from the women's department.

I was told by another woman that we should not wear anything that splits the legs, even under our skirts.  She gave shorts as an example saying that God can see under our skirts and He doesn't like when we wear something pertaining to a man even under skirts.  I started wondering then if tights/nylons would be included in that.  Tights are something that I definately wear during the winter, otherwise I would freeze!!  In the summer, I wear shorts under my skirts.  But I do not have a problem with it because I'm not showing that to the world for all to see. 

I think there is a balance there.  I am not convinced that as women we should not wear shorts, leggings, tights, etc, when it is concealed by a skirt.  I personally feel it is okay as long as that item is not visible to the world.  But I am still unsure about the button-up shirts and t-shirts.  Those are both things that I wear a decent number of, because they are easily made modest.  But I wonder if God sees those as pertaining to a man...  So far I don't have a conviction either way on that, but I do wonder...

Blessings in Christ,

 

The Motions

A fellow blogger posted yesterday song lyrics of a song that "hits every aspect of what you're going through and feeling". 

I was listening to my iTunes while working on copying recipies for my roommate's Christmas present.  Then this song came on.  And this is my song that "hits every aspect of what you're going through and feeling".   

The Motions
Matthew West

This might hurt, it's not safe

But I know that I've gotta make a change
I don't care if I break
At least I'll be feeling something

‘Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life
I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything
Instead of going through the motions?

No regrets, not this time
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something

‘Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

‘Cause I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
Without your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything
Instead of going through the motions?

Take me all the way
(Take me all the way)
Take me all the way
(‘Cause I don't wanna go through the motions)

Take me all the way
(Lord, I'm finally feeling something real)
Take me all the way

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything
Instead of going through the motions?

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me

I don't wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything
Instead of going through the motions?
Take me all the way
(Take me all the way
Take me all the way
(I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go)

Take me all the way
(Through the motions)
Take me all the way

I don't wanna go through the motions

I've been struggling in my spiritual life for a while and I want to break free from that and not feel like I am just going through the motions.  I want to 100% live my life for God. 

Do you have a song that hits the nail on the head for you right now? 

Blessings in Christ,

 

Modesty is Appreciated

Over at Amish America, Erik posed a question...

"Are plain businesses the only place where 'modesty is appreciated' anymore?"

What do you think?

The point was brought up in the comments that people have different definitions of "modest".  That was quite evident by what people defined as modest. 

I wonder...

How do you define modesty?  Do you think it would be okay to wear shorts under your skirt for extra modesty or is that wrong?

Blessings in Christ,

 

Salvation Through Grace

I have heard of Torah Observant Christians.  I am not one of those people, nor do I fully understand what they believe and why they do. 

I believe in this verse, John 1:17:

I also believe Galatians 3:1-14, 17-19, 24-26:

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

O foolish Galatians!  Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as cruicified?  This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?  Are you so foolish?  Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain -- if indeed it was in vain?  Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? -- just as Abraham "Believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."  Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."  So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are writen in the book of the law, to do them."  But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."  Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."  Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessings of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might recieve the promise of the Spirit through faith. [...]  And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.  For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of primise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.  What purpose then does the law serve?  It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.  [...]  Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.  For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

I am so thankful that God sent His son, Jesus, to save us from the law.  I cannot imagine having to live under such a law.  Maybe it would be different if I were to have been born into it, in fact, yes I know it would be different, but I am  thankful to know that I do not have to follow the law of Moses in order to reach salvation.  I need to believe in Jesus and His grace and that is my path to salvation. 

I do not believe in salvation through good works, but nor do I believe that if you only believe will you be saved.  Our actions must match our beliefs.  We need to believe in salvation through grace, but in addition we also need to believe in making our actions match that.  We cannot simply go around killing people because we know that we will be forgiven.  The Bible teaches us that murder is wrong and therefore we cannot do it, even if we know that we will be forgiven all our sins.

If there is a TO Christian who would like to possibly do a guest post to share their beliefs, I am open to that.  Please know that I do not mean this as an attack on anyone.  I simply wish to express my gratitude for Jesus Christ saving us from the law of Moses. 

Blessings in Christ,