More Than You'll Ever Know!

Have you ever heard a song over and over again, but never paid attention to the words? I REdiscovered a song today and it made me think of my Bible study sisters! It's by Watermark and it's called "More Than You'll Ever Know:"

Something brought you to my mind today

I thought about the funny ways you make me laugh

And yet I feel like it's okay to cry with you

Something about just being with you

When I leave I feel like I've been near God

And that's the way it ought to be...

CHORUS:

'Cause you've been more than a friend to me

You fight off my enemies

'Cause you've spoken the Truth over my life

And you'll never know what it means to me

Just to know you've been on your knees for me

Oh, you have blessed my life

More than you'll ever know, yeah, yeah, yeah

More than you'll ever know, yeah, yeah, yeah

You had faith, when I had none

You prayed God would bring me a brand new song

When I didn't think I could find the strength to sing

And all the while I'm hoping that I'll

Do the kind of praying for you that you've done for me

And that's the way it ought to be...

You have carried me

You have taken upon a bruden that wasn't your own

And may the blessing return to you

A hundredfold, oh yeah...

A hundredfold, oh yeah...

Now go search for it on youtube so you can REhear it!

Happy Thanksgiving Girls!

Remind Us O Lord - Have Mercy

I was listening to this song on the way home last night and it really spoke to me. Even though things are going so well for us with our adoption and Lyndal's job is great I have still been in a bit of a valley like some of my sisters. The words in this song remind me that my valleys or transgressions help me love Him again . . .

YO YO YO TIME TO EAT YA'LL!

Hello girlies!!  Here is the dinner sign-ups for the next two weeks!!  I'm already hungry to . . . . spend time with you guys AND time with the Lord.  Hope you guys are doing good and having a blessed week - no piggies visiting anyone!!!

Trena, we can't wait to hear about your trip?  Did Montezuma's Revenge get you, too?  Hope not!!

Oct. 20th

Main

Michelle

Amy R

 

Salad/Veg

trena

Susan

 

Dessert

Janet c

 

Oct. 27th

Main

Lori 

Melissa

 

Salad/Veg

Michelle

Deanna

 

Dessert

Jessica

Nov. 3rd

Main

1.

2.

Salad/Veg.

1.

2.

Dessert

1.

2. ?

SWAK!!

This lovely photo is to let you know we are having a . . . . DRUMROLL PLEASE . . . duh duh DUH!!!  A LIPSTICK EXCHANGE!!!!  Our fearless, mouthy leader decided that SHE needed to work on what comes out of her mouth and that if SHE needed to then maybe the rest of us do too - whatever!  Bible study is going to be a whole lot less fun with all of us watching every word that comes out of our mouths, ugh.  Why don't we all just stay at home?  I mean COME ON!!!  Just kidding.  I know I could definitely use some help in this area, kind of using the whole Thumper theory, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."  So, anyway, NEXT Tuesday, Sept. 22 we will be having a LIPSTICK EXCHANGE.  Here's what you do:

BRING:  Your Favorite INEXPENSIVE tube of lipstick or gloss ($5 or less)

HOW:  We Will Play Like Dirty Santa - So Wrap Your Special Gift With No Name On It.  We'll draw numbers and then go at it like a rat on a cheetoh.

OH!  And one more thing (totally unrelated to our lipstick goodness)!  We need to VOTE on how we want to do dinners on Tuesdays.  It's really important, so don't forget!

God Sees EVERYTHING

Not to scare anyone, but you can't hide your sin from God.  Just not sure if we all knew that.  I'm not sure David realized it or just thought that since he was special he wouldn't be punished very harshly (he was, four times over including the death of a child because of his sin).  The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  The good thing . . . no, GREAT thing  . . . is that we can ask for forgiveness and we are forgiven by His grace, by His love, and mercy.  We can lay it at the cross and it will be as far away as the East is from the West, and He will trade our ashes in for beauty using it for HIS glory.  God is so good.

So, tonight we were talking about how God sees EVERYTHING.  And Trena kept saying that "He sees EVERYTHING!"  And the way she was saying it reminded a few of us of the scene in Toy Story where Woody and the toys that Sid had mutilated were getting revenge on him.  Here is the clip:

Dinner List

Here is dinner for NEXT Tuesday.  We could use one more main dish . . . 

Aug. 18th Session 6

Main

1. Amy R.

2.  Brenda

3.  Peggy 

Salad/Veg.

1. Lora

2.  Janet C.

3.  Deanna 

Dessert

1. Paula

2. Lori

3. Mary

As Our Children Start School . . .

Trena loaned me a book the other night at the meeting at her house called The Family Blessing by Rolf Garborg.  It's just a short little book on blessing your children and family and offers a few examples.  I've really enjoyed it and am trying to be diligent at blessing my kids before they go to bed.  I found one that I really like from this book that pretty much covers all bases and I thought I would share it with you to say over your children as they start school . . . 

God bless you with grace and peace,

power and protection,

health and healing,

holiness and godliness,

abundance and prosperity, 

and all the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit,

in Jesus’ name.  AMEN!

Hope all your kids, young and old, have a great year at school.

Books some of us have read that we REALLY like

Book List – From some of the Tuesday night Bible Study Ladies

REG (Christian Themed)

The Hole in the Gospel – Richard Sterns

The Lost Secret of the New Covenant – Malcolm Smith

Mere Christianity – CS Lewis

Parenting with Love and Logic – Jim Fay/Foster Cline

Passion with Purity – Elizabeth Elliott

The Shack – William Peterson

The Blessing – Gary Smalley

Praying the Scriptures for your Children and Teenagers

Rees Howells – Intercessor – Norman Grubb

Medford Series

The True Vine – Andrew Murray

Praying Like Jesus – James Mulholland

God Mean It for Good – A Fresh Look at the Life of Joseph – RT Kendall

Desire: The Journey we Must Take to Find the Life God Offers – John Eldredge

The Dynamic Duo: The Holy Spirit and You – Rick Renner

The Heavenly Man - Brother Yun

 

Non – REG (Secular)

Three Cups of Tea – Greg Mortenson

Janet Evanovich Novels (all of them)

Fern Michaels Series

Miss Juilia Series

Secret Life of Bees

The Help – Kathryn Stockard

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

The Wednesday Sisters

The Lord's Prayer

This is absolutely precious!  Just had to share with you guys.  Thanks Paula!

Indescribable

Some of us watched this about a year ago at Janet's.  And what we are studying this week reminded me of it again.  Who am I that HE would know MY name?  The creator of ALL knows who I am?  Look how far I have come!

Who Am I?

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake - YUM!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake

1 cup quick oatmeal

1 3/4 cup boiling water

1 stick butter or marg

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cocoa

1 12 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

chopped walnuts (optional, but highly recommended!)

Preheat oven to 350

Use greased and floured 9 x 13 pan (glass works better)

In large bowl, pour boiling water over oatmeal; let stand 5-10 minutes

Add butter, brown sugar and sugar to oatmeal; stir until melted

Beat eggs and add to mixture–don’t mix too much

Sift flour, salt, soda, and cocoa together into mixture; blend until mixed, but do not overmix.

Add ½ package chocolate chips; stir gently. If mixture is too warm, let cool so that chocolate chips will not melt or sink to bottom

Pour into pan

Evenly sprinkle chopped nuts and remaining chips on top

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes

BBQ Recipe

Here is the recipe from Lisa's BBQ we had the other night.  YUM!

Chuck Roast BBQ

 

3 lb chuck roast

1 med onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, diced

2 TBSP oil

2 TBSP vinegar

2 TBSP lemon juice

2 TBSP Worchestershire sauce

2 TBSP brown sugar (I used 4)

1 Cup ketchup

1 TBSP mustard 

1/2 cup water

dash pepper

1 tsp salt (I used seasoned salt)

 

Place meat in baking dish.  Mix other ingredients together and pour over meat.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake at 350 for 4 hours, or when meat is tender.  When finished, remove meat from pan.  Pull apart meat with fork and remove all visible fat.  Skim fat off of liquid.  Return meat to liquid and mix well.  If doubling recipe, use less water. 

Well . . .

I'm sitting here typing this, listening to my pug snore. She's so cute! We have a couple of things we need to take care of . . . :)

We are running out or barely having enough food to feed everyone. So, we are going to have three people sign up to bring each thing. Here's the list the way we have it right now:

Aug. 4 Session 4

Main

1. Ashlea

2. Jessica B. (raisin bran crunch is what she says she's bringing)

3. Lori

Salad/Veg.

1. Jen

2. Nikki

3. Trena

Dessert

1.Melissa B.

2. Melissa R.

3. Mary

Aug. 11th Session 5

Main

1. Lori M.

2. Deanna

3. Paula

Salad/Veg.

1. Trena

2. Lora

3.

Dessert

1. Ann

2.

3.

Aug. 18th Session 6

Main

1. Amy R.

2.  Brenda

3.

Salad/Veg.

1. Lora

2.  Janet C.

3.  Deanna 

Dessert

1. Paula

2. Lori

3. Mary

Please email me and let me know what date and which category you can bring food to and I will update it as we go along.

AND, just a reminder, we DO NOT have study NEXT Tuesday July 28.

I love ya'll - be transformed!

Lori

Paula's Chicken Veggie Casserole Recipe

Did any of you have any of this on Tuesday?  It was so very good and I'm not a big vegetable eater, but this was D-licious!

HEARTY TEX-MEX SQUASH-CHICKEN CASSEROLE

 

 

1 10-oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed

 

3 medium-sized yellow squash, thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, cut into ½” pieces

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

 

3 cups shredded cooked chicken (2 12.5 oz cans)

12 6” corn tortillas, cut into 1” pieces

1 10-3/4 oz can cream of celery soup, undiluted

1 8-oz container sour cream

1 8-oz jar picante sauce

1 4.5-oz can chopped green chilies, undrained

1 1.4-oz envelope fajita seasoning

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

 

Drain the chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels to remove excess moisture.

 

Saute squash, bell pepper and onion in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 6 minutes or until tender.  Remove from heat. 

 

Mix spinach, chicken, tortillas, soup, sour cream, picante sauce, chilies, fajita seasoning and 1-1/2 cups of the cheese in a very large mixing bowl.  Mix in the squash mixture.  Spoon into a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish.

 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle evenly with remaining ½ cup cheese and bake 5 more minutes.

 

Paula Reno

July 2009

Let's Get Stuffed!

Here is the dinner list.  If something comes up and you can't make it, just email me (Lori) and let me know.  I will put out a plea for someone to take your place and it will get taken care of!  Simple and no stress!

Please keep in mind that our host family has NUT allergies!

July 14th Session 2

Main Dish

1.  Paula

2.  Melissa

Salad/Vegetable

1.  Brenda

2.  Deanna

Dessert

1.  Janet C.

2.  Michelle 

July 21st Session 3

Main Dish

1.  Lisa

2.  Lora

Salad/Vegetable

1.   Ann

2.  Amy R.

Dessert

1.  Sarah D.

2.  Debbie B.

Aug. 4 Session 4

Main

1.  Ashlea

2.  Deanna

Salad/Veg.

1.  Jen

2.  Nikki 

Dessert

1.Melissa B.

2.  Melissa R.

Aug. 11th Session 5

Main

1.  Lori M.

2.  

Salad/Veg.

1.

2.

Dessert

1.  Ann

2. 

Aug. 18th Session 6

Main

1.  Amy R.

2.  

Salad/Veg.

1.

2.

Dessert

1.  Paula

2.  Lori

LET'S GET BLOWN AWAY

Our next study starts NEXT TUESDAY, July 7 at 6:30pm. Please let Janet P. or I know that you want to participate so we can make sure we have enough books. This study is 6 weeks long, perfect to finish the summer with.

FOOD for SWEET NEW BABY!

Ya'll want to take bets on what it is? Make it interesting? Come on! Who's in?

Here are the details on the dynamics of the Kosanke family . . . .

1. There are SIX people in the Kosanke family (not counting that new baby girl): Dad, Mom, 13 year old boy (prolly eats a LOT), 5 year old Nathan, 4 year old Jordan (I think he's 4), and that SBG Sophie who is about 3 (or is she 2?).

2. No food allergies!!!

These are the folks who have signed up for dinner for them:

1. Melissa

2. Jen

3. Deanna

4. Lori

5. Trena

6.

7.

The NEW and IMPROVED Dinner List

June 30

Main

1.  Mary

2.  Deanna

Salad/Veg.

1.  Melissa

2.  Jen

Dessert

1.  Amy M.

2.  Susan S.

July 7 

NEW STUDY STARTS

Our fearless host is providing the food

July 14

Main

1.  Melissa

2.  Trena

Salad/Veg.

1. Lori

2.

Dessert

BIRTHDAY CAKE!

Words to the Revelation Song

Here are the words, girls!  Let's get busy!!!

REVELATION SONG

VERSE 1

Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain
Holy, holy is He
Sing a new song to Him Who sits on Heaven's mercy seat

(Repeat)

CHORUS

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come
With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings
You are my everything, and I will adore You

VERSE 2

Clothed in rainbows of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and glory and power be
To You, the only wise King

CHORUS

VERSE 3
Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your Name
Jesus, Your Name is power, breath and living water, Such a marvelous mystery

CHORUS

(Repeat)

The Crabb Family

This is a great song and I think we can all relate to it!

The Song

I am going to be honest. I'm a little freaked out by this whole singing in front of the church thing. Anyone else? Don't worry, I'm not going to lose sleep over it, but I may pee my pants that day. Can I stand next to any of the EXTREMELY good singers in our group, you know, the ones who can carry a tune, the ones who aren't tone deaf which includes ALL of you except me? I think I will stand next to Kari and Janet and lip sync. What do you think about that? I didn't think this was part of the job description - singing in front of people. Give me a room full of kids and I'm your girl, room full of adults and I'm a wallflower - just want to people watch, be a sponge. I don't know girls . . . I think I may become adept at working the sound booth by August 9th.

Blessings!
Lori

P.S. I got this from the official Youtube Kari Jobe page, so I can officially/legally post it here. You should go check it out, she's got some cool stuff on there (so does SCC)!

Dreams

On day three (yes, I am a little behind, so) she asked us about dreams.  God doesn't speak to me through dreams, but I have definitely had a few doozies in my day.  I will share two of them that stick with me.  They aren't related and happened years apart . . . 

When I was about 4 years old I had a horrible dream.  I remember being at church and going room to room and seeing very strange things.  In one room there was a 'thing' with a child's head and a snakes body (dreams are so freaky) and it was weaving it's way through the rungs on the back of a chair.  The last room I went in they had put my father on a cross and were lowering it in to a fiery pit.  (I still have a hard time talking about that one).  When I woke up I was crying and my mom wanted to know what my dream was about and it took me a long time to tell her because I felt bad for having such a horrible dream.  I remember being so upset.  My mom had me call my dad at work to make sure he was OK.  

Then when I was almost 19 my Grandpa died suddenly of a heart attack, my Dad's Dad.  He was an amazing man!  His death was a peripety in our family's life - everything changed after that.  I moved in with my Grandma and lived with her until she remarried a year and a half later.  She married her brother-in-law because 6 months after my Grandpa died his sister died of a heart attack as well leaving the sister's husband a widow as well.  Are you following this?  I'm not even to the dream part yet!  So, a few months after they married I had a dream.  We were at church, it was Easter, and me, my uncles, one of my cousins, and my mom and I were taking the Easter lily down the aisle to the altar (this wasn't normally done, it's just part of the dream).  The rest of my Dad's family was sitting in the pews of the sanctuary:  Grandma, Kenneth (the new husband), Aunts, my Dad, sisters, and cousins.  Everyone was facing forward not watching us bring the lily in, it was like they couldn't move their heads.  I was able to move my head and I looked over to the opposite side of the church and saw Grandpa sitting there!  I couldn't talk!  I wanted to scream at everyone!  My Mom saw that I saw him and she said, "I know.  I see him.  Just keep walking."  No one else saw him and I was so upset, I kept looking at my uncles and my cousin and the rest of my family, but I couldn't talk to tell them.  I remember crying the rest of the way down the aisle.  Finally after church, Grandpa came to me and asked me how everyone felt about Grandma being with Kenneth, he seemed a little jealous and concerned that they were together.  I reassured him that they were fine and we were all very happy for them.  And that was the end of that dream.  WHEW!

There's another one of my Dad's family having this big party at my Grandma's house and Grandpa was there and I was introducing him to Garth Brooks.  Garth was so happy to meet my Grandpa!

Dreams are so weird.

Blessings!

Lori

The Dinner List - Condensed

JUNE 16

Main

1.  Lori

2. Deanna H.

Salad/Veg.

1.  Jen 

2.  Janet C.

Dessert

1.  Melissa

2.  Paula

June 23

Main

1.  

2.  ????

Salad/Veg.

1.  Paula R.

2.  Lori

Dessert

1.  Deanna H.

2.  Lori

The Evolution of THIS Woman

At the end of Day 1 Week 8 she asked us what we were becoming.  I feel that I am constantly changing and evolving as I age, as I study His word more, as my children get older, as my marriage gets stronger.  But am I becoming someone different?  Gosh, YES!  At least I hope my answer is yes!  I know I always have room for improvement in lots of areas:  eating, exercise, mothering, wifeing, being a better daughter/sister/friend, striving to be more like Mary in a Martha world (some days I am more like Martha than I want to be).  It seems like everyday of my life is spent at least a little bit on patience and not letting other things or people steal my joy, and fine tuning my relationship with Him.

  Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. 
       We are the clay, you are the potter; 
       we are all the work of your hand.

Something that has been at the forefront in my mind for several years now is not comparing myself to others.  Each of us has a different walk and a different path that we are walking on with Him.  We all have our journeys that will somehow lead us to where He wants us to go.  There are times in my life when I look at friends or just people I know and think 'Wow!  I want to be where they are!' or worse, the guilt version 'I SHOULD be where they are!'  Then I remember . . . 

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

I know I'm not alone when I say that I am definitely not the same person I was when I was in high school, or college, or even when I was first married or even yesterday.  I am glad that He is working in me to make me who He wants me to be.  If He wasn't working on me I'd be pretty worried!  

as iron sharpens iron,

 so one man sharpens another." 

 

Blessings!

Lori

Don't Worry . . .

I FOUND IT!  In my attempt to get more organized and then going out of town, which put my thoughts of where I put the stuff I was trying to organize out of my head, I couldn't find the dinner list.  Well, I just found it this morning in this pile that I hadn't yet organized.  So, no worries!

Here's the dinner list:

MAY 26

Main Dish

1.  Lori

2.  ?????

Salad/Veg.

1.  Trena

2.  ????

Dessert

1.  Melissa

2.  Tracy

JUNE 2

Main

1.  Paula

2.  Amy R.

Salad/Veg.

1. Mary

2.  Susan

Dessert

1.  Lori

2.  Tracy

JUNE 9 NO BIBLE STUDY CUZ IT IS VBS WEEK!!!

JUNE 16

Main

1.  Lori

2. Deanna H.

Salad/Veg.

1.  Jen 

2.  Janet C.

Dessert

1.  Melissa

2.  Paula

June 23

Main

1.  ????

2.  ????

Salad/Veg.

1.  Paula R.

2.  ????

Dessert

1.  Deanna H.

2.  ????

Well, girlies there you have it.  If you see an open spot either let me know or our fearless leader.  Or if you feel so led, just bring something!

This blog has been on my mind a lot!  Every time I do a day in my study I think about what I want to say, then life gets in the way and time runs out.  I promise to get back in the swing of things!

See you tonight!

Lori

Good stuff . . .

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

-----Mark Batterson

(bold from me, Lori)

A Poem For YOU!

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER

by Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ

That a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean living,'

I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain...

I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Pretty is as Pretty does... But beautiful is just plain beautiful!

Since We've Got a Little Time . . . Let's Practice Breathing

Have you ever heard of 'breath prayers'?  I learned about them several years ago and they are wonderful little things!  Here is what they are . . . 

You have a short little phrase that has two parts to it one before the '/' and one after.  During the first half, before the '/' you in hale, and after the '/' you exhale.  Here are some examples:

Breathe on me/breath of God.

More of You/less of me.

Beside still water/the Lord leads me.

Be still before the Lord/wait patiently.

Fill me/with life anew.

Do not fear/I am with you.

Be anxious/for nothing.

You see?  Got the hang of it?  If you think of any others just let me know!  

Have a blessed week!

FOOD! GLORIOUS FOOD!

Main Dish
1. Paula R
2. Mary K.

Veg/Salad
1. 
2. Jennifer H.

Dessert
1. Lori M. 
2. Trena

Alright girls we are a little short on some places.  I'm counting on you to fill the gaps!  Let me know if you can.  A girl's gotta eat!

Hold on to Your Hats for THIS!

Remember when I posted about my friend who recently got her referral, and how I had emailed her the "God sees" that we learned in The Patriarchs that week?  And it turned out that their daughter's Chinese name was/is: Cen Si Ya?  Do you remember all that?  Did any of it make sense?  Well, there's more!  This family has named their new daughter Jessa Elizabeth SiYa.  This particular family has a website where they will post their trip to China, pictures of their new daughter, and the whole process, and people can go in and "sign" their guestbook.  A close friend of the mom wrote on the guestbook that she had looked up what Jessa means.  It means . . . .

IN HEBREW "HE SEES!"

Isn't that amazing?!!!  ONLY GOD!!!

I am just blown away and in awe!  WOW!!

Say CHEESE!

Alright girls on Tuesday April 21 we will have PICTURE NIGHT!!!! Don't forget your Princess shirt, and brush your hair for goodness sake! If you don't have a princess shirt we can get you one, no problem!

Also, for April 14 we have everything covered for dinner except the main dish. We need one more person to bring something for that and everything else is good. Here is the lowdown on food for the 14th:

Main Dish
1. Loheri
2.

Vegetable/Salad
1. Ahemy R.
2. Jahenet C. (Caesar Salad)

Dessert
1. Suhesan S.
2. Pauhela

AND, one more thing . . . If you are wanting to download any sessions go to: www.lifeway.com/women then in the search bar put in Patriarchs. That should get you there. I think they cost about $5.

Day 5

            OMGoodness!

See You

An adoptive mom that I am friends with was waiting last week for her referral.  I kept texting her (because she was not able to be at home or near a computer) with any updates on this website everyone checks called "Rumor Queen" or RQ for short.  She and her family have been waiting for a little over 3 years to see their daughter's face, know her name, and what province she came from.  And when a Dillon travel group gets close to getting their referral all the adoptive mommies and mommies-to-be get so excited.  We hit RQ many times a day for any word on when referrals have been sent out.

Well, last Friday morning I had just completed Day One Week Two "The God Who Sees Me."  I emailed her what I had learned, to reassure her that God knows exactly where she is, and where her daughter is - that God sees HER!  Later Friday afternoon we received word that referrals were being sent out and I texted Gael.  A few hours later she texted me back with her daughter's name:

Cen Si Ya

Isn't that so cool!  Who else but God!

The Jist of the Stuff

So far this is what we have for a schedule (subject to change at a moment's notice) and for food (dessert rocks).

March 24th*Intro              May 5th OFF*
March 31st*Session 1      May 12th  Session 6
April 7th*Session 2          May 19th  Session 7
April 14th*Session 3        May 26th  Session 8
April 21st*Session 4        June 2nd   Session 9
April 28th *Session 5

Sign up for dinner


April 7th 
Main Dish 
1. Keri  2. 

Salad/Vegetable
1. Melissa  2. Amy M.

Dessert
1. Janet  2.  Sandy


April 14th 
Main Dish
1.Lori  2. 

Salad/Vegetable
1. Amy R.  2.

Dessert
1. Susan  2.

Meal Schedule for Tuesday March 31

Looks like we are short a couple of places. If anyone can jump in that would be great (specially on that dessert one)!

Can't wait to see you there!

Main Dish
1. Susan
2. Lori

Salad/Vegetable
1. Tracy
2.

Dessert
1. Melissa
2.

2.

I'm Going to Elaborate . . .

I had a peripety.

First of all, let me say that it has been our prayer that we bring Avery home this year.

We have been waiting, officially according to China, since 12-11-06 to be matched with a baby girl from China. That is a long time, but we needed that length of time to have Carlie and to get to where we are now - so all is good, but enough of the waiting! Now that Carlie is over a year old we can officially accept a referral, if only China were on our schedule. So, according to the "predictions" made by websites that do that sort of thing with the China referral dates, if China started speeding up their process and referring even more children a month, then it could still be 2011 before we have our daughter, if that! So, Lyndal and I have been waiting to decide what to do - should we switch countries? should we stick it out and wait? should we switch agencies (we love Dillon)? should we go through the special needs program? We wanted God to guide us - open doors, close doors, make paths very clear . . .

Then the peripety came:
I read this blog post: http://gatheringpeeps.typepad.com/gathering_peeps/2009/02/page/2/ from a fellow Dillon mom who has adopted three children from China (has two biological children as well). It basically says that satan doesn't want families to be together, he hates us, he hates "the least of these." AND, China is not a predominately Christian country by any stretch - so you can imagine what hand satan has there! This is what lit a fire under my hiney to move this process along through any power WE (and, of course, God) could. Our agency did not have access to the main SN database, but were expecting approval for it anytime. So, we decided to fill out the SN checklist (a daunting and emotional task) so we could be ready when Dillon had access (IF they got approved). We said we'd give it two months and then we'd decide whether or not to switch agencies (we've since found out that we can't switch agencies, so that door was closed). The special needs checklist was almost completed and we get this email saying Dillon has been granted access to the special needs database, DOOR OPENED!

I turned in our checklist TODAY!

Now, how long do we have to wait before Dillon finds us a match? Not sure on that one, but it is a heck of a lot shorter than 2011. We are DEFINITELY closer to bringing Avery home THIS year!

We are now praying for God to guide the hands of the Dillon social workers who are finding these precious children parents!

What is Going On?

Hey girls!

Boy!  Do I need something to study!  How about you guys?  Well, we are in luck because our next study "The Patriarchs" by our beautiful Beth starts NEXT Tuesday (the one after Spring Break) at 6:30 at Janet P.'s house.  FEEL FREE TO INVITE A FRIEND OR TWO OR THREE!  I haven't spoken to our fearless leader, but the books are usually $15 - $20, so be prepared for that when you come next Tuesday.  Food will be on us (I'll do desserts - but I can't make cake balls, sorry:()! So, are you excited yet?  I sure am!  I need something to sink my teeth into!

Here's the DL (Down Low, for those not in the know):

Who - You and as many friends as you can round up

When - Tuesday March 24 at 6:30 pm

What to Bring - $15 to $20 to cover the cost of the book, your Bible, a smile, a limerick

Food - Provided by Janet and Lori

Where - Janet P.'s house (if you can't remember how to get there, email someone:)

Why - To DIVE into the Word of God, to fellowship with wonderful chicas, to GLORIFY HIM

See you there!

Love you!

Lori

Coming Soon to a Home Theater For US!

Just a reminder that we will be watching "Esther" Friday March 6. AND if you want to stay after Esther we will be watching "Napoleon Dynamite." OK, that last part is a lie, we are not watching ND! But, hey, come dressed really comfy - your favorite loungewear, slippers, pajamas, sweats, etc. We are just gonna have a little bit of a "bunkin party" as my Arkansas roommate called sleepovers.

Hey JANET! What are we doing for food? Is it pizza? Do you want us to bring desserts or salads or anything? Please tell me none of you gave up chocolate for Lent!

Bless YOU!
Lori

P.S. I saw Amy R. and she looks fabulous! We are talking FAB-U-LUSSS! (Not that she wasn't a hot momma before!)

MORE Recipes!

Italian meatloaf

1. 1pound ground beef
2. 1pound Italian sausage
3. 1cup Italian style bread crumbs
4. 1cup parmigiano reggiano cheese
5. 3 fresh roma tomatoes chopped
6. half yellow onion chopped
7. 2 cloves crushed garlic
8. 2 tsp. basil
9. 1 tsp. oregano
10. 1.tsp. salt
11. 1 tsp. pepper]
12. 3 eggs
*mix all ingredients in a large bowl and put into cake pan
cook at 350 for about 55 minutes or it depends on the oven
use a meat thermometer to check thats how I do it because
it is easy to dry this out. Your temp is safe at 165 degrees
Top with your favorite marinara sauce!


Papas con chile
1. five good size new potatoes(skin on)
2. one bell pepper
3. half an onion
4. two Tbsp. cilantro (fresh)
5. two tsp. chili powder
6. two tsp. cumin
7. half a cup of milk
8. four slices of American cheese
*combine all ingredients into microwave safe casserole
cook for fifteen to twenty minutes
your microwave may differ with the temp so stir every
six minutes. Mash with a hand masher so still chunky.
Potatoes should be soft. Salt and pepper to taste.

Almost Time for Goodbye

This has been wonderful. I have learned so much the past few weeks. For me personally I keep hearing the word "HOPE," as our family waits and waits for Avery to come home (over 2 years now), that is one word I NEED to hear. There's a paragraph on page 13 that I highlighted way back when we first started: "Has a negative event or a near-eternal wait recently made you lose hope about something important to you? Do you have any natural reasons to think that whatever your "once upon a time" might have been, it can never be now?" My answer to both of those questions is 'yes,' unfortunately. But on the next page there's the hope part! Go and read from page 13 (after the 'crown question') to the 2nd to the last paragraph before Day 2 which ends "the ending to each story is happy, but before that happy ending is realized, much grief occurs." Again, personally, this adoption process has been full of grief, but oh so full of HOPE because how our faith in our God has grown. He knows my name . . .

Psalm 18:24 (The Message)

^20-24 God made my life complete
when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together,
he gave me a fresh start.
Now I'm alert to God's ways;
I don't take God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works;
I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
and I'm watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

This was found on the wall of a Nazi concentration camp:

I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining.

I believe in love, even when I do not feel it.

I believe in God, even when He is silent. (Author Unknown)

We each have a story to tell, we are all God's people - princesses, chosen, knit together in our mother's womb, He knows our beginning and our end. We are so very much better off because of HIM and with HIM. "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

Esther Famous Recipes

Ultimate Spinach Dip

brought by Lori McMurphy :)

½ stick butter

1 10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach

6 oz. jar marinated artichokes (drained & cut up)

3-4 chopped green onions

2 8 oz. ream cheese packages

2 T. Mayonnaise or ¼ cup whipping cream

1 tsp each salt, pepper, garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic or both :)

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large skillet on stove, melt butter and add green onions and garlic (if using). Cook until onion is soft. Stir in spinach and artichokes. Add cream cheese, Mayo (or cream), salt & pepper. Stir until cream cheese has melted and ingredients are well blended into a smooth mixture. Pour into an 8x8 glass pan and top with parmesan cheese. Cook for 15 min. or until cheese is melt and top is golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips.

-------------------------------------------

OKLAHOMA COWBOY CAVIAR

Salad

1 can white shoepeg corn, drained (11 oz)

1 can black-eyed peas, drained (15 oz)

2 small avocados, chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

2/3 cup chopped cilantro

2/3 cup chopped green onions

Dressing

In a small bowl mix together with a wire whisk:

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup garlic red wine vinegar

¼ tsp fresh crushed garlic

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

Mix all ingredients and toss with dressing.

Best if it sets a few hours before serving.

Serve cold with tortilla chips.

Paula Reno

Feb 2009

-------------------------------------

Hot Chicken Salad

submitted by Janet Carmichael

1 cup cooked chicken, diced 1 1/2 c. celery,chopped fine

1/4 cup pimento, chopped 1/4 c. lemon juice

1 c. toasted almonds, sliced 10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup, undilluted

1/8 t. salt (optional) 1/4 c. onion, grated

4-5 eggs, hard-boild, chopped 1 c. green pepper, chopped

2, c. cheddar cheese, grated 1 c. mayo (can be fat-free)

crushed potato chips

Combine all ingreadients in a 5 quart shallow casserole dish except chips and cheese. Mix well. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Place potato chips on top and bake another 10 minutes.

----------------------------------------

Potato Sausage Soup

submitted by Janet Carmichael

1 lb. Ground sausage 1 yellow onion

3 - 14 oz. cans of chicken broth 4 cups frozen, shredded hash browns

10 3/4 oz. can cream of celery soup 10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup

12 oz. can evaporated milk 1 jar of mushrooms

Garnish: cheddar cheese

Brown sausage and onion in big pan over medium heat, stirring until the sausage crumbles and is no longer pink and the onion is translucent; drain and return to pan. Add chicken broth and has browns and mushrooms; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer for 30 minutes. In a separate saucepan, heat soups until they are blended and creamy; add milk and set aside. After sausage mixture is done simmering, add soup mixture; stir often until thoroughly blended and heated through. Sprinkle each serving with cheese. Makes 6-8 servings.

Really yummy and easy on a cold winters evening!!! Terrific with a pan of cornbread and nothing more!!

Hey Girls!

Gosh it has been a really long time since I blogged!  I miss it a lot!  Life has been a bit crazy around here, busy, and crazy!  Tonight's lesson was really good and it's hard to believe we only have one more week of Esther then the big movie night.  I'm not ready to say good bye to her and Mord yet or even King Headache, but look forward to what God has in store for us next.  Each study not only keeps me in the Word (and all over it, too), but lets me get closer to Him and you guys!  My cup runneth over!  On most Tuesdays I come home and dive right back in to the next week's lesson.  My husband said to me last week, "Didn't you just come from Esther?  And you are hitting it again?  Wow!  Must be good!"  Das right it's good!  Like a good TV show I don't want to be cancelled so I think, if I just watch it more and more maybe they won't cancel it!  

This is just a short little note to let you know that I haven't forgotten about our blog, that I WILL get busy on it and post more.  But, I would like some feedback from ya'll.  What do YOU want to see on here more?  I like pictures, I'm a visual learner and pictures help, so I try to always post a picture or video when it's appropriate.  I am going to work on getting some recipes on here this week, and post some about the lessons we have.  But what else do you want to see?  Any thoughts?  I'm open to suggestions?  Is there anything that I do post that you don't like?  I can take it - the criticism, I just want this to be entertaining, informational, and somewhat inspirational for all of us.

I'm starting to ramble.  Better get to bed.

Love ya'll,

Lori

I Smell Something Good!

We are back in business next Tuesday Feb. 3! I can't wait to see everyone! So, is everyone caught up and ready? What about those three "It's tough being a woman . . . " things our fearless leader wants from us? I'm almost all caught up with the study, but haven't tackled the "tough being a woman . . . " things, but I will!

One thing we need to do is sign up for dinner, we have people for dessert, and one for vegetable/salad, but nothing else. So, email me and let me know and I will post it so we can see where we are. We need to adjust our whole meal schedule, too, but we'll tackle one day at a time for now.

Main Dish

Vegetable/Salad
Paula

Dessert
Mary/Trena

Just a Friendly Little Note . . .

Bible Study is Cancelled for THIS Tuesday January 20, 2009.

DON'T show up!

DON'T bring food!

ENJOY an extra week to do your study!

Got it?

Get it?

Good!

AND when you do come to the next one, don't forget to bring your three reasons why it is tough to be a woman!

 Any questions?  Call our fearless leader, not me.  

Did You Come Up With One on Day One?

When she asked us to come up with our own chiastic structure I thought 'oh, my goodness this is going to be so hard!' (in my best whiney voice, of course, but still to myself).  But once I started using my brain, and at 6:40 in the A.M. it was not easy, let me tell you, I got one that probably would've gotten a 'D' in a college class if not an 'F' but, hey, I tried.  Are you ready?  I totally borrowed some of one that she used and made it my own:

Ask not what your mother can do for you.

Ask what you can do for your mother.

There you have it girls.  My brain doing chiastic structure really early in the morning.  Aren't you impressed?  What did you come up with?  Let me know and I will post them (anonymously - how else!)

So, I loved the point she made that Esther was a master politician.  That she knew just how to play on King X's sympathies and strong points, Esther was not only beautiful, she was brilliant!  How many of you knew how to get what you wanted from your parents, especially in high school?  I knew that if I wanted to go hang out with my friends on a Saturday night that I probably needed to do some chores around the house, and if I wasn't told to do them that was even better - possibly worth a little extra spending $$!  So, I would do whatever I could think of on Saturday afternoon:  mow the lawn, clean my room, be nice to my sisters (THAT was hard), clean the bathrooms, put my laundry away, etc.  I knew that my parents valued the old "work before play" motto and I played that up big time.  (Looking back, did I really need to work that hard?  Probably not, I'm sure they would have been glad to have a hormonal, whiney, grouchy, fight-picking, practical jokester, mess maker out of the house for a few hours.  But they never said anything because they didn't have to do those chores - free evening for them, too!)

Well, girls, on to day two!  I don't know about you guys, but when I leave Janet's on Tuesday night I want to dive right back in because I want to know what happens next (even though I have seen the Veggie Tales version).

Speaking of the VT version . . . I was listening to it while I was driving the other day.  Queen V. was kicked out on her royal veggie rumpus because she refused to get out of bed to make her precious King Headache (a giant cucumber) a sandwich!  Ha HA!  I thought that was hilarious!  King Headache woke up hungry one night and wanted his woman to get up and make him a sandwich and she told him to make it himself!  I had a good little laugh there by myself in the driver's seat!

Ya'll have a great day now!

FOOD!

January 13

Main Dish                         Veg./Salad             Dessert

Amy R./Mary K.              Linda/Keri D.        Lindsey "Cake Balls" F./Amy M.

Jan. 20th

Main Dish                        Veg./Salad             Dessert

Christina W./Paula R.   Wendy V./Trena   Janet C./Tracy 

Jan. 27

Main Dish                       Veg./Salad                 Dessert

????                                 Amy R.                         Paula

Feb. 3

Main Dish                       Veg./Salad                  Dessert

????                                  ?????                             Mary K./Trena

Feb. 10

MOVIE NIGHT!!!!

It Just Won't Leave Me Alone . . .

I've got a new kind of New Year's Resolution for myself and I thought that maybe, if we wanted, we could all join in. I know of someone very important to me that I am not 100% sure will go to heaven, or if they are their place might not be too great (their pants would definitely be on fire as they squeak through the pearly gates, if you know what I mean). So, I have committed to pray for my Dad everyday until I KNOW their walk with God is much more smooth, that they are helping people much more than they are hurting people, that they are making more friends than enemies, and that the right people are put in his path, that the right words come out of my mouth, and that he is blessing God and sees the blessings God has for him. I can remember when I was little asking him if he new Jesus he would say, "Well, of course I do!" But he wasn't a regular church goer, only an Easter, Christmas kind of guy. Now, I know you don't have to go to church every Sunday to get into heaven, but it sure does make life a lot smoother if you find a body of Bible believers that help you get fed. My Dad is a neat man, he knows a lot about a lot of things. His name has been on my heart for a very long time, and it just won't leave me alone.

So, if you have someone's name you want to add to this that's great, if not and you just want to do this privately that is fine, too. I'm sure we all know someone who hasn't accepted Christ or who could use some tweaking.

The List:

1. Dad
2. Larry
3. Candy

Anyone Feeling Sheepish on Day Two?

So, Haman had the gallows actually built!  BUILT the gallows to hang that mean ole Mord (why exactly does Haman think he's mean?  Oh yeah, history or something like that.)  Haman is just tying up lose ends (so to speak) fixing to take care of his mortal enemy when King Headache summons him for a question, "What shall be done for the man the king delights to honor?"  OF COURSE, he's talking about HIM!  Who else could it be?  SO, he comes up with THE most elaborate plan he can think of parading him on the finest of  ponies in front of the people of Susa . . . . 

Is that not the dumbest little video you have ever seen?! Ha HA!

Have You Met Petra?

Hey Girls!
We have a new sister! Her name is Petra Noelle and, from what I have heard, she is squishable! We will sign up to bring meals to the new family (Tony and Melissa Rainey) ASAP. Let me know if you are willing and able to bring food to them. St. James is on the ball as well for dinners, too. Say a pray for a great transition for the family to welcome this precious new bundle of joy!

We love you Melissa and Tony!

What Did You See in Day Three?

OK Girls . . .
I don't mean to skip any days, but I was as curious as our author to know what you wanted to know at the beginning of Day Three. Why was Haman so happy when he waltzed out of the banquet? When he ran into Mordecai his spirits sunk, what was Mordecai thinking? Had Mordecai spoken with Esther or Hathak? Was Mordecai aware that Esther made it through to see King X? So many questions were running through my head? I wish I could've been one of those people fanning someone at that banquet so I could've been eaves dropping! Why weren't there court reporters in those days?!

Now, how many of you have ever seen Seinfeld? Where Jerry answers the door or runs into "Newman?" He always say, "Hello, Newman." In a disgusted sort of way . . .


That is what I pictured when Haman ran into Mordecai that day at the gate. Haman, like Jerry, was in a great mood, but the instant he saw, "Newman" it was all over.

Onto day four . . . . !

Enjoy!