What the Word Says Wednesday: Got Grace?

Do you ever have those days when you feel like no matter what you do, you just are not good enough and aren’t sure if you ever will be? Do you question why would God ever want to use you? It is so easy when we have those days to let ourselves get down. Today, I just want to share with you a little bit of what God has been revealing to me about this.

This past August, the young adult group at my church (shout out to all my friends at EPAG ignite young adults!) went on a camping trip. I led one of the morning devotionals and the topic I chose was this- Can God Use Me? It had been on my mind a lot a that time and since then. Well, the past month or so I feel like God has been hammering His answers into my head. It seems like every sermon or podcast I listen to has been on this subject. Even our young adult Bible study has been covering this!

Here are a few of the key take a ways that I have found:

**Satan is always trying to steal our joy and one way he does it is by filling our minds with lies (such as I’m not good enough). We need to stand firm on what God has promised us! The only way we will know what God has promised us is by getting to know Him more, by spending time with Him and reading the Bible.

John 10:10: ^“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

**A lot of the people God used in mighty ways in the Bible had screwed up BIG time in their lives! Moses was a murderer (Exodus 2:12), David committed adultery and killed a man to try and hide it (2 Samuel 11),  Saul (who became Paul) persecuted the Christians (Acts 8), and there are many more examples. God has given us His grace as a free gift for us to accept. He will forgive us of any of our sins –all we have to do is ask!

Ephesians 1:6-8 “⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us.”

**God loves us so much! He is there for us no matter what and he won’t let us go!

Jeremiah 31:3 “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

**Times in life are not always going to be easy, but our heavenly father is there for us to look to and seek direction from. He will never give us more than we can handle. I love what my pastor said a couple of weeks ago- “Our scars on earth (scars we get from the trials we go through) will be beauty marks in heaven.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Below is the chorus to the song “Outta my Mind” by Anthem Lights. It speaks the desire of my heart and think it fits with this topic.

Get me outta my mind and into Your heart
It’s not about me, it’s not about me
So I’m gonna start playin’ my part in Your design
Now is the time
Get me outta my mind

This is the full song if you’d like to hear it.

I will leave you with this: Stand on God’s promises- learn them, memorize them. They are your greatest weapon against the enemy! Be encouraged, because you are more than enough in Him!

Lexi

Made it Monday: Lucky

Finally, I’m back with some crafts! I am so excited to share what I have been working on with you! After taking down all of my Valentines décor, I started working on decorating my place for St. Patrick’s Day. I had an idea in my head for a while to make an art piece out of a cupboard door I found in a free pile at a garage sale. Here is what I came up with:

I started off by removing the hardware and sanding it down (I love my mouse sander!). There was a good size hole in an awkward spot from where the handle was, so I knew I was going to have to be creative in order to cover that up.

After I sanded it, I primed and spray painted it. Then I roughed up the edges a bit to give it an aged look.

Next, I used my cricut to cut out the word “lucky.” I debated weather to use my vinyl as a stencil and paint on the word or to use the green vinyl. I decided I liked the green vinyl and it would be a lot easier, so I went with that.

To finish it off and cover up that hole, I rolled some flowers out of remnant fabric/burlap and hot glued them on. It is enjoying its new home on my seasonal shelf and I’m lovin’ it!

I finished a lot more fun projects over the past few days and will be sharing them with you soon!

Lexi

Linking to:

www.iheartnaptime.net

Tasty Tuesday: Chicken and Biscuits

Its Tuesday again, which means its time for another recipe. This one I actually didn’t find on pinterest- aren’t you proud of me! I promise I will have some new crafts for you here soon, I’ve just had a couple of really busy weekends and have been slacking in  the craft department. I do have a couple of things in the works right now though!

Today’s recipe, Chicken and Biscuits, is easy, affordable, and fills up a whole family. Just a warning, I did forget to take a picture of the finished product. It doesn’t look extremely appetizing until its cooked, but I promise it does taste good!

Ingredients:

1 cup diced celery

1/3 cup diced onion

2 cups diced, cooked chicken (I use 2-3 chicken breasts)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 can milk (by “can” I mean the cream of mushroom soup can probably equivalent to about a cup)

1 can biscuits

shredded cheese

Directions:

1-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2-Sauté onion and celery.

3-Cut biscuits into fourths, layer on the bottom of 9x13 greased pan.

4-Mix soup, milk, cooked chicken, and cooked celery/onions together and pour over biscuits. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes (I usually cover it with tin foil) or until biscuits are no longer doughy. Top with cheese. Allow cheese to melt in oven and then it is ready to go.

My nieces who are 6 and 3 love this and ate a ton when I made it for them. Hope you enjoy it as well!

Lexi

Tasty Tuesday: Valentine Treat

Happy Valentine’s Day! If you have a little time to make a special treat for your Valentine, I have a fun one to try. I thought these cupcakes turned out as a total flop, but turns out, everyone I gave them too really liked them.

Here is what you need:

1 brownie mix

1 strawberry cake mix

2 eggs

3 egg whites

1/2 cup canola oil (plus 2 tbsp.)

1 1/3 cup water (plus 1/4 cup)

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Whisk together the brownie mix, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup canola oil, and 1/4 cup water in a bowl. Stir just until fully incorporated, about 50 strokes; set aside.
3. Mix the cake mix, 2 tablespoons canola oil, 1 1/3 cup water, and 3 egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.

   4. Spoon the brownie batter into prepared muffin cups. I put about a heaping tablespoon in each.  Spoon the cake batter over the brownie batter, until muffin cups are each 2/3 full.

     5. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20-25minutes.

Some things I found out when baking these that may be helpful:

-The cupcakes that didn’t have quite as much brownie mix in them baked more evenly than the ones that had more brownie mix. (One issue I had was my cake mix part of the cupcake was done, but the brownie wasn’t.)

-It may be beneficial to spray the liners with cooking spray. Some of my liners were tough to get off.

I made some easy homemade frosting to top them off. Here is that recipe:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsp. butter or margarine, softened

2 tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix the ingredients together, frost and enjoy!

Soon I will have some fun St. Patrick’s Day projects to show you, so keep checking back!

John 15:9-14 (Jesus speaking) “As the father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.”

I am reminded today that Jesus is the true epitome of love. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Lexi

ps-this again was a pinterest recipe-http://iheart2stamp.com/2010/06/

Tasty Tuesday: Spinach Dip Mini Bread Bowls

Well, the Superbowl has come and gone. Hopefully you were satisfied with the outcome and had some really good food to help you get through the game! Today, I am going to share the recipe of the appetizer I made for my Superbowl party, Baked Spinach Dip Mini Bread Bowls. I found this recipe where I have found pretty much every other recipe lately-pinterest!I thought they were good an would make them again. Here is what you will need:

Baked Spinach Dip Mini Bread Bowls

13.3 oz roll of refrigerated french bread loaf

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

3 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 Cup light sour cream

2 Tablespoons fresh shredded parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon Ancho Chile Pepper (I couldn’t find this- I put in a dash of Chipotle Chili Pepper)

1/8 teaspoon Garlic Salt

1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray mini muffin cups with non stick cooking spray.  Unroll package of french bread loaf and slice into 15-20 equal size slices (20 should work great).  Press each slice into a round, I did this by pressing in between my hands.  Press into the bottom and up sides of the muffin cup.  Set aside.

2.  Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat.  Cook and stir spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes then add garlic, cook and stir for another minute then turn heat off.

3.  Place cream cheese, sour cream, cooked spinach and garlic, Parmesan Cheese, Ancho Chili Powder, garlic salt, salt and pepper into a medium bowl.  Mix until well combined.  Scoop dip into each of the centers of bread bowls.  Top evenly with shredded cheese and bake for 15-17 minutes until just turning brown on edges.  Remove and let cool for 3-5 minutes before removing from oven.

When I’m cooking, I have a tendency to forget to take pictures, so sorry for the lack of pics! I don’t even have one of the finished product! Below is the site I got the recipe from- the one change I made was that I made them in a mini muffin tin verses a regular muffin tin. She has some great picture on her site!

http://picky-palate.com/2011/01/31/baked-spinach-dip-mini-bread-bowls/

Enjoy!

Lexi

What the Word Says Wednesday: Forever Reign

Welcome to the very first What the Word Says Wednesday post this year! My Wednesday posts will be me sharing a little bit about what God has been teaching me, showing to me, and/or put on my heart. My hope in sharing this is that it will inspire you to develop a more intimate relationship with God. Maybe you’ve never had a relationship with the Lord; then my hope would be that you would seek the Lord and accept Him as your Savior. '

The past few weeks, the song Forever Reign by Hillsong United (and others sing it as well) has been really sticking out to me whenever I hear it. We started singing it in church shortly after I had started loving the song, and the lyrics really spoke to me. As, I’ve been singing it and hearing it, I thought it may be a neat idea to see where in the Bible it says these things about God. Below are the lyrics and a link to a video of Hillsong singing it. Underneath the video link, you will find some of the verses I found that claim the attributes of God the lyrics list.

Forever Reign

You are good, You are good
When there's nothing good in me
You are love, You are love
On display for all to see
You are light, You are light
When the darkness closes in
You are hope, You are hope
You have covered all my sin

You are peace, You are peace
When my fear is crippling
You are true, You are true
Even in my wandering
You are joy, You are joy
You're the reason that I sing
You are life, You are life,
In You death has lost its sting

Oh, I’m running to Your arms,
I’m running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

You are more, You are more
Than my words will ever say
You are Lord, You are Lord
All creation will proclaim
You are here, You are here
In Your presence I'm made whole
You are God, You are God
Of all else I'm letting go

Oh, I’m running to Your arms
I’m running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

My heart will sing
no other Name
Jesus, Jesus

Oh, I’m running to Your arms
I’m running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

You are good- 2 Timothy 1:9 “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.”

How awesome that God has saved us just because—we don’t have to do anything except ask Him into our hearts and we are saved! I’d say that is pretty good!

You are love- John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

You are light- 1 John 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”

You are hope- Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

You are peace- 2 Timothy 1:7 “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

Isaiah 41:13 “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

You are true- John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

You are joy- Psalm 126:3 “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”

You are life- 2 Timothy 1:9 “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

You are more- Read in the book of Revelation and you will see that God is more than we can imagine!

You are Lord- Revelation 17:14 “They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb has overcome them for He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings and with Him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

This is our memory verse for a Bible study on Revelation that I attend. I love this verse because it reminds me the Lord has overcome the enemy!

Revelation 19:16 “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

You are here- Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

You are God- Exodus 3:13-15 “Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” ¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.^[a] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” ¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD,^[b] the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

   “This is my name forever,
   the name you shall call me
   from generation to generation.

These are just a few of the verses I found to back up what the lyrics in this song say. I hope you find them encouraging!

Lexi