The Blogging Pastors Wife

February Sacrifice Challenge Day One

2012-02-23T13:16:00.001-05:00

Over three billion people — more than half the world population as of 2010 — live on less than $2.50 US Dollars (USD) a day. More than 80% of the population lives on less than $10 USD per day. Resource Here

Another source states the same thing:

Almost half the world – over three billion people – live on less than $2.50 a day. And at least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.

Chart and facts taken from:http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

I first heard these statistics as I was listening to a Francis Chan message. I don’t even remember what the message was about, but I do remember how much these statistics impacted my thinking. For a month I have been mulling them over in my head.

We have been certainly blessed beyond measure, but I am not so sure money is as big of a blessing as I always thought it was. It is a blessing please don’t get me wrong, but Hudson Taylor once said in a round about way that money can get in the way of seeing God. And on many levels I think he may be right. When we have money we don’t rely on God for the day to day things. When we have money we take everything we have for granted. When we have money we rely on our own efforts and what we do for a living and forget that God is the giver and provider.

I have been sick much of this week and have not been on the computer. That is why I have not posted as normal, but I have been able to read a couple of books that have been life changing. I read a biography on Hudson Taylor and George Muller. Both books are full of the impossible work of God in the lives of these men. They relied on God for everything and God worked so mightily in their lives. I have been very convicted and paired with these statistics I easily found what God would have us to do for our February sacrifice challenge.

Our challenge for the last week of February starting today will be to live on only $2.50 a day for the remainder of the month. We will rely on God for every need that surpasses this amount. We have already seen Him provide so abundantly this week. It is so cool to see how He goes before us preparing the way!

This week we have received random gifts from people. God is so amazing…

One gentleman left a five gallon bucket of potatoes on our front porch.

A lady in our church gave us a dozen eggs.

And the other day a man in our church grilled us this wonderful chicken that I have been saving for this evening as a testimony of God’s provision for our week of sacrifice. I didn’t take a picture of the other side that shows I have already tasted this awesome chicken. I just had to make sure it was good.

None of these people knew that we were going to embark on this week of sacrifice. They all just gave as they were led. For me it was a confirmation that this is exactly what God was planning out for our week.

We are starting out with a couple of staples and some normal pantry items, but we did not make a grocery run right before this challenge. I went to the store on Monday to get a couple things to last until today. Mark did stop by the store yesterday for some medicine, lunch meat, and cream right before the challenge because I was in need of medicine. Other than that we are just starting the week with bread, eggs, 1 gallon of milk, cheese, lunch meat , and normal cupboard staples. We do have some fruit leftover from last week and we have a freezer full of meat because we purchase 1/8 of a cow last fall.

In all reality we are starting out rich! But my goal for this week is not to spend more than $2.50 a day for the next 7 days. I am already seeing that it will be a little bit of a challenge because we are out of pretzels for the kids lunches. I will have to get creative! All in all I am thrilled that once again we get to stretch ourselves out of the comfort of our normal lifestyle to see in a small part how others in this world live!

A Little Bit Rotten

2012-02-19T23:15:00.001-05:00

As Breanna grows she gets more and more rotten. She is now learning how to say mine! I really don’t know where she learned that. Garrett and Lexi don’t use those words anymore so I am perplexed?!?! This evening she threw a fit because Lexi was merely looking at her and her toys. Boy, all of the sudden we have hit a new phase.

Yes she’s a little rotten…

but…

Oh, so sweet!

God Fumes

2012-02-17T23:48:00.001-05:00

This week has been a very trying week. Last Friday started with the sad news of death. A young man in our church suddenly passed away. It has brought a lot of grief to our church family and town. The impact of such tragedy is overwhelming yet can be very short lived. We pray that we can be a help and comfort to this family as they see everyone else go back to normal but their own family. I pray daily that God would work in amazing ways to honor Himself through this young man’s life and death. Please continue to pray for this dear family!

God is doing the impossible in our midst, and I want to share some of these things with you for the sole purpose of giving glory and honor to God. There has not been a day to go by that we have not seen the mighty hand of God at work.

If I do not record the work of God then I can quickly forget the abundant and amazing things that God is doing in our lives. I never want to forget what He is doing or has done in our lives. So more than anything this is just a record for us to remember.

Everything I am sharing with you all started a couple of weeks ago. Our church hosted a movie night where we showed the new film Courageous. The church was packed. Many of our town’s Police Men, Fire Men, and Rescue Workers came and that night we honored them. It was a great night. God was working! I met a lady that night who knew who I was before I knew who she was. It is amazing how we can impact a life without knowing it, but God goes before and plans all things out for His good and glory. At Christmas I took a candy bar bouquet to a random local Hair Salon as a random act of giving. I prayed over the candy bar bouquet and the Hair Salon, but haven’t given it any thought since then. The lady I met that night at the Courageous event was the same lady I took the bouquet to I just didn’t recognize her. They now have been coming the last few weeks.

Since then we found out about a family in our community who lost their baby right before Christmas and have been burdened for them so Mark visited their business to introduce himself to them and invite them to church. We now know that this couple is best friends with the Hair Salon lady who has also invited them to our church and…this past Sunday they came! God is at work!

A young man came to Mark after the funeral on Tuesday to inquire about salvation. Before he left Mark’s office he had come to faith in Christ. God is at work!

Tuesday Mark received an email from a teacher at a local Community College who was asking him to come and share with the class about Christ. The young man who passed away last week was a student in this class and the teacher wanted Mark to share with the students about the faith that their classmate had. Many were very receptive and were able to share about how their lives had been impacted. Mark just received a follow up email from the teacher this evening saying that she would love to have him return and share in more ways! PRAISE GOD! God is at work!

One of the biggest prayers I have for my children is that they would see God at work in their own lives. That they wouldn’t live in the dust of their parents faith, but they would have a real tangible faith of their own (not meaning salvation because Garrett and Lexi have already made professions). This Thursday God answered a huge prayer that Garrett had been praying for a year. Garrett has been praying that a fellow classmate would get saved and he did. God is at work!

By Thursday afternoon we knew of 4 people getting saved within the prior 24 hours. We also learned of two others that want to get baptized and follow the Lord’s leading in their lives. God is at work!

We have been tired and I haven’t posted much this week but God has poured out His blessing upon us and we are so energized and revived even though we feel like our tank is empty…we are running on God fumes! There is no better way!

What has God been doing in your life?

Book Review–Christian Heroes: D.L. Moody

2012-02-15T09:49:00.001-05:00

* Picture Taken From www.Amazon.com

Our family has just recently been introduced to the most amazing books. For Christmas our kids received a couple Christian Hero books. These books are biographical sketches of men and women of faith.

Last night we (actually I) finished the life of D.L. Moody. I have heard of Moody my whole life. I knew he was a good preacher and that there is a Moody Bible Institute because of him, but didn’t know much beyond that. As a family we started out reading one chapter a night for family time, but soon were reading 2-3 chapters at a time because we couldn’t put it down. I will have to admit that last night after the kids went to bed I had to finish the book without them because it was so interesting. We will go back and read the remaining chapters with them another night.

This book written by Janet and Geoff Benge has been wonderfully put together. They have done an excellent job of putting Moody’s life into story form. I highly recommend this book. For me, it is a life changing book. To see what God can do through a life that is uneducated is beyond my comprehension. God is the lifter up of our name so He can lift up His Name!

Life is so short and we only have one chance at it. I have been challenged more than ever before to live each day as if it were my last. There is no imagination big enough to imagine what God can do through someone yielded to God’s work and His will! I want to be that kind of person.

You can find this book by following this link to Amazon: D.L. Moody Book

Or, You can also find all the books in this series by visiting: YWAM Publishing

There are also many other books in this series including biographies of:

Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf: First Fruit

J ohn Wesley: The World His Parish

William Carey: Obliged to Go

Adoniram Judson: Bound for Burma

John Williams: Messenger of Peace

George Müller: The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans

David Livingstone: Africa's Trailblazer

William Booth: Soup, Soap, and Salvation

Hudson Taylor: Deep in the Heart of China

D.L. Moody: Bringing Souls to Christ

Lottie Moon: Giving Her All for China

Mary Slessor: Forward Into Calabar

Florence Young: Mission Accomplished

Jonathan Goforth: An Open Door in China

C.T. Studd: No Retreat

Wilfred Grenfell: Fisher of Men

Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems

Ida Scudder: Healing Bodies, Touching Hearts

Rowland Bingham: Into Africa's Interior

Lillian Trasher: The Greatest Wonder in Egypt

Sundar Singh (Sadhu): Footprints Over the Mountains

Corrie ten Boom: Keeper of the Angels' Den

Cameron Townsend: Good News in Every Language

C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller

Clarence Jones: Mr. Radio

Isobel Kuhn: On the Roof of the World

Eric Liddell: Something Greater Than Gold

Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime

Jacob DeShazer: Forgive Your Enemies

Rachel Saint: A Star in the Jungle

Paul Brand: Helping Hands

Betty Greene: Wings to Serve

Nate Saint: On a Wing and a Prayer

Elisabeth Elliot: Joyful Surrender

Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose

Brother Andrew: God's Secret Agent

Loren Cunningham: Into All the World

David Bussau: Facing the World Head-on

I know you will be blessed to read these books. These are a wonderful way to bring the family together at night. I will always remember growing up hearing my dad read from books while sitting on my parents bed at night. They are memories I will treasure forever. I do remember some nights we wouldn’t be able to continue reading because we would all get to laughing at the silliest things. By setting aside even a small amount of time daily a family can grow together and make lasting memories.

Valerie

Last Minute Valentine’s

2012-02-12T23:00:00.001-05:00

I have been trying to get these printables up for a couple of days but it just hasn’t happened. Tonight I am sharing a printable candy wrapper and a Valentine.

These flower suckers are so much fun to make and give. Each page will print four flowers with leaves. Cut out each flower and leaf set. Then, cut a hole where the black x is to insert the sucker. Fold the leaf set in half and glue or tape it around the sucker stick. Happy Valentine’s is printed on each leaf. There is plenty of room to add To: and From: on the opposite side of the leaf.

Click Here To Print

These printable candy bar wrappers fit a large size candy bar. I almost always give Symphony Bars so I made these wrappers specifically to fit the medium size bar. These will also fit most large size candy bars. Print, cut, and add your own personal touch through ribbon or embellishments.

Click Here To Print

I know these are last minute Valentine’s ideas, but hopefully they will help at least one person!

I hope each of you has a wonderful week. Live in light of eternity!

Tomorrow could be our last,

Valerie

Four Printable Valentine's Cards

2012-02-10T21:39:00.004-05:00

It's Friday! Tonight I am sharing with you four different printable Valentine Cards. Each 8.5x11 sheet will print two cards. Click on the link below the card to print.

Click Here To Print

Tomorrow I will be sharing Valentine's Candy Bar wrappers and some kid's Valentine's.

I hope you enjoy these.

*Please, Please be in prayer for a family in our church who lost their 19 year old son this morning. I can't even imagine the pain and heartache they are going through so please uplift their family in your prayers.

Valerie

Printable "I Love You" Valentine Card

2012-02-08T21:48:00.002-05:00

Tonight I am sharing with you a simple I Love You card for those special people in your life. It can't get any easier to give a card - just print! No making or shopping required. Each card measures 5.5x4.25. There are two cards per printed sheet.

Click Here To Print

I hope you are having a wonderful week.

What are your plans for Valentine's?

Printable Memory Verse Cards February Week Two

2012-02-07T21:15:00.004-05:00

This weeks verse cards have a Valentine's design, but a Jonah theme. Our Ladies Bible Study group is going through the study "Jonah - Navigating a Life Interrupted," by Priscilla Shirer. I have taken 4 verses and 2 quotes from week two of the study. Even if you are not going through Jonah these verses/quotes will be a great blessing.

Click Here To Print

Printable Scripture Table Tents

2012-02-06T22:45:00.001-05:00

Deuteronomy 11:18-19 says, "Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ¹⁹You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

Do you find that it can be hard to live out this verse? I sure do! My house is full of Scripture. I have it everywhere including my bathrooms. From where I am sitting I can see 7 different Scripture decor pieces in my house. Sometimes if I am not careful I can pass by these verses not even giving notice to them. There are times that I may need to bind them to my hands as Deuteronomy says so I can see them. :) I love the importance this verse places on God's Word. His Word is so important that they should be bound to our hands, but even more importantly laid up in our hearts and souls.

It takes effort though doesn't it? If we don't make the effort to teach it to our children then someone else will teach them something we might not want them learning. That is a scary thought.

Even though there are days when I pass by the Scripture all around our house and don't take notice there are just as many days when those Scriptures come alive. God's Word is living and active! I love to have Scripture everywhere, but one of my favorite places is at the table. I love sitting down for a meal listening to the kids quote the verses that I have placed on the table.

I wanted to share with you some Scripture table tents. I made these for our Ladies Bible Study group that meets tomorrow morning, but I will also be using these to decorate our table for Valentine's. I hope to share pictures with you sometime this week.

Each 8.5x11 page will print two table tents. Cut each sheet in two and fold in half to make a table tent. I have created two different designs that you can print below. I hope you enjoy these!!

Click To Print

Printable Valentine Tags

2012-02-05T23:01:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend! Wouldn't it be nice for every one's team to win the Super Bowl? We do not have T.V. channels, but were able to pick up the game online. Garrett changed who he was rooting for about 4 to 5 times. In my heart the Bronco's won (even thought they weren't even playing)! :) I do not follow football at all nor do I have a favorite team, but our house has a favorite player and I am sure everyone can guess who that is.

Tonight I am sharing some printable Valentine tags. Each sheet will print 7 different gift tags that you can cut out and give with your Valentine's gifts. Use a heavy weight paper for best results!

Click Here To Print

I hope you enjoy these tags!

Valerie

Printable Valentine's Greeting Card

2012-02-03T23:57:00.001-05:00

Each day until Valentine's I will be posting a free printable. So far I have posted Printable Verse Cards and a Valentine's Scripture Art. Today I am sharing a free printable greeting card. Each page will print 2 cards. When folded they measure 4.25 by 5.5 inches. All you have to do is cut in half and give. Enjoy!!

Click Here To Print

Valentine's Scripture Art

2012-02-02T22:58:00.000-05:00

Today I am sharing with you a printable Scripture Art or Verse Art. I love the verse in Jeremiah that says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love..." I know that this statement was a specific word for Israel, but God's love has never changed and will never change so we know that He also loves us with an everlasting love! His love is eternal! How encouraging to know that even when people fail us and may even stop loving us, our God will never stop loving us! Not only that but His love is complete and perfect.

I hope this will help make your Valentine's cheery. God LOVES us!

Click Here To Print

I Just Have To Share

2012-02-01T23:51:00.001-05:00

What an awesome night! Tonight seemed like an ordinary night, but GOD makes the ordinary so extraordinary!!

This evening was the first night of our Wednesday night Ladies Bible study on Jonah. We had such a great group of ladies, some of which had never been to a study before. How exciting!   While our Ladies group was meeting, there was also an awesome Missionary speaking in the main service from Uganda (I LOVE Uganda). I know everyone was blessed by her testimony and ministry.   God was doing such a mighty work in our midst this evening. He met with every age group including the children because this evening 10 children made professions of faith! Can I say it again...how exciting!!!!

I have shared in a previous post that this week has been set aside as a week of prayer and fasting.   It may only be me but I am sure someone can relate to that fact that fasting can really play with the mind and stomach. Every time my stomach growls it is a reminder to pray which is great!    But, fasting can easily be the main focus of fasting!

I read a great quote this week in our Jonah Bible Study that says, "We've become so enamored with the big fish, we've lost sight of a big God." Priscilla Shirer

This evening as I was thinking and praying the Lord really convicted me with this quote, but it had nothing to do with Jonah or a whale.

Some might look at fasting like a hardship or difficulty and that might be why we don't practice fasting very often in Christian circles. I know for me it can be difficult because of the high importance I place on food. When something takes the place of God in our life it is hard to hand over that control. Then when we hand it over to the Lord we still keep remembering what we handed over!  Fasting can become more about the loss of food or what I am giving up for the Lord - a self focused fast. We can become so caught up in the act of fasting that we lose sight of the God we are fasting for.

I pray that the Lord will help me to focus more on the GREATNESS and BIGNESS of God than the loss of the temporary...food! Tonight was a wonderful reminder of how GREAT and BIG our GOD is! There is nothing to difficult for Him!!

Mark 9:14-30

¹⁴And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. ¹⁵Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. ¹⁶And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?”

¹⁷Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. ¹⁸And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”

¹⁹He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” ²⁰Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

²¹So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”

And he said, “From childhood. ²²And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

²³Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

²⁴Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

²⁵When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” ²⁶Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

²⁸And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”

²⁹So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Verse Memory Cards - February Week One

2012-02-01T09:31:00.001-05:00

Everyday until Valentine’s Day I will be sharing a new printable. Each printable will have something to do with Valentine’s except for today’s printable. Here are some printables you will find here within the next 14 days.

Verse Cards
Scripture Art (I LOVE Scripture Art)
Valentine’s Cards
Cupcake Toppers
Candy Bar Wrappers
Children’s Valentines
Valentine Table Tents
Recipe Cards
A Tract on Love and More

The verse cards for today go along with the theme of Priscilla Shirer’s new Bible study Jonah – Navigating a Life Interrupted. Our ladies Bible Study just started this study yesterday and I cannot wait to see what the Lord is going to do as a result. This is my first Priscilla study and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the study so far. She has such a heart and passion for the Lord and Missions!
Each week I will post a new set of verse cards to go along with the Jonah Bible Study. There are 6 weeks of lessons so I will share with you six weeks of verse cards. Each printable page is made up of 6 verses and 2 Priscilla Shirer quotes.

Click To Print Verse Cards

I hope you have an awesome day in the Lord,

Valerie

What Makes You Smile?

2012-01-31T20:39:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago the kids got a special treat in the mail. Mark’s Uncle sent the kids a smile in the mail.

It wasn’t just any smile, but an edible cookie smile.

And boy did it make them all smile!!

Well…everyone but one…

All Breanna could do was stuff the whole cookie in her mouth. She really doesn’t get the concept of savoring every bite.

What is the funnest thing you have ever received in the mail?

(I know funnest is not a word, but it’s so fun to say. )

Missions Monday

2012-01-30T09:39:00.001-05:00

Monday’s here at The Blogging Pastor’s Wife have just become Missions Monday! I am so excited to share with you posts about Missions. Missions Monday will be full of guest writers, Mission opportunities, outreach ideas, and so much more. If you would like to share about a Missions trip or write a Missions article please email me. It is my hearts desire to one day have a “Blogging Missions” section of my blog. I want to go where ever the Lord leads and take my readers with me through the blog. This is something that you could pray with me about!

Today, I have invited Lisa Gerrity of World Servants to be our guest on the blog. Lisa is a Volunteer Mission Leader with World Servants. Lisa has such a heart for the Lord and for Missions. I hope you enjoy her post!

Pray, Commit and Trust...

...three things I rely on, to know when and where God wants me to serve next. The journey started 13 years ago, with my first World Servants Mission trip. I had just asked Jesus into my heart, to take over and change my life. I had made some poor choices and yet according to the world I had a great life, but inside I was running on "empty". Working as a Flight Attendant for 12 years, I had travelled the globe, lived in Spain, and enjoyed all that the world had to offer. I had no idea that the real adventure was about to begin. I was an excited new Christian, eager to learn about following Jesus.

As I drove down the street one morning, something on the Christian radio station caught my attention, "Join us on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic and discover the Joy of Serving!" They described how we'd travel to the island, stay in bunk bed housing, work with locals to build a church, and minister to small children through Vacation Bible School. I thought, truly this is my Cinderella slipper! I love children, love to work with people, and love to travel. And I certainly don't mind getting a little dirty! They announced the price and the deadline to register, which was quickly approaching. I got home and started praying... and praying... and praying, and when I knew I had the time off, the deposit required, and felt that wonderful peace of assurance inside, I was ready to COMMIT, and then TRUST Him with the rest. TRUST that I would raise the total cost to go, TRUST that I'd know what to do on a foreign construction site with no previous experience, TRUST that I'd be able to use my "o.k." Spanish language skills to build relationships there, and TRUST that I would even know what to say to someone who asked about Jesus, when I had only been saved for 4 months myself! TRUST...

One thing I have learned for certain, is that God can use anyone who is willing... even a new Christian on the mission field, if they have the passion to serve and the love of Christ. At the end of the trip, I loved serving and missions so much that I signed up for their Volunteer Leadership Training that summer. Preparation included assisting on a trip first and after much prayer, I was flying off to KOSOVO to serve again! You know you are in the Lord's will, when you can't speak Albanian, but you are making lasting friendships anyway and people are coming to Christ. I kept PRAYING, and God kept providing; the passion, the funds, and all that I needed, to know where and when to go next. It's been 13 years now, (with a 6 year pause to have a son), and I've served on 8 mission trips all over the world, in the D.R., Kosovo, Mexico, Kenya, Navajo Nation, West Virginia and Kentucky.

God will amaze you if you let Him. My son Noah is excited to return to Kentucky on his second mission trip this summer, and my sweet husband is leading our Worship again this year! God is so faithful, and I know He has many more adventures to serve planned for me, as long as I PRAY, COMMIT AND TRUST...

Lisa Gerrity, Volunteer Mission Leader

Join us in Wheelwright, Kentucky this summer, as we serve the community and share the love of Christ! July 29-Aug 4th, 2012

For more information go to www.WorldServants.org or contact Lisa Gerrity at lisamgerrity@aol.com .

Brian, Lisa and Noah Gerrity

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

1 Peter 4:10

Sacrifice Challenge Day Six

2012-01-28T20:03:00.001-05:00

I have some good news and bad news. I am going to share my bad news first. I have decided to end our Sacrifice Challenge early due to some health issues. Last night after dinner we were all sitting around having some family time when I had a gallbladder attack. I haven’t had an attack for months due to eating healthier, exercising, and losing weight. I thought I was out of danger, but I have a feeling this challenge triggered something causing an attack. My normal diet consists of tons of fiber, veggies, chicken, whole wheat pastas and bread, and healthy fats. I do splurge more than I should, but with my gallbladder issues I have really tried to be good. This week consisted of tons of red meat, very few vegetables, and very little fiber which is why I had an attack last night. So due to my gallbladder issues I have cut our week long challenge short.

We have learned so much this week and I wouldn’t take it back because it has been a great experience. Today Garrett was complaining because of the healthy snack choices I was giving him and I quickly reminded him that we could always go back to eating Ugandan food. He changed his mind really fast. It will be a great experience to look back on if only to remind them what they could eat if the complain.

The good news is that I am feeling 100% better today. My attack last night was a pretty short attack lasting only about an hour.

I haven’t exactly decided what our next challenge will be but you can stay tuned for a new challenge coming up in February. Our kids have been coming up with great ideas for future challenges. I think they are afraid of what I might come up with.

I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow worshipping our GREAT God!!!
Valerie

Sacrifice Challenge Day Five

2012-01-27T21:41:00.001-05:00

The Israelites wondered in the desert for 40 years eating only manna given to them by God. This account is found in Exodus 16. Sometimes when we read the Bible we wonder why people did what they did. It is easy to read the account of the Israelites and wonder how they could complain when the God of the Universe was providing miraculously for them. I know that I have been guilty of thinking that if it were me I would have had a different attitude.
This week we have been very limited in the foods we can eat and already we find ourselves getting grumbly about the lack of options. We remember back to what we ate last week and find ourselves wanting that food. We aren’t much different from the Israelites. We complain but in even better circumstances. What a lesson! We have so much to be thankful for even when eating a very limited selection of food.
Today I have been asked almost a dozen times when we would eat normal food again. I know the kids are ready to return to our normal eating habits, but I really hope they are learning at least a little from this experience.
This morning for breakfast Mark and I had flat bread with peanut butter. I am not a big peanut butter fan at all so I didn’t care for it much, but Mark liked it. It looks almost like a quesadilla.

For lunch I had another stir fry over rice. I made Mark a grilled flat bread sandwich using roast beef. It has been a challenge to be creative with the food options we have. All my creative juices have been spent elsewhere this week.

For dinner we had Ugandan meatballs, rice, beans, and grill onions. It turned out to be a really good dinner. I will have to say that we might never eat beef again after this week. We have had beef overload. I see in the forecast chicken, shrimp, or a vegetarian diet. But I am not complaining it has been a great experience.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I am really looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning. Let’s see if we are able to because of our sweet little Breanna.
Night,
Valerie

How To Make and Post A Printable

2012-01-27T20:42:00.001-05:00

I was asked to write a guest post for Jenifer from http://www.mun-emakingblogs.blogspot.com/. She asked if I would write a post on how to make and post my printable calendars. I decided to share it with you guys as well. I hope you enjoy this tutorial!
I am so thrilled to share with you today how I go about making my printables. Today I will share with you how I make a printable calendar. For all of my printables I use Microsoft Publisher. Right now that is what I have been able to afford and it is very easy to work with. Someday I would love to purchase Adobe’s Photoshop or Creative Suite, but for now I am happy with Publisher.
The first thing I do when designing anything is look for ideas. I will look for color combos using anything that catches my eye. For instance, this room has tons of wonderful colors that really catch my eye.

Photo Credit

I will choose two or three colors from a picture that work well together and then set out to create my project. I love using digital papers for my creations and have a small collection that I use over and over again. The neat thing about digital papers is that you can use the same paper over again with a different look by changing the color of the paper using your design program. I have found most of my papers through an online craft site called Etsy. There are so many beautiful papers to choose from. The most important thing when choosing a paper is to read the paper designers Copyright policy. I usually will email a designer letting them know what I am doing to see if it is okay with them. Most of the time it is fine, but I want to be above reproach when it comes to Copyright laws. There are some designers that design paper only for personal use and it would be wrong for me to post it for the world if that wasn’t their intention. Also, some designers use a photo stock site, but the prices can be very high. I do not pay any more than $2.00-$5.00 for a complete digital paper pack. Photo stock websites start at $15.00 for just one image.

I also chose my Verses before I start my project so that I know what direction I am heading before creating. If I don’t I find myself staring at a blank screen for a while trying to come up with ideas. February reminds me of love so my verse for February is Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” I could also have used a verse in 1 Corinthians 13, which is the love chapter of the Bible.

Now that I have picked my colors, paper, and verse I can start laying out my project. I start with my background first and layer each item on top. This calendar is so simple and does not require much design at all. I put my paper in the back ground, added a white box to go behind February, and then added my text. I thought it would be fun to make each letter of February a different color so I chose colors within my theme and went to town. When picking a font I usually type in my word, highlight it, and run down my font list to see which font looks the best. Very original I am sure. I then use my Publisher program to add a table which will be my calendar. Then I put in my numbers, days of the week, and verse. This is so simple. The hardest part is picking out the colors and font.

When I am done creating I save my document three ways. I save it as a Publisher document, a PDF file, and a PNG (portable network graphics format). When saving it as PDF or PNG you have to go up to the top left of the page and click “Save As”. In the “Save As” screen you will see a Save As Type button at the bottom of the Save As box under File Name. You will want to chose your options from that button by clicking on it and choosing PDF or PNG (each separately).
After I have saved my document I then upload my file to an online storage website. I use Dropbox, but there are other free storage websites as well. Dropbox not only stores my documents for me it also gives me a link to put on my blog post. Anyone that clicks on the link has immediate access to my document. Another neat thing about Dropbox is that they give you a box to put on your computer desktop that allows you to just drop your file into the box. This is why it is called Dropbox. After it is dropped it shows up in your online Dropbox account. I only upload my PDF file to Dropbox. I use PDF because it is a permanent document that cannot be altered and everyone who downloads a PDF reader can view and print this type of document.
Now that everything is in place I start my blog post. In my post I will upload a picture of my calendar. This picture is not found in the picture folder of my computer, but in the document folder. I look for my February Calendar document that has a PNG at the end. This is the picture I will upload to my blog post. I then copy and paste the link for my PDF document from Dropbox and put it under the calendar. You can add your own text to the link by inserting a Hyperlink. This allows you to write your own text for the link. For instance, if I don’t want the link to say, http://www.thebloggingpastorswife.blogspot.com/2012/01/printable-calendars-for-february-2012.html then I can make it say, Click Here To Print by using the Link button on the blogger tool bar.
After you have completed your post you should be set to go. The whole world will now be able to see and print your printable.
I hope this tutorial helps you. If you have any questions please ask!
Many blessings as you create!
Valerie

Sacrifice Challenge Day Four

2012-01-26T21:56:00.000-05:00

We started our day today with two sick fellas. Garrett and Mark were not feeling very well. The first thing Garrett said was that the African food made him sick. It was way too funny. I later found out that when Garrett's class heard he was sick they all said it was the African food. I think I was the only one defending that it wasn't the food. :) Garrett recovered really quickly and was able to return to school after lunch.

For breakfast we had leftover potatoes which I fried up with onions. They were wonderful and a great start for our day.

We enjoyed our lunch so much yesterday that we had almost the same lunch today. I fried up some onion, mushroom, and leftover pineapple that I put on top of flat bread and beef. It had a great flavor and the pineapple added such a great dimension.

For dinner we had a Ugandan stew. As I was researching the Ugandan culture I found a recipe for Bunyoro stew which is basically a very simple beef stew. It called for cubed beef, tomatoes, onion, and curry powder. The Ugandans put this stew over rice. I also made some corn mix cakes to go with our stew.

We have just a few more days left until this challenge is over and I think our family is ready to go back to normal eating. I really miss my salads and veggies. This week is definitely preparing us for next week because next week starts our churches first prayer and fasting week of the year. I am really looking forward to see what God is going to do through our church this year.

Tomorrow is Friday!!!
I hope you have an awesome day.

Valerie

Printable Scripture Art - Exceedingly Abundantly

2012-01-26T15:34:00.002-05:00

I had a little free time this afternoon so I created a printable Scripture Art using Ephesians 3:20-21. I love the words "exceedingly abundantly" and I love putting Scripture all around our home. This is one of my favorite verses and has proven true over and over again in our lives. He truly can do above and beyond our imaginations!

This printable will fit in an 8x10 frame. Click on this link to print - http://db.tt/80LdzXyP

Sacrifice Challenge Day Three

2012-01-26T00:15:00.002-05:00

This week our family had decided to challenge ourselves by sacrificing in the area of food. We recently adopted a Compassion child from Uganda and wanted to know more about how he might eat. For this challenge we are eating only what a child from Uganda would eat, but just for one week. We have just completed day three of our journey. If you are new to the blog and would like to catch up you can visit these posts:

Challenge prep: http://www.thebloggingpastorswife.blogspot.com/2012/01/family-challenge-preparation.html
Day One: http://www.thebloggingpastorswife.blogspot.com/2012/01/sacrifice-challenge-day-one.html
Day Two: http://www.thebloggingpastorswife.blogspot.com/2012/01/sacrifice-challenge-day-two.html

Sacrifice Challenge Day Three

We made it through the day without any drama what so ever! There wasn't any grumbling or complaining, and everyone was very thankful for the food they were given. Lexi even passed me a note this evening letting me know how thankful she was for the food.

I did take some notes from yesterday and switched up the menu just a little bit for today. I realized that there wasn't enough protein in our diet yesterday which led to Mark getting very bad headache. Today I made sure everyone had plenty of protein.

I was also very thankful to find out that Ugandans have onions and tomatoes...well at least that is what I read on the internet. If anyone really knows please fill me in. I love tomatoes and onions so I immediately started incorporating these into our diet.

This is what we had today...

For breakfast I set out pineapple, bananas, and peanuts to let everyone fend for themselves.

For lunch I sent the kids with rice, sweet potatoes, flat bread, peanuts, and a banana. Mark and I had flat bread with seasoned beef on top. We took the liberty of dolloping sour cream on top. I figured if they have milk then they can surely make sour cream some how. Right? Our lunch was really good. It almost tasted like a fried taco. I am a huge Mexican food lover so this was great!

For dinner I decided we needed some Americanized Ugandan food. We had an African version of burgers and fries. Tomorrow night I will cook the traditional Ugandan meal like I mentioned last night.

I diced up some potatoes and threw them in a bowl with salt, minced onions, pepper, and oil. Coated them and put them on a pan to bake. They were okay. (I usually make these using an onion soup mix and it turns out awesome.)

I fried up some fresh pineapple and onion to put on my burger. I love grilled pineapple on a burger. The best burger in the world is the one from Red Robin with pineapple on it. This didn't taste anything like it, but it was still a good meal.

I know that a sacrifice of food doesn't even compare to some of the issues that our little Compassion child goes through. In no way do I want to give the impression that by altering our food intake for a week we are living like he does. I still have my cookware, flat top stove, fridge, and other niceties that they just don't have. We don't live in an area infested with AIDS, have way too many toys and clothes, and are not in want for anything.

I chose our little boy because he was in such a poor country that is infested with AIDS. I somehow wanted to make a difference in his life, but he is already making a difference in our lives and we don't even know him. This challenge is just a small sacrifice that we have made to get to know our little Isaac better. We are so thankful that God has given us this opportunity and money to sponsor this little boy all the way around the globe.

Valerie

Sacrifice Challenge Day Two

2012-01-24T22:25:00.001-05:00

I had such a wonderful day. Our Ladies Bible Study group met this morning for the first time in weeks. It was so wonderful catching up with the girls to hear all that God was doing in their lives. God is doing such an amazing work all around us! This morning we sat for two hours just magnifying our Lord. After our Bible study I was able to have a small prayer meeting with our Jonah Bible study leaders. That meeting also turned into another awesome time of magnifying our God. I am just overflowing with praise. We serve such an amazing, personal, and real God!
We have just completed another day of our challenge. Today came with it's own set of dilemmas, but I think we are in the swing of things. Food wasn't the focus of my mind today and I was glad. I feel like this challenge was all I thought about yesterday so it was nice to park my mind on other things.

This morning no one wanted much breakfast...I am not sure why?!? :) Garrett had a small piece of flat bread, but Lexi chose the nothing option.

For lunch I sent the kids with rice and beans, a banana, pineapple, nuts, and flat bread. Mark and I both had a bowl of rice and beans. At lunch Mark asked if tortilla chips were on the menu and I had to tell him no, but that he could have peanuts instead. At that point I think it was getting to him a little bit. Later I know (not just think) that it was really getting to him...

I know because Mark came home a little early with a headache and wanted something non-Ugandan.

I was letting him know the 10 things he could have when he decided he didn't want anything and went to take some pain medicine. I was a little humored, but he wasn't so I started making dinner immediately.

We had sweet potatoes, corn cakes, corn, and beef. At dinner he jokingly told the kids he was going to buy me a one way ticket to Africa so I could eat all the Ugandan food I wanted! :) Dinner was a huge hit. We had sweet potatoes, corn, beef, and wonderful corn cakes. I took a corn meal mix, added water to make a thin paste mixture (like pancakes), and fried them up. They were awesome. I do not like cornbread at all, but these were amazing.

I didn't add any milk or eggs to the corn meal mix so they crumbled very easily, but that didn't stop everyone from eating the whole plate full. *Sorry the picture is so blurry!

I read somewhere that most Ugandans have pineapple for dessert, so we did too!

I am simmering the beef bone to see what I can make up tomorrow with the broth. I have a feeling Ugandan stew will be on our menu sometime this week.

The kids didn't have as much drama at school today which was nice. Lexi has such a wonderful supportive teacher. Instead of the usual afternoon candy snack, she has been cutting up bananas to feed the kids. The cool thing is that the banana is optional. If the student would rather have candy they can, but for every student who eats the banana she puts money in a jar for missions. Not only are the kids eating healthier snacks they are also helping give to missions by their healthy choice. How creative!

Tomorrow we will be trying Ugandan Kabobs and a Ugandan vegetable dish (if I can find the ingredients). I want to venture out and make more Ugandan recipes instead of eating the staples by themselves. I guess we will see how that goes.

Good night,

Valerie

Sacrifice Challenge Day One

2012-01-23T23:17:00.002-05:00

We made it! I was really concerned that we would not even make it through the first day. Isn't that so sad?

This week our family is challenging ourselves to sacrifice in the area of food. We will be eating only what a child from Uganda would eat. If you want to know what we are doing and what we will be eating you can read my post here, http://www.thebloggingpastorswife.blogspot.com/2012/01/family-challenge-preparation.html

Last night as I was talking with Garrett about the challenge I quickly realized that he was far from excited. He told me that he thought Isaac (our Compassion child) probably didn't like living in Africa because of the foods they eat. Wow! Are we spoiled or what?!?

This is such an awesome learning opportunity for each of us, not just the kids. I reminded him that Isaac has no idea what fast food tastes like, nor has he ever had some of the options that we have. I tried to explain the best that I could how food is not the reason we should like or dislike where we live, and how we should be thankful for what we have no matter how much or little. I let him know that our joy should never come from the food we have or the restaurants we can go to.

We also were able to talk about the Israelities and how God only gave them one option. The issue of food can really bring out what is in our heart. In our home we have put so much focus on food that for us to do a simple challenge we are causing a big stir. We have had quite a few issues surface in the one day we have done this challenge. Here are a couple things that have arose:

Peer preasure from friends - how it looks to eat differently than others. Today some of Garrett's classmates thought it was really odd and strange that I would make him do this challenge. They both left this morning wondering what their friends would think of their lunch.
Taste - we might not like the options. I quickly learned that our family is not a huge fan of mangos.
Deprivation - we don't get what everyone else has. Garrett wasn't able to have brownies that a mom brought in for the class. He came home in tears very upset that he didn't get what everyone else had. At the root he was glad that he made the right choice and stuck with the challenge even though he really wanted a brownie.
Desires - we don't get to eat what we are used to or what sounds good. I really wanted a salad for lunch! It can be hard to put our desires on the backburner especially when everything is so readily available to us.
Convienence - It can be harder to plan and prepare a different diet.
Balanced Foods - We are eating so many starchy foods that my body is already craving veggies.

This is going to be an awesome learning experience for each of us. We are all going to learn so much about discipline, others, self-control, sacrifice, and our desires. If we were never faced with this sacrifice we might not have the opportunity to work through some of these issues. This challenge is teaching us so many great lessons...and it's only the first day!

I want to share with you what we ate today. It really wasn't bad. Lexi even said that it was way better than she thought it would be. She reminded us all that we shouldn't have ice. There are so many things to think about. We realized that we take so many things for granted. (I did have some ice water today and some ice in my coffee.)

For Breakfast: We had bananas, pineapple, and peanuts.

For Lunch: Rice with black beans, bread, peanuts, banana, and pineapple. I didn't get to make fresh bread this morning so I had to send them with loaf bread. Tomorrow I am going to send them with flat bread.

For Dinner: Pan fried flat bread, rice with beef, corn, and mangos.

We are so thankful for all that God has given us and do not want to take anything for granted. Whether we have a lot or a little God is the provider! This is going to be an awesome experiement for us, and I am praying that the Lord will show us great things.

Until tomorrow,

Valerie

Printable Verse Cards and Verse Art - January Week Four

2012-01-23T19:52:00.000-05:00

Printable Verse Cards and Verse Art

Every week I will be designing verse cards and a verse art.. This weeks verse card theme is "Joy." The printable verse sheet contains six verses and two quotes. I designed these cards using the color of the year which is orange.

Click on this link to print - http://db.tt/DAaLjbEc

Click on this link to print - http://db.tt/x0aWlNkd

The verse art sheet will print on an 8.5x11 sheet, but can be cut to fit 5x7 or 8x10. I hope you enjoy these printables.

If you have any color or verse ideas please let me know. I would love your imput for my weekly designs.

The Blogging Pastors Wife

February Sacrifice Challenge Day One

A Little Bit Rotten

God Fumes

Book Review–Christian Heroes: D.L. Moody

Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf: First Fruit

John Wesley: The World His Parish

William Carey: Obliged to Go

Adoniram Judson: Bound for Burma

John Williams: Messenger of Peace

George Müller: The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans

David Livingstone: Africa's Trailblazer

William Booth: Soup, Soap, and Salvation

Hudson Taylor: Deep in the Heart of China

D.L. Moody: Bringing Souls to Christ

Lottie Moon: Giving Her All for China

Mary Slessor: Forward Into Calabar

Florence Young: Mission Accomplished

Jonathan Goforth: An Open Door in China

C.T. Studd: No Retreat

Wilfred Grenfell: Fisher of Men

Amy Carmichael: Rescuer of Precious Gems

Ida Scudder: Healing Bodies, Touching Hearts

Rowland Bingham: Into Africa's Interior

Lillian Trasher: The Greatest Wonder in Egypt

Sundar Singh (Sadhu): Footprints Over the Mountains

Corrie ten Boom: Keeper of the Angels' Den

Cameron Townsend: Good News in Every Language

C.S. Lewis: Master Storyteller

Clarence Jones: Mr. Radio

Isobel Kuhn: On the Roof of the World

Eric Liddell: Something Greater Than Gold

Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime

Jacob DeShazer: Forgive Your Enemies

Rachel Saint: A Star in the Jungle

Paul Brand: Helping Hands

Betty Greene: Wings to Serve

Nate Saint: On a Wing and a Prayer

Elisabeth Elliot: Joyful Surrender

Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose

Brother Andrew: God's Secret Agent

Loren Cunningham: Into All the World

David Bussau: Facing the World Head-on

Last Minute Valentine’s

Four Printable Valentine's Cards

Printable "I Love You" Valentine Card

Printable Memory Verse Cards February Week Two

Printable Scripture Table Tents

Printable Valentine Tags

Printable Valentine's Greeting Card

Valentine's Scripture Art

I Just Have To Share

Verse Memory Cards - February Week One

What Makes You Smile?

Missions Monday

Sacrifice Challenge Day Six

Sacrifice Challenge Day Five

How To Make and Post A Printable

Sacrifice Challenge Day Four

Printable Scripture Art - Exceedingly Abundantly

Sacrifice Challenge Day Three

Sacrifice Challenge Day Two

Sacrifice Challenge Day One

Printable Verse Cards and Verse Art - January Week Four

J ohn Wesley: The World His Parish