A house divided against itself will not stand

Nowadays, there is a lot of political talk going around. People voicing their gifted opinions about certain candidates, and wanting to reform or change our government. While the US is going on and on about the same issues, and the news media is burning up with empty campaign promises, let's step back for a second and learn about something that's happening across the pond in the United Kingdom.

It hasn't gotten that much media attention which I find intriguing given that we just honored the lives lost on 9/11/2001 a couple of days ago.

A little background information:
It is reported that there are over 1.5 million Muslims in Britain; with others suggesting more than 2 million. There is great tension among Brits and what has been deemed 'islamophobia.' The largest Muslim communities are in Greater London, the West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Lancashire and central Scotland. Most belong to the Sunni tradition of Islam, which accounts for 90% of Muslims worldwide. Only a small proportion of British Muslims are Shi'as. Perhaps half came originally from Pakistan, with the Middle East and North Africa accounting for around a quarter. Several hundred thousand originated in Bangladesh, with India also contributing significant numbers.

Numerous articles have been written regarding the tension that has been mounting from within. (Please take the time and quickly review these articles). I include all of this information to provide the foundation and context behind what recently came out yesterday.

Revealed: UK's First Official Sharia Courts

Yes, it is true and it is real. Why is it important? There will now be two parallel legal systems operating in one country. Can you even imagine? The British courts will now have the authority to enforce sharia law. It is worth noting that sharia courts have been in existence (in Britain) since August 2007, but their rulings could not be enforced (given that these tribunal courts had no actual legal authority granted to it by the nation). Times are changing, and Britain has willingly subjugated it's own authority!

As Jesus told the pharisees, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand" (Matthew 12:25). I truly sympathize with the British people. Their country is quickly losing its identity and being swallowed up.

It's ironic that hundreds of years ago, America's forefathers left England to have religious freedoms. The Puritans and Pilgrims desired freedom of expression as well. Using their experiences of intolerance and prejudice from England, the founding fathers included the legal and political principle of separation of church and state found in the first ammendment of the U.S. Constitution created way back when in 1787 (later ratified in 1789).

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

What will all of this come to mean to the British people? How will they be affected? Only time will tell...this will definitely be one for the history books.

30-Day Challenge with Basic Cable

A couple of weeks ago, my husband asked what I thought of us downgrading from our Family choice plan to Basic cable. For me, it is not about the quantity of tv I watch, it is the channel itself. Most of the time I watch 1 of 2 channels: Food Network and HGTV. Sadly, these are excluded from Basic cable.

Last night, we reached a compromise. We will try Basic for 1 month and see how well or badly we're off. I might note that the tv battle is nothing new for us.

The happy husband called me at work saying that we officially have Basic cable now. He mentioned something that somewhat makes up for losing Food Network and HGTV, we now have TvLand which we lost from going to the Family plan. Yay for I love Lucy!

I have only one thing to say about that.

"Lucy, I'm hooome!"

Dumpster Diving at the Office

Today I had a mid-morning surprise at work; I got to dumpster dive with a co-worker. Both of us had wondered why ten large cardboard boxes had not yet been taken by the recycling company for the past few weeks. Wouldn't you know that we peeped inside and they were filled with all types of things?

An hour and a half later after recycling, reducing, and reusing, we had only one box full of actual trash items. I'd say that's a pretty good return for our work. Not to mention the hoarde of office supplies that will be reused and free for the taking. It sounds pathetic, but every time I found a black binder clip I got excited :)

Among traditional office supplies such as folders, hanging files, paper clips, and rubber bands, we found a multitude of random items in fine condition:

A bag of Hallmark cards for various occasions, unused (Score! My card box is need of replenishment)
Dozens of roadmaps that I will reuse for wrapping paper
A copy of Psalms/Proverbs to be given to a patient in need
An unopened box of high quality cotton paper with watermark
An unused blood pressure cuff with case (donated to Pediatrics)
Travel sizes of QTips (unopened of course!)
Cookie tin
Solid brass fireman's hose nozzle (now being used as a doorstop for one of the doctors)

My co-worker and I were pretty impressed with the haul we took in. Yes, it took time to sort through everything, but it was worth it. We live in a very wasteful society and it always amazes me that truly "one man's trash is another man's treasure!"

(Thus ends my frugal/environmental PSA!)

Happy 2nd Anniversary to my Husband

I can't believe it's already been two whole years since we were married! I can say with confidence that I love you more than the day I said "I do;" and at the time, I thought my heart was already full to overflowing! But Love has the unique ability to grow and become fuller and there is no capacity to speak of. Since God is Love, we know there are no boundaries, no finite end.


While our first year of marriage seemed free of change, our second year more than made up for it. It was a year of transition and by God's grace, we came out not only alive, but victorious.


Last Fall, I remember when you initially suggested that we move from our new house to a 'vintage' condo. I know I wasn't supportive of that idea, and I regret that. Thank you for being patient with me and giving me time to adjust. When you eagerly and enthusiastically took me to see the condo, I had already made up my mind to dislike it no matter what. But you had vision, not only for the remodeling that we would end up doing, but for our future family as well. You knew how badly I desired to be a stay-at-home wife, as well as a mother. And you honored my desires by finding a way for that to happen.


It wasn't easy packing up the house by myself while you were away on business, and it wasn't easy when I sat on the bottom steps with tears streaming down my face, crying out "Goodbye House, I'll miss you!" But with every goodbye, there's always a hello.


Like a father who knows what's best for their child, you had more foresight and purpose than I did and wanted to bless me. I'm sorry for the times that I didn't cheerfully submit to you or be content with our circumstances. I know now that I need to trust you more, and remember to do so, not after the fact, but during!


After months of renovations and stress, just when it seemed a ray of light was dawning through due to a promotion in your company, a higher price was about to be paid. You were gone Monday through Friday and would fly home for the weekend. I've always hated it when you were gone, no matter a day or several weeks. It was quite lonely, and I know it was for you too. Thank you for remaining faithful to me even while away.


After having enough of it, you took a major step of faith and resigned. You risked it all for the love and sake of our marriage. We didn't expect or anticipate you being out of work for several months, but I was glad you were home nonetheless. I learned the meaning of "Better to be poor and happy, than rich and miserable." We were wealthy in affection for each other. God was testing us, and while Satan tried to throw disagreements in our path, we chose His way instead. After months of prayer, God answered our needs by providing you with a great job.

Through it all, we never lost our humor and I wouldn't choose to go through any of that without you. Thank you for being a godly husband who cherishes me. You are a wonderful servant-leader who challenges me to be more Christ-like. Who knows what the next year may bring? I am grateful to God for the years He has given us to share already.

All my love,
Your Wife

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." ~Ecclesiastes 4:12

Baked Potato Soup

Okay, so somewhere between time and space last week, I realized that I hadn't even thought to post recipes on this dang blog. A real lightbulb moment, eh? Cooking is something I love to do, and yet somehow that part of my life has not really been displayed here. A little insider information: most of my recipes are discovered from allrecipes.com or through other blogs I read. Rarely do I follow a recipe exactly.

Below is a wonderful potato soup recipe I found, that truly had a fantastic mouth-feel...perfectly creamy, not too thick and certainly not too watery. The latter have been found in other potato soup recipes I've tried, but have not liked. My tips will be in blue. And might I add that I cannot wait to make this again come Autumn! :)

Baked Potato Soup (4 servings)

Ingredients:
3 bacon strips, diced (Did an extra strip for the dog's treat ;)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth (I used 4 c. and it came out fine)
2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed (Plan ahead and save time...I purposefully had a dinner of chili and baked potatoes the night before. All I had to do was throw 2 additional ones in the oven, done!)
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I omitted the hot sauce, but relished the non-chili spiciness of the black pepper instead)
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Minced fresh parsley

Directions:
In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. (I cheat time by using the microwave instead). Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. (Since getting drippings from a microwaved plate of bacon is messy, I put two pieces of uncooked bacon fat in the pot where the onion and garlic were sauted in. Also, no need to use multiple pans/pots. Keep it simple and utilize one big soup pot to saute the onion and garlic mixture. Then add the rest of the ingredients for your soup. One less thing to clean!) Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.

Weeping may endure for the night, but Joy comes in the morning

In the last post, I announced my husband's new job; Yahoojah again! It feels so good to have something to scream happily about :) The cause for celebration is great, but the prayers behind it have been greater still.

Having announced his resignation on March 24th and his new job beginning August 18th, it's been roughly 5 months living life on a single income. Fortunately, with my husband's foresight and having moved into our condo with a greatly reduced monthly mortgage, what could have been a crisis was only a temporary time of financial hardship. I really hate to think about what could've happened had we stayed in our old house and then having to live on a single income. But God is good, and He helped us greatly.

He provided through several of our friends with dinner invitations and laughter: the Riccis, Lanes, Castles, Carnes, and Beth. He gave us food and fresh vegetables through the Dunns, Davises, and Dr. Wofford and Charles. We also received medical care at no cost from Dr. Wofford. Our families provided meals and times of fellowship. In short, we were never without food.

Psalm 37:24-25, "Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread."

More than anything though, we relied on prayer and trusting God's faithfulness and goodness to us. It really did my heart good to hear from friends and family that they were praying for us. And there were times when I didn't have it in me to pray myself, but I knew that others were praying for us as well as the Holy Spirit.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3, "Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

Even though our physical needs were being met, and we still had a roof over our heads, there were times when emotionally, I just felt exhausted and neglected. "God where are you?" I can vividly recall the day when I sat in my car in the Kohl's parking lot and bawled. It was the first time after already a couple of months where I finally "let it go." I wish I could say that it was one of those prayer experiences that was one of humility and gentleness, but it was not. Instead, the prayer resembled psalms when David was raw before the Lord Almighty (Psalm 42:9-11, Psalm 44:23-24). I shouted that day at God too, very loudly, I might add. Shouting and crying and being alone by yourself paint a scary picture, so if you happened to see me in the Kohl's parking lot that day, sorry. I remember yelling distinct words: "GOD, I'M ANGRY AND I'M TIRED OF THIS! WHERE ARE YOU? WHY CAN'T YOU GIVE HIM A JOB? I'M DONE WITH IT!!!!"

Psalm 86:15, "But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."

The days grew into weeks, the weeks into months, and time marched on. I saw how difficult it was on him, but as a wife and a human, there's only so much you can do or say to help someone. And it's also challenging to remain positive and optimistic for someone when you also feel discouraged. All in all, I know that God gave us grace to remain kind to one another. I know for some couples, a lot of bad marital issues can arise when something like a job loss comes along. It was indeed a time of "stretching" for us financially, spiritually, and emotionally. But oddly enough, when trials come, a husband and wife can either distance themselves or cleave more strongly. Joyfully, our route was the latter and we came out refined.

Psalm 66:10, "For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver."

I am so grateful that this period lasted only a few months when unemployment can last years for some individuals. All praise to God for orchestrating everything, with the interviews, prayers, and provision. I think it's the uncertainty that wreaks the most havoc during times of testing. But if God had told me, "Hang on girl, you only have five months to endure....," I'm not sure it would've produced the fruit that I can already see from it: I grew closer to God in the process, my marriage grew stronger, I have a greater appreciation for my job/paycheck, and I tangibly saw our loved ones become the hands and feet of Christ. To put it simply, there is beauty in mystery. We need not be afraid of it, but only remember Who's already in control.

Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever."

Where oh where have I been???

First off, an apology for having taken a break from blogger. I've been traveling out the wazoo the past month and I have pictures to prove it! :) I also have some great news to share! And the second apology is that this post will be all over the place today, so deal with it :)

A quick recap (depending on accurate memory, might be in chronological order):

-A reunion with my husband's old youth group at the lake. Having 20 people in one house and on one boat was great and I really got to bond with more of them.

-A fun bachelorette party that I hosted and consequently doing karaoke for the first time and absolutely LOVING it!

-Seeing my best friend get married last weekend and doing lots of girly matron-of-honor things in the process. And totally realizing how much I miss living in the mountains...

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And the great news is....??

My husband got a job!!! Wahooooo! Or as Beth Moore is prone to yell, "Yahoojah!" This is a major answer to prayer that began waaaay back in March. Brent has been out of work since early April, but God knew all of this and extended plenty of grace our way as well as provision through wonderful friends and family. We are looking forward to be able to pay those people back with blessings too :)

Brent begins his first day next Monday and he is thrilled and itching to go to work. It's funny how God works things out, because this job was unexpected and happened very quickly. The blessings of this job are beyond what we had hoped for as well; fully paid health insurance (we don't pay a dime), a generous retirement plan, quick commute (only 4 miles from our home), a cushy office, and a salary above what other interviewers and companies were not willing to pay. We are so blessed to have God's favor on us!

Because of the surge in income, the renovations (yes, they are still ongoing...pictures are in the works) can resume again...both bathrooms and new carpeting. God also added a little bonus and we were able to finally sell the leftover wood flooring.

It's strange how I feel like our life was on 'pause' and then all of a sudden, the gears started whirring and we're going full throttle again. Through it all, God was there and He sustained us. Yes there were times when I doubted that, but He gave me grace for my unbelief. I will share more about this time in our life in the next post.

So I promised you some pictures....

The dock and the surprisingly fast pontoon boat
Our really good friends, Rachel and Jeremy with Samaria (other friends' daughter)

Amanda and I waiting to sing karaoke
The beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains

Amanda as the lovely bride
Me walking down the aisle