It's amazing to me when you are really aware of something the Lord is putting in front of you.   For the past week I have been coming across scriptures, hearing from people, or reading online the same message over and over. Here's what I learned am learning: It does not matter what we want, need or plan for our lives. If it is not the Lords plan, it will not work. Period.  It's that simple. Now if only my brain would register this daily, life would be so much easier.

Here's how it started. Hubby and I are trying for our first baby. Exciting!! right? well, yes however the more months that go by, the more excitement turns to frustration. We have not been trying too long, less than a year and believe me I know that is not very long compared to some. But, I have been praying every day that the Lord blesses us with a baby. I have been holding these verses close to my heart for months: psalm 37:3-7a

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.

While I was reading this again the other night, my bible referenced me to Psalm 145:19~
          He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;


I was so happy to come across this and thought, When I have baby, then I'll be so happy! 


During this past week after realizing several times that my plan will never work if it is not the Lord's will for me, I came across this:
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also~ Mat.6:21


And I thought, where is my treasure? Is it only in the hope that I will have a baby? Shouldn't my treasure be in the Lord, honoring Him? Willingly following Him in obedience, and treasuring the fact that I will spend eternity with Him? 


Yup! there came the wave of strong conviction and tell you the truth, it has helped me SO much! I then, in this last week alone, came across these 3 verses: 
James 4:13-15
¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will^[a] go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 


Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.


Proverbs 27:1
Do not boast about tomorrow,
    for you do not know what a day may bring.


See the pattern? I think the Lord is trying to tell me something and guess what? I finally got the message!
He loves us so, so much and has our best interest in all He does.  It doesn't matter what I want or hope for. I need to listen to Him and delight myself in Him. He is so faithful and loving towards us all. He knows the desires of my heart but He also knows His entire plan for my life. I don't. If it is the Lord's will for me to be a mother, I will. If not, I will faithfully trust and love Him still! His tender mercies are always upon us. His greatness is beyond compare.

Psalm 145:1-3
I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
² Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
³ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable


Every day! I will praise Him every day, forever and ever! Not just when I think things are going my way. I looked up the definition for unsearchable and it says, unable to be clearly understood.  We can't even fathom just how great the Lord is! 


So, while I still desire to have a baby, my perspective has changed and perspective makes a huge difference! I am praying for a baby still, but praying that I would have a baby if it is the Lords will for me.  I am sure some days will still be hard and frustrating but, I know in my heart I will never be disappointed if I trust in Him. 



I am Linked up at:


Far Above Rubies,   Growing Home, and  Deep Roots At Home

The Good Wife's Guide: BOOK REVIEW

If you’re seeking true joy with long-lasting results, it can only be found by building virtue upon faith. That's where you'll find fulfillment, and that's where you'll find your true purpose in life.~Darlene Schacht- The Good Wife's Guide: Embracing Your Role As A Help Meet



I was absolutely thrilled and so blessed to be able to read and review this book. I have loved the ministry of Time-Warp Wife and have found so much encouragement from author Darlene Schacht.  Darlene is like a fountain of encouragement and wisdom overflowing into the lives of so many woman every day. I love how through her book and her blog, she always refers back to scripture.  I never have to wonder if what she is saying is biblical or just her opinion because she always follows it with scripture.


Scripture isn’t a candy bowl by which we pick and
choose our favorite words hoping to satiate our
palette. It’s a well-balanced diet of truth which is
difficult to swallow at times, but nevertheless it
brings nourishment to our soul.~ Darlene Schacht- The Good Wife's Guide: Embracing Your Role As A Help Meet



I grew up in a broken home raised only by my mother, who is a christian and raised us up in the Lord, but I never was able to see the role of a "help meet".  When I first saw The Good Wife's Guide, I knew I had to read it and that it would be just full of biblical encouragement and structure on how to serve my husband. I love the way Darlene expresses her heart in this book.  She is such a great example. She covers some topics that are considered "hush-hush" topics in our society today such as SUBMISSION.  I love her honesty on this subject and how she pulls her beliefs directly form the bible.  I love what she says here:
 Submission doesn't mean that we’re weak-minded,
feeble, or frail. It means that we’re empowered by
choice, and that we’re dedicated to esteeming others
higher than ourselves. ~Darlene Schacht

Do we really understand what submission is and what it actually looks like? I think it is so important for us to understand biblical submission and what biblical marriage looks like. As a young wife just getting my feet wet in my almost 5 years of marriage, this book has been such a great help.  We are planning to have children, Lord willing, and I know I will be referring back to this book for years to come.  Now this eBook is available in print and I think a copy should be given to every bride-to-be as a wedding shower gift.  True values are being lost in this world and "The Good Wife's Guide" is full of the values I hope to teach my children someday.  Being that my parents are divorced and the enormous divorce rate of our country, it is so refreshing to read about someone who has been married over 20 years and bases her values right out of God's word.  Darlene is truthful and loving in all her words.

There are also some great tips on housekeeping along with a schedule, organizing tips, house cleaning recipes and I love her idea of hanging specific scriptures in specific rooms of the house.  This book challenges us as women and help meets to search scripture, to serve our husbands and to do it all with a willing and loving attitude.


Do nothing out of selfish ambition or
vain conceit. Rather, in humility value
others above yourselves.
~ Philippians 2:3



I highly recommend this inexpensive eBook or the new print version that will be available soon.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006XG0H3U/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb

click on the link below image to buy a copy of the eBook today! 

Wisdom, Blessings, and Applesauce

Today I spent the day with an 86 year old woman making apple sauce, talking and most of all listening. I was so blessed by her wisdom.  She and her (late) husband were married for 66 years!  Can you imagine? Next year would have been 70 years, but sadly he passed a few years ago from cancer. I spent hours today listening to her tell stories of their love and how, no matter what, good or bad, they thanked the Lord and were very happy. They met when she was 15 years old at a roller skating rink. He was the only man she ever dated, or even held hands with.  They were so in love.  Together they have 3 children, 20 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, and 3 great-great grandchildren! She still lives in the house that, together, by hand, they built. Literally. She helped him pour the cement and  and cut wood. She used to sew all of her children's clothes, they grew all their own vegetables, and raised chickens.  I was so amazed listening to her.

She told me how they did everything together. They were each others best friends.  And that how important it is to keep Christ in the center at all times.  Pray together.  Every day. As often as you can.  She told me to love life.  Look at everything we have and thank God for it all.  If something bad happens, learn from it, and find how to glorify the Lord in it.  Nothing is too difficult for Him and He is always faithful.  She told me to always communicate. If it's something good, share it with you hubby. If it's something bad, share it with him also.  And not to hold on to the bad and let it stew inside you.  Not to get so mad over little things that don't really matter.  That marriage is a beautiful gift from God and that it's meant to be fun, kind, full of love and excitement, and also, it's a journey together, husband and wife with Christ in the center.

I can't believe how much "spunk" she has at 86. (and what a sense of humor!) She still lives alone, cooks and cleans, sews her own pillows and curtains. She has the young girls from our church over one Sunday a month after church and teaches them sewing, knitting, crocheting, cooking and goes over scriptures with them.  She is still very involved in our church with nursery, children's church and does bible club every Tuesday and Thursday.  She is really an amazing lady whom I admire so, so much and have learned so much from. And most of all, she loves the Lord so much.  She kept saying, repeatedly, that everything they ever went through was God's will for them and His grace.  She still reads her bible every single day, morning and night.  She has such a joy in her that I can't even describe.  She told me she has grandchildren in Georgia and I asked her if she likes the warm weather better than what we have here in Pennsylvania. And she replied, "I love all weather. I just love life. I'm just thankful the Lord allows me to have another day, I don't care what the weather is. Weather means nothing when you've got the Lord". WOW! I pray to have that much gratitude and joy and love for life and more importantly, love and faith in the Lord.

I pray that my hubby, (and all of you) can grow together and learn together and always remember to keep Christ in the center.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.  And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.  Ephesians 5:1-2

I was just speechless and incredibly blessed.  I never thought spending a few hours making applesauce with an 86 year woman could be SUCH a blessing and that I would learn so much! Oh, and the applesauce? DELICIOUS! Best I've ever had.


Proverbs 31:10-31

The Virtuous Wife

¹⁰ Who^[b] can find a virtuous^[c] wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
¹¹ The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
¹² She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
¹³ She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
¹⁵ She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
¹⁸ She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
¹⁹ She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
²⁰ She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
²¹ She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
²² She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
²⁵ Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
²⁷ She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
³¹ Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

Chicken & Lentils

This recipe is so super easy, you wont believe it! I love this and it is very healthy. Lentils are one of the healthiest foods you can eat.... and they're delicious to boot!

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts (pounded out slightly thinner- about 1inch thick) broken into pieces-I do this after its cooking
1 can of lentils, drained (you can use dry if you prefer, follow package instructions to hydrate)
1 package of sliced baby bella mushrooms (omit if you don't like mushrooms)
1/4 cup chicken broth (I use low sodium)
salt, pepper, onion & garlic powders, to taste


Directions:
season both sides of chicken with all 4 dry ingredients
heat 1 TBS of olive oil in a skillet
brown chicken on both sides, about 2 mins on each side
add lentils, mushrooms, chicken broth, and 1 tbs olive oil (this is when I break up the chicken)
mix all together and let cook until chicken in cooked through- about 15-20 mins
Done! told you it was easy!

ENJOY!


*I sometimes make the same recipe with a can of black beans instead, leaving out the mushrooms. It is also very delicious!