Ministry Notes: My Call

For one of my classes at OC we have to occasionally make a "ministry notes" post on our blogs. This is my first. Feel free to leave all the comments you want!

My Call

When I was little I learned about God speaking to Moses through a burning bush. God needed Moses to save the Hebrews, but Moses didn’t want to. Moses didn’t have much of a choice though it seemed. Moses was called to work for God and that’s what he was going to do. How does Moses’ calling for God’s service relate to my call for God’s service? Does God actually call us today? No doubt, God doesn’t call us up on our cell or hit us with e-mail. If God doesn’t directly speak to us today how can we be sure He is calling us? These are just some of the questions faced when I think about how I was called.

It’s a funny thing to say, “I’ve been called into ministry”. My reality is that I haven’t been called. God never directly told me to get involved with children’s ministry. So how can I know if it’s really what God wants me to do? I don’t know the answer to that. Do I depend on intuition and feelings? Goodness knows my feelings have led me to do things that are wrong too. As “post modern” as it might be to say this, I don’t believe there is one answer to the question, “Does God still call us and if so how”.

As most of the people reading this know, I grew up in ministry. When I came to college I had a very difficult time getting plugged into a congregation the way I had been in the past. I felt empty. When I changed my major to children’s ministry, and immersed myself in ideas and plans for church involvement I felt alive again.

To know if you are being “called” or not I think you have to picture yourself down the road. What would it feel like if you hadn’t done the task you feel compelled to do? Would you have deep regret? Would you feel empty? I think that’s one of the many ways to examine your personal callings.

So I’d like to know, have you ever been called by God to do something? If so, how did you know?

Beef Skillet

This is a great meal for when you are in a hurry. Takes about 20 min to prep and cook!

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can pinto beans- drained and rinsed

1/4- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a large skillet cook beef and onion until beef is no longer pink.

2. Wipe folded paper towels around the pan with a utensil to absorb extra fat.

3. Stir in the beans and BBQ sauce and top with cheese.

4. Cover and cook on low until cheese in melted.

Serve with tortilla chips, baked potato, corn bread or any other hearty bread.

Salad or green beans make a good veggie side dish.

Serves 4-6 people

Nutrition Information:

4 servings, beef:

281 calories

6 servings, beef:

187 calories

4 servings, turkey:

274 calories

6 servings, turkey:

183 calories

*You may also used reduced fat or fat free cheese for less calorie/ fat intake.

3 simple goals for 2011

Greetings to all! I hope that your new year has gotten off to a great start. Today's post is about goals. I know it might seem a little bit late to be making resolutions for 2011, but it wasn't until recently that I decided to make resolutions. Usually I make a very long list of ambitious goals that I never come close to following through. Last year was my first year to not make any goals but "it's a new dawn, it's a new day" - you know the drill.

Anyways this year I've made 3 short and specific goals for myself and I'd like to share them with you and ask for your prayers that I might use the discipline it will take to accomplish them. I'll first give them and then I'll explain them a little bit.

1. Maintain a minimum of 500 fitness points per week.

2. Memorize 21 versus from the Bible.

3. Peaceful.

1. Blake gave me a heart rate monitor for Christmas. Heart rate monitors help you to track what percentage you are spending your work outs in. There is a formula you can do to find out how many fitness points you earn each work out. For different goals you achieve different amounts of points. To start a fitness program they recommend achieving 300-500 points per week. So with my goal of 500 a week, I'm hoping to have successfully started a challenging work out program for myself by the end of the year. Part of my goal is to maintain this. I'm hoping to keep up what I start.

2. My cousin Jenny told me about a challenge Beth Moore does on her blog. You memorize 2 verses a month and submit what your learn to her blog. If you hold up to the challenge and have her spiral filled out, then you can attend (for free) her conference for it next January. Her conference in conveniently in Houston. I'll write a blog next week about my first verse I chose to memorize.

3. I've been listing to one of the local Christian radio stations and they have been encouraging listeners to pick one word that they want to focus on for the year. My word in peaceful. I want to be peaceful not only with others but within myself. Insecurity is a battle everyone faces at some point in their life and I want to focus on being at peace with myself. Rather than beating myself down for my failures I want to find peace with Christ for loving me regardless of those failures.

It's just 3 little goals that might not seem like much. I feel that they will help me become a better Christian, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and servant. If you haven't made any goals for 2011 I encourage you to make at least one. Make it short and simple, yet specific. Don't give up on it either!

Praying for blessings your way!

Another success thanks to Pioneer Woman

I made something that was pretty delicious last night. I can't credit myself to the delicious things I make... I must credit the recipe. That's why when I rave on how amazing something tastes... I'm not raving myself... I'm raving the recipe.

Pioneer Woman continues to amaze me. I've got a stack of her recipes I printed out just before Christmas and I'm slowly working my way through them. Last night was meatballs with peppers and pineapple. It was very very tasty.

I didn't take a picture but I'm giving you a link to this wonderful recipe. So you can see for yourself because frankly, pioneer women has a much better camera than mine and takes better pictures than me and so I think her pictures do more justice. Make it yourself if your into this sort of thing!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/meatballs-with-peppers-and-pineapple/

Peaceful Visit

I kissed my grandma last week, or at least it feels as though I did. We spent Christmas at Blake's grandmother's farm in Atwood, Kansas. This is very close to McCook, Nebraska- where my grandma Lehman is buried. So we took a little trip to McCook and I got to visit her grave.

I had only been to her grave once before. I was not even a year old, and it was the day she was buried. This grandmother I never got to know, I was able to know through her children. I got to know her through the pots and pans my parents used, through the old mason jars I used as vases, through the old blue spiral that had hand written recipes and clippings from the paper. I got to know her through stories and through pictures, and through the old quilts, hankies, and fabric scraps. She lived all around me through those things, and much more. I feel as though I know her well.

I haven't been able to kiss her on the cheek though, and that's made me feel sad before. When there is someone you feel like you know so well, you want to be able to do that.

When I visited her grave I left a rose. A rose that someone wore in my wedding. I'm not completely sure who though, it was just left in my car. I left it in my car because I just felt like I needed to. I gave her that rose because I wish she could have been there wearing a rose.

When we left, I felt like I had kissed her on the cheek. It was a peaceful feeling.

Cutting up a chicken isn't my talent.

I never have much been a fan of boiled chicken. I've learned that for casseroles it's better to boil or roast your chicken. So I've slowly been learning how to boil chicken. I know that sounds funny... but this stuff isn't coming to me like natural!

I started ordering my chicken from a local farm that hand processes their chicken and makes deliveries now and then. Do some research on how big companies like Tyson raise and process their chicken and you'll never what to eat it again. But I will not go into that right now. One of the more affordable ways to buy this chicken is to buy whole chickens. (The one I used today was only like $3.50... so it's really not any more expensive than the grocery store. Just throwing that out there) Whole chickens scare me though... they really do.

I needed to boil it and I didn't have all day so I decided I'd butcher it. I looked in my cookbooks and found some instructions.

Here is my chicken ready to go:

Here are my instructions:

Here is what happened:

As you can see:

A. I had no clue what I was doing.

B. I am no good at following directions (which my elementary teachers could confirm)

C. I made a mess of my chicken.

I threw it all in a pot with a chopped up onion and some water and we will see what happens. I'm sure it'll be fine... but I really don't know how to chop up a chicken.

Oh I have so much to learn!

Make Your Own Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

Do you know what's in a can of cream of mushroom soup? I don't know either. What I do know is that I feel better about using it when I make it myself. So here is my recipe. Please note that this is for condensed soup, like what you put in a casserole or something. Not something you just put in a bowl and eat by it's self.

Also, you'll notice I'm not using home aid stock. So this isn't quite as "pure" as it could be. I'm getting there I promise! Someday!

I've found that the most effect way to make this is to do large batches, so you don't waste your time! So here is a recipe for about 6 cans.

Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup:

2 sticks of butter

2 cups of flour

4 cups of chicken stock/broth

4 cups of milk

Salt & Pepper

2 cups of chopped mushrooms

Wash and chop up those mushrooms... how ever chopped you like them.

Next, slice the butter. That makes it melt faster! I know it's a lot of butter, but this is for six cans!

In a big soup pot, cook butter and mushrooms until the butter is melted and mushrooms are soft.

Add the flour and stir together. It'll become thick and gooey.... that's what you want!

Slowly add stock while stirring or whisking to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil and cook a few min. until it's thickened.

Add milk, salt, and pepper. The great part is you can control your salt! Stir until combined and thick. The goal is to get it the consistency of what you see in a can. If it's still a little to runny after 5 to 10 min of cooking, mix some cornstarch and water together and add to the soup. Cook for a few more min. Take off the heat and even chill for a while if needed.

This is about what you want it to look like.

After the soup has completely cooled or even chilled ladle into ziplock freezer bags in 1.25 cup portions. Freeze it! When you need to use one, simply put it in the fridge over night or during the day to let it thaw.

This is a good project for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. It's way easier to have it made before you even think you need it than to try whipping it up when you need it.

Enjoy it!