Last year–and even before that, I had many opportunities to exercise my faith.  My husband (then boyfriend) and I were working toward getting married, but first…he had to get a job in a different town, sell a business for a certain amount of money, and I had to get a new job.  I saw things begin to fall into place, as God answered my prayers.  Everything was happening, except I still didn’t have a job.  Oh–and our house wasn’t finished, and we didn’t have electricity in the part of the house that was finished.

Here is the timeline:

• March 2007:  I seriously began praying about my future husband’s job.
• June 2007:  My husband got the job he had tested for and been waiting for for two years.
• June 2007:  I received a marriage proposal and ring (from the same guy).
• June 2007:  I prayed that my betrothed’s business would sell for a certain amount of money.
• June 2007:  The business sold for that exact sum–no haggling, no questions asked.
• August 2007:  I began looking for a job near the town where we would live once we were married (population 181).
• March 2008:  No luck on the job front, but I felt like I needed to take a step of faith. I bought 3 bridal magazines.
• March 2008 (one week later):  I bought a wedding dress.
• March 2008 (a few days later):  We set a wedding date:  Sept. 27, 2008.
• July 2008:  I got a job offer near our future home, and accepted the position.
• August 2008:  We got electricity!  (After a long battle with the power company.)
• Sept. 27, 2008:  We got married!
• Aug. 31, 2009:  We think we have someone lined up to pour concrete on the addition to the house.

I felt like I needed to give the timeline of events, because God is impressing on me so much that we need to constantly be believing him for a big dream and take steps of faith to get there.  In my example with the timeline, it seemed like buying the bridal magazines set a lot of things in motion, even though I still didn’t have a job.

We exercise our faith.  We live in expectation.  We step out into something new.  We see God move.  We see our vision come to pass.  This is what makes life exciting!

Things have calmed down around here.  I am content, and I haven’t been praying for much beyond the every day type concerns.  Now, I feel like God has spoke to me that what makes life exciting is living the life of faith.  This could manifest itself in so many different ways.  Living each day with eyes and ears open to a divine appointment to give or witness is one way to do this that we can begin practicing immediately.

I feel God telling me to start praying again & believing for the completion of the house.  I also feel compelled to delve into a new writing project.  I want to write drama scripts for churches to use in worship, evangelism, youth, children & women’s ministry.  I haven’t written a drama script in around ten years, but when I walk or drive, I see “scenes” playing out in my head.  I don’t know where this could lead, or what the result might be, but I am enthused about trying something new, and taking a step of faith.  That is my big dream.  Another dream I have is to take a long, romantic weekend with my husband.  This may not sound like much, but when it feels like it won’t ever happen (because of money, scheduling etc.) it qualifies as a big dream.

Using our faith is what makes it grow and get stronger.  We have a big God.  It’s okay to dream big dreams.  It’s okay to pray big prayers.  In fact, it’s absolutely thrilling!

If you have a big dream you are believing God for, I would love to hear about it.

I love being able to relax at home on a Friday evening with my husband.  While others plan and look forward to date nights out (and those aren’t a bad thing either!), I relish a sweet night at home with my love.  We are usually both tired, and ready to chill.  I like to put on some comfy clothes and prepare a nice meal, and enjoy eating together, and some light entertainment.  Sometimes, we watch a DVD.  Sometimes, we play Scrabble (Scrabble may have to be its own Friday Favorite).

What’s special about Friday is that I don’t have any worries about preparing for classes the next day, so I am able to fully focus on enjoying my husband.  Part of this “being at home” favorite is simply inspired by the fact that we live in an area where there just isn’t a lot to do “out.”  We have been learning to cook similar versions of our favorite restaurant items so that we can enjoy them at home.  My husband is pretty adventurous with trying new recipes.  He even has an orange 1/2 apron that he wears sometimes when he is cooking.  It is a very masculine-looking apron.  Anyway, dinner may be something special, or it may be something simple.  The point is, that being together, and enjoying our cozy home makes it special.

Over the years, we have accumulated a small collection of board games that you can play with just two people–besides Scrabble, we like to play Scrabble Upwards, Boggle, and Scattergories.  Sometimes, we work a crossword puzzle together, or read through our magazines.  It is so peaceful and content to just sit with each other and enjoy these simple activities.

In this era of a return to frugal living, a sweet evening in is definitely easier on the pocketbook than a big night out.  Even getting take-out or a pizza and a DVD to bring home, isn’t as expensive as many other date options.  I love rituals, and I tend to get on “kicks.”  For many Fridays, my ritual was making homemade bread.  It was relaxing to me, and a special treat.  Now, I think I am moving toward a homemade pizza kick.  My brother has been experimenting with different recipes, and sharing the best ones, and his hints for success with me.  If you hesitate to make a homemade pizza dough, it’s really not that hard or time consuming, but it is special.  My husband loves homemade pizza, so I think I will plan on that for this Friday. 

The other day, I was talking to my mother on the phone, and in the middle of the conversation, she said, “I have to pass on a compliment.”  She repeated a compliment my aunt had given me in a letter to her.  It made my day so much better.

Today, I get to pass on some compliments.  My husband attended one of our back-to-school dinners with me, and today when we were sitting around the lunch table, one of my colleagues said, “I think your husband is a real hero for coming to the dinner with you.”  Then, several others chimed in with compliments.  On my drive home, I was filled with anticipation of telling him all the nice things I heard.

We all know there are plenty of things that we do not want to overhear, and that we certainly do not want to pass on.  However, compliments are wonderful!  Who doesn’t need a little encouragement?  So, I want to encourage you to compliment with sincerity and joy,  and if you overhear one, pass it on.  Sometimes, it is especially nice to put it in writing.  I have received some of these treasures over the years, and they will never end up in the trash!

Now that fall semester has started, Monday through Friday, I have a one hour (one way) commute to the university.  It seems like everywhere I have lived, and most of the jobs I have had, always involve a bit of a drive.  This can definitely be a source of frustration when you wonder where your time is going, and you realize there is a two hour chunk going to “driving” most days.  I don’t mind the actual drive so much.  On many of these drives, I get in plenty of good “thinking” time, or on the way home, “unwinding” time.  I have listened to music, sung along with the radio, and listened to books on tape.  Yet, sometimes, it’s just discouraging to lose those two hours.

So, this semester, I am determined to redeem them.  I am spending a good chunk of my drive in praise, thanksgiving, and prayer.  I repeat my memory verses.  I talk to God about my day.  I pray for my students.  I ask for wisdom.  I ask for God’s brilliant planning skills, lesson plans, and assignment ideas.  And suddenly, those two “wasted” hours have become a blessing.

It’s ironic because I can remember many years ago, back when gas was much, much cheaper, and going for a drive didn’t seem frivolous or wasteful, when I would purposefully go on a “prayer drive” so that I could focus on God and worship.  I should probably point out that I have a very rural drive.  There isn’t a lot of traffic.  I watch for deer and tractors, and I am careful.  It’s just that instead of letting my mind wander aimlessly, I focus on God and communicating with him.  Now, I feel a double blessing of redeeming those “lost” hours, and of having so much extra time in prayer.

I am also excited about the possibilities of listening to Christian books and teaching on CD.  I am interested in learning more about notable Christian women.  With all of my reading for classes, I may not have time to sit down and read a biography, but I know there is the lovely possibility of listening to one on my commute.

Now, I haven’t found ways yet to redeem all of my time that seems to just “get lost,” but I believe that it is God’s will for us to redeem the minutes, hours and days, and that he will give us the creativity and wisdom to make the most of our time.

In my thoughts this week:  It is impossible to be selfish and happy at the same time.

Right now, I am not doing a formal Bible study of any kind.  When I read the Bible, I am searching for verses to pray for my family and friends.  I am looking for verses that fit speak to specific needs, prayers prayed in the Bible, and verses that speak to general needs.

I love Paul’s letters because many of them begin with prayers.  All verses are from the New International Version, unless otherwise noted.  Here are some of my favorites:

1. Ephesians 1: 16-19a: “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”

2. Philippians 1:9-11: “And this is my prayer:  that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and mayb be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.”

3. Colossians 1:9: “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will thorugh all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

4. 2 Thessalonians 1: 11: ” With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his Calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.”

5. Philemon 6: “I pray that you may be active ien sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”

One of my favorite things in the world to do is try a new recipe!  I know it may bomb, but I also know I may discover something wonderful and delicious–a new favorite dish.  Even so, I occasionally buy a cookbook or cooking magazine, and it gets sucked into the shadow of a bookshelf or hides between other magazines, and it goes unused.  I forget about it, until one day…I notice the title of the new cookbook, and think, “Oh, yeah.  I never made anything in that book.”  I get it out, dust it off, and pick out a recipe.

The book I am thinking of right now is The Dinner Doctor by Anne Byn, author of The Cake Mix Doctor.  This cookbook is specifically for getting a good meal on the table fast, and offers creative and easy ways to “doctor” ready-made food such as a deli chicken or a bag of lettuce.

The colorful opening section has bright and enticing photographs with sections labeled, “4 Dishes from Mushroom Soup,” “8 Dishes the Kids Will Love,” “4 Dishes to Make with Pasta,” and many more.  Personally, I am drawn to one-dish meals, so the section titled “one dish comfort food” is really catching my eye.  I am considering the Ham and Cheddar Not-So-Impossible Pie for dinner tonight.  I am determined to put this neat cookbook to use, and enjoy one of  my favorite things–trying out a new recipe!

A few days ago, I desperately wanted to pray, but I couldn’t get a moment alone.  In the past, in times when I have been overwhelmed or frustrated with my life circumstances, I have written letters to God.  They start, “Dear Heavenly Father…,” and then I pour out my heart to Him.  However, at this particular time I am referring to, I was neither frustrated nor overwhelmed.  I just wanted to pray.  So, I got out my notebook, and I wrote out my prayer including praise, thanksgiving, repentance, specific requests for family and friends, and prayers for myself.  Even though it takes a long time to write a prayer out by hand like this, it was very rewarding.  I now have a written record of one day’s personal quiet time and devotional.  It will be interesting to look back on later.

I am intrigued by the whole idea of writing out prayers, now.  I think it would be such a neat gift for anyone!  I could write out a prayer once a week just for my own records, or I could keep regular written prayers for my husband, a child or other family member, or a special friend.  Imagine how awesome it would be to hand a pretty journal to a loved one and say, “These are the prayers I’ve been writing for you.”  I know I personally would LOVE such a gift.  It would be something I would keep forever.  And, it doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment.  There are many different ways to approach such a project.  You could do one per month and give someone a book of twelve prayers especially for them.  With a child, you could write a prayer on each first day of school, and give it to them when they graduate.  With someone that you know well, you could commit to praying/writing specifically about a certain need, and give her the little prayer book after a designated period of time.

The hardest part, I think, will be waiting the right period of time to give this gift.  I plan to purchase at least one  attractive journal on my next trip to the bookstore, and begin a prayer book for a special someone’s Christmas gift.

When I first moved into our almost-finished cabin-style house, there wasn’t hanging in any room.  The floor is still concrete in the living room, and there are no closets.  As I think about building our house–we are preparing to finish and add on, I am reflecting a lot on verses in the Bible that speak to “building your house.”  One of my favorites is Proverbs 24:3-4:

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

I struggled with moving in to the partially-finished house, at first.  Everything seemed to be coated in dust.  There were house building tools dominating the space in the living room.  Yet, I have adjusted and come to see the beauty of the house grow.  It has always been beautiful–just a little dusty.  There isn’t a nail or screw in the house that wasn’t placed there by my husband, which makes it special.  The wood on the inside was cut, sanded and stained by him, and he did the rock ledges, the fireplace, and a railing for the loft.  With his understanding and knowledge, he built the bathroom, especially for me–he knows my love of bubble baths!  The vanity and sink were made out of an antique dresser that he reworked to add the counter top old-fashioned sink.  The bathtub is an antique excavated from a house on some of the family property, which he restored and added to the bathroom.

It’s a slow process, and it’s not finished, but one by one, my husband is adding rare and beautiful treasures to our house.  I recently read Beautiful in God’s Eyes, by Elizabeth George.  This book is a study of the Proverbs 31 woman, and how she handled her ministry to her husband, children and home.  One of the duties of the wife of noble character is to make her home beautiful.  My first instinct tells me it’s very hard to make an unfinished, in-progress, under-construction house beautiful.  Then, I think that I am God’s house, God’s sanctuary, and he is making me beautiful, even though I too, am unfinished, in-progress, and under-construction!

It helps to look at your home with eyes that are looking for beauty–seek and you will find!  It also helps to praise and thank God for whatever home he has provided for you.  I love my home, even in its unfinished state, and the added touches of beauty come slow enough to really relish each one.  I imagine someday when the addition is complete, my husband and I will look back very fondly upon our early days in this portion of the house.

But–back to my task:  how to make my home more beautiful when it seems like to great of a challenge.  My first rule is cleaning!  Many years ago, I was friends with a woman with woman who lived in a large old house with her family.  They did not have a lot of money, and although I was a college student at the time (many years ago), I remember her telling me, “I think any house looks beautiful when it is clean.”  That is my goal–I don’t always live up to my goal, but I try.  I also like to add pleasant smells to my home.  Sometimes, I accomplish this by baking; sometimes by lighting a candle.  This spring and summer, I have made it a practice to bring in any flowers I have blooming, and stick them in a vase in the kitchen.  I can’t tell you how that burst of beauty and color lifts my spirits and beautifies my home.

In all honesty, before reading the Elizabeth George book, I had never thought much about “making my home beautiful,” or as Proverbs 24 discusses, taking on the task of filling its rooms with rare and beautiful treasures.  Now, I see the whole house-building project differently.  I see in the verses the implication of time.  Building a house that is established, and filled with rare and beautiful things is a process!  It’s a fun process and a fun challenge.  Today, it’s pouring down rain.  I don’t have any flowers I can get to, and no outside source of help to beautify my home.  I plan to straighten up, do some cleaning, and dusting, and go from there.  Once the house is clean, it is easier for me to get creative with decorating–my touches now are simple.  I may just fill and arrange the fruit bowl on top of the refrigerator.  It is these small touches that add beauty, life my spirit, and fulfill my calling to make my home more beautiful for my family.

In the meantime, my  husband and I enjoy looking at catalogs and magazines, and considering carefully what we want in our home, what we want it to look like, where we are willing to spend, and where we want to save (everywhere!).  In the past, whenever I have moved, I have always felt the pressure to get every spot filled and furnished and decorated ASAP!  There is none of that pressure now.  We are going at our own pace, and the results and the rewards are worth waiting for.  I am more than willing to wait for rare and beautiful treasures.

My summer cooking challenge is to come up with meals that will be tasty and refreshing on extremely hot, humid, summer days.  We have an old gas oven that really heats up the house, and takes a very long time to cool back down–great in the wintertime, but in the summer, it gives the air conditioner a run for its money.  So this Friday, I want to share my “favorites” that require minimal stove/oven use!

My disclaimer:  since my husband feels that a meal isn’t complete without meat, if I do need to cook, I cook in the morning, and then just heat it up when it is time to eat.  For the following menus, I suggest cooking cubed grilled chicken, taco meat (just add some taco seasoning to your ground beef and cook it in the skillet) and bacon in the morning, when its cool, or cook it in advance and freeze it to make these dinner items.  They are pretty simple, but taste good, and I sometimes have trouble thinking of good summer menus.  It’s not exactly soup-season…

Grilled Chicken Salad:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed and cooked (this is enough for two main dish salads)
• head lettuce or Romaine–whatever you prefer
• red onion
• shredded cheese
• toasted almond salad toppers
• your favorite dressing
• additional veggies (or fruit) if desired.

To assemble this salad, I tear up bite size pieces of lettuce on a plate, and then top with the other ingredients.  You can customize the veggies/fruit ingredients depending up on what your family likes.

Taco Salad

• taco meat
• head lettuce
• cheese
• Fritos corn chips (or your choice of tortilla chips)
• black beans
• corn
• tomato
• onion
• picante sauce
• sour cream

Again, this is a pretty simple meal idea.  I just get used to making burritos and fajitas, and forget all about the salad option.  Tear up a head of lettuce in a large serving bowl, and mix in the taco meat and cheese.  Top with corn chips.  The other ingredients can be served on the side, so that family members can make their taco salad the way they like it.  Salsa, picante sauce, and sour cream also make good additions.

Pasta Salad

• 4-6 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled

• boxed pasta mix of your choice (I use Suddenly Salad classic style)

Make the pasta salad according to the directions on the package.  Add crumbled bacon and gently mix in.  You could also add chopped ham, or grilled chicken.

If you have a favorite summer dinner recipe, I would love to have you share it!

It is so easy to get in a rut of making the same things all the time, and it can be overwhelming to look at cookbooks and magazines and see all the possibilities.  Just adding one new menu item to the mix every couple of weeks can really liven up your taste buds.

Have a happy and blessed weekend!