Book Club: Dancing With My Father Chapter Two!

From the first, Satan has desired to reign over God's kingdom. There is a battle for allegiance. This fallen place, we call the world, is the place Satan appears as an angel of light. He promises fulfillment through vanity, and materialism and power and extreme beauty and sex--but all of these, in the end, will disappoint and leave us longing for more.

But God created us to see the invisible fingertips of Him in our lives, the glory of His creation, the reality of His love manifested in countless ways and the generous and abounding love expressed throughout the story of His people.

But to see this glory and to experience the wild freedom He has provided, we have to look at our lives through the lens of eternity. We must develop ears to hear His true kingdom messages.

To be Holy means to be set apart--apart from the crowd--as David was. He saw the giant, Goliath, as an opportunity to show the glory of God and his reality and power. "Whereas David celebrated God as the One who created laughter, beauty, pleasure, music, food, and goodness, Satan would love for me to believe that God is a spoiler--one who looks for my faults, who delights in making my life difficult and in ruining my hopeful expectation fo what life could be. After all, didn't Satan start out by suggesting doubt in God's goodness to Adam and Eve? It seemed I had slowly forgotten that God was good. I had inadvertently bought into Satan's suggestion that God was only interested in my dry obedience.

What if, in truth, our God is the party Planner? (Didn't He say He was preparing a wedding feast for us and building mansions in heaven?) What if the same God who created a breathtaking garden, planned purpose and the love of family and friendship and the fulfillment of productive work, who delighted in children, who touched the sick and rejected, and who gave grace to the prostitutes and tax collectors is the God whose companionship we can enjoy each day?

As I thought on this, I realized that duty, forced obedience, and works never satisfied my soul or fooled my mind into thinking that dry acquiescence to spiritual dogma was equivalent to being a Christian who really knew and loved God. Knowing God deeply, intimately, personally within the borders of my own personality was what I hungered and thirsted for. I wanted to dance as David danced!" ~from Dancing With My Father, chapter two

May your heart, today, be filled with the invisible reality of His presence, His wisdom and His ways even in this day and this place in your life.

Scones to Die for!

So many times, when I travel, I come across precious women who touch my heart, even though I never get to log in enough time with them. Janelle Nehrenz is one such friend. Her gentle spirit, sweet heart, captured my attention when I was at the Relevant Blogging conference a couple of years ago. I am so very honored that she agreed to share one of her favorite recipes with us today.  She also shares her wonderful hospitality with so many, loves to reach out to other moms to tell them about Jesus and has the most beautiful blog with wonderful recipes. Janelle also writes for so mamy other people, so it is a privilege to have her with us today. Be sure to visit her blog at:http://comfyinthekitchen.com/  Here she is!

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There is nothing that says "welcome" like freshly baked goods- warm out of the oven. These cinnamon chip scones are no exception. They are buttery, dense, simple , and ready in 20 mins to dip in a cup of piping hot coffee .  This recipe was shared on Comfy in the Kitchen and I have kept it a staple for gatherings, bible studies, and meal ministries. You're going to love it, I just know it....

Sift together dry ingredients, then cut in shortening and butter. I simply take two knives and literally do "just that", I cut it in. {You will get a crumbly texture during this step}.

In a small bowl beat egg with heavy cream {You  may use half and half or milk- your texture will change slightly}.

Stir.

You will have a thicker cookie -dough- batter- like consistency.

You can add whatever you wish at this point....My choice? Cinnamon chips. Other options are blueberries, raisins, chocolate chips, cranberries, or even savory ingredients such as ham and grated cheese. For a sweet scone you may wish to use an egg wash with a coarse sugar topping. This recipe is so versatile!

Mmmmm...

Sprinkle flour on a flat surface and coat your hands. Take scone dough and shape into a ball, then flatten into a disk.

Cut into 8 slices. Make a cross, then another cross in the other direction...pizza cutters work great doing this.

Place on a baking sheet {I use foil for easy clean-up}.

Bake in a 375 oven for 15 mins until golden in color. Oooo...I wish you could smell these right now!

So rich and buttery...the cinnamon chips melt leaving bursts of flavor throughout the scones.

A wonderful morning or afternoon treat...serve with coffee, tea or homemade lemonade.

They are even sweeter, enjoyed with friends.....

  Cinnamon Chip SconesServes 8. Prep time 5 mins. Bake time 15 mins. Total time 20 mins. Ingredients:2 cups flour4 tsp baking powder¼ tsp salt1/3 cup sugar4 T butter2 T shortening¾ cup heavy cream1 eggHandful of cinnamon chips.  Sift together dry ingredients.  Cut in the butter and shortening.  In a separate bowl, beat cream and egg.  Add to the dry ingredients.  Stir in cinnamon chips.  With floured hands, shape dough into a ball and lay out onto a floured surface. Flatten into a disk.  Cut into 8 even wedges using a pizza cutter. Place individual scones onto a baking sheet covered in foil {for easy cleanup}.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Sweet Janelle at: http://comfyinthekitchen.com/

AND YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS MOMHEART.ORG TODAY AS MY ANGEL FRIEND, AND CO-HORT IN MINISTRY HAS SUCH AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOU ABOUT PRAYER. THANKS, DEB WEAKLY FOR ALL THE WAYS YOU INVEST IN MY LIFE AND SO MANY!

Dancing With My Father Book Club- Chapter 1 {vlog!}

I'm so excited that today is the beginning of our second MomHeart Online Book Club, Dancing With My Father!

We will be sharing thoughts about this book weekly at MomHeart and TheBetterMom, and today I wanted to share some personal thoughts about this book and what I feel is God's heart for women everywhere. This book was written as I studied what God had to say about joy and walking with God throughout all sorts of seasons of life, and I know its message will resound with many of you! Have you ever had a day when you felt like poor sweet Joy? I certainly have! Here's an excerpt from the book, to give you a taste of what it's all about ...

With so much sadness and so many daily burdens to shoulder, how do Christian women maneuver steadily through this journey of life with joy and peace of heart intact? What does it look like to be a woman filled with joy, every day, all the time, no matter what? In the deluge of all the stresses and disappointments in a fallen world, how does a mature Christian woman really walk in the power of the Holy Spirit? How does she face each situation with gladness, despite the relentless and demanding day-after-day, month-after-month, year-after-year things that would rob her of emotional and creative energy such as chores, bills, arguments, messes? Or how does she maintain joy in the center of more devastating troubles: a divorce, the tragic death of a loved one, a child who has a chronic illness or disability, rejection by family members, alcoholism and drug-related scars, a job layoff?

He gave me a personal, visual image of what He wanted me to understand about His joy: that it is wrapped up in Him as my heavenly Father; that He is the Initiator, the Provider, the Lover, the Strong One. In short, He is to be my leading Man in the dance of life.

But even more, dancing seemed to be a visual picture of what God wants me to do in my soul: He wants me to dance inside my heart, no matter what is going on outside in my circumstances. To dance is to celebrate life, to make merry, to physically live out the reality of internal joy. Those who walk closely with the Lord have a secret inner joy, a dancing energy just from knowing Him. It is in having Him as my partner, in letting Him take the lead, that I will be directed around the “dance floor” of my life. He is the One who will show me the steps, how to listen to the music, how to engage my heart with Him and to stay in sync with Him, the real Source of the music, the dance, and the everlasting joy." ~ from Dancing With My Father

The pathway of turning our mourning into dancing, is a secret pathway, away from the world of voices, where God waits for us to be with Him, learn of His ways. His ways our not our ways, Isaiah tells us. They are higher than the heavens are above the earth.

We are merely toddlers, beginning to understand the ways our lives take, the ways of wisdom and love.  Even as a toddler must quit having his little fit and be still in order to receive the comfort and message of their parent's heart, so we must leave our burdens and stresses into His hands, climb up in His lap and allow Him to be God--allow Him to direct our lives and show us how to let go of all that is not essential.

God does not intend us to be filled with anger and frustration and disappointment. Sometimes when we want to blame God, we refuse to see that we have not walked His ways, or followed His paths, and so our lives and our souls are filled up with the world of man, which will always carry with it confusion and grief.

Read the first chapter and follow the questions, and ask God to work in your life as you read this with all of us.

Join Momheart.org for more on the first chapter today. And may He bless each of you with the knowledge that He loves you and is with you and is there to respond.

Will you join us, both in the dance and in our community as we read together? Misty Krasawski is sharing today at MomHeart Online. Come on over and take part in the discussion!

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I am also writing today at Thebettermom.com Join me there!

Mentoring Monday # 2 Cultivating Kindred Spirits and Choosing Priorities!

Normally when I have vlogs or writing to do, I get it done ahead of my deadlines. But, tonight, Sunday night, I had a choice to make--either leave a monthly dinner with friends and come home to do the blog--or share my sweet friends with you!

One of the reasons I did't have time this weekend to do the blog was that my children took unexpected time! I talked on the phone to Joy for 1 1/2 hours! What fun laughing, telling each other about all the things that had happened in the last 2 days, (I last talked to her on Friday!) Also, Joel came home and so we made meals, talked about dreams, future, important decisions, and watched a movie together and of course he had to have a back scratch.

Then there was the long walk with Sarah through the fall leaves downtown and finding an unexpected estate sale where we spend an unexpected hour and a half and found treasures for $5-15--things we just couldn't pass up. And church and reading, and and and.

Part of what I want you to know from this "video" and my sharing, is that once I decided that my children were God's best will for my life, I saw all of my life through this grid. So when I went through my day, in general, if an interruption came into my life, since my "grid" said, "My children are my decided and valued priority," then I could say yes to my children and put the other non-essential things aside because it did not fit with my priorities.  The other tasks and goals in my life are secondary to the plans I have made to keep  the Lord, my children and my husband first.

The effect that this had was that once I had determined that they were God's best will for my life, it was easy to make the choice to keep them in a place of priority. And when I knew and had decided that they were God's will for my life--then I didn't see them as often as interruptions but as gifts. I would see my moments with them as opportunities to love and to teach and to train, instead of seeing them as interruptions to what I wanted to do with my time and with my life. They were not interruptions--they were my priority, from God.

This meant that books did not get written, chores sometimes lagged behind, phone calls were not answered and blogs were not written or edited or I didn't have time to become "more professional" in blogging, because it was not my priority--my children and my husband were my priority.

Obviously this is not a hard and fast rule--I still manage my time to get blogs written sometimes and books written--but much more slowly and only from disciplining my schedule and life so that I made a conscious choice to not let other things steal from my commitment to raise them wholeheartedly as a mom.

So, tonight when time ran short, I asked my friends if they would just share 1 minute of their thoughts with you, because I was not ready to leave the great fellowship we (Clay, the kids and I) were having to the friends we have made a commitment to--being with them was a priority--we have spent years cultivating our friendships, working together in ministry, raising our children--and so in my grid, I knew didn't have to ponder where I would spend my time--with my family and friends, of course, because they are my non-negotiables in the priorities I have determined to follow in my life.

And so years of choosing them, has built a feeling in my children's lives that they always came first, the relationships are essential and so, they have in turn, honored us as adults by making us a priority. We have through these choices, built a long and strong lasting community where all of our children don't want to miss out from our "dinners." Even all of my older children will do anything to be sure to make this monthly time together.

I promise to try to do a more formal teaching next week, but I hope you will be able to enjoy our little "family" video and think about crafting your own group of best friends, who will grow to love your mutual values, if you do life, ministry and ideals together.

Hope you all have a great week!

The patting hand of Joy

Three miscarriages into my motherhood, one of which I had almost died and had to be whisked to the emergency room to save my life, had left me with one more moment of, "God, I know it is not reasonable to ask you for this miracle," sort of prayer. But God says, "Without faith, it is impossible to please Him," right? And so one of the most profound times of perservering in prayer in my life, was praying, asking, begging, against all odds, for one more little baby, when I was 41 years old and soon to be beyond child bearing. But by my forties, I had fallen in love with my children and with motherhood.

And so that prayer was providentially answered, given generously and blessed my 40ish old life with my darling, overwhelmingly delightful, Joy.

And so this morning, I am missing her, while she is far off at college, but with a smile in my heart, because she often brings smiles to my life. And this is what I read on her facebook as I was closing out my day last night:

Confession: I LOVE that I was home schooled. Call me nerdy, antisocial, or culturally irrelevant... I know it's just cause you're jealous YOU didn't get to learn about the Revolutionary war in your pajamas whilst drinking hot chocolate. ;-)

Joy

And so I left a comment on her page:

"Your teacher highly approves of this confession." :) (the maker of hot chocolate)

It is in seeing the little things in life, his whispers, where we find our joy, (pun intended).

I wonder what it feels like to know that you are a very specific answer to prayer..........

Walking in the Word

"From almost my first day as a Christian, I have made it a daily priority to meet with God, to read books about Him, and to do in-depth studies of His Scripture. This habit and these times have built an incredible treasury of truth in my heart and soul from which I draw strength for my life. A daily, regular quiet time when I read the Bible, seek His wisdom, and pray to Him for my needs each day has been the means through which I am able to stay faithful as a mom.

Without this constant coming to Him, my life would be built on a foundation that would be swept out from under me in times of crisis. I have seen this so many times in my life. Jesus put this in picture-book terms when He told the story of the kinds of houses men build. He said:

Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall." Matthew 7:24-27

A life built apart from the Word of God is a life doomed to crumble. But if we, as moms, walk this journey with God's Word as our source of wisdom and life; if we listen to and apply the words of Jesus, we will indeed have a house (family) that stands through trials and difficulties. We will have a spiritual legacy that will last through eternity." ~ from The Mom Walk

One of the Clarkson girls' favorite places to visit is Biltmore estate in Asheville, N.C. I often think as we walk the beautiful paths there about the awesome foundation that must be beneath that enormous home. The foundation of a large estate takes longer to build and uses more material, but the estate it holds will serve far more people and host more life events well.

In the midst of cultural upheaval, political uncertainty, and the regular ups and downs of daily life, it becomes more and more important every day to pay attention to the foundations of our souls--to build well, to build strong and to build with intention and skill. Taking time to dig and build ensures the strength to persevere through wind and rain that surely is on its way, if not here already. And teaching our children to do the same is one of the best investments of time we can make as moms.

How strong are your foundations? How prepared are you for the storms that will come your way? 

There are those days...........

Grandville Redmond

 If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” C. S. Lewis

I am a restless sort. I am probably not responsible at heart. Committed and loving, and that takes me a long way in this world of duty and shoulds,

But, occasionally the responsibilities overwhelm and the gypsy in me longs for adventure, beauty, wildness, wind on my face, escape from all that is mundane,

maybe sitting on a beach in the dark of night listening to the waves crashing and splashing on the shore

or watching the night stars on a clear moonlit night in the cool of the mountains, and a longing that won't go away

a longing for something I cannot exactly define,

fills my heart with yearning.

Loving and serving those in my life is not compromised when I feel that "longing" for a place that is not this place, no matter how beautiful and lovely this place is.

This world gives shadows of what we were meant to know, but as Paul says, "we see in a mirror dimly."

Is your life ever quiet enough to sense the longing for the place He is preparing, but sensing that this is not quite it?

God would not have us feel guilty for the truth of those places in our hearts where mystery swirls and sways with no defining places, no neatly wrapped package with all the answers tied up. Faith is a willingness to be in the tension of the place with no answers, and yet saying in our heart, "I will hold fast even when I don't see or know."

Eternity in our souls--it was placed there by Him, the Creator; we were made for another world. Because He never wanted us to love this world that will pass away, to be so rooted here that we didn't want to leave--

but to remember what He said,

"My kingdom is not of this world."

Do you ever feel that longing and ache for what is not here but will be?

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Be sure to join us tonight for a Facebook Party to kick off MomHeart/TheBetterMom's Book Club featuring Dancing With My Father! The party begins at 9pm EST. Just click the button to find us at MomHeart's page!

Fall ... a Favorite Time of Year

Fall! It's officially here, with drifting leaves and renegade snowflakes announcing the beginning of the cozying-in season.

I hope it's a favorite of yours, too. While most of us enjoy lots of outdoor time and trips away over the summer, it seems everyone turns their thoughts toward home a bit more come fall. Here are a few ideas to help you add some fall flavor to your home.

Sally's Secret Cinnamon Cider

• 1 gallon apple cider
• 1 cup-1 bag of red hot candies (choose your flavor level, wink!*)

Stir together on the stove over medium heat until hot. That's it! So much easier than bundles of spices, yummy, and makes your house smell amazing. I make the cider the real way, too, but when I have my Bible study crowds, I use the Apple cider and red hots as it is fast and goes a long way! (My mom used to do this!) Now, I have found mulling bags at Whole Foods and I place one bag in a cup of organic apple juice for my sweet ones and sit by the fire and soak in being with them.

Caramel Apples

These may seem tricky, and they're very expensive at the fairs and candy shops, but you can make your own quite easily! Only three ingredients:

• 6 firm apples (green Granny Smiths are great, as their tart taste balances the caramel's sweetness)
• 1 pkg individually wrapped caramels
• 2 Tbs. water

aaaannnnddd ... that's it! Of course, you also need wooden craft sticks of some sort (sometimes they come in the bag, or check the craft store!)

Prepare first a cookie sheet or tray by covering it with tin foil which you then spray or butter. This will give you a place to put the dipped apples and an easy way to get them into the fridge for "setting time." Insert wooden sticks about 3/4 into the stem end of apples. Unwrap caramels and place into saucepan; add the 2 Tbs. water and melt over medium heat, stirring smooth. Holding apples by wooden sticks, dip into caramel, turning to coat evenly and scraping off excess on side of pan if necessary. Place apples on greased foil, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

If you do want to get fancy, a shake of chopped nuts or candy leaf sprinkles while the caramel is still soft, or even a drizzle of melted chocolate after it sets can take them up a notch!

My mama also did this every year and I thought she was a gourmet cook! :)

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To make things pretty, you might consider creating a fall tablecloth you bring out only during this season! There are many lovely prints available in hues of brown, gold, crimson and purple. If you want lots of choices for little money, consider buying a few yards of a fall-y print from the craft store; no sewing necessary--just cut the edges with pinking sheers (I still have one I created many years ago this way! I got 3 yards and spread it out on our very long table and had 18 sit at our fall table for cupcakes and cider.)

Did you know you can turn a plain pumpkin into something special with just some glue and a bit of glitter? The kids like to get in on this one. Pour a bit of glue onto a paper plate and add water to make it "paintable." Then use a small foam brush to brush the glue onto your pumpkins. A few shakes of gold, clear or orange glitter and you've got a pumpkin all ready to grace the table with no messy cutting necessary!

I hope you're looking forward to the snuggly season as much as I am!

 Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a mentoring session--we will be announcing the winners at our Facebook party for the launch of MomHeart Online/TheBetterMom's next Book Club selection, Dancing With My Father! Join us on the MomHeart Facebook page Thursday, October 11th at 9pm EST for all the fun!

**used blog 10/15/2020) A Place to belong

Belonging to each other

"Mama, I can't wait to come home and just be together as a family."

With the chaos of voices clamoring for our soul allegiance, the pressures to conform to cultural values, the constant compromise of moral values, the redefining of family structure, the world can be a calamitous, draining and confusing place.

Satan who comes as an angel of light is always seeking to draw away the allegiance of every human being from the values of the kingdom of God and our heart allegiance to God our creator and King.

Home fires, traditions shared, meals eaten in fellowship together over the messages of life, values upheld, histories made and the stories of them told and celebrated are the roots that go deep into the heart of a child to keep them tethered to the truth of the Gospel and the foundations of faith.

Our hearth with all things Clarkson

It is our history and roots that keep us faithful and give us the strength to refuse the draw of Satan.

We craft the beauty of the kingdom of home, so that our children and our husbands; so that we have a place to belong, a history to uphold, a purpose to guide our decisions and our ways. The accountability of a family who loves one another and says, "I am here for you. I believe in you. I need you. I will help you," calls to the desires in each person to a place where they are valued and where they belong.

The life of our home is not just about "house beautiful", but it is a "life" that draws the heart to all that is true. The crafting of our home life validates the reality of God's love and redemption in a place that satisfies a soul that longs for stability and foundations that cannot be shaken.

So day to day, is not merely about correcting immaturity or organizing meals, it is about the Life of Jesus incarnating the moments with love, truth, beauty, faith so that every child who leaves its walls will always have a place to come home to and feel that they will always have the gift of belonging to a people, a history and a place that is safe and strong.

Mentoring Monday 1 Laying Foundations

Sweet Friends,

This is my first attempt to do a Monday Mentoring. I will improve as I go! Please let me know what you think!

Be sure to enter for the mentoring giveaway and please sign up on RSS here and on Momheart.org  and on Thebettermom.com as you register for the mentoring  giveaway. Help us reach some more wonderful moms with these messages and encouragement!

You can register Here and Here and Here

Remember, we will have a great book club discussion for Dancing with My Father on Facebook here and you get an extra entry if you sign up on Facebook. We will have fun leaving comments and discussing the topic there. But for those of you who are not on facebook, we will have the same videos and Bible studies on TheBetterMom.com and on Momheart.org.

Be sure to plan on coming to join us at our Mom Heart Conferences this year! I am getting pretty excited as we prepare and plan. We have the best speakers, great luncheon planned and you get to have a retreat in a lovely hotel with your friends--that is the best part for me--seeing sweet friends and celebrating life together.

Remember you can get a $10 book table certificate if you sign up before November 1. (If you win our giveaways when we offer them, we will refund your money if you win!) We are expecting to sell out in a couple of locations, so be sure to plan now and tell your friends not to tarry! It will make a great Christmas gift. For more information, go here!