Thursday's Thoughts on... Matthew 12:34 - what's in our hearts comes out of our mouths

Scripture says that what's in our hearts comes out of our mouths.

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart and this defiles a person. (Matthew 15:18)

For the man speaks what his heart is full of. (Luke 6:45)

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34)



I am reminded of this each time I am tempted to say "I didn't mean it," and each time someone tells me "I didn't mean it."According to Scripture, what's in our hearts is what comes out of our mouths. If we are honest, I mean absolutely honest, we will admit that in the moment we most certainly DID mean what we said. What we're really saying when we say, "I didn't mean it," is NOT that we didn't mean what we said, but rather we didn't mean to actually say it.



One of my favorite illustrations of this is a story about a guy who went fishing with a preacher. The guy snagged his finger on a hook and let out a string of expletives. Clearly embarrassed, he said "Oh preacher, I am so sorry!"to which the preacher replied, "It's okay. If it wasn't in you, it wouldn't come out."

I just love that word picture. 


Our thoughts, both good and bad, affect our feelings, and the combination is what is stored up in our hearts.


You know this.


Have you ever been angry with someone? The more you thought about what it is that made you angry, the angrier you got, right? 


Same with sadness…the more you think about the thing that made you sad, the sadder you get.



So can we change what's in our hearts? By being obedient to God’s Word, we can start the process, but the Holy Spirit does the real work. Truth is, what you feed, grows. If you feed your negative thoughts, negative feelings will grow… so our “job” is to feed good thoughts.



Scripture says:


Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praise-worthy think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)


It seems that if we fill our thoughts with good things about people, places, and events, our hearts will be filled with good things as well.



Just my thoughts...

K

Wednesday's Weekly Recipes - Fried Okra

When I started posting "Southern" recipes, I made it a bit more difficult than it had to be. Turns out, we enjoy our veggies more here in the south...and we have a distinctive love for all things fried and/or dipped in ranch dressing.

My little loves fried okra. My mom in law taught me how to make it just right. The trick is to fry all the "slimy" out of it. You're left with a crunchy, totally not slimy, veggie side...or, if you love it like my little, veggie snack.

This is pan fried okra. Not much to look at, I know. It has very little batter. There is a prettier way to bread it, using an egg and buttermilk wash, but we like it plain and simple at our house.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds okra, sliced
• ¾ cup corn meal
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup Canola or vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Mix together okra, corn meal, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl, making sure well-coated.
3. In the meantime, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
4. Add okra to skillet once oil has reached the point where if a drop of water is added it will sizzle.
5. Allow okra to brown on one side, about 3 minutes, before gently stirring. Once both sides of okra have browned, about 3 more minutes, place into preheated oven. Cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes.

Tuesday Tips and Tricks - Getting Organized - The Kitchen

This is our last week in the kitchen and there are just a few areas left to address.

The first is the floor. I am taking a mixture of vinegar and water and scrubbing mine with a scrub brush, then going back over it with some Mop and Glow. The objective is to get all the little spots that regular mopping misses.

Next, the base boards. I confess, mine are a hot mess. Again with the vinegar and scrub brush. Maybe you wont have to work so hard on yours. (I have a friend who cleans hers with Scrubbing Bubbles, if you want to try that)

Finally, the walls. The wall behind the trash can and behind the dog food bowl need to be scrubbed.

Oh! I almost forgot! The curtains / blinds / doors! My kitchen door is a mess of doggy nose spots and paw prints. That needs to be scrubbed. I'm taking my blinds down and spraying them off in the bath tub.

Talk a look around. Hit anything that we missed, and

We're DONE!

Congratulations!


If you live in the deep south like me, it is time to get out in the yard. My Daffodils have faded and my Iris are in full bloom!

If you haven't already, clean out those flower beds, plant any seeds. (I'm planting a bed of Zinnias to start my cutting garden this year...SOOO excited!)

Next month we'll get those out door spaces looking good!

Much love and big hugs!!!
K

Monday Motivation

Well, here we are. End of the first quarter of 2018. 

How are ya? 

Is it time for a reboot?  I know that I really wish I could have a do-over! 

Maybe you are like me and need a little jump start?

The best advice I've found for getting back on track with your goals is to remember why you started.  

What did you want to accomplish this year? 

What can you do TODAY to get back on track to meet your goals?

We dont want to meet up the beginning of July still waiting to get started, right??