Friday (Re)Focus

I started the week with this thought, found in Psalms, "In Your Presence, There is fullness of Joy."

It is amazing to me, how this works. When I focus on God and on my place in His plan, I DO have joy. Even when things are hard, I still have JOY. As soon as I take my eyes (and heart) off of God and instead look at things from my own perspective (or the perspective of others), I am filled with all sorts of negative emotions.

 I wish I could explain this better....

Let me think...

OH! For example, I have a sweet friend who lives in a farmhouse. She loves her farmhouse. She thanks God for her farmhouse and totally acknowledges that it is an absolute GIFT from God... Until she started visiting other homes via a group she's involved with. Before she knew it, she was comparing her cozy farmhouse to their big, fancy new houses and suddenly... she doesn't love her farmhouse anymore.

What happened? What about her farmhouse changed that made it suddenly un-lovely to her? Nothing other than she changed her focus. Her farmhouse is still wonderful and cozy and great. It is still a gift. For a moment she took her eyes (and her heart) off the gift God gave her and Satan immediately seized the opportunity to steal her joy.

Isn't that the way Satan works? All he needs is a moment and he will pounce on us with all the fury of hell.

I have learned that my contentment comes from focusing on God and what He has chosen to bless me with. When I start looking at what others have (or what I perceive them to have), I lose that contentment...and my joy.

Satan's only goal is to steal kill and destroy.  He lives for nothing else. If he can distract us from the life God has blessed us with, he can do just that.

I want to be so wrapped up in the presence of God that all I want is what He has given me. I want to love Him so much that I want nothing more than I want to be in His presence.


Big hugs and much love to you,
K

Thursday's Thoughts on... Questions I can't answer

I'm a secretary. I mean, I claim to be a writer and artist, and while I would LOVE to do just those things, being a secretary is what pays the bills. ha! Officially I am an "Executive Administrative Assistant;" three long-ish words that mean... I am indeed a secretary.

All kidding aside, I absolutely love my job. It fits into my personality (I'm naturally a helper) and my skill set (I like reports, digging for information, and totally nerd out over Excel worksheets). Not only that, but I absolutely adore the people I work with and for.

Alllll that being said, I sometimes sit in meetings and take minutes.  At the conclusion of a meeting i was in earlier this month, our Chairman went around the room, questioning the people present. Among the questions he asked were, "What was the best call you went on last year and why?" and "What one thing from last year are you most proud of ?"

I've thought about this for well over a week now and am left with some questions of my own...

Do I do anything I'm really proud of?

What did I do with the encounters I was given last year (or last week... or yesterday)?

Did I do anything in the last year that even matters?

I joke with a friend or two about the random things I do on my "Quest to Save the World" but I really can't think of anything I've done to positively impact this world I live in... or the people in it for that matter.  Anything I may have done is long forgotten and, looking around, the world hasn't changed much.

I'm left with these questions and no answers, which, although disheartening,  is not a total loss. They challenge me. If I weren't so tired, they would likely excite me...  but alas, I am awfully weary today.

I have always thought that asking questions is a good thing (Just ask my mom, husband, or any of my elementary school teachers...I am an EXCELLENT question-asker).  I also have a tendency to go in circles, without making much, if any, progress. Taking a moment to re-evaluate where I am is necessary...and good.



Just my thoughts,
K

Wednesday Weekly Recipe.... Individual Breakfast Casseroles

I mentioned last week that my sis in law gave me a Pioneer Woman cookbook for Christmas. Can I just go ahead and confess that I am OBSESSED??? (Thanks Amy)  This is something I am definitely going to try! You can find the recipe on the Pioneer Woman website by clicking HERE.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Breakfast Sausage, Such As Jimmy Dean Or J.C. Potter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced Small
• 15 whole Large Eggs
• Dash Of Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1 whole Medium Green Bell Pepper, Diced Small
• 1 cup Freshly Grated Cheddar Cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray 18 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumble and cook the sausage until it’s about ¾ brown. Add the onion and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir and continue cooking the sausage, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is cooked and the onion is soft. Remove this from the heat and set it aside to cool.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the salt, pepper, and chili powder. Whisk it until it’s combined. Add the cheddar and bell pepper and stir them in. When the sausage has cooled slightly, Add it by the spoonful and stir it until it’s all mixed together.

Use a measuring cup to scoop the mixture into the muffin cups and bake them for 20-22 minutes, until they’re puffy and just barely set. Within a minute or two, the casseroles will start to flatten just a little bit. This is normal! Run a knife along the edges of each muffin cup and lift them out of the pan. Serve them warm with a little fruit.

Helpful tip: The casseroles freeze beautifully! Just seal them tightly in plastic zipper bags. Thaw and reheat in the microwave when you’re ready to serve them.

Change it up!

• Substitute half the diced bell pepper with finely chopped mushrooms.
• Add several dashes of hot sauce to the egg mixture for a little more spice.
• Substitute pepper jack cheese for the cheddar.

Tuesday Tips and Tricks - 100 acts of kindness

In keeping with my promise to myself to love the heck out of everything this year, Tuesday's Tips and Tricks will be dedicated to my effort to complete 100 acts of kindness. I HOPE that this will keep this idea in the front of my mind. So far. I'm not doing so great! I only completed one from last week! So much for it being "easy" to complete 3!!! If I don't catch up by the end of the month, I'll lower my goal. (No sense feeling like a failure this early in the year, right?)

Three for this week:

4. Leave a 100% tip
5. Write someone a letter, on paper, and mail it
6. Compliment your child in front of others


Much love and big hugs!
K

Monday Motivation

As we start the week, join me in considering the source of our joy. So often, I look to people or circumstances to fill me with joy. This was never God's plan. Our JOY comes from being in His presence. Many times I find myself miserable, wondering why I have no joy, when I have not spent one moment with God.

Let that not be the case this week! Please join me in committing to spend time in the presence of God!

Much love and big hugs!
K