PURE IN HEART CONFERENCE

Hey Everybody,

If you're still dropping by my blog, thank you! Things have been super busy around here with so much going on! My kids are in a very busy season of their lives, and so, that makes me one busy mom!

I did want to take time to let y'all know about a really wonderful conference event that Danya and I are absolutely thrilled to be a part of. It's the Pure in Heart Conference, and it will be held this year in Davenport, Iowa in April and also in Texas in November (more details to come on the Texas conference!). Take a look at the video below. It's the truth, and if you have a daughter, you know it is.

The Family Table on Tennessee Mornings!

Hey Everybody,

If you're in the Middle Tennessee/Western Kentucky area and you saw the segment about the Family Table on "Tennessee Mornings" today, a special welcome! I'm posting one of my favorite crock pot recipes here for you and all my bloggy friends to enjoy! Before I do that, I want to make it clear that I am not a nutritionist, and I don't consider myself a great cook, by any means. But I know what my kids like, and I know what I have to do in order to get all of us around the family table.

For me, this time of year is probably one of the most difficult for achieving some semblance of dinnertime. With two boys playing basketball three to four nights a week, I have to make sure the family table happens for us at breakfast and on the weekends! And really, it's okay if the family table happens at eight or nine o'clock at Wendy's.

• Are you all there?
• Are you having a conversation?
• Are siblings connecting?
• Do your kids know you love them?
• Do they know you LIKE them?

Enjoy the recipe below. It is not is hard. If it has a difficulty factor, I'm probably not the one who is going to do it.

Roast Beef and Veggies

• Buy the cut of meat called, "Sirloin Tip." This is key.
• If you have time, brown it lightly on both sides in a hot skillet with olive oil (this takes an extra two-three minutes).
• Wash potatoes. (You can even do this the night before, then leave them on the counter to dry.) Cut them up in chunks. (You can peel them if you want to, but you are peeling away nutrients; plus, it will take longer.) Put these on the bottom of the crock pot.
• Add a bag of baby carrots.
• Quarter an onion and place the four pieces around your crock pot. (I do this for the benefit of my picky eater. The onions are there, they smell great, but they are also easy to spot. If everyone in your family likes onions, then slice them up and put them on top of the meat.)
• Add the meat on top, pouring it and the oil with it out of your skillet. I season mine with garlic powder and add a can of cream of mushroom soup.

Cover and cook it on low for eight hours. Wow! It smells amazing, and it just FEELS GOOD to know that dinner is ready when you get home.

If you liked the segment and want to see more parenting ideas on "Tennessee Mornings," I would love to hear from you!

Schedule 2010

Friday, January 15
Metro Baptist MOPS
Goodlettsville, TN
615.859.1184

Sunday, January 24
Madison Girl Scouts
(closed event)

Saturday, April 17
Women and Girls' Event (Day)
FBC Jacksonville, AL
http://www.fbcjville.org/

Friday and Saturday, May 14-15
ENOCH Homeschool Annual Convention
New Jersey Convention and Expo Center
More details HERE

Friday, September 17, 2010
Metro Baptist MOPS
Goodlettsville, TN
10:00 AM

Saturday, November 13 , 2010
Pure In Heart Conference
Tampa, Florida
Details HERE





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HOPE FOR THE DYING

When I met Kay (not her real name), it was the first Sunday of the New Year. She and her husband believed it was time they got themselves and their baby son in church. It was their New Year's Resolution. I didn't see them again until the next year, the first Sunday, when, after a year had gone by, and they decided to try again! They were sweet. She was pregnant with baby #2, and they really wanted to make church work. But it was at least a year and a half before I saw them again.

You have to understand: In our inner-city church, we deal with lots of drive-thru's--folks who come around and drop in (just kicking tires, so to speak) then drop back out. We have a transient element with which we must deal, as many of our potential members live with some lack of stability in their housing situations. We are used to seeing people come and go. The third time I saw Kay, she and her hsband had three little ones. One of the babies had a heart condition, requiring her to be in the hospital several times in the few months she had been alive. Three babies, one with a complicated medical situation, were quite a lot for this young couple to deal with, and this time when they came to church, they stayed a while. They needed the love and support of a church family, and God knows, we needed to love and support them.

After several weeks had passed, Kay disclosed to the church that she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The situation was grave; in her case, surgery did not present great enough odds to make it an option worth pursuing. Our church began to pray. And Kay began to do the things that she thought she should do in the event that she did pass on. She was a Christian, but she had never been baptized. It was time to do that.

You know, I can only imagine what my pastor must have been feeling as he baptized this young mom, knowing that the doctors had said she was dying. Certainly, every person is dying. But most of us have not had a doctor give us an imminent time frame for it. It was a hope-filled moment, to know with blessed assurance that Kay's life was wrapped in the death and resurrection of Christ, and by her baptism, she was leaving a legacy for her kids to follow. She wanted them to one day identify themselves with Christ in the same way.

The best part of today's post about HOPE is that Kay is still with her family. So far, the doctor's time frame has not agreed with the Lord's!