"Embracing Your Second Calling"

 

Happy Saturday everyone!  I haven't been good at keeping up with my "Saturday Morning Scriptures and Stuff" blogs.  Somewhere through the holidays I got off my schedule and still haven't been able to get back on track, but hopefully I will get my act together soon so we can meet here on Saturday mornings again!  

There is one thing I wanted to share this morning specifically for my sisters who are hitting the "Crap, I'm getting old and don't know what to do with myself" stage-- like I am!   I have a wonderful women's group that meets regularly on Thursday mornings and starting this week we are going to be reading Dale Hanson Bourke's book, "Embracing Your Second Calling: Find Passion ad Purpose for the Rest of Your Life".   Here's a little excerpt from the introduction to this book:

    "When I wrote Second Calling a few years ago, I was at the beginning of the journey into this chapter of my life.  A bit shell-shocked by the signs of age, a bit saddened by the impending empty nest, a bit overwhelmed by the realization that my ambitions were changing, I was struggling to make sense of it all.

    I am a few more miles down this road now.  My grown sons have both left home.  I have a new job that takes me to Africa regularly and challenges my comfort zone on every level.  My husband and I have started talking about selling the house and planning for retirement.  My mother has health problems, so my sister and I are more involved in caring for her and managing her life.

     But this is not just my story.  That, more than anything, is what I have learned.  Woman after woman has told me that Second Calling felt like it was written 'just for me'.  The revelation, for all of us, has been that we are not alone.  The joy has been that we feel free to share our struggles and fears and dreams with one another in a way we never felt we could do before.  And for many of us, that means that we can truly embrace our second calling ---even if we don't know exactly what it is."

If any of you can relate to this, I'd love for you to read the book along with us and join in for conversation here on my blog throughout the next few weeks.   FYI, I ordered the books for our group here: Amazon:Second Calling   They are paperbacks, so inexpensive to order!  We will be reading the introduction and first chapter "A New Day Dawning" this week. 

I'll leave you with my bible verse/wish for you this week:  Love you all.... M

Romans 15:13- "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may over-flow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Psalm 59:16

 

"But I will sing of your strength, in the morning i will sing of your love;  for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble." 

I Peter 5:6

"Be content with who you are, and don't put on airs.  God's strong hand is on you; he'll lift you up at the right time."

Hashbrown Casserole like Cracker Barrel's! Really!!

If you are like me, you LOVE the hashbrown casserole at Cracker Barrel.  I don’t believe I’ve ever visited that place without ordering it.  So, I started looking online for the recipe.  There are several sites which claim to have the recipe.  Interestingly enough, none of them are the same.  SO which recipe is RIGHT? 

I just started messing around with some of the ingredients and came up with what I think is the closest to Cracker Barrel I’ve ever had.  I think I may even like it better!!   After posting about it, I had several ask me for my recipe so.. here it is!!   Enjoy!  … and let me know if you make it and if you liked it!  It’s super-easy!

MARCIA’S HASHBROWN CASSEROLE

2 lbs of frozen hashbrown potatoes  (thawed)

1 stick of butter (melted in microwave)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 onion diced

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

Pam cooking spray

Mix all those ingredients together in a large bowl.

Spray Pam into a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until done.

Tips:  Use real butter.  I do buy the “light” butter, but it’s butter, not margarine.   Also, I  shred the cheese myself, don’t buy the pre-shredded cheese.  That has a weird coating on it to keep it from sticking to itself in the bags.  Me don’t likey.   

If you make any changes (like maybe using a “lighter” version of the soup or cheese, let me know how that turns out.  I usually believe in going full on for full flavor in recipes like this.  I know it’s not “healthy”, but this isn’t something I make everyday.  It’s a splurge dish for sure… and when I want to “splurge”, I say go for the real stuff!! 

All About Us

 Good Morning friends!   I hope everyone has had a beautiful start to 2012....

I wanted to share this trailer to a new series that begins today at my church, Crosspoint Community Church, here in Nashville, TN. If you don't live in Nashville, you can still join us each Sunday by way of our Internet Campus at 6:00pm each Sunday evening.  There is even a cool live Q&A right after the sermon that you can participate in.  Go to www.crosspoint.tv for more info including campus locations and service times! 



"Most people are going into this new year with high hopes. We've got dreams for our careers, our finances, and our relationships. Who isn't hoping that next year is going to be better than the past five combined? But there's one thing standing in your way: YOUR PAST.

Ever wondered why you make all of these resolutions every year but nothing ever really seems to change?

Ever wondered why you keep repeating the same mistakes over and over?

Ever wondered why you have such a difficult time maintaining healthy relationship?

You see, your past isn't really your past if it's still affecting the present. If you haven't dealt with the hurt from your past it will continue to impact everything you touch. If we don't learn to transform the pain, we'll transfer it.

Join us at Cross Point Church in January for a series of messages that will help us find healing from our past so we can move into the future God has for us. We're a church that realizes we don't have it all together. In fact, we like to say at Cross Point Church it's OK to not be OK."

Hurt People, Hurt People.  Free people, free people.  -- So true.  

Isaiah 26:3 -- Want Peace??

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." -- Isaiah 26:3

Notice that peace comes from God, and not our mind. Peace is the response of God to those who seek Him, for God’s presence places all of our circumstances in a different perspective. Our minds are prone to project the worst that can happen, but a mind that is steadfast upon God is confronted with the fact that God is in control. Renewing our minds with this reality causes trust, and that trust opens our hearts to peace.
 
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     A few years ago, my life was in complete turmoil.  I had gone through my 2nd divorce and felt like a failure.  I had become a single mom of two boys, trying to "make it" in the music business.  I didn't have a "real" job so bills were piling up.  Thankfully I didn't end up out on the street because I had parents who would always check with me at the beginning of each month with the same question, "Do you have rent money this month?".  I always felt SO triumphant on the few months where I could say, "YES!  I have it covered!", because the truth is, most of the time, I had to utter a humiliating "No, not really.  Could I borrow it from you... (gulp).. again?".   Of course they ALWAYS came through for me and NEVER made me feel like I was being a burden, but I still felt horrible each time I had to ask.  I mean, geez... I was 33 yrs. old with 2 kids.  WHY couldn't I get my act together?!? 

     One day I started looking around at the people I knew.  I decided that I needed to figure out WHY some people just seemed to be doing well in life and others weren't.  What was their secret?  You know those people?  The ones that seem to always be happy, no matter what is going on around them...??   The ones that seem... well... peaceful?   I wanted that.  I was tired of turmoil.  I was tired of trying SO hard and still not appearing to get anywhere.  I was tired of the chaos.  I wanted peace.  

     The one thing I noticed that all the peaceful people had in common was a love for Jesus.  They all had a true belief that God was in control.  They didn't worry so much about the little things because they believed that God would take care of them.  They ALL believed that God's word was in the Bible and they lived by those beliefs daily.  So I did what they did... I opened my Bible and dove in.

    I've tried living my life with and without God.  Trust me, it's MUCH easier with Him than without Him.  He brings that peace to my life that I was looking for.  That doesn't mean I don't have worry.  That doesn't mean that some days aren't.. well... hard.  But it DOES mean that I have peace.  I can honestly say that even when I'm worried, I'm at peace.  Even when I'm sad, I'm at peace.  Even when I'm frustrated... I. AM. AT. PEACE.  ----  Thank you Lord. 


 

 

Hold on to your hearts ladies! Someone is looking mighty stud-ly in his new sweater....

Proverbs 1:5-6

"...let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance..."

Good Morning friends!  As we begin this new year I wanted to share this commentary to Proverbs 1:5-6. It came in my morning Daily Bible Verse email and it is by Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor at GraceNYC.org.  

 "One of the traits that Solomon valued was the gaining of knowledge and wisdom. This proverb reminds us to never stop being students of the Scripture and the world around us. To the degree that we don’t allow others to instruct us, we place a lid over our own progress. As we prepare for the New Year, may we recommit ourselves to becoming students again. To lose our “expert” opinions puts us back on the trail of adding to our knowledge. The wise know that they need this. How about you and I?"

I really LOVE putting myself into a constant "student" mode.  Always looking at my surroundings and trying to learn something new from God, my friends, the universe.  I don't ever want to fall into the trap of thinking that I have everything figured out.  That sounds incredibly boring, don't you think?

May we all learn something NEW today!!  Let's GO!!!  :-)  

My prayer for ME in 2012....

Psalm 51:10- "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

I'm still smiling....

 

Here we are. -- Dec. 31, 2011.   I've been reading alot of tweets, posts, and blogs about how so many are glad to be saying "good-bye" to 2011.  Everyone's ready for a fresh start with 2012.  I guess it's easy to look back and think of the difficult times and be glad for the calendar to change over and put the past behind us.  2011 definitely brought some trials, sad moments, and difficult times, but when I look back on the pictures I took, I realize I was smiling ALOT.  It reminds me that I have OH so much to be grateful for. 

I have a loving family.  Supportive friends.  A roof over my head, food on the table, happy pets, vehicles that take me places so I don't have to walk everywhere.   I may have a few wrinkles on my face, but I also have some wisdom that comes along with those wrinkles.  I may be fighting the battle of the "bulge", but I'm not fighting cancer or some other disease that greatly affects my health.   I have three beautiful kids that I adore.  I have an amazing husband who loves me with a passion that I have never known.  And I have my God.  A God who shows mercy and grace to me as I fall on my face over and over again.  A God who never abandons me and sets me straight each time I get off course.  A God who's so BIG that I feel terribly small most days, yet incredibly safe in my smallness.   I feel protected and loved.  Who could ask for more than that?  I am blessed.

Will 2012 be better than 2011?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But either way, I know I will be ok.  I am surrounded by people who will help me through whatever comes my way.  I have a God who has promised to never leave me and I believe that promise.  

Hebrews 13:5 - "For God has said, 'I will never leave you; I will never abandon you."

See?  Told ya!  There it is in BOLD.   If you are questioning that promise right now, it's ok.  If there wasn't doubt, there wouldn't be faith.  You can doubt all you want, and still God will be there.  It's who He is.  He doesn't promise that things will always be beautiful and smooth.  Life is rocky and that will never change.  But He WILL be right by your side, holding you tight during the hard times.   I encourage you to turn all your troubles over to Him.  Today.  Enter 2012 with HELP.  God's help.  I promise, you will find true peace and comfort when you rest in Him.  

HE is why, through all the struggles of 2011, when I look back on those pictures... I'm still smiling.

May you all have a lovely and safe New Year's Eve celebration tonight.  See you in 2012!!  

Here we go.....