Doubting The Prodigal Son

   This has been on my heart for some months now, and though I'm not taking much time to totally organize my thoughts, it's better to be out there in a jumbled mess than just stuck in my head.
   All Christians know the story in the Bible of the prodigal son & we all have that self-righteous feeling that, "If I had been his brother, I would have welcomed him back with open arms!" And maybe, if it only came down to concurring jealousy in regards to your father giving the once wayward son a party instead of you, his "perfect" child, then maybe you would welcome him back. But what about another scenario... What if, instead of jealousy holding you  back from participating in the return of your brother, it was doubt; Doubt fueled not only by the past actions of that brother, but by the negative words of others toward him as well.
   The Devil loves using doubt as a stumbling block in many areas of our lives, and one of those is doubting someone's sincerity when coming back to God from a wayward path. The penalties for your doubt can be costly in many ways.
   First off, if we have been praying for this person to turn from their sinfulness for however long they have been in it, then the fact that we have doubt is not only doubt of that person, but of God as well. Were you really just praying for them because it's what you're "supposed to do," but you actually never had faith that God could or would answer that prayer?! Well,  that's what is interpreted from your doubt. Anyone can be transformed by God's amazing mercy & love, but why do we doubt it when it hits close to home? If you feel this way, you need to examine your heart and ask God to give  you faith.
   God commands us to "Bear one another's burdens." - Gal. 6:2  By letting doubt creep in, we pull away from any chance of truly helping to bear the burdens that  person is still carrying. We actually make it worse for them by adding more burdens because you will come across as self-righteous and that is not only a burden for them, but could actually push them away so much that they fall back  into sin.
   Another negative aspect of doubting a prodigal's return is you, yourself missing out on one of the greatest celebrations of life. What a wonderful opportunity to worship God & thank Him for His marvelous ways! Why would you keep yourself from missing out on that?!
   Bottom line, we are commanded to love our brother. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with  the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." Unless you know for a fact that your brother is lying, you must trust. If it ends up that he is lying about his transformation, who is in the wrong but him alone? If you do not show trust, support, hope & love then you are the one in the wrong. We must "keep no record of wrongs." If our doubt is because of past actions & "wrongs" then we are not loving that brother like we are commanded to do.
   It all boils down to two things: Love God & Love People. Pray for the love of God to fill your heart for that prodigal and He will use you in ways you can't imagine.
"Hatred stirs up strife, but LOVE covers all offences." - Proverbs 10:12

12/22 - To add to what I already wrote, since something else has come into play & come to my attention; If you DO find out that the prodigal is still a prodigal, you still must love him even if he doesn't love you back. Some people have issues beyond our coontrol: mental, spiritual & otherwise, that we can't do anything about. All we can do is love and pray, even though it may be very hard to do. They may accuse you of not being loving just because you don't agree with them, but God knows your heart.

Soft Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Everyone that truly knows me knows I have a major sweet tooth. I love sweets. That's all there is to it. I can't do anything about it and I really don't want to. I do have pretty good self control most of the time, but as far as some of my favorites, it's hard to hold back. One of my top five favorite sweets are cookies, but not just any cookies. They can't be the nasty processed, grocery store cookies; they must be made from scratch. And they can't be crunchy; they gotta be soft. And as far as flavors go, I have a few favorites: peanut butter, snickerdoodle & oatmeal raisin are my top three. So, I am going to give you the recipe for the best cookies I have ever made and the best oatmeal raisin I have ever put in my mouth. I got the recipe from my dad's cousin, Nora, who passed away a few years ago. She brought us some at some point when I was a kid and I begged my mom to find out how to make them. I'm so thankful to have the recipe. I hope you love them as much as I do!

P.S. These make quite a few. Maybe 5 dozen? Not exactly sure though, because I always eat so many as each batch cools. :-/

2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (To make this more of a "Christmas cookie" I put 3/4 tsp. instead.)
3 cups Quick Quaker Oats (Make sure to use the Quick Oats that say "Quick 1-minute." It makes a big difference on texture.)
1 cup raisins (If you don't like raisins you can use chocolate chips or whatever other kind of chips you like, but I prefer raisins in these.)

Beat together butter, sugars and pudding mix until light and fluffy.
Blend in eggs and vanilla.
Add combined flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. Stir in oats and raisins.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove with spatula while still a little warm.

Hearty Salmon Potato Chowder

This is my very own recipe for salmon chowder. There are many chowder recipes out there, but I wanted a healthier, heartier version. Most recipes call for heavy cream, butter or both. Neither one is in my recipe, but I have a way to still make it thick and oh so good. Some of you may not like salmon. That’s ok. You can make it with crab instead or it would probably even be good with no fish or meat at all, but I prefer salmon. Salmon’s main health benefit is that it is an excellent source for Omega-3 fatty acids. Vitamins A, B and D as well as calcium & iron are also in salmon. My husband really likes salmon and this chowder is his favorite salmon meal. This is a great recipe to make in the Fall and Winter as well, since it is a warm, filling dish. So, here’s to eating healthy, cooler temperatures, and tasty food. And here’s the recipe:

Olive Oil

½ onion, chopped

3 ½ cups chicken broth

1 Russet or Yukon potato, sliced thin (Cut large slices in half.)

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

Fresh ground Black Pepper (to taste)

1 pound salmon fillet, cooked (I buy a bag of frozen filets, so I can have them on hand. I cook mine in the over at 350 for about 20 minutes.)

¾ cup milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 teaspoon dry dill

2 green onions, thinly sliced

½ - 1 cup Idahoan Real Premium Mashed Potatoes (I’ve tried other brands & they just don’t cut it.)

In a large soup pot, sauté onions in a little olive oil.  When softened some, add the chicken broth, potatoes, corn & pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, tear apart salmon fillet, checking for bones. Add salmon, green onions and dill. Simmer 10 more minutes. Add milk & evaporated milk. Stir and cook until heated through. Take pot off of heat and add potato flakes a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add as much as you like for preferred thickness. Serve with some Ritz crackers on the side. (I like crumbling them up in mine.) Enjoy! :)    Note: Chowder will get thicker as it stands. To test true thickness before adding more potato flakes, let stand 3 minutes and stir, checking thickness.  

Garlic & Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

I'm gonna change up my blogging a little and start throwing in some recipes. I have become quite addicted to Pinterest, especially the recipes I find on there, & thought I would add some of my own. So, here's my first one: Garlic & Rosemary Sweet Potatoes. Growing up, I only knew sweet potatoes in two forms; sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top and sweet potato casserole with brown sugar & pecans on top. I did not care for either. I have started eating more healthy over the past few years, especially now that I have a child that I want to feed well. I know sweet potatoes are a good source of all kind of things our bodies needs, like vitamin A, but I didn't think I liked them...until I tried some my mother made. It sounded odd to put garlic & rosemary with sweet potatoes, but I tried it & loved it. My husband & son love them too, so now I make them quite often. It is a very quick, easy & cheap recipe.








3 Sweet Potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary

Preheat oven to 400. Peel potatoes & cut into cubes, about 1in. Place on a large baking sheet (the kind with sides.) Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle on salt & pepper to taste. (I use course sea salt & fresh ground pepper.) Mix well with your hand until all potato cubes are coated with oil. Place all potatoes close together, but not on top of each other. Sprinkle minced garlic & rosemary evenly over potatoes. Cook for 30 - 40 minutes or until the inside of the potatoes are soft. Enjoy!

Already 1!

This past Thursday, my sweet, little Alden turned one. This has been the fastest time has ever gone by for me and the best time ever. Matthew & I love him so much & somehow, love him more every day. I feel I've learned so much from him and from this wonderful adventure called parenthood. As I watched Alden playing this morning, I started to cry my eyes out and thank God for all He's done for me and all He's blessed me with. I can't wait to see what year two holds & I want to take in every minute of it.


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Blessed & 29!

Well, here I am starting the last year of my 20's. Something about that feels odd. What a blessed year I have had! The biggest blessing was giving birth to my sweet baby boy & getting to be his mama for the past 10 months. What an amazing experience motherhood has been. It was only a couple of years ago that I wondered what God had next for me and He answered that when I found out I was pregnant. I have learned so much about so many things by going through the process of pregnancy & by being a parent. Most of them, I can't even put into words. Being a parent is like nothing else. It triggers emotions that I didn't even know existed. And one of my favorite things is seeing my wonderful husband being such a great daddy. The interaction between Matthew & Alden is priceless. I love being a mama! There are many other things I could mention when glancing back over this past year, like the tragedy of the tornado outbreaks in April or different personal things that went on in my life & the lives of those around me, but I will save those for another time and just end this with a song lyric, like I always do. [I tweaked it just a bit to fit me.] Just the title alone fits so perfect. Well, thanks for reading! See you at 30!

BLESSED
I get kissed by the sun each morning
Put my feet on a [carpet] floor
I get to hear my [child] laughing
Down the hall through the bedroom door
Sometimes I sit on my front porch
Just soaking up the day
I think to myself, I think to myself
This world is a beautiful place

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

Across a crowded room
I know you know what I'm thinking
By the way I look at you
And when we're lying in the quiet and no words have to be said
I think to myself, I think to myself
This love is a beautiful gift

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day

When I'm singing my [child] to sleep
When I feel you holding me, I know

I've been so blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day

I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed, oh yeah
I have been blessed, oh yeah

I have been blessed
I have been blessed
I have been blessed
~Martina McBride~


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Pool Fun

A couple of Saturday's ago, we went over to Matthew's grandparent's for their "annual pool opening." It was Alden's first time in a pool and he loved it! He wasn't quite sure at first, when Matthew walked into the water with him. It took him a little while, but then he started splashing & now he's hooked.





Inflatable pool full of dad's hot air
I was three years old
Splashin' everywhere
And so began my love affair
With water

On a river bank
With all my friends
A big old rope tied to a limb
And your a big old wuss
If you don't jump in
The water
~Brad Paisley~


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Maybe I'll Blog More

So, I got this new app for my iPhone called BlogPress. It let's you blog from your phone from anywhere. I can also add pictures & videos to my blog. I've gotta figure it all out, but once I do, maybe I will start blogging more often, since I don't get on the computer much any more.


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