Don’t Let the devil Fool You

I believe this is true that the older you get, the wiser you get. The longer you walk this earth, day by day making decisions, sometimes the same decisions, seeing results you begin to wise up to how your decisions affect your life. Hopefully you learn from your decisions, good or bad, and begin making changes.

One thing I’ve realized and put into practice is to recognize the things, words or actions of myself or others that set me off, that make me angry…when I look back, the things I wonder why I let them bother me as much as they did. When I begin to recognize areas that satan likes to attack me, I’m more aware and able to fight back and be victorious.

satan likes to trick you. he’s been studying humans for thousands of years. he has his little bag of tricks that he knows will work for you. The key is to identify what these tricks are, be able to recognize them and fight with the only offensive weapon you have- the Bible. But wait- satan knows how to use the Bible too, and he will try to use it to trick us. Don’t think he will? he tried to trick Jesus with Scripture, so certainly he will try to trick us.

First, satan challenges who Jesus is, verse 3,”if You are the Son of God”. satan will try to confuse you about who you are. You are worthless, you are a nobody, no one cares about you, you’re a screw up. Fight back with Scripture…I am fearfully and wonderfully made-Psalm 139, I am a child of God-John 1:12, I have a purpose-Jeremiah 29:11. Memorize verses to be able to fight back when your identity in Christ has been attacked.

Then satan will try to confuse/trick you with Scripture. It’s hard to believe, satan knows the Bible. he used it to try to trick Jesus. Read it for yourself in Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus had been fasting 40 days, he was hungry, in a weak vulnerable place (isn’t that where satan will try to attack?). satan used Scripture , he says in verse 6, “It is written”, then goes on to quote Scripture. he was trying to use Scripture to tempt Jesus to fulfill a physical need. Isn’t it true when we want something, there are all kinds of verses we can use twist to get what we want. This is a good example “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” (Psalm 20:4 NIV84) God must want me to have everything I want & He’ll help me get it. Right? But no, this is using Scripture for selfish gain. Follow Jesus’ example, He fought right back with Scripture. Know your Bible, be able to fight back.

Lastly, satan tempted Jesus with greed & selfish gain. Verse 8-9- I will give you all these kingdoms and all their splendor….if…you will bow down to me. What is satan tempting you with…but to get it you have to disobey God. Are you worshipping your boss to climb the ladder at work, are you worshipping your friends to fit in?

Recognize the ways satan tries to trick you. Be self‑controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 NIV84). Know your Bible, know the heart of God and use that to fight back.

I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11 NIV84)

It Has Been Redeemed

Those were the words my husband used to describe supper the other night.  I have had a love/hate relationship with roasts.  I loved when my grandmother or my mom would make a roast, but I hated it when I would make a roast.  In the 13 years I have been married I have made a roast probably 4 times – all of them in the crockpot which I have probably used only 9 times since receiving it as a wedding gift 13 years ago.  And every time I have made a roast it has been awful! Dry, tasteless and awful!

Recently, I’ve purchased beef from a somewhat local farmer.  When you buy meat from the grocery store, you have no idea where it comes from.  Now, when I buy meat, I know where it comes from.  The beef I buy comes from a farm in Mt. Gilead which is really close to where our first church which was in Albemarle, NC.  This beef is grass-fed and grass-finished.  No grain whatsoever, which makes it really really good for you.  You can read here about all the benefits of grass-fed meat and all the bad stuff about what you buy in the grocery store.

Anyways, my first purchase of beef came with 2 roasts.  You cook grass-fed meat differently and the instructions that came with it said don’t do it in a crock-pot because most crock-pots cook too hot, even on low.  They said a dutch oven would work best, which I didn’t have, so I tried a recipe meant for a dutch oven & put it in a glass dish covered with foil.  And….as the pessimist in me suspected, it was awful!  So naturally on my next order of beef I asked for fewer roasts and more other cuts…just until I was able to grasp the art of roast cooking. I ended up getting this dutch oven and waited a sufficient amount of time before attempting it again.

That brings us to Thursday.  Thursday will go down as a day in history in my cooking skills.  I found this recipe and gave it a try and it was….AMAZING!  That is when my husband made the statement, “You have redeemed the roast”.  So…if you’ve never made a roast before…try this and be amazed!

Homemade Goodness

Every year I get really excited about the berry season – specifically the opening of the Lewis Farms stand….which, by the way, there’s 2 this year, one down by the CB bridge!!  Yesterday I picked up my first pound of strawberries, and today I HAD to stop by and pick up 2 more.  I am addicted to fresh, local strawberries!!  So to celebrate the beginning of strawberry season I HAD to find a great Strawberry Shortcake recipe….so here it is:

• 2 cups Whole Wheat White flour (can use all purpose)
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 stick (8 Tablespoons) Butter
• 1 whole Egg Beaten
• ½ cups Cold Half-and-Half or Whole Milk

Mix dry ingredients.  Cut butter into small pieces & “cut” into dry ingredients with pastry blender or a fork.  Beat egg, add milk to egg, mix, then add to dry ingredients.  Form a ball.  On counter top, press into a 7 1/2 x 5 inch rectangle.  Cut into 6 pieces.  Put on cookie sheet 1 inch apart.  Sprinkle with extra sugar if you want.  Bake 375 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden.

Here’s the best part – HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM!!  I will never buy the Cool Whip junk again.  I tried to think of words to explain it to Jeff, here’s a few: delectable & heavenly.  Get a thesaurus and get your own words

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds peaks.

That’s it.  It’s well worth the 3 minutes it takes.

Sooooo – split the shortcake, spread whipped cream, add strawberries, add more whipped cream, put the top shortcake on and add more whipped cream – enjoy!  If there’s any whipped cream left in the bowl – LICK IT CLEAN!!

Tortillas

I probably will never buy store-bought tortillas ever again. They are so easy to make & this recipe is healthy! My kids love them & usually eat them hot off the griddle. I’ve accepted the fact that mine will NEVER be round. As much as I try to roll them out round, it’s just not gonna happen…it’s fun though cause like the clouds you can usually find a fun shape with the tortillas….here’s an example: what do you see?

Here’s the recipe:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut oil (can sub butter but please don’t use that horrible crisco stuff!)
1/2 cup water
Mix dry ingredients. Cut in oil with pastry blender or fork till looks like corse crumbs. Stir in water. Make into a ball, divide in half, divide those in half, etc until you have 8 balls or 10 smaller balls. Roll out & put on hot griddle (450). 2 minutes each side…you’ll have to play with the time…you want them soft to roll, but they can get crisp like chips. To look “authentic” let them blister.

Answer: top picture- africa, bottom picture- crocodile head

Have fun with it!!

Crockpot Roasting Chicken

Just had to post about this chicken I made.  I have never cooked a whole chicken before.  If we wanted a chicken to eat, I’ve just gotten the rotisserie chicken from Harris Teeter, which is really good.  Never in my life did I ever think I could make a chicken that tastes better than a rotisserie chicken….seriously it’s that good!  And it’s made in my least used small appliance…the crockpot.  We were given a crockpot for a wedding gift, and I know I haven’t used it more than 10 times over the past almost 13 years.  So, enough chit chat…here’s the deal:

CROCKPOT ROASTING CHICKEN

By: strubleroots

Ingredients

• 1 whole Roasting Chicken
• 1 cup Chopped Onion
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 2 teaspoons Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (I’ve left out)
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 teaspoon Ground Thyme
• 1 teaspoon White Pepper (Left out cause didn’t have)
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• ½ teaspoons Black Pepper (upped to 1 tsp, cause didn’t have white & didn’t use cayenne)

Combine the spices in a small bowl.   Remove giblets from the chicken if they’re in there. “De-hair” the chicken. (To do this, I normally will use a lighter to burn off the hairs. It may not be completely necessary, but it’s what I do.)

Rinse the chicken and pat dry.

Rub spice mixture on the outside and inside of chicken.

Cover and put in the refrigerator for several hours. Overnight is best. (I’ve put the spices on it & put it in crockpot right away & it still tastes amazing!!)

Put the chicken into the crockpot.

Place the chopped onions inside the chicken.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

When done, remove the chicken to a serving platter and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

The juices in the bottom of the crockpot make a great gravy….just dump in a small pot & add a Tablespoon or 2 of flour, whisk away until thickened & pour over some mashed potatoes!  Enjoy!

 

Artists in the Family

I got a call the other night saying Rileys artwork had been selected to be showcased at the community art center. The next morning the lady called again & said Kenlys artwork had also been selected. Tonight was opening night so we went to see. The mayor was there along with the Azalea Festival Belles.

Riley’s is the top right, it’s a picture of the battleship. Here’s Kenly…she wasn’t too happy to have her picture taken but I took it anyway…

And here is Riley with the Azalea Belles…this was as close as he would get & still doesn’t look thrilled with that.

. I’m so proud of my kids!!

I have to admit, I didn’t do great this 2nd half of the month, in my defense I did have 3 verses…eeehhhh….here goes nothing

Psalm 112:1-10 – Praise the Lord.  How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands.  Their children will be successful everywhere, an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.  They themselves will be wealthy and their good deeds will last forever.  A light shines in the darkness for the godly; they are generous, compassionate and righteous.  Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly.  Such people will not be overcome by evil; those who are righteous will be long remembered.  They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.  They are confident and fearless and (can) able to face their foes triumphantly. They share freely and give generously to those in need, their good deeds will (be remembered) last forever.  They will have influence and honor.  The wicked (will see this) see them and (be) are infuriated.  They (will) grind their teeth in anger. They (will slink) go away, their (hopes) plans thwarted.

I  am so sure those last few verses are paraphrased & not concise…yep, went back & graded myself..I’ll continue to go over them this month!  Now for my new set of verses…these are taken from the message Sunday….if you weren’t there….watch it here!!  It was super! I plan on memorizing 2 Corinthians 6-15, but will start with this:

1 Corinthians 9:6 – Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop.  But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.

If you can’t say your previous months for memory, or are getting frustrated, take this month as a review…say them every day until they just come out without you having to think about them.  DO NOT ACCEPT THE LIE THAT YOU’RE JUST NOT GOOD AT MEMORIZING!!!!! Satan will fill your mind with every excuse possible to keep you from this:

Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

Keep pushing forward….what an amazing tool we will be for God when in any situation or hardship we can encourage someone with a verse that just comes out from memory!!!

Fresh Eggs!!!!

I have been searching for somewhere to buy fresh eggs.  In fact, today when Jeff was talking about farming & how we probably don’t have any farmers in our church but if we did, they’d be in the minority…I was hoping he would say, “and if you are a farmer, my wife would like to talk to you after service”.  I’d love to find fresh local produce, eggs, & meats….soooo can’t wait for the farmer’s market to get going again.

ANYWAY….a sweet friend from church said she would bring me some eggs from her grandma’s house….yippy skippy!!  You don’t know how excited I was when she handed me these today:

Aren’t they beautiful??!!??!!  I feel like we will have brinner tonight, just so I can try them.  Also, please pray for my friend’s grandpa…he needs prayer for physical healing….thanks!

Crazy Boys

We went to a surprise party for a friend this weekend with a Mexican theme….

Best Friends

I couldn’t come back to Texas after 16 years & not hook up with my best friend Deora…never quite found another like her, & sure I never will…fun afternoon catching up!!

Here’s a picture of us from 11th grade