Title Tuesday: Live in the Bible

Welcome to  Title Tuesday, my favorite day of the week! This day is dedicated to book suggestions, news, cartoons, and reviews. I write this portion of my blog because I am a big believer in the motivational speaker Charlie Jones' quote which says, "You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” I try to meet as many new people as possible and to read everything I can. This is my way of sharing that information with you. You can see a visual summary of the books I have reviewed for both adults and children over on my Facebook page. If you are interested in understanding my rating system for books you can read my Book Review Explanation here and What I Believe here. If you want to check out what I am currently reading or what I want to read next, friend me on Goodreads!

Thus morning on Title Tuesday I want to talk about something that is often overlooked in Christian communities. 

Reading is a wonderful pastime especially when you are reading personal development books and books that help encourage your walk with God. 

But, there is a caveat to that statement... 

You should only be reading those books if you are ALSO reading the Bible. A good rule of thumb is that if you want to spend an hour reading fiction then you need to spend an hour in the word of God first. I say to read the Bible first to ensure that you actually do the Bible reading. If you allow yourself to read the fiction or self development first and something comes up, it is east to brush off the Bible reading. I say this not to discourage people from reading secular or fictional texts but rather to encourage them to draw closer to God before doing anything else. 

Charles Spurgeon once wrote, "Visit many books, but live in the Bible." Nothing should be more important than spending time in the word of God every single day, even a really good book.

How do you make reading scripture a priority in your daily life? 

Viewing the Superbowl from the Foot of the Cross

Tomorrow is Superbowl Sunday. For 52 years people have been watching this sporting event with religious devotion. When I was a bartender in college and grad school I have to admit this was one of my favorite days of the year because regardless of who was playing men would show up to the bar ready to watch the athletes and drink a lot of beer. Needless to say, I made great tips on these sacred Sundays. 

Years later as an adult and a follower of Christ, I have to say that I approach this "holiday" with far more hesitation and downright circumspection. This year we have been invited to three or four Superbowl parties and we will be attending exactly NONE of them.    

Let me explain why. 

Sports are often an idol in the Christian community, not just for adults but for children as well. While I have no problem with believers playing sports, I do have a problem with Christians dedicating hours of their lives to watching other people play sports and there are 3 reasons for that. 

1.) Will it bring you closer to Christ?
While it is fun to gather with friends and spend time together, not much intentional, God honoring conversation can occur between downs. Athletic achievement is wonderful and should be respected, but it won't save you or anyone else from hell, period. It won't strengthen your walk with Christ or challenge you to be a more committed disciple of Christ. 

2.) How much of your life is wasted on viewing sports?
The Superbowl is an hours long event if you only watch the game that doesn't include hanging out before and after the game. How many hours are spent viewing these events that could be spent with family, reaching out to the lost, or serving our King? Let me ask another question. When was the last time that you spent four hours viewing God's playbook (the Bible) like you would a football game?

3.) What are you filling your head with? 
When you watch the Superbowl you are going to be inundated with media messages, none of which come from God. Most people will assume that I am talking about the halftime shows (we all remember the Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson fiasco from 2004) but it isn't just that. I know several people that will just fast forward or turn off the halftime show but will still be haunted by the images seen between the plays.  How many commercials are featuring hyper-sexualized or idolatrous content? How many shots of cheerleaders will fill the hearts and minds of the men in our lives that are trying to maintain their moral purity. In my mind the cost isn't worth it. I would rather not be in the know about the "super funny" commercials than risk being a complicit bystander in the temptation of my Christian brothers (and sisters!) in Christ. 

To sum it all up, after careful prayer and consideration, 90% of sporting events just don't fit with what God has called me to in this life. Romans 12:2 says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." I cannot call myself a follower of Christ and simultaneously condone (at best) or worship (at worst) the sports industry. So while I may not be popular for saying it, I won't conform to the idea that we as Christians should take part in this wordly time-suck. When viewing the Superbowl from the foot of the cross, it just isn't worth my time. God called me to a life of servitude at the foot of the cross, not on the alter of professional sports.

Mug Decoration Craft

Next week, we will be celebrating B's 26th birthday. I happen to LOVE celebrating other people's birthdays. Since B's birthday is the 12th, I decided to do a small gift each day from the start of the month, so 12 birthday presents in all. It has been so much fun to have him open a gift each morning at breakfast.

My favorite, that he has opened up so far, has been a coffee cup that I gave him. I saw the idea on pinterest (you can check out my pinterest boards here...) and I just had to try it out. So how did I start? I went to Dollar Tree and bought three mugs. I chose three because I figured I would probably break one, or mess up the writing, or something. Sure enough walking in the door I dropped one, so I ended up starting with just two mugs.

The next thing I did was preheat the oven. I set the oven on 350 degrees and then got started with my decorating. All you need is permanent markers! I took the first mug and started drawing on it. I wrote a sweet message and put B's name on the outside. Then I added a few embellishments here and there. It is really up to you how you decorate your mugs. I would suggest not putting anything on the handle of the mug. It will get the most use. But If you try it and it works out, let me know!

Finally it was time to put the mugs in the oven. I put mine inside a pyrex baking dish to make it easier to get out of the oven. (I have TERRIBLE luck with dropping/spilling/tipping things as they come out of the oven, so this seemed safest for everyone involved.) You could just as easily put yours directly on your oven rack or on a cookie sheet. I put the mugs in at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. I have seen several different takes on this around the web, some said 20 mins and some said 45. I settled in the middle. It is EXTREMELY HOT when it comes out of the oven, so be aware of that and don't do what I did, which was grab the mug with your bare hand. It doesn't feel very good.

In the end it is super cute and I think B likes having his morning coffee post PT in this fun little mug. I am thinking about trying it on some plain dishes soon, maybe for a Christmas gift? We shall see. If you try out this idea, leave a comment and let me know how yours turned out!

Texas Applesauce

Fall has finally hit Texas! I absolutely adore this time of year. Don't worry this isn't a post about my love of pumpkin-flavored everything. I don't even like pumpkin. What I love about autumn it is people stop looking at you like you are crazy when you wear sweaters. I SO enjoy leaving all the windows in the house open and the way the crisp air whips through  the curtains.... 

Ok cheesy love of fall aside, what I am enjoying most about the season right now is the spices. This week B bought 40lbs of apples from our local food Co-op. At first I will admit that I was a little overwhelmed. What in the world are two people going to do with 40 POUNDS of apples? I looked up a bunch of recipes involving apples and hope to share them as I make them. Our first recipe was B's suggestion: applesauce.

We have a red 7 quart crockpot and a black 5 quart crockpot. We decided to just chop up as many of the apples as would fit in the two crockpots (it ended up being about half of the apples when it was all said and done) cook them until they are soft. We let them cook for about 4 hours. While they were getting soft, they were also soaking up all the wonderful cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. 


Then we tossed them in the blender. It turned out to be easiest to ladle to chopped up apples into the blender and then dump the blended apples into a large bowl. That is B helping me contain the mess. He is a MUCH better cook than I am, so I am always happy to have him help me in the kitchen. 

Finally after we blended all the apples we dumped them back into the crockpot and put even more seasonings in. I don't have exact measurements for the spices. We just added until it looked right to us. Then we left the crockpots to cook overnight. The next day we canned and froze 7 quarts of applesauce! 
It was SO much fun. 

Modesty Part 2

"Modesty forbids what the law does not" this quote by Lucius Annaeus Seneca means a lot to me. There was a time when showing your ankles to a man was a scandal. Now it is perfectly acceptable for a man to see not only your ankles but also your knees and thighs. I am not saying we need to be in floor-length dresses and bonnets but I am saying that we need to take a step back and look at what we are presenting to the world. 

In 1 Timothy 2:9-10 says ^"in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works." Clothing is a big deal in our society. Looking put together can make a significant difference in certain careers. So how do we ensure that we are presenting ourselves modestly? 

I go back to the original source. Is what you are wearing modest, proper and moderate? A miniskirt in church? probably not proper. But what about when you aren't at church? A miniskirt, a cleavage bearing shirt, a bikini? One of my team members has a great take on modesty. Mrs. F says "whatever you think is modest, dial it back two and you are probably in the right direction." This has helped me to reevaluate my wardrobe more than once. 

I have had several young women say that they do not want to look frumpy or old fashioned. I understand! I have had the same thought. I enjoy putting outfits together. But this is an area where Christian women have to be extremely careful. We live in an age when clothing is almost optional. What passes for clothing now are things our grandmothers would have used for dust rags. We should take it upon ourselves to monitor what we wear. We should also hold each other accountable for our choices.

Let me be clear, being modest does not mean that you can't be fashionable! It means that you hold yourself to a higher standard. You understand that you are not your own. Christ paid the ultimate price for us. The entire reason that we are here is to help spread the word of God and to make disciples for Christ. We are different, set apart. This applies to the way we think, the way we spend our time, and the way that we cover our bodies. There is no shame in admitting that you dressed immodestly in the past. It happened, it is over. Go through and get rid of the pieces that you know aren't modest. This can be a fun afternoon activity with girlfriends! Keep 1 Timothy 2:9-10  in mind. Have your friends help you evaluate your outfits to determine if they are proper, modest, and moderate. 

We are in the middle of my thoughts on modesty. To read the previous post click here. And there will probably be at least one more soon to follow this piece, be sure to check back. 

Rec Room Fun

I don't normally write posts like this but I just couldn't resist. Yesterday my kids and I had a craft day. We made decorations for the new play room. We recently revamped the unused wine cellar in their home to be a toy room. It is the perfect room aside from the fact that it is a little boring, so we decided to spice it up. I wish I had thought to take pictures of the room before hand but since I didn't you will have to use your imagination.

 

They were SO excited to start our craft!

We made trash bag smocks to help minimize mess and clean up. 

 These are the supplies we needed for this project. 

The Paint! I gave a little less to Bill simply because he likes to paint on EVERYTHING. 

These are the kiddos working diligently! 

I think Bill is a lefty, and that makes me happy since I am a lefty as well. 

We used beads to make hanging the letters more fun, plus it is a great way to test the kids motor skills and dexterity. 

 Beth and Mark got to put the bead on the strings by themselves.Bill picked out the beads and handed them to me and I put them on the string for him.

This is the inside of the toy room. We are going to add the kids art projects from school to the walls later this week. And we may also add posters. The kids will love getting to decortate! 

 The final product. We had a blast!