Saturday, November 27, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Feeding a large family
This week the menu was simple! Grace is cooking Ethiopian food for 30ish guests we will be having for dinner tomorrow. Since my kitchen is occupied I am just picking up some take out. Then Thursday it's off to my Momma's for Thanksgiving dinner. But lately it seems I've becomed bored with what I'm cooking. I'd love to hear some your favorite recipes. My kids favorite is a simple pasta dish. I use whole wheat pasta (any kind really). Then I put tomatoes, garlic, onion (and basil in the summer when it's growing in the backyard!) in the food processor. I toss it in the pasta and there you have a delicious dinner. Can you share some of your favorite cheap and easy dishes?
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Been a while....
Ok, I've slacked on the blog. I intend to do better and I'm gonna start by posting someone elses blog that greatly touched me.
~~~~~~
It’s Orphan Awareness Month. Again.
Another month set aside for the church to show orphan related videos, hear testimonies relevant to adoption and orphan care, and an opportunity to listen to sermons where orphans are [possibly] mentioned.
I must confess. Many times I ask myself, “What’s the point of it?” “Is having another time set aside to create an awareness of the orphan crisis even worth the effort?” Is it? Will it make a profound difference?
Perhaps I have become somewhat cynical, or weary of the battle that rages for the lives of millions of children, or frustrated that help seems so slow to come, or desperate to see more and more who are willing to go. I don’t know. I only know the sinking feeling that I feel each time I look into the faces of our four adopted children and remember the millions that are left behind. The ones who are literally without hope, without life.
We’re the Christians doggonit! We’re God’s beloved church. His beautiful bride. We’re the ones He has already commanded to take care of the orphans.
Yet sadly, we wait.
We wait for God to speak to us in an audible voice, telling us to “GO!”—sometimes He does that audible voice thing, you know.
We wait for the perfect job to come along—orphan care demands a whole lot of money.
We wait for the bills to be paid—can’t be taking on more than we can handle.
We wait for the larger house—because adding children requires a large house.
We wait for a few kids to leave the nest before we add more—can’t be having too many children in the home.
We wait for confirmation with the perfect scripture to drop into our spirits as a sign that we need to act now.
We wait...for someone else to go.
We wait, we wait, we wait.
And while we wait—they perish. The statistics are staggering. I can’t even look anymore.
This is the horrendous reality...
<
Why do we find every reason under heaven and earth why we should not go? The Bible is as clear as daylight—“care for the widows and the orphans.”
It’s a lot like missions. My heart aches when I see how many churches don’t have a fabulous missions program. God’s Word says to “Go into ALL the world and make disciples of all men.” It’s a command! It’s non- negotiable. Taking care of the orphans is a command too. We’re commanded in His word to care for them—however that may look.
But still we wait for “the call” to come. Kind of like, “I am SO glad Mrs. Jenkins is called to lead children’s church, because that is DEFINITELY NOT my calling.
Ouch!
God hardly ever calls us to do things for Him when everything in our lives is just grand. He never calls us to walk on the water when our circumstances are sweet. When I look in the Bible, I see people doing things for the Lord in the midst of impossible circumstances. Tougher than what my circumstances have ever been in my entire life. Yet, they did it. In obedience. The Lord commanded them--and they went. They accepted the tough task that lay before them—come what may. They never asked the Lord for a re-commission.
So why in the world do we? What makes us so different to the people God gave us to learn from in the Bible?
Why are there so many uncared for orphans in the world when we’re commanded to care for them?
We would be wealthy if someone paid us every time we have been told that we were “called by God” to adopt our four children who have special needs. Or for the many people who have told us that “There is no way we could do what you do.”
I disagree.
You know what that does? It diminishes God’s sovereign power to do the impossible through each one of us, His people. Comments like that tell the Father, “Sorry God, but you don’t have enough power to give me the ability to parent a child who struggles in life.” “So sorry, God. Just go and call someone else.” “Oh God, and that mission field thing? There is no way I could ever do that!”
That’s perilous ground to walk on.
God’s power is absolutely made perfect in our weakness. When He commands us to do something, He equips us with everything we need to fulfill the calling with excellence. Even people like us--ordinary sinners saved by grace who are just average Joes. He does it for His glory! To make Himself famous in the earth. It has absolutely nothing to do with us. Everything God does is for His glory, not ours.
I believe with all my heart that God is raising up an army of crazy people to do the ridiculous. Many believe we are living in the end times. We agree! We sense that more than ever God is looking for those who are willing to do the impossible. Just WILLING! God is seeking out those who will serve Him with reckless abandonment, no matter where that takes them or what He tells them to do in this life.
Reckless abandon for the sake of His orphans...simply because they so desperately need US. Come what may.
copied from: http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2010/11/reckless-abandon.html
Now my soap box: Why are we as a Christian community still serving ourselves? Why do we think we have to have a big spread to eat each time we come together in small groups? Why do we throw parties and invite each other only? Why? Why? We are the rich and there are beggars right outside our gates and still we serve ourselves. We are making our selves demi Gods. Now I am not saying Christians shouldn't encourage one another. We should. That is biblical. But we should be using our resources to feed and clothe the hungry and naked. We should be using our resources to finance the spread of the gospel around the world. We should be using our resources to help the widow and the orphan. WE should be using our resources to friend the foreign in our land. We should not use our resources for the glory of ourselves.
Off the soap box. I have a lot to learn I realize, both about what this means in my own life and how to speak it with a gentle tongue.
Until then...;)
~~~~~~
It’s Orphan Awareness Month. Again.
Another month set aside for the church to show orphan related videos, hear testimonies relevant to adoption and orphan care, and an opportunity to listen to sermons where orphans are [possibly] mentioned.
I must confess. Many times I ask myself, “What’s the point of it?” “Is having another time set aside to create an awareness of the orphan crisis even worth the effort?” Is it? Will it make a profound difference?
Perhaps I have become somewhat cynical, or weary of the battle that rages for the lives of millions of children, or frustrated that help seems so slow to come, or desperate to see more and more who are willing to go. I don’t know. I only know the sinking feeling that I feel each time I look into the faces of our four adopted children and remember the millions that are left behind. The ones who are literally without hope, without life.
We’re the Christians doggonit! We’re God’s beloved church. His beautiful bride. We’re the ones He has already commanded to take care of the orphans.
Yet sadly, we wait.
We wait for God to speak to us in an audible voice, telling us to “GO!”—sometimes He does that audible voice thing, you know.
We wait for the perfect job to come along—orphan care demands a whole lot of money.
We wait for the bills to be paid—can’t be taking on more than we can handle.
We wait for the larger house—because adding children requires a large house.
We wait for a few kids to leave the nest before we add more—can’t be having too many children in the home.
We wait for confirmation with the perfect scripture to drop into our spirits as a sign that we need to act now.
We wait...for someone else to go.
We wait, we wait, we wait.
And while we wait—they perish. The statistics are staggering. I can’t even look anymore.
This is the horrendous reality...
<
Why do we find every reason under heaven and earth why we should not go? The Bible is as clear as daylight—“care for the widows and the orphans.”
It’s a lot like missions. My heart aches when I see how many churches don’t have a fabulous missions program. God’s Word says to “Go into ALL the world and make disciples of all men.” It’s a command! It’s non- negotiable. Taking care of the orphans is a command too. We’re commanded in His word to care for them—however that may look.
But still we wait for “the call” to come. Kind of like, “I am SO glad Mrs. Jenkins is called to lead children’s church, because that is DEFINITELY NOT my calling.
Ouch!
God hardly ever calls us to do things for Him when everything in our lives is just grand. He never calls us to walk on the water when our circumstances are sweet. When I look in the Bible, I see people doing things for the Lord in the midst of impossible circumstances. Tougher than what my circumstances have ever been in my entire life. Yet, they did it. In obedience. The Lord commanded them--and they went. They accepted the tough task that lay before them—come what may. They never asked the Lord for a re-commission.
So why in the world do we? What makes us so different to the people God gave us to learn from in the Bible?
Why are there so many uncared for orphans in the world when we’re commanded to care for them?
We would be wealthy if someone paid us every time we have been told that we were “called by God” to adopt our four children who have special needs. Or for the many people who have told us that “There is no way we could do what you do.”
I disagree.
You know what that does? It diminishes God’s sovereign power to do the impossible through each one of us, His people. Comments like that tell the Father, “Sorry God, but you don’t have enough power to give me the ability to parent a child who struggles in life.” “So sorry, God. Just go and call someone else.” “Oh God, and that mission field thing? There is no way I could ever do that!”
That’s perilous ground to walk on.
God’s power is absolutely made perfect in our weakness. When He commands us to do something, He equips us with everything we need to fulfill the calling with excellence. Even people like us--ordinary sinners saved by grace who are just average Joes. He does it for His glory! To make Himself famous in the earth. It has absolutely nothing to do with us. Everything God does is for His glory, not ours.
I believe with all my heart that God is raising up an army of crazy people to do the ridiculous. Many believe we are living in the end times. We agree! We sense that more than ever God is looking for those who are willing to do the impossible. Just WILLING! God is seeking out those who will serve Him with reckless abandonment, no matter where that takes them or what He tells them to do in this life.
Reckless abandon for the sake of His orphans...simply because they so desperately need US. Come what may.
copied from: http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2010/11/reckless-abandon.html
Now my soap box: Why are we as a Christian community still serving ourselves? Why do we think we have to have a big spread to eat each time we come together in small groups? Why do we throw parties and invite each other only? Why? Why? We are the rich and there are beggars right outside our gates and still we serve ourselves. We are making our selves demi Gods. Now I am not saying Christians shouldn't encourage one another. We should. That is biblical. But we should be using our resources to feed and clothe the hungry and naked. We should be using our resources to finance the spread of the gospel around the world. We should be using our resources to help the widow and the orphan. WE should be using our resources to friend the foreign in our land. We should not use our resources for the glory of ourselves.
Off the soap box. I have a lot to learn I realize, both about what this means in my own life and how to speak it with a gentle tongue.
Until then...;)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
I'm with the band
Noah and Adam are in the middle school band now at our church. Our middle school worship center is called the Firehouse, hence they are in the Firehouse band. Noah is singing and Adam is drumming. I'm proud of this accomplishment. They will be singing praises to The King in front of their peers. They also will be filling their minds with more and more praise songs!
... Aren't they too cute?
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Onions make me cry
One of my motivations for homeschool was Beniam. He never really attached to me. I do not want to minimize the pain of those dealing with RAD. We were never dealing with RAD. He has always been sweet, easy to love and respectful. There was just always something missing. Our only real issue with him was his picky eating habits. Though we did not cater to them, at times we would scold him for not eating the healthier option during meal time. After a few months of his being our son, we eased up a bit on the pressure for him to eat everything. At that point it became obvious to us that this was not about food, it was about something much deeper. I have to back up and point out that he began sitting in my lap on occasion since we started homeschool. Big progress. Well Sunday we hit another monumental achievement for him. We went to a local buffet after church. One of the other children exclaimed "Look at Beniam's plate!" I looked up expected to see a pile of fried chicken and there it was....a small salad!!! He had a huge smile on his face, just for me I believe and he said "I'm gonna try to eat a little." Yesterday we ended up in our neighbor city with an hour to kill before an appointment so we went out for lunch. He wanted a meatball grinder. I ordered it and it was filled with onion and peppers. Always in the past he would gag, literally, at the sight of onions and peppers. He'd gag, his eyes would water and he'd look like he'd been injured. This time he looked up at me with a big smile and said "I'm going to eat the onions and peppers this time. He took slow bites and then as we all sat in hushed silence he said "I think I like onions and peppers. I think I'll start putting some onions on my food!" I cried, for real. I knew deeper what this meant. Beniam, also being very shy would never sing in front of anyone. We'd catch him singing and dancing in a room alone but the minute we'd walk in he'd stop. Guess what? Yes! He is also singing and dancing. And so am I.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Homeschool bliss and other stuff...
We started homeschooling when our other kids went back to school. Today is the 4 week anniversary. For those of you who aren't in on the history, we have 4 in public middle school, 3 at home and my step-daughter is out of state. This is my first year of homeschooling. So far..... I LOVE IT! I love it for many reasons. To name a few: NO homework to help them with. NO notes that their lunch account is over drawn. NO list of supplies the teachers need. NO projects! NO permission slips! OK so that is just the "NO's" that I love. I also love: sleeping later. The kids having healthier breakfast and lunch. Getting to spend my day with some of my favorite people. My new homeschool friends. Getting to learn things again with my children. Beniam sitting on my lap. (That's my favorite. He would never sit on my lap before. Though he has always been easy to love and be with he never really seemed to attach to me, until now.) Field trip Fridays with Dad. Reading. Praying together more often. Enjoying good weather days. My house is cleaner. Yes, I said cleaner. :-)
As you can tell by my blogging, my grammar is very lacking! LOL. Hopefully you'll see it improve as I help the kids with their lessons.
Another thing going on around the Bond household is a focus on nutrition. We have many documentaries on eating well. The kids are enjoying them and participating in cooking healthier foods. We have decided to give God our stomaches. Sounds strange? It really shouldn't be. We give him our time and talents, we give him our hearts, why shouldn't we also give him our stomachs? He provided us food to eat, we should enjoy that food. Only that food. Our culture has gotten so far away from the teachings of scripture and the life abundance that Christ came to offer us. We have perverted his idea of family. We have perverted the physical world around us. We have perverted sex and dare I say it....We have perverted food. He gave us all we need for sustenance and we have added addictive substances to it. We have devitalized the soil. We have turned agricultue into capitalism. So I have decided I am giving God my stomach. If anyone is interested on the resources I am reading or watching please email me at: afrosandtiaras@yahoo.com.
Peas and Love ;)
As you can tell by my blogging, my grammar is very lacking! LOL. Hopefully you'll see it improve as I help the kids with their lessons.
Another thing going on around the Bond household is a focus on nutrition. We have many documentaries on eating well. The kids are enjoying them and participating in cooking healthier foods. We have decided to give God our stomaches. Sounds strange? It really shouldn't be. We give him our time and talents, we give him our hearts, why shouldn't we also give him our stomachs? He provided us food to eat, we should enjoy that food. Only that food. Our culture has gotten so far away from the teachings of scripture and the life abundance that Christ came to offer us. We have perverted his idea of family. We have perverted the physical world around us. We have perverted sex and dare I say it....We have perverted food. He gave us all we need for sustenance and we have added addictive substances to it. We have devitalized the soil. We have turned agricultue into capitalism. So I have decided I am giving God my stomach. If anyone is interested on the resources I am reading or watching please email me at: afrosandtiaras@yahoo.com.
Peas and Love ;)
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