Unveiled

Recently, I wrote a post about Mary, the mother of Jesus. I was reminded of a series of books that I have read in the past and, fortunately, own. A Lineage of Grace, five novellas by Francine Rivers, tell the stories of the women mentioned in the lineage of Jesus outlined in Matthew chapter 1. The first of the five is Unveiled, the story of Tamar, a Canaanite girl.

The story of Tamar comes from the book of Genesis in the Bible, right in the middle of Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers and their reunion in Egypt. Unfortunately, when Tamar's story is told-the girl that pretended to be a prostitute to trick Judah into sleeping with her-she usually gets a bad rap. Francine Rivers' interpretation of the story, based on LOTS of research and knowledge of Scripture, gives us more insight on Tamar's life and abuse in Judah's household, the battle between Hebrew and Canaanite culture, and the inner-workings of God's plan to redeem the world through a seemingly failed family. (I also love that there is a "Seek and Find" section in the back of the book that allows the reader to check out and study the scripture from which this story is found.)

Things I learned from this book:
1. God has a plan.
2. People mess up.
3. God works His plan despite messy people.
4. God forgives messy people.
5. People with messy pasts are NOT disqualified from God's plan.

Yay! That means God can do something with "messy" ol' me!

Staying Warm with Soup!

So, the weather man is calling for snow again this week and whether or not we see any of that white precipitation, it will be cold. What's better during cold weather than a good pot of soup simmering on the stove?

A few weeks ago, my dear friend Stephanie gave me one of the most amazing soup recipes I've ever made: Best Bean and Kielbasa Soup. She got it from her mom, Renate, who, I think, got it directly from Jesus. (I'm not kidding-the Word says that everything good comes from God and this soup is better than good!)

Three reasons why I LOVE this soup:
1. It's delicious.
2. It's easy to make.
3. It's affordable (under $10).

Steph gave me permission to share, so here it is:

Best Bean and Kielbasa Soup

*Beef Kielbasa
*Knorr Spring Vegetable Mix
*3 cans Pinto beans



1. Slice kielbasa and saute in pan.


2. Drain.
3. Put in pot and add 1 quart of water, mix, and beans. (I didn't drain the beans.)



4. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Serve and enjoy!



This will definitely feed several adults with room for seconds and possibly leftovers. Thanks to Stephanie Tidwell for helping me to diversify my winter meals with such a "soup"-er recipe!

Lord of the Rings+Scrapbooking=Victory!

I "Uppercase L" Love scrapbooking. (I never imagined that cutting paper and gluing it back together could be so fun-but it is.) I also "Uppercase L" Love The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (preferably the extended editions...none of those edited versions they show every Holiday season on TNT for me.)


The main question is, "Can such a lady-hobby like scrapbooking coexist with such boy-boy action/drama films like The Lord of the Rings Trilogy?" I submit that they can and do on a regular basis at my house. (Sidenote: I only scrap/watch LOTR when my kids are snoozing.)

Why? Scrapbooking is not drudgery, or I wouldn't love it, but it is a lot of work. I like to have something else to pair it with-hence the unusual combo. I think the LOTR movies are just cool - action, adventure, victory over impossible circumstances. (I will have to admit, I occasionally have to skip over some of the Frodo/Sam scenes...they get a little tedious. SHHHH. Don't tell any truly devoted LOTR fans.)

Obviously, I'm not Aragorn or Frodo, saving the world from the evils of Mordor, but watching them do their thing strangely pushes me through my projects to have victory over paper, pictures, adhesives, and embellishments.

Favored Woman

"favor" - kindness; approval; partiality; friendly regard from a superior, to endow with spiritual blessing or special grace.

The scripture "nothing is impossible with God" literally just popped into my brain. I couldn't remember the reference for that verse, so I went to good ol' BibleGateway.com and did a keyword search. This verse is found in Luke 1:37. It's from the story of Mary the mother of Jesus when she hears from the angel Gabriel that she has become pregnant with God's Son and that her "barren" cousin, Elizabeth, is in her sixth month of pregnancy.

Mary amazes me. Here she is engaged to be married, planning a wedding and an actual angel appears to her in person and tells her she's pregnant - BAM! Just like that. And not to add any pressure or anything, but she happens to be carrying God's one and only Son. What was running through her mind? I would be thinking, "How am I going to tell my fiance? What is everyone going to think?"

Check out Mary's response:

"I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." (Luke 1:38)

WOW!

And then when Mary goes to visit her cousin, Elizabeth says it all -

"You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said." (Luke 1:45)

I think Mary was a "favored woman" because she had this kind of faith and trust before the angel appeared to her. I think that she got picked to play one of the most amazing roles in history because she was "the Lord's servant" in her everyday life. I think she was probably human enough in the moment to be surprised by the news, at least a little bit, but her response in that same moment is astounding. Mary's level of emotional stability is just "holy wow" crazy.

I pray to God that I can develop that kind of faith and trust in moments of uncertainty, of surprise, of insecurity. I want to be a "favored woman"... one that God can trust with a history-changing role...a woman that is blessed because I believe that the Lord will do what he says he will do.

Gotta Have It! - The Jesus Storybook Bible

I love writing about books and other products that I think are awesome. This one is no exception!

My kids have a variety of "first" Bibles, some better than others. We've been searching for a good one that we can read with them AND that they will want to explore on their own.

About a week ago, my sister posted a link on Facebook for the Jesus Storybook Bible. I checked it out and instantly fell in love. The website is totally interactive with free audio and video downloads. My kids have loved watching the weekly story video-this week, it's the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den.

Three reasons' why I love this Bible for my children:

1. The end of EVERY story, written by Sally Lloyd-Jones, points back to God's amazing plan of rescue and salvation through his Son Jesus Christ.

2. The illustrations by Jago are "Uppercase B" Brilliant!

3. The audio version of this Bible, read by David Suchet, who sounds like Zazoo (from Disney's Lion King), are incredibly attention-grabbing.

I plan on buying and using this Bible in my home very, very soon!

Check out the Jesus Storybook Bible @ www.jesusstorybookbible.com.

Happy Birthday to Us!

Our family business, Hall Team Consulting, celebrated it's first birthday today! Yes...it's been a year. I really can't believe it. When we registered HTC, I was only 4 months pregnant with Abigail, we were searching for something out of the box, and were tired of sitting in front of the tv every night after the kids went to bed. We knew there was something else out there for us. After a predestined reunion with an old friend on Facebook, we were invited to check out an opportunity on a Tuesday night last February. When we walked into that info session at Carolina Conference Center, we found a new journey and some incredible business associates that have quickly become some of the most amazing friends we've ever had. After a year, we're still baby business owners, soaking up every bit of information and guidance we are fed by our amazing business association. We are not perfect, but we are not afraid to fail. We are anxious to move forward. We are excited about our future. So, Happy Birthday to Hall Team Consulting! Can't wait to see what Year Two brings.

I Heart You!

For Valentine's Day, home made sentiments are best.

I remember all through my school years, Valentine's preparations always included pink, red, purple and white construction paper, glue, and those old metal safety scissors. Do you remember making "mailboxes" for your class Valentine party? Sometimes they were a decorated shoe box or an over-sized envelope. Hearts, hearts, and more hearts. I couldn't get enough of it, even as a school teacher...I LOVED all the trappings of the grade school Valentine's experience! (I think it's because I had and continue to have a "thing" for school supplies.)

In more recent years, I've been in the card isle looking for commercial sentiments that would accurately express my feelings for my loved ones. (Comedian Kevin James' routine about shopping for a greeting card would be an accurate portrayal.) I don't know...I've bought Valentine's cards before, but none can really say what I want them to. Actually, some cards say extra stuff that I wouldn't really ever say...a bunch of extra blah blah blah lovey dovey blah, blah, blah. That's why I like to tap into those elementary school construction paper-cutting days of yore and make my Valentines. I think they're more personal and can be as simple or ornate as I want.

I remember for the first Valentine's Day after Aron and I got married, I made him a huge candy heart card that was pretty cute. I think he still has it in the top drawer of his dresser. This year, I made Valentines for my kiddos. I love my "treasures" so much and I hope my home-made hearts remind them of how special I think they are all year long.

Learning to Read

John Palmer has known his letters and letter sounds for a couple years now. Recently, I've been working with him on blending sounds to read words. Overall, he's reading words that he's seen before and memorized. He's learning a whole new batch of words called "sight words" - words that don't really follow any phonics rules. He and Ellie have done this by watching Preschool Prep's DVD series called Meet the Sight Words. You can find them at www.preschoolprepco.com. Very cool!

Time Away

Does your family have moments like mine when you've been together for extended periods of time and just need a break? Well, due to many factors, including the recent winter weather, Daddy being out of town, etc., the children and I needed time away from each other-in the most loving meaning of the phrase, of course. I wasn't sure how this was going to happen or how to orchestrate said reprieve, but yesterday nothing short of a miracle occurred-I am a woman of faith, and I literally mean a miracle or favor from God. An angel, in the form of my friend Jill Ridout, sent me a Facebook message to say she would keep ALL of my children OVERNIGHT so that I could attend a business meeting in Greensboro with Aron. If you've never had the pleasure of getting to know Jill, you must know that she has two children of her own, a two-year-old and a one-year-old. I was overwhelmed by the enormity of this offer, for, including my three children, she would be single-handedly caring for five children under the age of five.

Now, this is the important part, my message to myself and to others (especially mothers of small children)-When someone offers to help you with your precious children, remember two crucial things:

1. Make sure they're someone you trust (I for sure trust Jill Ridout with my kids).

AND

2. Don't make any negative assumptions about this type of offer like, "Oh, they're just being nice." or "I wouldn't want to impose." or "That's too much for any one person to do."

Please let people help you! In any situation where you have a need and God practically drops an answer to that prayer into your lap, don't act surprised or undeserving of that help. Accept it gladly. Allow yourself to be blessed and allow the helper the blessing that comes with service to another.

Jill was practicing the Biblical principle of sowing and reaping:

Galatians 6:9-10 says, "So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters."

I truly believe that Jill will be blessed back whether it's through someone like me watching her children or through other means for another need that she has.

Thank you, Jill Ridout, for being a blessing to my family this week and giving us that "time apart" that we needed so much. Thank you for challenging me to not only pray for the needs of my family, but also for open eyes to see others' needs.

New Favorite Book

I read In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson last week. (It took all of 2 or 3 days on Mommy Time-it was so good!) Quite a title-enough to make you at least pick it up and read the notes on the back. There are two things I love about this book:

1. It is written in conversational English (easy to read and understand).

2. It is jam-packed with "Uppercase T" Truth.

I've grown up hearing and reading the Bible, but I never remember the story of Benaiah from 2 Samuel 23:20-21 from which this book is centered. He was a warrior in the time of King David and actually chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day...not a lie. I've never been that close to a lion, but I can tell you, if I ever encountered one like Benaiah did, my first choice would not be to chase it into a dark enclosed space...I think claustrophobia just kicked in...

This book is all about looking at circumstances as opportunities, especially the really scary circumstances that make me so insecure like being a good wife, a good mother, a good friend, a church planter and a business owner.

One area of my life that I am in the process of overcoming is fear. Mark Batterson wrote a whole chapter on our outlook on fear. Here's a great quote from a section entitled "The Fun of Fear":

"If you take a second to reflect on your life, you'll discover that the greatest experiences are often the scariest, and the scariest experiences are often the greatest."

BAM! I love that one because it's true.

Overall, my message to myself and to others is to not miss out on God-ordained opportunities because they look scary or seem overwhelming. Be like Benaiah, a real-life lion chaser...he survived and thrived when "opportunity roared."

New Journey

So I said I would be sharing my scrapbooking with the world. I don't know why, but I don't just want self-approval. I want everyone else to think my work is brilliant and ground-breaking and earth-shattering (as scrapbooking goes, of course.) I've gotten into creating 12x12 "blank" pages for friends and family that are fairly simple to be used any way they want. "New Journey" is one that I made for a good friend who recently found out that she is pregnant. I left it very open so that she could journal or paste pictures and memorabilia during her journey.

Hello, Blogging World

List of things I will be featuring in my blog:

1. My husband (insert loud, sassy whistle here.)
2. My three amazing, brilliant, good-looking, well-behaved children.
3. Scrapbooking.
4. Our family business, Hall Team Consulting.
5. Good times.
6. Good food.
7. Anything else that I love and want to talk about or show off...

I think that covers it! Yay! I am an official blogger.