Archives for July 2017
Seek First the Kingdom of God!
Seek First the Kingdom of God!
Last month I revisited Genesis in my personal Bible study. You know, it’s really hard to understand how in the world Adam and Eve messed up so terribly! It brings to mind the young professional athletes who seemingly have everything, but lose it all to irresponsible behavior. Hmmm… I think there may be a pattern here. What about me? I could never be guilty of the same offense! Or could I?
Adam and Eve had it better than any other human on Earth! It was paradise! How could the adversary make a better offer than what they already had? This seemed impossible to me. So the scheme devised was to tempt them into their own ruin. This is still the biggest temptation for which we fall. The temptation to be our own god.
If you’re not familiar with the story of Adam and Eve, please take a moment and read it here.
The thing about being your own god is that you automatically cut yourself off from the true God. Your whole perspective of life is skewed. It shifts your focus from God’s kingdom to your own kingdom. This is a place you don’t want to find yourself! It is a precarious place where many things in life could happen that you never thought would happen. I mean, do you think that Adam and Eve ever thought that they would get kicked out of the Garden of Eden?!
“Seek first the kingdom of God,
and His righteousness…”
So how are we supposed to protect ourselves? In Matthew 6:33, we are instructed to, “seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.” This is how you avoid the temptation! This is also where we often get into trouble!
Do this little test: When you wake up tomorrow morning, make a mental note of the first thoughts you have. This will let you know what you’re “seeking” first.
For many of us it is thoughts of our to do list for the day such as errands to run, paying a bill, or getting to work on time. After that we are usually off and running to get it done! Instead, try reading the Bible each morning. Just a verse or short passage will do but take time to understand it and contemplate on it. If you read something you don’t understand, pray that it’s meaning would be revealed to you.
Let’s look at the second half of Matthew 6:33. It says, “and all these things will be given to you as well.” For full context read, Matthew 6:25-34 by clicking here to open in a new tab. Let me give you a hint. Our lives are not supposed to be about seeking things! This half of the verse is our assurance that God will provide for us. He tells us throughout this passage that he doesn’t want us to fret away our days worried about our most basic needs! The danger lies in that we are inundated with distractions. Advertisements are everywhere, enticing us, and convincing us why we need their product. We end up spending all of our time trying to “give all these things” to ourselves and not seeking His kingdom at all.
“When we find ourselves constantly thinking about all the things we want to acquire, we become slaves to our desires. “
We have to remove ourselves from that mentality in order to be truly free. When we seek first the kingdom of God immediately each and every day, it sets the order for everything else to follow. You are putting yourself smack in the middle of God’s will, and setting yourself up to receive blessings!
From my nest to yours,
Jo
Find fresh RESPECT for your Husband by looking for the good in him.
How to find fresh RESPECT for your Husband.
Part One in our series based on
15 Ways to Show Respect to your Husband.
Look for and focus on the good in your Husband!!!
Men NEED respect! Women NEED love!
According to my husband Jack as well as many experts in the fields of love, relationships, and psychology, men DO in fact NEED respect, and though women want and need to be treated with respect, it is not on the same level as a man’s NEED for respect. So how do you find fresh respect for your husband?
In our cornerstone post, 15 Ways to Show RESPECT to your Husband, we gave a list of …you guessed it, 15 ways to show respect to your husband. Welcome to part one in our follow-up series of eleven posts where we discuss our first suggestion in greater detail. You will find real life examples and be provided with ideas to help you find ways to look for and focus on the good in your husband.
Some of you are thinking there is nothing good to see anymore.
Some of you are thinking I don’t respect him because there is NOTHING to respect.
Instead of letting those thoughts rule, I challenge you to take action in faith on what you remember about the man you married and to find the good in him. As you really think through his good points, maybe even compare him to some other husband like “Al Bundy” – Married with Children – you might be surprised at all the reasons you have to respect him. On the other hand, be careful about comparing your husband to Mr. Brady – The Brady Bunch – (sorry I am dating myself with these two examples, but I don’t watch much TV these days…). Few people are exactly as they seem. I have known several individuals who appear sweet, clean cut, and mild mannered, yet the hidden facets within them would surprise and maybe even shock close friends and relatives. Truthfully very few people really want to air their dirty laundry and explain that their Mr. Brady is not really Mr. Brady, so keep that in perspective when you play the comparison game. [Read more…]
Word of the Week: Confectioner
Confectioner
[kənˈfekSH(ə)nər] Noun: A maker or seller of sweets!
“It may be that my diabetic induced limit is the only reason I do not closely resemble this ultimate concoction of a confectioner’s creation.”
Jack Wanderer
Chemical Dependency: Reducing the Chemicals in Your Home
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Chemical Dependency:
Reducing the Chemicals in your Home
“Let me preface this by stating that I don’t consider myself to be a health nut, or environmental activist, but rather a homemaker who wants to make her family’s environment as healthy as possible.”
About ten years ago, I had a revelation about my homemaking.
At the time, I had embarked on some dietary changes, and was reading labels. One day while cleaning, I thought, “Why not read the labels on my household cleaners?” I couldn’t find a list of ingredients anywhere. There were catch phrases on bottles such as “Now with Bleach!” but no list of ingredients.
“I had never noticed this before. “
However, I did notice on one of the bottles it said that you needed to rinse the surface (the one you just wiped down with this product) before using for food preparation. I hadn’t been doing that! I was horrified! I didn’t want to have to wipe my counters down twice each time, and I certainly didn’t want to worry if I missed any harmful residue!
“Never once had I thought about how chemicals lingered
on every surface or hung in the air!”
I used to spend my days spraying glass cleaner, surface cleaner, furniture polish, air freshener, and using sanitizing wipes, all in the name of good housekeeping. Not to mention the use of fragranced laundry detergent and fabric softeners! The air in my home was essentially a chemical stew! Change was in order!
I realized that I couldn’t just throw everything out at once. It wasn’t practical, and we were on a budget. I decided to replace them each as I used them up. So the next time I went shopping I headed for the section of “natural” cleaners. I was very discouraged when I saw the prices of the products. To some people that may not be a big deal, but if it matters to you, read on!
Instead, I purchased a bottle of white distilled vinegar. I remembered how my grandpa would use newspapers with vinegar and water to clean glass. This is still a great method because newspapers are streak free! However, I did not like how they turned my hands black. I’m picky. I know. I was not a Do It Yourself kind of girl, but so began my DIY cleaner journey. I kept the vinegar and water, but added some rubbing alcohol to cause quicker drying for that streak free finish. (Click here for the DIY Glass cleaner by Jo Wanderer – will open in a new tab. We will also have a link at the end of this article so feel free to read on.)
I continued creating homemade substitutions for each DIY cleaner I used. What I found was that you really don’t need as many cleaners as the chemical industry would like you to believe!
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Ingredient List for a DIY cleaner
To get started with healthier, DIY cleaning products, here is a list of items to have on hand:
• Distilled white vinegar
• Distilled or filtered water
• Isopropyl alcohol 70% or higher
• Baking soda
• Lemon juice, fresh or concentrated
• Dishwashing liquid of your choice (I like blue Dawn)
• Essential oils, lemon, lavender and/or tea tree
• Rags, micro fiber, or old t-shirts, cut up
• Old gift cards or credit cards
• Toothbrush
• Empty spray bottles, 16 oz. or larger
• Funnel
Micro fiber rags are great for lint free cleaning. Personally, old t-shirts are what I like to use since I feel like I can “afford” to throw them away if they get too dirty. Old gift cards make great scrapers. If you ever need to scrape gooey or crusty substances, these work wonders! Old or new, toothbrushes are for cleaning grout and narrow crevices. My favorite spray bottles are from the garden department at my store. Just make sure the bottles you use have markings on them for measuring. The funnel is just to make pouring ingredients easier. It’s not necessary, if you’re skillful!
Hang in there for part two in this series and enjoy your new DIY cleaner for glass products!
From my nest to yours,
Jo
Click here to download Jo Wanderer’s DIY Glass Cleaner Recipe. (Will open in a new tab.)
15 Ways to show LOVE to your Wife
15 Ways to Show LOVE to your Wife
Men, let’s get real. When you married your wife, did you marry her for love? Did your marriage vows include a statement such as “forsaking all others?” Were you wanting to spend more time with her or less? What happened? Do you show love to your wife?
I can say with relative confidence that you spend less time and attention on her today than when you were first married. (Courting means a gentleman’s way of pursuing a woman or what might sometimes be called dating.) You probably show love to your wife less now than when you were courting. You may now be saying “…something has changed!” OR perhaps you are thinking, she is not the same woman that I married. Are you the same man? I mean, we’re getting real aren’t we? Are you looking for respect at home? Maybe you feel like a peaceful home is no longer a reality. Is she your best friend? [Read more…]
Meal Planning on a Budget, Part Two
Hi! Today I’d like to share more of the helpful tips for creating a meal plan on a budget that I’ve learned and used over the years. During the next few weeks we will spend more time on some of these ideas as I share in-depth descriptions and methods. We all know that a Meal PLAN done right can be a huge help in our budget.
(Did you miss Meal Planning on a Budget Part 1? If so, you can read it by clicking here.)
Now, let’s get right to it!
1. Create menu categories when meal planning. For example: meatless Monday, taco Tuesday, mac and cheese Wednesday, casserole Thursday, crockpot Friday, and grilling weekends, like burgers, pork chops, or chicken. You can repeat this cycle week after week, plugging different recipes into most categories each week. My categories tend to change with the seasons, but this a great way to keep up with meal planning. During our non-grilling months, I choose at least one new recipe to try each week. [Read more…]
Meal Planning on a Budget, Part One
Meal Planning on a Budget, part 1
How to Make a Meal Plan
Whether you’re trying to make it on one income so a parent can stay home with the kiddos, or you’re struggling to make it on two incomes or more, you are not alone. I’m no financial expert, but I’ve been at this awhile, and I’m here to share with you something that’s helped me have great success. Meal planning! I do not, repeat, do not go to the grocery store without having made a meal plan, budget, and coordinating shopping list. [Read more…]
