Merry Christmas - 2013

Christmas 2013

This year we have had the privilege and blessing of celebrating Christmas in our new house. 

                     When we moved into our house, the Lord gave me this word… Peaceful Dwelling

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.

                                                                                      Isaiah 32:18

The word peaceful comes from the Hebrew word shalam

it means:  completeness, soundness, welfare, peace

1. completeness (in number)

2. safety, soundness (in body)

3. welfare, health, prosperity

4. peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment

5. peace, friendship

   1. of human relationships

   2. with God especially in covenant relationship

God made a covenant relationship with us…

          one of PEACE…  one of completeness…  one of safety…  one that would restore us to Him

one that would make us whole, one the would compensate for our lacking's… 

one that would  make an end to our unrest…       our searching…

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.      Isaiah 9:6-7

He will be called Prince of Peace…   of the greatness of His peace there will be no end…

peace came to us as a child,  a son…   one who would establish and uphold justice and righteousness…

one who would uphold us…   a person full of grace and peace…   so that our peace would be full…

Peace…    Peaceful Dwelling… 

                   My people will live in peaceful dwelling places…

The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.

                        because that peace….   that peaceful dwelling place is JESUS…

May your Christmas be one of PEACE,

Merry Christmas from the Chellsen Clan

David, Kathey, Nick, Brittaney, Alex, Aaron, Jonathan, Audriona, Angelina & Shekinah

Weekly Menu Plan–5 Menu Plans

 

Monday – Hawaiian Meatballs & Rice

Tuesday – Meatball Sliders (use extra meatballs from Monday)

Wednesday – Breakfast for Dinner

Thursday – Crockpot Cashew Chicken

Friday – Calzones

Saturday – Rock Star Sons Birthday – his choice

Sunday – Black Bean Soup & Sandwiches

  5 on Friday Menu Plans

 5 PHILADELPHIA Savory Lemon & Herb Cooking Crème Recipes

5 Meals in a Cup

5 Monkey Bread Recipes

5 Kids Meals in a Crock Pot

5 Spaghetti Recipes

5 Chicken Crock Pot Meals

linking up to check it out for other meal planning ideas.

Enjoy~

Desire…

 

Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

                                                                    Psalm 37:4

 

Over the years, on this journey of life…

             this journey of discovery…

                          this journey of trusting…

                 I have struggled with something…

I have believed…

         I have known deep down in my being…

                  I have seen and experience…

                                 That my God,  will and has met my needs…

          He has proven Himself to be the every faithful God that he has promised he would be… 

                                                    in providing my needs.

         Philippians 4:19 says, “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”

and in  Mathew 6:25-34 He reminds us that we have no need to worry about what we will eat or drink or what we will wear, for He provides for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, so he will certainly provide for us, His children.

Yet…

I have struggled with the truth that He will give me the desires of my heart…

             Those deep felt desires…

                   the desires of the deepest places in our heart…

the word desire means:

1. A wish or longing.

2. A request or petition.

3. The object of longing

4. passion

The past few weeks I have been on this journey with my Lord…

                a journey of seeing His passion to fill those desires…

not only those little wishes

      but those deep longings…

             a journey of igniting passions that I thought I had lost…

                             passions I didn’t even realize where there.

That His love…

      His fire…

              His answers…  to those deep desires -

is more of Him…   and more of Him is more than enough…   to fill…     those deep desires

He loves us so much that he not only is enough to fill our needs but he is more than enough... to fill our desires.

Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 37:4  NASB

Desires – The first word in this verse is a word that expresses the sheer enjoyment of the person of God.  When we delight in who God is an amazing transformation occurs.  Our lives progress toward fulfillment.  Those secret spaces are no longer empty.  We experience the desires of our reborn hearts as joy.  As the psalmist suggests, God gives us His desires so that they may become our desires.

"Desire"

Lyrics by Ryan Adams

Two hearts fading, like a flower.
And all this waiting, for the power.
For some answer, to this fire.
Sinking slowly. The water’s higher.
Desire
With no secrets. No obsession.
This time I'm speeding with no direction.
Without a reason. What is this fire?
Burning slowly. My one and only.
Desire
You know me. You don't mind waiting.
You just can't show me, but God I'm praying,
That you'll find me, and that you'll see me,
That you run and never tire.
Desire

Grateful that my God does give me the desires of my heart~

Weekly Menu Plan–10 Meal Plans

Monday – Meat Loaf & Potatoes

Tuesday - Southwest Egg Rolls

Wednesday – Chicken & Potato Casserole

Thursday – Chicken Pot Pie Turnovers (will save chicken from Wed. night to made with these)

Friday – Papa Murphey’s Pizza or Pizza Bread

Saturday – Hamburger Bar

Sunday – Chicken Wild Rice Soup &  Sandwiches

Here are some post I did a while back 10 on Tuesday

         10 Meals with Fire Roast Diced Tomatoes Recipes

         10 Meals with Philadelphia Cooking Cream Recipes 

         10 Meals with Santa Fe Blend Cooking Cream Recipes

         10 Easy Special Meals

10 Easy Meals in a Muffin Tin

linking up to check it out for other meal planning ideas.

enjoy~

Christmas Picture Books & Paper Trees

Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree
Came by special delivery.
Full and fresh and glistening green--
The biggest tree he'd ever seen.

That was the trouble. The tree was so tall, it couldn't stand up straight in his parlor. Mr. Willowby asked his butler to chop off the top of the tree. What happens to the treetop? Where will it be for Christmas? Snuggle up with this story and follow along through a forest full of friendly creatures who get to share in a bit of Christmas joy. After reading Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree, make some of your own trees to share with others.



 
   
  
 
Click on the pictures to go directly to the links that show you how to make each tree.

Enjoy~

Faith produces perseverance

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

I have this love/hate relationship with the book of James…

              So, stretching… so revealing…

                          Yet… so full of truth and life…

Faith produces perseverance…

               Let perseverance… PATIENCE

Finish its work…

                   So that I can be mature and complete, not lacking anything…

If I lack wisdom… I need to ask… because He will give generously and without finding fault…

            Without pointing fingers or reminding me I blew it somewhere…       without condemnation.

WOW…  truth…     life giving wisdom

But…

when you ask… do not doubt…

           do not be double mined and unstable in what you do, say one thing but act as if you do not believe…

So, I am on this journey of discovery….

             a journey of not focusing on the lacking… of not living out of the lacking..

Lacking...

without something necessary: without or with not enough of something that is needed

missing: not present or available

Not living as if something is missing or not present…

                        not living as if I do not have enough…. As if He is not enough…

                                                 that He is not available…

I asked for your perfect timing… just like the house and you gave it to me… and it was perfect… not without trial or stress… but perfect in timing and you were producing perseverance…

Going for another round… with finances and waiting for Jubilee $.  And the answer came… with delays in the jubilee funds…  but you are answering…

You answer…         In your perfect timing…    I do not see the perfectness of this timing yet…. I will not until it comes…

You are giving me my hearts desire…  to have a stress free (peace filled), Giving Christmas… to enjoy it.

That can be done … just by changing my attitude…  by changing my focus…

Give as planned…   give with what we have.

do not be stressed… do not worry… do not look at the lacking…

                    focus on the giving… focus on the gift...

Enjoy… the season… the decorating… the working together… family… friends…. The Gift

             Attitude…

                      personal view of something: an opinion or general feeling about something

What is my view or opinion of my situation…. Is it one of stress…. Is it one of lacking…

or…

                Is it one of seeing the blessings… Is it one of fullness…

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything

Consider it pure joy…

Pure…

not mixed: not mixed with any other substance

free from contamination: clean and free from impurities

complete:

Joy… not mixed with fear…

            Joy… free from worry…

Joy… Complete

          Complete… not lacking anything…

Because of Him…

My Shekinah Glory….

          The one who brings….    the one who invites the presence of the Lord….

                        His indwelling presences…

she came and nestled beside me …. on the couch pressed up against me…

looking at boxes of Christmas decorations…. New (but old) decorations sent from Nana…

            She whispered… we are so blessed…

My heart leaped with Joy…     as I said, "yes, we are, we are so blessed."

                 Pure Joy…        Complete….      Not lacking anything.

So our journey begins…     a season of giving…     giving our Christmas away…

      Join us on the journey…   of Discovering…   The Gift through giving.

Stones of Remembrance

    Stones of Remembrance



In our front yard is this awesome, wonderful tree…

    that the Lord has been using to speak words of hope…

               words of promises fulfilled...
                         words of love…

   that simple say “I am listening…  I remember”

He hears and remembers every prayer…   every word spoken...    every word sent up to Him.

and…

around this tree…  this tree of life…      are 12 bricks…     
 
12 bricks that have become memorial stones of remembrance…

Joshua 4: 4 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, ² “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, ³ and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” ⁴ Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. ⁵ And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, ⁶ that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ ⁷ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
⁸ And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. ⁹ And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.

Joshua 4:20-22
And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground."

12 stones that are a visual reminder of God’s love…
                of His provision…
                      of Him opening the way for us to cross…
                                  onto solid ground…
                                             into  His promises for us.

Stones of remembrance~


As a visual reminder…
we each took one brick…  
              one stone
   
and wrote our name on it.
because...
     He calls us all by name. 


We took our stone of remembrance…  
and gave Him praise…   thanks…  

for all He has done for us this year.

we flipped that heavy brick over weighted down with blessings - and wrote one  “hard thanks”…   


one area in our life that we struggle with giving thanks for…

Why?

           because giving thanks in all things is what He asks us to do…

                    and when we can give thanks in the hard things… 

we open His flood gates of heaven…
                                turning the hard things into praises… seeing the blessing…

                                                 a sacrifice of praise.

He becomes the cornerstone…    the center of all things…   
   in our life…  

     easy Thanks...
no brainer Thanks...   
   and those messy,

     hard Thanks…  

       

He becomes the beginning and the end...  
              Our starting and finishing place…
                                              Our Chief Cornerstone

reminding us that…

God is building a home.
 
He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using us, fitting us brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together.

We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.  Ephesians 2: 20-22



We can also "set up stones of remembrance” symbolizing times in our lives when God gave healing, perseverance, protection or encouragement—times when we were especially aware of God’s faithfulness.

Possibilities:

• Make a quilt with squares symbolizing "faith events."
• Create a display of items on a shelf as reminders.
• Draw, paint, or craft a collage.
• Decorate actual stones in your garden.
• Write your faith stories, tie them with a ribbon, and put them in a special box or bottle. (Then read them on special occasions.)

building stones…    of remembrance~

Menu Plan–December

Here is our Monthly Menu Plan for December

Broken down to this week it looks like this:

Monday – Beans & Rice (low budget week)

Tuesday – Enchiladas (with leftover beans)

Wednesday – Quiche

Thursday – Black Bean Burgers (I use my homemade Black Beans &  homemade Hamburger buns)

Friday – Biscuit Pizzas

Saturday – Hot Dog Bar

Sunday – is my Unique son’s Birthday – so he gets to pick)

 

linking to:

Enjoy~

Christmas Planners

            

With Christmas just around the corner, I wanted to find a     planner to help keep my thoughts and plans written down and easily accessible. I found these different free printable planners.  I have not decided which one I am going to use yet.  I may use some of the printables from different downloads.  There are things I like about each on of these. I will be printing and comb binding the printable I want to use this week.  Once I have it done I will take a picture and post it. You can click the pictures and it will take you to each printable.


     

Enjoy~