Jammin' Jambalaya

Hi folks!  I know.  I know.  Its been a little while since I've blogged.  Forgive me.  There's been A LOT going on.  But I'm back and I thought I'd post a little recipe I tried for the first time tonight.  Now, just to give you a little background, when I told the hubby this morning that I was gonna try a jambalaya tonight he wasn't particularly thrilled.  He was automatically thinking SPICY.  And my sweet hubby DOES NOT like spicy.  But I had already thought of that.  This recipe has been tamed.  But if you, like me, can't get enough heat, you can always add more chili powder, throw in some crushed red pepper, or even throw in a chopped up jalapeno.  Or take a walk on the wild side & throw in all three!
Back to the recipe -
This is a fairly simple recipe - made especially easy by the fact that you can bake & shred the chicken, slice up the sausage, and dice up the onions & bell pepper all in advance.
So here's how it goes:
First, heat up 2 teaspoons of Olive Oil over medium-high in a large pot & brown the sausage for 5 minutes.  I used my dutch oven.  Isn't it pretty?  My husband got it for me a couple of years ago for my birthday!  :)

Next, add 1-2 chopped onions (I used 2, but they were on the small side), 1/2 cup of chopped bell pepper (I used a combo of green and red bell pepper.  I always buy them when they're on sale and then I dice some and slice some & put them in the freezer.  It makes things a lot easier!), and 1 clove of minced garlic.

Mix that all together, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 12 minutes, or until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally.

Next, add 1 & 1/2 cups of rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. (Now, if you're smart, you'll rinse your rice for about 5 minutes before you add it.  That will help your rice to stay nice and fluffy when it cooks, instead of mushy and sticky.  I, however, was not so smart.  I forgot to rinse my rice first.  But, then again, my baby stole most of my brain cells, so I have an excuse at least.)

Now, once you've cooked the rice for 2 minutes, add 2 & 3/4 cups of chicken broth, 2 tsp paprika, & 1/2 tsp thyme.  (I also added 1/4 tsp of chili powder.  But, seriously, this wasn't spicy AT ALL.  So if you like spice, you'll probably wanna add more.) Bring this all to a boil.

(Its startin' to look yummy, isn't it!)

Once it begins to boil, cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Don't peek!  I know its hard, but that rice has gotta cook.  So, seriously, DON'T PEEK!

(Here's another pic of my beautiful dutch oven.  Just because.)

Now, once the rice is finished cooking, add 1 can of diced tomatoes (with the juice). (If you wanna, you can add tomatoes with chiles, but I just used plain diced tomatoes.)

Then add the shredded chicken.

Mix everything together and let it heat through until the liquid is absorbed (about 5-10 minutes).  We only waited about 3 minutes.  We were hungry. (But there really wasn't much liquid from the tomatoes, so it was fine.)

And, there you have it.  Jambalaya!  Now, I know some of you are thinking, "Um, isn't there supposed to be shrimp in jambalaya too?"  Yes.  You're right.  But I don't care.  I don't eat shrimp.  If you wanna add some, be my guest!  Just add some precooked shrimp at the end with the chicken & let it all heat through.

Look at this yummy goodness!

I served mine with a wedge of sweet cornbread.

And, there you go.  And here I go - into the kitchen to get a second helping - because all these pics are makin' me hungry again!











Resurrection Cookies and Celebrating Easter

Well, its Sunday morning and I'm at home instead of church.  I'm sick.  UGH!  And so are Madeleine and Tom.  We are a pretty pitiful household at the moment.  So I figured while I was at home I might as well do a blog post!  :) 
With Easter coming up, I am very excited!  This will be Madeleine's first Easter!!!  The first year in a baby's life is so exciting!  Everything is brand new!  Every experience is for "the first time."  I began to think about Madeleine's first Easter a few months ago.  (I know, I know, I'm a planner.  I've also been planning her first birthday party since she was 5 months old.) 
Anyway, I wanted to make sure that Madeleine's first Easter - and everyone that follows - is filled with thoughts of Jesus!  I didn't want her waiting for the Easter Bunny.  I wanted her excited that we are celebrating Jesus' resurrection from the dead!  I didn't want to take away the "Easter Basket" though.  So, what do I do?  I don't want a basket filled with bunnies and chicks.  That has nothing to do with Jesus and His resurrection.  So, I took a page from my Mama's playbook.  I decided that Madeleine will receive lambs for Easter.  That's what my Mama gave me when I was little.  Why?  So she could discuss with me how Jesus is the "Lamb of God."  So, Madeleine's Easter Basket is already prepared. - That's right!  I'm a planner!  There is a little book about the First Easter in there, a lamb blankie, a Build-a-Bear Lamb from my Dad, and a handmade, crochet lamb from my mother-in-law.  (She used one of my Mama's crochet books to make it, so even Mama was involved in Madeleine's First Easter!!!!)
Now on to the recipe...
A couple of years ago I found a recipe for Easter Cookies that I just loved!  Now remember, this was before we had Madeleine.  I saved the recipe in the hopes that one day I would have little children that I could make these with.  I also emailed the recipe to several friends & family members in the hopes that they would make these with their kids.  I can not take credit for this recipe.  I simply found it online.  But I would love to share it with all of you.  I've had several friends who had kids just about the same time I had Madeleine, so I'd love to share this recipe with them as well.  So, without further ado...

Resurrection Cookies (I like this name better than "Easter Cookies.")
These Cookies are to be made the evening before Easter Sunday

You Will Need:
1 cup pecans
1 tsp vinegar
3 egg whites
a pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
ziploc bag
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. (Do this at the very beginning so that the oven is ready for the cookies as soon as they are prepared.)

Place pecans in ziploc bag and let chicldren beat them with a wooden spoon to break them into small pieces.  Explain that, after Jesus was arrested, He was beated by the Roman soldiers.  Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar.  Put 1 tsp vinegar into mixing bowl.  Expain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink.  Read John 19:26-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar.  Eggs represent life.  Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.  Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand.  Let them taste it and sprinkle the rest into the bowl.  Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.  Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing.  Add 1 cup of sugar.  Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us.  He wants us to know and belong to Him.  Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on High Speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.  Explain that the color represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.  Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken pecans.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxpaper-covered cookie sheet.  Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.  Read Matthew 27: 57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door, and turn the oven OFF.  Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.  Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.  Read Matthew 27: 65-66.

Go to bed!  Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight.  Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.  Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Resurrection Morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.  Notice the cracked surface and take a bite.  The cookies are hollow!!!  On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty!  Read Matthew 28:1-9.

Those Big, Bad Amalekites!

Hello everyone!  I know.  I know.  Its been quite a while since I updated my blog.  I'm a slacker!  Oh well, I'm updating it now, so that's what counts!  :)  Tonight I'd like to talk about one of my favorite subjects - Bible history!  I love history in general, but Biblical history just really fascinates me!  My sister-in-law & I have been "reading through the Bible" together this year!  Its been so wonderful!  If you have never read through the Bible, it may seem like it would be boring - especially when you get to passages like 2 Chronicles or those passages in Genesis that say, "and Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat..."  But Erin & I have been doing M'Cheyne's Bible Reading Plan.  This one is great because instead of reading four chapters in one book of the Bible, you read one chapter from four different books - 2 Old Testament & 2 New Testament.  That way you are never bogged down in 2 Chronicles or other books that may get you discouraged in your daily reading.  If you'd like to check the plan out, you can take a look at it here: http://hippocampusextensions.com/mcheyneplan/ .
Now, on to my actual post!  :)  One thing that really fascinates me is finding out how the stories in the Bible fit together.  Sometimes we read separate stories & we just read them as completely separate events.  But if we dig deeper, there is so much there to learn! So tonight, I'm gonna take you guys on a little journey through the Old Testament!  Please bare with me!  I really think you'll find it worth the read!  (Not for what "I" have to say, but for what God has said!
So let's begin! Everybody turn to Exodus chapter 17.  SWORD DRILL!!!   Just kidding!  Remember those?  Anyway, Exodus 17.  If you can't remember what this chapter is about, let me refresh your memory.  This is where the Israelites battle the Amalekites at Rephidim.  Still don't remember?  That's OK.  Neither did I.  Maybe this will help.  Remember the battle where, as long as Moses held his arms up in the air the Israelites won & when his arms dropped they began to lose?  Then Aaron & Hur helped him by holding his arms up?  That was this battle.  Well, after the battle was over God said to Moses (vs. 14), "... I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven."  In other words, God's gonna destroy those dudes!
Now, lets move forward a little to 1 Samuel chapter 15.  Saul is king of Israel & God is ready to destroy those evil Amalekites.  God tells Saul (through Samuel) in verse 3 "Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass."  Unfortunately, Saul decided that he would obey God only partially (which we know is actually disobedience) & he spares the King of the Amalekites - a man named Agag - and all the good animals. This, of course, is the beginning of the end of Saul's reign. He has proven to God that he cannot be trusted. Poor Saul.  He had the chance to be an instrument of God; to be used to fulfill a prophecy of God, but he chose not to.  He chose to disobey.  But that's ok, cause it just affected him, right?
Well, let's flip forward again to the book of Esther, chapter 3.  The Jews in Persia are being persecuted.  They are under a terrible threat - the threat of extermination.  And where does this threat come from?  The king's right-hand man - a man named Haman.  So, what on earth does this have to do with what we're talking about?  Well, Esther chapter 3, verse 1 tells us that Haman is "the son of Hammedatha the Agagite."  Sound familiar?  Yes, that's right, Haman is a descendant of Agag, the king of the Amalekites.  Remember, that king that Saul spared.  If only Saul had obeyed God!  The Jews in Persia wouldn't even have had to deal with wicked ol' Haman!
What a lesson for us!  When God commands us to do something, He ain't messin' around!  He means it!  And our refusal to obey not only affects us, but it affects others! But the story doesn't end there!  God had promised, all the way back in Exodus 17, that He would totally wipe out the Amalekites. And God always keeps His word! So flash forward to Esther chapter 9. Haman is dead & the Jews are given permission to rise up & fight anyone who tries to hurt them. Verses 7through 10 say - "And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, and Parmasta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha, the 10 sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they..." From what I have studied, here ends the line of Agag & the race of the Amalekites. God's promise was fulfilled.  God had chosen Saul to be the fullfilment of His prophecy, but Saul chose to disobey. Because of that, Esther and the Jews in Persia got the opportunity to be the fullilment of the prophecy of God. Wow! Isn't God good! He can't be stopped! Not even by our disobedience. But man, think of what blessings Saul forfeited by choosing to do it his way instead of God's way!  I pray that I won't do that!
Well boys and girls, I hope you learned something tonight!  I know I have!  :)

Addiction

The other day, a close friend mentioned to me that there was something in her life that could be becoming an addiction, or an idol, for her.  Now, this “thing” isn’t inherently sinful.  In fact, its actually very healthy!  But, being a godly woman, she was concerned with the amount of time she was spending on it.  This made me think about addiction.  How do we know, as Christians, when something is becoming an addiction, a stronghold, an idol in our lives?  Well, I have a little personal experience in this area.  I have, what I believe to be, an addictive personality.  I mean by this, that I have a tendency to place too much time into certain hobbies or activities.  Care for an example? Well, Facebook is a pretty good one!  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I LOVE Facebook!  Seriously!  I love being able to keep in touch with friends & family!  I love being able to share pictures of my baby!  Its wonderful! – And not inherently sinful.  But, if I begin to put a certain importance on Facebook that it doesn’t deserve, then I’m getting into troubled territory.  And I’ve been DEEP in that territory people!

So, how do you evaluate a certain behavior to determine whether or not its addictive?  Well, recently the Holy Spirit has revealed some questions to me that I would like to share with all of you.  (I will be using Facebook as an example, since that is one of the specific areas the Lord is working on in my life.)  If you begin to feel convicted about any of your own behaviors while reading this post, well, JOIN THE CLUB!!!  J

So, back to these questions!  Question #1 is, of course, “Am I putting this activity (facebook, basketball, running, watching tv, whatever it is) before my relationship with the Lord.  Now, everybody reading this blog just said, “Tell me something I don’t know!”  J We’ve all heard this before in every sermon on idols. “Am I fishing when I should be in church?” “Am I watching tv when I should be doing my Bible study?”  But, I think to evaluate whether something is an addiction, we need to dig deeper.

That leads me to question #2 – “Am I putting this activity above my God-ordained responsibilities?”  What do I mean by that? To figure that out you have to first think about what your God-ordained responsibilities are.  In my case, I am a stay-at-home wife and mother.  My God-ordained responsibilities include: caring for and serving my husband and my daughter, making meals, keeping the house in order, among many other things!  (We all have certain things that God expects us to do.  We should be in church, fellowshipping with other believers & worshipping God.  We should also be doing our best at whatever job God has given us, etc.)  So, am I on Facebook when I should be vacuuming or making dinner?  Do I neglect things because of Facebook?  Are there dirty dishes in the sink?  Did I put off the grocery shopping today because I just couldn’t get away from the computer long enough?

Question #3 – Do I do things late because of this particular activity?  Was dinner late tonight because I was on Facebook too long?  Did I feed M 10 minutes late because I just couldn’t break away from what I was reading?  If, so, then I am putting Facebook (insert your own activity here) above the needs of my family.  I’m saying that being on Facebook is more important that feeding my daughter on time or making my husband’s dinner on time.

Question #4 – Do I find myself getting angry or annoyed with others if they interfere with my ability to do this activity?  Do I get angry with my husband if he needs to use my computer?  Do I get annoyed with M for crying or making noise while I’m trying to read or write to someone on Facebook?  Here’s one for you!  When the internet goes out, am I short with the customer service person on the phone or the technician that comes to my home because I’m annoyed about being inconvenienced?

Question #5 – Am I using this activity for sinful purposes?  As Facebook is my example, I will say again, I LOVE Facebook!   It’s a great tool!  But am I ever using it in an ungodly way?  Am I using it as a tool to gossip about others?  Do I say things on Facebook that I shouldn’t?  (I have to say, I’ve noticed A LOT of this on Facebook.  People seem to feel more at ease saying things that may be hurtful to others because they aren’t face-to-face.)  We need to remember that God sees our Facebook page just as clearly as He hears our conversations!  Am I saying things on Facebook that aren’t pleasing to the Lord?

Lastly, Question #6 – If I have free time to spend on Facebook, would it be better spent serving my family?  Could I surprise my husband with cookies instead of spending 30 minutes on Facebook?  Could I spend a little extra time playing with M?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, well, you’re in the club with me!  Now, through the Holy Spirit’s power, let’s break those chains of addiction & get rid of those strongholds!  J

Oh my word! I have a Blog!

     Yep!  That's right!  For those of you who couldn't imagine me talking any more than I already do, I now have a blog!  But fear not!  This actually works out great for you!  If you don't feel like listening to me ramble on, all you have to do is close your internet window.  (Don't worry.  I won't hold it against you.)
     Anyway, for my first blog post I'd like to give a few "shout outs."  Firstly, to my sister-in-law Erin who has inspired me to begin my own blog. Erin's been blogging for quite some time now & she's a pro!  I always enjoy reading her blog because she's not afraid to discuss what God is doing in her life.  Sometimes she even blogs about how she has made mistakes in her daily walk with the Lord!  Can you believe that!  But I really love those blogs in particular because they make me feel like I'm not alone. :)  I kind of look up to Erin as a spiritual example. Sometimes I get the feeling that she's the perfect Proverbs 31 Woman. (She probably just did a spit take while reading this.) But she's not "trying" to be seen. She's just trying to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. So its kind of comfotring to hear her say "Hey, I struggle with this."  I hope my blog can be that sort of help to someone else.
     Secondly, I'd like to send a "shout out" to my friend Tara.  Tara and I went to high school together, but oddly enough, we were never as close in high school as we have become on Facebook over the past year.  Tara is a wife and mother & also a fellow blogger.  She loves to blog about new recipes she's trying & I love to read about them!  I am constantly "facebook stalking" her to see if she has updated her blog with a new recipe!  She also enjoys discussing what God is doing in her life and so she has been another big encouragement to me in my spiritual life.
     My third and final "shout out" is to my "sister-in-law once removed" - Jennifer.  Jennifer is Erin's sister and, therefore, she's not actually related to me.  But "my sister-in-law's sister" is a term that just doesn't seem to do her justice.  Its so impersonal.  And if Jennifer is anything, she's personable! ;)  She really feels like family, so I've decided to call her my "sister-in-law once removed."
     Anyway, Jennifer is also a fellow blogger and I really enjoy reading her blog! She has young children, so I love to read her blog to see what I have to look forward to in the future (and what I should be forewarned of).  She's also incredibly creative in her activities with her kids.  Jennifer, I plan to shamelessly steal ideas from you that I can use with M! ;)

"Little Christ" or "Little Satan"?

As I said before, my sister-in-law and I have been doing a daily Bible Study together.  Every morning we read our Bible verses and the lesson for the day and then we email each other our thoughts.  This has been such a life changing experience!  Daily Bible study has been something I have ALWAYS struggled with.  This daily accountability - and daily encouragement - has been truly incredible!  Thanks E, for being willing to share what the Lord is doing in your life with me & for being willing to listen to what He is doing in my life!  For everyone else listening, I encourage you to get a Bible study partner -even if they are out of town. An email Bible study is much better than none at all!  Plus, if you happen to be distracted or have difficulty concentrating because something is going on, you can always go back and read the email again later.

     Now on to my new post!  :) Today's Bible study was particularly convicting.  The topic ... sins of the tongue.  Ouch!  If you know me, you know this one hits home!  I LOVE to talk!  I'm a pretty friendly person I think.  I mean, for crying out loud, I can make a new best friend in the grocery store check-out line in three and a half minutes!  The tongue is great!  Its definitely a gift that can be used for God's glory.  Unfortunately, it can also be used for sin - A LOT OF SIN.  Proverbs 10:19 says "In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin..."  Or, in other words, the more you say, the higher your chances of sinning.  Ouch!  Boy do I know that to be true!

     So, what do we think of when we think of "sins of the tongue?"  Well, one thing that was discussed in our Bible study today was "slander," or, as we so lovingly like to say, "gossip."  Come on, "gossip" doesn't sound as bad as "slander" right?  Sounds sort of harmless, kinda like the phrase "little white lie."  But gossip, or slander, is not harmless.  Titus 2:3 says, "The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not FALSE ACCUSERS, not given to much wine, teachers of good things."  That term "false accusers" is the same word as "slanderers."  Now, here's where it gets REALLY SCARY. - If you have a concordance, you can look the word "slander" up.  Guess what the Greek word for "slander” is – “DIABOLOS.”  Sound familiar?  Well, if you ever took Spanish, you know the Spanish word for “devil” is “diablo.” Don’t feel bad if you never took Spanish.  I won’t think any less of you.  Although, it really is a wonderful language to learn!  But, if per chance, you speak no Spanish, that’s OK.  You should still recognize this word as similar to our English word “diabolic.”  Now, does that sound harmless to you?  Being a slanderer – or gossip – is diabolic.  DIABOLIC!  And what does “diabolic” mean?  Well, I’m sure you can guess!  “Diabolic” means “characteristic of the Devil, or so evil as to recall the Devil.”  Did you get that?  Every time we slander or gossip about someone we are behaving JUST LIKE Satan himself!  I don’t know about you, but that scares me to death!  I definitely don’t want to be like Satan.  I call myself a “Christian,” which literally means “little Christ.”  But when I gossip about someone, I am not acting like a “little Christ” but like a “little Satan.”  That’s a painful sentence to even write!

     So, what do we do?  Well, we “put off slander, gossip.”  And what do we replace with?  Well, if I’m not gonna be like Satan, I’d really like to be like Christ!  I John 2:1 says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.  But if anyone does sin, we have an ADVOCATE with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”  You see, Satan is the chief of accusers, the head slanderer, but Jesus Christ has taken the opposite position.  He is our advocate, or defender, speaking to us and about us with love and kindness.  This is how we should live.  This is how we should speak of others.  My sister-in-law shared this quote with me today:

 (it was said of M'Cheyne)...

"When a fellow Christian's name was mentioned in company, if he could not say anything good about him, he would refrain from all speech about him. Better that than to destroy a brother for whom Christ died."

Wow!  How powerful is that!  How dare I slander or gossip about someone for whom Christ died!  I don’t what that to characterize me.  I want to be known as an advocate, a defender, not a slanderer or gossip.  I want to be known as a “little Christ” not a “little Satan.”

     I’d like to leave you with an encouraging thought – the KING OF KINGS, the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD, the LAMB OF GOD took it upon HIMSELF to be your advocate.  He didn’t delegate this job to the angels or anyone else.   HE HIMSELF took the position as your defense attorney.  Think about that!  Oh,  how He loves you and me!!!

     And finally, and this one is for you Mrs. Bohler, I leave you with one of the most incredible, encouraging poems I have ever read:

My Advocate

By: Martha Snell Nicholson

I sinned. And straightway, posthaste, Satan flew

Before the presence of the most High God,

And made a railing accusation there.

He said, “This soul, this thing of clay and sod,

Has sinned. ‘Tis true that he has named Thy Name,

But I demand his death, for Thou has said,

‘The soul that sinneth, it shall die.’

Shall not Thy sentence be fulfilled? Is justice dead'

Send now this wretched sinner to his doom.

What other thing can righteous ruler do?”

And thus he did accuse me day and night,

And every word he spoke, O God, was true!

Then quickly One rose up from God’s right hand,

Before whose glory angels veiled their eyes.

He spoke, “Each jot and tittle of the law

Must be fulfilled; the guilty sinner dies!

But wait—suppose his guilt were all transferred

To Me, and that I paid his penalty!

Behold My hands, My side, My feet! One day

I was made sin for him, and died that he

Might be presented faultless at Thy throne!”

And Satan fled away. Full well he knew

That he could not prevail against such love,

For every word my dear Lord spoke was true!

The Bible, the Buchmans, and Chinese Water Torture

     Yes, that's right.  Today's post is about that show of shows, that classic of comedic television, Mad About You.  I love this show.  Its just stinking funny.  I'm not quite sure why I love it so much.  Maybe its the fact that its the story of newlyweds making their way through life.  Whatever the reason, this show just tickles me.  If you've never seen it, you don't know what you're missing.      So this morning as I got M up to feed her breakfast, I thought, "I'd like to watch something funny."  That's when I went to my old standby.  Old reliable.  Something familiar, and yet sure to make me laugh  - Mad About You, Season One.  I turned on an episode called "The Apartment." - This just happens to be one of my husband's favorite episodes because you find out that Paul has been subletting his old apartment to none other that Kramer from Seinfeld!  It makes for pretty funny television!
     Anyway, this blog is supposed to be about some "pearl of wisdom," so lets just get to the story and what I learned from it.  The episode has Paul and Jamie arguing over the fact that Paul still hasn't given up the apartment that he lived in before they married.  He says "Its crazy to give up a rent-controlled apartment" (even though he's not making any profit on the rent), but Jamie just sees it as a sign that he's not fully invested in their marriage - that he's keeping a place on the side "just in case things don't work out."  And so, she begins.  Begins what, you ask. What women have been doing so perfectly for centuries - nag.  She tells him how horrible he is, that she would NEVER do something so thoughtless to him, blah, blah, blah. You know the drill.  If you're like me, then you've done it to your husband.
     Paul eventually gives in and begrudgingly agrees to give up the apartment (leading to a pretty hilarious scene between Paul and Kramer).  But that's not good enough for Jamie.  She wants him to want to give up the apartment.  And until he does, she's not gonna let this thing go.
     So, what's so interesting about this episode and the fact that I watched it this morning?  Well, not 20 minutes earlier I had been doing my Bible study on "The Counter-culteral Woman" - a wonderful study by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  While discussing Proverbs 31:27 ("She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."), Nancy explained that a wife's job is to be watchful over her house, her family, etc and to warn her husband if need be.  Then Nancy said the words that are still burnt into my brain,
        "Now that doesn’t mean you nag him about it. It doesn’t mean you’re the Holy Spirit in his life.  You think before you say it, and you wait to see if it’s God’s time and make sure you’re perceiving it correctly. But as you’re watchful, you’re being a helper to your husband; you’re being a helper to your family."
     Wait a minute!  I'm not the Holy Spirit in my husband's life???  That's right!  There's only one Holy Spirt, and He doesn't need me interfering with His job.  He can handle it.
     That's what Jamie was trying to be in this episode - Paul's Holy Spirit.  She wanted to interfere with his thought process, convict him that what he was doing was wrong, but it didn't work.  It never does!  Have you ever nagged your husband over and over to do something, only to have him do it with a bad attitude?  I have.  And then what happens?  Well, I usually get mad at him and say, "Well, if you're not going to do it with a good attitude, then don't do it at all!"  All the while, he's probably thinking, "How am I supposed to have a good attitude when you won't stop nagging!"
     You see, nagging NEVER works.  That's right!  I said it!  My husband may end up doing what I want him to do, but NEITHER ONE OF US ends up happy.  When I think of nagging, I think of a word used in the Bible - "contentious."  (Wow! Two posts in a week about being a contentious wife!  Do you think God's trying to tell me something???)  Anyway, Proverbs 27:15 says, "A continual dripping on a day of violent showers and a contentious woman are alike."  There's an image that comes to mind when I hear the phrase "continual dripping" - water torture.  In other words, its like torture to live with a contentious/nagging wife - and it could very well drive a husband insane! 
     Lord, please help me to be a loving wife, not a nagging wife.  Help me to be a watchful wife, warning my husband of things in our life that need attention, and then stepping back and letting the Holy Spirit do His work without my interference. Amen.
     Well, that's it.  That's how God brought my Bible study AND the Buchmans together to teach me a lesson on being a godly wife.  Now, lets see if I can put that into practice!  :)

By the way, if you're interested in Nancy Leigh DeMoss's study on "The Counter-culteral Woman," here's the link:
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/topics/series.php?series=187&topic_name=Biblical%20Womanhood

The Opposite of "Contentious"

     Two blog posts in one day!  I'm starting this blog thing off with a bang! :)  So, if you read my first post, you read about my sister-in-law Erin who often blogs about what God is teaching her.  I thought tonight would be a good night to do one of those blogs because MAN! was God teaching me today!  This morning didn't start off great.  In fact, I started this morning off with a fight with my husband.  Basically, I wasn't being very submissive.  Of, course, my haughty heart didn't want to admit that at the time.  After the fight I decided to have a seat and read my Bible. (You know, while I was patiently waiting for God to show him how he was wrong.) Well my sister-in-law and I have been studying Proverbs 31:10-31 for about a week now, so I decided to read that.  Boy was that a bad idea! I got all the way to verse ELEVEN before God got a hold of my heart.  I was reading from my Amplified Bible and verse 11 reads "The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of (honest) gain or need of (dishonest) spoil."  God spoke to me there.  He said "How can your husband trust in you if you're not willing to submit?"  That really ticked me off.  After all, I'm never wrong. Then God put a word into my mind and kept emphasizing it - "contentious." He kept whispering it over and over. (That really got on my nerves.) So I decided to look up passages with the word "contentious" in them on my Kindle. (Did I mention I was using my Kindle to read the Bible?  I didn't yet?  Well, I was and it is GREAT!  But that will be a separate post of its own I'm sure!)      
     Anyway, I looked up "contentious" and found several verses.  The one that really stuck out to me was Titus 3:2.  Now, in the King James Bible, the verse reads "To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men."  In my Amplified Bible, the verse reads "To slander or abuse or speak evil of no one, to avoid being contentious, to be forbearing (yielding, gentle, and conciliatory), and to show unqualified courtesy toward everybody." After I read this verse, I thought, "That's it!  That's the opposite of "contentious" - "FORBEARING!"  OK. Now what on earth does that mean??? Again, the Kindle to the rescue! Just hit a button & it shows you the definition of any word! So I looked at the definition for "contentious" - "causing or likely to cause an argument." (Um, and this morning I believe my picture was right next to that definition!)
     Next I looked up the definition for "forbearing" - "patient and restrained." So, instead of being "likely to cause an argument" with Tom, I should be "patient and restrained." OK, so what does it mean to be "patient" - "being able to wait without becoming annoyed or anxious; slow to lose one's temper."  And what does it mean to be "restrained" - "characterized by reserve or moderation."  That all seemed pretty understandable.  Instead of causing an argument, I should be slow to anger and reserved.  I get that.  Then something else about the definition for "restrained" caught my eye. The fourth definition for "restrained" reads "(of a person) held down and back in a vehicle seat by a seat belt." 
Interesting! To be held by a seat belt. Hmmm...  I should be held back by a seat belt?  What could that seat belt be? Um... THE HOLY SPIRIT!  The Holy Spirit should be the One "restraining" me, holding me back from saying or doing things that aren't pleasing to the Lord. So, I say all of that to say this: You know those bumber stickers that say "God is my co-pilot."  Well, I want one that says "The Holy Spirit is my seat belt!"