Unrefined sweeteners verses Refined and Artificial

I have been doing a lot of research on sweeteners lately, and I've decided to write a blog about it (at least the ones that I use), discussing the positives and negatives of each one. Most of these sweeteners have a few things in common: 1) They contain minerals and nutrients that are not found in refined white sugar (so, it's not just empty calories), 2) They take longer to break down; therefore, you are satisfied longer and there isn't as much of a change in blood sugar, 3) They contain much less sucrose, 4) Most contain more flavor, and 5) Some of these sweeteners, you can use less of.

Sucanat: made by keeping together the sugar and molasses. All of the nutritional benefits of molasses remain. This has a strong molasses flavor. This product is dry (like flour), has many vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. This has a much lower sucrose level than white sugar. It is easier to blend, and creates a smoother texture in baked goods.

Unrefined sugar: made from sugar cane juice. It is released by pressing sugar cane stalks. It is typically 50% less processed than refined sugar, and contains more molasses. There isn't quite as much molasses in this as in sucanat. We use this the most (we buy it in the "Latino foods" section at Walmart for the same price as white, refined sugar!).


Molasses: contains the most vitamins, minerals, and trace elements (iron, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) because it comes straight from the sugar cane plant. There are two types: 1)Blackstrap (stronger flavor) and 2) Barbados (lighter and sweeter flavor). You can use 1/2 of this to produce the same sweetness.


Fructose: natural sugar found in plants and fruits. This is highly refined, but it is absorbed more slowly into your body, so it produces smaller fluctuations in blood sugar. You can also use much less of this to produce the same amount of sweetness (1/2 to 3/4 the amount). I use this in my tea because it tastes like sugar.

Honey: this is sweeter than sugar, and has more calories. The great thing about it is that you can use much less (about 1/2), and it contains medicinal benefits as well as enzymes, minerals, and vitamins.

Stevia: a natural herb, calorie free, and contains no artifical sweetners (saccharin or aspartame). It dissolves nicely in cold drinks. I use this one, as well, in tea. You can find this in the health foods section at HEB (if you have one where you live!), or probably in any health food store. It is a bit expensive, but completely worth it!

Information found at:
http://www.healthychild.com/

http://www.naturalorganiclifestyle.com/

Now, onto why not to use artifical sweeteners:

- There are 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame! Check out www.sweetpoison.com/articles/0706/aspartame_symptoms_submit.html to see a chart submitted by the FDA on the symptoms attributed to aspartame.
- I haven't really done much research on Splenda yet, but just seeing it fizz in my coffee when I was out of town was enough to make me not want to use it! I will get back to you once I have done more research on the risks of it!

Homemade Baby Food

I make homemade baby food for Ethan, and he loves it! It takes some work, about one day a month, but then I'm usually set for that month (at least for now- he still doesn't eat a whole lot). It's a pretty simple process. All I do is steam my veggies or fruits, puree them, put them in ice cube trays, and freeze them over night (covered with foil). The next morning, I turn them upside down under warm, running water, and dump them onto the foil. Place in pint size freezer bags, and put them back into the freezer. When you want to use them, just put them in a small bowl, and defrost (however you want). Yesterday, I found an awesome website (well, I already knew about it, but I really spent some time looking at it)- http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/. I have been buying baby cereal, but I think I'll start making it now :). It's really easy. You just grind rolled oats, brown rice, or barley in a food processor or blender and place them in bags, in the fridge. When you want to make them, you just follow the instructions that they give (cook with water in pot on stove, stirring with whisk).

Let me know if you have any new ideas about making baby food!

Cheeky Diapers

I ordered a new type of diaper for Ethan with some of his Christmas money. I haven't received them yet, but I'm excited about them! Once I do receive them, I'll update!
I ordered them from http://www.cheekydiapers.com/. They are about the same price as Bumgenius (but much cuter). They are the same type as well- one size pocket diapers. They are a bit pricy, but the great thing is, they will last forever because they adjust (I got 25% off of these because they were on sale)! So, in my opinion, pockets are the best deal because you don't have to constantly buy new sizes. Here are the pics of the diapers (the first pic is the diaper, the following 3 are the fabrics that I ordered- you can tell what colors I like!):

Homemade "Goldfish" Crackers

I found an amazing homemade "goldfish" cracker recipe, and I thought I would share it!! It's VERY easy and really yummy! Karis loves them, and they are healthy!

I found this recipe on http://www.yumsugar.com/. I cut the recipe down a bit, and as usual, I did it a little differently.

1 cup all purpose (I used 1/2 spelt and 1/2 unbleached all purpose)

4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

8 ounces grated cheese (it said to use sharp, but all I had was mild and it turned out fine)

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
(For the salt and pepper, I just used my salt and pepper grinders and put a little in there)

(I only did 3/4 of the recipe because I didn't want to make too much)

1. Pulse the flour, butter, cheese, salt, and pepper together using a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. Pulse in 3-4 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time, and only enough so that the dough forms a ball and rides the blade.
3. Remove, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes to 24 hours.

4. Heat oven to 350 degrees

5. Line 2 baking pans with parchment or wax paper, set aside (I used a silicone baking sheet)
6. Roll the dough out to 1/8th inch thickness. Cut out as many crackers as possible using a small cookie cutter.

7. Place them on the prepared baking pans (you can put them close together because they get smaller)
8. Bake until golden and crisp- 15 to 20 minutes

Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Make sure that you roll it as thin as possible. I had some that were too thick and so they never got quite crispy enough (although, they were really yummy anyway!).

Gifts We Gave and Gifts We Received

This year was different for us in that we decided to make most of our gifts. And, we didn't want them to be pointless and heartless, we wanted them to represent the people that we made them for, and we wanted them to be useful. Here are the pictures of everything that we made (with the exception of one; I hope to get a pic of that soon!):

This is a firepit for my sister in law and brother in law. Robert spent hours working on this, and it turned out really well. They were excited!

This is a picnic table for our niece.

This picnic table was for Karis. She LOVES letters, so we decided to put them on her table :). She loves her table! We ended up putting it in her school area because she loved it so much.

This is a desk with a flip-up top. We found it in the rafters of our garage (I'm not sure who left it), and we sanded and painted it. It's VERY useful!!

This is a piece of wood, stained and polycryliced to give it a nice shine :). Then, I took pictures and cut the corners and we put them on there and put 3 more layers of polycrylic. It turned out really nice. And, the corners have a stamp on them to give them some character. It's hard to see the stand in this picture.

Here are some pictures that I drew:

And, we received many wonderful things for Christmas this year!! The things that we received will help us to cook more often and more efficiently. Some we received from family, and a few things I bought with money that we received. I'm excited!!

A KITCHENAID STAND MIXER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We got this from Robert's parents and we were completely shocked!! It will get LOTS of use!

A food processor! This is what I bought with Christmas money.An awesome rolling pin, silicone pad, measuring cups and spoons.A new crockpot! From my parents! Ours broke, and I have been missing it! And, this is nicer than the one we had :).We got this cookbook from Robert's parents. It has great ideas for meals that are easy. The funny thing is that I'll probably make them more difficult by adding my homemade things. That's fun for me!!

This is a book that I bought with some Christmas money. It is AWESOME. It has tons of recipes for quick breads, yeast breads, muffins, pies, crackers, cookies, etc. It is going to get LOTS of use.Cool spatulas (I know, nothing big, but I love them).

A stainless steel mixing bowl. Love it! This is a flour sifter. I know it's nothing big, but I've been wanting to get one for a long time :).

Joey and Lindsey (brother and sis in law) got us this awesome coffee mug set. They know that we love coffee and hot tea, and they gave us something fun to drink it! :)

Shepherding a Child's Heart- My Goals/Desires for Myself as a Parent

As a parent, it is so easy to get caught up in the petty things and feel the need to do things one way because some people say that’s the best way. Breastfeed or bottle feed? Schedule or on demand? Co-sleep or crib in own bedroom? Cry it out or not? Yes, these are important decisions to make, but they need to be made based on what God’s word says, and what’s best for YOUR family, not on what others say. And, even though these are important, they really don’t affect your child as the grow up. You don’t look at a 10 year old and say, “You must have been bottle fed,” or “Your mommy let you cry as a baby, didn’t she?”

The most important things you can do for your children (and remember this is coming from a mom of a 2 ½ year old and a 6 month old, so I have a lot to learn!) are to make them feel safe and loved, shepherd their hearts, and teach them about Jesus. I have a long way to go in a few of these areas, but we’re getting there! I think we do a great job of making them feel safe and loved, and we are getting more and more consistent about discipline as we figure out the best way to discipline Karis. Every child is different, and we’re figuring that out. Until about 4 months ago, Karis was the easiest 2 year old on earth. She said please and thank you, she very rarely threw tantrums, and she obeyed. Then, 2 ½ hit. She is still what some people would consider to be a good 2 year old, but she’s not the toddler she once was! For about a year, we would use the “no, no” chair (timeout), and that was enough. Once she hit 2 ½, the “no, no” chair wasn’t enough. She’s a VERY moody and dramatic little girl. She constantly changes her mind. But, we have realized that we don’t need to please her! Our job as parents is not to please her or make her happy, but to teach her how to obey and why she needs to obey. When she “talks back” (yes, she already does this) or is disobedient, there needs to be consequences. Many times, there are natural consequences such as not getting what she wants, but there are times that we have to create them. The best thing lately when she starts throwing a fit (because she doesn’t get what she wants) is to make her to go her room. If she won’t go on her own, I take her in there and sit her on the floor. She DOESN’T like this one bit. If the fit gets out of control, she gets a spanking. When she’s done with her fit, she comes out to us and tells us sorry. We talk about WHY she was sent to her room. She’s at an age right now that she doesn’t always understand this, but it’s really important to do this now. Then she gives me a kiss and a hug and we move on. Most of the time, this is what happens. Now, if we’re not home, it gets more difficult. Thankfully, she very rarely throws a fit in public. And when she does, it’s usually because she’s hungry or tired. The only other time that we give her a spanking is when she’s blatantly disobedient (doing something after I told her flat out not to, and laughing/smiling about it). We don’t feel that spanking is necessary all the time. We save that for specific cases.

The best thing that we can do to prevent bad behavior, is by teaching them from the very beginning how they need to behave and why. We have done a pretty good job of this with Karis, but we have also learned more of what to do and what not to do.

Now, on to sharing Jesus with my children. I feel that we need to grow in this area. It’s difficult with a 2 ½ year old! Currently, we pray before meals (especially at home), pray at bedtime, read in her children’s Bible and do a devotion. We listen to praise music throughout the day and “praise Jesus.” We also praise Jesus in front of her at church (she comes to the music part of worship with us). She is so cute in worship. She sees other people raising their hands, so she does it too. Of course, she has NO idea why, but she’ll get there. We think that it is SO important to let our children see us worship. And, if she wakes up while I’m having my time with Jesus in the morning, I’ll get out her children’s study Bible and tell her that she needs to read her Bible while mommy’s reading hers and talking to Jesus. This doesn’t last long, but it’s a start J. Some goals that I have in this area are: 1) Pray with her more throughout the day, about even the little things, 2) Pray when she’s being disciplined; ask Jesus for forgiveness, and 3) Teach her more about God’s word instead of just reading it to her. I do teach her some, but not enough. When I read to her, she doesn’t understand it. I need to, more often, bring it to her level. As she gets older, I want to memorize scripture as a family, pray more as a family, and do longer, more in-depth Bible study as a family. But, these are all things that take time. There’s only so much that a 2 ½ year old can take in!

More than just sharing Jesus with them, it is very important to pray for them daily. Pray for their physical safety and protection, as well as emotional. Pray that they will grow up to know Jesus, and that they will serve Him all the days of their lives. Pray for their future spouse, that they will be a godly man/woman. Pray daily for yourself as the stewards of these children, that you will be good stewards of what God has allowed to you have in this lifetime. Pray that you will train them up unto the Lord, and that He would use you to share Jesus with them.

Your children’s souls are not yours. You can not choose whether or not they become a child of God, but you can teach them and pray for them daily. You can show them what it means to be a Christ follower with the way you live your life. You can shepherd their hearts by disciplining, then tell them why they are being disciplined; this builds their character. You can allow them to have friends that are Christian and non-Christian; they need to be in the world in order to share Jesus with others. Although, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to be in public school (that’s a whole other blog!). You can teach them how to give to others, and why that’s important. You can teach them how to be like Jesus.

3 days until Christmas...

We're finally just about finished with Christmas gifts. Whew! We're exhausted. We really should have started these months ago! :) But, even though it's a lot of work, it is completely worth it. After Christmas I will have to show pictures of everything. Making Christmas gifts means so much more to us and everyone that they are made for. I'm excited to give them!! :)

Things that I am Learning

I have learned a lot of things over the past few weeks/months/years, so I thought I would put them all in one place :). They don't all relate, but that's okay!

First:I have learned that Karis just isn't quite ready for daily "lessons." It has taken me a semester of trying to do it and not succeeding to learn this! I thought that because she was so smart, that I should "foster" that by creating a lesson plan and doing it every day. I've decided that she has learned so much through play already, so I know that will just continue. She's only 2 1/2. She has plenty of time to learn! So, I will wait until she's 3 or 3 1/2, then start some simple lessons. She already knows her letters, many letter sounds, counting to about 14 (most of the time!), most of her colors, shapes, numbers, etc. So, when it's time to start again, I'll just start there and move on. It's funny because I learned in my education classes that preschoolers learn the best through play, and now I have seen it in real life :).

Second:As much as I want to feed my family natural/organic, it's okay not to sometimes! I need to do what is realistic for my family. Yes, much of the time I will choose to feed natural/organic, cook/bake from scratch, etc, but there are times that it is too difficult, and that doesn't make me a bad parent!

Third:Spending time with the Lord doesn't have to look a certain way. The most important thing is that I'm spending time with my Savior, and getting to know Him better. These past few months have been awesome as I'm figuring this out!

Fourth:I have amazing friends. I am so blessed to have such great friends. Growing up, all I ever wanted was a true, close friendship, and now I have that with a few people. Great friends are more than just friends, they become family. I hope that I'm as good of a friend to them as they are to me!!

Fifth:Just because I'm passionate about some things, doesn't mean that everyone else is passionate about those same things, and that's okay! I realize that the way we do things isn't normal :), so I need to be considerate about the things that my friends/family are passionate about, even if our passions don't look the same. I completely understand this, and am working on getting better about it! :)

Sixth:Being content with where God has placed us in life doesn't necessarily mean that everything is "perfect," it just means that you have surrendered to the life that God has given you. A few months ago, I was NOT content at all. Not much as changed, except in my heart. I have learned to be content in any situation, and thank God for the blessings that He has given us! I have learned to see things in a completely different way. It's weird to not look at life and think, "where should we go next?" Now I'm thinking, "how can I serve/bless God in the situations that he has allowed me to be in?" That doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be in these situations forever, it just means that I'm not constantly looking at the next step/season. I'm focused on where God has placed me today!

Seventh:Sometimes the things that we do don't make sense to everyone. We drive over an hour to go to church. Many people think that's silly. BUT, we knew that God called us back to River Stone, so we're driving over an hour to be there! We visited one day and it just felt like home, and it was so alive! So, we decided that we needed to be back there. We don't regret it one bit!

Eighth:I'm still learning all of these things, and will continue over the course of my lifetime. That's what life is about! It's okay when I have a low moment, and it's okay when life isn't a mountain top. That's how we learn. I'm so blessed to have the life that I have, and I'm so blessed to have an intimate relationship with my Savior. How awesome is that?! We have the opportunity to have an intimate relationship with the One who created us!

"...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." Romans 10:9-10

This sums up the whole Word of God! This is the gospel! If you want to know how to have a personal relationship with Jesus, this is how! Just believe and confess! Jesus is the only way to salvation; things that you do can't save you, going to church can't save you, even being baptized can't save you. This doesn't mean that life will be easy; life is never easy. I wouldn't want it to be. Without the hard times you don't learn; without the hard times, you never grow and mature. But praise God that you have the opportunity to have someone who can carry you through those hard times, and teach you in the process! And, because of Jesus' death and resurrection, you can have LIFE!

Combining Blogs

I have decided to combine my two blogs, and will now only be blogging on http://homeofthecroslands.blogspot.com. It's just too much to keep up with two blogs! Hope to see you around!

Our Household Food Staples

We have many things that we almost always have on hand, that we use all the time. These have changed over the years, and now they are much healthier! :)
These things include:

Refrigerated:
- Eggs (brown, cage free)
- Milk (hormone free)
- Butter (NOT margarine)
- Organic Yogurt (Karis eats this every day, almost)
- Organic apple juice (when I give this to Karis, I put mostly water, and a splash of juice)
- Cheddar cheese

Meats (hormone free, if at all possible):
- Chicken (most of the time breast, but sometimes a whole chicken)
- Lean ground beef or turkey
- Natural breakfast sausage

Frozen:
- Organic veggies (broccoli, mixed veggies, corn, peas)

Fresh Fruits and Veggies:
Organic
- Carrots
- Baby carrots
- Apples
- Bananas
Non Organic
- Garlic
- Onions
- Potatoes

Pantry:
- Whole wheat pasta (organic most of the time)
- Whole wheat couscous (organic)
- Whole wheat flour
- Unbleached all purpose flour
- Unrefined sugar
- Honey
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Coconut oil
- Organic Peanut butter (although, this is refrigerated once opened)
- Rolled oats
- Brown and white rice
- Dried beans (pinto, black, garbanzo, and 15 bean soup)
- Tomato sauce, paste, diced, stewed
- Cream of... soups (although, soon we're going to start making our own substitutes)
- Vegetable broth (organic)
- Organic cereals
- Organic instant oatmeal

Other:
- Coffee
- Tea (hot and cold)
- Seasoning- sea salt, cracked pepper, Nature's Seasoning, taco seasoning, minced onions, basil, oregano, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc...
- Tortilla chips (made without hydrogenated oils)
- Baby- organic rice and oatmeal cereal (other foods are homemade)

Meals for the Month

Usually I do a menu for 1-2 weeks. Last week, I decided to come up with 20 meals, and go ahead and get whatever groceries that we can for those meals (anything that won't go bad before we plan on cooking it). I did this because I have 3 1/2 weeks off for Christmas, and I won't get paid during that time; but this past check, I received 3 weeks instead of 2 weeks. So, I decided that it would be best to stock up on what we need the most: food. We also received a free turkey and ham from the camp, so I incorporated those in as well.
So, here are the meals that I created. I made a specific menu, but I decided that it was most important to share the meals, not the dates :). I just did 20 meals for the month because we're going to be out of town a lot, and we will eat in the dining hall some as well.

Breakfasts:
Breakfast tacos
Eggs and toast (homemade bread)
Oatmeal (organic)
Granola (homemade)
Yogurt (organic)
Organic honey nut o's
Homemade pancakes

Lunches:
Dining Hall or Leftovers
Organic Mac N Cheese (boxed- Annie's brand)

Suppers:
Baked Cheese Pasta
Chicken and Dumplings and green beans with tomato and onion
Veggie Casserole
Crockpot Chicken and Rice
Turkey, stuffing, yams, green beans
Turkey Stew
Turkey Pot Pie
15 Bean Soup
Ham, Homemade Mac N Cheese, a veggie
Cheesy Ham Casserole
Crockpot Potato and Ham Soup
Pinto Beans and Rice
Lasagne and veggie
Homemade Chicken Soup
Lemon Pepper Chicken and couscous salad
Mini Meat Loaves and veggie
Penne Pasta Casserole
Shepherd's Pie
Soft Tacos
Homemade Pizza

Let me know if you would like any recipes! I tried to make many meals that incorporated some of the same ingredients. That saves money! :) Some things we bought at Sam's: meat, milk, and eggs all contain no hormones, and are MUCH cheaper than HEB or Walmart; in fact, the eggs are cage free, roaming chicken, brown eggs. We also bought coffee, real butter, yeast, and shampoo there because they are much cheaper. We bought most everything else from HEB. I found that frozen, organic veggies are not a bad price at HEB. They are only about 10 cents more than the regular!! So, I got some frozen veggies there (these also last much longer than fresh, and are organic!). I also found that buying the 32 oz organic yogurt (Horizon brand) is cheaper than buying individuals (Stoneyfield Farms), and Karis seems to really liked it. It also lasts quite a while. I got most things from HEB. I didn't do quite as well as I would have liked on how much I spent for the month, but it is still cheaper than getting groceries every week or two weeks. And, I think I will get better as I do this more and more. This was our first time to buy for such a long amount of time! All we will need to buy each week or 2 weeks is milk, eggs, yogurt, and fresh produce. Everything else we have either frozen, in the pantry, or in the fridge (and it will last long enough!). It was a fun challenge!! I can't wait to do it again! :) If things go well, we might do this every month. It feels good to be prepared!

Things that I am Learning

I have learned a lot of things over the past few weeks, so I thought I would put them all in one place :). They don't all relate, but that's okay!

First:I have learned that Karis just isn't quite ready for daily "lessons." It has taken me a semester of trying to do it and not succeeding to learn this! I thought that because she was so smart, that I should "foster" that by creating a lesson plan and doing it every day. I've decided that she has learned so much through play already, so I know that will just continue. She's only 2 1/2. She has plenty of time to learn! So, I will wait until she's 3 or 3 1/2, then start some simple lessons. She already knows her letters, many letter sounds, counting to about 14 (most of the time!), most of her colors, shapes, numbers, etc. So, when it's time to start again, I'll just start there and move on. It's funny because I learned in my education classes that preschoolers learn the best through play, and now I have seen it in real life :).

Second:As much as I want to feed my family natural/organic, it's okay not to sometimes! I need to do what is realistic for my family. Yes, much of the time I will choose to feed natural/organic, cook/bake from scratch, etc, but there are times that it is too difficult, and that doesn't make me a bad parent!

Third:Spending time with the Lord doesn't have to look a certain way. The most important thing is that I'm spending time with my Savior, and getting to know Him better. These past few months have been awesome as I'm figuring this out!

Fourth:I have amazing friends. I am so blessed to have such great friends. Growing up, all I ever wanted was a true, close friendship, and now I have that with a few people. Great friends are more than just friends, they become family. I hope that I'm as good of a friend to them as they are to me!!

Fifth:Just because I'm passionate about some things, doesn't mean that everyone else is passionate about those same things, and that's okay! I realize that the way we do things isn't normal :), so I need to be considerate about the things that my friends/family are passionate about, even if our passions don't look the same. I completely understand this, and am working on getting better about it! :)

Sixth:Being content with where God has placed us in life doesn't necessarily mean that everything is "perfect," it just means that you have surrendered to the life that God has given you. A few months ago, I was NOT content at all. Not much as changed, except in my heart. I have learned to be content in any situation, and thank God for the blessings that He has given us! I have learned to see things in a completely different way. It's weird to not look at life and think, "where should we go next?" Now I'm thinking, "how can I serve/bless God in the situations that he has allowed me to be in?" That doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be in these situations forever, it just means that I'm not constantly looking at the next step/season. I'm focused on where God has placed me today!

Seventh:Sometimes the things that we do don't make sense to everyone. We drive over an hour to go to church. Many people think that's silly. BUT, we knew that God called us back to River Stone, so we're driving over an hour to be there! We visited one day and it just felt like home, and it was so alive! So, we decided that we needed to be back there. We don't regret it one bit! Eighth:I'm still learning all of these things, and will continue over the course of my lifetime. That's what life is about! It's okay when I have a low moment, and it's okay when life isn't a mountain top. That's how we learn. I'm so blessed to have the life that I have, and I'm so blessed to have an intimate relationship with my Savior. How awesome is that?! We have the opportunity to have an intimate relationship with the One who created us!
"...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." Romans 10:9-10

This sums up the whole Word of God! This is the gospel! If you want to know how to have a personal relationship with Jesus, this is how! Just believe and confess! Jesus is the only way to salvation; things that you do can't save you, going to church can't save you, even being baptized can't save you. This doesn't mean that life will be easy; life is never easy. I wouldn't want it to be. Without the hard times you don't learn; without the hard times, you never grow and mature. But praise God that you have the opportunity to have someone who can carry you through those hard times, and teach you in the process! And, because of Jesus' death and resurrection, you can have LIFE!

Freed from the Law of Sin and Death

Finding time to spend with Jesus is getting more and more difficult! Until recently, if I got up at 6:30, it was a safe bet that I would have plenty of alone time. For some reason lately, Karis has decided that between 6:00-6:45 is a good time to wake up. And, she will NOT go back to bed. We've tried telling her that she just needs to turn on her lamp and stay in her room until it's light outside, but she's not quite to that point yet. She is usually really hungry, asking for breakfast immediately. So, we give in and give her breakfast. I mean, she's hungry, I can't deny her food!
So, when I do get some alone time, I take FULL advantage of it! I have come to a point in which I can still spend time with Jesus if just Karis is awake, at least for a little while. I give her a children's study Bible and tell her that she needs to read her Bible while mommy reads her Bible and talks to Jesus. So, most mornings, this works for at least 15 minutes :).

Anyway... I'm not sure why I said all of that first, but I felt that was an important piece of information as I explain what I'm learning. :) I don't have a lot of time to really get deep into the Word, but I ask God to speak to me as I'm reading. Right now I'm reading Leviticus and Romans (I HAVE to read some new testament while reading the old, or it gets really dry). What's neat about reading those two books is that they go together really well. Leviticus is ALL about laws and sacrifices. Romans is about how Jesus fulfilled the law and has freed us from the law of sin and death. Through Christ's death and resurrection, we are freed from having to follow a law that is impossible to follow (and trust me, it is NOT possible for any human to follow every letter of the law). Through Christ's death and resurrection, we are able to have an intimate relationship with our creator. How amazing is that? I know some of this is very simple, but I just have a completely different perspective because of reading both at the same time.

"There is, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1-4

In this time of Christmas, I think not only about the baby born in the stable, but I think about why He came. He came to give us LIFE. Through His death, we receive LIFE. Praise Jesus for being so amazing! He is glorious, beautiful, awesome, amazing, provision, full of grace, peace, love, life; He's great, merciful, everlasting, faithful, satisfying, fulfilling, and more things than I can put into words! Give Praise to the Lord this Christmas for WHO HE IS, not just WHAT HE DOES FOR YOU!!! :)