Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

Do you have a favorite dish you order at a Chinese restaurant? If you said Beef & Broccoli, I have a deal for you! In less than 30 minutes, you can have hot, fresh beef and broccoli with very limited prep and just 15 minutes of roasting. The best part of this recipe is that you don't have to cook the meat ahead of time. I hope I'm not the only one who specifically looks for recipes that cook the beef, chicken or pork while it's in the oven rather than preparing it somehow first. If this is you, too, this version's a keeper. Ingredients: Half an 8-oz bottle of Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing 4 Tbsp soy sauce  2 large heads of fresh broccoli, chopped 3 Tbsp brown sugar 1 1/2 lbs beef sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces Instant brown rice Sesame seeds for garnish Green onions, chopped for garnish 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. 2. In a large bowl, combine dressing and 2 Tbsp soy sauce. 3. Add broccoli to th...

For the month of August, our Sunday school class has been deep in a back-to-school lesson series. We've covered the spiritual connections to reading, writing, math, science, history, music, gym and art. Yesterday were the last two, and art was by far my favorite. Each student was given a piece of white posterboard, which in itself was apparently a gift. Then I played two Christian songs and instructed them to draw whatever the music spoke to their heart. The next 10 minutes were the quietest, most peaceful class we've had in ages. They were focused, concentrating on the songs, the lyrics and getting them onto the paper. Some drew flowers, some colored their families and others made their favorite Bible stories. Their creativity was so sweet to watch, and they didn't even have to say a single word to each other. Talk about the power of music! Then I threw a monkeywrench in their well-laid plans. After those two songs, I had them flip their paper over to the blank, white side...

That's right, it's time to flip the calendar to a brand-new month again. I have absolutely no idea where this summer went, but it's been filled with so much sunshine and so many blessings. It's sweltering outside while I write about sweater weather, falling leaves and loads of plaid, which seems add. Even the thought of using sweater stickers on my September planner spread makes me sweat. But I found so many adorable, tiny fall-themed stickers, and that kind of tips the scales back. Until you're looking for something specific, you often don't know how many of a craft supply you actually have. That happened with me this week as I was changing from summer to autumn embellishments. They were coming out of the woodwork, and I had so many I couldn't even use them all! But it sure was fun to try. I started my first week of September planner pages with the To Everything There Is A Season sticker in the bottom left corner. It came from a faith-themed sticker book, s...

The line at the post office was breath-takingly long, but I had to get the package mailed. After many minutes of waiting, moving up a little, checking email, waiting, moving a bit and then reaching the front, I literally laughed out loud. There, on the other side of the post office counter was the largest smiley face I have ever seen. It was made out of stamp magnets, arranged into the sweetest, happiest face ever. Instantly I forget about my wait and actually smiled back at it. And I'm hoping that the folks in line behind me eventually saw it and smiled, too! Making one person smile today may not seem like much, but to them, it could mean the whole world. Ready for some ideas to get someone to smile today? 1. Smile at them first. It's pretty contagious. 2. Go ahead and tell a dad joke, even though you're not a dad. People need a good eye roll every day. 3. A tiny gift secretly hidden makes for a great out-of-the-blue smile. 4. Leave random, anonymous notes of joy and encou...

There are very possibly 34,567 craft magazines in my craft room. Maybe slightly fewer, because I would never, ever, in a million years exaggerate. I will tell you that some of them date back to 2003. That should tell you something right there. As I'm cleaning up and clearing out during my Summer Cleaning (Spring came and went...), there are a lot more craft magazines around and about than I really realized. Most of them have sticky notes marking the pages so I'd know which pages I wanted to go back to. There are lots of those sticky notes. The best way to preserve the ideas but not keep the magazines is to take pictures. Whether they're with your phone or a camera, there are a few ways to make the preservation process practically painless. * If you're using a camera with a removable disc, transferring the pictures is much easier. You can put them straight on a computer or tablet and a labeled folder immediately. * If you're using your tablet or phone instead of a ca...

Cinnamon and sugar have been one of my favorite flavor combinations since birth. You know, snickerdoodles, baked apples, cinnamon rolls, french toast, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal in its many forms. My list is pretty endless. That's why I stocked up when they created baking mixes from that yummy cereal. They even have frosting with crunchy sugar bits in it. Oh. My. Goodness. I used the cookie mix and the frosting for these sandwich cookies, and added in some Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal shaped like little cinnamon rolls.  You can crush them a little if you want, but I didn't. Cinnamon/sugar overload? I think not. Try them for yourself and let me know what you think. Ingredients: 1 package Cinnamon Toast Crunch cookie mix 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 egg 3/4 cup white chocolate chips 1 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal (rolls) 1 tub Cinnamon Toast Crunch frosting 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except frosting. Stir until combined. 3. D...

How often have you read the same passage of Scripture over and over again, but then ... out of nowhere ... you suddenly see something you're positive wasn't there before? Please tell me I'm not the only one God's word speaks to this way. I string words together for a living. My job is literally to create coherent sentences that are interesting, motivating and are mostly grammatically correct. Words are incredibly important to me, and I'd like to think that when I read, I'm comprehending it. But the Bible is a living, breathing book. It's directed by the Holy Spirit to be what the believer needs for that moment. That is why you can read a proverb a day each month, but next month something different pops out. That's the miracle of Scripture. Romans 15:13 was that verse for me this weekend. I'm pretty sure I've read this verse every year for a decade, but the words jumped out at me just like they are on this artwork. Hope. Joy. Peace. Believing. Abo...

David wrote Psalm 34 in the middle of some pretty dramatic highs and lows in his life. If we're going to learn a lesson from him today, let's remember that no matter what circumstances we're going through, we can always taste and see that the Lord is good. The situations that we find ourselves in as we begin this week don't define us - they show us that God can still take the not-great parts of our lives, cover them with His grace and mercy and teach us to keep our eyes on Him. Our God has already done great things for us, He's working great things for us right now and He's promised us great things in the future as we walk with Him. As we venture into the last full week of August (I know, right?), let's taste absolutely everything and consciously look for the gifts God delights in giving us. Then we can rejoice in David's words of celebration and praise in Psalm 34 and count our many blessings ton by ton. Taste and see!

We're not going to let a beautiful day like this go to waste, are we? Absolutely not, I reply to myself! Grab the dogs and head outside. This Diesel, my velcro dog who refuses to let me out of his sight. And Molly, my brave protector and softest heart. Parker, my love bug who is happy cuddling all day long. And Callie, my wild child who barely sits still long enough to take one lone picture. That's my adventure for the morning. What are your plans on such a beautiful day? 

Every cloud has a silver lining. It's always darkest before dawn. Keep your face to the sun and you'll never see the shadows. No matter where you go, bring your own sunshine. When you can't see the sunshine, be your own sunshine. Have you seen these phrases and quotes framed and hung on the wall? Or maybe crocheted on a pillow? The sun gets all the glory while the clouds are made out to be the villain in the story. If it wasn't for those stupid clouds, we'd have a pretty perfect life and sunshiny days, right? But that's definitely not the case. I would wager that most people know the sun doesn't hide and the clouds don't purposely wander across the sky to darken our days. I'm not a meteorologist, nor do I play one on tv, but I'm pretty sure the clouds don't destroy the sun or make our course around the sun change. The sun's still up there, regardless of the clouds. There has only been one time in recorded history when the sun has ever bee...

There's nothing that stifles creativity more than clutter. And I'm totally in that stifled stage this week! I had two tables upstairs that I was working on separate craft and Bible study projects, and when I was done I basically threw it all into the craft room. Not literally threw, but I might as well have. So now I'm in organization and cleaning mode so I can get back to the creative part. Just glancing at this picture, I can see somewhere in the neighborhood of a dozen projects. Right here. At the top of the stairs. Yep, I have procrastination issues, which I keep trying to overcome, but I keep putting it off... My plan is to make one of these tables a card making station and the other for other projects. I'm almost done with my 2023 planner, so I won't need all those stickers, washi and other embellishments soon. They'll go in a craft show/craft supply sale in September so other people can enjoy them. That will clear out a huge space, for sure! I know that b...

Don't settle for just Latin food or just Italian food this week. Let's combine the two and serve a creative and absolutely delicious pasta dish. I've only made these jumbo stuffed shells one other time, and the turkey and cheese stuffed shells were pretty amazing. Try both recipes and see which one you like better! Ingredients: 24 jumbo pasta shells 1lb ground beef 3 Tbsp minced garlic 1/3 cup beef broth 1 pkg taco seasoning 10oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies 1 cup Ricotta cheese 1/4 cup sour cream 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese Salt and pepper 1 Tbsp oregano 16 oz fresh salsa 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Prepare pasta shells three minutes less than the box directions instruct. Drain and rinse. 3. In a large, oven-safe skillet, brown the ground beef and garlic. Drain any grease. 4. With heat on medium, add the broth, tomatoes and seasoning. Stir to combine well. 5. In a separate bowl, combine Ricotta cheese, sour cream, 1 ...

Some verses of Scripture will stick with you your entire life. There's a memory or a moment in time that is intrinsically tied to those Bible passages that keep them on your heart forever. I remember studying 1 Corinthians 13 - what my teens call the Looooove Chapter - many years ago. The suggestion was to place your sweetheart's name in place of the word "love" to see if they were living out God's love in their own lives. Without that godly love in their heart, you needed to think long and hard about whether they would make a good life partner. When I saw this wall art featuring 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, I had to get it and put it somewhere I'd see it every day. And it immediately clicked in my brain about replacing the word "love" with my own name. I'm not so concerned about how other people love me. I want to make sure that I'm not only loving right but that godly love is a part of my character and who I am. If I put my name into this passage,...

Jesus Himself said that we are to be a light in this world and a city on the hill. My constant prayer is to be a positive spiritual influence to everyone I come into contact with and encourage other believers to do the same. I'm hoping this week that someone will see these planner pages filled with words of hope and faith and be encouraged themselves. I'm a big fan of order and symmetry, so there are several elements of this week's spread that are all lined up and arranged very deliberately. The journaling blocks in the left column are all the same size, but they alternate to move your eye back and forth across the page. I love filling the center column with tiny embellishments, and the tabs at the top of each to-do list all coordinate while leaving enough room to write the myriad of things that need to get done this week. Look for some fun and creative ways that you can make patterns on this week's planner pages. Fill them with uplifting thoughts, repeat an idea across...

If you're anything like me, your heart is already tuned to look for reasons to pray. Your heart goes out when you hear a first responder's siren in the distance. You end conversations with, Now I know how to pray for you this week. And you stay close to friends and family so you can bathe those you love with intercessory prayer. Many years ago I read a book about prayer walking, adding another powerful tool to my arsenal. By actually, physically going to the places I know need prayer, my mind is focused on that specific person, area and building. Prayers I might not think of while I'm in my prayer closet come flowing out when I'm standing right there in front of them or it. For example: * Do a room-by-room prayer walk of your home. Ask the Lord's blessings on each of these areas of your life and listen for how He would have you use that particular room for His honor and glory. * Take a walk in your neighborhood, pausing in front of each house to pray for that family...

When we thought about Vacation Bible School for this year, we didn't set goals or choose the number of kids we hoped would be here. All we wanted was for God to have His willing way and for Him to get all the honor and glory. And did He ever. I had been praying for a miracle Wednesday morning. In those exact words. But it was for another matter on my heart entirely. I had repeatedly, throughout the day, asked God for a miracle. Then, at 8:00 that night, He showed up with not one but two. As we were finishing up our last game of the night and getting ready to match kids up with their parents, one of the eight-year-old girls pulled me aside and asked if she could talk to me. We went in another room, away from the deafening noise of children with massive amounts of sugar in them, and she said she wanted to see where the Bible said all those things about getting saved and spending eternity with God. Yes, I teared up. I've only known this girl for a few weeks, but she already has a ...

I'm always looking for fun ways to get our youth group interested in reading their Bibles. For the month of August, our Sunday school lessons are revolving around subjects they'll be learning about in school this year, and then we're applying them to their spiritual lives. The first lesson was Reading and Writing, so I made an interactive, magnetic Scripture game. Since I'm cleaning out my craft inventory instead of buying new supplies for every project, I used a couple of sheets of cardboard and a package of magnets I found in the back of a drawer. I'm also hesitant to admit it, but I forgot all about this bag of Sharpies. Yes, it's very much like Christmas at my house right now!  I chose five verses of Scripture and wrote each word on a piece of cardboard. The pieces are cut large enough to hide the magnet on the back. I also made sure not to make all the words of one verse the same color, knowing that our kids would notice that right away. Some of the magnets...

Just for the record, I could curl up and live in the middle of this pan of cookie bars. It combines chocolate, peanut butter, more chocolate and more peanut butter in one beautiful dish of yumminess. If these are your favorite things, too, you won't be able to stop with just one piece. Trust me. I speak truth. The only ingredients you might not have on hand are the peanut butter cookie dough and chocolate-peanut butter candy, but the rest are probably already in your pantry. I used the pre-portioned cookie dough, but you can use the tube if you'd like because you're just going to press it into the bottom of the baking dish. Ingredients:  1 package refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough  1 stick of butter 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed 1/3 cup baking cocoa 1/4 cup milk 3 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1 Tbsp vanilla 1 small package peanut butter cups, chopped 1 small package Reese's Pieces 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spr...

Nothing provides as much comfort as knowing that you have a prayer warrior on your side. When you are going through difficult times, having a tribe that's fighting spiritual warfare with you and for you can make all the difference. Several ladies from our church began a group text a few months ago, using it as a platform to share prayer requests, give encouragement and let each other know that there's someone in their corner every single day. As soon as my phone's special ring tone goes off, I know it's time to get down to business! Because I'm ready to be a prayer warrior in this army. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:19-20 Jesus Christ told his followers that there was power given to them when they prayed as an army. If just two people ...

There is no greater need in the world right now than the truth of God's word. Everywhere around us we're seeing ugly, evil things happening, and the only security we have is in the Lord. When I was creating my planner layout for the upcoming week, I felt like I needed to absolutely cover this spread with Scripture and words to meditate on. At the very top, on the very first day of the week, I started with Jesus. There is power in His name, and I'm going to lean on that power daily! I am so blessed, blessed beyond measure, and every day is the best day when it's lived for God's honor. I've had 2 Corinthians 1:20 in my brain for days - that the promises of God are yes and amen - so I added an amen to Wednesday, the last day of our church's Vacation Bible School, which I'm praying for constantly, and a reminder to spread joy like confetti. There is so much going on in my life, all at once, and my prayer is that God will give me the strength to get it done, ...