Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

Southeast Iowa finally got a winter storm this last week, and it's made everything beautiful! Here are some backyard snow photos for your Sunday enjoyment - whether you have snow of your own or not!

This second church bulletin board of the new year is heart-warming, right? Yeah, that's the best I'm doing with jokes today. It's been that kind of week. But what is amazing about this Valentine's Day board is how many Scriptures about love I got on it! I had eight solid hearts, so each one has a Scripture for our folks to look up. Then there's one more in the middle of the heart - that's a lovely amount of God's word, I'd say. Let all your things be done with charity.  1 Corinthians 16:14 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. Psalm 5:11 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved...

Honestly, it's been a while since I felt like creating anything. 2024 was a rough year for me, so much so that I put away my craft supplies downstairs and worked on some other projects. But a friend recently asked for an order of 34 handmade cards, and it literally triggered something in my heart. I was actually excited just to pull out a pack of card stock and set up my handmade card assembly line. And it's been fun ever since - I'm smiling even as I type that. When I cut cards, I cut some extra bits along with it. The card itself is 6.25x9 inches, so I cut off the long strip first and then the short piece that will become a bookmark. The long strip is cut down to two 2.25x4.5-inch gift cards and a tiny gift tag. This is what piles of 34 sets looks like. With each card I make, I'll use the scraps to make the other bits, too. Next comes all the supplies to make the cards. I had to move my Bible study spot at the dining room table for a bit so I can spread out and having...

When we found some teriyaki pineapple chicken meatballs at Costco, I couldn't resist. The very first recipe I thought of was my favorite pasta bake.  I've made this dish with every kind of meat and pasta combination out there, and this is one is right up there on my list now. With these pre-seasoned meatballs, the whole recipe gets turned up a notch. P.S. I love this thrifted baking dish. It has two smaller yellow ones that fit inside it. LOVE! Ingredients: 1 box whole wheat rotini pasta Pinch of salt 23oz (about 30) chicken meatballs 2 jars chunky garden pasta sauce 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1 bag shredded Mozzarella cheese   1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Fill a large pot with water and heat to boiling. Add salt and pasta, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes less than the recommended time on the box. Drain. 4. After draining the pasta, stir in meatballs, pasta sauce, and the Parmesan cheese. 5. Pour pasta into 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with Mozzarella. 6. Bake at 375 deg...

In keeping with my Latin lesson theme, which I didn't know I was doing until today. I saw this grandfather clock at one of our local nursing homes over the weekend, and the Latin phrase at the top not only flashed me back to my childhood, it reminded me of how quickly I'm aging. I just turned 47 1/2, and that's the truth. pbth... The globe over the clock face says Tempus fugit. Translated from Latin it reads "time flies" or "time flees." Both words resonate right now - thinking about time flying and fleeing much more quickly than I ever would have expected. And it seems more than poignant in a senior citizen center. This phrase has meant a lot all my life. My mama would always tell me Tempus has fugited, meaning I was running behind and we were out of time. I will always love that phrase and the way she would say it. Moses spoke of it, too. He is quoted by the psalmist in Psalm 90:12 - So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wis...

I can't tell you how much I prayed over our new office building when we were in the process of buying it. It was such a good experience because of that prayer, I know. And one of the things that God and I talked about during those prayers was upkeep and maintenance. It was so important to me that I never take the building for granted since it was a blessing from God. Now, every morning when I get to work, I sweep the building inside and out. I've done it since day one, and I will do it every day I'm there. It may not seem like a huge deal, but it is for me.  Why is sweeping so serious? I'm so glad you asked. 1. It gives me a few minutes at the start of the day to focus and think without interruption. There are no people, no dogs, no phones, no nothin'. I'm physically in the building, I can see what needs to be done, and I can process my thoughts in the quiet. My brain needs that, craves that. 2. It's creating a habit. Sweeping is just what I do now, first th...

My reading in January was pretty eclectic - starting the new year off right! I averaged a book a week while juggling all the post-holiday busyness that I'm sure you experienced, too. After putting books on the back burner for much of last year, unfortunately, I feel like my heart is in the right place again. Here's what I read and what I loved: Breath as Prayer by Jennifer Tucker. The first book I chose for my Breathe study this year was amazing. Jennifer Tucker guides the reader through breathing Scripture, teaching how balancing the two nervous systems through breathwork, making God's word the focus instead of anxiety, calms and restores peace. After an amazing introduction to breathing, the lungs, and anxiety, there are 84 devotions with prayers and breathwork to study through. Love, love, love. The Watchmaker's Daughter by Larry Loftis. I knew the story of Corrie ten Boom and she and her family in Holland hid Jews and Resistance workers during WWII, eventually bein...

I didn't think I would ever enjoy reading about history. It was a mental block from not enjoying history classes in school because I couldn't relate to any of those long-dead people. They seemed so far removed from anything I was experiencing, and I wasn't able to get past that. That's changed over the past few years as I've dug into biographies of influential  people throughout history. I'm in my Revolutionary War phase right now, surrounding myself with books about generals and the Founding  Women, and patriots who just wanted to see a better life for their families. Add in some books recently about Amelia Earhart, Corrie ten Boom, Western Expansion, and the Pinkerton Agency, and suddenly I'm immersed in fascinating people. And it's amazing that all my recent studies brought me to one  conclusion: those who were willing to make a difference in the lives of other people were the ones ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. Sacrifice conjures up pictures o...

One minute you're sitting on the couch eating buffalo-flavored protein chips. The next minute you're being stared at by three (apparently) very hungry, possibly starving dogs. It's a subtle move. Diesel thinks with his belly, so he's focused on the chips. Molly has been spoiled rotten from day one, so her expectation is chips. Immediately. And my sweet Parker just wants to be where everyone else is and do what they're doing. Especially when there's food involved. Like this. Perhaps needless to say, they did not get spicy protein chips. But they did get their favorite puppy treats - which they devoured - and settled in for a nap. And good times were had by all.