by Kimberly | Jul 5, 2011 | food, Vegetables
I love this thing of getting to cook more (now that I have a future husband to cook for). It is so much more fun to cook for others rather than to just cook for yourself. He is really good at bearing with this whole “vegetarian for a year” thing, and I am grateful.
I found this recipe on Whole Foods Twitter feed and then tweaked it to make it ours. So good!
1 zucchini – sliced and quartered
2 squash – sliced and quartered
1 red pepper, seeded and thickly chopped (bigger pieces)
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
olive oil / salt / pepper
16 oz pasta (whatever shape you like, we used penne)
4 cups spinach leaves
basil leaves chopped to taste
2 cups balsamic vinaigrette
2 small containers feta cheese
3 cans tuna in water (not packed in oil)
Prepare all (but basil and spinach) vegetables and roast about 30 minutes on 425 (with evoo, s, p). Take out and let cool a little. Cook and drain pasta. Drain tuna.
All the veggies to the pasta and then add spinach, basil, tuna, and feta. Add balsamic to the taste.
Serve warm or cold.
Very yummy and healthy!
by Kimberly | Jul 5, 2011 | Bible
One of the pleasures of being on staff at a church is hearing from different men who are gifted at sharing the Word. This verse was shared in our weekly staff meeting this morning and I thought I would dig in a little more and then decided to share it with y’all here.
And side note: sorry I missed Much and Link Love yesterday – it was a holiday – hope you enjoyed yours)!
Psalm 31:19
“Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind.”
1. God is abundantly good. I also was reminded of Ephesians 3:20 this morning as well. God is just not good – He is abundantly good! He loves showing His children His abundant goodness.
2. God has stored up His goodness. He has stored it up – ready to pour it all out upon our heads. Are you ready to receive the blessings and goodness of the Lord? I am. Bring it. God has been so wonderfully gracious to me in the last 15 months of my life – I can’t imagine what good He still has in store for me.
3. God will work. His Word and activity are one. He isn’t like some people and say “do as I say not as I do”. No – there is no hint of change in Him. He always keeps His Word. Will you trust Him to do it? If you won’t – confess that sin. Trust in Him that He will work according to His perfect plan. Keep praying and seeking His work and His face!
4. Our job: take refuge: REST. I see this often in single women who search so hard for the right man. Why? Because we want the good of being married. Marriage is a good thing to those whom God has it is in store. But, we are to take refuge: not plot, scheme, search, lead. Let’s rest, be obedient, and not be anxious about it. Most of our anxiousness comes from doing what we are not supposed to be doing: running ahead of God, not trusting, sinning, etc.
5. Why does He do all this? Supremely for His GLORY! Not ours. I’m not getting married to the most incredible man I know just because God wants me to be happy. He has not given me a great job that I love to do just so I can say I have my dream job. He has done wonderfully amazing things in my life like giving me incredible friends and people who pour into my life – FOR HIS GLORY. He wants to see His renown known to all the children of mankind! Throughout all the earth!
Thoughts?
by Kimberly | Jun 27, 2011 | Uncategorized
1. I had an amazing weekend. Tubing, water skiing, boating, eating amazing fresh food (that I didn’t cook), resting, talking with my soon to be husband, shopping with 2 of the greatest friends and funnest friends in the world, photog walking, watching Flight of the Navigator (one of my favorite 80s movies), loving on a sweet baby girl (see above picture), praying for missionaries, talking the gospel, eating at Madhatters. Weekends don’t get much better than this!
2. I love to hear what God is doing in other countries through the power of the Gospel!
3. This week is Impact Camp for our students here at pray dot org. Troy Temple is our camp speaker and this is Bryan Nelson’s first camp as our new youth pastor. Please pray for both of them!
4. Tonight I’m singing with the FBC Durham choir at the Durham Bulls game. We are presenting the National Anthem. Fun times! I love summer AAA baseball! Maybe drugs, egos, salary caps aren’t as prevelant! Just playing for the love of the game (No, I’m not naive enough to believe that).
5. New book picking up on Wednesday to read: What Did You Expect – Paul Tripp. Can’t wait!
6. Looking forward to an amazing 4 day weekend: wedding planning, friends, fireworks. LOVE.
Link Love
1. CJ talks on biblical manhood and womanhood.
2. I think I wanna try this pizza. Hmmmm….dinner sometime over the long weekend?
3. I’m actually seldom in MY kitchen now, but would love to apply these in my new kitchen (come October 8).
4. Oh my goodness – fabulous summer dessert! May need to make this for the weekend too!
by Kimberly | Jun 23, 2011 | Bible
I love being able to apply Scripture, God’s infallible, eternal breath of truth, to my life – every day, right where I am. It is always applicable and sufficient.
As I was sitting at Panera this morning, I read this: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the god and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” – Romans 15:5-7
Here is what I learned:
Strategies that work for relationships: Holy Spirit (via the Apostle Paul)
1. God strengths us to endure. We can’t endure in relationships on our own. We are sinners. We live in a broken-down house (pulling that analogy from Paul Tripp). We will get tired. We will want to give up. But, God never changes. He is eternal. And you know what, the Holy Spirit (who is God, therefore is eternal and enduring) lives in us – and allows us to endure.
2. God encourages us. We don’t need pep talks, or Oprah, or Dr. Phil, or self-motivational tapes (or CDs or podcasts). We have the Word, we have the very breath of the eternal God to encourages us as we face despair and discouragement from relationships.
3. Through God (being our endurance and encouragement) we can live in harmony with one another. Your dinner table does not have to be a war zone. Your marriage does not have to be difficult. Your relationship with friends, your children, your boss – does not have to look like those who do not have Christ. We can live in harmony because we have been brought into harmony with God the Father through the blood of Christ.
4. The reason we are to live in harmony with one another is to glorify God. It is not so that the world sees how great our marriage (and/or) relationships are or that we don’t have any troubles in this life: but the main outcome of this is that Christ will be glorified. How we do marriage and relationships different from non-believers should be such a LIGHT to the world that they would run to us because of the attraction of the Gospel (if God opens their eyes). Let us live our relationships in such a way that they would glorify Christ!
5. We only do all of this because of the Gospel. Reproach doesn’t work. I learned this in a relationship with a friend – and I’m applying that to my marriage. You can’t do it. You fail miserably. Christ didn’t reproach us. He bore our reproach. While we were still enemies with God – Christ came near. He came down to us. He became incarnate. He died on the cross for us. He wanted a relationships with us. Don’t let reproach, sin, unforgiveness, and bitterness, and unmet expectations affect and kill your relationships.
See…I am learning.
by Kimberly | Jun 21, 2011 | Uncategorized
remember first being introduced to Randy Newman when I worked in the college ministry at the Summit Church. We read his book Questioning Evangelism together as a team. It was great. Very practical.
His new book, Bringing the Gospel Home, was similar in that it was practical and had conversations built in – so it didn’t just seem like another “how-to” evangelism plan. I’ve learned in life that evangelism plans are maybe helpful to know, but for me, personal relationships, sharing life with non-believers (like you would for family members who aren’t believers) is the best, and hardest, way to go.
This book is engaging with Newman’s stories and illustrations. It is helpful in just admitting the fact that living in a family with non-believers is hard. Two personal notes: my brother was not a believer until my senior year of high school (he graduated two years ahead of me). And through those teenage years I learned some things from him in how I lived out (or failed to live out) my Christian walk in front of him. Also, my grandfather is not a believer. Trying to share the gospel with someone who is not saved but who knows all your failures is tough. Should be easy – because you get to highlight the fact that salvation is nothing you can do – but only something Christ can do. Unfortunately, most don’t buy that. It is TOUGH. But, so worth it.
A great Newman sentence that brings concreteness to that last sentence: “Until our rebellion against our Creator is seen as horrific as it really is, God’s rescue out of that mess won’t seem all that great.. But, if we can find ways to drive home the audacity of our sin, the sheer gall of creatures telling their creator to buss ozz, or worse, w could set our listeners up to marvel that this same Creator chose to be our Redeemer as well.” – pg 65
