If you know someone who doesn’t know God, give them one of these babies and they will know there is a God who loves them.

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350

bring 2 cups brown sugar and 2 sticks butter to a boil for 5 minutes, stirring the whole time.

Spread out saltine crackers salty side down over a cookie sheet (preferably one with sides.)

Pour brown sugar/butter mixture over crackers and spread around evenly.

Sprinkle about 1-2 cups of chocolate chips (depending on how chocolatey you like it) on the top.

Put in oven for about 5 minutes.

Take out spread smushy chocolate around, lick the spoon!

They are really good warm, but your suppose to put them in the fridge until they harden and then crack them up and eat with a tall glass of milk.

You will probably start to sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty…” as you eat them.

(I’m sure there are lots of different versions of this recipe out there.)

Just something else I’ve been up to

My husband chooses fruits, I choose chocolates. He eats spinach, I eat cookies. He loves fresh fish, I love pizza….. But I ran a half marathon (kicked some bootey), and he didn’t. I don’t want to brag or anything… (maybe a little) .

Just something I’ve been up to lately.

I’m telling you, if the cacao bean or coffee bean was considered a true “protein”. I would be the perfect picture of health.

Thinking this morning about how God loves me. Just me. As a mom, and a wife, a pastor’s wife, a church volunteer, and a friend. Its hard not to think of “others” when reading, or praying, or singing about God’s love for us. But this morning (and recently, since Good Friday to be exact) I have really been trying to think selfishly of God’s love. Of a picture in my mind of just me and the love of Christ. Only me. A lone me. No one else in that picture except me. Just like my own kids, sometimes they want to be the only child. They want to have “alone time” not having to share space with another sibling. I need that too, I guess. Time in my soul not having to be thankful for God loving anyone else but me. Sounds so selfish doesn’t it, a little immature?? Don’t get me wrong I am thrilled to my core for God’s love for my children, husband, students, and friends!! I am bursting to know when I look at my kids faces that someone loves them more deeply and intimately than I do! But I also thrive on the thought and feel overwhelmed that if it were just me, only me, a lone me, Jesus would still save me, and no matter how old I get or how many children I have My God still holds me like a child. So when I sing “Thank you for loving me”, “Thank you for healing me”, “Thank you for saving me”, “Thank you for hearing me” I feel more connected to my God and friend who is with me and would be with me alone…. it’s personal.

We (I say “we” loosely) are taking care of a fish, not mine a neighbors. And my feelings towards this fish are not loving, or caring, they are barely nice. What does it say about me? My lack of loving feelings towards animals (sorry it goes beyond fish). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to hurt them or anything creepy, I just don’t like animals. Yuck. Should I explore this feeling? But I don’t want a pet and don’t want to want one. If they didn’t shed, smell, lick, drool, poop, pee, smell your crotch, mess up stuff, or eat. Maybe….. but probably not.

Just what I’m thinking about right now.

Reading these statements in a new way…
Not just “believing” these verses to be true… But learning to read them as facts about who God has created me to be. Because for me, a fact can’t be changed depending on how I feel, it just IS no matter what.

I am created in His image (Genesis 1:26-27).

I am created with a desire and an ability to connect with God and others in love (Psalms 40:8; John 13:34-35).

I am created to communicate verbally, physically, and emotionally (Genesis 3:8-9; Luke 2:52).

I am created to be thankful to God for all he has done (Colossians 3:15; Hebrews 12:28).

I am created to praise God (Luke 5:26; Psalms 40:3).

I am created to mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15).

I am created to give and to receive (Acts 20:35).

I am created to be generous (Psalms112:4-5; Proverbs 11:25).

I am created with the ability to make decisions and choices (Joshua 24:15).

I am created to fully enjoy every aspect of life in God’s creation and will (Ephesians 6:2-3; John 10:10).

I am created to grow physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually (Luke 2:52).

I am created to be creative and productive, using the gifts and skills God has given me (Genesis 2:15; Matthew 25:14-30).

I am created with an intelligent mind (James 1:5; Ephesians 1:7-8).

I am created with a mind that desires to learn and grow (Psalms 119:73; Isaiah 1:17).

I am created physically attractive to myself, God and others (Genesis 1:31).

I am created as a sexual being blessed to enjoy my sexuality in accordance with God’s will (Genesis 2:24-25; Proverbs 5:15-20).

I am created to walk through life with God and others (Genesis 3:8-9; John 13:34-35).

I am created to be with him now and forever (John 14:3; Hebrews 13:5).

If you have time, write down the statement(s) that stirred something within you today. Hold on to this… What could God be revealing to you through these “truths”?

Created in God’s Image

Copyright ? 2008 by Soul Renovation Resources, LLC

Newport Beach, CA 92660-4602

www.SoulRenovationResources.com

I have been thinking a lot lately about expectations. Expectations our children have on us, our spouses, our friends, our churches…. And how, what people expect us to be might not be what we imagine or desire ourselves to be. What do you do when the expectations don’t match up??

I am evaluating some of these expectations in my own life right now, and to be honest, feeling a little overwhelmed. I am starting to wonder where does the me I was created to be fit into all of these things that are already expected from me.? (I think its all part of the stretching I talked about earlier). I am thinking that in trying to honor God with my life might mean saying no to some of these things I feel I am expected to do. (Am I talking in circles here?)

I recently read this quote about expectations, “Letting go of expectations is so risky: it feels like a free fall since our world was held together by that web, but it is in that risk that you find a God who does not meet your expectations (thankfully) but loves you and is involved, and that risk is where faith grows.”

I have been thinking a lot about this quote as well. I really really desire to be “a place where faith grows”. So now what? Most days I live by doing what is expected of me. I realize to be a responsible adult I have to do lots of expected things. I am expected to get my kid to school on time. Sure. I am expected to care for and love my husband. Can do (and want to do). I am expected to feed my family. Okay. So, to identify some of those expectations that can be “let go”…. Enroll my kids in every activity because I don’t want them to miss out. Take a small group of high school girls even though my family and I will feel drained. Show up to every “pastor’s wives” event. Sign up for MOPS at our church. Host high school students in my home each week. (These are some of the thing I feel expected to do).

In writing this I am understanding that sometimes just because it is expected of me I loose the joy and freedom of wanting to do some things. The expectations limit me and the way I want to serve others.

How would I (we) be different, serve differently, love differently, if we did it out of love and desire rather than expectation??

Help me unpeel this onion…

Thoughts?

Words With friends on my iphone. GOODneSS! I’m telling you this is the lone reason for my lack of posting! I have let my brain go, no complete thoughts, no meaning, or helpfulness. Just plain ol’ brain freeze.
Soooo, just a second. I am going to go put my kids to bed, play one game (I promise) and them put some thoughts together about the Lord and being married to an iphone, sorry! A youth pastor .

(Still thinking about the conference and some of the great women I met…lots to talk about).

Amanda

Back from the SYM Conference in Chicago, wheewww! HUGE sigh of relief. Don’t get me wrong, it was grrreat. But I am beat. And still amazed that they ask me back each year (not fishing for a complement or anything) But seriously, I am not a speaker! It doesn’t come naturally, I have a crazy hard time communicating what’s in my brain and getting it to come out of my mouth. Writing is so much easier. You can take your time, think it through, erase it, start again, and even trash it right in the middle… Not so much when you are speaking to a bunch of people. “Oh dear!”, is all I think when I think about some of the things I said. I mean, I didn’t cuss or anything (not out loud at least).? But it was so hard to find the right words that I was so excited to talk about.

It is so strange that God would ask me to do something like this if He knows this isn’t how I am shaped, right? I don’t like this awkward stretching of myself. I am not comfortable in this position. I am super happy and content to write my blog, maybe a book sometime soon, and be on my merry way. Its clear that God has shaped me for some things and NOT for others.

This type of feeling seems to be a theme in my life right now. Stretching. I’m going to start calling it torture. You know that verse in the Bible that says God doesn’t give you more than you can handle? I’m going to find it, cuz I don’t know exactly where it says that…but I’m going to find it and cut it out. I’m doing more and feeling more and dealing with more than I feel that I can handle.? God knows that, right?

It’s starting to sound like I didn’t have a good time at the conference and I really really did. And I actually have a good sense of humor about the whole speaking gig.? You know when your wrestling with your family and its funny and silly but still rough and you might get a little bruised. And then it turns into a “dog pile” and everyone jumps on top of you and it hurts but your still laughing, and its tight but you’re still barely breathing? That’s just how it feels.

Anyone else ever feel like Stretch Armstrong?

Something happened to me this evening that happens every so often when I meet people for the first time that go to our church… I play soccer each week with a group of “soccer moms”. It is a random bunch of women and it is so much fun. I started playing because my neighbor invited me and she knows someone from her son’s school who brought someone from a league, who has a sister who plays soccer, etc., etc.. All that to say, they don’t go to our church and I barely know many of them and they could care less who my husband is and what he does for a living. We just have fun playing soccer because we are women who like it.

So tonight a lady shows up and recognizes my last name and asks if I go to church (I already knew where this was going). I say, “Yes” and of course her next question is- “Is your husband Jeff Maguire?” I say “Yes” (with a nice pastoral-ly wife grin), and go about warming up. Five minutes later she is back around telling me that just this morning when reading her Bible she thought of something Jeff had said once when he spoke in big church. “Oh, so nice…I’ll have to tell him you said that.”, I say. Maybe five more minutes pass, while on the field playing, she runs over to me to tell me she has just downloaded the Bible ap on her iphone. “So great!”, I say. (“Oh brother!” is what I am thinking).

As we continue to play she yells across the field “Do you like KWAVE radio??” (Its a Christian radio station in our area) “HOLY CRAP LADY! I’M TRYING TO PLAY SOCCER MRS. SPIRITUAL QUEEN OF THE UNIVERSE!” I say.? No, just kidding. I didn’t say that, sure wanted to but I was nice. So again and again church-y comment after church-y comment while on and off the field….Blahhhhh. So frustrating.

I extended grace to her on the outside and was polite, but on the inside I was a little ticked because I felt like I had to live up to what her idea of a pastor’s wife should be like. I mean, I just deleted the Bible ap on my iphone because I never use it, and I don’t like the christian radio station, its pretty cheesy. I am glad that she likes to hear my husband speak in big church, I like him too.? Is it bad to hope that she doesn’t come back to my fun place of anonymity? Maybe I am judging her in thinking that she can’t see me for anything else than PASTOR Jeff’s wife who reads the Bible all day singing Christian songs while strumming a guitar and baking cookies for the youth group.

I just like feeling normal at soccer, and for some reason her churchy-ness took that away from me tonight.