The Lion and The Lamb

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
   and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
   and a little child shall lead them.

Isaiah 11:6

I find incredible peace when I read this scripture from the prophet Isaiah.  It fortells of the mighty kingdom that Christ will restore. God's creation will be as He intended from The Beginning.  There will be no death, suffering, or loss.  I am so thankful for the promise of Peace.  There WILL be peace on Earth one day, but it will only come from the mercy, peace and promise of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This week's challenge over at Stampin' Sisters in Christ is to make a card that uses paper piecing.  I have a Cricut machine, and I have recently ordered a computer program that will allow me to cut anything I design on my Cricut with no cartridge.  The program isn't here, but I have downloaded a few files to use with the program.  These files also come with a PDF so that I can just trace the pieces and cut them out by hand.  That is just what I did.  I trimmed out each piece, inked or chalked the edges and then assembled the pattern.  For the sentiment, I used a marker to color part of the image. Paper piecing pattern The Lion and The Lamb from Little Scraps of Heaven Designs.

I will probably never send this card.  It is special to my heart, and I will keep it as a remembrance of God's promises and His perfect peace.

The Lion and The Lamb

I just gotta say...It's Yummy!

I've been enjoying purchasing rotisserie chickens and freezing the meat for casseroles, soups, salads, and any other recipe that calls for cooked chicken.  As soon as I come home from the grocery, I pull all of the chicken off the bone.  It is MUCH easier to do this when the chicken is still warm.  The meat practically falls off.  I divide the meat and freeze in two separate bags.  So, I get two meals per chicken.  This is for a family of 5.  (One being a toddler.) I have purchased chickens at Costco and Kroger, and the Costco chickens are meatier and about $2 cheaper.  I pay about $5 for one chicken, and that will feed our family twice.

In the mornings, I can take out a bag of chicken and let it thaw for dinner.  The other night, I whipped up some Chicken Burritos.  I didn't use a recipe, so I was a little bit nervous about how it would turn out.  This dish was a hit, so I wanted to share.

Chicken Burritos

1 1/2 lb cooked chicken meat- shredded
8 oz sour cream
16 oz shredded cheddar -divided
1/2  tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chili powder (more or less to taste)
7 or 8 flour tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with Pam. In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, sour cream, 8 oz of cheese, and spices.  Mix together well.  Spoon even amounts of chicken mixture into flour tortillas, roll, and place seam side down in dish.  You can put them close together to fit.  Pour enchilada sauce down the middle over the burritos.  Add remaining cheese on top of sauce.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Sauce and cheese will be bubbly.  Leftovers are amazing, too!

Accountability Part 1

There is no perfect church.  All churches are made up of imperfect people.  We are all sinners.

"Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:1-5 ESV

I do believe that churches should hold their leaders accountable for their actions.  When someone is in a leadership position serving in the church, there should be standards by which they live, behave, and post on Facebook.  Children, new believers, and the spiritually immature are so easily influenced. When they see a leader behaving a certain way, they WILL think it is okay to do those things and be able to serve God wholly.  We cannot serve God the way He intended when we live like the world.  We are to be a "peculiar people." (Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 2:9 KJV)

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 1 Peter 4:1-3 (ESV emphasis added)

First Peter was written to believers that were struggling in sin - to encourage them in their struggles and remind them of the true grace of God.  From Matthew Henry's commentary: When a man is truly converted, it is very grievous to him to think how the time past of his life has been spent. One sin draws on another. Six sins are here mentioned which have dependence one upon another. It is a Christian's duty, not only to keep from gross wickedness, but also from things that lead to sin, or appear evil. It is so very important that leaders set an exemplary example of the Christian life. How can we bring total honor and glory to God in our churches and programs when the leaders are not 100 percent sold out to God, striving to live a holy life?