A Little Lasagna with Your Cheese?

Here is a wonderfully delicious lasagna recipe that I was very much looking forward to cooking this week, but alas, I am trying to take out all dairy from my diet to see if it will help my little newbie's rash. So, eat an extra piece for me, will ya? I love this recipe because it has an unhealthy amount of cheese, I'm sure! :)

1 lb. ground beef
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Italian stewed tomatoes, cut up
(For those of you who can tomatoes, I use a qt. jar and just spice them up with a bit of Italian seasoning.)
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups small-curd cottage cheese (I use the full 16 oz. pkg.)
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (again, I use the full 16 oz. pkg.)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 lasagna noodles
(You can use already cooked noodles, or I just buy the oven ready noodles and use those without cooking them first.)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley and garlic; remove from the heat. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheeses, salt and pepper. Layer three noodles in a greased 13 in. X 9 in baking dish. Top with half of the cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and half of the meat sauce. Repeat layers.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 25-30 minutes longer or until edges are bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yields 12-15 servings.

This is also a great freezer dish. Just prepare the lasagna as directed, but instead of cooking it, cover it well and place in the freezer!

God's Graces to Me:

31. I can home school my heatherns! :)
32. Hot chocolate on windy days
33. The Holy Spirit who works in my heart
34. That God is working in my children's heart
35. My family is coming to see me in May!
36. Because my family is coming to see me in May, I get to do some updating to the house!
37. Godly grandparents and parents
38. How God's Word is always fresh no matter how many times I read a passage.
39. Encouragement from friends
40. Exercise equipment (even though I don't use it as much as I should)

What Price Are You Willing to Pay?

Over the last week, I've been burdened about the reality of spiritual warfare. I think we all are guilty of becoming so submerged in the world and its thinking that we forget that we are engaged in a battle against Satan and sin. There seem to be so few Christians who are actively fighting in the spiritual battle. Many do not even realize there is a battle to be fought. Because of this, Christians seem to be losing the battles. I understand that, ultimately, we win because God is on our side. But how many casualties will there be before that happens? How many families will be split apart? How many sons and daughters will rebel and leave their Christian faith? How many churches will become so worldly that there really is no distinction between the two?

My heart is especially burdened for the family because that is the first institution God created, and it is the heart of everything. The condition of the family will become the condition of the church, the government, and society in general. Anyone can clearly see that the family is suffering in a horribly real way, and now our churches, our government and our society are all taking a plunge! My sister and I were talking about how difficult it has become for sincere Christian parents (by sincere I mean parents who have a personal, real and intimate relationship with Jesus) to capture the hearts of their children and train them to follow after and pursue righteousness with their whole heart. We have fallen into generational sins of selfishness and laziness - and this includes the Christians!

Now that I have totally put you into a state of depression, I ask you: Are you fighting your spiritual battles? Do you even recognize that there is a spiritual realm that truly exists, and there is a constant battle in that realm between good and evil? Are you teaching your children how to fight that battle?

God's Word tells us exactly how to fight these battles, and it also tells us that we have been promised the victory. Now, we Christians need to step up and fight!!! Ephesians 6:10-17 is a well-known passage that gives us all we need to be able to fight and win these raging battles against sin. Here are some ways that you can stand firm against Satan and sin and win the battles that are looming in front of you.

*Be girded with truth. In other words, be truthful and sincere. Do not be a hypocrite. As John MacArthur's study Bible states: "The idea is of sincere commitment to fight and win without hypocrisy. Everything that hinders is tucked away."

*Wear the breastplate of righteousness. BE HOLY!!! Where has the holiness of Christians gone? Where is separation? God has called us to be different - set apart - from the world. The world is searching for something that is different. Why not be the one to help them find what they are looking for? When we Christians are not pursuing holiness and Christ-likeness, we leave ourselves completely vulnerable to attacks from Satan.

*Be shod with Gospel of Peace. If anyone in this world should be able to stand confidently and firmly resting in the knowledge that God is in control and remaining confident in His strength, it should be the Christians. Where are the confident Christians who are at peace with God? I dare say, there are few Christians who can truly say they are at peace with God because they know, in their heart of hearts, that they are not living a holy, set apart life that God has called them to.

*Take up the Shield of Faith. We Christians need to constantly be reminding ourselves of the goodness of our God, of all the promises He has given to us, and of all the promises He has fulfilled. Once again from John MacArthur's Study Bible: "All sin comes when the victim falls to Satan's lies and promises of pleasure, rejecting the better choice of obedience and blessing." Do not listen to Satan's lies! If you have not yet noticed, even good Christian churches are full of good intentioned people who do not realize that Satan has filled their mind full of lies and untruth from the world. I find myself everyday battling Satan's lies because they have so infiltrated every part of our lives.

*Wear the Helmet of Salvation. Obviously, this passage is already speaking to Christians, so what does this mean? I believe Paul is telling the Ephesians not to listen to the doubts Satan throws their way concerning their salvation. Stand firm knowing that God has delivered you from your past - no matter how bad it may have been. Stand confident knowing that you are God's child forever. I will add, however, that one is who is not pursuing holiness is usually the one who doubts his salvation.

*Use the Sword of the Spirit. All of the other pieces listed above are pieces used to defend ourselves against Satan and his attacks. The Sword of the Spirit is the only weapon we are given to attack with, and it is the only weapon we need to win! The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Memorize it and then use it. Psalm 119:11 says, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." God's Word is everything we need to win the battles, and yet sadly, many Christians do not even pick up God's Word until it is time to make their weekly appearance at church.

This is a hard post containing a lot of conviction. I'm talking to myself as I write this. I assure you, I am writing this with a heart full of love, but a heart so heavy because I see so much falling apart around me. I don't want my children to grow up in the society they are growing up in. I don't want my children to struggle to find godliness and holiness in their own churches. I ask you again...What price are you willing to pay? What does the cost need to be before we Christians wake up and start fighting against Satan and all of his ugliness and sin? Tears are streaming down my face as I write this because I pray the cost is not my family, not my children, not my church! I am going to stand and fight! Will anyone fight with me?

God Has a Plan!

Sooo.....the love of my life has left me for a long weekend at a Men's Retreat! I am so glad he gets to do this, but it does rather make for a little extra craziness when the Mr. doesn't come home in the evenings! I wasn't expecting to hear from him at all on this trip because he is out of cell phone range, but on Thursday evening, he was able to find "some bars" and made a quick call home....to ask a favor! I'm not quite sure what are considered to be "normal" favors for husbands to ask of their wives, but I've come to the conclusion, that I don't think my husband ever asks a "normal" favor. For instance, this time he sweetly asked if I would go feed the goats because he forgot to. This doesn't seem like a huge deal, but really people, it takes all I can muster to feed my five children! The Mr. keeps the goats on the other side of our property, and I really don't even remember that they exist. Therefore, I know nothing of feeding the goats. So...over the phone at 10 PM, the sweet Mr. is explaining to me where the food is, how much to give them, and when, etc. Well...the wind was howling 30 mph (no exaggeration), it was dark out, and the newbie was screaming at the top of his lungs. So, the Mr. sweetly allowed me to wait until morning to feed them. :)

Friday morning, I go out to feed the goats. The Mr. keeps the wheat in a huge plywood box, and of course, the feed is getting low, and so, guess who had to pull the lid off the box and JUMP INTO THE BOX to get the feed out? Apparently, my arms are much shorter than the Mr.'s! I kid you not when I say that as I am trying to crawl out of the box the mail lady pulls into our driveway to deliver a package! She's honking her horn for us to come get the package, and I am stuck in the box of wheat! I finally crawl out of the box (with my shoes now full of wheat) , have a nice chit chat with the mail lady and then proceed to walk to the other side of the property through the still blowing 30 mph wind. Some of my children were following me. I think they realized this would be a once in a lifetime experience - watching Momma feed the goats!

We arrived at the spot where the goats are chained, and I began searching for the pans to put the food in. In the 30 mph hour wind and through the little bit of snow left on the ground, I walked 'round and 'round and could NOT find those pans anywhere! GRRRRR.....my patience was quickly leaving. After shouting through the wind three different times at Mr. A (who apparently cannot hear in 30 mph winds) to see if he knew where his "father" put the pans (you know I'm upset when I refer to the Mr. as "father"), I finally gave up on receiving his help and continued to walk aimlessly around looking for the pans. I got tangled up in one of the goat's chains and almost landed on my backside in the snow! But, it was at that moment of trying to catch my balance that I finally found the pans! By this time, I was more than just a little irritated, and I was freezing cold! I fed the goats and stomped back home.

By the way, did I mention yet that while I was feeding the goats, the kiddos were getting themselves into the car so that we could leave for town? I jumped into the car, looked in the rear view mirror and scared myself with the new "do" the wind had given me! We were running late now, though, and so I had no time to go inside and repair the damage. Off we went, with one crazy hair momma fuming as we drove down the road.

As I was fuming all the way down our little dirt road, I began to think that many times we as Christians say that God KNOWS everything that is happening in our lives, but suddenly, it occurred to me that God also PLANS everything that is happening in our lives...even down to the smallest, silliest things! Yes, God knew that my Mr. would need me to feed the goats, and He knew that it would turn into an irritating event, but He also had it PLANNED! He had a reason for me feeding those goats...I'm not really quite sure what it was, and I really don't need to over analyze and try to figure out the reason for His plan in every little thing...but just knowing and resting in the fact that God is sovereign, not just in the big things in life but also in the small things, should help me approach every situation in my life with a different perspective! What can I learn from this situation? Why did God put this in my path right now at this moment? What does God have in mind for me? God has a reason for every little thing that comes our direction...whether it is a lesson we need to learn or an opportunity to see Him work...He has a reason and a plan for everything - big AND small - all the way from the death of a loved one to another glass of spilled milk on a freshly mopped floor! So, the next time a frustrating moment comes your way, rest in the knowledge that God planned this moment just for you. You may never know why, but have faith that God is using this moment to do something special in your life. Will you waste it or use it?

More of God's Graces to Me:

21. Lunch with a wonderful friend
22. Safety for my friends and family during the storms
23. Testimonies of wonderful Christians who are enduring great sorrow but staying faithful to God
24. So many resources to get fun and helpful ideas for homeschooling
25. God's sovereignty in every detail of my life
26. Trips to the library with my kiddos
27. The loads of laundry sitting on my couch ready to be folded - it's proof that I have loads of people to love me!
28. Cameras-so that I can keep memories of many wonderful things
29. Hearing Miss E. practice the piano
30. The beautiful snowfall we had this week