A Brunch Recipe

Ok...here's your very late Tummy Tempting Tuesday recipe!  It's one I just recently prepared (recent...as in most likely tonight for supper!).  My family really enjoyed it, but the Mr. and I decided it was probably more of a brunch recipe.  It reminds me of a quiche, but seems to be much easier to prepare!  Maybe you should just give it a try and see what you think! :)  Can't wait to update you tomorrow on the 90 Day Bible Reading.  Until then...Happy Cooking!

Sausage Spinach Bake

1 pkg. (6 oz.) savory herb-flavored stuffing mix

1/2 lb. bulk pork sausage (I used a full lb.)

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

3 eggs

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare stuffing according to package directions.  Meanwhile, crumble sausage into a large skillet; add onions and garlic; cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.

In a large bowl, combine the stuffing, sausage mixture and spinach.  Transfer to a greased 13 X 9 inch baking dish; sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese.  In a small bowl, combine cream and eggs; pour over sausage mixture.

Bake at 400* for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese; bake 5 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Yield: 12 servings

Faith and Godliness

I wrote this post yesterday, but due to a huge storm was not able to publish it.  I'll post a Tummy Tempting Tuesday Recipe later this afternoon!  

Some questions that I've been pondering since yesterday:  How godly am I willing to be?  How far will I step outside my "idea" of Christianity so that God can use me in a life changing way?  In our 90 Day Bible Reading, we read the entire story of Abraham's life.  We watched as his faith grew, and we saw how God took an ordinary man and made a nation from Him - a nation that has been and will be pivotal to the entire world's history.  All of this began with one man choosing to step out in faith.  I really don't think that Abraham fully grasped how God would use Him, yet he continued to take step after step in faith trusting that God would provide, guide and fulfill all the things promised to him.

Our family has also been reading George Muller: The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans by Janet and Geoff Benge.  While reading this biography, I was struck by the idea that the majority of Christians (myself included) never place themselves in a position so that we need to place our faith in God and only God.  We are set up in such a society that seems to be able to manage everything and get what we want when we want it.  George Muller refused to keep any money for himself.  If he had extra, he always gave it away.  Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son, trusting fully that God was going to somehow keep the promise He had made of making a great nation through Isaac.  The question I'm asking myself is, "Am I willing to put myself in a place where I have no one to trust but God?"  To be honest, it's a rather scary place to put myself.  I know it's where I should be.  It's even where I want to be, but I've never really been there yet.

You may be asking, "What do godliness and faith have to do with each other?"  I think a lot.  The more we grow in godliness, the stronger our faith will become.  George Muller read his Bible over 300 times in his life.  He was saved at the age of 20 and died at the age of 93.  This means during those 73 years, he read His Bible on an average of over 4 times every year!!!  As I told the Mr., "With that kind of commitment and hunger for God's Word, it's no wonder God answered his prayers!"  The more we practice godliness, the closer we come to our God.  The more we separate ourselves from the world, the more we find ourselves placing our faith in Him more than in ourselves or others or even in things.  The closer we draw to God in our pursuit of being more like Him, the more we give ourselves in complete abandonment to Him. I want to have that kind of faith - that kind of freedom!!!  To be able to sit down with nothing in front of me but have complete confidence that God will give me exactly what I do need. To be able to sacrifice anything and everything knowing that God has better for me.  That is what I want! 

This kind of faith...this kind of life...does not come without cost though.  It is not an easy life.  It is a life full of giving, giving, and giving more when you think you have nothing left to give.  It is a life of separation - separation from any thing that causes us to loose our focus of pursuing godliness. It is a life of forsaking yourself - placing God and others at the front of everything we do.  Whenever I think of a life of godliness, I always think of Luke 9:23:

And he (Jesus) said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

One of the traps we fall into as Christians is becoming godly with our outward appearances but not in our heart.  God doesn't want that kind of godliness. He wants a pure heart with pure motives.  He desires a true heart, a faithful heart, an obedient heart - a heart full of desire to serve Him at any cost.  So, again, I ask myself, "How godly am I willing to be? Am I willing to step outside of my 'idea' of Christianity so that God can use me in a life changing way?"  I pray that I will pursue God with a whole heart and that my faith will grow as a result.  What about you?

The Blessings My Birthday Boy Brings

What a blessed girl I am!  Not only have I been given undeserved salvation from a God who owes me nothing, but that same God has provided everything I need and far more!  Today, I am celebrating the blessing of my first little boy.  Seven years ago, he was born and what a sweet blessing he has been to us!  Our little man is exactly that...little but trying so hard to be a man!  He copies his Daddy in everything - all the way down to buying little notebooks to keep in his pocket to make notes on! :)  

Mr. A has always been our laid back, easy going boy.  He loves his brothers and sisters but also enjoys his alone time.  He will almost always answer an adult not in words but with a huge smile that lights up his big clear blue eyes.  You can ask him anything, and he'll probably only smile....unless you ask him about tractors or big moving equipment.  Then, he'll have a LONG conversation with you.  Funny thing is, he has a lot of accurate information to share with you about all that stuff.  He can tell you how many yards of dirt he can haul in his Dad's dump truck, how many pounds he can carry on the semi, and how the levers work in an excavator.  Like I said, he's trying to be just like his Daddy! :)

Mr. A. teaches me a lot about "going with the flow."  No matter what's going on or how the plans change, he usually just goes right along.  He will work on something for hours, and his smile sends out beams for miles when he finally accomplishes the goal.  Mr. A also reminds me of how much our children watch us.  For the most part, our kids tend to be high-spirited and independent (some of you are probably thinking that is a mild way to put it), and Andrew possesses his fair share of those qualities, but Mr. A is our kiddo that copies the Mr. and I more than other of the others.  It's amazing how many things he has done that the Mr. and I never even realized WE did until Andrew began doing them! 

Mr. A also LOVES the dirt!  I have actually heard him say, "We can't stop working on this, Dad, 'cause we're not dirty yet!"  His belief is the dirtier he is, the harder he worked! :)  That's why his summer wardrobe consists only of white t-shirts and jeans with holes!

And so, today, I'm working on a front-loader birthday cake for my little seven year old man!  For his birthday, Dad is pulling out a four wheeler that will become his once they fix it up together.  Too quickly, I'm afraid it will be a car!  I'm so thankful my little blond-haired, blue eyed boy, and as I see him today, I'm reminded each time of how undeservedly blessed I am!  What a great God I have!