Urgent Prayer Request For Our Soldiers in Iraq

PRAYER REQUEST

My friend Kathy sent this to me in an email, please join me in prayer for our troops.

 

Prayer request .
According to the weather reports, it is our understanding that it is 122 degrees in Iraq right now — and the low will be 111! Our troops need our prayers for strength, endurance, and safety.. If it be God’s will, give these men and women the strength they need to prevail.
I am sorry, but I am not breaking this one……Let us pray.
Prayer chain for our Military..please don’t break it….
Please send this on after a short prayer..

Prayer

‘Lord, please hold our troops in your loving hands.. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.’
Prayer Request: When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our troops around the world..
There is nothing attached… . Just send this to all the people in your address book. Do not let it stop with you, please…..Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine & others deployed in harm’s way, Prayer is the very best one!

June Pay It Forward winners

Okay, my June Pay It Forward giveaway ended at 5pm this evening so Random.Org picked my winners and they are:

God’s Creative Power For Healing Winners:

Camille, Kendra and Ray

God’s Creative Power For Finances Winner:

Tim

I will be contacting each of the winners via email.  I will post a July PIF after the 4th.  Be sure to head over to Overwhelmed With Joy to check out other book giveaways.

I’ll leave you with this last thing, I am currently reading, The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey and I feel it is a must read for everyone.  He looks deeply at all the the stereotypes and the scriptures and reveals a Jesus that will challenge your current image of Him.

What do Jews believe About The Bible?

For the past year or so, I have been been seeking a deeper understanding of Jesus, or Yeshua as He is referred to in Hebrew.  This led me to an organization called International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

I have been supporting Rabbi Eckstein and his program On Wings of Eagles which helps Jews make aliyah (immigrate to Israel) from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, India, Europe, Arab Lands and other regions, and helps them with their klitah (resettlement) needs once they arrive in the Holy Land.

I receive regular updates and newsletters from IFCJ and Rabbi Eckstein has begun a five part series on, What Do Jews Believe About The Bible?  I look forward to reading this series and invite you to visit the site and read along with me.

You Say…God Says…

I know the picture quality isn’t that great, but the information on this chart is totally AWESOME!  My friend Deb sent this to me via email and I was so blessed by it I wanted to share it with everyone!

 

 

Works For Me Wednesday – Tissue round-up

 

 

I know, it’s not cold and flu season, but allergy sufferers like me know the signs of a flare-up; tissues on the nightstand, on the desk, in your pockets, handbag, the car, next to you on the couch…

The worst part is having to round them up – no one wants to touch them after they’ve been used  – especially me, and they start to pile up and go renegade on ya and fly around when the fan blows your way.

Well, I’ve come up with a solution that helps to keep the tissues in a neat and tidy pile and makes clean up a breeze.  Plus I think it’s more sanitary.

I keep a ziploc sandwich baggie in the car, my handbag, my nightstand, and anywhere I’m using the tissues.  I even tuck a few inside the tissue box.  Then, when I use a tissue, I simply place it in the bag.  When the bag is full I toss it out.  No more tissues all over the place, no more grossing out the family members, no more used tissues in my pants pockets (helps out a lot at laundry time) floating around in my handbag or covering the entire surface of my nightstand.  Now when you have a roaring cold and can go through a box of tissues in just a few hours, you may want to use a larger ziploc bag.  I know it’s not the most “green” thing to do, and if using a ziploc bag bothers you, use a brown paper lunch bag.  Or, you can always dump the tissues in the trash and toss the ziploc bag in your recyclable trash – that’s what I do.

Anyway, that’s what works for me.  Head over to Rocks In My Dryer for more WFMW ideas.

Soul Harvest – New Designs

 

     

A few weeks ago I wrote about a new Christian business called Soul Harvest.  I was so excited when I learned the owner designed a T-shirt after Laminin (I posted a Godtube video about this), the “glue” that holds us together, so I ordered it.  I also ordered a T-shirt that was inspired by the movie, ‘Expelled’, by Ben Stein (I wrote about this too).  I got my T-shirts today, and I am really pleased with their quality and the fit.  I’ll take a few photos and post them

I received an email from RW, the owner of Soul Harvest to let me know of some new designs called Cotton Glow, and thought you’d like to check them out.  You can also check out his other designs by clicking on the icons below, or just head over to Soul Harvest’s home page by clicking HERE!

To me, Soul Harvest is more than just an apparel company.  RW’s designs are spreading the Word of God.  I find that sometimes witnessing to people is difficult, so now I can let my clothing do the talking and if someone wants to ask me about the message I can take it from there.

Oh, and to help promote RW’s designs there’s going to be a giveaway so make sure you check back soon, or subscribe to my blog via Email or RSS for more details!

In Touch Prayer June Week 4

***  Please Note – These prayer requests are taken directly from the quarterly prayer calendar send to members of the In Touch Ministries Impact Team. ***

 

Praise – God provided the resources for In Touch to purchase FamilyNet, a television and radio network which will provide innumerable new opportunities for ministry.  The goal of FamilyNet is to influence our nation with wholesome family entertainment and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with millions of people for generations to come.

 

Prayer– That the Lord would bring new, innovative, family-friendly television and radio programming opportunities to FamilyNet and would continue to expand the network’s ability to initiate godly change in our culture.

The Secret

My mom sent this to me in an email today and I wanted to share it with you.  May God be your first thought when you open your eyes, and the last thought before you close them.

 

The Secret

The Secret
One day, one friend asked another,
“How is it that you are always so happy?
You have so much energy,
and you never seem to get down.”

 
With her eyes smiling, she said,
“I know the Secret!”
“What sec ret is that?”
To which she replied,
“I’ll tell you all about it,
but you have to promise to
share the Secret with others.”

       

“The Secret is this:
I have learned there is little I can do
in my life that will make me truly happy
I must depend on God to make
me happy and to meet my needs.
When a need arises in my life,
I have to trust God to supply
according to HIS riches.
I have learned most of the time
I don’t need half of what I think I do.
He has never let me down.
Since I learned that ‘Secret’ , I am happy.”


The questioner’s first thought was,
“That’s too simple!”
But upon reflecting over her own life
she recalled how she thought a bigger house
would make her happy, but it didn’t!
She thought a better paying job
would make her happy, but it hadn’t.
When did she realize her greatest happiness?
Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren,
playing games, eating pizza or reading a story,
a simple gift from God.


Now you know it too!
We can’t depend on people to make us happy.
Only GOD in His infinite wisdom can do that.
Trust HIM!
And now I pass the Secret on to you!
So once you get it, what will you do?


YOU have to tell someone the Secret, too!
That GOD in His wisdom will take care of YOU!
But it’s not really a secret…
We just have to receive, believe, and do it..
Really trust God!

Just Pass It On!
I just did I hope you do too.

Praise Report – Jose

I know I haven’t really put much information about Jose’s condition on my blog but thank you to everyone who has kept us in prayer.

Back in April Jose had a large mass removed from his neck.  We were told it was malignant so he had to have a Pet Scan to see if the cancer spread and a Bone Marrow biopsy to see what stage it was in.  We were told he had Stage 1 Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and would probably need chemo and radiation therapy.

Today we met with the Oncologist and were told that even though they thought the Lymphoma had spread, there is no trace of Lymphoma in his body and he will only need a small amount of radiation therapy at the site where the mass was.

PRAISE GOD, MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE!!!!  I thank Him for His faithfulness and ever loving care.  He is so awesome.  I can’t tell you in words how we felt when we heard this news today.  We put our faith in God to heal Jose in whatever way He chose, and to hear that he will not need chemo is such a blessing. 

I know the affect chemo has on the body and I also know that everyone responds differently to it; so I was bracing myself for the worst case scenario.  To know that our lives will not be turned upside down and that Jose can move forward in treating other health issues without worrying about Lymphoma is a HUGE blessing.

Thank you Jehova Rophe for Your healing touch and mercy.

Thursday Thirteen 20th Edition

Sometimes I get stuck for ideas for a TT so I’m taking an idea from a TT post I read last week. I’m going to try and post 13 words using the alphabet and then I’ll try to relate the words to myself- I wonder how far I’ll get???

13 words using the letter A –

1. Apples – I remember watching my Grandmom Finnegan make baked apples when I was a little girl and sometimes she would have me collect crab apples for her too. I loved watching her peel the apples, she could peel the skin off without breaking and I would eat the long spirals of red apple flesh.

2. Ants – When I was in grade school, one of my teachers took the class outside looking for ant hills. She dug up a big ant hill and showed us how they tunnel and dig under the earth – I was fascinated and my mom bought me an ant farm kit and I collect ants and watched them create their tunnels.

3. ABBA – One of my favorite bands of all time. I wish they hadn’t broken up so soon. It would be so awesome if they did a reunion tour!

4. Airplane – One summer we went to visit my Mom and Stepdad at their place down the shore (Maryland OC) and my mom took my daughter on a long walk on the beach and when they came back my daughter looked up in the sky and pointed and said, “1 airplane”. My mom had spent their entire walk teaching her to say the word 1 and airplane. They were both so proud of themselves. How cute is that?

5. Art – I love artwork. I love watching people as they create things. I am not very artistic but I have friends that are. My oldest daughter is a good painter and my youngest son is very good at drawing. I wish I could paint or draw.

6. Angel – I believe in angels and I believe God places them around us. I think that when we are younger, we are able to see them but as we get older we lose this ability or gift if you will. I think this is mainly because we let the world and it’s junk cloud our minds and we are less willing to believe in them.

7. Anchovies – Yuck! I really, really, really don’t like them. My husband and kids love them, but just the thought of them makes me cringe.

8. Alaska – I would love to visit Alaska one day. I hear it is so beautiful there. I watch the show Deadliest Catch and every now and then they show some of the landscape and it takes my breath away.

9. Academics – I love learning and would love to go back to school if I had the finances. Right now we’re putting our 3rd child through college and have 1 more still in high school. As a kid I was what you would call a Nerd! Our kids know, getting a good education is first and foremost, all other activities are secondary.

10. Alto – I was an Alto in my High School Choir even though I could also sing Soprano. I love singing and I’m pretty good, but my kids are way better than I am. My daughter was asked to sing at a friends wedding and my son is the lead singer in a local band. I’m going to see him sing this weekend, hope I don’t cry…

11. Australia – One of the things on my “bucket list” is to visit Australia. I have always been fascinated with this country and hope to go there someday.

12. Armeggedon – It’s amazing to me the number of movies, books, and products that have this as their title. Some of the things that come to my mind is the movie with Bruce Willis and an installment of the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. I loved both by the way! Oh, let’s not forget the book of Revelation, thank God I won’t be around for that!

13. Ankle – Oh, I shudder at the thought of this word. When I was a kid, I was doing cartwheels in the basement before the school bus came and got my right ankle caught in a huge thick chain that was in the rafters. Ever since then, my ankle was prone to giving out. It would give out all the time and sometimes it would be so bad that my ankle would swell up and be as thick as my calf and then it would turn black and blue and purple. Oh, and the pain was unbearable. I would be so afraid to walk down the block for fear it would give out, or get twisted. I still walk with my head down looking for sticks, stones, divets, or uneven pavement.

Works For Me Wednesday – Summer Bargains

 

I had something else to post today but I was looking through Good Housekeeping’s mini magazine Quick and Simple and found out about a totally awesome program by AMC Movie Theaters.

Starting Wednesday 6/25 they are having $1 movies!  All showings are on Wednesday’s at 10AM and admission is just $1 and all proceeds will go to charity.  What awesome timing with schools letting out for the summer!  Now the magazine said to go to moviewatcher.com for more info, but all it asked me to do was either log in if I was already a movie watcher, or register if I wasn’t.  I registered, but still had trouble finding what I was looking for.  So off to Yahoo I went and did some searching and found what I was looking for!

I’ve put a copy of the flyer below and you can click HERE to see participating theaters in your area.  Make sure you check, because not all AMC Theaters are participating which is a bit of a bummer because there are 2 AMC Theaters within 10 minutes of my house but the only place participating near me 25 minutes up the highway.  All things considered, I think it’s still worth the trip since I never got to see several of the movies they’ll be showing and the admission is only $1!

 

 

After I posted this, one of my visitors told me about Regal Cinemas FREE movie offer so I decided to check it out and they have some awesome movies and the one near me (about 20 minutes up the road) is showing their movies Tuesday – Thursday and they have 2 movies for FREE!  Now I’ve posted the listing for my local theater, but since every theater is different, you’ll have to click HERE to see what’s playing in your area!

Every Tuesday –Thursday @ 10am FREE – Both movies listed are showing

Regal Cinemas Washington Township 14
121 Tuckahoe Road
Sewell ,NJ 08080
856-262-0581

06/24/2008-06/26/2008 Charlotte’s Web (G) Racing Stripes (PG)

07/01/2008-07/03/2008 Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (G )Alvin And The Chipmunks (PG)

07/08/2008-07/10/2008 Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (G) The Last Mimzy (PG)

07/15/2008-07/17/2008 Babe: Pig In The City (G) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PG)

07/22/2008-07/24/2008 March Of The Penguins (G) Madagascar (PG)

07/29/2008-07/31/2008 Running Free (G) Hairspray (PG)

08/05/2008-08/07/2008 Clifford’s Really Big Movie (G) RV (PG)

08/12/2008-08/14/2008 Polar Express (G) Shrek The Third (PG)

08/19/2008-08/21/2008 Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything – Veggie Tales (G) Bee Movie (PG)

I also found an awesome Monday movie program at my local Showcase At The Ritz Theater (which is owned by National Amusements).  It’s a Silver Screen program and every Monday now through the end of August, at 1PM you can see a classic movie on the big screen for just $2 and admission includes a small popcorn and soda!  Click here to find a participating theater near you!  Now I know this program is geared more towards adults but I still wanted to share the info!

Memo From God

To:          YOU
Date:       TODAY
From:         GOD
Subject:    YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God.  Today I will be handling All of your problems for you.  I do Not need your help.  So, have a nice day. I love you.
P.S.  And, remember…
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself!  Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME.  All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it.  Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don’t despair.  There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it’s like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn’t live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people’s bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!
Now, you have a nice day.
                            God 

Update on Logan – 6/16

I just got this update from Daniel and I’m so excited to share this wonderful news with everyone.  Please continue to lift Logan and his family up before the Lord giving thanks and praise for all He has done, is doing and will do for them.

God bless you,

Briggie

Hello to All,

Here is the latest update on Logan. It is awesome news!! I am so excited and happy to be able to let you all know how much the prayers and love for Logan and his family have brought them. Logan will be going home soon.

Well, the news on Logan is absolutely wonderful. He has been at TIRR receiving rehabilitation and therapy. According to his Grandma Gail, they are working with him teaching him how to walk again and how to talk again. He’s making great progress and are expecting him to go home in the very near future.

Also, his Grandpa George is doing very well.

I personally would like to say “Thank You!!!!!!!!” a million times to all of you who have prayed and kept Logan and the family in your prayers till this day. Logan still has a long way to go, but he has also come such a long way. Please, keep them in your prayers because they still need the strength and support they are receiving from the prayers and love.

God Bless You all!

Lisa Thompson Tristan

In Touch Prayer June Week 3

***  Please Note – These prayer requests are taken directly from the quarterly prayer calendar send to members of the In Touch Ministries Impact Team. ***

 

Praise – God provided the resources for In Touch to purchase FamilyNet, a television and radio network which will provide innumerable new opportunities for ministry.  The goal of FamilyNet is to influence our nation with wholesome family entertainment and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with millions of people for generations to come.

 

Prayer– That God will lead In Touch in choosing and developing resources that will best help men grow in their relationship with Christ and initiate true, godly change in this country.

Prayer Update – Shorty

Back in April I posted a prayer request for Doris’ brother Shorty and today she is asking us to pray for him to have peace over the outcome of his biopsy’s.

Please join me in prayer for Doris’ brother Shorty. He has just undergone 46 biopsies this month in Chicago. He has lost 25 pounds due to nerves Please also pray for Shorty’s wife Marge for peace, strength and courage as she supports her husband during this trying time.

Father, You are Jehovah Rophe and we come to you today on behalf of Shorty and pray that You place Your hands upon him and his wife. Jesus, You bore all our sickness and freed us from the curse of death while on the cross. Your blood flows through Shorty and brings life and healing to him. We forbid these tumors or growths to inhabit Shorty’s body and command them to dissolve in the name of Jesus. Sickness must flee and has no power over him and the word of God energizes every cell of his body. We bind the spirit of fear and nervousness and cast it into the pit of hell where it came from. We loose the spirit of peace, hope and joy that only our heavenly Father can bring and ask God to place His angels around him as a hedge of protection. We ask these things in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Thursday Thirteen 19th edition

Here are 13 of my all time favorite Summer tunes: I know I may be dating myself, but music knows no age!

1. Groovin’ – The Rascals 1967 ( i know, i’m way too young to know music from this era! hehehehehe)

2. You Should Be Dancin’ – The Bee Gees 1976 (actually anything they do is on my hit list!)

3. Saturday In The Park – Chicago 1972 (did they have the greatest sound or what?)

4. I’m Walkin’ On Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves 1985 (you gotta get happy when you hear this)

5. Grazin In The Grass – Hugh Masakela 1968 (can you dig it?)

6. Born To Be Wild – Steppenwolf 1968 (oh yeah, roll down the windows and turn up the volume baby)

6. The Girl From Ipanema – Gilberto/Getz 1965 (brings back memories of summers sitting by the pool with my Grandmom Palermo – good times)

7. All I Wanna Do – Cheryl Crow 1994 (what a cool groove)

8. Cruel Summer – Bananarama 1984 (who hasn’t had a cruel summer at least once in their lifetime?)

9. Money – Pink Floyd 1972 (you had to be there)

10. A Beautiful Morning – The Rascals 1968 (what a great song to start the day)

11. To Sir With Love – LuLU 1967 (okay, who didn’t cry when they played this song in the movie???)

12. Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffett 1977 (lots of good times to this one)

13. Waterloo – ABBA 1974 (uh, yes, ABBA rocked this summer)

make sure you check out other T13’ers by clicking the Thursday Thirteen icon at the top of my post and if you posted a T13, make sure you add your link below so my visitors can check out your post!

VOM Prayer Requests and praise reports

I subscribe to VOM via email and this was in my inbox this evening.  I want to share the prayer requests and praise reports with everyone and ask that you take a moment to first give thanks to God for the gift of being able to worship Him freely, then take a moment to pray for those listed below.

“Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”  (1 Timothy 4:15-16)

Prayers for June 10th, 2008
From The Voice of the Martyrs

INDIA
Pastor Beaten; Churches Attacked – VOM Sources
On May 27, Pastor Rampal Kori was beaten by two Hindu militants in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts, “The militants repeatedly struck the pastor, who was returning from prayer meetings, with an iron rod and accused him of forcibly converting villagers to Christianity. They also robbed him of 3000 Rupees (US $70). Pastor Kori sustained serious injuries that required stitches in his head.” Meanwhile on May 26, in an unrelated incident, militants demolished a thatched church in the district of Adilabad, Andhra Pradesh. On June 1, another group attacked the Masihi Mandir Church in the district of Oriya Para, Chhattisgarh state, during a morning church service. VOM sources added, “At approximately 11:00 a.m., the militants barged into the church building and destroyed the facility’s furniture. The attackers accused the believers present of forcibly converting people, and threatened them with dire consequences if they continued to worship Christ.” Pray for healing for Pastor Kori. Ask God to strengthen the believers whose churches were attacked as they continue to stand in His grace. Psalm 37: 3-6

ERITREA
Christians Arrested – Compass Direct News
On May 28, Eritrean police arrested 34 evangelical Christians in the city of Keren, Eritrea. According to Compass Direct News, “The Christians, who are members of the Berhane Hiwet (Light of Life) Church, were meeting in a private home for prayer and fellowship. All 24 men and 10 women present in the meeting were taken to prison, with their children left behind. The next day security officials transferred the women prisoners to the Adi-Abeyto Military Confinement facility on the outskirts of the capital city of Asmara.” Pray for the release of Eritrean Christians who are imprisoned for the sake of Christ. Ask God to strengthen and comfort their families, especially the children. Pray that the Eritrean government will respect the rights of Christians to freely worship their Lord. Ephesians 1: 19-23

IRAN
UPDATE: Christian Converts Released from Prison – Compass Direct News
Praise God! Homayon Shokohie Gholamzadeh (48), an Iranian Christian convert arrested on May 11 by police in the city of Shiraz, was released from prison on May 22. According to Compass Direct News, Gholamzadeh was taken into custody with his wife and another couple before boarding a flight at Shiraz International Airport. On June 2, Mojtaba Hussein (21), another Iranian Christian convert from Islam arrested on May 11, was released from prison. According to Compass Direct, the authorities demanded valuable property deeds as bail collateral for the release of the two believers. Praise God for the release of these believers. Pray God encourages them as they live their lives for Him. Pray for other believers who face challenges for practicing their faith. Psalm 34: 1-10

CHINA
Christians Detained for Helping Quake Victims – China Aid Association
On June 1, Chinese Public Security Bureau (PSB) police officers disrupted a house church meeting and forcefully detained seven believers during a Sunday service at Taikang county, Henan province. According to China Aid Association (CAA), “Approximately six PSB officials disrupted the house church meeting and forcefully detained seven of the participants. Police officials did not state the reason for the detention. During interrogation, police officials questioned the members as to who would be taking donations to the earthquake disaster area. One woman and her child were released; however the other six remain in detention under a charge of sending money to a disaster area in the name of a house church.” According to reports, PSB officials have said they will not release those detained until they paid a fine. Pray for believers in China who are facing difficulties practicing their faith. Ask God to give them boldness to serve Him and for Him to give them the ability to forgive their persecutors.

Psalm 34: 17-22

Click for Printer-Friendly Prayers

www.persecution.com

Soul Harvest & Laminin T-Shirts

I put a post on my blog about Louie Giglio and the video on Godtube about Laminin, the glue that holds us together.

Well, I’ve gotten emails and comments from so many people stating what an impact it had on them and today one of the comments was from a small business owner who was so inspired by the video they created a T-Shirt and left the link to their website.  They weren’t sure if I would mind them posting a link to their site but I like their site so much, I decided to write a post about them.

The site is called Soul Harvest and they feature all original Christian  T-shirts that give the customer an opportunity to witness simply by wearing one of them. How true it is that a simple message on a shirt can help to initiate a conversation between you and a lost brother or sister…and that is worth more than the cost of any shirt you could ever buy!  Here’s the Laminin T-Shirt, please take a moment to stop by their site and browse through their line of T-Shirts.

 

 

Works For Me Wednesday Mac-n-Cheese

 

Who doesn’t love Macaroni and Cheese?  Who doesn’t think they make the best Mac-n-Cheese around?  Well, my son and I had some free time on our hands so we sat down and began experimenting with some ingredients and came up with what we feel is the best we’ve ever had.  Of course I still enjoy the old elbow macaroni’s with velveeta mac-n-cheese, but this version is good for when you want some grown-up mac-n-cheese.

 

Here are some pictures of us putting it together:

preparing bacon/french fried cheddar onions/locatelle cheese topping

 

melting cheese in a “double boiler”

lining bottom of baking dish with cubed velveeta

 

layering noodles and cheese

topping off mac and cheese with bacon, french fried cheddar onions, locatelle cheese mixture

ta-da!  the finished product.

Ingredients

1 stick Butter (yes use it, it’s good!)

1 lb. Cheese (we shredded our own and used White Sharp Cheddar)

1 Tbsp Garlic Powder (or more to taste)

2 Pinches Chili Powder

1 Tsp Ground Pepper (or more to taste)

1 Tbsp Salt (we prefer Kosher)

8 Ounces Heavy Cream (yes it’s good!)

6 C Elbow Macaroni (uncooked)

3 Ounces Bacon Bits (pre-packaged or cook your own)

1 C Grated Locatelle Cheese (you can use parmesan, but Locatelle has a great taste and gives it a twist)

6 Ounces Cheddar French Fried Onions (made by French’s)

8 Ounces Cubed Velveeta (store brand works fine too)

 

Pre-heat Oven to 325 degrees.

The first 7 ingredients go in the double boiler on a medium/low heat- stir alot!  While that’s going cook the macaroni (when done, drain and lightly rinse).  In a large bowl combine the next 3 topping ingredients and crush them using the back of a spoon and mix them together.  I also like putting them in a ziploc bag and running my rolling pin back and forth over them faster and less clean up! 

Take a large baking dish, spray it with a non stick spray and then place the cubed velveeta in first.  (now if you like a lot of velveeta you can cube up another 4-8 ounces and place them on top of the noodles before you add the final fried onion topping).  Once your cheese mixture in the double boiler and noodles are ready, you can either mix them in a large bowl and stir well to combine the noodles and cheese, then pour into the baking dish (which we found works better than our original idea of layering) or you can put half the noodles in the baking dish, then half the cheese mixture, (good time to add more velveeta if you’re gonna go that route)then the last of the noodles and the rest of the cheese mixture (and of course more velveeta again if your going that route). 

Once that’s done, cover the entire surface with your french fried onion/cheese topping and use ALL OF IT – press some down if you have to, it’s too yummy to waste it.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is gooey and melty and the topping gets nice and golden brown.

Serves a lot of people!

Make sure you check out all the other great stuff at Rocks In My Dryer every Wednesday!

A Message from Joel Osteen 6/11

In this message Joel Osteen speaks about the forces of darkness that we face here on earth and yesterday I was watching Marilyn Hickey and she spoke about blessings and covering and reading Joel’s message today made me connect the two.  To receive all that God wants to give us, we must focus on Him and to do that we must remain under His covering.  For God to be a blessing to us, we must be a blessing to God.  We must bless Him, our friends, family, loved ones, our enemies, those who curse us and hate us – yes, we must bless those who curse us!  It is through blessing that we receive covering and trust me, you want to remain covered!

She spoke about being weary in your mind and says that God wants to refresh us and renew us.  She said that God uses blessing as our covering and the covering is the blessing.  It is important to speak verbal blessings over our loved ones to cover them.  Emotional stability comes through verbal blessing.  God wants big things for us, He wants to cover us.  But satan wants to uncover us and keep us in darkness because he wants to destroy us.  I believe that satan thinks if he can cut down God’s people, then he can cut down God.  It’s just too bad that in his lust and desire to destroy us, he’s forgotten he’s already been defeated.  That makes the score God – Eternity / satan – zip, nada, zero, zilch, NOTHING!

I jotted down some of the scriptures Marilyn used in her message and tried to summarize what I got out of it.  I also put Joel Osteen’s message below in blue.  I’m sorry if this post is a bit winded – but the messages are just so good! – love to you all and may God richly bless you so that your storehouses overflow so that you may be a blessing to others, and so on and so on…

Love in Christ

Briggie ^i^

Ezekiel 28:14-16 – satan was to bless God.  He was meant to be a covering for God but he became prideful so he broke the covering and was cast out.  he was to speak blessings over God and because he lost his position he was cast out of heaven and into darkness which is where he wants us!

Revelation 12:10 – now that he has become uncovered, he wants to uncover us, he is the accuser and he will tempt us and when we get caught he then says it is our fault not his.  once he uncovers us, sin can enter so we must remain covered by the blood because it doesn’t only cover us, it takes away our sin.

Revelation 3:18 – speaks that Jesus wants us to be covered.

Isaiah 61:10 – just like He clothed Adam and Eve, God covers us. 

Revelation 19 – they are shouting praises.  when we speak well of people, we are blessing and covering them.

 

As It Is in Heaven

Today’s Scripture

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Today’s Word from Joel and Victoria

God longs to give you a glimpse of heaven while you are here on earth. He wants to show you His wonderful plan and bring it to pass in your life. Have you ever thought about how God’s will is accomplished in heaven? In heaven, God’s will is automatic. There are no opposing forces of darkness or anything that would come against His will. On earth, His will is activated in our lives when we first make Jesus our Lord and Savior; and then we must choose to come into agreement with His will on a daily basis through our thoughts, our words and our actions. On earth, we have to stand against the forces of darkness. We have to refuse those negative, self-defeating thoughts. As you open your heart to the Word of God and invite His will to be done in your life, it says in Ephesians 6 that you will be empowered by your union with Him. As you declare what God says about you, you will overcome all opposition, and you will see God’s will in your life as it is in heaven!

A Prayer for Today

Heavenly Father, I humbly come to You today and invite Your will to be done in my life. I submit every area of my heart to You. Let everything I say and do bring glory to You. In Jesus Name. Amen.