Renewing Your Mind

Do you struggle with Anxiety? I want to encourage you that you are not alone. It is more common than people realize. First we want to look at what anxiety is before we can address how to deal with anxiety. A summarized definition of anxiety is: Having a uneasy, overwhelmed, apprehensive, fearful, concerned, and worrisome state of mind with the feeling of inadequacy to cope.

Anxiety also affects us internally to where we can become physically ill if untreated. There are different levels of anxiety but we will be dealing with anxiety in general. If you feel you are dealing with severe anxiety I encourage you to see a doctor who can give you a full diagnosis.
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This month’s Q’s and A’s:

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I recently saw your movie, “No One Would Tell,” on TV, and loved it! It was eye-opening and powerful. Even though I thought that the overall message defeated some of the sinful things in the movie, it didn’t make them go away. I’m wondering what your thoughts on the movie are from a Christian viewpoint.

The only thing that really bothered me was when your character slept with Bobby (even though we didn’t see it, it was definitely implied), and when I found out you were a Christian, I was a little torn on the judgment there. I’m not even sure if you were a Christian when you shot this movie, but I really just wanted to know your thoughts on some of the things that movie portrayed.
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One thing is for certain in this fallen world, we need to have faith in God. Without faith in God, we are going to walk day to day in fear, uncertainty, discontent, despair, depression, and hopelessness. But with faith in God, we can be certain that our pain will turn to joy, our fears to great strength, and our ashes to beauty (Isaiah 61:3). Through our faith, we are certain that we are more than conquerors and we can claim Victory in every area of our lives.

So the question is, “Where is YOUR faith?” Have you seen it lately? Maybe you left it at your bedside last night, or left it at the door as you left your home for the day, maybe you left it in the valley of your last trial and tribulation you faced. Wherever you left your faith, it’s easy to find, when you look to God for help.
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“We need this exit,” I abruptly told my husband. We had been deep into a friendly discussion and, not realizing the turn was so close, I had failed to give him my usual warning time.

“You’re wrong!” was his emphatic answer as he drove right passed the exit. Our friendly conversation was forgotten, the mood changed in an instant.

My husband and I were in the car—again—this time, on our way to Georgia to help our daughter-in-law settle into a new apartment while our son was otherwise engaged with the military. Thankfully, she was following behind us in another vehicle rather than listening to the debate in our car.

“I’m the one with the map!” I reminded him.
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(A gentle joke, Cheryl Moeller style)

There comes a time in every child’s life when they are finally too old for the baby monitor…

That’s when it’s time to move on to cell phone text messaging between you and your preschoolers. Forget those outdated phonetics and learning the ABC’s — today’s hip family is moving straight into texting. Everything these days from business alerts to love notes are getting abbreviated in texts. Kids don’t need to learn to read “See Spot run.” They need to be able to alert their mothers to pending demands for munchies: *S4C = Starving for Cookies. See how it works?

Look at all the positive advantages to staying in touch with your preschoolers by texting…

You can stay in close communication when you are at the stove and they are sitting at the table building a Lego castle. That way you can accede to their demands and tantrums in real time. Today’s busy preschoolers simply don’t have the time for a normal give and take conversation. They live in an on demand world, so when they demand a Juicy Juice texting allows you just in time delivery.

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(A gentle joke, Cheryl Moeller style)

The combined mileage on your cars is 1,000,000 miles (and you haven’t left your suburb in seven years).

No one invites you over for Sunday dinner (unless it’s for a fast).

You have a laundromat in your basement (it’s open all night and you still can’t find an empty machine).

Holidays are always at your house (Santa has to use a “wide load” sleigh and 16 reindeer to haul everything down to you).
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by Cherie Hill

Do you ever feel like God is no where to be found? Have you ever poured your heart and soul out to Him, only to be left with nothing but silence? Does it ever seem that every time you take a step of faith, you are faced with something that contradicts it? Have you ever felt like God should have been there and He wasn’t; He could have helped, and He didn’t? The question we must ask ourselves is not, “Where is God?” but, “Where is our faith?” (Matthew 8:25)
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Dirty and exhausted after helping our son and daughter-in-law move, I heard a song on the radio yesterday that immediately reminded me of our wedding. I don’t recall the name of the song, but a few of the lyrics stick out.

“From this day forward…I’ll be at your side forever…” Read the rest of this entry »

Summer months are full of kid camps, vacations and plain ole’ hanging around. Neighborhood kids stop by to hang out, unexpected visits from neighbors and friends and the planned cookouts seem to be weekly and sometimes daily events in the summer. Preparing meals and snacks for all these occasions seem endless! Below are a few easy and tasty recipes the whole family can get involved in making and will satisfy young and old alike.

Bug Crunchers

1 box round crackers
1 jar natural peanut butter or soft cream cheese (flavored optional)
1 bag stick pretzels
Raisins

Spread peanut butter or cream cheese on one cracker. Place 4 pretzel sticks on each side acting as spider legs. Spread more peanut butter or cream cheese on second cracker and lay on top of pretzel sticks. Cut one raisin in half. Using peanut butter or cream cheese as glue, place on top of cracker to become the spiders’ eyes. Enjoy!

Fruit Snackers

Wooden sticks
Diced, watermelon, in season melon, banana, apple, pineapple, grapes and strawberries

Place diced fruit onto wooden sticks. Place on platter and serve.

Easy Pasta Salad

1 lb. Box of favorite pasta, cooked

2 Zucchini, diced
2 Red peppers, seeded and sliced
1 onion, chopped
Preheat oven to 375. Line cookie sheet with foil. Spread out vegetables on tray and coat with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast vegetables for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add to cooked pasta. Add vinaigrette and serve.

Lemon Vinaigrette

Zest 1 lemon
Juice 1 lemon
2 T. favorite vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ c. olive oil
Pinch salt and pepper

Wisk well.

Luke 10:38-42
“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’* feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus* answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” NKJV

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