Upon reading my "Bad Girls of the Bible" book the other day, I stumbled upon a most beautiful little encouragement. This is coming from Eve's chapter...the original bad girl ;)

I'm going to start my note with Genesis 2:15 "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."

Eden is often translated as "delight" or, by way of a Persian word, "paradise". This was no ordinary garden people. It was a carefully designed and beautifully executed park of wonderful trees and beautiful flowers, everything we could ever imagine I'm sure, and then some. Such gardens don't maintain themselves; that was Adam's job. Even before the Fall, he was given the task of caring for the garden. It was a cushy gig though, far from hard labor. There weren't any weeds, mosquitos, thorns or grub worms. Adam had everything he needed to be happy in this garden of his; food, water, warmth and shelter. It engaged his senses with all its colors, fragrances, and textures. Not to mention, the sway of the trees and sound of flowing streams were music to his ears. Sounds like Heaven to me!

After giving Adam the one commandment he was not to break, say it with me everybody..."Don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil". Like any good parent, our heavenly father built a hedge of protection around his child to keep his innocence and to keep him from things he just didn't need to know. And of course Adam was obedient, but he was lonely. Leading to my main point...

The Lord says, "it is not suitable for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18

Was this announcement to give Adam a helper to keep his mind off the forbidden fruit? To help with gardening? Or was it in response to Adam's very human longing for companionship? One commentator (myself included) voted for the last option:"Solitude is not good; man was created for sociability." Even those of us who enjoy our quiet moments begin to get stir crazy. It's a God given drive to connect with other people (hence the popularity of facebook!). Those with very little of that drive are labeled "loners", people with even less are called "hermits" and those with none are put in straightjackets. People need people.

"So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh" Genesis 2:21

And here goes the purpose of my entire story :) ...

Why the rib??

Maybe because the rib isn't exactly a load bearing wall. But I choose to go with the second opinion of the two and completely agree when the author says, "...God wisely chose the bone nearest to the man's heart as a gentle reminder to keep his helpmate close by his side-physically, emotionally, spiritually."

Uh! Steal my heart, what a wonderful way to look at it! When I read that one sentence, it sent my heart a flutter. I love it and just wanted to share. Enjoy!

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.

Proverbs 31:25

A Beautiful Role

"The essence of a woman is beauty. She is meant to be the incarnation-our experience in human form-of a captivating God. A God who invites us.

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters...Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the riches of fare. (Isaiah 55:1-2)

Beauty is what the world longs to experience from a woman. We know that. Somewhere deep down, we know it to be true. Most of our shame comes from this knowing and feeling that we have failed here. So listen to this: beauty is an essence that dwells in EVERY woman. It was given to her by God and it was given to you. Surely you would agree that God is nothing if not beautiful. All around us his creation shouts of his beauty. The sound of a brook, a quiet beach, the sun streaming from a billowing cloud. As Sam Weil wrote, 'The beauty of the world is almost the only way by which we can allow God to penetrate us...' Beauty capitvates the senses in order to obtain permission to pass straight to the soul. God has given this beauty to every woman, it is our core. It is who we are and who we long to be and one of the most glorious ways we bear the image of God in a broken and often ugly world."

I just wanted to share this with my sisters this morning. I think it's a beautiful thing that we are the human form of a captivating God. We represent His beauty and mystery. I love to relish in this fact and am so thankful not only for it but that it was shown to me. It makes me feel more beautiful ever to know this ;)

(Eldridge, 131 & 132)

Mmm mmm! Delish Recipes ;D

Hi all! I have a great recipe here for these cold winter days that will really hit the spot. We LOVED it and I had it whipped up in no time! Everything was in the bowl and ready to go before the noodles had even finished boiling and the best part is, it was easy on our wallet ;) So here you go, enjoy!

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

8 oz uncooked rigatoni
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 an onion-chopped
1 (10 oz) pack of frozen spinach
3 cups, cooked shredded chicken breasts (I used chunk chicken in a can to save time & $$. It took 2-12.5 oz cans)
1 (14 oz) can italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
1 (8 oz) container Philadelphia chive & onion cream cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare rigatoni according to package directions. Cook your onions in skillet over med high heat until tender and put in mixing bowl. Drain chopped spinach, well, pressing between paper towels to make sure it's pretty well dry. Add the rest of the ingredients (except for mozzarella) into bowl and mix. Spoon mixture into casserole dish and sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake covered for 30 minutes then uncover and bake for 15 more minutes or until bubbly.

Disruptive Honesty

Don't let the title of this post fool you, just keep reading ;)

I think it's safe to say that it's a pretty common thought to see Jesus as this untouchable and perfect person. We probably envision him as we see him paintings. As this dreamy, whimsical, angelic man. And yes, I think it's a beautiful image but I think it causes us to not be able to relate to him as much as we could. It's a little intimidating, right? Well, I've been reading this incredible book called, "Beautiful Outlaw; Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus" and it is THE most incredible book. It has helped me to see Jesus for who he really is. Playful and fun, honest and real. I'd like to share a little bit from the chapter about his disruptive honesty. I just love it...

To come to know Jesus intimately, as he is, as he wants to be known, is to release a redemptive landslide in your life. What if at this moment you have terminal cancer, but don't know it. The disease is silently ravaging your body while precious days slip by in which you could be taking action. Now-what if your doctor knew but didn't want to tell you because it would inconvenience him? You'd sue him for malpractice. What if your family knew and didn't tell you because "they didn't want to upset you"? You would be furious. Don't you see how incredibly important it is to know the truth? Well, we can always count on Jesus to tell us the truth. Sometimes he's playful; sometimes he's fierce; the next moment he's generous. This is the beauty of disruptive honesty, you can count on him to to tell you the truth in the best possible way for you to hear it because you need to hear it. We love his honesty when he goes gunning for the Pharisees in Matthew 23:15 but when he turns his sights on us we begin to squirm, something in us gets offended. The world is stone drunk, and raging at Jesus because he's trying to keep us from taking the car. Who is being unreasonable? The spirit of our day is a soft acceptance of everything-except deep conviction in anything. This is where Jesus will suddenly confront the world as a great rock confronts the river flowing ever downhill. He is immovable. Conviction might be a matter of personal opinion, but truth is like a great mountain, solid and immovable whether we like it or even acknowledge it. Chritianity is not a set of convictions-it is a truth. The most offensive thing imaginable.
And Jesus is a rock alright. "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" (Rom. 9:33). A rock is offensive in your shoe because it is an inconvenience. If we said, "Away with all rocks!" we would wish the planet right out from under our feet. But a rock is also the only refuge from the raging seas. The shipwrecked soul doesn't curse the rock because it is immovable; he clings to it, weeping for gratitiude. Remember-when Jesus tells us the truth, he doesn't say, "You are on your own now. Deal with it." He offers us a way out. As John said, "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (1:17). Truth and grace. Anytime Jesus pulls the rug out from under us, he extends his hand to lift us to a place of refuge.

(Beautiful Outlaw)

Elf on a Shelf

So I was chatting with my girl Nat today and she shared with me the cutest Christmas idea for the little ones! Stop me if you've heard of it...elf on a shelf?! I'm sure it's already a tradition for many families but if you've never heard of it, you may want to try it with your kiddos this year for fun :D The concept goes a little something like this...get a cute little elf and put it up on the shelf and tell the kids he's santa's helper from the north pole and he's come to your house to be santa's eyes and ears. They observe for santa, letting him know who's naughty and who's nice, hehe! And they don't stay in just one spot, elves like to play games and are very mischevious so they don't stay in one spot for long! When the kids aren't looking you take the elf and move him somewhere different. A fun idea is to put him in the freezer for them to find, since it reminds the elf of the north pole ;) hang him from the fan, or put him on the couch holding the remote, haha! The creativity is limitless, it'll be fun playing hide and seek with the elf. And after Christmas of course the elf "goes back to the north pole with santa" until next year. I love it! Nat was cracking me up with ideas to do with your elf. This was my fave, get a dry erase marker and draw mustaches on all the faces in your frames around the living room, what a mischievous elf ;) Take funny pictures of your elf and once developed, switch out pictures in frames with pictures of the elf, he likes pictures of himself, hehe! A good spot for your elf would be in front of an open book, maybe even a Christmas book! Like I said, the ideas are never ending. I was cracking UP looking at all the things different people did with their elf, here are some of my favorites...

What child doesn't love milk? When they go to get some out of the fridge, the look on their face would be priceless!

Mom painted the kid's noses red while they were asleep, haha!!

Have fun with your elf on a shelf!! I can't wait to do this someday with my kiddies ;D And let's not forget the real reason for the season everyone, the birth of our savior and friend, Jesus Christ!

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given...And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6