Fall 2016, Vol. 2, Issue 4
Connecting Hearts
CONTENTS 14
22 12
24 Contributors: Misty Fantauzzo Laura Grotenhuis, M.S.Ed. LPC Stacy Jones Jen Lawrence, MS, MFTC Carol Peterson Andrea Powell Carrie Rothones
Publisher: Melissa Rhoads Editor: Gail Hoffman Photo Credits: Misty Fantauzzo (Cover) Pat Russell pp. 15,16
6 CARING WELL FOR THE BROKENHEARTED By Laura Grotenhuis, M.S.Ed, LPC 8 KITCHEN TABLE INTERVIEWS By Misty Fantauzzo 12 BIRTHLINE By Andrea Powell 14 A HEALTHY HARVEST By Jen Lawrence, MS, MFTC 17 DESPERATE FOR THE TOUCH OF JESUS By Carrie Rothones 22 THE PRAYER LIFE OF AN INSOMNIAC By Stacy Jones 24 CRANBERRY FAVORITES RECIPE By Misty Fantauzzo 26 INVESTING FOR HARVEST By Carol Peterson
Co n
Women of Foundations
ne c t
Connecting Hearts Magazine
Dear Readers, The holiday season is upon us. The leaves have changed and fallen. The crops have been harvested. We’ve passed out countless pieces of candy and we’ve already gotten notices of postThanksgiving shopping deals. You would think Thanksgiving is over and it is time to move on to a new year. It’s not! After the harvest, it is good to slow down and be thankful and thoughtful. This issue of Connecting Hearts contains articles to help us do just that. We hope you enjoy it. We welcome your feedback, suggestions, and submissions. In Jesus, Melissa and Gail
Article submissions to: Melissa.a.rhoads@gmail.com Subject line: Connecting Hearts article submission Photo Submissions to: Melissa.a.rhoads@gmail.com Subject line: Connecting Hearts photo submission
Sum mer 2016 , Vo l. 2, Issue
ing Hear ts
3
Caring Well for the
Brokenhearted By Laura Grotenhuis, LPC, M.S. Ed
I am so thankful that in addition to saving our souls, Jesus himself came to bind up the brokenhearted. As the holidays approach, know that they can be a difficult time especially for people who have experienced a loss this year or are hurting for some other reason. Despite being a counselor for my career, I know what it is like to feel overwhelmed or ill-equipped when my friends are in intense pain. For this reason, I wanted to share some simple but practical ways to help a person you care about who is hurting. Right off the bat it is really important to know there are two distinctly different ways people work through difficult thoughts and emotions. First there are external processors, who tend to think out loud. As external processors talk and receive feedback, they have more and more clarity. The worst thing for an external processor is to be left alone in the midst of extreme emotions and unanswered questions, because her mind can race and 6 Connecting Hearts Fall 2016
emotions can overwhelm her. This type of person does best talking to a trusted listener with whom she can work through her thoughts, fears, feelings and options. The internal processor has different needs. When facing challenges or difficult emotions, she needs time alone to think through her situation and choices carefully. Internal processors may not look like they are hurting, but while alone, she is quietly pondering her thoughts, feelings, ideas and opinions in order to come to conclusions. Forcing this person to talk, before she has had time to process, creates confusion, frustration and a feeling of being overwhelmed. Let your internal processor know you understand that the timing is hers to decide, and when she needs to talk, you are available. 1(footnote) I can tell you that when I lost my husband, many of my closest friends and family did not respond the way I hoped they would. Being an
external processor myself, there were so many things I needed to work through; the things I missed about him, challenges concerning my new life as a single parent, figuring out who I am without my better half. But I noticed that when I would speak about my husband, the conversation would quiet. People became paralyzed and many of my normally supportive friends and family didn't know what to say, so they distanced themselves or avoided the subject. I remember my journal became my key listener in the absence of people. The truth is, it is difficult to enter into another person's pain, but I would encourage you to remember a few things that will make it easier. 1) You are not responsible for making the other person feel better. Comforting someone is often just letting them know you care for them and are willing to listen. 2) You also are not responsible for finding solutions. Given a supportive environment, people often work through their pain and find their new way naturally. 3) It is not all up to you. There are times when a person's despair or hopelessness is beyond what we can handle. If your friend or family member is stuck in her
grief or pain, it is appropriate to suggest counseling. There are times people lose so much hope they become clinically depressed or even suicidal. In those moments, insist your person get professional help. Finally, do not forget about the role God plays. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.â€? 2 Cor. 1:3-5 (NIV). God does not rescue those who are hurting from pain, but He does comfort us through His word and through the body of Christ. He is the God of all comfort, and if God calls you to minister to the brokenhearted, He will give you the strength, wisdom and courage to do it. Mainly it involves staying when fear tells you to run, and listening to the hard reality of that person's circumstances. There will probably not be words to offer, but honestly, the brokenhearted don't need words, they mostly need people to be the ears, arms and sometimes shoulder of Jesus.♼
1-Jenni Stahlmann and Jody Hagaman (2016, Mar 18). Are your kids internal or external processors? Retrieved from http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 Connecting Hearts Fall 2016 7
I spent lots of time at my grandmother’s kitchen table. In fact, the table pictured above is her kitchen table. Now that I am grown and raising a family of my own, I wish I could sit down with her and visit about life, her great grandchildren and her recipe for wild rice.
Growing up, Thanksgiving was always a gathering of aunts, uncles, and cousins at my grandparents’ house on Quaker Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I don’t have many photographs of those special gatherings. My mom may have a box tucked away somewhere with a few pictures of the ladies in the kitchen or the boys playing football in the yard, but there are no scrapbooks or videos devoted to capturing these moments. And in the 1970s and 80s there were no Facebook posts or Instagram shots. And yet… I remember vividly the brick walk past the oak, magnolia, and tulip tree to my grandparents’ front door.
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I remember the dark entryway with its bench and coat tree. A right into the pale blue kitchen to smell Aunt Judy’s rolls baking in the oven and sneaking a piece of Aunt Maryann’s fudge from the breakfast room table before dinner. Around the corner to the dining room with its bay window and beautiful table set with fine china, crystal and linens. I pull out the chair on the far side of the table and stomp on the floor to find the buzzer that rings in the kitchen, a relic of when the house was built for those with kitchen help. On through to the living room where soon there will be a flocked Christmas tree with a train running around it, but for now it is set up with card tables to seat the many cousins for dinner and later to be used for domino tournaments. A stop in the den where there is college football on the television and piles of magazines next to the mauve couch that is perfect for lulling you to sleep. When the meal is ready we gather in the entry and hold hands for Papa’s prayer and seating instructions. (As the cousins entered the teen years there was always the possibility of graduating to the main table.) Then we file through the kitchen to load our plates with goodness!
photograph of the cousins in my grandmother’s living room 1979
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Oh the food! There was smoked turkey and Grandmama’s brisket and wild rice. Scalloped potatoes, green beans with almonds, the cornbread dressing with pecans and raisins (my favorite!), honey glazed carrots, Papa’s cranberry relish, Grandmother’s frozen cranberry salad, and our family’s favorite green salad with grapefruit, mandarin oranges, grapes, and almonds. Of course no holiday meal would be complete without Aunt Judy’s famous sourdough rolls. For dessert there was fudge, pumpkin pie or pecan and if you were bold you would ask for a slice of the apricot pie that was made especially for Papa (his favorite!) Then there were leaves to rake. Huge piles of them to run and jump in! The boys would play football out on the huge front lawn, which is when this bookworm would find a place to read or hit up the stack of House Beautiful magazines in the den. Until one year when my brother broke his collarbone on the football field and I tagged along for a trip to the emergency room!
My grandparents’ house was always a welcoming place for guests. The table always had an extra place set. Some years it was foreign exchange students or a single person from church who did not have family in town. One year my grandparents had a young man living in their guest room who had come to Tulsa to attend an aeronautical school, and was part of the family on these special occasions. My grandmother is my hospitality mentor. She spent days preparing her home to be lovely for her guests. She always made it fancy, not in a showoff, “look at my fancy things” way, but in a way that told guests they were special and she was honored to have them in her home. In addition to hosting family holiday meals, she frequently hosted baby or bridal showers for ladies from church. No cold fellowship hall with crepe paper and balloons was good enough for these brides and mothers to be! A shower at the Lamprich home might feature a full length eyelet table cloth and a crystal punchbowl, or tiny little monkeys hanging from the chandelier and a circus train car as the centerpiece. Her Christmas dinner party for widows became an annual tradition, an event that dozens of women looked forward to every year. The fancy details made the event feel special but it was the welcoming manner that made the guests feel special.
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At one point in her life my grandmother did not own a crystal punchbowl or fine china. She did not have a table big enough for a dinner party or a home in the nice part of town. And yet, she showed hospitality in the same welcoming manner, inviting the youth group over for popcorn and generic soda and making her guests feel special. Our homes are personal and although there is nothing wrong with large gatherings in community settings, there is something more intimate and special in being invited into someone’s home and receiving what they offer you in love. My grandmother’s legacy of hospitality is deeply rooted in my childhood memories and is something I hope to pass on to my daughters. This Thanksgiving I will make it my goal to set my table with china and not worry about spilling cranberry sauce on the tablecloth. I will enjoy the fancy details and then turn my focus to those I love. And I’m on the lookout for an extra guest or two that might need a place to go.♥
my boys playing with the Christmas train at Grandmother and Papa’s house
my daughter learning to make Aunt Judy’s famous bread
Connecting Hearts Fall 2016 11
By Andrea Powell There are few moments more emotional than when a woman looks down with a pounding heart at a positive pregnancy test. Those two lines, so little and seemingly insignificant, but completely life changing. Questions race through her head – “What comes next? Should I tell anyone? How am I going to get everything I need? What will my life look like now? CAN I DO THIS?”
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Yes, she can do this. And we are here to help her. The volunteers at Birthline of Loveland have supported and encouraged thousands of women in northern Colorado just like her for over 30 years, with lay counseling and mentoring, free pregnancy tests, education and referrals, maternity and baby clothes, and much more. Women with an unplanned pregnancy in our world are faced with difficult choices and enormous societal pressure. Birthline is a pregnancy resource center that exists to show, through loving and positive relationships, what the healthiest, most life-giving choice is for women and their babies.
Long ago through the greatest unplanned pregnancy in history, Jesus Christ came and poured His life into ministry and service. He carefully trained his disciples to walk in His steps. In Luke 9 we read that Jesus gave His disciples authority, taught them about Himself and showed them how to minister. Later in Luke 10, Jesus sends them ahead – “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to
the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields.”* As disciples of Jesus, we are also in training. As you look back on your journey with the Lord, you will begin to see intentionality in everything He has taught you – not only do we receive Jesus’ abundant life for ourselves, but we are also meant to offer it to others. We too have been given power and authority, and we too are called by God, “…to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”**
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few.” There are so many lives in our own community to whom we can show the light and life of Jesus Christ. The harvest is ready but it will take many willing hands to gather it in. I have been called by God. You have been called by God. Will we go?
Birthline of Loveland is dedicated to saving the lives of unborn babies by providing compassionate care and support to moms and dads. Birthline is a Christian-based 501(c)(3) organization and has served the community since 1981.
There are many ways you can minister in your community. However, if you feel a pull on your heart to serve at a pregnancy resource center would you consider volunteering at Birthline? We are looking for dedicated men and women who would like to bless babies and their parents with time, love and guidance. There are many different opportunities, whether it’s here at our office or from your home. Visit us on our website at www.friendsofbirthline.org or email us at birthlineofloveland@gmail. com for more information.♥
*Luke 10:2 **Luke 9:1-2 Connecting Hearts Fall 2016 13
A Healthy Harvest By Jen Lawrence, MS, MFTC
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year.
It is cool but not yet cold enough to send me running for my long underwear and parka; I can still wear my shorts but sleep much better during the chilly nights. It is the season of football (a big deal in my household), pumpkin pie lattes, and hearty soups. It is a time of year in which I find myself pausing to review my life and contemplate the future. Frequently I notice myself anticipating the cold, isolating months of winter with desperation, and forget to revel in the splendor of the harvest, which can sustain me until the Earth begins to warm again. As Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Cultivating the Spirit brings a bounty that can sustain us through the long winter, whether it is a winter of the soul or a winter of the Earth. But we must
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remember to gather that bounty, which can be harder to see when it isn’t ripened plants out in a field, but spiritual and emotional development. One way I try to turn my attention to gathering my crop of spiritual and emotional plantings is to simply put it on my calendar. We all have busy lives. I would love it if I could remember to stop and think about all the progress and change I have made since last winter without a reminder but, I’m human, so I put time on my calendar to reflect. I also scribble it on the various lists I have around the house so that my husband sees it too and we can talk about it when we are together. Sharing it with him is not only easier for me but bonding for the two of us, especially because sometimes we each need help taking credit for the good things we did over the year. It feels good to have him tell me I did something positive and healthy.
Another way I recognize the growth and movement I have made is to revel in even the smallest positive change I can identify. For example, I have been struggling with a chronic athletic injury for several years. I finally called the doctor and went in to have it looked at instead of putting it off or continuing to try to find my own solutions (this is me trying to avoid admitting I’m getting older!) I could easily dismiss this small act as something that was necessary and should have been done years ago. But, instead, I can take it as a positive step, the harvesting of a slow-growing crop but a harvest nonetheless. The point is to find even the smallest things to recognize. Just because it is small doesn’t mean it isn’t significant. God loves the smallest act of kindness the same way he loves the grandest and most all-encompassing act of sacrifice. He doesn’t judge so why should we? Sometimes it is difficult to keep judgment and discouragement out of this life review. Frequently my mind wanders to ways to discount, diminish or even cancel out the good I am trying to notice. This is such a human trait! I have learned I need to not fight this tendency but rather, like an unruly teenager, lean into these parts of myself, acknowledge them, and then gently return to my gathering of positive moments. The first step is to notice how you are thinking about yourself and your year-in-review. If you are struggling to find positives or are finding yourself diminishing thoughts that come to mind, take a second to notice the dismissal and then notice how your body feels as it thinks negative thoughts. Are you tense anywhere? Shoulders or throat tight? Heart rate up a little bit? Feeling angry or judgmental toward yourself? It’s ok. Take a big breath and shift how you are sitting or standing. I will take a big breath in my nose, let it out my mouth, and then shift the way I am sitting to a very different posture. Next, try inviting those negative thoughts to step back for just a little bit. Then try inviting more positive thoughts into your mind. Or, you can think about it like a sandwich. Keep the negative thought but put a good thought first, then the negative thought, followed by another positive thought. Like a mental Oreo cookie!
Keep the negative thought but put a good thought first, then the negative thought, followed by another positive thought. Like a mental Oreo cookie! Connecting Hearts Fall 2016 15
Fall is a time of great beauty and of important preparation. The trees change and lose their leaves as a way to protect fragile limbs against the winter weight of snow. We can do the same kind of thing by harvesting our crop of positive thoughts and shedding negative thoughts. It takes some work so start with just a small step and ease into it. Use the words in Galatians 5:22-23 to help you identify times in the previous 12 months in which you practiced love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol. I promise that gathering the fruit of the Spirit will be worth it.♼
Jen Lawrence is a couple and family therapist in Loveland and is an ambassador for Foundations Church. She works with several other professional therapists in the Hope for the Journey Counseling Center in Loveland. This counseling center is a community of professional therapists who are committed to serving Jesus Christ and providing quality, clinical counseling through authentic, caring relationships with clients. The center provides individual, couple, and family therapy for all ages of clients. Location: 1401 S. Taft Ave, Ste. 206 Loveland, CO 80537. Phone: 970 541-9066. http:// www.hope4thejourneyloveland.com.
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Desperate For The
Touch
Of Jesus By Carrie Rothones One of my favorite stories about Jesus is found in Mark 2:1-12. The scene is set in the small fishing town on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had made this His home during his ministry. He stayed in the home of Peter when He was there. So when the people heard He was there they wanted to see Him. Let’s read Mark 2:1-5 “1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that He had come
home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and He preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to Him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are
forgiven.’” Jesus had just returned from the desert after being tempted by Satan for forty days and nights. As soon as He was back His ministry exploded. People came to Him to be healed and to listen to His teachings. So many people wanted to be near Him and be healed. When they came to Him they found He was offering so much more than physical healing.
Connecting Hearts Fall 2016 17
We learn in verse two that the room where Jesus was teaching, located in Simon Peter’s home in Capernaum, was packed. People even crowded around the doorway hoping to catch a glimpse of Jesus. The room was crowded and people pressed in on all sides jostling toward Jesus. The desperation to be touched and healed by Rabbi Jesus made the room pulse. It was probably hot and stuffy in this little Capernaum house. (See picture) The desperate needs of people were evident. They needed Jesus. Desperation itself causes internal pressure in us much like the atmosphere in Peter’s home. In our desperation we press toward anything that may relieve the pain we are experiencing. If we seek Jesus we go to the right place. Too often we look for relief from the wrong places. The people in Capernaum that day sought the right source for relief of their problems. They may not have realized all Jesus offered them, but they were in the right place. As Jesus was teaching about God’s Word, a commotion was taking place. (Verse 4) Up on the flat roof of this little house four men were peeling back the thatched roof to lower a paralyzed man down to the room where Jesus was. Who was this man and who were these men who took the time and effort to bring him to Jesus? We know this man was in real need and the men were his friends. Because they cared so much for him they became a part of the healing Jesus was about to do. They too would be blessed through this man’s healing. When we bring people to Jesus, we will experience blessing as well. Jesus saw the faith these men had. Their friend wasn’t strong enough to reach Jesus so his friends helped him. Jesus looked past the physical paralysis this man had and saw his spiritual need. He forgave the man’s sins. These men didn’t bring their friend to Jesus for forgiveness, they brought him to be physically healed. What was Jesus thinking? Didn’t He see the obvious paralysis of this poor man being lowered down from the roof in desperation? Why do you think Jesus forgave the man’s sin before healing him physically? Jesus knew the greatest need for this man was forgiveness of sins. Even if the man hadn’t received physical healing that day, he received the greatest gift of all - forgiveness and being made right with God. Jesus came to make us right with God. Sin had separated us from Him. It didn’t stop His love for us, rather God sent perfect love to us in the form of a man who was God: Jesus.
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We often think our need is one thing, when Jesus knows our greatest need - forgiveness and restoring us to a right relationship with Him. His priority for us is restoration to God. He knows this body and this world we live in now is temporary. Our eternal destiny is what’s really important. That doesn’t mean Jesus is not sympathetic to our physical and emotional needs here on earth. He knows how we feel. He understands suffering far better than we ever could. Hebrews 2:16-18 says this, “It’s obvious, of course, that He didn’t go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. That’s why He had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when He came before God as high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, He would have already experienced it all Himself—all the pain, all the testing— and would be able to help where help was needed.” The primary goal of Jesus coming to earth was to make us right with God. It was also to show mankind that He knew the fallen nature of our bodies and spirit. Yes, He healed many people and yes He heals people today, but so many times we forget His primary purpose was to prepare us for eternity and a relationship with God. The religious leaders didn’t see this. No one did. Let’s look at verses 6-7. “6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 ‘Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” There were religious teachers in the room with Jesus. I’m sure they had no trouble getting in the front door because of their status. Everything was going great until Jesus said, “Son your sins are forgiven.” They didn’t say it out loud, but they were condemning Jesus in their hearts. They didn’t see Jesus as who He really was - God. And they didn’t see the real need of this man, (really all people for that matter), as being forgiveness of sins. “Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me. For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me.” Psalm 66:16-20 (NLT) Connecting Hearts Fall 2016 19
Let’s look at verses 8-12. “8 Immediately Jesus knew in His spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and He said to them, ‘Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk?’ 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So He said to the man, 11 ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’” I can only imagine what would it have been like to hear Jesus say, “Your sins are forgiven” and “I say to you, pick up your mat and walk.” I get goosebumps thinking about it. He silenced His critics, forgave a man’s sins and healed his paralyzed body. Jesus fulfilled his greatest need. He does the same for all who come to Him. Pastor and author John MacArthur wrote this: “There is one great benefit that the Christian gospel offers that transcends all other benefits and leads to all other benefits. It is a benefit frankly that corresponds directly to man's greatest need, and that is where Christianity marks itself out from all other religions on the planet. It alone addresses man's greatest need. There are religions that offer ethics and morality, and social responsibility, and family values, and a measure of love and peace, somewhat a measure of fulfillment, satisfaction, maybe even a certain measure of happiness. But what is man's greatest need? The greatest need of man simply put is to escape the wrath of God poured out on sinners eternally in hell. Only Christianity, only the Christian gospel offers the benefit that meets that need. Only through the Christian gospel can anyone escape the wrath of God poured out on sinners eternally in hell.” Jesus knew our greatest need and He came down from His throne in heaven to provide just that. He came to forgive us our sins. The physical healing was secondary. For many, many years, since the first sin in the garden, we’ve been in need of forgiveness. Millions of animals were sacrificed to cover our sins temporarily so God could tolerate us. He knew there was a complete remedy for this chasm between God and people so He sent it through His Son Jesus. Jesus bridges the gap between us and God. Read John 3:16-17: “16 For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
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I once heard a description about the difference between other religions and Christianity. Religion is mankind seeking to find a way to God. It’s like hiking up a mountain to find Him. Christianity is God seeking a relationship with us by coming down to man as a human. He hiked down from the mountain to meet us where we are at and wants to accompany us to a place of relationship with Him. He does the work. All we have to do is reach out and receive what He has to offer. Like the paralyzed man on the mat, we are all in need of healing. We may be paralyzed by earthly needs and not realize we need to be made right with God. You may be desperate right now. God wants to comfort you. He sent His Son to bring you to God. Allow Him to forgive and restore you. All the rest is secondary. When we seek relationship with God through Jesus, we find much more than physical needs being met, we find eternal peace and joy. Spend time in prayer. Ask Jesus to fill your greatest need: forgiveness of sin separating you from God. Ask Him for healing. He is right here with you. Lower yourself before Him and allow His Holy Spirit to surround you and lift you up to Him. ♼
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3
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A s long as I can remember, I've woken up in the middle of the
night. My family jokingly refers to me as the Princess and the Pea - I must have the sheet underneath me with no wrinkles along with my nightgown. The temperature of the room can't be too hot or too cold and I don't like air blowing on me, and sometimes it's socks on or socks off, but I digress. My sleep interruptions weren't too bad until M– E – N – O – P – A – U – S – E, the nightmare of many 50ish-year-old women. I was always hot, but now I was an intermittent oven several times during the night. Thus began a different sort of prayer life. Prior to repeated wakefulness, I would pray for each of the ladies in my Bible study group as I remembered the order of them sitting around the circle. When I woke up the next time during the
The Prayer Life of an By Stacy Jones night, I would remember where I left off and continue praying for my ladies. With the advent of the aforementioned M– E – N – O – P – A – U – S – E, I needed more ideas for prayer. A good friend of mine told me that she does an alphabet prayer, praying for friends and family by name. Great idea! I started praying (after going through my Bible Study group) for Andrea, Bob, Cindy etc. and their families. Pretty great until I got to Q, X & Z, but that's okay. With more wakefulness, I expanded my alphabet prayers. I had read an encouragement to pray for places around the world. I began to pray for cities through the alphabet and then countries. This time I only had trouble with X! Still looking for more variety, so as not to have my prayer life go stale, I started to thank God for things using my trusty alphabet. I could go from food, to hobbies, to nature; you get the idea. Last, but certainly not least, I begun to praise God for his attributes, yes, using my faithful alphabet again having a little trouble with the letter X. I hope my alphabet excursion will give you some ways to expand your prayer life to the One who is the Alpha and the Omega. ♥ 22 Connecting Hearts Fall 2016
Adon ai, Abba , Almi gh
ty Bene volen t Com for Carin ter, Crea tor, g Deliv erer Elohi m prese , Eternal, Evernt Faith ful, F ather , For Good giving , Glo ry Holy Infini te Incom , Immutab le, In parab terce le ssor, Jehov ah, Ju st Kind Lovin g Merc iful, M agnifi Neve cent r-tiri ng, N otabl Omn e, Nu ip rturin Omn otent, O mnis ipres g cient ent , Powe rful, P erfec Right t eous , R el i Rede able, emer Se l f - s Sove ufficient, reign , Savi Spirit, or Tran s Trus cendent, twor Truth thy , Unch a n g eable Unfa , t Unde homable, rstan ding Victo rious Wise Yeom anly Zealo us
INSOMNIAC
Connecting Hearts Fall 2016 23
Cranberry Tradition by Misty Fantauzzo
Holiday foods are some of the most deeply rooted traditions in family memories. I know in my family there could not be a holiday meal unless we had Judy rolls! My Aunt Judy made huge pans of them for every family gathering. My husband’s family always had Nena’s Jello Salad and no holiday could be complete in his Italian family without a plate of Italian cookies. My father-in-law loves to tell the story about his tiny grandmother who baked barrels full of holiday cookies. Ask any group of people what the essentials are for a Thanksgiving meal and you are bound to have very strong opinions. Stuffing or dressing? Mashed potatoes or sweet potato casserole? Pumpkin pie or pecan? I vote both! 24 Connecting Hearts Fall 2016
The Thanksgiving table at my grandparents’ house always included cranberries prepared in two ways. My Papa wasn’t often in the kitchen but he did help my grandmother with the cranberry relish. A super simple and fresh version of cranberry sauce. On Thanksgiving morning, he could be found in the kitchen feeding oranges and bags of cranberries through the grinder. The relish was always served in the ceramic turkey. Then there was my grandmother’s frozen cranberry salad which was really more like a dessert. In fact, I would often go back for a 2nd piece after the meal, as it was slowly melting on the kitchen counter. Thanksgiving was not complete without these favorite recipes.♥
Grandmother’s Frozen Cranberry Salad
1 can whole cranberry sauce 8 oz. package cream cheese 1 Tablespoon sugar
1 can crushed pineapple, drained 1 cup whipped cream 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Combine cranberry sauce, cream cheese and sugar in a blender. Pour into a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients. Freeze in a square pan. Take out of freezer 15 minutes before serving and cut into squares.
Papa’s Cranberry Relish 1 bag fresh cranberries
2 oranges with ends cut off
1 cup sugar
Quarter oranges into chunks with peel on and run through grinder with cranberries. Mix in sugar.
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Investing for Harvest By Carol Peterson
I love autumn. The air is cooler and the sunlight makes everything look so vivid. It’s the time that you harvest all your spring and summer plantings. You see the fruits, literally, of your labor. You pick, gather, cook and can/freeze for later. (Well, at least some of you do!) It’s also the time for you to either deposit giant bags of zucchini squash onto your neighbor’s porch or find them on your own porch. Investing and saving is like that, too. You put in some work (by investing/saving) early on and later you will “harvest” the fruits of your labor. God has plenty to say about saving for the future. Let’s take a look at scripture and see how we can be obedient to God’s word regarding money and saving.
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God tells us to save: The last 10+ years I’ve been coordinating and coaching with the Financial Peace University curriculum. You would be surprised at how many people think that, if you are saving and investing, you are not trusting God to provide. This is a lie. God definitely tells His people to prepare for a future but research shows that 42 percent of Americans are not currently saving for the future, and only one in 10 of the 58 percent who are saving save 15 percent or more of their income. Proverbs 21:20 "In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has." God tells us to be diligent in our saving: I like to tell people that saving is more like a crock pot, not a microwave. That means a little bit over a long period of time will give great results. Remember from Aesop’s fable, the tortoise always wins the race against the hare. Proverbs 21:5 "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty." Proverbs 13:11 “Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.”
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How do we start saving when we can barely get by each month?
Learn to create a budget for yourself or family. Know how much you bring in each month and where it is going. Proverbs 27:23 "Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds." 1 Timothy 5:8 "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."
Get Out of Debt. The average American with a million-dollar net worth made an average salary of $75,000 throughout his/her working life. Two common practices were to stay out of debt and to drive older, used cars. If you can’t pay for something then you shouldn’t buy it or put it on a credit card. Save up and pay cash, including for cars. It’s usually not your income but your “outgo” that is the problem. Getting out of debt may be hard but it will be worth it. Proverbs 22:7 "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." Romans 13:8 "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law."
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God tells us to be content: This is where trusting in God’s plan will grow faith. A “quick rich” scheme from midnight cable usually leads to a loss. Whenever we need money or possessions, prayer is the answer. Live on less than you make. Look to the Lord, because He will provide it: according to His will. Proverbs 10:22 "The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it." Hebrews 13:5 “Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.” Philippians 4:19 "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Be methodical in your giving and saving. Don’t be impulsive in giving. Find something “bigger than yourself” and start giving to it every month. I tell people to start with 1% and then add another 1% next year and then again the next year until you are giving at least 10%. That exact same exercise can also be used for saving for retirement or other things in your future. The key word is start. We are to be managers of the money that God has blessed us with so abundantly in America. Strive to be the best manager so that you can “live and give like no one else” now and into the future. What a testimony of our faith that is! We have a gracious and giving God!♥
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