December 2011 Dolor Sit Amet
Issue #2
Read All About It! • • • • • • •
Turning Up the Heat Having Kids, How We Grow Up Are We In the Right Business? Keeping the Gift Wrapped Tying Up Christmas With a Bow Soaking Leveling the Playing Field
Beautiful Surrender By Kimberly Borst
http://www.toloveagainministries.org
”Beautiful Surrender” is a call to the heart of women: to know God, and find His path to a better life and marriage. It is full of practical principles from God’s Word. There is strength and courage to be found in understanding surrender. “The greatest victory ever, was gained though total and complete surrender. Jesus obeyed and trusted God unwaveringly, even in death. How do we as believers follow in these footsteps? This question may seem overwhelming, but I believe surrender is the only way to truly have victory.”
A Morsel Of Truth Check out our video segments
“Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands.“ Titus 2:3-5
“Morsels of Truth.” 1
December 2011 Dolor Sit Amet
Issue #2
“Making time for the two of you as a couple is very important.”
Manhandling Handling Your Man With Care
By: Kimberly Borst
Chilly nights and frosty windows, it’s time to turn up the heat. It might also be a good time to light a fire in the hearth and rekindle that spark between you and your hubby. The holidays can get pretty busy and it’s easy to forget to take time with that special guy. May I suggest calling grandma or a good friend and packing up the kids for the night? A romantic evening can be simple and fun. Start with a home cooked meal. Whether you enjoy some homemade soup or steaming up a couple of pounds of crab, a meal alone will let your man know he’s still the one. Don’t forget the candles and some soft music. Dating isn’t just a prelude to marriage. Making time for the two of you as a couple is very important. Michael and I have been married for 27 years and the weeks can just run together all too easily. I think I’ll take my own advice and turn up the heat! “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 18:22 ESV 2
Issue #2
December 2011 Dolor Sit Amet
Raising Blessings Loving your Children Conception through Adulthood
By: Kathy Kletka
Children are a blessing from the Lord. I believe that God brings children into our lives to make us better people. They come into the world needing our attention. By taking care of them, slowly they shake our world, showing us what is really in our hearts; the fears, hopes and dreams are all revealed. Children teach us how to be less about us, and more about being better people and better parents. We learn how to love deeply and unconditionally with the help of God. Here is what I know: no matter how hard you try, you cannot do everything perfect in raising your children. You need a lot of grace from God. No one gets to leave a family without some kind of baggage; they feel hurt, need healing or needing to learn how to forgive and ask for forgiveness. So parents, please remember this, do your best, and lean on God's wisdom. Pray often for your kids and trust God that He is big enough for any parenting issue that comes your way. YOU MAY NOT HAVE THE ANSWERS, BUT GOD ALWAYS DOES! Oh one more thing, PLEASE ASK GOD TO HELP YOU FORGIVE YOURSELF for any mistakes you make. It is so easy to beat yourself up over things you should have done or you wish you did better. It is up to us whether or not we let God do a greater work in us through our children, our husbands and through living our lives.
3
Issue #2
December 2011 Dolor Sit Amet
Wisdom's Call Leaving folly behind and finding wisdom By: Kimberly Borst
“The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.” Proverbs 14:1 NIV As this year comes to an end and we look back, we ought to ask ourselves, have we been in the right business? Are our relationships growing and deepening or are they stagnant or even drifting apart? Is there more peace and joy in our homes? Daunting questions, but if we ask the right questions maybe we can appreciate where we have grown and start reconstructing where necessary. Building can be easy. Genuine words of encouragement and affirmation produce an atmosphere where those around us thrive. Another critical building block in relationships is time. The debate between quality and quantity of time is unimportant; both are vital. Creating a peaceful home environment is helpful too. If we look for just a few ways we can build up our families and implement them, the impact will be tremendous. Blessings and happy building,
Kimberly
Virtuous Chic Modest and moderation with style By: Briel Borst
My question: “How can you be modest and still look fashionable?” Well my solution is tank tops. I wear them under everything, which is probably a little excessive, but it works for me. With tank tops, you can still wear low cut or short shirts, because the undershirts cover all the necessities. Along with that, they can also add some color to your outfit or warmth on colder days. They are fairly inexpensive, thus are a great way to save money. Instead of throwing out all of your "cool" clothes, just buy a few undershirts and you’re good to go. “Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire…” 1 Timothy 2:9 4
Issue #2
December 2011 Dolor Sit Amet
Domestic Engineering 101 Mastering your home and making it beautiful By Kimberly Borst Christmas is a wonderful, joyous, amazing, stressful, demanding time of year. I have to admit, I love it! I know that is not the case for everyone. I want to share some of the things that make Christmas manageable and memorable for us. I refer to a lot of traditional elements. My goals for Christmas are; to spend time as a family, cultivate a giving heart, understand receiving and grasp the great gift God gave us, JESUS. Gifts – Giving gifts is an expression of love. I start with a list in October but keep an eye out for great deals on potential gifts all year. We do gifts for our kids, parents and a few close friends. Our kids exchange gifts with each other and get something for mom and dad. They draw the name of another sibling that they get to buy a gift for; this lets them participate in giving and cuts down on costs. Older children use their own money. A bigger budget does not make for a better Christmas. For my friends I usually do something small from the heart that will work for a variety of women. My goal is to have most of my gift shopping, including stockings, done by Thanksgiving. With the shopping out of the way I can really enjoy December. It is much more fun to peruse the mall with all the wonderful decorations when you’re not running around franticly, fighting crowds to find a gift. Decorations – The weekend after Thanksgiving we put on some apple cider and Christmas music and put up the tree, lights and household decor. I enjoy glancing through magazines for a fresh spin on my old decorations. Each of my kids has their own tree for their rooms. They can decorate them however they want and they love it. The music and cider create wonderful sounds and smells that fill the house and draw our hearts together. Traditions – Traditions are the glue that binds our family together. We bake cookies and make English toffee to share with the neighbors. One evening in mid-December we drive around and look at all the beautiful lights. On Christmas Eve we go to a candlelight service then over to Grandma and Grandpa’s for dinner. Christmas breakfast is a family favorite: we stay home, enjoy a ham, cheese and egg casserole and exchange gifts. We let the youngest give their gifts first; this helps keep the focus on giving and they see it as an honor. It’s a relaxed wonderful time. Christmas is an opportunity to express love, which can be fun if we throw out obligation.
6 egg’s ½ lb. Sharp cheater 2-½ cups ham cubed 16 sliced bread in 1” cubes Heat oven to 400
1 tsp. Salt a dash of pepper ½ cup melted butter 2 cups milk
In a 9x13 pan layer: ½ the bread, ½ the ham and ½ the cheese and repeat. In a separate bowl mix eggs, salt, pepper, and milk and pour over the layers. Pour melted butter over the layers then cover with foil and refrigerate for 12 – 24 hrs. Loosen foil and put it in the oven. Put a pan underneath with water to add humidity in the oven. Cook for 35 minutes; remove the foil for the last 15 minutes. 5
Issue #2
December 2011 Dolor Sit Amet
Just for You. Ways to take care of yourself so you can care of others.
By: Michele Peterson
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, soaking in a hot bubble bath; it’s relaxing, refreshing, and takes away the cares of the day. When we spend time soaking up Gods' presence we are refreshed, strengthened, and our cares melt away. Spend time in the Bible, listen to praise music, and think about how much God loves you. Soak in His love and acceptance and as you do you will have strength and peace to do whatever your day brings. "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me- watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 Message Bible 6
Issue #2
December 2011 Dolor Sit Amet
Overflowing Heart Discovering your gifts and using them to serve
By: Kimberly Borst
God has created each of us with distinct gifts, talents, and beauty to reflect His glory. Discovering the particular gifts God gave us and who He created us to be is a wonderful journey. Before we can appreciate what we find we have to lay aside many preconceptions and judgments. One pitfall is the belief that one gift or talent is more valuable than another. Our society tends to glorify scholastics and athletics, so many of us who lack in those areas can feel inadequate and that we have little or nothing to give. In the Christian arena, pastors and worship leaders tend to be esteemed. Every person was intricately fashioned by the creator of the universe. We are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God! We are not an accident, a mistake or an afterthought! So who are we and where do we fit into this cosmic puzzle? We are exactly who God intended for us to be and He will help us discover where we fit.
To Love Again Ministries’ Writers
Kimberly Borst
Author, Founder, and Director of To Love Again Ministries.
Michelle Peterson Intercessor and Writer.
Kathy Kletka Intercessor and Writer.
Briel Borst Writer
Layout and graphic design by Keria Shaw Keria Shaw's Portfolio 7