Tis the Season....or Not?!?!?!

So over the past couple of weeks, I've really been getting excited about the holiday season. I love this time of year...the caroling, the decor, and just the over all merriness! =0)I've been learning some Christmas carols on my guitar and hope to learn them well enough to share a video with all my friends very soon. I love Black Friday and the craziness of staying up all night shopping. There is just truly something joyous about this season.
That being said, I've been struggling with wanting to stifle my 'merry' because I know for some, this time of year is painful. There's the reminder of loss, loss of income, loss of a loved one...there's so much that can cause a great deal of pain in the midst of this holly jolly time of year.
Here's the conclusion I've arrived at. I can not let the circumstances around me steal my joy. Yes, there are so many reasons to be sad, but there are also so many reasons to be happy. Laughter is contagious and smiles are too. It's the job of the ones that aren't struggling quite so much to give those away constantly. I understand that smiles and laughter aren't quick fixes to pain, but even if it brings a moment of peace or happiness, it's totally worth it. The MOST important thing of course is to pray for those we know are struggling, be there for them. Offer a shoulder, a hand, a laugh, a smile, maybe even an ear.
Christmas is the season of giving, and if we aren't giving away anything and only focusing on what we're getting, we're missing the whole point. God sent us the most amazing gift on Christmas day...baby Jesus in a manger. He sent our Savior. Why would we not want to share this gift with others, the ones we love, the ones we know are struggling to just make it through this time of year?
It's so important that we fulfill our purpose for existing. We are to be a light, a blessing to a lost and dying world. Be the hope to those who feel hopeless. With that I leave you with this amazing song!!! =0) Yes it's a song and it's not Tuesday tunes, but all I can say is I can't help it!! I LOVE MUSIC!!

Tuesday Tunes-Psalm 18-Enter the Worship Circle

This song is on the Enter the Worship Circle w/ 100 Portraits and Waterdeep. To say this song is amazing doesn't even begin to describe how awesome it is! I'm not going to lie, it's easily one of my favorite songs on this CD. First of all if you've never heard Ben and Robin Pasley (aka 100 Portraits) you're missing out! They are a husband/wife team and they are incredibly in love with each other and the Lord. You can just tell if you're lucky enough to see them live, which I have. This entire album is awesome and I'm fortunate enough to go to a church that sings a few songs from it. I think my favorite lyric from the song is this "He saved me 'cause He Loves me and He's full of grace." It's such a simple line, but so very powerful at the same time.! Enjoy, my friends...I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more songs from the Enter the Worship Circles 1-3. =0) Here's a link to their website in case you're interested in checking out more of their music: http://www.entertheworshipcircle.com/store/

Why Not Now?

  

So many are weighed down by hurt and pain,

Barely able to keep themselves sane.

Why not now?

 Tear filled pillows night after night,

And an end appears to be nowhere in sight.

Why not now?

When will the hurt end?

Where is this light that’s supposed to shine again?

We’re ready to be saved today.

Why not now?

Your children desperately need to hear the trumpet sound.    

This world is dark and ugly, and peace is never close enough to be found.
Please rain down your mercy and grace,

Because we’re barely hanging on in this awful place.

Why not now?

We need you to save us and fill us with your hope.

Please don’t wait, it's almost impossible to cope.

Why not now?
We're aching to be home with You.
We need you to come for us,
Why not now?

"You Wouldn't Cry For Me" By Mandisa

So I realize that yesterday was Tuesday tunes, but absolutely can not wait a whole week to share this song with you. I've heard it several times and have loved it, but just got too busy and never posted it on here. The reason I absolutely love this song is because it's a song of hope. If you have suffered loss, it's a comfort. However even if you haven't, it a hope of what's to come. Yes this world is ugly, cruel, full of hurt, pain, tears, and sorrow. I believe that the hope we have is that this is as bad as it will ever be for those of us who have made the decision to accept Christ's gift of salvation. For some this is their Heaven, but hopefully for all of my dear friends, this is our Hell. Don't get me wrong, there are so many beautiful things about life: family, friends, laughter, love,  music, mountains, oceans, but it often seems the ugliness and darkness/pain overshadows what little light there is. So keep pressing on my friends, and remember there is a place called Heaven. It's as real as you and me. This world is not our home. One day we will be with Jesus, and all the many loved ones we've lost. For now, they are safe in the arms of God. Yes it hurts, but how awesome that we have this blessed hope. Love you all and wishing you all the most wonderful Thanksgiving.

Tuesday Tunes-Carmen "Lazarus"

So this is definitely an OLD song. The reason I thought of it is because of a sermon my pastor just recently preached about Lazarus. I listened to this song again for the first time today, and it's so awesome.  I'm sure you would not be surprised, but even this brought tears to my eyes. ;-) While Carmen will be perceived as pretty cheesy today, he really was an amazing story teller, and I saw him a few times in concert as a kid. I even went to the free concert at Texas Stadium way back in the day. Listening to this song today brought back some amazing memories. Give the song a chance. It really gives an amazing visual of what it may have been like the day Jesus called Lazarus to "Come Forth."

Tuesday Tunes..."His Strength is Perfect"

I'm hoping to remember to do this every Tuesday, but I'm not making any promises. "His Strength is Perfect" by Steven Curtis Chapman is a super old song but holds a very special place in my heart. Here's my favorite part of the song: : "His strength in us begins, when ours comes to an end. He hears our humble cry and proves again His strength is perfect when our strength is gone. He'll carry us when we can't carry on. Raised in His power the weak become strong. His strength is perfect."
I'm going to try to make a super long story short as to why this song means the world to me and even now, after 10+ years, it can still bring tears to my eyes. When I was a sophomore in high school. I started having terrible headaches. That's actually a HUGE understatement. They were so bad I would throw up, have seizures, and half of my body would go numb. After many doctors visits, CT scans, and MRI's we found out I had fluid on my brain. I ended up having 1 surgery to drill a hole through my skull to let the fluid shoot out. A week later I was back in the hospital having surgery #2 to have a shunt put in. During my hospital stays I would watch a Steven Curtis Chapman video and listen to this song over and over. Whenever it came on everyone in my hospital room had to be quiet or I'd get pretty ticked. I drew so much strength from this song. I was weak, frustrated, had a ton of pain and half my head shaved. I couldn't be strong on my own and God carried me through that very dark time when I was drifting in to depression. Sometimes being surrounded by family and friends who love you isn't enough. God is though! 
Well that's the main reason the song is special to me, but I will give you the most awesome part of the whole 'fluid in brain' experience. I actually had a 3rd surgery scheduled because the shunt wasn't cutting it. Personally I didn't have it in me to endure another painful surgery, so I told my dad I wasn't going to do it and I'd rather die than have another one. That night my friends and family gathered to pray for me. The rest is history. The 3rd surgery was cancelled and now I am a walking miracle. 
I will close with this quote and a video of the song. "Sometimes when we get overwhelmed, we forget how big God is." AW Tozer Let's not forget that God is bigger than any problem we're facing and that His strength truly is made perfect in our weakest hour.

Christi Crocker...It might be happening

I'm not going to lie. I've always been able to cook, but it's never been my favorite thing to do.I don't have a special dish or anything. My food is edible and tastes pretty fantastic at times. I've been stuck in quite the cooking rut for a while though..spaghetti, hamburgers, tacos, meatloaf, chicken alfredo, fish sticks, chicken nuggets and a rotating array of sides: corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese ...basically stuff that's super easy to throw together after a long day at work.

Well I'm not sure what has happened to me, but I am suddenly interested in trying out new recipes and....BAKING!!! Here is my history with baking..my cakes taste delicious, but while putting the icing on I typically rip the top off. They're never pretty, and so I just choose not to do it. 

I think what started my cooking frenzy, (well it's not quite a frenzy yet,) was my trip to Florida recently. My friend Kate introduced me to Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread, and it was amazing. I came home and bought all the ingredients. Now, I plan on having this 177 calories of goodness for breakfast for the rest of my life. If all the stores are out of pumpkin soon, it's totally me. While I was there Kate also expressed how much she loved crock pot meals. I always knew how convenient this was, but just never went through the trouble of finding good recipes. While visiting, Kate, Sean and I went to Chili's and they both had soup. For one, they were discussing how yummy the soup was, and I think we may have had a conversation about it probably not being too hard to make.So I came home and made some homemade chicken noodle soup. It was such a simple recipe and ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!

So I guess all I can say is that I have discovered that there are simple recipes out there without a million ingredients I've never heard of. Thanks Kate! =0)

Betty Crocker needs to watch out, because Christi Crocker is on the rise!! Here are the two recipes I've made recently.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread:

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 9x5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, canola oil, water, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until smooth.
4. Slowly blend in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Evenly divide batter between the three loaf pans.
5. Bake for 60 minutes, or until browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove loaves from oven and cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. With a knife, go around the bread and loosen the loaves. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.

Chicken Noodle Soup:

4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural Goodness® or Certified Organic)

Generous dash ground black pepper

1 medium carrot, sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1 stalk celery, sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup uncooked extra wide egg noodles

1 cup shredded cooked chicken or turkey

• Heat the broth, black pepper, carrot and celery in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil.
• Stir the noodles and chicken in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes or until the noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.