Posts

,

Break Forth

I felt something stirring within me.

An unsettling. A churning.

A tightness that was hard to put into words.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Until…

I was outside in the snow. Here in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. it usually begins warming up this time of year. But winter has managed to hold on.

 

snow covered tree1

 

Snow. Ice. Then snow again.

 

snow covered tree

 

But even in the midst of the snow and ice, the buds on the trees that have been dormant all winter are stirring. They are unsettled. They are churning. They are getting ready to stretch forth. They are getting ready to Break Forth. In fact, the buds on the trees have been there all winter. They began growing at the end of last summer. The buds then, were just waiting for their appointed time.

 

snow on branches

 

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

 

 

The buds are layered with scales that are actually modified leaves protecting the bud against harsh elements. Inside the buds are tiny leaves ready to grow. When given the right conditions, longer days (more light) and a rise in temperature, the buds will begin to bloom.

 

buds ready to bloom2

 

Break Forth

The same can be said for you and I. Are you feeling the churning? Perhaps you can’t quite articulate it, but you know something is stirring. Have you been in the right conditions that stimulate growth?

 

Light

The Lord makes His face shine upon you. He lifts His countenance upon you. God makes His love shine in our hearts and we see that glory when we look upon Jesus. Are you face to face with Him? Can you feel the heat and the light emanating from Him?

 

Temperature

Has the temperature been turned up in your personal, work or ministry life? Have you been faced with various trials? Welcome to the club, my friends. The bible assures us that trials will come. We are encouraged though to count it JOY. Some days I can so relate to the scripture that says we are hard pressed on every side.   I can literally feel the squeezing. It is a very uncomfortable space and I just want to break out! I feel like God is squeezing, pressing, and turning up the temperature.

 

Israel Houghton and New Breed sing, “Stretch forth, break forth, release me. Enlarge my territory.” And it is with the LIGHT and the TEMPERATURE that conditions will be ideal to break forth. The light of His countenance shining on your face coupled with the intense heat of your trails has triggered your bud to break forth.

 

buds ready to bloom1

 

No my friend, you are not broken down but are breaking forth to enlarge your territory.

 

For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. Isaiah 61:11

 

tree buds close up

Break Forth

God is calling you forward. Just as God called and appointed Aaron to lead His people, He is calling you. Your name has been recorded on the rod. Your rod is about to bloom. And not only did Aaron’s rod bloom with leaves, it had blossoms and fruit.

 

Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. Numbers 17:8

 

Again Israel Houghton says it this way,

“It’s a new season, it’s a new day. Fresh anointing is flowing way. It’s a season of power and prosperity. It’s a new season and it’s coming to me.”

All this…

snow covered lake

Will eventually give way to this…

ducks

What this new season holds, I do not know. But I eagerly anticipate it. I open myself to the possibility of all that abounds in this new season. I will insulate myself with the Word during this delicate time so that I’m not damaged by a late frost.

 

And the promise that awaits is this…

 

Then your light shall break forth like the morning,

Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you;

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Isaiah 58:8

 

 

Friends, I want to join you in prayer. So tell me:

~What is the Lord stirring up in you?

~What is about to break forth in your life?

~What type of healing are you in need of?

~What types of emotions are conjured up when faced with a new season?

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

Happy to connect with these friends:

What Joy Is Mine Purposeful Faith

/2 Comments/by
, ,

Cut Your Cooking Time In Half

Do you want to save time? If so, keep reading.

 

 

It’s Wellness Wednesday here at Inspired Life. Last Wednesday we talked about how we spend our time and the need to redeem our time. If you missed that post, click here. Now I don’t want to just tell you what you ought to do without giving you some practical solutions. So here is a surefire way to cut your cooking time in half. The key is maximizing on inactive cooking time i.e. beans in the crockpot while you are at work = inactive cooking time.

 

[bctt tweet=”The secret to cutting your cooking time in half? Batch Cooking.” username=”inspiredfully”]

 

What is batch cooking? Batch cooking is cooking double or more the normal amount of an item then portioning and storing it for later use. The storing can be done in an airtight container and placed in the fridge if it will be used during the week or it can be bagged and frozen for use beyond a week.

 

Here are some of my staple batch cooked items:

 

Rice

Can it get any easier? Usually make 1 or 2 cups of rice? Well just double it.   Use half today for your dinner and store the other half. There are times I’m storing for use this week such as making rice for dinner tonight then having fried rice on Friday. Since I cook brown rice, which takes nearly 40 minutes; I’ve already saved myself over a half hour of work. If not using within the week, I will bag and freeze. Perhaps I have ‘Chipotle Bowls’ on my meal plan for next week. Bam, the rice is already in the freezer and ready to go. And speaking of Chipotle Bowls, my second staple batch cooked item…

 

Beans

This is one of the easiest things to make. EVER! Set it and forget it. At any given time I have at least 4 different types of beans in my freezer. Right now I’ve got black-eyed peas, kidney beans, black beans, pintos, and chickpeas ready for making a meal. When I cook them in the crockpot, I don’t season them at all because I may not know at the time what type of dish the beans will end up in. Will the kidney beans be used for Jamaican Red Pea Soup, Indian Curry Kidney Beans or Chili?

 

Quinoa

I always double quinoa when I cook it because I know I’ll use it sometime soon. In my house we eat quinoa in many different preparations:

~Served hot for breakfast topped with fresh fruit, nuts and maple syrup

~As a side dish

~In patties

~In soups

 

Casseroles

I try to keep one casserole type dish in the freezer. If I’m ever running late, having a rough day or want to treat myself to a day off cooking, I have something at the ready. This saves me from spending extra money on eating out and saves the extra calories, sodium and fat grams that often accompany convenience food.

 

The next item is not cooked in advance but prepped and is a huge time saver.

 

Onions

Most of the dinners I prepare call for an onion. Why not chop them in advance? I throw a few in the food processor to chop then I portion them into small Ziploc bags then place that in a gallon sized bag. You can do the same with celery, carrots or any other diced veggies you use often. It’s a huge time saver.

 

Here are some items that would serve you well in batch cooking. Let’s cut your cooking time in half. The next time you make any of these items, double the batch and freeze half.

 

Breakfast

~Muffins

~Scones

~Quick Breads

 

Lunch

~Lentil Soup

 

Dinner

~Brown ground meat and portion it to be distributed 3 ways:

Chili

Tacos

Spaghetti

~French Baguette (make and freeze)

~Baked Ziti

 

So the very next time you cook some rice, beans, or chili, remember to double the batch so you can redeem the time.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

Happy to be connecting with:

A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

/0 Comments/by
, , ,

I Don’t Have Time

I don’t have time.

 

I don’t have time to exercise. I don’t have time to prepare healthy meals. I don’t have time to get adequate rest.

 

I get it. Believe me, I really do. If anyone is short on time, it’s me. I have a tribe of five over here ages 11-2, a husband that works a gazillion hours a week, I work in ministry and my spiritual gift is exhortation so I just HAVE to make time to share a word of encouragement. Most of our family activity: school, work, church, recreation is 30 minutes one-way from our home. I get it. If anyone doesn’t have time it’s me.

 

But let me pull out one of my old hats for a minute. I used to be a certified facilitator for Franklin Covey’s What Matters Most. In this workshop participants acquire skills for effective time management, improved relationships and peace of mind. And what I learned from applying these principles is this: we are all given the SAME amount of time; we CHOOSE how we’ll use it.

 

Well the Word says something about utilizing our time:

 

Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light.”

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,

redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:14-17 NKJV

 

Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

Wake up from your sleep,

Climb out of your coffins;

Christ will show you the light!

So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!

Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. Ephesians 5:11-17 The Message

 

So I venture to say we don’t have a time issue but a time management issue. I will go on to say as the scripture says, walk as WISE and redeem the time because the days are evil.  The time robbers are all around us: electronics, busyness, lack of focus, and the like.  You know them because they’ve crept up on you a time or two.  They tried to rob me too, but I resolve to redeem the time.

 

Time for devotions

Time for building relationships

Time for love and laughter

Time for exercise

Time for rest

Time for preparing healthy meals

 

I dare you, the next time you are watching TV, are on social media, watching a movie or talking on the phone, set a timer. If you do, you’ll find that you DO in fact have some time. Yes preparing healthy meals will take more time than microwaving a hot pocket or toaster strudel, but the investment in yourself is worth the time. Do I have hours to spend working out? No. But at a minimum I try to get in at least 30 minutes a day (except Sundays).

 

And if we don’t take the time now to foster those things that matter most, they’ll be at the mercy of that which matters least. If we don’t take the time now, relationships will wither. If we don’t take the time now to eat right and exercise we can put ourselves in a position of spending more time in the Dr.’s office and pharmacy line.

 

Time invested on the front end will yield huge dividends in the long run. Your relationships will be the better for it as well as your health. Your overall mind, body and spirit will be properly nourished with your investment of time.

 

My plea friends is to encourage not to discourage, to inspire not condemn.

 

In what areas do you need to redeem the time?

 

Next Wednesday I’ll be sharing some ways you can redeem the time in your kitchen so stay tuned. If you aren’t currently receiving these posts in your email inbox, please subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss a thing.

 

Here’s an extra little nugget on redeeming the time.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

Happy today to be connecting with friends @

Missional Women

Equipping Godly Women

 

Photo Credit

/19 Comments/by