Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

Four ingredients. Four steps. I sense a pattern here. A yummy pattern that you will repeat frequently, trust me. These simple appetizers are so addictive that you'll have to make a second batch. And possibly a third. Ingredients: Butter-flavored crackers Brown sugar Thick-cut bacon, each strip cut in half Maple syrup 1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place a baking rack on a baking sheet. 2. Put about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar on each cracker. Wrap a  half slice of bacon around each topped cracker. 3. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour and 50 minutes. 4. Drizzle each cracker with maple syrup and return to oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly before eating.

You can tell that I was in my history phase this month when you look at my book list for August. I've had a lot on my plate at work, and I'm studying Exodus for our youth group series starting tomorrow. The history books have been a great relaxation tool for when I need a pick-me-up. The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker - the one work-related book I read over the past few weeks is also one of the best about the hospitality industry that I've ever read. It combines interpersonal communication and the world of event planning in ways I'd never thought about. I may not look at large-group travel the same again. The Last Outlaws: The Desperate Final Days of The Dalton Gang by Tom Clavin - I knew about the Dalton Gang from reading a book about Jesse James, so it was fun to read a little deeper into their history, too. A lot of these outlaws came through Iowa, so that was particularly fascinating. It's difficult to read about all the things criminals have done to other peo

Take a moment and grab your favorite pen, pencil, marker, highlighter - anything you can write with. I'll wait. Why did you choose that one? Is it sentimental? Pretty? Easy to use? Your favorite color? And what do you do with your writing tool? You write words!  Words are so important in school , on the job, at home, and out in the world. Many times we take what we say (or don’t say) for granted, but in Proverbs, Solomon says we have to be serious about what we say. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21 We all have to think about what we say before it comes spilling out because our words affect people - whether we mean to or not. But how do we know what we should and shouldn’t say? Paul wrote: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 1 Corinthians 3:19 God doesn’t care what the world says. He doesn’t care what influencers

Are you sitting there today trying to figure it all out? Is your jaw clenched, your shoulders tight, your brow furled over some situation or circumstance that you don't understand? If you just worry over it a little longer, will that help? If you honestly don't know the answer, it's no. No, worry doesn't help. Worry creates stress, not relief.  Yes, this is the voice of experience speaking. Worry. Will. Not. Help. But what do you do to beat the stress? How do you defeat the worry and find peace? First, unclench your jaw. Then drop your shoulders. Raise your eyebrows to release the frown. That's a good start. Now open a new note on your phone and title it: Stress Busters. Yes, I'm going to help you combat your stress by looking at your phone. Ironic, huh? As the first entry of your new Stress Buster note, type in Psalm 107:29 - He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. What better way to start de-stressing than with Scripture? And the psalm