Bright Lights (thoughts on Philippians 2:14-15)

We are doing a study on Philippians at our church right now, and I've been very convicted by this verse, especially when it comes to parenting.

Last night, when my youngest woke up for about the 4th or 5th time, I caught myself grumbling away! And I have good reason! I had just had a full day out with my two toddlers, I'm pregnant with our third, utterly exhausted, and to top it off I have a cold! A lot of good reasons to complain, right? Well, I'm sure we all have our lists of legitimate complaints!

Yet, God is asking more from His followers! He is asking us to do EVERYTHING without complaining. Philippians 2:14-15 says, "[14] Do everything without complaining and arguing, [15] so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people." How can I be a bright light for Jesus in this world if I am complaining all the time? 

So last night, as I caught myself grumbling my way to my daughter's room to nurse her back to sleep yet again, this verse popped into my head. So instead, I said a little prayer. I prayed that God would change my mindset to one that is instead THANKFUL for this little life that He has entrusted me with. THANKFUL that I can be here in the night to comfort my daughter, just like God is always there for me, with everlasting, unchanging, unconditional love.

FULL TUMMIES TUESDAY: NO BAKE, LOW-CARB CHOCOLATE GANASHE CHEESECAKE

It's a late night post, but we made it in time (at least in my time zone)! Another great Full Tummies Tuesday recipe, No bake, low-carb chocolate ganashe CHEESECAKE!

Is your mouth watering? I know mine is! 

Here's the recipe:

NO BAKE, LOW-CARB

CHOCOLATE GANACHE CHEESECAKE

---

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CRUST 1 ¾ cups almond flour 2 tsp brown sugar ⅛ tsp salt FOR THE CHEESECAKE 2 (8oz.) packages cream cheese 2 cups heavy whipping cream FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE 2 oz. dark chocolate (chopped) 1 oz. semisweet chocolate (chopped) 3 Tbsp heavy cream

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted ½ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ cup sugar 2 tsp vanilla ½ tsp vanilla Pinch of salt

---

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray springform pan with baking spray. Make crust:  In a small bowl, stir together almond flour, brown sugar, and salt. Pour in melted butter and mix thoroughly. Press evenly across bottom of pan with your fingers. Bake crust for 10-12 minutes Place chopped chocolates in a bowl. Heat heavy cream to a boil in the microwave or on the stovetop, then immediately remove from heat and add vanilla and a pinch of salt. Pour over chocolate and let sit 30 seconds, then stir constantly until chocolate is melted. If your chocolate doesn’t melt completely, it’s okay, just pop it in the microwave in 15 second increments, stirring between until smooth Pour ganache evenly over baked crust and spread all the way to the edges. Make the cheesecake: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with the vanilla until smooth, 1-2 minutes. add the whipping cream and 1/4 cup sugar. Beat on high until blended. Pour cheesecake filling over crust, spreading evenly with spatula. Place cake in refrigerator and chill until set. Unmold just before serving. I have found that freezing just before unmolding makes a huge difference.

---

  EAT & ENJOY!

Pushing Past the Pain of Infertility

It's been 17 years and I still face moments where the pain is as fierce as the very first moment I felt it. Grief. This grief is not the loss of one's life, rather, the loss of any chance at giving life to one. Infertility; that very personal, dreaded, and dream-crushing word that no woman wants to hear. It's an emotional journey that is completely indescribable. A roller coaster ride that starts its treacherous climb with denial, anger, sadness, and confusion, then peaks with hope, faith, perseverance, and strength, only to dip back down into denial, anger, sadness, and confusion.

I look at my life now and see the blessings of having gone through such pain. The amazing transformation of who I was then into the person I am now. The reality of my seemingly unbearable circumstance that I thought impossible to endure shed light to the intense strength God gave me to continue on, encompassed by my insatiable need for His.

I never lost hope of my life long desire to have a child, although, I came pretty close. Getting up and pushing through the pain with persistence every step of the way was anything but easy. Infertility tried to undo me but I would not be undone. At long last, my husband and I found ourselves in the middle of a whirlwind adoption. God's little miracle, our little blessing, was the perfect gift at the perfect time. Suddenly, it felt like those 11 years in waiting was just a blink of an eye.

Today, I look into the deep blue eyes of my daughter and feel incredibly thankful. Thankful for the opportunity to be called "mommy". Thankful that even though not an ounce of blood that runs through her veins is mine, God still intentionally created and purposed her to be my very own little  girl forever. Thankful that when I'm having one of those painful moments of grief all I have to do is look at her sweet smile and joy washes over me. Resilient joy.

There's beautiful peace in knowing I'm living my life by Design, not by default. And it truly is as it should be.

Michelle Clevenger

Full Tummies Tuesday - Mexican Casserole

Tuesday is quickly becoming one of my favourite days to look forward to! Hurray for Full Tummies Tuesday!! Today we have here my family's favourite recipe hands down, the Mexican Casserole! It's Mexican food, in an easy casserole. It doesn't get much better than that does it?

Please let us know if you make it, and how much you love it! (Because I guarantee you will!) Here's the how-to! (Full recipe below)

In a large bowl combine cooked ground beef, onion, celery, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, beans, corn, tomato soup, ketchup, mustard, salt & pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix together.

To layer casserole, place two tortillas in the bottom of a 9x13” dish, covering the entire surface. Top with about 2 cups of meat mixture. Repeat two more times.

Finish with remaining meat sauce on top. Sprinkle cheese over contents of casserole.

Place lid or tin foil over top of the casserole dish, and cook covered for 1h at 350°F.

Remove cover and cook another 15 minutes or until cheese bubbles.

Enjoy!!

MEXICAN CASSEROLE

---

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ lbs lean ground beef 1 onion (chopped) 1 ½ C celery (finely chopped) 4 tsp chili powder 1 ½ Tbsp worcestershire sauce Ketchup (to taste) Mustard (to taste

Salt & Pepper (to taste) 1 - 2 tsp red pepper flakes 1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans 1 (14 oz) can cream corn 1 (10 oz) can tomato soup 6 large soft tortillas ½ C grated cheddar cheese

---

DIRECTIONS In a large bowl combine cooked ground beef, onion, celery, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, beans, corn, tomato soup, ketchup, mustard, salt & pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix together. To layer casserole, place two tortillas in the bottom of a 9x13” dish, covering the entire surface. Top with about 2 cups of meat mixture. Repeat two more times. Finish with remaining meat sauce on top. Sprinkle cheese over contents of casserole. Place lid or tin foil over top of the casserole dish, and cook covered for 1h at 350°F. Remove cover and cook another 15 minutes or until cheese bubbles.

---

  EAT & ENJOY!