Life Between Sunday and Supper

 Hey guys, we're half-way through the week again! I want to share a yummy budget friendly recipe with you all that I first saw on TikTok. It hits all of the major points: quick, tastes great, and easy on the pocketbook!  I'm not sure if this has an official name, so we'll just call this Easy Cheddar Chicken and Rice. Here's What You'll Need 2 packages of Knorr Cheddar Broccoli flavored rice 2 cans of cream of chicken soup 1 can of chicken broth (fill chicken soup can) 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese 1 bag of frozen chopped broccoli 1 package of chicken tenderloins salt, pepper, and onion powder to taste Here's How To Make It Step 1: Get a 11x9 casserole dish and spray it with non-stick spray Step 2: Pour your 2 packages of rice in the dish followed by your 2 cream of chicken soups and chicken              broth. Stir. Step 3: Add bag of broccoli and top with cheddar cheese. Step 4: Season your chicken tenderloins well. Step 4: Top with Chee...

 Some days, if I’m being honest, my Christian life feels a little… phony baloney. Not in the “I don’t believe any of this” kind of way—but in the quieter, more uncomfortable way. The kind where I’m singing in church on Sunday with heart stirred… and then by Tuesday I’m impatient, distracted, and wondering if anything I said or felt was even real. It’s that strange tension between who I want to be and who I actually am. I know the right words. I know the verses. I know how to show up, smile, serve, and say all the “faith-filled” things. But sometimes underneath it all, there’s a nagging voice that whispers, “You’re just going through the motions.” And maybe that’s what makes it feel so fake—not that my faith isn’t real, but that it isn’t as consistent, passionate, or polished as I think it should be. But the thing I’ve had to wrestle with—and honestly, relearn over and over again is that feelings don’t get to be the measuring stick. We live in a world that tells us if something is...

 Happy Monday, friends! It has been a great weekend here on the homestead. Carl, Makena, and I worked at our community center's annual barbeque. Makena has recently been voted in on the board of the community center, so we decided we would go and mingle. Yes, you read that right. I made the choice to be social! It's the miracle of May! The ladies of our church also had a bake sale at the BBQ, so I helped with that.  Wrenley found her some popcorn (and Nanny) at the bake sale. She LOVES popcorn (and Nanny)!! Makena helped with the ticket sales My dad, the ticket ladies, and some of our "runners" for the takeout plates. Our cooks! Picking out baked goods can be a hard choice! These are our old neighbors. I snapped this picture as they were pulling in the takeout line. Wrenley wanted to go play on the playground. This is the same tire I used to spin around on as a kid. Carl is always visiting with someone. We tease him and say he's running for mayor :) More visiting ...

 Somewhere between Monday's fresh start and Friday's finish line, life gets busy again. The days blur a little. The to-do list doesn't shrink as fast as we hoped. And spiritually, it's easy to shift into "just get through it" mode without even noticing. That's where a mid-week faith check comes in- not as something formal or complicated, but just a quiet moment to check in with your heart and with the Lord.                 Not because God has moved.                                                                                                                        But because we often do.              ...

 Happy Monday, friends! We have had a super busy weekend here on the homestead. We spent the latter part of the week running around and preparing for Carlie's baby shower. Makena had a vision, but no time because she was busy preparing for her "Coffee with the Curator" segment at the museum on Thursday night, and she also works on Saturdays. That left my mom and I running around gathering decorations as well as food and gifts for the shower. We also cleaned the fellowship hall at church, before we could even decorate. It was definitely a labor of love. Thankfully it did finally rain, so Carl was off to help us. She did an amazing job on the top of what the Grand Pairie is. Here are the pictures I got at the shower: Weekends like this one leave me with tired feet and a full heart. Between the laughter, the conversations, and celebrating Carlie and sweet baby Wesley, it was one of those weekends that felt busy in the best kind of way. Life has a funny way of packing so much...

Let's talk about something that happens in almost every church at some point--the feeling that the pastor has favorite members. Maybe it's the people who always seem to be in the inner circle--the ones who get the most praise, the ones whose opinion carry the most weight. If you've been in church long enough, you've probably noticed it. The truth is that pastors are human. They naturally connect with certain personalities just like the rest of us do. Sometimes it comes from years of serving together, similar life stages, or simply working alongside each other in ministry. While that always means intentional favoritism, it can still leave others feeling overlooked or frustrated.  So what do we do when we find ourselves in this position? First, guard your heart. It's easy for hurt feelings to turn into bitterness, and bitterness spreads quickly in a church family. Scripture reminds us to keep our hearts soft and our attitudes humble. The goal is not to win a popularit...