Olympic Fan Fare

For those of you visiting Jesus & My Orange Juice for this first time, this is a serious departure from the typical post. So please join me again Monday when we will return for our regularly scheduled programming. Now onto the fanfare of fan fare...
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All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble...

Isaiah 43:9

A few notes in I recognize its call. The invitation is one part patriotism, one part dream and one part the impossible. The melody summons me to the opening ceremony. Each year I would pretend I stood among the participants. What little kid doesn't dream of competing in the Olympics?


The most common question I heard asked about the Olympics is the symbol of the rings. The five colors stand for the five major continents. In this configuration the Americas are combined and Antarctica overlooked (maybe the Olympic committee thought residents there couldn't thaw out in time). They symbolize the world drawing together in competition. We want to punctuate our kickoff watch party tonight with the colors of all five rings:

Black - Africa

Green - Australia

Red - the Americas

Gold - Asia

Blue - Europe

This is our evening fan fare (complete with recipes for your convenience).


African Crockpot Chicken (The Black)


5 frozen chicken breast
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's creole seasoning
freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste


Place oil and vinegar in bottom of crockpot. Place chicken breasts on top. Cover with water until almost covered. Shake seasonings on top. Cook on low 8-10 hours.


Aussie American Salad (The Green and the Red)


10 oz fresh spinach 
1 quart sliced strawberries


Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon minced onion


Mix all dressing ingredients well. Add to salad just prior to serving.


Asian Fruit (The Gold  Ring)


1 fresh pineapple cut into chunks.


The easiest way to cut up a fresh pineapple is to first remove the top and bottom. Then cut four pieces around the core which is too tough to eat. Slice off the remaining skin. Chunk and enjoy!


European Jello (The Blue Ring)


Buy a box of blue raspberry jello. Make it according to the package directions.


Dessert


For dessert we will make my sister's famous frosted sugar cookie recipe which I am not at liberty to share. We will frost them white and then use sugar crystals in the five colors to make an Olympic colored ring on each cookie.


Tonight we will anticipate and celebrate. True the Olympics only come around once every two years but I'm a big deal of tonight not because of the games. The competition is just an excuse to draw my family close, to paint my table with all the colors of my love and to make this ordinary day an extraordinary reason to celebrate God's goodness.


What's your favorite part of the Olympics? Do you have any special family traditions. Share them with me in a comment!

Tomorrow's Hope Today

"Mommy, I really want to be a teacher when I grow up. I'm smart. I'm pretty. And I have really good ideas of things my kids could do."


Clara's self-proclamation followed by a lengthy explanation of ladybug hand art her class could make as Mother's Day presents for their moms. Her idea sounded like it fell from the lips of a college graduate. It sounded odd dripping from six year old lips. 


Clara surprises me. She composes songs. She hand-writes letters to friends. She wants to call her friends parents. 


I have no idea if one day she'll be a teacher but I know with certainty God has an incredible plan for her life. Nearly daily I gather her into my lap and whisper to her of God's greatness. Words of thanksgiving pass from my lips through her ear. I want her to hear, to know, to be excited about her future.

Her view of her future sculpts her today.


What do you see when you view your future?


Do you forecast wasted days spent at a job you dislike?


Do you view an empty house?


Or do you witness wonder? The wonder of knowing God is and will continue to lead you on an adventure of faith. Do you know He will do great things in and through you?


There is simplicity in knowing because you believe God has a future and a hope for you.


A week ago Scott bumped into a man who pulled a crumpled old piece of paper from pocket. On it Scott had scrawled, "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11"


This man Scott hardly knew, who he'd encouraged in a passing encounter had been carrying this paper in his pocket for two years. These life-giving, hope-proclaiming words have sustained him during long, hard days.


His today doesn't define his tomorrow. Instead he allows tomorrow to define his today. He is excited about his future which infuses hope, life and purpose in the here and now.


I love those hushed moments of expectancy with my daughters. I love celebrating who God created them to be and anticipating who they will become. Just as they crawl into my lap to hear these words, we can climb into His. 


Do you need tomorrow's hope infused into your today? 

The Maker - Not New...Satisfaction Guaranteed

To be made new in the attitude of your minds.

Ephesians 4:23

This morning I heard the morning hosts of my favorite radio station, KLOVE, poking fun at the sheer number of makers one could buy. Not one to watch late night TV, shop over the phone or buy additional appliances, I was intrigued. 


I had to Google it. In seconds I found 8 appliances I "couldn't live without" ranging from a boiled egg maker to a donut maker...and I don't even eat donuts. As I pondered just how much cabinet space would be required for all these individual makers, God's truth pricked my heart.


Sometimes I think I need a new or different maker.

The Rainmaker


You've got to make it happen! Take action! It's all up to you! 


As a speaker and writer, these messages get crammed in my head almost daily. While I believe God honors those who walk in faith, He doesn't condone those who walk by the light of their own fire (Isaiah 50:11). 


I don't have to be the rainmaker. I can trust God, the true Rain-Maker - His timing, His leading and His plans. I can walk closely with Him in obedience and faith by His light.


The Deal Maker


True genius comes after 10,000 hours of practice. I gave away my books and I got famous. I made the right connections. I have thousands of followers.


These anecdotes also circle my heart with regularity. They make me want to wheel, deal and barter my way to success. The make me believe if I just do enough, I can guarantee the results.


I don't have to be the deal maker. I can lean on God who appoints every leader. I can listen to God who leads every follower. With Him there is no need for negotiation.


There is freedom in packing up my many makers. Like Patti LaBelle, I'll find myself belting about my "New Attitude". I don't need a new of different maker. I need to rely on The Maker.

Life Transforming Prayer - Lord Discipline Me

Today we are continuing our Tuesday series on life transforming prayer. Tuesday is quickly becoming my favorite day of the week. How about for you?

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No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11

I had a health scare this spring. A big one. Months of intense abdominal pain and bleeding led to my decision to make my first visit to an internist. A panel of blood work showed my body in peak physical condition. Every single indicator was toward perfect health. Why then was I in excruciating pain?

I asked God for relief.


Then I asked God for wisdom.


I felt the tap on my heart to eliminate every food and beverage from my diet except those closest in form to how God created them. After several months of eating raw veggies, fruit, whole grains and fresh, lean meat and drinking only water and the occasional coffee every symptom disappeared. 


Amazingly I also dropped 20 pounds. 


For five years I'd been striving to return to my pre-pregnancy weight. I wanted fast results. Quick programs didn't lead to lasting results. 


As I disciplined my body, I noticed the other areas of my life improved as well - my moods, emotions, sleep patterns, marriage, parenting, friendships and even spiritual health all rallied.


I wonder about you. Have you signed up for another program to drop 10 pounds? Did you just fill a prescription for sleep aids or mood enhancers? These are wonderful tools but what if God intended those to supplement His plan and not the other way around. What if we chose prayer as our lead tool in our health?


Lord, discipline me...I need Your rest.


Lord, discipline me...I need Your energy.


Lord, discipline me...I need the righteousness and peace You promise to those You discipline.


Lord, discipline me because most of all I need You.


What area of health is your biggest battle - the bulge, the bed or the buff? Do you dare to pray...?
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Have these Tuesday prayers impacted your life? Did you know you can download the complete set at http://www.shannonmilholland.com/free-resources.html? Why not share these prayers with a friend? Or have your small group address one each week? Let's give away what we've been given.

Bye Bye Burnout

Burnout sneaks up on me. One minute I feel like I've got everything handled and the next I'm a mess of stress. I don't want to live my life on the hamster wheel of over-committed and over-scheduled. I want to avoid burnout altogether.

Is burnout bubbling at the edges of your well-being? What if we could identify burnout before it wrecked us? Today I'm a guest at A Pastor's Wives Garden talking about the Early Warning System for burnout. Won't you join me there today? 

When God Answers

Today I have the privilege of hosting Heidi Kreider as she wings her way around the globe on a virtual book tour. I am so excited to celebrate her book launch and share The Secret of Counting Gifts with you.

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by Heidi Kreider

I sat with 4000 other women. She stood and spoke. She spoke with sincerity and authority... authority that comes from first-hand experience. She spoke of her childhood in Africa. She called herself, "the poorest of the poor." She came to the conference to represent Compassion International. She had been a sponsored child herself. I've not forgotten her beautiful ebony skin and the way she sang "His Eye Is On The Sparrow." 

I came home from that conference changed. I shared Lois's story with my family. We prayed and hoped that through writing and selling a novel our family could reach children around the world who need food, education, medicine, and Jesus. I'm thrilled to say that eight months after that encounter with Lois The Secret of Counting Gifts and the accompanying The Secret of Counting Gifts Gratitude Journal are now available in Kindle and in paperback through Amazon.com. 

While The Secret of Counting Gifts is a novel, I wrote it from my life experiences. I am a wife of 18 years and a mom of 3. I've spent the past fifteen years at home washing dishes, folding clean laundry, blogging, and teaching my children. My days are full of counting grace gifts with gratitude and asking for grace and forgiveness. I am blessed with rich friendships and have prayed more friends than I care to count through the battle of breast cancer. 

The Secret of Counting Gifts is a story about life, friendship, hardship, and gratitude. It is the story of  Kris McClintock and Liz Bower and their friendship that spans twenty-eight years. Through marriage, babies, and infidelity they stand by each other and hold one another up... until breast cancer delivers the final blow. As she sits by Liz, Kris recounts the trials and blessings that made them who they are. She tells their story and recalls the many "gifts" they have been blessed with throughout the years. She shares of how Liz taught her to notice the gifts in each day and to live with a grateful heart. It is through the telling of their story that the secret of counting gifts is discovered...

I'm excited for the release of The Secret of Counting Gifts and The Secret of Counting Gifts Gratitude Journal.  It is a direct answer to the prayers of my husband, my children, my friends, and myself.  I look forward to seeing how God will use these books!  Thorought this month, I am on a virtual book tour.  You can see the stops along the way on my website www.heidikreider.com.  While you are there, stop in and say "Hey!" and register for my giveaway... autographed copies of The Secret of Counting Gifts and The Secret of Counting Gifts Gratitude Journal in a hand-made basket. 

I'd love to hear your story. 

What have you prayed for?  

How has God answered?

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Heidi Kreider is a wife, mother, author and friend. She blogs about life, grace, and gratitude at www.heidikreider.com.

What's Your "Er"?

You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur...

and named him Abraham.

Nehemiah 9:7

I married up. It's true and I highly recommend it. My hubby is wiser, bolder, hotter and godlier. These comparisons don't scratch at my well-being. They give my heart confidence and joy. But what about others?

My Good "Er" - Isn't he handsome?

They're house is bigger than mine... 

She's thinner than me...

He's more successful than me...

Abraham couldn't become all God intended for him to be and stay in Ur. We can't either. Our "er"s trap us in a web of worry. They snare us in a strangle-hold of low self-confidence. We have to step out of our "er" and onto God's path.

God led Abraham from Ur to the promised land. Let's allow God to lead us out of our "er" and into the fullness of His promises.

God led Abraham from fatherless to father of many nations. Let's allow God to multiply His joy in our hearts as we reject "er" living.

What's your big "er"? Are you willing to move from there to God's best?