When You Struggle with Mothers Day and/or Fathers Day

(This is an excerpt from a piece I wrote well over a year ago.  My intention was I wouldn't be posting near either holiday.  But, as is typical with me, I procrastinated the whole "putting myself out there" thing and just kept editing and re-editing this post, as well as burying it under a list of tasks I felt were much more pressing. I find difficult chapters in life are easier to talk about rather than write about, though I love to write . . . and it is healing . . .go figure. But alas, God didn't let me off so easily and He continued to remind me how burdened I felt to share my experiences and how important it is for me to encourage others who may have similar struggles . . . so here it is:)

I will give you a VERY concise and abbreviated background.  Sadly, both of my parents grappled with the evil of alcoholism, were married and divorced numerous times, and are now deceased.  So, unfortunately, the "happily ever after" of their healing and our reconciliation which I longed for and prayed about for many years didn't materialize. But what did happen is, through that trial I learned to REJOICE!           

                         WAIT . . . What? REJOICE? Why? HOW?

Yes, REJOICE, because I know I have a parent, a FATHER, who loves me unconditionally.  God has been SO GOOD to me, even when others weren't.  He NEVER left me, even when others did. In this life it has taken me a while to realize . . .

                             HIS Love Was and Still Is ENOUGH!

"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." Philippians 4:4

So if you struggle in your relationship with your parents, you're not alone.  The best piece of advice I can give you is FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, RIGHT NOW. (And if you currently have an amazing relationship with your parents, my advice is still the same, for you will need that strong relationship with God when those parents leave this earth.)

I will be very candid with you right now and admit I have sinfully and selfishly thought MANY times of others, "Must be nice to have a wonderful relationship with your mom or dad that you miss." Or "At least you had a good relationship while they were here, be thankful for that, because some of us weren't so lucky." Now thankfully, I NEVER spoke any of those thoughts out loud to anyone dealing with a loss.  But nonetheless, they were inconsiderate and sinful thoughts of a hurt and jealous daughter.

While I don't miss the relationship we had (it was far less than ideal or desirable in so many ways), I do ENJOY the relationship I have with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am so grateful for His Love for me and I hope it is obvious in my life.

If this resonates with you at all, know it is okay . . .  no, actually, it's more than okay!  Please keep "hanging in there" with God at the helm, and you will be victorious on the other side of this struggle, this trial which never seems to end.  And you too can say, "I am Victorious In Christ!"  Actually, go ahead and say it right now . . . "I AM VICTORIOUS IN CHRIST"! Because, my friend, you are.  HE HAS ALREADY WON YOUR BATTLE!

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:4

Thank you for letting me share a little slice of my heart and life experience as I move closer to my commitment of writing more to help and encourage many others in the near future.

You are loved by an Almighty God.

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."  Hebrews 13:5

#BeEncouraged #BeAnEncourager

Much Love and Hope,
Chaundelle Gage

Refocusing During Trials

I have spent much of this morning trying to get my focus re-adjusted and came across this verse. (I was also encouraged by a post written by my friend, Ellen, about how we tend to focus on only getting out of our trials and miss so many of the things we should be thankful for). We aren't defined by what our circumstances currently look like. And God is faithful to deliver us from the "nets" (complicated circumstances/snares/trials/evil intentions that our enemy tries to trap us in). Because remember, what man intends for evil, God can turn it unto good. (Gen 50:20). No matter what you are going through, you know, and I know, it is a daily struggle to keep our eyes focused upon the Lord, so I encourage you to stay in His Word and in constant communication with God. You can talk to Him silently all throughout the day. I also know one of the purposes of our pain and trials is to encourage others. We all need the experiences of the victories of God bringing us through circumstances so we can help others someday, sooner or later. So, please, don't give up, but instead, keep your eyes lifted up. Repeat and commit to memory Colossians 3:2 or if you are really ambitious, memorize Philippians 4:8. #BeEncouraged

Spinach Artichoke Parmesan Soup Recipe

Lately, we have been trying several new recipes at Team Gage Headquarters.  Sometimes the quest to be budget conscious and waistline friendly can be a daunting task.  But we have found some tasty recipes lately that fit both categories and we want to share them with you.  So, every once in awhile, we are going to share a recipe that Team Gage has tried and loved.  (We will also post some tasty, not so good for you recipes, because, let's face it, we all want a "treat" now and again!)

Soups are often on our weekly menu, no matter the season.  We recently tried this Crock Pot Spinach Artichoke Parmesan Soup and it was a hit!  

While this recipe link (from redefinedmom.com) is also pinned on my Pinterest account, I will include the step by step directions below:

http://redefinedmom.com/slow-cooker-spinach-artichoke-parmesan-soup-recipe/#_a5y_p=4422862

Recipe Yields: 4-5 Servings

Ingredients

8 ounces frozen spinach
14 ounces artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped roughly
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
32 ounces chicken or vegetable broth
1⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄4 tsp pepper
1⁄8 tsp red pepper flakes
1⁄2 cup evaporated milk
1⁄2 cup milk (any kind)
1⁄2 cup flour
4 ounces cream cheese, cut in 4 chunks
1⁄4 parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large slow cooker, add spinach, artichokes, onion, garlic, olive oil, broth, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook on high for 5 hours, or low for 7-8 hours.

2. After spinach mixture has cooked throughly, in a separate bowl, add evaporated milk, milk, and flour; whisk to combine completely. Add milk mixture to slow cooker, cover, and cook on high for 30 minutes.

3. Remove cover, add cream cheese and 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, stir to combine.

4. Serve in bowls garnished with additional parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste.

5. Enjoy

May you be Blessed and Encouraged today!

Much Love from,
Simply Team Gage

https://www.pinterest.com/clgage/

Our Punctuality and God's Timing

Hello!  It's been quite awhile hasn't it? Really, it's been too long in my opinion.  But like I said last week, "we're back", for hopefully some consistency (which happens to be my word for 2016) and follow through. Better late than never right?  Not all would agree with that phrase.  Promptness is, after all common courtesy, right?

"If you're on time, you're late; but if you're 15 minutes early, you're on time",  isn't that how the saying goes?

I feel very strongly about this issue, or area of  "common courtesy", shall we say, because of an ongoing experience I endured growing up. Meaning, I had a mother who was ALWAYS the last one to arrive anywhere!  It was embarrassing and frustrating, but until I got my license to drive, I was stuck with being tardy. (She was so late for my wedding rehearsal, she almost missed it.) So I made it a priority in life, once I was out of my parent's house, to be on time or early.  Even when I had two toddlers to get ready for church, I just woke up earlier and made it happen.  I've realized staying involved in life helps develop and keep this good habit.  When people depend on you to be somewhere at a particular time, whether it's arriving at your job, volunteering for PTA, meeting the guys at the gun range, participating in an area of service at church, showing up for baseball practice, etc., you tend to stay on schedule and develop a routine that works.

But, it's not as easy to be on time when you feel you aren't needed, or you're not involved, or you don't feel like anyone cares if you show or not.  When we make ourselves an island, suddenly promptness doesn't matter as much.  When you have a job, an area of church service, are attending a class, are invested in someone's life, etc. you make sure you're there. You are accountable to people in those different areas.

I will admit, as big of a proponent as I was to always being on time, not ever wanting to let someone down, showing others I could always be counted on . . . I have fallen into that habit of thinking, "well, no one will notice if I'm a few minutes late', or "I don't need to get ready just yet, there's plenty of time" . . . but when my husband comments, "we are going to be late again." I snap to and a huge sense of dread envelopes me like a cloak of failure, because I realize that I'm doing exactly the thing I loathed growing up.  

Being habitually late is a selfish act, and I, for one, never like to admit that I'm being selfish.  But I am. I'm selfish. And selfishness is a sin. Period.

So now I'm going to switch gears here, just a little bit, because this got me wondering about all the sayings about "God's Timing".  Is He always on time? Hmmm, I notice we tend to ask ourselves questions like, "Does His answer always happen by the date a bill is due?  Or before the death of a loved one? Or in time set aside for a meeting already scheduled well in advance?"

His answers don't always happen on our time, do they? Now, that's not to say God doesn't honor a person who makes it a priority to be where he says he's going to be when he says he's going to be there.  But God's awesome plans for our lives and solutions to our problems don't always fit into the scheduler, planner or calendars on our smartphones.  He doesn't limit Himself to our short sighted view of life or of our problems.  I think we would be amazed at how much more wonderful life would be if He were invited into every little decision.  We often tend to try and figure out the "little" decisions on our own,  not inviting God into the process and never giving thought to how they may affect the BIG situations in our lives. And then, when things get out of hand and the situations become a BIG deal, we remember, "Oh Yeah, I should pray and ask God to fix this!" Perhaps had we (and I am speaking BIGTIME to myself here) included Him in on EVERYTHING, we would be experiencing His Peace throughout our daily lives, no matter the size of our circumstance! His ways far exceed what "fixes" we can come up with ourselves.

But if His time isn't fitting in with the commitments we've made and if God's not selfish, what is really going on here?

One of the reasons I'm writing on this subject is because we have experienced God's timing, not just in the "when" but in the "how" several times in our lives.  And it's not always the big "issues" of life, it happens with the small things  too, and what a Joy and Blessing when we realize it!

Here is one example of how we have experienced "God's When and How". There was a meeting that needed to happen in  another state on a specific day, for my husband's line of work. But phone calls were going  unanswered and emails were not responded to. It didn't look like it was going to happen and this was going to reflect very poorly on my husband. Flight and hotel arrangements had already been made. As it turns out on the MORNING OF THE MEETING he received confirmation at 5:00am that the meeting would indeed happen, just at a later time than originally requested. Well, that particular timing ended up being a HUGE BLESSING because there was a transportation issue, that no one (but God) anticipated when trying to schedule the original meeting. Had the earlier time been confirmed, my husband would not have had transportation to get there. But God knew all of this, and in his perfect timing the meeting was arranged for a later time when transportation was available. He knew and He took care of it! My husband was in awe and very thankful. He inspires me when he sees the little things in our day that God works out. I'm striving to be more attentive in these matters.

Another example I'll share involved a banking mistake and miscommunication that really was going to put us in a bind, I overreacted, thought the worst,  wasted so much energy with my "sky was falling" attitude. But, God worked it out THREE DAYS EARLIER than the bank said would be possible! So, I wasted a BUNCH of energy being stressed out, worried and angry about that situation. 

I'm still learning and hope you will be encouraged to do the same each day as you journey through this life, "On Time" and with "God's Timing".

Much Love,
Team Gage

#BeEncouraged

P.S. Feel free to comment below and share your experiences with God's Timing. We'd love to hear about them!

We're Back!

Hello!  Remember us?  The Simply Team Gage Blog?  Yes, that's the one! Well, we're back after a long, unintentional break.  Didn't plan it, just happened . . . well ok . .  no, it didn't "just happen" . . . we let other things get in the way. But it has been weighing HEAVILY on our hearts to start writing again, so we are putting it out here and on social media that we are back up and running!  So much to share, so many things in the works for you all! We are praying it all will be a blessing and encouragement to you!

Sometimes it is very difficult to put yourself "back out there" once you have pulled back from relationships, service, commitments, activities, etc. (We will blog more on this specific topic soon!) So consider this your announcement - or warning - that we are putting ourselves back out into the "blog-o-sphere"!

And that means we are accountable and must keep our word! So please, if a week goes by and you don't see a Simply Team Gage blog post, call us out on it! 

Be blessed!

Much Love,

Team Gage

Who is a "Child of God', really? And what does it have to do with a 'Gift'?

 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

I think Reverend Billy Graham said it best when he quoted John 3:16 and said: 

"Now that is the Gospel in a nutshell, everything you need to know about redemption and salvation is in that one verse of scripture.  Twenty-five wonderful words!"

We write, post, chat, speak of and blog a lot about being a "Child of God" and the benefits that go along with that title.  A child of God is a phrase that has been used to speak of all human race, but it is actually meant for those who have made a decision to trust in Christ as their Lord and Savior:

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26 KJV)

Acts 16:30: "...Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

Maybe you wonder, like the jailer did in Acts 16, what do you do to be called a child of God?  My purpose in writing this piece is not to stir a debate, I write this to simply inform those who wonder, who desire to know, how to be saved (and while John 3:16 is really all you need, I'm including a few other verses to help you with your decision).

Ask yourself some questions, then find the Biblical answer, then pray to accept His gift, which is available to all mankind, though not all mankind will choose to accept it

Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God?

1 John 5:13 "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God"

Realize God loves you:

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Realize you, along with everyone else, are a sinner:

Romans 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."

Romans 3:23 " For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;"

Realize sin has a price that must be paid:

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all man, for that all have sinned:"

Realize Jesus Christ died to pay YOUR price:

Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Confess and Pray and Accept:

Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, 

I know that I am a sinner.  Please forgive me of my sins.  I accept you as my Savior.  I am trusting you to take me to heaven when I die.  Thank you for saving me.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

"If any of you desire to be saved by works, remember one sin will spoil your righteousness; one dust of this earth's dross will spoil the beauty of that perfect righteousness which God requires at your hands. If ye would be saved by works, ye must be as holy as the angels, ye must be as pure and as immaculate as Jesus; for the law requires perfection. The power to receive is scarcely a power, and yet it is the only power needed for salvation. Come along and take what Christ doth freely give you. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe intensely." - Spurgeon

Our family has been blessed to be members, since 1998, of a Bible believing church that teaches these scriptures and encourages all to share and to lead others to Salvation in Jesus Christ.

We'd love to hear from you if by the reading of this post you made a decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, and/or led someone else to the same decision.  Let us know at: teamgage28@gmail.com

Praying for all who may read this,
Team Gage

You are always welcome to follow us at:

on facebook:  Team Gage
on Instagram: SimplyTeamGage
on Twitter: TeamGage28

Please share!

Creamy Chicken Pesto Primavera

I cooked up something WONDERFUL with these veggies!

We have a new favorite chicken dinner!  And it's called Creamy Chicken Pesto Primavera! Sans pasta - I promise you won't even miss the pasta!  Not one little bit!  I spotted this on the 'Low Carbing with Friends' facebook page and decided to give it a try, and boy are our taste buds glad I did!  You have to try this!

Go ahead and make your grocery list, right now, with these ingredients:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup basil pesto (I bought a jar, but you can make your own)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb boneless chicken, cut into strips (I bought tenderloins)
1/4 large bunch of broccoli, including stalks, cut into florets (I used the whole bunch and did not include the stalks)
2 small green zucchini, cut into half moons (I used one large, wished I'd have used two large)
1 bunch of asparagus cut into 1 1/2 inch sticks
1/2 cup of real bacon bits
1 cup of parmesan cheese
16 leaves fresh basil, whole or hand torn
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

NOTE: Have everything prepared and ready to go, because this is done quickly with a very hot pan.  You can do two pans at the same time or in two quick batches, which is how I did it.

- In bowl, mix together your pesto and whipping cream, set aside. 

- Since olive oil burns quickly when it's added to a hot pan, go ahead and toss your chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.

- Heat a large saute pan over high heat.

- Sprinkle you chicken around the bottom of the hot pan and let it sear and get nice and golden on one side. Do not crowd the pan.  Drizzle any extra oil from the chicken bowl into the pan.

- Add broccoli and toss together with the chicken.  Season with a bit of salt and pepper.  Cook for about one minute.

- Add zucchini half moons to the pan and toss.  Season with a bit of salt and pepper.  Cook for about one minute.

- Add asparagus to the pan and toss.  Season with a bit of salt and pepper.  Cook for about two minutes.

- Add bacon bits to the pan and cook for about one minute.

- Pour pesto cream sauce into the pan and swirl all the ingredients together.  When the cream sauce begins to noticeably thicken, about one to two minutes, dust the pan with the grated parmesan cheese and toss the ingredients together.

- Serve topped with fresh basil leaves.

It is fantastic!!!!! My youngest and I competed for the last lunch leftovers!

For the full recipe info click here:
www.djfoodie.com/chicken-green-things

Hope you enjoy as much as we did!  

Much love from,
Team Gage

As always, you are welcome to follow us and share with your friends:

facebook - Team Gage
Instagram - simplyteamgage
Twitter - teamgage28

The YOLO Mindset

YOLO has been a popular saying among our youth.  I recently heard on the radio that "YOLO" was ranked #1 . . .

...in a list of the 'Top 10 Most Annoying Slang Words'. For those of you unfamiliar with this slang word/acronym, it simply means: You Only Live Once.  Basically the premise behind the "YOLO" mindset is an attitude of: "If it feels good just do it", or "who cares, why not".

So, I would say, "Since you only live once, so let's go for it"! Which isn't necessarily a bad modus operandi. Now, hear me out . . . It's true, we only live once, so why wouldn't we go for it? By "going for it" I mean to live in a way that is pleasing to The Lord by truly being a difference maker.  

Live in a way each day as to make a difference for your life and for others in eternity.  In the BIG things and the little things . . . in everything!  We want to challenge you to DEFINITELY live with the YOLO mentality, but with a Godly mission and purpose.  Just be a Blessing!

I saw a t-shirt once that said "YOLO, but what will happen After you Die?" Hmmm, there's some food for thought and some purpose for our mission.

"And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgement:  So Christ was offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin  unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:27-28)

I recently posted on our Team Gage facebook page:

We all have a limited amount of time with which to honor God. What if today, we started living and "doing" with the mindset of this, "Everything I do today is somehow connected to life in eternity, so I'm going to do it well, praying it's pleasing to Him."

Colossians 3:17 tells us:

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

YOLO,
Team Gage

We welcome you to follow us: 

on facebook:  Team Gage
on Instagram: SimplyTeamGage
on Twitter: TeamGage28

A Simple Recipe

One of our goals with our blog is to post a simple Team Gage family favorite . . .

... recipe at least a couple of times a month.  This one is actually a very new favorite. We are trying to eat better as we make and meet our health and weight goals. And while we are all feeling great taking our customized supplements via ID Nutrition, we also are making better choices about the meals we eat. 

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/25795338/southwest-chicken-salad

Ingredients

2 lbs Chicken Breast and Thigh combo, roasted w/ salt & pepper, cut in ¾ in dice

1 C cooked black beans

3/4 C diced red onions

1 cups of salsa

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped fine

2 avocados, ½ inch dice

the juice and zest of 1 lime

salt and pepper to taste

Combine with all of the ingredients listed and salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

We have made this chicken salad a couple of times to take to baseball tournaments. It's a non-mayo salad which makes it easier to toss into our cooler without the worry of, "Is it cold enough in there?"  We have done this recipe with a rotisserie chicken and have even omitted the onion and cilantro, since our homemade salsa (stay tuned for how we make salsa the simple homemade way) had plenty! 

This recipe can be adapted in many different ways! Use your imagination.  Do something simple for your health today. Treat your body well so you can feel good and do more activities that you delight in!

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV)

Much Love from, 

Team Gage

(If you'd like more information about IDLife go to: www.scottygage.idlife.com ; or www.clgage.idlife.com ; or send us an email at teamgage28@gmail.com)

Thank Goodness for these Marriage Guidelines

We have mentioned a time or two (or twenty) that 'Love and Respect: The Love she Most desires - The Respect he Desperately needs' is by far . . . 

      . . . the best marriage book we have ever read.  The author, Dr. Emerson  Eggerichs, posted the following (click on link below), to encourage couples who want to have a better marriage, but still struggle. In another words, they have the tools, but keep falling back into their old ways:

http://loveandrespect.com/blog/3-guidelines-for-a-strong-marriage/

We went through the book and study guide TWICE! So don't be discouraged if you don't get it right the first time, the fact that you want to save your marriage, strengthen your marriage, understand God's design for marriage,  etc., speaks volumes.  

We are eternally grateful to our Father in Heaven, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs - the author who we hope to meet one day and thank him in person for writing this book that taught us so much, and to our dear friends the Cooks - who introduced us to this book by inviting is to their small group!

So we encourage you to order, buy, or borrow a copy today and experience marriage the way God intended, it's amazingly awesome, or rather, Wesome!

Simply make a daily decision to better your marriage today with God's help.

Much Love and God Bless,

Team Gage

Ephesians 5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Parenting Teens? Some Interesting Truths...

As we gear up for publishing more often on our blog, we will be re-posting some old favorites, as well as, sharing some great articles by authors we admire and respect. 

Shaunti Feldhahn, who has authored several great marriage books, shared this article on parenting teens:

(as our boys are entering their last year(s) of high school, we encourage you to stay the course of parenting your  teen(s), soon to be teens, or 'way down the road' going to be teens - it happens even quicker than you imagine!)

Click on article below:

http://www.imom.com/ispecialists/shaunti-feldhahn/the-four-truths-about-what-teens-really-want/

Take a read and let us know your thoughts. Parenting is simply a daily commitment, some days are rough, some days are rewarding, but all days are worth it).

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 2:3 KJV)

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:14-17 KJV)

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (2 Timothy 4:7 KJV)

Be Blessed,
Love from Team Gage

(Always feel free to share our posts, as well as, follow us on facebook @ Team Gage, on Instagram @SimplyTeamGage and Twitter @TeamGage28).

Dealing With "Things" That Happen

It's not my fault...things just happen.

We have all heard someone say, and if we are honest, we have said this, if not thought it:

"Sometimes things JUST happen."

Especially in regard to sin, especially when it's our sin, especially when we don't want to admit it's actually sin. Because notice, we didn't call it sin, we called it "things".  Because "things" is way easier to swallow and justify than sin.

Let me just shoot straight with you for a minute about the THINGS that SOMETIMES happen:

-THINGS DON'T "JUST HAPPEN"

-PEOPLE MAKE CHOICES

-SOMETIMES THOSE CHOICES ARE MISTAKES

-SOMETIMES THOSE MISTAKES ARE SINS!

Many times, and more often than not, we want to throw someone else right under the bus with us and say "WE".  As in WE didn't mean for it to happen.  Look, if you didn't mean for IT, the SIN, whatever that was, to happen, then you make conscious, concerted efforts or good choices, if you will, that will remove you from that sin happening.  It's simple: "Don't Do it"  or "Stop Doing It."

Now, we've all sinned or are sinning, so what do we do about it?

-First, of all we need to own up to our sins, admit that we did wrong.  WE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT WE DID.'  We make it right, turn from it, apologize to those we offended or sinned against, which is FIRST AND FOREMOST, GOD.

(We will all fall, both literally and figuratively: Get back up!)

2 Chron 7:14 says,

"If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

I once read that we should insert our own name into the verse in place of "people" and, WOW, does that have meaning, it REALLY hit home with me!  Try it!  Mine goes something like this:

If CHAUNDELLE, who is called by my name, would humble herself and pray and seek my face, and turn from her wicked ways; then will I hear her from heaven and will forgive her sin and will heal her.

This verse is talking to us individually, not just our nation.  It makes you swallow kind of hard when you read the verse that way, doesn't it?

Now God is going to forgive you, BUT, some people may not, (stay tuned for an upcoming post about forgiveness).  We have to focus on our part: doing every thing we are able to make it right, and it starts with confessing and apologizing and then  staying away from that sin.  SO how do we do that?  Well let's start with why we all end up sinning in the first place:

Why do we sin, what is the common denominator of all sin happening?  It's simply called SELFISHNESS! That's it, we are selfish, so we sin.  So how can selfishness be avoided?

It's going to have to start by getting in to God's Word, the Bible, and seeing what it says EVERY day!  We have to pray and have constant communication with God, every day, ALL DAY, in my case!  Find an accountability partner to keep you in God's Word.

Second, we need to make sure we aren't putting ourselves in situations or with people that will weaken our testimony.  If you need to sever some friendships or make some changes in your social calendar, do it! God is the one we need to concern ourselves with pleasing:

"For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10 KJV)

In closing, I want to encourage you today to not see others sin, but to look into your heart and see your own sin. It's humbling yet freeing when we see it for what it is and deal with it as God desires.

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;" (Acts 3:19 KJV)

May you be blessed today.
Much Love from,
Team Gage

The Friend Zone

Found Yourself in the Friend Zone? 

There is much debate these days about how to parent our children.  There are several schools of thought about this and several different parenting styles.  For this post, I want to focus on being a parent vs. being our children's "buddy" or "pal".  Let's face it, parenting isn't easy and personally, we haven't gotten it right a LOT of the time, but we continue to work very hard at it.

We take our job of parenting very seriously, because God gave us two wonderful human beings to raise. And we desperately want to make Him proud.  By striving for that goal, it will make our children unhappy with us at times, and I'm here to say, as heart breaking as that is, it's okay, and it's worth the hard work required.  Now our boys are only 16 and 17, FAR from being raised.  We know the results of what we do all these years, won't be revealed for quite some time.  Maybe not until they are raising their own kids.  But, if we strive to do our absolute best and walk with God on this journey, we can be at peace with our efforts in raising children.

So let's look at what the Bible says about parenting (and no this is not going to be a debate regarding whether to spank or not to spank, that's another subject for another day):

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right." (Ephesians 6:1 KJV)

So, if our children are to obey us, that must mean that we should have something set in place for them to obey, like rules or boundaries.  Our children will eventually understand that these are in place for their safety, or for their own good. And again, they may not see this until they are raising their own children.  Boundaries can always be moved, outward as they show responsibility, or inward as they need to earn trust.  Our parenting includes us being very involved in our children's activities, from sports to music to homework to setting goals. We also encourage them in their Christian walk and in their friendships.  And, yes, we spot check their social media (another post for another time!)  It's tiring, and it very often costs us a LOT of time and sleep, but it's worth it -  we don't get this chance again.  We don't get another shot at raising our boys, THIS IS IT!  We want to make everything we do count for good!

Now before you think you are reading a post from the most UNFRIENDLY parent ever, let me show you something as we look at what the Bible says about friendship:

(And I'll be honest with you, I didn't realize how many 'friend' verses there were in the Bible until I began to write about this subject.) I titled this post "The Friend Zone" which has negative connotations in itself, but I realize after delving into this subject matter a little deeper that maybe it is not so wrong to be your child's friend. Take this verse:

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24 KJV)

(This is actually one of my favorite verses, when the boys were little we had a Steve Green video of Bible Songs for kids and he sang a song with the words to this verse.  I'm smiling right now as I hum along to:

There is a friend (echo) There is a friend

A friend who sticks (echo) A friend who sticks

Closer than a Brother

and F-R-I-E-N-D who sticks closer than a B-R-O-T-H-E-R
Closer than a brother.

(repeat)

Anyway, that friend is Jesus; and that Jesus is part of the Trinity -  which includes God the Father.  And we who are the Saved Children of God through Salvation in Jesus Christ get to call Him our FATHER!  We are FAMILY, we are HEIRS of GOD:

"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."(Galatians 4:7 KJV)

So, my Father is my Friend . . . hmmm . . . see where I'm going here?

Jesus said:  "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." (John 15:14 KJV)

When we do what we are commanded to do by God, we are showing our friendship, our love for Him.  The same goes for the parent/child relationship.  

Are you following me now?  It's right to be a parent to our children, AND it's right to be their friend, BUT we have to be a "true" friend to them as God is to us.  It's not just about being fun, it's about love and discipline, it's about support and correction.

This is what I found when I  looked up the definition of 'friend': 

- a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard; a person who gives assistance; a supporter

Again . . . hmmmm . . . sounding a lot like how I, as a parent, relate to my child.  

When I looked up the definition of 'parent' in the verb form, look what I found: 

- to parent with both love and discipline

Wow!

If you think about someone in your life who is a true friend, it's someone who can tell you the truth, even when it hurts. Or, if you are a true friend and you see your friend doing wrong, misbehaving, talking negative, etc. do you let it continue? Or do you speak up and let them know with love that they are doing wrong. Maybe you pray them through a tough time. You let them know you'll be there for them. But, if they continue in their waywardness, you might even try some tough love? Isn't it the same with our children? They do wrong, we correct them; if they continue, we discipline - just as God the Father does with us!  My husband and I have people in our life that we love dearly, because they are able to set us straight when we are doing wrong and we know they are doing it in love, Christ's Love!

We truly believe in parenting by loving, supporting, setting boundaries and disciplining.  Do we get tired? YES! But it's necessary, worth it and rewarding!  Might we challenge you to be your child's friend? But even more importantly, might we challenge you to do it by parenting God's Way?  Start today!

Much Love,

Team Gage