The 4 “R”s

I have been so wanting God to transform me.  As I was praying about it I felt that He showed me three things that were the cry of my heart – three “R”s - Renew, Revive, Reinvent.  That is what I want the Lord to do in me.  I pray, that over the next 21 days, He would change me in all those areas. As the week has gone on, I added a fourth “R” to the list – Reveal.

1) Renew my mind
2) Revive my spirit
3) Reinvent what I do, how I do things, etc.
                ( I am almost 63 years old. It is never too old to   change.)
4) Reveal.  Reveal those things in me that are not Christ like. 
                   The deep things that I have not acknowledged.

Then I sensed Him telling me to read the Psalms and over the next 21 days write down who He is in each Psalm.

Example: Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

After reading Psalm 1 - Write down – He watches over the way of the righteous.

Sometimes you will only get one or two direct references. But really meditate on who He is.  Then there will be Psalms, like Psalm 31 where you will come away with many.

Look at Psalm 32 for example:
¹ Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!  (You forgive my disobedience.  You put my sin out of sight.)

² Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty! (You cleared my guilt.)

³When I refused to confess my sin,my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.

⁴ Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. 

⁵ Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. (You forgave me. You took away my guilt.)

⁶ Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.

⁷ For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory.  (You are my hiding place. You protect me. You surround me with songs of victory.)

⁸ The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.(You guide me. You advise me. You watch over me.)

⁹ Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

¹⁰ Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord. (Your unfailing love surrounds me.)¹¹ So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!


Also, as you read, if one particular verse pops out at you as being just what you needed, write the whole verse out.  Make it personal as it applies to you, such as, “You are my protector.  You are my refuge”…etc.


I want to encourage you to try this as your daily devotional time with the Lord for a 21 day period and see what the Lord shows you! You can take 10 minutes or longer if you want. Don’t let “no time” be an excuse. You will be blessed.

Read as many as you like or can digest in one day.  But, don’t rush through these.  Really think about who God is and who He is in your life. 

Over a few days you will notice your mind being renewed and your spirit being revived…by His Word.  I have noticed subtle things in the “reinvent” area. He has definitely “revealed” to me things that are not suppose to be in me. I am praying about those and He is working on them.


The Lord is changing those who have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, to be transformed into His image. He will not leave us the same. Although, we cannot do it, He can and will. Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”. Amen!

I’ll keep you posted occasionally on how this is going.  I would love to hear your testimony on what the Lord says to you along the way.

Blessings,  Pat

No Waste Day

Wouldn’t it be nice if our refrigerators looked like this all the time?  Well, if yours is like mine, before no time at all, food I was planning on using for something, ends up pushed back behind something else and I forget about it.  Then, it is no longer consumable. 

I really got tired of throwing food out, especially when there are others with no food, and with the price of food escalating at such a fast rate. 

So, some time ago, I started thinking about having a “no waste day”.  On that day, once every week or two, I would look through the frig and see if there was anything hiding. I would either freeze it raw or cook it and freeze it.  (You do have to make sure to date it and write it on a list somewhere that it is in the freezer or else it will get lost too.)

Today was the day.  This morning I found some mushrooms that were still good, but maybe not for long. I had no immediate plans for them because of our hectic schedule. so I better do something with it.   I also had some fresh blueberries and strawberries that had not been touched. And some celery stalks.

Not knowing when I would get around to using them, I rinsed the berries, drained them good, then put them in a freezer bag, sucking the air out with my mini vacuum freezer tool my daughter bought me a couple years ago. I labeled it and dated it with a permanent marker.  The next time we have ice cream I can stir in some sugar and make some fruit topping.  Or, it is good to use in smoothies, or jellies. No waste! 

Then I turned to the mushrooms.  I knew if I cooked them they would last a lot longer than sitting in the frig fresh.  So, my intention was to just cook them up and freeze them as I did the fruit.  Well, this is what I did to them.

I put a little olive oil in a small fry pan, about 1 tablespoon.  Then I added three cloves of peeled garlic (smashed but whole) just to flavor the oil.  Then I put 1/4 cup of wine, crushed red pepper flakes, maybe 1/8 tsp. Add 1 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar. Then I put about 1/4 cup of chicken broth.  Let that simmer for 15 minutes.

While that was simmering, I took the stems off of (about 9 big button) mushrooms, rinsed them off (I normally just brush them but I was going to cook them down anyway). Then I sliced them in fairly big pieces.
I added them into the hot liquid, added salt and pepper and sautéed them on medium heat,  stirring frequently (don’t leave them) until they had shrunk in size and were soft, about 15 – 20 minutes.  Then I turned them on simmer for about 20 more minutes.  I turned the stove off and just let them sit and soak in the juices which were a beautiful rich brown. 

I was going to let them cool and put them in the freezer, however, they were scrumptious.  So good in fact my husband and I sat down and had a bowl of them.  That was our satisfying dinner.  No waste! 

There is not  much you can do with celery, except to chop it in small pieces and freeze it to use in soups or some stews. 

I know it is just my house that is trying to save a little here and there, but it is one way to be a good steward of all the blessings and provision the Lord has given us. 

And I hear my mom every now and then say, “Waste not, want not”.  The older generation were a lot more frugal and could turn nothing into something.  As for me and my house, I just want to make a little difference in a “waste not” lifestyle. 

I am praying to get a lot better at it. 

Blessings,  Pat

every day life

That is what this is…just every day life as the Lord walks us through it.     Things we do or learn to do from cooking,sewing, crafts,family events, relationships, financial ideas, entrepreneurship, family, etc. 

This blog has changed because we want the whole package. We feel it is important to not only have the devotional things the Lord shows us, but everything women have going on in their lives and how they handle it in light of their faith in Christ.
We will see how this goes.

Hope you enjoy!  

Blessings from all the women at the Fellowship House!