Cheesy Chicken Noodle Soup

We believe Good food and God's Word go well together. After you've enjoyed this dish--or even as you enjoy it--why not hop over to our main page and enjoy one of our encouraging devotions. 

Ingredients

4 BONELESS CHICKEN BREASTS

     

1 CAN CREAM  OF CELERY

1 SMALL BLOCK VELVEETA

   

2 CANS CHICKEN BROTH

1 BAG EGG NOODLES

1 CAN CREAM OF CHICKEN

1 CAN MILK

1 STICK BUTTER

SALT/PEPPER

1 CAN ROTEL

Directions

COOK CHICKEN BREASTS IN BROTH, BUTTER, AND SALT/PEPPER.

ONCE COOKED, REMOVE FROM BROTH.

ADD NOODLES TO BROTH AND LET COOK.

SHRED CHICKEN, THEN ADD BACK TO NOODLES AND BROTH.

ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS AND LET COOK FOR 30–40 MINUTES ON LOW.

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The Dark Day of the Sole - Martin Wiles

Why do you turn away from me? Why do you treat me as your enemy? Job 13:24 NLT

I looked down to see something I’d never witnessed before.

My daughter and I were on an overnight backpacking trip. At noon, thunderstorms rolled in. As we hiked through mountain valleys, we saw dark clouds decorating the neighboring mountains. Fortunately, we dodged them, until an entire system of storms rolled through.

After waiting out the storm in a porta-potty, we made our way back to our tent. Rain had turned the trail into a river. As we plodded through the water—her in a new pair of boots but me in a pair I’d had for quite some time—I heard a strange noise coming from my left foot. Looking down, I saw my sole had separated from the boot. Not much farther down the trail, the right boot did the same. For the remainder of our journey, I experienced a dark day of the sole.

A more familiar phrase is “dark night of the soul.” John of the Cross, a sixteenth-century Spanish priest and poet who worked with Teresa of Avila to reform the Carmelite Order, first used the phrase in two of his major writings, The Ascent of Mount Carmel and The Dark Night. But he used it in a different way than it has come to mean today.

Henri Nouwen, a Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer, and theologian gave the phrase a different meaning. He realized the warmth of God’s presence can elude us. In his secret journal, he told of a dark season in his life in which he couldn’t feel God’s love. Although he had helped millions of people around the world experience a more intimate experience with God, he was in a dark night of the soul.

So was Job. He did everything right, but got caught up in a wager between God and Satan. God permitted Satan to torment Job in any way he chose, except for taking his life. His friends told him he had sinned, and his wife told him to curse God and die. Although Job had questions, he maintained his integrity and refused to walk away from God.

Sometimes, we blame God for what are natural consequences to our poor decisions or to the natural effects of sin on our world. When Adam and Eve sinned, not only did they die spiritually and later physically, but the world also experienced a change. Eve experienced pain in childbirth, Adam poured sweat and had to fight thorns as he farmed, and an unseen battle raged between good and evil.

God is sovereign and controls all things—including our dark nights of the soul. Why He permits bad things to happen to good people is a question we can’t always answer, but He never stops loving us or controlling our undesirable circumstances. He promises to bring good from bad things. At least, I still had a shoe—and the sun did come back out and gave us a beautiful remainder of a hike.

Don’t let your dark nights of the soul cloud and destroy your trust in a good God who loves You and wants to give you His best.

Prayer: Father, increase our faith when we experience our dark nights of the soul.

Tweetable: How do you handle your dark nights of the soul? 

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Meandering Monday - Maintaining a Clear Conscience - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again. 

Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people. Acts 24:16 NLT

Clear consciences lead to healthier living.

Our front and back doors are solid glass. Since I’m not one to like fingerprints hanging around on glass—whether on doors or on bathroom windows--I regularly clean both areas. Until our first grandson came along and my wife started keeping him every day, clean doors weren’t an issue. Suddenly, they were. 

Our grandson liked the wooden doors open so he could see outside. He also loved to put his grimy little hands all over the doors while he peered at the sites outside. Although I cleaned the doors once a week on the day he was not here, it accomplished little. As soon as he arrived the following Monday, the doors were covered with fingerprints again. I determined fingerprint-free glass doors were an impossibility as long as he was around. 

The apostle Paul encountered and endured many a sticky situation during his early missionary journeys, but maintained a clear conscience in spite of the attacks and accusations. He regularly confessed what his life was like before Christ as well as what Christ had done for him afterward. Regular confession of sin keeps my conscience clear and the causeway open between me and God. Guilt—whether false or genuine--melts away when I come clean before God.

Regular reading of God’s Word—along with other helpful Christian material--also helps maintain a clear conscience. Through his Word and other authors, God persistently reminds me of his standards so I can judge myself accordingly. 

Continually monitoring my actions, attitudes, and speech is a necessity. God helps me do that through spiritual disciplines, but having an accountability partner also helps. Often, what I can’t see, God gives others the ability to see clearly.

Understanding God’s forgiveness affects the state of my conscience as well. While God has forgiven all my sins through Christ, I still must acknowledge and own them. Otherwise, my conscience will suffer. 

Is your conscience clear before God? It can be.

Prayer: God of love and grace, we thank You for the forgiveness that’s available in Christ and for the further ability to live free from guilt. 
(Photo courtesy of morguefile and jade.)

Tweetable: What are you doing to maintain a clear conscience? 

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Butter Pecan Cake

We believe Good food and God's Word go well together. After you've enjoyed this dessert--or even as you enjoy it--why not hop over to our main page and enjoy one of our encouraging devotions. 

Ingredients

1 BOX BUTTER PECAN CAKE MIX

4 EGGS

1/3 CUP VEGETABLE OIL

1 CUP MILK

½ CUP SUGAR

1 CAN COCONUT PECAN ICING

Directions

IN A BOWL, MIX ALL INGREDIENTS.

FOLD IN COCONUT PECAN ICING.

POUR INTO A GREASED TUBE PAN.

BAKE ON 350 DEGREES FOR 35 TO 40 MINUTES.

(Photo courtesy of www.cookingontheside.com)

Tweetable: Why not try this sumptuous butter pecan cake this weekend? 

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Integrity over Popularity - Martin Wiles

If I have done something worthy of death, I don’t refuse to die. But if I am innocent, no one has a right to turn me over to these men to kill me. Acts 25:11 NLT

Of the many students who didn’t, he chose integrity over popularity.

Jason appeared to be a loner when he came to our school. On field day, he rarely attended. When I asked his older brother why, he said he just didn’t enjoy such activities. Nor did Jason ever attend our end-of-the-year party at the local bowling alley. During lunch, we often watched him sit by himself. We felt sorry for him, but he enjoyed being alone. 

A part of why Jason stayed to himself was that he enjoyed it that way. Give him a book to read, and he was set for the day. But integrity also drove him to be alone. Some of his classmates involved themselves in actions and spoke words that Jason didn’t agree with. He belonged to a Christian family, and his parents had taught him Christian principles. He wanted to follow them, so he merely chose to stay away from temptation to maintain his integrity.

Paul chose integrity as well. He was in prison and experiencing false accusations. It appeared he had no choice but to appeal to Caesar in Rome, the highest authority. And he did.

Integrity does the right thing when everyone looks and when no one looks. Peer pressure is real. Jason experienced it. So did Paul. I have, too. And it doesn’t stop when we finish school. It lingers into college…work…life. Some will always tempt us to do the wrong thing. We can follow the crowd, which chooses wrong regularly, or we can choose God’s principles.

When we choose integrity, some will disown us, as many did Jason … and me when I was in middle school. Jesus didn’t compromise His integrity for popularity with people. When He confronted the crowds with God’s principles, some believed, but most rejected Him. Some hated Him so much for His stand that they took Him to a cross.

Only God can give us the strength to say “No” when we need to—or to look the other way when we should. Making up our mind to do right ahead of time is also important. Waiting until we’re in the heat of the temptation to decide usually leads to failure.

Make up your mind to choose integrity over popularity.

Prayer: Father, give us the strength to stand for Your principles even when many others don’t.

Tweetable: Do you choose integrity over popularity? 

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Meandering Monday - Life on a Treadmill - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again. 

Life on a Treadmill

Is not all human life a struggle? Our lives are like that of a hired hand, like a worker who longs for the shade, like a servant waiting to be paid. Job 7:1-2 NLT

Round and round life goes. Where it stops nobody knows.

I suppose it was one of the earlier pets my parents allowed me to own. Why I chose a hamster, I’m not sure. Since hamster cages are somewhat small, it’s not uncommon for them to include exercise wheels. Most owners also have a plastic ball for their pet so it can roll around the house. I had both, but they achieved different results. In the ball, my hamster could scoot all over the house. When he hit one wall, he merely switched sides of the ball and took off again. The wheel, however, was quite different. He would often run on it all night, but he made no forward progress. Sometimes life can feel the same. 

Although it may appear that I, like the hamster, am running on life’s treadmill and going nowhere, such isn’t the case. I must believe God has a plan for the world in general and for me in particular. Things are not occurring outside of his control, nor are they random and unconnected. Furthermore, his plans are good and for my good. When he is finished weaving them together, I will understand that. 

As the hamster spins in one direction, so must I—God’s direction. When I hit a wall in my ball, I determine I’ve taken a wrong course and then correct it by going in another direction. My directions are determined through prayer. I can know the mind of Christ, but this doesn’t mean I’ll always get it right the first time. Walls and treadmills remind me of this. God’s Spirit residing in me gives guidance to know when and when I’m not heading in the appropriate direction. 

When life feels as if it’s nothing more than a spinning treadmill, remember God has good plans for you. Pursue them. 

Prayer: Thank You, heavenly Father, for having good plans for us. Prompt us to follow them so we might experience the fullness of Your blessings. 
(Photo courtesy of morguefile and xandert.)

Tweetable: Does your life seem like a treadmill? 

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Crockpot Chicken and Dressing

Ingredients

2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread Mix (cooked)

4 Biscuits (cooked)

2 Eggs

1 Onion

2 Cans Chicken Broth or the Broth from the Chicken

3 Boneless Breasts (Boiled)

2 Tablespoons Sage

2 Tablespoons Butter

Salt/pepper

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

Directions 

Mix cornbread, biscuits, eggs, sage, salt/pepper, and butter in a large bowl. Set aside.

Boil chicken and onion together. 

Once the chicken cools, pull it apart and place in a separate bowl.

Pour chicken broth into the cornbread mixture and mix. If needed, add broth from the chicken.

Grease crockpot and add one can of Chicken Soup. 

Add half of the dressing mixture, followed by the chicken, and then by the remainder of the dressing. 

Top with the other can of Cream of Chicken Soup.

Cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours. 

If needed sooner, cook on high for 1 hour.

Tweetable: Enjoy this delicious chicken and dressing recipe. 

We believe Good food and God's Word go well together. After you've enjoyed this dessert--or even as you enjoy it--why not hop over to our main page and enjoy one of our encouraging devotions. 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

The Source of Life - Martin Wiles

For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. John 15:4 NLT

Within a few days, the large, green vibrant leaves were reduced to a brown, crumpled heap.

Mid-spring had arrived, and I decided to plant a small vegetable garden in our backyard. I made sure to plant yellow crook-necked squash—our favorite to fry when battered with cornmeal. Initially, the plants didn’t do well, so I brought out the Miracle Grow and poured it to them weekly. In no time, the plants perked up, grew at a rapid rate, bloomed, and produced numerous squash.

Then spring ended and summer’s heat arrived. The amount of squash diminished, and the once vibrant leaves faded. One day, I said to my wife, “I think I have just picked the last squash.” After doing so, I used my flat hoe to sever the shanks of the plants from the root balls. I left the severed plant lying where I had performed the surgery…and watched.

As my wife and I sat on the patio each night thereafter, we watched death spread. By the end of the week, our once large squash plants lay in a small brown pile. I had severed their source of life. They could no longer produce. They could only fulfill their destiny: death.

The ugly truth is sometimes hard to swallow: I came into this world dead. Not physically, but spiritually. At a young age, I began to show the truth of Jesus’s statement and of the Bible’s message. Through actions and words, I violated God’s principles and commands. I was severed from the Vine. Left that way, I would have carried that state of spiritual death into an eternity separated from God.

But Jesus shares good news amid the bad. If we connect with Him, the Vine, we’ll experience spiritual life now and in eternity. Forgiveness of all our sins is a part of the connection. Once in Him, we produce fruit in our actions, attitudes, and words—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. We’ll also enjoy life as God intended—in a relationship with Him.

God doesn’t will for any to perish but for all to connect to the Vine. Are you connected?

Prayer: Father, thank You for the connection You provide through Jesus Christ.

Tweetable: Have you discovered the source of life? 

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Meandering Monday - The Head Lifter - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again. 

The Head Lifter

But you, O LORD, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. Psalm 3:3 NLT

When my head is lifted and gripped by God’s hands, troubles take on new meaning.

The pain was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I had heard my grandfather talk about his one-time experience with the flu—the intense aches and pains--so I wondered if that’s what I had contracted. My body ached from head to foot. Lifting my head from wherever it rested was almost more than I could muster the strength to do. Read more...

Tweetable: What lifts your head when you're down? 

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Apple and Grape Salad

 

Apple and Grape Salad

Ingredients

1 Red Apple (cut in chunks)

1 Yellow Apple (cut in chunks)

1 Green Apple (cut in chunks)

1/2 lb Green Grapes

1/2 lb Black Grapes

2 (10pk) miniature Butterfingers

4 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)

8 oz. Sour Cream

1/2 C. Sugar

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar.

Add fruit.

Pour into an 8 x 12 container.

Top with crushed butterfingers.

Keep Refrigerated.

Tweetable: Why not try this healthy dessert? 

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When the Battery Dies - Martin Wiles

But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, “You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard.” Acts 27:31 NLT

Around our house, a dead battery on a computer, iPhone, or iPad is a major disaster.

Although we didn't let our two grandsons who stayed with us five days each week remain on their devices continually, we did allow them several hours each day. In fact, getting on their devices was the first thing they wanted to do when they arrived each evening after school. 

If my wife or I had forgotten to charge the devices the night before, the scenery changed. Our grandsons’ moods changed drastically. In their little minds, they had planned to watch videos or play games as soon as they got to Meme and Pop’s house.

One morning during the summer when our grandsons arrived, one of the device’s batteries was dead, leaving only one device between the two of them. Instead of fussing, the younger grandson took his charged device and invited his older brother to sit beside him to watch videos. A rare moment of unity between them. Of course, it didn’t last long, but I saw what could happen when a battery dies.

At the moment, Paul’s dead battery included a hurricane, a group of sailors who wanted to steal the lifeboat and escape the sinking ship, and a group of soldiers who wanted to kill the prisoners so they wouldn’t escape when the ship sank. In the end, they all had to pull together to reach the island shore after the ship ran aground on a sandbar.

Sometimes, God takes things from us or allows a trial in our life to help us see what’s most significant. Paul was a prisoner and on his way to Rome to stand before the most important person in the known world: Caesar. He wanted to get there. Thus, the advice he gave to the officer and the soldiers. Our grandsons getting along was more important than the devices themselves.

Through trials, God helps us distinguish between wants and needs. Devices are wants, not needs. When God reduces our income or our possessions, we quickly learn how much we can do without. Chances are, we already have more than most people in the world.

When life’s batteries die, we also see how important relationships are. Hopefully, our grandsons discovered the lesson, and I’m sure the soldiers and sailors did, too. God created us for relationships with others and, most importantly, with Him. Things … unnecessary things … can promote or hinder our relationships.

When your battery dies, look for the lesson God wants to teach you.

Prayer: Father, show us through trials what the most important things in life are.

Tweetable: What have you learned from a dead battery? 

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Draw Near to God - Joel Berry

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8 ESV

I enjoy playing a round of golf with my two adult sons.

I learned the game in my mid-thirties, then taught them to play as youngsters. We spent many summer evenings walking as many holes as we could play before dark.

By their late teens, my sons could outdrive me. Now, in their thirties, they beat me whenever we play. I don’t mind. I value the time I spend with them on the golf course, and I take satisfaction in knowing that I taught them to play.

My sons once needed my help to brush their teeth before bed, to put on a sweater as they dressed for church, and to tie their shoes multiple times throughout the day. I carried them on my shoulders when they were tired, and we had a long walk ahead. I remember when they climbed on the sofa as I watched a football game, just so I could hold them in my arms where they felt safe and secure.

Whether they were happy or sad, obedient or disobedient, pungent and sweaty from playing outside or smelling like baby shampoo after a bath, they did not hesitate to draw close and feel my embrace.

James tells us we can do the same with God. Regardless of what we have done or what we are going through, God invites us to draw near.

We draw near through confession, prayer, worship, and meditation on God’s Word. When we draw near to God, He does not turn us away. He draws near to us, wrapping His arms around us when we need His comfort and assurance that He loves us.

If you need to feel God’s love and acceptance, draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you.

Tweetable: Do you feel far away from God? 

Joel Berry is an aspiring writer who will soon graduate from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies. He serves as a spiritual mentor for men and leads a Bible study group for married couples. Joel and his wife, Cheri, live in Roswell, GA.

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Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

 

CROCKPOT MACARONI & CHEESE

Ingredients

16 OUNCES MACARONI NOODLES

       

1 SMALL BLOCK VELVEETA CHEESE

1 LARGE CAN EVAPORATED MILK

              

2 ½ CUPS WHOLE MILK

           

3 CUPS SHREDDED SHARP CHEESE

2 EGGS

2 TABLESPOONS BUTTER

SALT/PEPPER TO TASTE

Directions

COOK NOODLES (DRAIN AND RINSE).

COMBINE EGGS AND CANNED MILK AND BEAT. 

IN A GREASED CROCK POT, PLACE ALL INGREDIENTS EXCEPT 1 CUP SHREDDED CHEESE.

STIR TOGETHER AND TOP WITH REMAINING CHEESE.

COOK ON HIGH FOR 45 MINUTES, AND THEN LOW FOR 1 ½ HOURS.

We believe Good food and God's Word go well together. After you've enjoyed this dessert--or even as you enjoy it--why not hop over to our main page and enjoy one of our encouraging devotions. 

Tweetable: Try this sumptuous macaroni and cheese. 

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Making Plans - Martin Wiles

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3 NLT

As the weekend neared, my nervousness intensified. What if I forgot something? Something important. And, of course, watching two shows about bear attacks didn’t help.

When my daughter was younger, we backpacked and day-hiked regularly, but then life happened. She got older, left for college, got a job, had two kids, and took on other responsibilities. Our days of hiking and backpacking disappeared … almost.

But one weekend encapsulated her delayed Christmas present to me … by seven months. She wanted to take me on a weekend backpacking trip. As the weekend approached, I busied myself planning what we would need. When we hiked regularly, planning came naturally. Although she was young, and I was nervous about protecting her, I hardly had to think about what we needed. Packing became second nature. But years had passed. I made a list … and then another one … and then another. I was sure when we got into the car to leave—or when we got to our campsite—I would remember something I didn’t bring.

The writer of Proverbs gives a simple yet complicated formula for our plans to succeed: commit them to God.

Committing our actions to the Lord entails remembering that my plans are not my plans after all. If so, they’ll probably fail. My plans should reflect the plans God already has for me. My job requires determining God’s plans so I can align mine with His. God says the plans He has for His children are for their good, not their disaster.

Making those plans requires familiarity with God’s Word, prayer, and communication with other spiritually-minded people. God’s Word never leads us astray, and prayer provides the means whereby we interact with God’s Spirit, who knows the mind of Christ. Hundreds of books, videos, and articles exist that might also provide good advice for our planning, but only if they are based on the principles of God’s Word.

Time has a way of slipping by … of passing quickly as we get older. I discovered this when I thought about how long it had been since my daughter and I had backpacked. That’s when I realized I only have enough time in life to follow God’s plan.

Ask God what His plans are for your life. Then let Him help you plan out His plan.

Prayer: Father, give us guidance so that the plans we make will align with Your plans.

Tweetable: With what in mind do you make plans?

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