Tater Tot Casserole

 

Ingredients
1 BAG FROZEN TATER TOTS

16 OUNCES SOUR CREAM

2 CUPS SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE 

1 CAN CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

1 6 OUNCE CAN FRENCH FRIED ONIONS

Directions
ARRANGE TATER TOTS IN A GREASED BAKING DISH.

IN A BOWL, MIX TOGETHER SOUP, CHEESE, AND SOUR CREAM.

POUR MIXTURE OVER TATER TOTS AND TOP WITH FRENCH FRIED ONIONS.

BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 40 TO 45 MINUTES.
(Photo courtesy of wearychef.com.)

Tweetable: Why not warm up your breakfast with this sumptuous casserole? 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are a grandparent, parent, or someone who wants to learn from grandparents, this is the book for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

To Move or Not to Move - Martin Wiles

Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours? 1 Kings 3:9 NLT

 

“I’m not moving … especially for five more dollars each month.”

 

Moving might not be a big thing for some people, but it was for me. When my wife wanted to move three doors down to another patio townhome just like our present one—and when I found out the rent would be higher—I refused. She didn’t understand, but I had already calculated. Another move would constitute twenty-nine moves in my lifetime.

 

Growing up as a preacher’s kid—and then becoming a preacher myself—meant moving often. When I did the math, I had only averaged staying in one place for just over two years. And in some places, my family had not stayed that long. Dad was a restless kind of fellow, at least until he got older.

 

I had stayed a little longer at the churches I pastored, but I had still passed through quite a few moves, just like dear old Dad. Presently, we were not living in a church-owned home, so moving from one church to another didn’t require changing residences. My wife just wanted to move because our current landlord didn’t do such a good job of keeping up with repairs.

 

Nor did the amount of stuff we owned make me balk at moving. We had downsized tremendously over the years. After all, not much room exists in a two-bedroom patio townhome. This time we wouldn’t even have to pack. We could handtruck our furniture down the back sidewalk and into our new home. And we could load a few totes at a time until we had moved everything. No boxes required.

 

Why my hesitancy then? Bad back, heel aches, arthritis, time, sweat, aggravation, change. All those things slithered into my mind when I thought of moving.

 

“Just listen to what the new landlord has to say,” my wife pleaded.

 

So, I did. And as you might imagine, as I write this, I’m sitting in my recliner in my new home—three doors down. The decision wasn’t easy, but in the end, it appeared the best thing to do. We wouldn’t have to worry about our new landlords selling the townhome from under us. It constituted their retirement income—or so they told us. But all this changed later when home prices skyrocketed, making selling look quite attractive. We’d move again.  

 

King Solomon had many decisions before him. God had appointed him as the new king of Israel after his father, David, retired from the throne. But Solomon recognized he needed wisdom to govern God’s people. When God told him to ask for anything he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom—probably not an easy decision when he could have asked for many other things that would have brought him temporary pleasure.

 

Decisions are a part of life. Every day. Some we make without much thought at all—perhaps without any. But some are not so easy. Life-changing we might say. Difficult. Thought-provoking.

 

Whether large or small, significant or insignificant, Solomon’s actions provide a good example. He prayed. Always a good place to start. God really does care about the details of our lives and wants to be involved. After all, He knows the plans He has for us—and we often don’t. God is the author of wisdom—the kind we need to get through life without making a bunch of mindless mistakes. And when we ask for wisdom, God promises to grant our request.

 

We can’t undo many of our life’s decisions, so after we make the decision we shouldn’t look back—or live with regret. I’ve been able to undo a few bad decisions in my life … but only a few. Once we’ve decided, we need to move forward—good or bad—and make the best of the new normal we have invited, trusting that God will work all things for our good and His glory. Living with regret over past poor decisions only makes us miserable and keeps us focused on the past rather than on the glorious future God has in store.

 

Trust God to help you make your life decisions. Then, you won’t have to look back with regret.

 

Father, give me wisdom for every decision I must make in life.

Tweetable: How do you make decisions? 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are a grandparent, parent, or someone who wants to learn from grandparents, this is the book for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

A Proper Thanksgiving - Martin Wiles

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

Call me a sentimentalist, but I have my own ideas of what constitutes a proper Thanksgiving.

I remember the good ole’ days when we gathered at my grandmothers’ houses to celebrate the holidays, Thanksgiving among them. My paternal grandmother and grandfather had only two children: my father and his sister. Mom and Dad had three boys, and my aunt had a boy and a girl.

We all gathered at my grandparent’s house on Thanksgiving Day to celebrate. The kids sat around the kitchen table while the adults assembled in the dining room. And I remember when I reached that milestone and could graduate to the dining room table to eat with the adults.

My grandfather was a ham man and always cooked and sliced the ham. I don’t remember us celebrating with turkey, but my grandmother provided the trimmings. When we finished, we milled around doing various things: sitting and talking in the living room, watching a ball game on television, and playing in the fenced-in backyard.

We said our goodbyes around midday and drove thirty miles down the road to my maternal grandparents’ farm. Here, we repeated the same procedure. Mom had one sister who had three children. They lived fifty yards away, so getting to Grandma’s house required no driving for them.

But that was then, and this is now. I thought things had changed, but after talking with my middle brother, I guess they haven’t changed as much as I thought. All three of us brothers are now grandfathers and gather with our children and grandchildren on Thanksgiving and other holidays.

Still, I would love to add the great-grandparent level and see everyone gather at my mom’s house. I miss the part where we gather at the person’s house who stands the furthest back in our genealogical line. 

But really, a proper Thanksgiving includes much more than family gatherings. Paul encapsulates it in this one verse: give thanks to God in all circumstances. He wrote this long before anyone proclaimed a Thanksgiving holiday in America or any other country.

The holidays can be difficult. We miss the gatherings. We miss the ones who once gathered with us. Death is the lifetime thief that no law enforcement officer can capture. And times can get tough when circumstances come against us.

But circumstances should not determine our thanksgiving or joy. Regardless of our circumstances, we can know God is in control, loves us, blesses us, works all things together for our good, has mercy that endures forever, and has an eternity planned for us—all things to be thankful for, whether our Thanksgiving gatherings look like the ones we long for.

So on this Thanksgiving, observe a proper Thanksgiving.

Father, help me always to remember to thank you in all circumstances and at all times.

Tweetable: What Thanksgiving memories do you have? 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are a grandparent, parent, or someone who wants to learn from grandparents, this is the book for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

 

Under Attack - Martin Wiles

My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls. Psalm 22:12 NLT

Tradition says the running of the bulls began in northeastern Spain during the fourteenth century. Why anyone would want to run down a crowded street with angry bulls chasing them is beyond me. The thought of being trampled or gored isn’t appealing. Even though it happens, people still do it. I’ve also watched wolves, wild dogs, and coyotes attack their prey. With teeth bared and mouths salivating, they circle, blindside, and eventually pounce on their victims.

Whether he actually was or not, the psalmist felt surrounded by enemies. His words were prophetic of how Jesus would later feel when His enemies eventually called for His death. In many countries, Christians are under attack. The attack may involve jail time, beatings, or even death. Or the attack may arrive in more subtle ways.

When under attack for our faith, it is common for us to overreact. We can spew hateful words against those who attack us or promote ungodly lifestyles. We can act as if we’re better than them and walk around with our religious noses in the air. Or we might withdraw like a hermit and refuse to associate with anyone but our own kind. But there are better responses.

Praying for strength to endure is crucial. God never promises to take persecution away. In fact, He tells us we will be persecuted—after all, Jesus was. He will, however, give us strength to endure. Searching for God’s will in how to react to the attacks is also important. However we choose to respond, it should be with love.

We can be confident when we’re under attack. I’ve read the end of the Book—good wins over evil. Believers triumph. Knowing that is not an excuse for a haughty attitude, but knowing it does help us respond to faith attacks with a different outlook.

Being attacked for our faith also gives us a reason to praise God. Faith attacks are a witness for Him. If others are not opposing us in some way, perhaps we’re not as verbal about our faith as we should be.

Determine ahead of time how you will respond when attacked for your faith.

Father, give me the strength to stand when I come under attack for my faith. 

Tweetable: Where do you turn when under attack? 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are a grandparent, parent, or just someone who wants to learn from grandparents, this is the book for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Feeling Forsaken - Martin Wiles

My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me? Psalm 22:1 NLT

Feeling forsaken can make it appear that life’s caving in.

I’ve always thought that of all people who should stand shoulder to shoulder in tough times, it should be family. Recently, a particular family member had the means to help my wife and me through a difficult financial period but chose not to. I felt forsaken … actually angry.

Examples of feeling forsaken are rife. Thousands of children feel forsaken by parents who abandon them. Perhaps they couldn’t afford to raise them or didn’t want to. Forsaken spouses join their multitude. Spouses have walked out on them for someone else because they don’t love them anymore or because they are tired of marriage. Even friends sometimes forsake friends. And there’s just something about tragedies that leaves us feeling forsaken too.

The psalmist doesn’t give the reason he feels forsaken. Maybe he was just writing Hebrew poetry he knew people could identify with for thousands of years to come. I have a feeling, though, that someone had forsaken him or some difficulty had assaulted him. Because of it, he imagined God had also.

When hard times strike, it’s easy to think God has abandoned us. When others forsake us, it’s easy to transfer our feelings of abandonment to God as well. Staking our faith in what the Bible teaches is essential when we feel forsaken, and the Bible says God will never leave us. Others might, but He won’t. Regardless of how we might treat Him, He’ll never leave. He’s the only friend we can find who we can say that about with confidence.

When I feel forsaken, I remember how easy it is to confuse feelings with reality. Feelings change often within the same day and even the same minute. How we feel may or may not reflect reality. If we feel forsaken by God, our feelings never mimic reality. God is forever by our sides to comfort, guide, and instruct. When others walk out, He stands nearby.

When we feel forsaken by others—and particularly God—we must depend on our faith, not feelings. Our relationship with God is built on truths and realities, not feelings. Walking by faith helps us experience His presence even when we don’t feel it.

When you’re feeling forsaken, remember God will never abandon you.

Father, I thank You for always being by my side in good times and bad. 

Tweetable: Are you feeling forsaken? 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are a grandparent, parent, or someone who just wants to learn something from grandparents, this is the book for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Taco Soup

Ingredients 

1 pound hamburger meat (cooked and drained)

2 Cans Black Beans

1 Can Pinto Beans

1 Can Light Kidney Beans

1 Can Chili Beans

2 Cans Shoe Peg Corn

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

2 Cans Rotel (tomatoes and chiles)

2 Envelopes of Ranch Dressing Mix

2 Envelopes Taco Seasoning

2 Cups Water

Directions

Mix all together in a large Crock Pot.

Simmer on low for two hours, or for quicker results, place in a large pot, and boil for thirty minutes.

Serve with sour cream and Tortilla chips.

Tweetable: Why not add this soup to your fall evening? 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are an editor who wants to hone your grammar skills or someone who just wants to improve your writing or speaking, this is the book for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Stress Buster - Lynne Phipps

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. James 1:5,6 NIV

My Irish Setter, Ruby, suffers anxiety in any unfamiliar situation. Seeing her transform from her exuberant, happy self into a quaking, shaking mess grieves me. She often needs a stress buster. 

Anxiety is not only limited to dogs, however. We humans also have our share of anxious moments. I had one once when I traded my car for a different model. Just thinking about the decision and all it entailed set my insides quivering. What if I spent all that money and got a lemon. What would I do then? How would I afford the repairs on my fixed income?  What if, what if whirled around in my head.

Finally, I did make a choice, but my anxiety level remained high as I repeatedly went over my decision, hoping it was a good one. As so often happens, God dealt with my anxiety by prompting me to go for a walk. As I walked, I realized I needed to review my decision step by step. Had I prayed for wisdom and guidance? Yes. Did I receive peace to move forward? Yes. Did the dealership I chose have a good reputation? Yes. Had I calculated my finances before entering into the deal? Check. Had I involved others who could help me think rationally and wisely about such a major purchase? Yes. 

In light of my review, I needed to make another decision. Would I trust that God had given me guidance and wisdom through each step of my decision? Further, if future problems with the vehicle arose, did I think he would guide me through them and supply all my needs? Or would I doubt and continue to be like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind? 

I chose the stress buster of belief and kept choosing it whenever my mind sought to return to doubting. By doing so, my anxiety was relieved, and I began to enjoy my new vehicle, for which I am truly thankful.

How about you? Any stressful, anxiety-ridden situations in your life today? If so, ask God for wisdom to deal with them. Then, trust the wisdom He gives, for it’s a stress buster that will not fail.

Lord God, thank you that I can count on your wisdom, which you give generously to all who ask. Empower me by your Holy Spirit to trust that wisdom, which can burst my stress levels and bind me to anxiety. In Christ’s name, amen.

Tweetable: What is your stress buster? 

Lynne Phipps and her family live on a small hobby farm in the heart of Alberta, Canada’s farming country. She has been writing devotions for forty years and never tires of the spiritual correlation the Holy Spirit blesses her with. He uses normal everyday events and the behaviors of the multitude of glorious creatures He has brought across her path to point her to the truths of God. Lynne is a devotion writer for VineWords: Devotions and More.

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are an editor who wants to hone your grammar skills or someone who just wants to improve your writing or speaking, this is the book for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Silence Is Golden - Martin Wiles

But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Matthew 6:6 NLT

“The Sound of Silence” was written by Paul Simon of the duo Simon and Garfunkle over several months between 1963 and 1964. In 1966, the song, which tells of a man who failed to communicate, hit number one on the Billboard 100.

Although silence can have damaging effects, it can also be golden. After teaching around one hundred middle school students daily, I’m ready for silence when I get home. Following an end-of-first-semester party for our middle schoolers at the local bowling alley—one my wife attended with me—my wife now understands why I want silence when I get home.

Jesus also thought a great deal of silence. People who wanted to hear him teach, see him perform miracles, or do something for them constantly mobbed him. Along with those who wanted something were the religious hound dogs who continually searched for some reason to arrest and even kill Jesus. Getting away by himself or with his disciples was essential for maintaining his and their sanity. It is for me, too.

A little white noise is good. My wife and I sleep with fans blowing. We wake up when the power goes off, and complete silence overshadows us. But the other types of noises that often characterize a day—loud voices, machines, vehicles, horns, train whistles, screaming kids, shouting customers, television shows, and internet voices—can drown out the most critical voice we need to hear. While God can speak amid the noise, we’re more apt not to hear him when noise abounds. Jesus says we need to get in our prayer closet—whether we take that literally or not.

Silence helps us focus. I want to hear God’s voice and focus on his words. We need to listen to him clearly so we can think soberly. Silence is necessary for accomplishing this task.

Obedience is much easier when we can hear God unmistakably and focus on his words. And when we obey, peace follows. We experience peace when we submit to and follow God’s will. Anything less will produce noise.

Find a place and time where you can be silent before God daily.

Father, I long for silence to hear your Spirit speak clearly to my spirit. 

Tweetable: Where do you find your silence? 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are an editor who wants to hone your grammar skills or someone who just wants to improve your writing or speaking, this is the book for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Truth That Never Changes - Martin Wiles

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

I don’t remember whether Mom and Dad explained the importance of what I watched on television, but I remember watching with great interest.

Just shy of nine years old, I sat in the den of our church-owned home and stared at a small black-and-white television. The date was July 1960, and American Neil Armstrong was about to become the first man to set foot on the moon.

Although I didn’t know it then, I discovered later that many Americans didn’t believe anyone was on the moon. I suppose they still thought a space machine couldn’t be launched from earth and land on the moon—much less that someone could walk on it. Despite evidence to the contrary, some wouldn’t believe it.

In giving instructions to a young minister, Paul reminded Timothy about the nature of God’s Word. He, too, would encounter some who would not believe its message despite evidence to the contrary.

Almost two thousand years of history haven’t changed anything. Opinions about the Bible vary. Some believe every word in it is truth, while others think nothing in it is true. Many are in the middle. They believe it records truth when it addresses faith and some historical matters but have no confidence in it when it speaks of scientific things. For them, it’s mostly a collection of myths, legends, and fairy tales.

Regarding God’s Word, we have only two choices: complete truth or not truth at all. If we can’t trust what it says about scientific and historical matters, how can we be sure it speaks truth when it addresses faith matters?

Accepting God’s Word is an act of faith, just like our belief in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and our Savior. We must believe God breathed the words and that those words show the way He wants us to live, think, and speak. Measuring our actions and attitudes based on the Bible’s teachings shows where we need to make changes. Believing its teachings and promises and watching them fulfilled in our lives reinforces its validity. What we think about God’s Word will show up in our lifestyle.

Think about what you think about the Bible.

Father, give me the courage to take a leap of faith and believe the Bible is your true Word. 

Tweetable: What do you think of the Bible? 

I invite you to try my newest book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, in eBook or paperback. If you are an editor who wants to hone your grammar skills or someone who just wants to improve your writing or speaking, this is the book for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.