Living Words

Over the past few weeks, my kids have been memorizing Bible verses. They can easily recite 4 of them now, and they love to do it. It has been good for them in so many ways! I think it has made them more confident (they are always bursting to share the verses with everyone who enters our house!) and helped them with memorizing and reading skills. We have talked at length about the meanings of the verses and many important words in them (sin, trust, kindness, etc) and they have learned a lot. I've also been able to refer back to the verses at opportune moments (I feel much more purposeful when quoting, "Be kind to one another!" than saying, "Stop licking your brother and leave him alone already!!"), which helps to give them a better understanding of the verses, too.

But can I just say how much of a blessing it has been to me?? When my son runs up to me and says "The Lord is with me; He is my helper!" in his cute little 2-year-old way, my heart overflows with love- and thankfulness. When my daughter offers to set the table for dinner and says, "Mommy, I'm going to be your helper like Jesus is my helper!" I am humbled by the awesome work that His word is doing in the hearts of my kids- and in mine.

Don't get my wrong: memorizing verses has not turned my kids into perfect children. There is still a whole lot of disobedience and disrespect, along with the typical hitting, tattling, whining (oh, and licking!), and a host of other toddler behavior. But as we travel this road of motherhood and childhood together, I am so grateful for the gift of God's Word and the way He is weaving it into our daily lives.

Thank you, Lord, for Your living, powerful, awesome Word. Please help me to be faithful to share it with my children as my husband and I humbly and prayerfully attempt to raise them to know and love You!

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." -Hebrews 4:12

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Easy Black Bean Salsa

One of our favorite summertime snacks is salsa- mmmmm! On a hot day, a cold bowl of salsa and some tortilla chips make a perfect treat. We used to buy different varieties of salsa from the grocery store, which were enjoyable but always slightly lacking, and who knows what's in some of the popular brands (some of them have fairly basic ingredients, but personally I'd rather know exactly what the "Natural Flavor" is in my salsa rather than just hoping it's something good, ya know what I mean?). Plus, you can easily pay $4 (or more) for a jar of salsa, especially if you're buying organic. So I decided to attempt to come up with my own easy, fresh, healthy recipe and we ended up loving it!

The Black Bean Salsa Caper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp capers with liquid
dash red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add diced green pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onion and cook until both peppers and onion are slightly browned, about 3 minutes more. Meanwhile, pour tomatoes with liquid into a bowl. Add capers, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add cooked peppers and onion. Add black beans. Stir just until combined.

Serve with tortilla chips or mix with cheese in a tortilla and heat in a skillet for fresh, easy, delicious quesadillas!