You are only as good as the tools you use.

A chef is only as good as the tools he/she uses. Cooking is alot easier if you have really good tools of the trade,a great recipe, a good knife, a hand mixer, possibly a food processor and a collection of pots and pans, etc... Often in my morning prayer I find myself praying for God to give me His strength and to equip me with the proper tools to deal with the daily struggles of being a godly wife and mother. Then instead of relying on the main tool, the Bible, I start relying on myself again. Which generally ends up in a mess. I started off today looking at my calendar and making my list of what needed to get done and noticed I did not include spending time in God's word. How am I to have strength and grace if I don't use the main tool God has given to me as instruction. So during the eating of my oatmeal, I pulled out my Bible and started in Titus again. In Titus 2:11-12 it says: 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldy desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, I don't think I have ever noticed that the grace of God doesn't only bring us salvation it also teaches us to say no to that which displeases Him. I feel one of the main things that displeases God is the breakdown of the family. Satan is doing everything He can to tear apart families. I feel the heart of every family is the Mom and we are bombarded daily with things to pull us away from being who God wants us to be. The beauty is He has given us the armor to do battle. Ephesians 6:11 says: Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Father God , may I choose to put on the full armor daily, so as to be able to stand the daily schemes. We breath because God chooses to sustain our life, so why don't we believe He can also breath life into our daily struggles for righteousness. Oh, Lord let me just not say I am going to trust You with this day but to live it and turn to the main tool for life, the Bible daily. Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth!

May these instructions for Gumbo warm your belly during these cold days we are having.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1lb Smoked Sausage or Keilbasa, sliced into 1/8 of an inch circle slices
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped (any color)
1 stalk of celery, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
3 cups (about) cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups frozen okra
2 tablespoons flour
1- 32 oz. chicken broth/stock
3 to 4 cups hot cooked rice

Heat olive oil in Dutch Oven on medium heat.
Cook sausage, onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, salt and black pepper.
Cook until veggies are tender. Stir in crushed red pepper and paprika.
Add in Chicken and Okra, cook until okra is thawed and heated through.
Sprinkle the flour over gumbo 1 tablespoon at a time stirring thouroughly after each.
Pour in broth mix well, heat until ist reaches a boil, cut back heat to low and cook for 50 to 60 min.
To serve I place 1/4 cup of rice in a soup/pasta bowl and cover with 1 to 2 ladles of gumbo.
Goes well with garlic toast and sweet tea!

Sometimes I use 1 lb. of uncooked Chorizo no casings. It browns up like hamburger.
The beauty of cooking is you can adjust recipes to your family's taste and make them your own.