Teach Intentionally..."Family Time…Spreading Grace", with Stacy A. Davis ~ Bible Teacher and Sky Ranch Board Member

Family Time…Spreading Grace

Celebrate…if you have been leading your family through the “Sky Ranch Family Devotional: Open Your Eyes”, this is the last family devotional in this book!  You will have completed this book and you deserve to be told “great Job!”! Next week, I will begin taking you through Sky Ranch’s second family devotional called “Sky Ranch Family Devotional: Follow the Leader.” It’s going to be an amazing journey for your family…so get ready for next week!

The last family time topic from the “Sky Ranch Family Devotional: Open your eyes” is on “God shows us grace” and this week’s focus is on “spreading grace.” Is that possible? You bet! Each person has to request God’s grace for themselves, but you sure can tell someone about the difference it has made to you and why they should try trusting God. Once you start to see the impact that God has made on your life, it is easy to share or spread the grace to someone else. 

As a Mom, it was easy for me to share God’s grace with my kids, because they were receptive to it.  However, extended family and friends was another thing. Our immediate family chose to believe Jesus and so did many in our extended family and friends. However, like in every family or friend group, there were some who would talk about Jesus, but did not have a personal relationship with Him and it was obvious in their lifestyle. So, what do you do? Pray. We prayed as a family for our family members and friends who did not have a personal relationship with Jesus and if God directs, we shared about the difference Jesus has made in our lives. I have been told by several of these family members and friends that they knew something was different in our lives but missing in theirs…and they were interested in knowing more. At that moment, I would share that Jesus is the difference and He wants a relationship with them and to make that positive difference in their lives as well. Sometimes, my explanations would go well and other times they didn’t, but I prayed through it the whole time. I have found the best witness to others is in how transparently you live your life…can others see your personal relationship with Jesus in your lifestyle? The good news of Jesus is definitely a witness, but your lifestyle is a strong witness of your relationship with Jesus, and both go hand in hand when spreading the good news of God’s grace to others.

This week in your family time, I would encourage you to prepare by praying for your family and asking God to show you the people in your life that you could share God’s grace with. Ask your kids if they have ever told anyone else about their relationship with Jesus and the difference that He has made to them? What was the response? As a family, ask God to help you figure out the best way to share your faith with the people in your life who are the most important to you. For some reason, the people that we care about the most can be the most difficult ones to share Jesus with. But when you are in heaven, won’t you want to see them there too? Or how will you feel if you never took the opportunity to spread the message of God’s saving grace with them and then the time passed and it was too late? Why wait? Their response may be one that I got once… “I am glad you cared enough about me to tell me!”

Do you have questions or need prayer for your family? Email me at SkyMoms@skyranch.org.

I will be praying for you! 

Stacy

Stacy A. Davis

Teach Intentionally 

This week we are in the  12^th  Month Topic and 5^th  Family Time (or page  105) of the Sky Ranch Devotional “Open Your Eyes”…

Family Time 5: 

Month 12 Topic:  God shows us grace…Spreading grace

Talk with God: Read…2 Corinthians 4:15, 9:13, 12:9

~ 2 Corinthians 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

• In 2 Cor 4:15, why are all things for our sakes?  

~ 2 Corinthians 9:13  While they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.

• In 2 Cor  9:13, why would people yearn for and pray for you?

~ 2 Corinthians 12:9  And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

• In 2 Cor 12:9, when is power perfected?

Walk with God: Discuss… Are you spreading God’s grace?  Have each family member share someone God has laid on their heart that needs to know of the grace of God.  What can you do as a family to share God’s grace with these people?  Invite them to church? Have them over to your home for a meal?  Share ideas.

Prayer suggestion… Ask God to use your family to spread the love and grace of God with those you mentioned earlier.  Speak each one by name to Him and ask for His help in reaching them for His kingdom.

Family Time 5: 

Leader Answers:

• So that grace will result in thanksgiving and praise
• Because of the grace through Christ they see in you
• In weakness
• Discussion ideas: Make a list of friends you know who don’t talk openly about Jesus in their daily life. Sometimes friends don’t know Jesus well and don’t feel comfortable sharing about Jesus. Others may not know Him personally. Either way, pray for them. Encourage them and invite them into conversations by sharing what Jesus has done for you and the difference He has made in your life and then give them a chance to share too.

© 2011 Lisa Clark and Stacy A. Davis, Inc. All rights reserved.

Prayer Encouragement: "SkyMoms in the Morning" by SkyMom, Terrie Chevaillier

SkyMoms in the Morning

In the morning Lord, You hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before You
and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3

As the school year approaches and new routines are made and old ones are reinstated, let's make it our desire to meet with the Lord in the mornings. As we see in His Word, meeting with Him in the mornings is His will and desire for us as followers of Christ....dependent on Him for the day. 

Never do we want to be legalistic and think that we can only have this time in the mornings.  However, when we have this discipline of prayer in the mornings, we then get the joy and pleasure of positioning our hearts for the day that is before us to wait expectantly on the things He has shown us in our prayer time.

Let's pray God's Word asking Him to guide us to pray in the mornings for our children.

Dear Father, in the morning You hear my voice.  Thank you that You tell me that You hear me.  Let this sink deep in my heart causing me to come before You with all of the concerns and praises that I have regarding my children.

YOU HEAR ME!  

I can request of You on behalf of my children.....Praise God.  Thank You Father for I desire utter dependence upon You over myself, my child's school, my friends, or other sources.  You alone have the answers to my requests and every single one of the answers is found in You.

So many days have been exhausted in my head and heart as I failed to lay the requests down in the morning.

Wake us up Lord....help us to trust you with one hour less of sleep knowing that You will bless our day with energy and strength because we desired meeting with you more than we loved sleep.

Amen
~Terrie Chevaillier

Teach Intentionally..."Family Time…Redemption", with Stacy A. Davis ~ Bible Teacher and Sky Ranch Board Member

Family Time…Redemption

               Have you ever made a really big mistake, but you were forgiven? Do you remember the relief of being forgiven? Whew! That feeling of freedom is a big point that you want to relay this week in your family devotional. The family devotion from the “Sky Ranch Family Devotional: Open your eyes” is on “God shows us grace” and the week’s focus is on “Redemption.” God’s grace allowed you to be redeemed by Jesus Christ. When you are redeemed by Jesus, you are set free. The punishment that you deserved because of your sin has been removed and there is freedom! Your life on this earth and eternally will be blessed because of this redemption. This is truly being alive. 

As a Mom, I found the best way to explain God's message of grace to my kids was to compare it to a time they saw grace in their lives. Grace is an unmerited favor. It is something that you cannot earn, someone shows you grace or kindness that you do not deserve. I explained it as a time when you were mean to someone and you deserved punishment and instead of punishing you, that person is nice to you and even gives to you instead. As a parent, I have plenty of opportunities to role model grace....so I would just pick one. A simple example would be...my child made a mistake and repented, so I forgave them. I chose not to punish them...that is mercy, and instead, I took them to the ice cream shop and bought them a treat...that is grace. God shows you mercy by forgiving your sins when you repent and releases you from punishment, and then God gives us the additional treat of eternal life with Him...that is grace.

This week in your family time, I would encourage you to prepare by praying for your family and asking God to help you explain grace to you family. Pray and ask for the best way to engage your kids in the discussion. See, if they can explain mercy and grace or give examples of it. Ask for God to show you the best way to explain it, so that your kids don't walk away thinking eternal salvation is the same as ice cream. Let them know that there is more to eternal life! Share as a group the freedom and relief that you feel from being forgiven and the awesome feeling of being truly alive in God.

I will be praying for you! 

Stacy

Stacy A. Davis

Teach Intentionally

This week we are in the    Month Topic and    Family Time (or page    ) of the Sky Ranch Devotional “Open Your Eyes”…

Family Time 4: 

Month 12 Topic:  God shows us grace…Redemption

Talk with God: Read…Romans 3:24, Ephesians 2:5

~ Romans 3:24  Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.

• What is the gift we receive in Romans 3:24 because of grace?
• In Rom 3:24, who is redemption in?

~ Ephesians 2:5  Made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved.

• In Eph 2:5, how are we made alive?

Walk with God: Discuss… We are justified, or made right, by grace through redemption in Christ.  He redeemed us.  He made us right, cleansed us, paid for our sins.  Our sins keep us from a relationship with God.  Christ redeemed us so that we can have a relationship with God.  Grace makes all this possible.  What did you do today to make you feel really alive?  Give examples.  

Prayer suggestion… Thank God you are alive! Every day is a new opportunity to thank Him for all He has done!

Family Time 4: 

Leader Answers:

• Justification
• Christ Jesus
• Through Christ by grace
• Discussion ideas: Talk about redemption. An example could be freedom from guilt of past sins.

© 2011 Lisa Clark and Stacy A. Davis, Inc. All rights reserved.

Tori's SkyMoms Tips...."Make the MOST of Each Precious Moment"

I have so loved this summer with my girls (ages 16 and 14) and I cherish the time we got to really spend together as family.  The start of this school year means both girls will be in High School which in turn means our time together will be less with school work, cheerleading, and new church leadership responsibilities and I will no longer enjoy the special morning routine of taking the girls to school as our 16 year old is driving to school for the first time and her younger sister is thrilled that they can ride together.

When will I get to spend time with them???  

Then the Lord sent me right to this verse....

"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)

Even though we will be so busy and time seems short. I need to make the most of the precious moments I have as a mom and continue to share God's biblical truth with them anytime I can.

God's Word gives the answer: weave His truths into everyday life when sitting, walking, laying down and getting up. Any moment can become a teachable moment...I just need to be intentional this year with our more limited time and realize the importance of me entering into their busy schedules.

How do I plan to do that?:

We will have to make purposeful one on one dates with each other where we can share what God is doing in each of our lives.  This undivided attention to hear about their day, opens a door to talk about mine.

We will have to plan and set aside a night or two that is JUST FAMILY night each week. Where we can all communicate and share what is going on in each of our lives and how we have seen God at work among our busyness. 

We will continue our morning routine of all of us sitting a the breakfast table and completing our own daily devotional books together. This time is precious as we each share prayer request and praises each day.

We will host this year a weekly bible study in our home where we will get the joy of watching our daughter interact with her peers while learning about Jesus' crazy love for them, as well as being in touch with the ins and outs of teen life. :)

"Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." God's wisdom is so perfect for us when it comes to investing His truth into our kid's lives. When sharing God's Word with our family, let's capture the everyday moments and look for creative ways to make each one a teachable one.

Dear Lord, open my eyes to see opportunities that are right before me each day to share Your truth. I want this overflow to become a natural part of my life. 

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen.

~Tori Miller

Sky Ranch SkyMom Ministry Director

Teach Intentionally..."Family Time…Encouragement", with Stacy A. Davis ~ Bible Teacher and Sky Ranch Board Member

Family Time…Encouragement

Do you smile when you are encouraged? Most people love to be encouraged and told good things. This month the family time focus in your “Sky Ranch Family Devotional: Open your eyes” is on “God shows us grace” and the weekly topic discusses “Encouragement.” God’s grace is so amazing to experience that a normal response is to automatically reach out and encourage others to stay close to God and that is the response in the Acts 11:23 below. God has this way of touching your heart and changing you. You become more positive toward God and you encourage others to stay strong in their relationship with God as well.

As a Mom, I found the best way to encourage my kids in their relationship with God was to ask them to think about and share moments when they could see God helping them in their lives. It was the exercise of struggling to think of evidence of God that seemed useful. When the kids were young, they did not always see evidence of God’s help and sometimes, and I had to help them recognize it, by pointing it out. It is natural for kids to question that God really does help them and not really connect all the dots well. But when someone else is paying attention (meaning Mom) and can even give a history of prayer requests and evidence of answers, it can really help. As a Mom, I kept a little cheat sheet of answered prayers and could pull it out at useful moments, if their memory seemed to elude them. As my kids grew older, they began to see the evidence themselves and could identify it more easily. Now to encourage them, I just need to ask them to share about it.

This week in your family time, I would encourage you to prepare by praying for your family and asking them if they recognize God’s help in their lives. If they have trouble identifying God answering their prayer requests, then start writing down the dates and the answers to the prayers. If recognizing God’s answers is new to you, pray and ask God to help you see evidence of Him. Then try reading back over past prayer requests lists and notice if you realize some of them have been answered, make a guess to the date and write it in the margin. Over time, your family will be amazed at the list that is created and you will learn to start identifying God’s movement in your life and be very encouraged!

Do you have questions or need prayer for your family? Email me at SkyMoms@skyranch.org.

I will be praying for you! 

Stacy

Stacy A. Davis

Teach Intentionally

This week we are in the    Month Topic and    Family Time (or page    ) of the Sky Ranch Devotional “Open Your Eyes”…

Family Time 3:

Month 12 Topic:  God shows us grace…Encouragement

Talk with God: Read…John 1:17, Acts 11:23, Acts 15:11

~ John 1:17  For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

• In John 1:17, who gave the law?  What did Jesus give?

~ Acts 11:23  Then when he had come and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord.

• What happened in Acts 11:23, once he had witnessed the grace of God?

~ Acts 15:11  But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.

• Acts 15:11 states that they believe that they are saved through what?

Walk with God: Discuss… The Scriptures remind us that we are saved through grace.  We don’t deserve salvation.  Because of grace, we rejoice and encourage and remain true to the Lord.  Who have you encouraged today?  Who encouraged you?

Prayer suggestion… Thank you, Lord, for sending people to us who encourage us.  Thank You for placing people in our path who need encouragement.

Family Time 3: 

Leader Answers:

• Moses; grace and truth
• Rejoicing and encouragement
• Grace
• Discussion ideas:  Why is encouragement so important for the believer?  Is it easy being a Christ follower in our culture?

© 2011 Lisa Clark and Stacy A. Davis, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lisa Life Lesson, "Why can't my kids be perfect like me?"

Our SkyMoms team got together recently to discuss the upcoming year and to do our traditional "photo shoot!"  Well, photo shoot might be a stretch.  Let's call it "five minutes out in the heat trying to get one good pic of the 3 of us!"  That's it! You can judge for yourself if we successfully completed our mission! 

We are so excited about the next 9 months of ministry to moms.  We will be literally all over the metroplex AND (drum roll, please!) Houston, Austin and Louisiana ministering to Sky Ranch moms and their friends.  The venues are still being set, but the theme for the year has been settled....  "Why can't my kids be perfect like me?"  

We'll have some fun discussing the expectation we put on our children to be "perfect' when we clearly are not.  Why don't we offer our children the same redemptive spirit offered to us by Jesus Christ?  If our home is not a redemptive environment, then we feel defeated and unloved.  

Look for upcoming luncheon dates on the blog and join us as we gather for fun, fellowship, lunch and encouragement! It's the SkyMoms way! God bless you!

~Lisa Clark

Ronda from ~ The Family Table, brings us "Smothered Chili Colorado Beef Burritos and more Food Saver tips!"

Are you ready for a great tasting meal? Then add this one to the rotation as soon as possible. This is a knock your socks off kind of taste. As a matter of fact, I really had to peel the fork from my fingers or I would have wiped out the whole pan. 

Smothered Chili Colorado Beef Burritos

adapted from the blog Food Pusher found on Pinterest

2 pound chuck roast

1 1/2 Tablespoons Better Than Broth: Beef (don’t use canned broth, it will ruin sauce)

1 14 oz can enchilada sauce (mild, medium or spicy depending on your taste)

mashed up pinto beans (make a fresh pot or use a preservative free can)

shredded cheddar cheese (not from a bag, shred it yourself if you want it to melt better)

flour tortillas (burrito size, homemade if you want an over the top meal)

cilantro

white onions, diced

avocado slices (allow 1/2 avocado per person)

tortilla chips

Place chuck roast into the crockpot, pour the can of enchilada sauce over the beef. Add the Better Than Broth: Beef. As the roast cooks, the Better Than Broth will melt into and mix with the enchilada sauce. Cook on low for 7 hours. About halfway through, flip the beef over. 

When beef is done cooking, remove to a cutting board and shred the beef, removing any fatty pieces. Put beef into a bowl and mix with a little bit of sauce just to moisten.  

 

                                                                                                  (sauce after taking out beef)

Lay a burrito size flour tortilla on a plate. Add about 1/2 cup of shredded beef, about 1/4 cup of mashed pinto beans and about 2 T of shredded cheese. Roll up and place in casserole dish seam side down. Generously top with sauce from crockpot and add a sprinkling of cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 degrees until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. 

                             (rolled and topped with cheese, large for adults, small ones for the kids)

(serve with extra sauce drizzled over burrito)

Serve with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, diced white onions, sliced avocado slices, tortilla chips and a big old glass of iced tea. Now that is a meal worthy of company and oh so very delicious. 

Now a few tips...

I used a 2 pound roast and it cooked down to make four large size and two smaller size burritos. This amount fed four of us (one of us doesn’t eat beef) with enough left for my husband to take lunch and for me to have a light lunch. With that said, the first time I made them, I only added the beef into the tortilla so they really were more like enchiladas rather than burritos. Plus, we all thought they were even better with lots of sauce so hence we now double it. If you add all the filling above, one per person is more than enough, allowing the meal to go farther. 

As I mentioned earlier, I am food saving any and everything that comes my way. I will never make only a 2 pound roast for this recipe again. It was just too good and easy to freeze. If you make more meat, just make more sauce by increasing the Better than broth and enchilada sauce. The broth and enchilada sauce are more than salty and spicy enough so I didn’t need to add any other seasonings. 

The original recipe called for bouillon cubes which to me are loaded with extra things we don’t want or need in our diets..msg, preservatives etc. The Better Than Broth can be found at Whole Foods or at Costco, for the big jars, which I go through like crazy.  I keep chicken, beef and vegetable on hand at all times to use when I am out of homemade freezer broth.

To food saver this recipe, shred beef and moisten with a little sauce. Put beef in a food saver bag and suck the air out. Next add the sauce to another bag and seal that one. Store the two bags together in the freezer until ready to assemble.

I can’t say this enough...make friends with the food saver! :)

This past week I used the quart size freezer bags and made one dozen double batches of my dry pancake mix. You could certainly make up a large quantity of this mix and store in a bin, but I want to make sure that each batch turns out the same. 

Each batch of pancakes makes 9, 1/4 cup pancakes. Our family of five can eat about fifteen pancakes so that leaves enough to freeze a few for later if I double the batch. I now have about twelve weeks of Sunday breakfast ready to go for this first half of the upcoming school year. 

I put all of the bags in a labeled bin in my pantry along with a gallon ziploc bag to hold the used bags. I don’t need to wash them out because once I have used all twelve bags, they get refilled with pancake mix and resealed. I can likely use each bag three times before I have to toss them. To me, that is economical on so many levels. The pancake recipe is already up on the blog for those of you that are interested in making a batch. 

                                                                           (Food savered pancake mixes)

Tomorrow I will be using those food saver quart bags to make 24 loaves of Honey Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread. We go through about three loaves of homemade sandwich bread a week. These 24 bags will give me about 8 to 9 weeks worth of homemade bread that I can quickly throw together. I hand knead all of my bread in the bowl, so I am not making a huge counter mess to clean. It takes minutes. Again, the bags are saved and resealed to save time and money. 

                                                                   Bread mixes for Fall school semester :)

                                                           (Bread mix ready for the pantry)

Homemade loaves are definitely smaller than regular loaves which is why we go through 2-3 per week.  However, I like the smaller serving size and the fact that I am eliminating preservatives from our diets where I am able. That doesn’t mean all together....that means.. where I am able. I like that. I like doing what I can and not worrying about what I can’t. Plus bread is anywhere from $3 to $5 a loaf, so I like making my own for pennies and using that extra money for organic fruits and veggies or grass fed meats. 

(honey whole wheat bread!)

(homemade sandwich bread, chicken sandwich...YUMMY!!!!)

Well, I took you around the block and to few state fairs on this blog post but wanted to sneak in a few tips and tricks about food saving. I sure hope they prove to be useful additions to your family kitchen.

Happy Cooking,

Ronda from The Family Table

The Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.

Deuteronomy 16:15

Prayer Encouragement: "A Guaranteed Solution" by SkyMom, Terrie Chevaillier

A Guaranteed Solution

I sought the LORD,

 and he answered me;

 he delivered me from all my fears

Psalm 34:4

As the beginning of the school year approaches moms feel many emotions.

Excitement, expectancy, invigoration, hope, joy…..and sometimes fear.

Today’s verse gives us a place to take those fears!

Straight to the Lord!

 Sky Mom prayer encouragements are designed to help you pray God’s Word.

Often, I hear mom’s say….I just don’t know if it’s my will or God’s will for this or that.

You know without a doubt, that when you are praying God’s Word…that is His will.

Let’s take this verse line by line and apply it to our fears and then pray His Word today!

I sought the Lord

This psalmist positioned his heart for a word from the Almighty God.  God often speaks to us

through His Word, His people, and prayer.

Let’s make sure when our fears come…that we are seeking answers from the Lord before

we seek man’s opinion or way. Get in the Word, seek Godly counsel, and take time to pray.

And He answered me

Pray expectantly and with hope.

  Look for His answer as it is sure to come when we seek HIM.

Read God’s Word with a desire to seek HIS answers to your fears.

He delivered me from all of my fears

I love this as it says HE delivered me.  We do not have to deliver ourselves or do the right thing

to relieve stress and anxiety.  HE WILL…it is a promise from the Almighty God.

Go back to the first line:  I sought the LORD

and then comes the promise…

DELIVERANCE from all of my fears.

Let’s Pray God’s Word:

Father, I come today seeking You for answers to all of the fears I have for the upcoming school year.

Instead of worry, control, or fretting, I choose to wait on Your answer as I seek You.

Position me in Your Word.  Quiet my heart and still my fretting.

I wait for Your perfect answer to all of my fears.

As I lay these at Your feet, thank You Father that You will deliver me from everything 

that threatens to overtake me with worry about this upcoming year.

Amen!

~ Terrie Chevaillier