Ronda from~ The Family Table, brings us "Pecan Pies!"

Dear SkyMoms,

Oh, don't be fooled it is not Ronda...it is just me Tori...but I have snagged some photos from Ronda's Facebook page on some yummy cooking that she has sneaked in between studying and going to class...just in time for the cooler temps and look...she always includes her FAMILY in the cooking!

(good for you Ronda!)

Ronda has been blessed with going to nursing school to pursing her dream this semester!  She has been so busy studying, in class, and with being in the hospitals lately, but has the incredible support of an amazing husband and three helpful beautiful children. 

We look forward to hearing from you soon, and getting this recipe! BUT 

until then, I will just creep on your Facebook and stalk your photos and dream about the incredible smells your kitchen must always have!

SkyMoms love you and miss you,

Tori
Sky Ranch SkyMom Ministry Director

Sous chef Ashton, placing the pecans in the shells.

Chef Collin making the pies.

ready to go in the oven....

yummy...I am sure that daughter, Grace and husband, Omar were close by as the pies cooled and were ready to be eaten.

Ronda, I sure wish you lived closer and I would come over for one and a cup of coffee to catch up!
Praying for you!

Teach Intentionally..."Begin a Family Time" with Stacy Davis ~ Bible Teacher and Sky Ranch Board Member

Begin a Family Time

With the completion of this school year, I am about to enter a new phase in life…the empty nest. I have survived lower school, middle school and high school years with a son and a daughter and navigated through the drama for guys and girls. I discovered what worked and what did not work for guiding kids. But I don’t claim to have it all figured out.  However, if there is one thing that I could encourage you to do that will help you through this challenging time of raising kids; it is to teach God’s Word intentionally in your home regularly. Sharing your experiences and thoughts on your faith, while at the same time letting your kid’s faith be their own… it builds the relationships with each other and Jesus in a way that only happens within the family. And it encourages close family relationships and those relationships are the only thing to go into eternity with us.

As I encourage you to teach intentionally, I have a few simple suggestions to help this happen. First, set a time each week and get it on the main calendar and everyone else’s calendar including your husband. Find an evening that is consistently open each week and a time.  Protect that time and don’t schedule other things during it. Have the study material ready and handy. Give this time a name…like “Family Time” so that it becomes an activity you all refer to. Make sure that each person is given time to talk. It benefits kids if they get at least some time to talk uninterrupted each day. Conclude your family time by praying for each other. Finally, limit your family time and stop after about 20 minutes. The family will usually cooperate if they know it won’t go too long.

After you have scheduled family time, I would also suggest spending a little time thinking about what to teach and preparing.  Sky Ranch has designed a family devotional just to help families teach intentionally. The focus of this devotional for this year is to look at” Who God is”.  If you have a copy, I would suggest using that booklet in your home. If not, then I have included a passage from it below as a suggestion. You can also request a copy of this devotional to be mailed to your home by going to the Sky Ranch website at www.skyranch.org. 

Then, I would suggest a little personal preparation ahead of your family time…pray and ask for God’s help, then read the devotional passage first and honestly ask yourself …where am I personally with the questions asked? As parents, we are role models for our kids and it is okay to not have all the answers. But it is important to be honest with God, yourself and your kids. Also, your kids may ask you challenging questions that you do not have the answers to and it is okay to tell them that you don’t know, but will try to find out. Then, email the SkyMoms Ministry at SkyMoms@skyranch.org and we will respond with advice on how to handle those questions.

Finally, just give it a try… print the passage below and read through as a family one night after dinner. 

I will be praying for you! 

Stacy Davis

Family Time 3:

Month 2 Topic: God is forever and does not change…God’s views

Talk with God: Read…1 Samuel 15:29, Psalm 45:6, Revelation 4:10

~ 1 Samuel 15:29  And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change  His mind.

·         In 1 Sam15:29, will God lie?

~ Psalm 45:6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

·         In Ps 45:6, what is His scepter of?

~ Revelation 4:10   The twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him Who lives forever and ever.

·         In Rev 4:10, what are the 24 elders falling down before?

Walk with God: Discuss… Scripture explains that God is a King and on a throne with a rod or scepter. He rules by uprightness or “what is right.” We also see a promise that God will not lie. Do people and God always match in their views of “what is right”? What if people oppose God? If God does not lie, then who is lying when views oppose each other? Can you think of ideas taught by our society today that oppose God’s Word?

Prayer suggestion… Pray for God to help you learn what is right.

Family Time 3:

Leader Answers:

·         No

·         Uprightness

·         God on His throne

·         Discussion ideas: We will hear things that contradict God’s Word. God tells us that ahead of time so don’t be surprised by it. The test is, who will you believe? God tells us who is lying; people are. Make sure you know what God says. What subjects do you want to know about? How much time do you spend in His Word finding out?


© 2011 Stacy A. Davis, Inc. All rights reserved.

Prayer Encouragement: "Pure Hearts" by Guest SkyMom, Terrie Chevaillier

Pure Hearts

Create in me a pure heart,

O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit

within me.  

Psalm 51:10

Pure hearts are created.  We are born with a sin nature, 

however, because of Jesus, it is possible for us

 to receive a new heart.

One that is pure and undefiled.

With all that our children are being bombarded with

in media and culture, I believe it is VERY important

that we pray this verse….so let’s pray God’s word

for our children today.

Heavenly Father, we praise you and thank You

for your son Jesus, who came to take away the

sins of the world.  And because of that, it

is possible for us to have hearts that are 

created pure.  You know every

impure thing that my child has to see or 

has stumbled across unknowingly and seen.

You know just how much of an influence that

media is having on them.  It gives me much

comfort to know that you know.

I pray that you would take away any ungodly

influence that is in their sphere of influence today, 

and where the world has threatened to muddy up their hearts, 

create in them a pure heart

by the power of your Word.

Where they have given in, your Word says

that you will renew their spirit to be 

steadfast.

Steadfast to say NO to the world and YES to You.

Amen.


~Terrie Chevaillier, Guest SkyMom Prayer Encourager

Philippians 4:8

The bond between a mother and daughter is precious and unique.  Raising young women to discover who they are in Christ and recognize their value in Him is not only important, but critical in today's cultural climate.  Once again, the Sky Ranch Ministry Team and SkyMoms have designed a weekend retreat for moms and daughters to grow closer together, learn more about each other, and have a blast along the way.  The theme for this fall's Mother Daughter retreat is"Whatever" and focuses on Philippians 4:8..."Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable...think about these things!"  Although campers of all ages are welcome, typical ages for daughters are 6-13. This highly popular annual retreat offers: Relevant and experienced guest speakers Fellowship with other moms and daughters A relaxed atmosphere and pace Great Sky Ranch activities, including the Blob, ziplines, crafts, and horses Well-organized and intentional fun, Sky Ranch style! Two options are available for this fall - October 21-23, or November 4-6, 2011.  Cost for the weekend is $155 per person, and includes two nights lodging, five meals, and most activities.  Click here to register TODAY, or call our Guest Services department at 903.266.3300 for more information or for assistance.  You can also visit our website atwww.skyranch.org for more information on our Family Ministry programs. Blessings, Tori Miller Sky Ranch SkyMom Ministry Director

Tips from Tori..."sanity savers"!

Sanity Savers...

It all started this summer with a bible study titled 

"I wish someone would have told me..."! 

It was here a wise lady from our church spoke about purposeful, time saving, and value cooking. Not only for the sake of being a good steward with the monetary rewards the Lord has given us, but also to be wise with our time with our families around the dinner table. We NEED to be and should try to be more intentional about already being prepared with food in the freezer so we can be available to feed anyone at anytime...before a football/cheer game, or right after church and right before choir practice, when an unexpected guest arrives, or even if a friend goes into the hospital with an emergency and the family needs a meal!  

I must admit I have not taken this challenge on quickly....but, this week I did double my usual spaghetti recipe and was able to freeze the other 1/2!  WOW it feels soo good, knowing that I do have a homemade meal in the freezer waiting on us this week, that we can thaw it at any needed time!

My precious friend that I told you about also gave me this book, THIS week...

http://www.dontpanicdinners.com/

I cant wait to try more of these recipes!

ThEN, another friend and neighbor from Plano sent me a great link in her blog THIS weekend....hmmm, maybe someone is trying to tell me something about my cooking...hahaha!!

http://e-mealz.com/ 

In all serious...we should be cooking (when we can) as MOMs and bringing our FAMILIES

 to the dinner table...it is here we can learn and :

~Quickly regroup and find out about each others day 

~Pray for each others needs

~Tell each other one good thing that happened in their day

~Discuss the plans for the next days routine

~Look through last years Christmas cards each night and pick out a family to pray for

~Play favorites game

~Begin fun games with cleaning dishes, or clearing table

~ENJOY the moments

and!

LAUGH!

oh, and if I made the food...just eat it..and don't complain!!!

Love you!

Tori

Blessings,

Tori Miller

Sky Ranch SkyMom Ministry Director

Prayer Encouragement: "Family Sabbath" by Guest SkyMom, Terrie Chevaillier

Family Sabbath

By the seventh day

God had finished the work he had been doing;

So on the seventh day

He rested from all his work.  
Genesis 2:2

Recently, I was listening to a Christian Family radio

broadcast about the  peace and rest that comes

from a family’s commitment to honor the Sabbath.

After listening, I had a fresh awareness of just how

much a gift this is to us…not a punishment or

a harsh mandate, but a gift….for our good.

I was challenged to work toward the Sabbath

and purposefully plan as I go about my week,

so not to miss this gift of rest…however it would

include some intentionality and preparedness to do so.

Only with God’s help and the power of His Spirit

can this gift be received and our hearts be obedient to it.

Let’s Pray:

Father, we thank you for times of work and times of refreshing.

You created our bodies to glorify and honor you

and in order to do so, you created them to need rest.

It is so tempting to not take a day of rest because

of lack of faith and trust.

With so many things to do and places to go,

out of fear we are tempted to neglect this day.

Help us as moms to be intentional as we plan our weeks

in order to honor this day as holy and set apart…for our good.

Help us to see how much more productive our weeks

could be if we trust you and just stop…and rest.

Rest from homework, grocery shopping, laundry, and

running from place to place.

Replace all of that with a desire to relax with family,

worship, pray, and spend time in Your Word,

trusting that as we do, we will be

prepared to honor and glorify you

with rested minds and hearts!

Amen


~Terrie Chevaillier, Guest SkyMom Prayer Encourager

"Whatever!" Mother Daughter Weekends 2011

Register now for this year's Mother Daughter weekend, to be held October 21-23 and November 4-6 at Sky Ranch, Van, Texas!  This year's theme, "Whatever!" is based on Philippians 4:8 - "Whatever is...true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable...think about such things."  SkyMoms and the Sky Ranch Ministry Team are planning and praying and super excited to have you and your precious daughters experience a weekend that will impact your relationship forever. Campers of all ages are welcome, but the recommended age for daughters is 6-13.  Guest speakers,  intentional activites and purposeful play all combine to make this a retreat you will never forget! Click here for more information or to register today! Blessings, Tori Miller Sky Ranch SkyMom Ministry Director