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

Tips from Tori...Pinterest!

Are you looking for that special something to cook tonight? Or that picture to put with a  Bible verse? A craft to do with a group of kids?  A do it yourself project for a rainy day?  How to put a clothing group together, or even how to hang a grouping of pictures....?  Well Pinterest is my new found Hobby, with many of those answers and more at your fingertips.

Let me warn you...it is a little addicting :)!

Enjoy!

Today I went looking for a carrot recipe, so I thought I would share....

Honey Glazed Balsamic Carrots

Here is a great quick and brain-dead-easy grilled side dish that can compliment a wide variety of dishes. If you've got the grill fired up, these take mere minutes. How can you really go wrong with carrots, balsamic, and honey?

Ingredients
6 carrots (as equal in size as possible)
1/8 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup Honey

Method
Combine the balsamic and honey in a small bowl, whisk to combine and set aside.

Peel, trim and slice the carrots in half horizontally.

Put them in a zip-top bag and seal, leaving about an inch unsealed.

Cook the carrots on high in the microwave for two minutes, or until they are slightly flexible. This shortens the grilling time greatly.

Note: You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your carrots and the power of your microwave.

Grill the carrots on a medium-high grill (about 400*) for three minutes.

Flip them over, brush them with the glaze and continue grilling another three minutes.

Remove the carrots to a platter and brush them with the glaze.

Serve and enjoy.

Super-Sized SkyMom Gathering~Maggiano's Plano

A special thanks to our hostesses:

Amanda, Jennie, Kim, Tara and Sonya,

 who sponsored tables and invited their friends to enjoy food, fun, fellowship, and spiritual encouragement!

 Also a special thanks to Lisa Clark, Sky Ranch SkyMoms Parenting Mentor, 

who gave us an encouraging message on

 “Back to school and back to crazy… keeping chaos at a distance”

I love Lisa's Stop...Drop...and Roll, reminder!

Sometimes to keep "Chaos at a distance",we need to

 STOP what we are doing (the things making us crazy).

DROP some of the activities that are not so important in our schedule that do not have Eternal value! Or

ROLL with the choices we have made, and make the best of it... Glorifying the Lord with our actions and attitude!!

Upcoming other Super-Sized Gatherings are:

Timmaron Country Club - Southlake, Texas
Ridglea Country Club -Ft. Worth, Texas
Maggianos- Northpark for Park Cities/Highland Park, Texas
Prestonwood South Location-Dallas Texas
Ricks Chophouse -McKinney, TX

Stonebriar Country Club- Frisco, Texas

Blessings,

Tori Miller

Sky Ranch SkyMom Ministry Director

Prayer Encouragement: "Jesus Grew" by Guest SkyMom, Terrie Chevaillier

Jesus Grew...

Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature

and in favor with God and all the people  

Luke 2:52 (NLT)

And the child grew and became strong;

he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

Luke 2:40 

Sometimes, when I am tempted to become frustrated

 because my children “haven’t arrived” to this place or that…

I find so much comfort in this verse.

Jesus grew….here on this earth where

he walked and talked with his mother and father.

He was not only a part of a royal priesthood,

but an earthly family….with a mother a brother and a father.

He grew in wisdom.

He grew in stature.

He grew in favor…

with God and people.

Let’s pray God’s word for our children today:

Father, please give me grace today for my child.

Grace to give them the space to grow.

Understanding to know they haven’t arrived.

Help me to lead them to places where they will

grow in wisdom.  Church, small group

Sky Ranch and all of the other

wonderful places on this earth we have

to learn about you…so many where your word is taught.

Really give me grace to understand they

are still growing in wisdom…they have not fully arrived.

They haven’t arrived fully in the spiritual or the physical.

I want a real understanding to come over me

that their brains are still growing, developing, and forming.

Grace to give out when they are not

performing to the academic standard that I have set for them,

and a willing heart to surrender their developmental maturity

to your time….a real understanding that they are the created

and you are the Creator.

And Lord, as they are growing to become more like you,

I pray that they would find favor with you,

and because of that favor that they first have from you,

that they would then receive it from people…because

Of Jesus Christ in them, the hope of all glory!

Amen

~Terrie Chevaillier, Guest SkyMom Prayer Encourager

A Woman's Encouragement...from Linda Paulk, Sky Ranch CEO and President

 A Woman's Encouragement

Hi Moms!  What a gentle reminder of the amazing God we serve as we experience His creation with a “hint” of Fall through the “brief” drop in temperatures last week.  I love Fall, don’t you? The pumpkin bagels at Einstein’s, cool air, the vibrant colors, the smell of candles that shift to pumpkin spice, apple cider,  and other familiar Fall scents in the stores we all love to visit, pumpkin latte’s at Starbucks

and more.    As I have prayed for each one of you and your children starting another school year, I am reminded of how exciting this time of year is for school age families, but also about how stressful the time can be with the hectic schedules, and when many kids may experience the first time feeling that they do not fit in.  Every child at some point as they go through their growth and development will have this feeling.  Gosh, many of us adults experience this too.  It is important as parents for us to realize that this is a very real feeling.  When a child tells us they don’t feel like they fit in or “belong”, they are telling us that they do not feel safe and secure.  This feeling is huge for them and as parents, it is our responsibility to not only express understanding, but help equip them to work through their emotions and “right size” the feeling.  Some helpful steps: Don’t over react, before you go to the phone, go to the throne and pray for and with your child without seizing, acknowledge the way they are feeling and connect with your child by telling them that you understand their feelings…perhaps share a story from your childhood where you felt this way too and how you worked through it, encourage your child by reminding them that they were created by God, fearfully and wonderfully made…that they were created in the image of God…and that God loves them with unconditional love, no matter what…and no matter how alone they might feel, God knows exactly how they feel and His arms are open wide to provide the strength and comfort they need to work through their emotions.  Claim the scriptures that remind us of God’s promises of transforming our minds and establishing our thoughts.  

Romans 12:2, Proverbs 16:3

As always, know that the Sky Ranch ministry continues to pray for each and every one of you and if we can provide support in anyway, please let us know.  Can’t wait to see you soon at Sky Ranch.

Linda Paulk

Sky Ranch CEO and President 

Ronda from~ The Family Table, brings us "Big Tomato Salad!"

Dear SkyMoms,

I hope you all had a great Labor Day Weekend! We sure did enjoy the brief respite even though we had the excitement of a teeny tiny ambulance ride due to a minor trampoline mishap.   We sure give thanks that the injuries sustained were minor! Before we took our ambulance ride, we were enjoying the sunshine with friends and gearing up the bbq for a lovely dinner.

I don’t know about you, but when asked to bring a dish for a potluck party, I can have a hard time choosing that perfect dish to share. I waffle between a big casserole or dessert dish then sometimes veer off course altogether as I mull through book after book of recipes. I’m not sure why I make this such a tough decision because really the whole point of the day is spending time with friends leisurely eating, talking and laughing.

With that in mind, I forced myself to rein it in and bring a vibrant tomato salad. I poked around the garden and found an abundance of basil and a few red onions. What started out to be a humble little salad really ended up looking quite snazzy on my big white platter.  No one has to know that it only took about 15 minutes to throw together!

Big Tomato Salad

Heirloom Tomatoes, any amount desired, rough chopped into big pieces

Cucumber, peeled and sliced

Red Onion, thinly sliced

Mozzarella Balls, halved

Garlic cloves, minced (to taste)

Olive oil, a few big swirls

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction (the secret ingredient as far as I’m concerned)

1-2 T of sugar

Fresh basil, roughly chopped

In a big glass bowl, throw in the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and minced garlic.  Drizzle with olive oil and mix with your hands. Using a slotted spoon, scoop all of the veggies onto a big platter reserving juice in the bottom of the bowl. Add a little sugar and mix with the juice. Drizzle back over tomatoes. Scatter the mozzarella balls on top. Top with chopped basil. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Take the balsamic reduction and drizzle over the top of the whole salad. Enjoy!

*balsamic reduction can be found near the balsamic vinegar. If you can’t find, you can substitute plain balsamic vinegar. But, the reduction is really worth the splurge!

Many blessings and Happy Cooking,

Ronda from The Family Table