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Change. The very word evokes excitement, dread, anticipation, fear, grief, joy. Regardless of our age, marital status, or social setting, regardless of our penchant for adventure or our comfort level with routines, the same is true for all of us—change happens. At this time in our world, we are more aware of that than ever.

That’s why we would like to make available to you—at no cost whatsoever—a free downloadable, fillable copy of Choosing to Change when Change Happens. This seven-lesson Bible study looks at changes in the life of Moses and ties them together with his growing knowledge of God.

Simply click the photo of the book’s cover, and you will be taken to a downloadable, fillable .PDF of the study as our gift to you.

Stay home. Stay safe. Stay in the Word!

Click the photo to download your fillable copy of Choosing to Change when Change Happens

For those who prefer the paperback copy, we regret that due to printing and shipping costs, we are unable to give that version for free. However, we recently lowered the cost! Affiliate link follows: You may purchase a paperback copy for $7.99 plus tax by clicking here.

By Petals from the Basket | April 9, 2020 | Bible Reading, Books |

It’s Time to Fortify the Filter

In the final pages of Petals of Wisdom from Grandma, Lorraine Strohbehn (my mom) shares a chapter titled “The Death of a Dream.” She notes that when tragedy strikes, a major change often occurs within family units. For example, if a couple experiences a major loss (death of a child, loss of a job, a major financial setback, etc.), the spouse who is usually the more outgoing one may suddenly become withdrawn or unable to share his or her feelings. The one who is usually quiet and more pensive now may be loud, given to outbursts of laughter, crying, or strongly exhibited emotions. For obvious reasons, this change in another person’s “normal” behavior can be difficult to navigate.

A quarantine—whether self-imposed or government-required—can have the same effect. Those who rarely watch television may find themselves binge watching right now. Those who use their social media accounts only rarely suddenly may be consumed with viewing, commenting, posting, and/or sharing at every opportunity. Those who generally spend a great deal of time on the Internet—for whatever reason: work, pleasure, playing interactive games, etc.—now may spend that time learning to cook, taking long walks, or putting together puzzles.

Things can begin to feel out of control. Not only are those around us changing their normal reactions and routines (sometimes simply by being around all the time now), but we are changing as well. We no longer recognize ourselves, and it frightens us. So we remove whatever barriers we can that confine us.

Friends, we’ve done this for several weeks now, and for most of us, the quarantine will continue for an an unknown length of time (yet another element that we can’t control). But it’s time to fortify the filter.

Filter What’s Coming In

Early on in our time of quarantine, Joe and I found ourselves watching more news than we had watched in all of our time together. We wanted facts, connection to the rest of the world, and the latest information on what guidelines were being recommended and/or imposed. It became news overload. It controlled our schedules, the location of our mealtime (i.e., in front of the television), our conversations, and all-too-soon our actions.

The more we watched, the more evident it became to us that the news media (both the liberal and the conservative) seemed to focus more on political hatred and divisive agendas than on providing simple, concise, necessary information for those of us doing our best to comply graciously with the recommendations (now requirements) to stay home.

What goes into our minds eventually will find its way into our hearts and our belief systems, making it nearly inevitable that it will impact our words—both written and spoken—at some point. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, depending, of course, on what’s entering through the “intake filter.”

The news broadcasts, television shows, books, and social media outlets can all be wonderful diversions right now, but we must take care that the filter leading to our minds not become clogged with negative input. No, you’re not going to simply read Scripture all day, every day for the next however-many-weeks—nor would I suggest that. But try to strike a balance with some of these positive options:

  • Enjoy some of your favorite music while working for 15-30 minutes on tidying your closet or putting together a puzzle.
  • Set a timer for news input (if it’s urgent, it’s generally early in the broadcast) or select only one “news conference” per day to watch. Then, walk away. Again, if it’s urgent, you’ll hear about it, or you can subscribe to a newsletter or a news alert service. Some of you may not agree with or like this element, but we choose in our house to get input from various media outlets. You become like who you listen to, and some of the “conservatives” are so angry and bitter that we no longer feel that they—any more than extreme liberals—should receive the benefit of being invited into our home on a regular basis!
  • Choose two or three times a day to check, post on, and/or comment on social media. There are a lot of fun, lighthearted diversions available right now, and I personally think we need some of that. Again, set a timer for the amount of time that allows you to enjoy this input while maintaining the personal discipline of walking away from it at some point. Perhaps use it as a reward for completing your regular housework. However, please see the next topic, because you/we/I have a responsibility on the other end of this filter as well!

Filter What’s Going Out

It seems that we are becoming overly comfortable with the ease of running to the Internet to share our opinions of, theories about, disgust with, appreciation for, and pictures containing pretty much anything and everything. Again, not necessarily bad things—and sometimes a welcome outlet as well as a way to share our hearts and lives with those we can’t see in person at this time.

But are we thinking about the legacy of our words—even in the short term?

I find myself turning to social media for approval, verification, and even affirmation for my thoughts and opinions. Even if momentarily, I remove the filter from my heart and allow the “old me” to come gushing out onto the keyboard.

Sometimes in the nick of time, sometimes after it’s been posted for too long not to have been seen by those I love or admire, I have to go back and delete it. And yes, you can go back and delete it. But once it’s been seen, you can’t delete its impact or the impression you have presented of what’s in your heart. I’ve even had to ask forgiveness for allowing my emotions to get out of control on phone calls, sharing more than is necessary for the sake of gaining pity or approval from the listener.

But how much better it would be simply to fortify the “output filter” and resolve to follow the admonition in Scripture from both the Apostle Paul and the psalmist:

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29, ESV).

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3, ESV).

Please understand that these are battles I’m fighting daily. These are shared because I know I can’t be the only one, and I’m hoping that this encouragement to “fortify the filter” will allow each of us to leave this time of quarantine without regret, knowing that we have used both the written and spoken word to leave a legacy of grace.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
    be acceptable in your sight,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14, ESV).

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By Petals from the Basket | April 6, 2020 | Bible Reading, Events, Family, Friends, Life Changes |

Please DON’T “Come on Over” for Breakfast/Brunch Casserole

Our recipes generally begin with the words: “Come on Over.” Not this week! (Thank you, Covid-19 pandemic!) But this is the perfect recipe to share during this time when most, if not all, of your family is home. In fact, if you live alone or if there are only two of you in the house, this is still a great dish to make, because you can refrigerate or freeze the leftovers! Joe and I enjoyed this for our late breakfast this morning. The story behind this recipe is at the end (because I hate reading all the blah-blah-blah and finally getting to the recipe when I look for new ones)!

“Come on Over” Breakfast/Brunch Casserole

Prep time: 10 minutes-ish
Cooking time: 50 minutes, and 5-10 minutes of “settle” time
Serves: 8 pieces (or makes multiple meals for two)
From the kitchen of Brenda Henderson

Ingredients:

  • Cooking spray or olive oil (for bottom of baking dish)
  • 1 pound browned and cooled ground sausage (any flavor or flavor-level—i.e., mild, Italian, hot, etc.—will do)
  • 6 eggs, whisked
  • 2 cups milk (any kind is fine)
  • 6 slices white or wheat bread (but please note the differences for each in the directions below), de-crusted and cut into 1″ cubes
  • 1 generous cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • OPTIONAL: 1/2 tsp fennel (brings out the flavor of the pork, but not necessary)
  • OPTIONAL: 2 slices onion, diced

Directions:

  1. Lightly spray (or lightly grease with olive oil) the bottom of a 7×10 baking dish. Set aside.
  2. Brown the sausage and set aside to cool before adding to other ingredients.
  3. Using a fork, whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Pour whisked eggs into a large mixing bowl.
  4. Cut the crusts off the bread and cut into cubes. Note: if using white bread, simply cut into 1″ cubes (the white bread absorbs the milk easily); if using wheat bread, cut cubes into 1/2″ or smaller (the wheat bread tends to get “gunky” if you don’t cut it small enough, and you can taste “mushy bread” in the casserole).
  5. Add optional slices of diced onion here if you choose.
  6. Add milk, salt, pepper, and shredded cheese.
  7. Add optional fennel.
  8. Add cooled sausage.
  9. Stir ingredients to mix well.
  10. Pour mixture into pre-greased baking dish. (See step 1.)
  11. Cover with plastic wrap (such as Saran). Let sit in refrigerator overnight.

The next morning:

  1. Remove casserole from refrigerator and remove plastic covering. Let sit 20-30 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Bake 50 minutes. (It will be “bubbling” around the edge and slightly starting to “brown” at this point.)
  4. Let sit on hot pad/trivet on countertop for about 5-10 minutes to let it “settle.”
  5. Cut into 8 large rectangles.
  6. Enjoy!
Click photo to enlarge.

Joe and I were married in a small ceremony with just under one hundred people present. We actually had a wedding brunch at 10:00, which was immediately followed by our ceremony! My mother and I searched high and low for the perfect brunch casserole and ended up blending about six different recipes to come up with this one! Our caterer did a wonderful job using this combination of ingredients to perfectly replicate what we had chosen! This is now called “Wedding Brunch Casserole” at our house!

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Let us know how you/your family liked the casserole!

______________

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By Petals from the Basket | March 24, 2020 | "Come on Over" Recipes, Entertaining, Events, Family, Friends, Ideas |

This Week’s Schedule

You/your children/your friends greatly encouraged us this past week by inviting us into your/their homes via our online “classes” for kids! Thank you for that! Here is this week’s schedule! (Note that the lessons are saved on the Petals from the Basket Facebook page for later viewing as well!)

Watch for a new blog post (unrelated to the online classes for kids) on Tuesday! Thank you for your patience with us as bloggers as we use this venue to help spread the word about our “classes” and as we endeavor to #LiveHisLove during these unusual days in our world. We appreciate your sharing this information! And more importantly…we appreciate YOU!

By Petals from the Basket | March 22, 2020 | Uncategorized |

The One Word We Should Overuse Right Now

In the movie The Princess Diaries, the character Mia Thermopolis (played by Anne Hathaway), after previously refusing her rightful role as the future queen of the country, tells the citizens that she will indeed accept the position. Though only a line from a movie, it has stuck with me often through the years:

“But, then I wondered how I’d feel after abdicating my role as Princess of Genovia. Would I feel relieved? Or would I feel sad? And then I realized how many stupid times a day I used the word ‘I’. In fact, probably all I ever do is think about myself. And how lame is that when there’s, like, 7 billion other people out there on the planet…” [emphasis mine].

Yes, there are difficult sacrifices and disappointments right now. There are changed plans, cancelled vacations, postponed funerals/celebrations of life, and even weddings that initially had hundreds of guests invited now taking place in the bride’s parents’ living room.

It just doesn’t look like it used to…like we wanted it to…like we thought it would or should.

We’re not going to do it right every time. We’re all just taking the next step, hoping it’s the right one. Our president personally has never faced this size of a crisis, and yet I applaud his wisdom in surrounding himself with those whose experience and training in their areas of expertise can help our country the most. Our health-care professionals could not have known that this was coming, nor could they have anticipated its magnitude…and its ramifications. Our educators are facing each day with more question marks than periods and using far beyond their “normal” work hours to learn new methods for passing along information to the future leaders. Our small business owners are inspiring us with their ability to utilize whatever it takes to stay afloat. Our families are pulling together to stay positive, even when routines have changed from the comfortable to the unknown.

We’re making it happen. We’re in this together. But we’re still human. And humans are innately selfish. Like the line from the movie I quoted above, we find ourselves using the word I far too often right now.

Am I suggesting that we neglect ourselves and never think of what is best for us as individuals? Not by a long shot! I am, however, asking you to walk with me as I, too, strive to remember the words of C.S. Lewis:

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less.”

O sweet faith-friend, allow me, in love, to encourage you to reach outside of yourself in your response to the current event. Make it your goal today to overuse the word you:

“How are you doing right now?”

“How may I help you today?”

“How may I pray for you?”

Yes. It will require time to pick up the phone, to send an e-mail or text message—to momentarily set aside your own need for the comfortable. But that time has been made available to you. That time is worth it. From those you love to those you barely know, the compassion and concern housed in the little three-letter word you will wrap the hearer in a feeling of safety, providing the knowledge that someone cares.

“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4, NASB).

By Petals from the Basket | March 21, 2020 | Bible Reading, Events, Life Changes |