Flying Solo

Sunday Reflections

This is your time. Reflect with us about your week, your friends, or what God has become to you. This is your space. Your time.

Saturday Dinner and A Movie

Apricot Glazed Pork Roast
SUBMITTED FROM: Campbell's Kitchen 
"Pork roast slow-cooks to tenderness under a tangy glaze of apricot preserves, mustard, onion and Campbell's® Condensed Chicken Broth."

  

PREP TIME  5 Min
COOK TIME  9 Hrs
READY IN  9 Hrs 5 Min

INGREDIENTS:
· 1 (10.5 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Chicken Broth
· 1 (18 ounce) jar apricot preserves
· 1 large onion, chopped
· 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
· 4 pounds boneless pork loin roast

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix broth, preserves, onion and mustard in 3 1/2-qt. slow cooker. Cut pork to fit. Add to cooker.
2. Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 9 hr.* or until done.

 Serve with Mashed Potatoes, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and your favorite dessert. 

Movie: Paul Blart - Mall Cop

Paul Blart is a mild-mannered, dutiful family man who works as a security guard in a New Jersey mall. For years, he has applied to become a cop, but he always fails the physical exam because he is overweight. One day, a gang of organized criminals put the mall under siege and take hostages. Blart becomes trapped inside, and because of his sense of duty, refuses to leave. He thus becomes the police department's eyes on the inside and attempts to stop the criminals on his own.

 

We want your recipes! We want your favorite movies! And we want your pictures of dinner with friends! Email them to [email protected]

 

Friday with Ken

Ken, thank you so much for being with us so faithfully each week. I don't take it for granted and I know our readers don't either. Why do some people see God as a God who cares about the details of their lives and others think that God only cares about the big things and doesn’t have time for more intimate details?

There are many reasons why people see God from such different perspectives.  It all begins with the things we’re taught at home.  Then we add in the basic teaching that we receive from our various churches and the theology that those traditions represent.  Finally we have our personal experience that shapes our belief about who God is and what he really wants with us.  This is where we need to be curious and ask ourselves the question, “Who am I that I would define His purposes?” One thing I’m certain of is that any attempt by a human to define God will be flawed. I believe that we’re better off taking a step back and inviting God to define himself.

We talked this week about the ten lepers who were healed and how only one returned to thank Him. How do we so easily miss the gratitude that God so deserves? It seems our thanks pale in comparison to our petitions.

Then are only compelled to say thank you when they get the answer they wanted…if they remember.  We so easily get caught up in self-focused living that we forget that every-good thing that we have comes from God.

Ken Edwards is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and has earned a Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Counseling and a Master of Arts in Religious Education of Southwestern Seminary. But his discernment matches his education and for me often the greater gift. He lives with his wife Janet and three children in Franklin, Tennessee. And this is him enjoying what he loves, the mountains in Wyoming. Except he's usually behind the camera. And he has been kind enough to spend Friday’s with us. What he is offering us regarding his time is a gift. I hope we will take advantage of it.

Got Question's for Ken? Email your questions to [email protected]

Thursday Thumbprint

We have a column each Thursday where we talk about how God is involved in the details of our lives. But this month we are focusing specifically on answered prayers. Can you share a prayer where God didn't just answer your prayers but answered it to the very details.
 
I'm sure there are . . . BUT I'm trying to learn to let God be God, rather than telling Him exactly what I want, exactly how I want Him to answer my prayers. I'm amazed how many prayers God answers--but it's now always HOW I imagined it in the details. For instance, one time my husband and I were praying about financial issues--we needed to replace our old car, we needed to upgrade some of our outdated computer equipment, we needed to pay off a student loan, etc. When we added the figures, it amounted to a whole year's salary! Yikes! But in faith believing we prayed . . . and a year later we realized GOD HAD ANSWERED EVERY PRAYER--but in His own way. Instead of a new car, we were able to purchase a used car for much less. Dave was able to rebuild some of our equipment for a fraction of the cost. Etc. etc. etc. Every need was met in a wonderful way. That really strengthened our faith.

Wednesday 1 on 1 with Neta Jackson

We have a special guest this week a writer friend of mine, Neta Jackson. Neta is the author of the of the Award Winning, "Yada Yada" books as we call them. They have sold over 500,000 copies and the first one in the series is one of our features for this month. I thought you'd enjoy some of her pictures and stories...

Neta, Your "Yada Yada" series has been so successful. Of all the topics you could have written about, why did you make these members of a prayer group?

NETA: Because the whole idea for the series was inspired by a wonderful women's Bible study I've been part of for over 12 years. God was teaching me so much about prayer, about worship, about the diversity in the Body of Christ, that this fictional prayer group was one way to share that with others. (The characters and the events are "true-to-life" but not "true" in the sense that they happened just that way to that person, etc. etc.) Most novelists do this, weaving events and characters from their own life experience into a fictional story in a fictional way.(Note: The picture above is our current group; some of the original women have moved on to be involved in prayer groups or Bible studies in their own churches. We're a group committed to each other, but over the year some sisters have moved on, and new sisters have joined--just like the Yada Yada prayer group! :-)

 

What have you learned about the power of prayer just in researching for your book?
 
NETA: Like Jodi Baxter, the main character in the series, I've been a "good Christian girl" all my life--but in many ways I believed IN God, but only recently--in the past dozen years or so--am I truly learning what it means to BELIEVE GOD! That He WILL do what He promises in Scripture! That there is power in praying in unity together. But that we need to "line up our prayers with the Word of God" (one of Pam/Avis's favorite reminders). That is key when we pray. And it is our job to pray, and God's job to answer according to His plan, His purpose, His timetable.
 
However, besides my experience in the real prayer group, I did do a LOT of reading about prayer, books by Stormie Omartian, Beth Moore, Philip Yancy, and others. Every now and then, I go back and read my little library of books on prayer all over again, because I need to be reminded of what I supposedly already "know"!
 
One reason I decided to share what God was teaching me about prayer in a novel, is because I'm no expert on prayer. But in a novel, I could share the journey that many of us in the real prayer group is on, with all our mistakes, fits and starts, and blessings. Maybe that's the last thing I'll say about what I'm learning about prayer . . . developing an intimate and powerful prayer life is definitely a journey!
 
As you know, this is a blog for singles. You and your husband Dave had been married for quite a while, you even author books together. Can you share a little of your story, and what has made your marriage work over the years? 
 
NETA: Ha! If we knew all the answers to that, we'd make millions writing advice books! (grin) Dave and I primarily see our marriage as a gift from God. I mean, how did we know way back when we first met that our marriage would work when some of our friends' (and family members') didn't? We knew it was important to marry a believer so we wouldn't be "unequally yoked." (So did our friends and family.) And we fell in love. (So did our friends and family.) . . . etc. But so many marriages around us have crashed and burned, to people we consider AWESOME. Sometimes all we can do is thank God over and over for the gift of our marriage.
 
Okay, in spite of the disclaimers, Dave says he feels he got the best part of the deal . . . but so do I! I.e., we both truly admire and respect our partner. And along the way we learned that a good sense of humor REALLY helps get us through the tough times. (We tell young couples, when you feel like crying hysterically or laughing hysterically--choose laughter! Laughter can be a form of forgiveness--i.e., "I am NOT going to make a major case over this misunderstanding/mistake/whatever.") And, oh yes, never ever embarrass your spouse or put him/her down in public. It really isn't necessary to correct your husband or wife for little details that really don't matter ("No, honey, that was three years ago, not last year"--huh! big deal!). In other words, be your spouse's best friend, someone he/she knows they can count on to support you, even when you flub up. (You can always talk about it in private later.)
One thing that is unique about our marriage is that we are also writing partners! That takes a special gift, I think, to work together 24/7. You have to really really LIKE each other as well as love each other. And it's okay for couples for whom that working together doesn't work. But one thing that does for us is that Dave has special writing skills I don't have, and I have writing skills he doesn't have--and by being each other's first "reader" and first "editor" and the person we brainstorm ideas with, I think makes both of our writing stronger. Editors often say they love getting manuscripts from us because they're so "clean." That's because we help each other.

Tuesday Tips

TEN ideas for building neighborhood relationships.

   1. Host a neighborhood block party on your street.
   2. Host marriage enrichment seminars in your home for neighbors.
   3. Start a playgroup with other stay at home parents.   Don’t forget the stay at home dads.   I was a stay at home dad so I know how important this is.
   4. Distribute homemade gifts to your neighbors at Christmastime.  Include a tactful card that points to Christ.
   5. Invite those without nearby family over for a holiday meal (for example: singles, internationals, divorced or widowed).
   6. Conduct a Backyard Bible Club during the summer for neighborhood kids.
   7. Host a baby shower for a neighbor who is expecting. Make sure you include their friends not just yours(!)
   8. Offer to host a weekly discussion group or Bible Study. Invite Christian and non-Christian friends to participate.
   9. Coordinate a Bring your Own Main Course night. You supply the grill, and everyone brings their own meat or veggie dish.   Have some families bring side dishes while others bring drinks or dessert.
  10. Invite the neighbors over to watch a ball game or the mother of all sporting events-the Super Bowl.

Got some of your favorite tips you want to share? Email [email protected]

Monday Musing

Psalms 44:21
“Shall not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.”

I wanted a treadmill. Really wanted a treadmill. Because I still can’t go to the gym without makeup on, so I thought if I had a treadmill I could avoid one other step in the “getting ready” process. And I don’t know about other girls, but I only like to get ready once!

Now, I’m not sure I ever really prayed about the whole treadmill thing. But I did go looking on Craigslist to see if I could find one at a reasonable price. But each month something would come up of more importance where I felt I needed to invest my money. And so each month having a treadmill went back into the “wish” column of my wants. (Where that new Mac laptop resides… Just saying.)

So, on a trip to Dallas at the end of April to visit some friends, a friend that had traveled with me from Nashville started talking about this treadmill she had. I said, “You have a treadmill?” She said, “Yes.” I said, “I’ve been wanting a treadmill.” She said, “Well, if you’ll come pick it up you can have it for free.” Four days later I had a truck at her house and picked up not only a treadmill, but also three other pieces of work out equipment. All brand new! Brand new!

I can’t tell you what that experience said to me. That evening I went to my familiar place with my Father, in our little path in the front of the house and began to thank Him for His amazing kindness to me. The extravagant measure of His love. That was when He let me know that He knew the secret things of my heart. The ones even unspoken, but yet each one was still spoken to Him.

That brought me such great comfort. To know that nothing is hidden from Him. He knows those prayers I pray and the ones I’m yet to get enough boldness for, even though that is how I’m told to approach his throne.

But the other thing I have learned is to return to thank Him. When Jesus healed the ten lepers only one returned to thank Him.

I’m not sure what you’ve been “wishing” for. But I do know that God searches the “secret” things of the heart. And He knows. And many of you will one day find an extravagant measure of His grace revealed to you. As He does may we return to thank Him. 

Sunday Reflections

This is your time. Reflect with us about your week, your friends, or what God has become to you. This is your space. Your time.

Saturday Dinner and A Movie

Campbell's® 15-Minute Chicken and Rice Dinner 

"Chicken, broccoli and rice in a creamy gravy are the stars in this easy skillet supper."

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup or Campbell's® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups uncooked instant white rice*
• 2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets
• 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in skillet. Cook chicken 10 minutes or until browned. Remove chicken.
2. Add soup, water, paprika and pepper. Heat to a boil.
3. Stir in rice and broccoli. Return chicken to pan. Sprinkle additional paprika and pepper over chicken. Cover and cook on low heat 5 minutes or until chicken is done.

 

 

Movie:

After their wedding, newspaper writers John and Jennifer Grogan (Played by Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) moves to Florida. In an attempt to stall Jennifer's "biological clock", John gives her a puppy. While the puppy Marley grows into a 100 pound dog, he loses none of his puppy energy or rambunctiousness.

Friday with Ken

We’ve all had closed doors. How can we learn to see those as just as much God’s provision and love as the open doors are?


Why do we so easily default to the mentality that He only loves us if He does it the way we thought? I’m starting to think that is hardwired into our DNA!


These two questions have basically the same origin.  The real issue that we need to face in our journey with God is our view of Him.  What do you believe about God?  What do you believe about his nature and character?  I’m not talking about in the Sunday morning; get it right kind of way.  I mean the late night, in the dark when you feel abandoned and are full of fear kind of way.  Do you see God as a loving, caring father who wants the best for you or do you see him as demanding, angry, authoritarian father who expects too much?  I would challenge you to view God as tender lover who sees your soul and is moved by your beauty.  View him as creator God who is flowing with compassion when you mess up.  And when life doesn’t go the way you want or think it should let your response be curiosity.

Ken Edwards is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and has earned a Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Counseling and a Master of Arts in Religious Education of Southwestern Seminary. But his discernment matches his education and for me often the greater gift. He lives with his wife Janet and three children in Franklin, Tennessee. And this is him enjoying what he loves, the mountains in Wyoming. Except he's usually behind the camera. And he has been kind enough to spend Friday’s with us. What he is offering us regarding his time is a gift. I hope we will take advantage of it.

Got Question's for Ken? Email your questions to [email protected]