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Fruitful Friday
We have had 6 new blogs additions to The Fruit of the Spirit Blogs this week! Please be sure to visit them and leave a comment somewhere telling them how you found their blog.
Praise and Coffee
A Touch of Grace
A Walk Through the Valley
The Flourishing Mother
Fruit In Season
A Measure of Grace (we’re still working on getting the graphic’s HTML to Stacey, but we’ll figure something out)
I’m thrilled to have so many additions to the blog list this week. Keep those nominations coming ~ this graphic is such a lovely way to give encouragement to one another. It is meant to be given away!
on his way to d.c.
I snapped a quick photo of Patrick at the airport this morning before we sent him on his way to D.C. 
He’s quite handsome (if I do say so myself, and I do!). And LOOK, he even shaved! His father and I threatened him within an inch of his life that he WOULD remain clean-shaven while he’s in D.C. If he wants to grow that fuzzy stuff on his upper lip and chin again after he gets home, I suppose we’ll deal with it. But he’s going to have to shave every day while at the LeadAmerica conference. Aren’t we mean parents?
confessions of a carnivore
I have a confession to make. I recently received a free copy of Vegetarian Times magazine. That’s not the confession part, though. This is: I was curious so…….I actually read it.
This is huge in my house, because I live with 3 very carnivorous males. The mantra around my house is, “Where the beef? Where’s the beef?” The fact that a copy of Vegetarian Times even showed up in my mailbox was cause for ridicule around my house. “You didn’t really order Vegetarian Times, did you?!”
Well, no, I didn’t order it. It came as part of a package of freebies when I ordered one of Jordan Rubin’s books. This copy isn’t the first one we’ve received, but it’s the first one I have been brave enough to open up and look through.
I have to tell ya, there are some pretty good looking recipes in the mag. Ever since Roger received his yearly flight physical blood test results, we’ve been looking for ways to add in more leafy greens, more whole grains, more fresh fruit, and less red meat (cause for another <gasp!> to be heard in my house!). I even actually made a meatless meal last week! Of course, the teenage boys thought they were going to die from lack of meat, but they didn’t. And Roger actually liked what I made.
I talked about having Meatless Mondays, but that didn’t go over so well. I am planning on making at least one meatless meal a week. Hopefully eventually I’ll be able to work that up to 2 or 3 meatless meal a week without causing my family to mutiny.
There’s no cause for alarm. I/we are NOT going vegetarian. I don’t have anything against the vegetarian way of eating, or even vegan, it’s just not something that appeals to me. I don’t eat pork ~ I lived in North Carolina where everything is pork, and there are plenty of pig farms. Gross. Pork turns my stomach. And I liked shellfish until I started reading about what crabs, lobsters and shrimp actually consume there on the floor of the ocean. I suppose if I knew more about chicken farms and beef processing plants, I wouldn’t want to eat them, either. In this case, ignorance is bliss.
I would like to find a good source for organic beef and chicken ~ I’ve been looking in to that. You can’t get it in Arkansas ~ at least not without paying an arm and a leg for it. I’m all out of arms and legs to sell, so I’ll just have to keep looking for a better (cheaper) source.
I’ve finally managed to get Roger on board the “eat organic” train. We’re buying organic whenever we can. And he’s eating more leafy greens and fruits. He even let me make him a smoothie for lunch yesterday ~ he got his entire daily servings of produce in that puppy! 
If you’re looking for some good vegetarian recipes, Vegetarian Times is worth browsing. I’m going to pull out a couple of recipes and put them on the menu for this week. I’m sure there will be some grumbling from the other carnivores in the house ~ I may have to hide my Vegetarian Times magazine so it doesn’t “accidentally” end up in the garbage!
Fruitful Friday
This has been a wonderful week for The Fruit of the Spirit graphic! I’m so encouraged by the response this graphic has received. Let me reiterate ~ this thing isn’t about me, nor is it about the bloggers whose blogs are selected to display The Fruit of the Spirit graphic. This graphic is intended to signify the working of the Holy Spirit in a fellow/sister Christian’s life ~ it’s all about giving the glory to God.
This week we’ve had 4 new additions to The Fruit of the Spirit blogs They are:
Kathy’s blog ~ Duckabush Blog
Kelly’s blog ~ I Will Learn to Fly
Susanne’s blog ~ Truly Captivating
Leigh’s blog ~ Speaking Thru Me (and she has some MAJORLY cute bags for sale, too!)
These ladies all face different challenges in their lives, and in their walks with the Lord. Not one of them shys away from those challenges, nor are they afraid to reveal their weaknesses.
But he said to me,”My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardship, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
concert pictures
Next is a picture of 4 of the graduating seniors singing solos during the final song of the evening ~ the young lady on the far right (holding the microphone) is Catilin Arkanblogger.
