Happy 5th Birthday TJ

Five years ago, my husband and I welcomed our 4th child into the world.  Trinity Joy McGibbon was born in the late afternoon on July 29th, 2005 and she has been a blessing ever since we met her.  TJ loves God and she loves people.  She can often be heard singing in our house at the top of her lungs, "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty.  There is nothing my God can not do!"  TJ loves to play with her friends, to make new friends and literally loves to talk to everyone that she meets.  Like all of our kids she teaches us something new each day.  Happy 5th Birthday Trinity Joy.  We love you!

Hello My Name Is.....

Recently, I attended our Canadian National Baptist Convention.  It was a fantastic week which our whole family loved.  One of the events was a luncheon for Pastor's wives, which was truly a blessing for lots of reasons but one in particular was that at the lunch I received a book. This book was a bible study for minister's wives written by minister's wives so while I was away at the cottage last week I decided to take some time and discover what the authors had to say.

One of the exercises that caught my attention and has put my brain into overdrive was to write in my journal, "Hello my Name is Kimberley" and then to write Who Kimberley is.  The only rule was that in explaining who I am I was not allowed to use the words wife, mother, sister, daughter or what I do for a living or an occupation.  Seemed simple enough.  Well, it wasn't simple and I had real trouble.  I realize that I often define myself by who I am to those around me.  The problem with this is that life is full of different seasons and what I do will changes during my life time.  About five years ago I sold a business that I had spent ten years building in order to stay home with my kids.  Although I loved being at home for them I had a real hard time adjusting to my new life.  Looking back I can see that in my mind, my worth was all wrapped in the success of how I ran my business.  I had defined myself by something that would not last.

Five years later in doing this exercise I realized I was doing it again.  The first things that came to my mind when I think of who is Kimberley, is that I am a pastor's wife and a mother and a daughter to fantastic parents.  I am really blessed to be all of these things but I realize if my worth is all wrapped up in who I am to others and if these roles change, how does that affect my worth?  Do I use my husband's job description, my kids and my parents to hide the real me?  And who is that real me and how do I define her when a I strip away everything else?

Yikes... tough questions for which I had no quick fix answers.  This exercise prompted me to have some really frank conversations with myself and to dig into scripture to see who God says I am.  I want to define myself as the women God created me to be because I know God will last and He doesn't change.  So who do I think He created me to be?  I spent a lot of time meditating on Acts 4:13 which reasonated with me as my life verse years and years ago.  So recognizing that I am always a work in progress and that much of my head knowledge still needs to be transformed fully into my heart, this is who I with Christ's help am striving to be.

"Hello my name is Kimberley. I am a women who strives to live a life in which those around will recognize that I have spent time with Jesus."

It has been a good exercise.  So if you were asked to define yourself without using the roles you currently have in life what would your name tag look like?

Free Recipe Friday - Healthy Breakfast Bars

I have been playing with recipes again.  I made these for a friend who was looking for a quick, portable healthy breakfast that she could throw into her purse for when she was running out the door.  She really liked them and thought it was fantastic that she could keep them individually wrapped in her freezer and then just toss it in her purse.  Since that time I have made some more adjustments to the recipe to lessen their sugar content and now my kids think that they are great.

HEALTHY BREAKFAST BARS

Makes 16 bars

2 Tablespoons of Peanut Oil (you could probably use another nut oil just as well)
2 1/2 cups Organic Pantry 9 Grain Cereal
1 cup dried Apricots chopped
1/2 cup of ground flax seed
1/2 cup of pecans coarsely chopped
1/4 Almonds (slivered or chopped and toasted)
3/4 cup of Organic Agave Syrup (you could also use honey)
3/4 cup of natural creamy peanut butter
1 Teaspoon of pure Vanilla extract


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Use a 13 x 9 in baking dish.  Line the bottom and two of the sides with parchment paper.  Leave a 2 inch overhang on each side.  This will help later when you want to cut the bars.  Brush the paper with a little nut oil.  
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cereal, apricots, flaxseed, pecans, almonds and set aside.
3.  In a small saucepan, combine the agave nectar, peanut butter, the nut oil and the vanilla.  Cook over medium heat until melted.  
4. Add to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Transfer the mixture to the baking dish, spread out mixture and smooth and press down with the back of a spoon.

5.  Bake until golden brown and the edges are pulling away from the pan.  Allow to cool.
6. Once cool cut into squares and then individually wrap and keep in your freezer or refrigerator.  Also good at room temperature for up to 5 days.

**Note if you are having trouble finding the 9 Grain cereal and the Agave Syrup we find ours at The Supercentre or other health food sections of a grocery store.  

The Gift of Rain

Light rain is falling on our tent trailer as I type.  A light and rhythmic sound resonates through the quiet.  It is calming and refreshing.  It is as if I can actually hear life slowing down.  Rain has that effect.  It changes plans, it sometimes forces you to stop before you continue on at your break neck speed.   In the quiet, I hear the rain and as I think about what plans we may have to change today, life slows down long enough for me to stop for a moment... to listen...to breathe...to realize that life has been traveling at such a high speed for so long that it has begun to feel normal.  Even while on a mini-vacation I have forgotten what a normal pace really is.  I have made compromises without realizing.  Why is it that when we do have a little space in the family calendar I fill it without thinking?  Oh we could do that...we have a little time...  Pretty soon each day is full and little by little, one day tuns into a few and then a week and before long life is passing by at a break neck speed.  Every day is eaten up and there is no time to reflect, to listen, to just be.   There is not time to think and we go from event to event, task to task and day to day without even realizing that this might not be God’s best.   This is our life right now I justify.  It will slow down sometime and besides we are doing ministry but in all reality life will not slow down until I slow it down.   The cycle of busyness is just that, a never ending cycle and we begin to go around and around, day after day with no end in sight.  There are always good things to do, great causes to support, fun activities to participate in but are they the right things for me?  Are they furthering what my life purpose is?  Where is God in all this?  Even as I am serving could I be missing Him in all the craziness?  Even if He wanted to could He actually get my attention when life is moving so fast? These are not easy questions to answer if I want more than surface answers.  Deep answers take time to ponder, to pray about and to listen for answers.  Thank-you Lord for time today and for rain.

“But Jesus himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” Luke 5:16