Mean What You Say

Jason DeRulo got it right with his popular song 'Whatcha Say.' It speaks to the power of words. Whoever came up with the 'sticks and stones' phrase was wayyy off track. Words do hurt. We've all experienced that. But they also unleash power.

Late last year I did the Beth Moore 'Believing God' Bible study. I had always heard that our words have power, but don't think I quite knew the extent of it. It seems silly, doesn't it, that just by opening our mouths we can change things? But that's exactly what the Word says! Proverbs 18:21 "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." It doesn't say only if you speak right, will you reap what you sow, but when you speak defeat you reap that, too!

Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be imitators of God. What does that mean? Look at how we, as children, imitate our parents. Words and deeds. Babies start trying to make sounds like their parents from a very young age. Likewise, we are to imitate God. Our words should be His words! This means we are to KNOW the scriptures and their contexts, we are to speak things that are not as though they were!

That doesn't mean it won't be scary. When you're stepping out in faith, you're being vulnerable, opening yourself up to attacks from the world. But Jesus tells his disciples in Mark 11: 22-24 to have FAITH. He says when we live by faith, we can SAY to the mountain 'MOVE!' and it has to listen! But how often do we see that happening in our modern world? I don't know about you, but from where I'm sitting, the mountains ain't movin. Does that mean the time for miracles has passed? Some would like to think so because it scares them and because hoping for them would mean to leap out of one's comfort zone. But Jesus said we are capable of not only miracles, but even more than He did! John 14:12 "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the father." So why don't we see them? Jesus says we cannot have doubt in our hearts. And we ask for all things in His name - which means not just simply saying 'In Jesus' name,' at the end of prayers. When we say things in Jesus' name, it means it lines up with His word and His purposes. Miracles aren't simply for our comfort or our gain, but must glorify His kingdom.

So how do we unleash that power? Our words! There is power in the tongue! Jesus SPOKE to the wind and the sea, the fig tree, the demons and even to dead men. Sure, he could've just pointed at them, but he SPOKE. God SPOKE the earth into existence. The Bible says faith is HEARING the word. Jesus says Christians are given the keys to the kingdom - whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven and whatever we bind on earth will be bound in Heaven. (Matt 16:19)

Charles Capps said, "Words are containers, they carry faith or fear, and they produce after their kind." Don't take my word for it, try it for yourself! When worry tries to take over my mind, I speak scripture to it. Confess victory in the face of apparent defeat! Confess abundance in the face of apparent lack! Jesus tells us that we can have what we say (Mark 11:23), but we are saying what we have. Circumstances should not dictate our theology, but our theology should dictate our circumstances! Mean what you say and make it happen.

Over Tomato Pie...

Been awhile since I've blogged. I love to write, just not usually about myself. I love to read mothers' blogs...ha, what an unfair advantage they have in blogging about cute kids! Ya'll just wait, my Mom says one day I'll have a 'payback-kid' who will embarass me in public and say anything she thinks to whoever is listening, just like I did to her. Frequently. (Just ask my friends. They just looove to mortify me in front of new people by telling stories of when I was little.) But, until I have kids to write about, thanks for reading about plain ole me. :)

I haven't been blogging as much because I've been waiting on something exciting or big to tell ya'll about. But, the 'little things' in life are far more frequent and can make the best memories anyways. Kinda like last night.

I'm staying in Columbia at my friend Mallori's house for a few days, as I'm in town to do some FCA work and go to Bible study Tuesday night. So yesterday, after finishing my work, I made a tomato pie for us for supper.

Though I could probably eat an entire pie by myself (sadly, this is not an attempt at being funny), we decided we had enough food to invite Stacey over to join us (home girl can throw back some grub, as well).

So Stacey and baby Ella Kate came...and her poor husband, Josh. (Who ate cheerios and listened to us talk about boobs and boys. We cured him of girl-time.)

It was just a regular, hum-drum night - except it wasn't. I 'made' them watch THREE HOURS of the bachelor with me (they gagged and made snarky comments at all the right places, of course, and Josh kept saying it was the worst night of his life), and they had to sneak and eat M&M's so I wouldn't tackle them for a bite of chocolate (which I quit, thank you very much). Baby Ella (who normally loves fun time with her 'aunts' Lindsay and MalMal) wasn't happy with anyone but her Momma and kept spewing out the food she needed to eat. Just a boring night in - except it wasn't.

It was a 'little' night. But, to me, it was much more fun that a 'big' night out somewhere. Because we laughed the whole time, made fun of each other, and had some good 'girl-talk.' (Again, poor Josh.) And it helps, of course, that it was all over a plate of tomato pie. Try some...no way you'll dislike it! It's easy to make and maybe you can invite some friends over and make it a 'tomato pie' night like we did!

TOMATO PIE RECIPE:

Ingredients:
-4 BIG tomatoes
-1 frozen pie crust
-1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
-1 cup sharp mozzarella cheese
-1 cup mayo (yes, I know, but even if you don't like it, it's good in this!)

Preparations:
Peel all the tomatoes, cut into big chunks and drain. Then mix the cheeses and the mayo together in a bowl. (I usually add herbs and spices...basil, oregano, garlic, onion salt, chives, salt and pepper, etc.) Use a fork to poke holes in the pie crust. Put the tomatoes in the pie crust. Lather the cheese mix on top, covering all signs of tomatoes. Bake at 350 for 30 mins or until cheese is brownish on edges. Enjoy!