Finisher

This morning, I want to do something a little different.

(In case you had wondered, I like doing things out of the ordinary.  Keeps you on your toes.)

Over the holidays, the Lord reminded me of something.  Something that I wrote a long time ago (by my writing standards anyway.)  

I believe that if not the exact first, it was at least one of the first things that I wrote when I felt the prompting and direction of the Holy Spirit.  So, if you read it, and happen it happens to minister to you or encourage you; please do not be thankful for the post or for me.  That's like being thankful for the paper and pen of a book.  Rather, be thankful to the Author.  I am thankful to be his pen.  I ask Him that you would not be able to see the miswrits of my flesh among what He has said, but that only the sweet script of His Holy Spirit would pass through into your heart.

I leave you with the scripture that is on my heart and the meat of the post:

Phil 1:6-11

6 And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. 

9 And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment], 

10 So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences], and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless [so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling nor causing others to stumble]. 

11 May you abound in and be filled with the fruits of righteousness (of right standing with God and right doing) which come through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One), to the honor and praise of God [that His glory may be both manifested and recognized]. 

AMP

Mr. Hill

Here's the deal:

 

     I have made a decision folks.  A decision that I hope in reading about you will be encouraged to make as well.   You see, throughout the Bible there are stories of great men.  These were men who had gifts, talents, and abilities far above what normal men had.  (I'm saying men because I'm a man.  If you are a girl, don't be silly; just switch it to girl stuff.)  Men like Saul, David, Samuel, Joshua, Esau, Solomon, Caleb, Daniel, Nehemiah, Abraham, Peter, Paul, Timothy, Stephen, John, and James.  All of these men are amazing men.  They are all known for their accomplishments, although some more than others.  There is a distinction between these men though.  Some were finishers.  All had callings, all had dreams, all had gifts, all had God behind them, all had abilities, but some of these men held true ‘til the end and others didn't.

     Take for example Saul.  He had every God given natural talent and ability that a man could have.  He stood head and shoulders above everyone else.  He was a handsome man.  He was a strong man of valor, who came from a good home, had a good father, and a strong family life.  He had a tremendous calling to be the first king of Israel!  BUT, he failed miserably in the end.  Why? Because he didn't obey what the Lord had told him to do.  He feared man more than he feared the Lord, and so he made a decision to please man at the price of his dream and calling.  All of his choices toward the end of his life can be summed up in the word, compromise.  He became a crazy, demonized king, who was slain on the battle field with his son.  Heart breaking, huh?

     Take for another example David.  Wow, I mean here we have a truly prime example.  David was truly a man after God's own heart.  A man after God's own heart!!!!  He slew the giant, killed the bear and lion, honored his father, was obedient to tend the flock, wrote a ton of Psalms, righteously submitted himself to Saul the king even when he didn't deserve it, was victorious in battle for the Lord, and recovered the Ark of the Covenant just to name a few of his accomplishments.  Sounds like a pretty great man, huh?  BUT, he started to compromise.  Instead of being on the battle field with his men where the king should've been, he was at home.  He saw Bathsheba bathing and watched.  He committed adultery, and had a man murdered. One thing after the other his compromises and sins grew bigger and bigger.  David was truly a great king and man of God, but in the end his family was in disarray (one of his sons raped his sister, and then he was murdered by another one of David's sons who in turn was slain), and he wasn't allowed to build God's temple.  David didn't fail to the extent of Saul, but he didn't finish all of what God had called him to do because he compromised.

     Esau is the last bad example I'm going to use.  Esau was a huge and powerful man.  Firstborn of his family he was entitled as a birthright to the inheritance of his father's house.  He was going to get it all.  His father was a wealthy man, who God had blessed very much, and that wealth and blessing would be his some day, and all he had to do was wait and be patient for it.  BUT he didn't.  He traded all of his dreams, all of his hopes, all of his wealth, and the best blessing for a bowl of soup.  He was living for the present instead of sacrificing for the future.  He didn't have his mind set on accomplishing his dreams, and he gave them away for a bowl of soup!!!!!!!!   Goodness!  We look at him and say, “Wow, was he ever stupid," but how many times have I made compromises and traded some amazing future blessing for some lesser thing in the present?  More than I care to admit!  Esau knew what he was trading.  He knew what he was giving up for that bowl of soup, and due to Esau's attitude, his brother Jacob (Israel) took his place.  I don't want someone else to accomplish what God has called me to!!!  I want to finish strong!!!!  Even though there are examples of tragedy in the Word, there are also men who went above and beyond the call of duty.

     Abraham was known as the friend of God.  He was willing to sacrifice his one and only son because God called him to do it.  He completely left everything familiar to him to find a land in the wilderness that God had called him to.  His faith was so great that it was counted to him as righteousness.  Wow.

     Stephen delivered a message so powerful and moving that the Lord Jesus Himself gave it a standing ovation.  (The Word tells us that after the resurrection Jesus took His place seated at the right hand of the Father.  Acts 7:56 tells us that Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father at the end of his message.  An interesting thought to say the least.)  Then, as he was falling on his knees getting stoned and about to die, he cried out, "Lord, fix not this sin upon them!"  What a way to finish!  Amazing!  To with your dying breath cry out for God to forgive the men that had just made a martyr of you.

     Joshua and Caleb were both finishers as well.  Out of the twelve spies that went to spy out the Promised Land, they were the only ones who trusted the Lord to be with them.  They stood firm on their stance even when the people were about to stone them, and they continued to believe God for the promised land as they wandered in the wilderness for another 40 years.  Then, when the time came for them to take the Promised Land, they took it by force.  No matter how great the foe, they trusted God to fight on their behalf.

     Peter had passion.  He was the only one to jump out of the boat and onto the water, but he was also dumb enough to rebuke Jesus!  Even when he had denied Jesus three times and cussed a girl out the third time he did it, read on into Acts.  His shadow healed people.  Later he wrote two books of the Bible.  He was crucified upside down because he said that he wasn't worthy to die in the manner that His Lord had.  Peter made many mistakes!  He denied that he knew who Jesus was, but He finished because he loved the Lord and had a passion for His people.  Read John 21.  Look at the passion and love that Peter had for the Lord.  He jumped out of the boat and beat it to shore to see Jesus, and he said not once, but three times that he loved the Lord.  He might not have started off in the finest of manners, but he finished!

     Paul.  Paul was the greatest of all apostles and the worst of sinners.  He was truly one of the heroes of our faith.  Paul's first record of existence in the Bible was at the stoning of Stephen.  He looked on with approval as those men stoned Stephen.  He then is recorded as making it his goal to destroy the Church.  His job was to find every believer that he could so that they could be brought to Jerusalem to stand trial.  BUT, look at how he finished.  Read the New Testament and take note of the number of miracles that accompanied Paul.  Demons were cast out, people were saved right and left, jail doors were flung open, and the list goes on and on.  He was stoned, he was whipped, he was persecuted, he was thrown in jail, he was wrongfully accused, and beheaded for his faith and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.  He truly ran the race that was set before him so not only as to run in the race, but to receive the prize.

     Time would fail me if I told of the great finishers such as Daniel who braved the lion's den, Nehemiah who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, John who Jesus loved, Enoch who walked with the Lord in the cool of the day, Elijah who never saw death, Job (nuff said), and all of the Saints who have given their lives and all that they had to accomplish the calls that God has put on their lives.

     I'm not perfect.  I fail everyday, but by the Grace of my God I will not fear man, I will not compromise, and I will focus on my dream until it has been accomplished.  I will trust God when I have no physical reason to, I will forgive, I will hope, I will be passionate, I will be hungry for God, and I will believe in Him.  There is no way that I will ever be able to accomplish any of this on my own, and that is why I need the Lord so much.  He is my strength, and every good thing that is in me is because of Him.  I may not do a perfect job, and I will make mistakes (I'M HUMAN!!) but I will fight, I will struggle, and I will never quit.  It is my life's goal to be a finisher.

 

I finish with this quote, "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat."  This is true of my life's goals.  I will struggle no matter what the result.

Cinderella Man

Ok seriously.  Have you all seen this movie?  It came out about 2-3 years ago...Russell Crowe is the main actor.

I think it might be the most fantastic movie about being a man that I have ever seen.

I'm not talking about being a man like Rambo - running around and blowing things up and killing people - I'm talking about what it takes to be the leader of your home in the middle of crisis.  Fighting (literally in his case) for what you believe in - Family.

For those who haven't seen the movie, it's incredible.  Russell Crowe is a very sucessful boxer who loses everything in the Great Depression.  He then has his boxing go South when he runs into a string of injuries and loses his liscence to box - and his way to feed his family.

The movie does an incredible job of protraying the desperation, pain, and struggle of the poverty that they lived through in the Great Depression.  

I'll be honest, I think I cried more the first time that I saw this movie than in any other movie that I've ever seen.  I just couldn't help it.  Time and time again throughout this movie I was just so impacted by the extraordinary action ofRussell Crowe's character.  His self-sacrificing and humbling steps that he takes to keep his family together and keep his word are truly moving.

Ladies, lest you think the movie leaves you uninspired, Renee Zellweger gives a performance that will leave you challenged about how you stand by your man.  She delivers one monologue near the end of the movie that should be enough to make any man cry.

Go see the movie.  It's worth your time.

Wives you should fight like a girl!

Lisa Bevere wrote a book called "Fight Like a Girl". If you are a girl and you have my phone number in your phone then you have probably heard me talk about it, or I have recommended it to you, or I have even given it to you. It is a book that I think every woman should read whether you are married, engaged, dating, or single because it shows us women the power we have in the world.

Now many of you might read this and think POWER - OH YEAH, or if you are a man you might think SCARY. Yet, many of us women do not realize that we desperately abuse the power we have as women or that we allow it to lie dormant and out of use, but we must realize (and Lisa Bevere excellently reveals ) that God gave us power as women so we can be a mighty force in the world, in our marriages, families, friendships, and jobs.

My husband so excellently wrote about the importance of consistency in a husband. Let me tell you he wrote that so well because he has allowed the Lord to teach him how to be consistent. I have benefited greatly because of his consistency. I have grown and have become more confident, consistent, and brave in every part of my life because of him. I feel safe and loved which opens all kinds of doors for me in my life and my marriage.

So... some might think that your husband might need to get on the consistent train and everything would be better, or you might just add that to your list of expectations of what your future husband should be (which is a great and necessary trait ) - but let me tell you there are two sides to every coin and two people in every marriage.

Wives are the guardian of the heart. Women have the unique ability to look at their man and see who and what God has destined him to be. We see his potential as a businessman, a lover, a father, a friend, a leader, and a man of God. In this vision we have two choices: we can either encourage and love our men into what they are called to be, or we can compare him to the man he is called to be and tear him down piece by piece. Women can either make or break their men. We have power in our words because we greatly control and see into the heart. We must realize the power we have so we can use it wisely and effectively. Believe me the enemy wants us to tear down our husbands and see him as a failure, but God has partnered us with our husbands so that we can lift him up and so he can grow into who God wants him to be.

Also as guardians of the heart I believe we should love with everything we have. Women feel safe when they have consistent husbands; conversely men feel safe when they know they are loved. Lisa Bevere says in her book "It is when we learn to love fearlessly that we will find ourselves perfectly loved" - I know many of us long for this and yet many of us know how hard it is because our love has been hurt in our life. Let me tell you are huge secret: When you give all of your love to the Lord, He will return it to you whole. Everyday we must go to Him who embodies love and receive perfect love from Him. If we as women can get our needs met by Jesus on a daily basis then we are set up for success in our marriages. Then we are able to love our husbands without restraint or fear and we will see him grow into an even more awesome man.

Love is woman's domain to protect, and no one can see potential in a man's life like a woman. These are Lisa's words and they are so infinitely wise - if we can grasp these two concepts not only we will be power houses in our marriages and family but we can have a huge impact in our church and community.

I encourage you to read this book. It is will change everything :)

To the singe men out there - look for a woman who can see the potential in your life, she is worth fighting for.

One last thing I would like to share with you all are the vows that I committed to my husband on our wedding day. God helped me write these out of Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter 3.

I, Jessica Ann Jordan, do hereby vow – before our Lord and man alike – these things to you and you alone, Christopher Carl Hill:

I commit my life to the prescribed soil of your heart.

I vow to submit, adapt, and cleave myself to you, always putting my needs as secondary to yours, and to always serve you as I would the Lord.

I vow to adorn myself inwardly so that I might always have a gentle and peaceful spirit towards you.

I vow to respect, admire, and honor you and to lift you up and encourage you to be the man that God has called and destined you to be.

I vow to go to the Lord daily to find my joy, satisfaction, beauty, and nourishment in Him, so that I may freely give of myself to deeply love and cherish you always.

Remember no human being is perfect and therefore every marriage is flawed, but when two people are fully committed to Jesus then the possibilities are endless and love will always grow. Our hearts are safe in His.

Husbands=Consistent

con·sis·tent

Pronunciation: \kən-ˈsis-tənt\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Latin consistent-, consistens, present participle of consistere

Date: 1638

1archaic : possessing firmness or coherence

2 a: marked by harmony, regularity, or steady continuity : free from variation or contradiction consistent style in painting> b:marked by agreement : compatible —usually used with withconsistent with the truth> c: showing steady conformity to character, profession, belief, or custom consistent patriot>

— con·sis·tent·ly \-lē\ adverb

 

Those things in red.  Those are my desires as a husband.  That is my heart: to remain consistent as a man, husband, leader, lover, spiritual man.  Why?

 

-“Consistent” means “Safe” in wife speak.  I want my home to be a greenhouse for my wife to bloom in.  Sheltered, protected, loved, desired, and safe from the battering of the world that would seek to leave her maimed and tattered and dreamless.  My home will be a place for her dreams to come alive.  I set the standard.  I am the leader.  I must be consistent in my word, in my action, in my relationship, and in my Faith.  I truly believe that when Jess opens her eyes every morning and awakes into this home, that every day she will awake to a safe place to become the woman that Christ set her apart to be.  Nothing else will do.  Too much is at stake.  Her heart it too precious to my Master and to me.  “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).”

-It is my duty and heart’s desire to Consistently reflect Christ in my marriage.  The head of every man is Christ.  The head of every woman is man.  Men were created in the image of Christ, and the woman taken out of the man.  The Greek word for image is IKONE.  A reflection.  My wife is (and someday my children will be) a reflection of my relationship with Christ.  If it is healthy, intimate, consistent, passionate, and from a servant’s heart; then my relationship with Jessica will be all those things.  She will be healthy in every way.  Conversely, if my relationship with Christ is twisted, from a far, full of variation, disheartened, and from a selfish heart; then my relationship with Jessica will be all of those things.  She will be sick in every way.  (See 1 Cor 11)  I want to consistently reflect Christ and His love for me.

-His love is Consistent.  He served when He was spat upon.  He forgave when He was murdered.  He kept no record of the wrongs paid to Him.  He died for His Bride’s freedom.  His love and action through it never varied, but He was a constant and faithful reflection of His Father’s character, love, and desire to the Church.

 

So, in a summarizing and practical sense, what does that mean?  I like practical.  I am a big fan of things that can be practiced – that means that you can do them and get better at them!  So, this means that when I come home from stress, traders, f-bombs, non-stop, and trials – a.k.a. work – I do the dishes.  Yup.  I come home from those things and attend to Jess no matter how I feel.  MY CRY before the Lord is that the question, “what about me?” NEVER be able to enter my heart or mind.  It never entered His mind when He hung on that cross.  I am thankful for that.  So, I listen to her heart at night when I want to sleep so bad it literally hurts.  I take out the trash.  I deep clean the bathroom when I want to sit on the couch.  I watch Project Runway instead of Sportscenter.  I watch Giadda Delorentis shows because my wife is obsessed with cooking. J  I listen when I want to talk.  I listen when I want to do things that boys want to do.  I encourage, I love, I bless.  I do not speak out of anger.  I do not lose my temper.  I do not shout.  I remain consistent.

 

Sadly, I am still human.  I struggle a great deal.  These things require choices that are often difficult.  Sometimes I do not make the proper choice.  Nonetheless, my wife is correct when she said that God is for marriage and that He will fight for it.  He fights in me.  He changes things in me when I ask Him.  I believe that when I want to be more like Him, He makes it happen.  He is good.  Marriage is good.  He made marriage, and He made it good.

 

Consistently,

Mr. Hill

Long Time

It has been a really long time since either of us have blogged! Life gets so crazy at times and sometimes takes a little "wrangling" to get it back in order.

Since I have begun working I have had to get used to a busy schedule - ya know - which I am sure none of you can relate to at all :). Do any of you ever wonder how all of our Moms did it; I wonder this all the time. How she was organized, had dinner ready, did laundry, loved us, talked to us, loved and talked to my Dad, worked, did bible studies, bought Christmas present, and on and on and on....

I am learning how to organize, clean, cook, plan, decorate, talk, love, work out, work, do laundry, grow up, be good at being married, be a good friend, daughter, sister, granddaughter - all the while learning how to prefer and adapt to the awesome man in my life during while learning all of these things. I am definitely not saying that my awesome hubby does not do SO MUCH for me and with me, it is just an adjustment to doing things for two. So, I know have such a tremendous respect my Mama who had four kids and did all these things for SIX people!

Anyways - I have said all of this to say - sometimes we get busy but we cannot let our busyness over take us - we must over take our busyness. In my mind I would like to think I am Winston Churchill during the war except I am fighting for a balanced life that glorifies Jesus and reflects being excellent and not busy!

On to say:

Chris and I would really like to start a discussion about marriage and how important and awesome it is. In our generation marriage is something that is easily tossed away and discarded, and that is a horribly tragedy that is having a terrible effect on our nation and on a lot of us individually. We realize that we have only been married a few short months but that does not mean we cannot encourage and build up the idea of marriage.

So if you have been hurt by divorce in any way shape or form you might want to follow along as Chris and I try to let the Lord have a voice about something he cares deeply about. I also want to comment that it might not resonate in you that you might of been hurt by divorce so I want to say it another way... Follow along if you are afraid of marriage or have doubts that marriage cannot be solid and full of amazing blessings. God designed marriage. He loves marriage. He is willing to fight for marriage. So, when you lay marriage at His feet He picks it up and molds it into a beautiful, loving, beneficial, fun, and growing relationship. When two people want marriage to work and are willing to let God be the center of their relationship, their marriage will have a strong foundation on which they can stand on.

We cannot promise to answer to everything or even chip the edge off the the idea. However, we can share our experiences and the wisdom we have found and the wisdom that has been given to us by people who have been married for a long, long time!

It is our heart to lift up the heart of anyone that is hurting because of divorce.

We want to share our lives with you, because we want you to see what God can do with two selfish, prideful, broken, hurt people who simply just want to glorify Him.

A little something different…

So, we are really excited. We are really excited about one thing in particular:

Marriage. Yup, we're really excited about this new part of life that we have begun. We think it's wonderful. We've only been at it for a little while, but we want to write about it here – so we're starting a "blog mini-series." So here come 3-4 entries about how much fun marriage is when you do it like Jesus has designed it to be done.

Look, we aren't crazy. We understand. You might be thinking, "What do you guys have to say about this? You've only been married a little while." Yea, we know that, but you have to understand something – You are exactly right. We've only been married for a little while, and this thing is so much better than our wildest dreams that we can't help but tell you about what's made it great for us.

Stay tuned, as my good friend Jonathan Armour would say, "The Hills are alive."

 

Mr. Hill

Focus

I am impacted this morning (as my beloved wife is nearly continually) by the goodness of my God.

I have been a under-the-weather lately.  I have been working hard a lot lately.  I have felt like I wanted more from my time with the Lord.

I have felt inadequate to love and follow Him in the manner of His call on my life.  I see myself as the rageddly sinful man that I once was.  He sees me as the man who He has redeemed to be His son through the Son, Christ Jesus.

Somehow, once you get into God's presence, all these things change.  He is what matters.  He draws every bit of my attention away from what I see as my faults so that I can focus on loving and serving Him.  I really think that is key.  To be in His presence experiencing His enduring love...

2 Chron 5:11-14

11 And when the priests had come out of the Holy Place — for all the priests present had sanctified themselves, separating themselves from everything that defiles, without regard to their divisions; 

12 And all the Levites who were singers — all of those of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, with their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, having cymbals, harps, and lyres — stood at the east end of the altar, and with them 120 priests blowing trumpets; 

13 And when the trumpeters and singers were joined in unison, making one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments for song and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever, then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud, 

14 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. 

AMP

His words to me this morning after a wonderful time of intimacy and worship were this, "You were making things too complicated again, Bubba.  Focus on Me."

I am then reminded of this verse that He has so often and sweetly taught me through:

Matt 6:33

33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  

NASU

...saying, seek Jesus first, seek His kingdom.  Everything else will fall into place.  Not seek freedom from sin, seek wisdom about a job, seek nothing first but Jesus.

That question you are asking, "that's cool, Chris.  sounds great.  I have no flippin idea how to do that."

Tell Him that.  Do you think that scares Him?  He knows it already. :)  All that is for you is to ask and invite Him.  "Lord Jesus, I want all of You in my life.  I want you to be Master.  I want you to come and love me in the manner that no human can ever love me."

For every  Believer, that is the beginning of depth and intimacy with God.  I have found my whole life through that the more real I am to Him about my sin, my life, my desires, my thoughts, my hurt  - the more real He has become to me in every area of my life.

He must by King...not only Savior.  That is the narrow road.  That is life.  That is the most satisfying and painful and wonderful adventure that my heart has ever known.

txhill@gmail.com

Mr. Hill

Meat and Potatoes

However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [^[a]that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and ^[b]that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]. [I Pet. 3:2.] Ephesians 5:33

Last night I went to Beth Moore's bible study which this semester is more of a study that is teaching us how to study the bible. So, anyways I walk in the door and my husband had fixed me a fantastic, incredible, and awesome dinner.

Music was playing and candles were lit and on the table my HOT husband had fixed me steak, asparagus, twice baked potatoes, and had ready a really amazing wine. I have to say this was the best steak dinner I have had that was not in a really expensive restaurant. Chris Hill can make the best twice baked potatoes in the whole entire world. I really cannot describe how good the dinner was or how awesome and loving my husband is, but I just wanted to brag to the world that he loves me so well! He really loves me in a way that I have never been loved before and that makes me want to praise him at the gates and let the whole world know that he is an amazing man and husband!!!

Who knew that twice baked potatoes could express love in such a deep manner? :)

Surrender

Is it possible that sometimes we can get so caught up in desiring to do God's will for our life that our destiny and what "we are designed to do" can sometimes take a lead on our priority list, maybe even surpassing God himself?

I realized this morning that I can sometimes do this. This is not something I like to admit at all, but I have learned that the quicker you squish your pride the less your pride can hurt you.

God is so willing to bless us. He wants to bless us more than we can even imagine. Sometimes, though I think our blessings can get in the way of our relationship with God. I have to remind myself that knowing God is so much more important than anything in the whole world - even what He blesses me with. God wants to be known, He wants to show himself to us, He wants to engage in an awesome and dynamic relationship with us that is real and life changing.

So, today I surrender to God everything that I hold important in my life. In all my searches of what He wants me to do and what step I should take next; I am holding Him above all else. I want Him to know that I hold Him first in my life. He is more important than what He has called me to do.

Surrender

Come On Ride That Train

The Aggies won today.

Jovorskie Lane played today and it was awesome. If anyone happened to see the last three minutes of the game - you know why!

Last week Chris, Wes, and I went to the Miami game and J Lane did not play. It was an awful and boring game and I was completely disinterested. Chris was greatly distressed because he thought I was falling out of love with Aggie football, but this was untrue - I was just upset because Jovorskie was not playing. I would like to note that Jovorskie's absence was not the only reason why the game stunk - I think that was obvious.

I realize that he may be a little fat but that absolutely does not stop him from running fast and moving the ball down the field. In fact, he told me one time that he ate Lucky Charms to make him fast. :)

So, thank you Mike Sherman for putting in the J Train for me today - you made my heart happy!

I am not trying to be a football expert. I am just letting you know that I think Aggie football is a lot more interesting when the J Train plays.

Joseph=every one of us.

So, God's been talking to me a lot lately through the story of Joseph. It's a story that I have studied quite a bit over time, but lately God has been randomly reminding me of certain parts of the story in order to then speak some encouragement into my life. I want to share some of those things in the hope and belief that the Lord will encourage your life too through my words here.

Some opening thoughts: Just because you aren't called to rule the known world doesn't mean this story isn't about you. That was God's unique call on Joseph's life. He has a unique call for each one of us! Living for eternity is about living to fulfill that call - your call………..Next thought – If you are willing to follow what God has for you, there will be a process. Each pit, chain, and prison that God lead Joseph into was not to hurt him. It was for the purpose of making and sculpting him into the man that God needed – a man chosen to preserve posterity for God's chosen people of Israel in a time of great need.

 

I am so amazed by this man. He did not have Christ in His heart as you and I. He didn't have the Holy Spirit walking with him at every moment to lead and guide his steps as you and I do. Yet, he consistently forgave, walked in integrity, and endured.

 

He forgave his family who sold him into slavery instead of murdering him. He forgave Potiphar's wife. He forgave Pharaohs' butler who forgot and left him in prison for two years (after Joseph had asked him to remember).

He walked in integrity when he had no reason to. In that situation, would you not find yourself asking, "What do I have to lose? I am already a slave in a foreign land. I might as well get something out of this for myself." But no, he was so trustworthy that Potiphar made him lord of his whole house. (Go read what he says to Potiphars wife!) He was thrown into prison under false charges – and it did not change who he was or what he did. Would you not be tempted to defend yourself? Would you not be tempted to curse God and die? You have just worked up to a reasonable place in a land not your own – to get thrown into prison. Would you not struggle with depression now? (Before God I must honestly say that would be difficult.) Yet Joseph remembered his dream and the God of his fathers.

He endured. This one is what I would think would be the hardest. (Ok, maybe I'm biased here. I feel like I'm going through this myself. No, I am not in prison. But I am a man who has a dream of owning a business and running it for the sake of the Kingdom. I am "stuck" in the most corporate job – waiting. This is a test. I have a choice. I can be bitter, I can lose hope, I can get frustrated and allow my heart to get hard; or, I can remember my dream and the God who lives in my heart.) Joseph passed this test. He endured the test of time, and God knew that he would steward whatever was put in front of him. By the process God led him through; Joseph was shown to have character.

 

Please allow me the position of making this a little personal. Has your family done things that hurt? How did you handle that? Joseph was sold into slavery for $20. Have you been unwilling to see what God has for you in the midst of pain and unfair treatment? Have you cursed him as you waited for His promises to come true? WE ALL HAVE STRUGGLES! How we chose to handle the processes (Processes – Chris's "spiritual" way of saying "really difficult hurt and trials.") that God supernaturally leads us through will determine the extent that we live the dreams that He has placed in our hearts. I encourage you this morning – as I encourage my own heart - to endure. I believe that the Spirit of Jesus Christ that lives within us is able and willing to give us the grace that is required for the situation that we face. I am not so naïve as to think that I can personally understand all of the "processes" God has lead/is leading you through, but this thing I know – He does. He forgave, walked in perfect integrity, and endured for the sake of the glory that was set before Him – our redemption.

Ellen and Randy

Our amazing friends have started their own ministry - Monologue Culture.

Ellen - who is extremely gifted in the arena of music has written a song that is absolutely amazing! I suggest all of you listen to it!

Just scroll to the bottom of the screen and press play, after you click here:
http://www.monologueculture.com/Site/Media__Blog/Entries/2008/9/24_Peace.html


So amazingly awesome!!

Bulletin

So my freaking cool wife is kicking my butt at this whole blogging thing.

I'm sitting here this evening in our apartment. She is on her way back from her super cool new Beth Moore Bible study. I am waiting excitedly for her return, drinking a Negra Modelo beer, listening to my new Randy Rogers cd, paying bills, and tending to the email.

Topofthehills readers be informed by this bulletin. I have Friday off. I am excited. There is some stuff brewing in my little self that I am very excited to have the opportunity to share with you.

 

Stay tuned hill fans.

 

Seriously though…have you read what this girl writes on here? Man, did I luck out or what? (I'll be honest, I'm so in love it should probably make you sick to your stomach.)

See you Friday after coffee and Jesus time,

Mr. Hill

Updates and Besties

About a week or so I wrote about lots of things that were changing in Chris and I's life. So I just wanted to update ya'll that God is keeping us where we are at and is not changing us in the physical sense, although He is personally changing me everyday.

We thought that we might be moving to Midland, TX because of Chris's job. Chris is an extremely brilliant and excellent oilman and so everyone wants him to come work for them. Chris's current bosses did not want to give up Chris to "them" and told "them" that they will keep him because he is too valuable. So "We" shall stay in Houston.

This will mark our third attempt to move to another city in Texas other than Houston. This will also mark the third time God has kept us in Houston. This will also mark us taking the hint and really settling down and putting our roots down. I have to be honest that my nesting nature is glad that I can finally, really, and truly NEST in my beloved Houston.

I lived in Aberdeen, Scotland during elementary school or primary school as they call it. While being in that beautiful country, which has the best cookies in the world, my heart yearned and longed for Texas and for Houston. I longed for Mexican food and to see men who wear cowboy boots. So, needless to say - WHOOP - we are staying in Houston - which outside of San Antonio has the best Mexican food within the continental United States - and a lot of men, including my husband, wear cowboy boots.

:)

This morning I was walking in circles around our apartment complex talking to Shaina who is a "bestie". First I would like to say that I love walking outside because I feel like God speaks to me best outside, and I have ended up just walking around our apartment complex because I have not found a better place around here. Second - Shaina is awesome and I love that God gives us friends who can tell us what's up. So I poured my heart out to her this morning...

We were both talking about looking for jobs. Due to the economy there are not a lot of awesome jobs out there right now, but also both of us are not totally positive what we want to do so nothing really looks appealing. During this conversation I asked her if she could do anything in the world what would she do? Then she asked me the same thing - and I realized that God has positioned me in life so that I can do what I really want to do - and that is to write.

My freshman year of college God told me to write a book. So even though I feel totally unqualified, I am going to write this book. I am going to obey because I know that if I don't God will give the book to someone else and He will not give me another assignment.

Like I wrote yesterday - His peace is where His presence is - and that is where we are supposed to be too!

Peace is where His presence is

Randy Olive told Chris and I this when he and Ellen told us they were going to start Monologue Culture http://www.monologueculture.com- which is a ministry focused on developing a strong and healthy family dynamic.

This thought helped me out today as I continued in my weekly routine of grocery shopping, seeking the Lord, cleaning, and attempting to creatively decorate. In all of these activities my heart is seeking Jesus for what He has called me to do. In a sense I know the big picture of what He has called me to do, but it is the next step of this call that I am unsure of. Patience is not something that I am extremely good at, and being patient is what God is calling me to do. He has me in a place of just simply waiting, learning, and leaning on Him - experiencing the deepness of His love for me. Some might think "Well, Jess this is simply an awesome place to be...", but you must realize that this also requires me being still. Learning to lean on and experience His love, for the moment, is requiring me to be still and to be satisfied where He has me. I feel totally humbled and my flesh wants to move forward in any direction than where I am now. I want desperately to live the life God has called me live - even at the expense of my flesh being humbled.

So I have peace where I am even though I want to see if I can find peace else where. Randy's words rang loudly in my heart today as I realized that God's presence is where I am now. So it is here that I will stay until God's peace moves me elsewhere.

A recipe for the weekend

This is one of my new favorites - it is really healthy!

I cannot take the credit for coming up with it though...

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach Recipe courtesy Ellie Krieger

1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved 8 ounces baby spinach 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup low-sodium canned chopped tomatoes with juice 2 cups whole wheat couscous, cooked Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove the chicken and set aside. To the same pan, add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook 3 to 5 minutes. Place the couscous in a serving bowl. Top with the spinach, chicken and balsamic-tomato sauce.

Change

God has Chris and I in a constant state of change right now, which is requiring us to trust him completely and even more than we have before.

It is so awesome to live with someone who constantly encourages you to give everything to God. Constant peace is something that you have to come to God every day for, but it gets addicting and living without peace becomes unimaginable.

So - be praying for us as we are making big decisions today and tomorrow about all sorts of things!

We will keep ya'll updated.

:)

**Preachin It**

"Because he has set his love upon ME, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understand MY NAME [has a personal knowledge of MY mercy, love, and kindness - trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]." Psalms 91:14 AMP

Good morning everyone! Hope all of you are doing well and living anxiously for Jesus, realizing that He has some awesome and amazing plans for your life. That He cares more that anyone else how you are doing and feeling. He cares if you have dreams that seem to be too big for you to accomplish, He wants to give you the vision to accomplish them. He cares if you are fearful and scared for whatever reasons. His desire is to meet all of your needs and for you to understand the desire He has to know you.

Early in college I had a relationship in my life that was not going so well. At one moment during a very hard conversation I had a thought; it was "I want you to like me, really like me - not just because I want to be liked but because I want you to feel the joy of really liking someone". Almost at the same time I thought this the Lord pressed upon me that He felt exactly the same way.

He desperately wants us to love Him and like Him, not because He desperately needs to be loved and liked but because if we love and pursue Him and allow Him into our lives then we will KNOW HIM. It is more for our benefit than God's for us to love Him. He can totally exist without our love. We cannot exist without His. So put your life into His - allow Jesus to show you who He is. He wants to take you on a wild adventure into His heart, He wants to be your first love, He wants to be the definition of love in your life. Knowing the character of Jesus will dramatically change how you view life, and you learn to know His character by trusting in Him during the trials, tests, and tribulations that you go through.

Jesus knows and understands you more than anyone else.

Much love to you all!

Sunday Morning Laughs

So this Sunday morning, Jess and I were sitting on the couch, drinking coffee, waking up, watching Sportscenter. (Yes, I know my life is awesome, but that's not the point of this post :) )

I'm pouring myself another cup of coffee, and Jess is watching "All 22" with Emmit Smith, former Cowboys great.

She looks at me and in a rather serious voice says, "So wait, ESPN is like a retirement club for players and coaches?".

I thought this was so funny that I had to post it. We've all thought it, so leave it to my awesome and objective wife to say something hysterical.

Back to my awesome life...

Purposes, Wives, and Rivers

Funky title, huh? I hope that you're intrigued and think that our new little blogsite is pretty hep.

Three parts to the title, and three parts to my first post:

1) Purposes - How fun is this little blog that my sweet wife has made? Her purposes for this blog are really fun I think, and so I wanted to let my own purposes be known to all who should stumble across our Hills. Plain and simple, my main purpose for this blog is that when you have had a rough day, you might be able to come here and read something that encourages your heart and lifts your spirit. It is my prayer that the consistent theme through all of my writings be a piece of my heart, vulnerable, encouraging, full of Christ, empty of religion, passionate, and pertinent to your life.

2) Wives - Wives? I really mean, my wife. I cannot help myself but use this opportunity to shamelessly tell the world of the gracious and wonderful wife that I have.

Prov 18:22
22 He who finds a [true] wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

Prov 19:14
14 House and riches are the inheritance from fathers, but a wise, understanding, and prudent wife is from the Lord.

Prov 31:10
10 A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman — who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.

I will not write here all of the virtues and excellent qualities of my wife. Rather, I will say this:

-I have found a good thing. I have obtained favor from the Lord. I have found something that my earthly father could never give - only the Lord. I have found a woman of more worth than rubies, more precious than jewels, and far more valuable than rubies or pearls.

Suffice it to say, there are struggles. We have arguments. We get upset at each other. However, let it also be said that there are victories, there is resolution, and there is mutual submission to one another in honor of our Messiah, Christ Jesus. Those are not cheap words, I assure you. That is the truth of our lives.

Now that I think of it, the best part is that, that this is available to all who will yield control of their life to Jesus. No life, love, or marriage is beyond Him.

3) Rivers - Today is September 6th. I have had in possession a book entitled My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers since I can remember. If memory serves, I stole it from my parent's rather sizable book collection when I was a Sophomore in college. It has followed me around in my book collection ever since. I have always wanted to read it, but have had a number of other books in front of it on the "must read" list.

It is a good-looking copy of the book. Leather bound with a nice, little ribbon place keeper thingy the likes of which you see in a Bible.

I have almost started to read the book a half dozen times in the last week, but this morning, the Lord brought it to my attention. I finally cracked it open, and to my surprise, it was set up in a daily reading sort of way. Each page had a date.

I flipped to September 6th.

(Gosh, I am so freaking long-winded when I am excited or passionate about something. God bless you for reading this far. I'm just about to get to the cool part.)

-PAUSE- it should be mentioned here, that last night, I had a rather emotional conversation last night with my wife about my life. I told her (at times through tears of desire) of how hard it was sometimes to know the desires and purpose that God has put in my heart (to accomplish things for Him), but to go to work and sit at my desk each day. To have such things stored in my heart and to wonder, "If He came back tomorrow, would I be judged as having been faithful to my life's call." I then relayed to her the fact that I have decided that He has my heart. He can do with me what He wills. I am His to change, His to command. I have to believe and trust in the fact that His timing is perfect. When He wants to move me into my life's dreams, He will. I have to trust that He who has begun a good work in me will be faithful to bring it to completion. -UNPAUSE-

I finish this first post with the page from Chambers' book for September 9th. As you read it, I hope that you will consider the sovereignty of God in this small situation. Think of all the things that had to happen today to happen in my life. I hope that Oswald will encourage you, and that you will be encouraged that Christ looks into the happenings of your life as much as my own. I am no more than anyone else. I'm just His kid. :)

The Far-Reaching Rivers of Life

"He who believes in Me...out of his heart will flow rivers of living water"
(John 7:38)

A river reaches places which its source never knows. And Jesus said that, if we have received His fullness, "rivers of living water" will flow out of us, reaching in blessing even "to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8) regardless of how small the visible effects of our lives may appear to be. We have nothing to do with the outflow - "this is the work of God, that you believe..." (John 6:29). God rarely allows a person to see how great a blessing he is to others.
A river is victoriously persistent, overcoming all barriers. For a while it goes steadily on its course, but then comes to an obstacle. And for a while it is blocked, yet it soon makes a pathway around the obstacle. Or a river will drop out of sight for miles, only later to emerge again even broader and greater than ever. Do you see God using the lives of others, but an obstacle has come into your life and you do not seem to be of any use to God? Then keep paying attention to the Source, and God will either take you around the obstacle or remove it. The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles. Never focus your eyes on the obstacle or the difficulty. The obstacle will be a matter of total indifference to the river that will flow steadily through you if you will simply remember to stay focused on the Source. Never allow anything to come between you and Jesus Christ - not emotion nor experience - nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.
Think of the healing and far-reaching rivers developing and nourishing themselves in our souls! God has been opening up wonderful truths to our minds, and every point He has opened up is another indication of the wider power of the river that He will flow through us. If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has developed and nourished in you might, rushing rivers of blessing for others.

Signed,

Mr. Hill

...Father, this is my first post. I offer it to You. I ask that it would bring you glory, that it would bless You, and bless Your people. In Jesus' mighty name, Amen....

Goodness

"[What would have become of me] had I not believed that I would see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living!" Psalms 27:13

God's goodness and knowing it was something that I never thought of before until my freshman year of college. I searched and desired to understand God's goodness for months. It has been one of my most exciting love affairs with Jesus even up until now. I have no idea how I came about it searching for it, I just remember one day realizing that I needed, rather desperately, something more from Jesus. I realized that if I wanted to live my life on a more exciting level I needed to know Him better, in a whole new way, it was like I was starving but there was only one thing that would save me and that was His goodness.

"And Moses said, I beseech You, show me Your glory. And God said, I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim My name, THE LORD, before you, for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show show mercy and loving-kindness on whom I will show mercy and loving kindness." Exodus 33:18-19

God's goodness is His glory. I want to say that Beth Moore in her book Breaking Free fully explores God's glory, but I cannot say that is true because I do not believe God's glory can be fully explained. Beth shows us a glimpse of her understanding of God's glory according to God's word. She shows us in 2 Peter 1:3 how glory can be applied to our lives, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." Beth Moore says "His glory supplies our needs" and "Christ is the representation of God's glory". It is our knowledge of Christ and His character that helps us live our lives the way they were designed to be lived. We obtain knowledge by experience, by experiencing God's word in our lives daily, by asking God to show himself in our lives, and by living out what he says in the Bible.

So knowing God's goodness and recognizing how Jesus lived out goodness in His own life gives us a whole new picture of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. As I like to say, it gives us a whole new rock to stand on! Realizing that God is good helps us to trust God and give our life completely to Him. Goodness inspires hope, and hope inspires faith, and faith inspires a life worth living and a relationship with God worth telling other people about. Faith is what you use to live out the dreams, passions, hopes, and desires God has given you. Faith is what gives you the ability to be radically adventurous and crazy for Jesus. Faith is what helps you fall into who God designed you to be. Faith is the energy behind the risks God wants you to take in life. Faith is what helps you fall hopelessly head over heels in love with LOVE Himself.

God's goodness reveals to us that He really is a God that we can trust fully. God's goodness reveals to us that everything that keeps us from really trusting in Him is just folly and usually just fear.

When I fully came to know God's goodness I was on a family vacation in Cairns, Australia. Now Cairns is the gateway to the great barrier reef, surrounded by rain forest, and we just happened to rent a house just behind the spa paradise of the world on the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. It was fantastically beautiful, romantic, relaxing, and everything I wanted Australia to be. I specifically remember lying in bed with Mimi (my Dad's Mom) unable to sleep because the Lord was bugging me. I realized that I did not fully trust him because there were certain life long fears I had about my life that I was holding on to. I thought that if I truly gave my life over to the Lord for his own doing that my worst fears would come true. As I lay there thinking that the Lord whispered to me, "I do not give passion with out purpose". Now, I have to interrupt myself to tell you that I was already a Christian who really loved Jesus, what I am talking about is truly surrendering yourself to Him. So, as God was showing me that the things that I wanted most in my life were a lot of the time desires that He has given me! How simple, how comforting was that thought to me!! God really wanted me to have joy and wanted me to live an exciting life for Him! Yet, I still desperately needed to know His goodness.

It was not until the end of the vacation that the Lord showed it to me. For quite a few days I had felt a strong urging to go and sit on the beach by myself, but for some reason I was afraid to go. One day I went to the Internet cafe to do some emailing and on the way back to the house I decided to go sit on the beach an talk to Jesus - even if it was in front of a bunch of people. Believe or not that was a really hard decision for me, because something in me knew that God was doing something and that scared me just a little bit. As I sat down on the beach the most incredibly awesome love swept over me, and God gave me a wonderful picture of who He was. It was like He deposited His goodness in me. It was so simple and not complicated but from that moment on I trusted Him in a way that I never had before. It was awesome and my life has been different ever since!

So....

Right now I am reading Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis, which is his own autobiography. Lewis was an atheist who spent his younger years desperately searching for joy - not just any joy but joy everlasting. He was an avid reader as I am sure most of you can imagine, but it was one day while waiting for the train that he picked up a book by George MacDonald that gave Lewis a taste of God's goodness. It was this little hint of God that I sure was hidden deep in a great story - Phantases, a Faerie Romance - that caused Lewis's hard heart towards God to soften just a little.

"I should have been shocked in my teens if anyone had told me that what I learned to love in Phantases was goodness. But now that I know, I see there was no deception. The deception is all the other way round - in that prosaic moralism which confines goodness to the region of Law and Duty, which never lets us feel in our face the sweet air blowing from "the land of righteousness," never reveals that elusive Form which if once seen must inevitably be desired with all sensuous desire - the thing (in Sappho's phrase) "more gold than gold"."
C.S. Lewis in his preface to his book - George MacDonald: An Anthology 365 Readings

In a sense what Lewis is saying, once you taste of His goodness you will never be the same.

Goodness
George MacDonald
The Father was all in all to the Son, and the Son no more thought of His own goodness that an honest man thinks his honesty. When the good man sees goodness, he thinks of his own evil: Jesus had no evil to think of, but neither does He think of His goodness: He delights in His Father's. "Why callest thou Me good?"

I want to encourage you to seek God and ask Him to show you His goodness! What do you have to lose?

Tantalizingly Delicious

Appetizers....

A really quick and easy way to please guests or family members are by making...

Jalapeno Croissants

Package of Pillsbury croissants (come in packages of 4,6,8)
HEB Ouaxaca Mexican Cheese (or Monterrey Jack)
Pickled Jalapenos

Cut cheese up into cubes
Cut croissant triangles in half if you bought a package bigger than 4
Place a piece of cheese and one jalapeno in each piece of dough, wrap so that none of the insides show, and place on greased cookie sheet or on parchment paper and cooking 10 - 13 minutes at 350 degrees.

An instant winner!

Antropologie

Work....

Some of you might be thinking - "Jess, finally....",

I started working at Anthropologie today as an "Associate". I think that I will really love it and I trust the Lord as some plan for me there.

So in reference to work and "Anthro" in my life, I want to talk about passion and living out what you are called to do. This thought process is what led me to start working at Anthropologie, which I realize might seem to be a little random, but I decided not to settle for a boring desk job where I sit in front of a computer all day long. I also realize that it might seem a little ironic for me to use the word settle in reference to retail, but you must realize this is not about retail but about what you are passionate about and following God in His leadership of your life. Honestly, working at Anthropologie does not make complete sense to me either, but I truly know and believe that God has me working here for a reason because I have complete peace about it.

Continuing on the topic of passion, I want to encourage everyone who reads this that God has called them to live their life passionately. Work is something that we are called to do, work is something that God can gift us to do. In fact all of us have skills, talents, desires, and passion that all feed into what God has called and destined us to be - in other words all these things certainly facilitate our word or career in life. So, if you were or are like me and trying to figure out what God has called you too, or are looking at everything you love in life and wondering how it all fits together. Then step out at take a risk and do something that moves towards those passions and desires. Everyone is completely different and are called to do completely different things. One person's nightmare is another persons dream. So do not let anyone discourage you about what you love and are passionate about!

So my goal at Antro - to learn everything, to be an incredible employee, to seek every opportunity to let Jesus shine through me, to be inspired, to be creative, and every day work as if I am working for Jesus himself.

Food is always joyful

Because you cannot live life without food I thought I would share a recipe or two that we love!

Blackened Chicken Salad for two:

• Mixed greens
• 1 avocado - dice and squeeze half a lime over
  
• 2 chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• Zatarans Blackening seasoning - brush butter on your chicken and then sprinkle the seasoning all over, let sit for 15 minutes, heat up a cast iron pan or frying pan on high heat, cook 3-5 minutes on each side.
• Creamy Cilantro Dressing - 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
  1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  1 teaspoon lime zest
  1/4 cup lime juice
  1/2 cup sour cream ( i like to use about 1/4 cup )
  1 clove garlic, smashed
  1 tablespoon honey
  1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Assemble salad and enjoy :)
  

Living Life Together

Welcome to life with "The Hills"

Chris and I have decided to start this here blog so we can share our heart, dreams, visions, revelations, and my (Jess) most recent recipes with the world. Since all of us, or most of us, have left College Station and have entered into the real world we don't get to see each other on a regular basis, therefore no longer living life together is the physical sense we want to share our life with all of you in the virtual sense! So we begin here....

God has called me to be vulnerable to the world, as He has with a lot of people, about what He does in my heart, my life, my marriage, my relationships, my hopes and dreams, and my relationship with Him. So this my first step of trying to be more vulnerable to and with more people. I warn that I may be a little rusty at first, that I may offend, or I may cause you to ask yourself a lot of questions about the world, yourself, or even me! But I hope quite desperately that this blog blesses you and adds to your life or at least causes you to think a little deeper about all sorts of things.