Draw me nearer.

Yesterday I tried another slow cooker recipe since we had to leave for small group at 7 and I had to run to the grocery after work for a few shower pick-ups. And again, I basically made it up as I went! It turned out well, but sadly it's not Eugene's favorite meal...but I knew that going into it and he's a great sport about it. It's a give and take with his simple palate!

Ham and White Bean Soup with Dumplings
5 slices {or so} of ham
1/2 package of navy beans
water
1 carrot
Italian Spice Mix {sage, parsley, etc.}
onion powder
salt & pepper
2 pieces of bread crust

Dumplings: 1 c. bisquick baking mix & 1/2 c. water & Italian Spice Mix

(not my pic., but it looks exactly like this + really yummy dumplings on top)

Cube the ham into small bite-sized pieces. Peel and dice the carrot. Combine all ingredients except the bread into your slow cooker. Cover with water {you want the water to be about 2 inches above the ingredients.} I cooked mine on high for 4 1/2 hours, then when I got home from work, I blended the bread in our Magic Bullet, dumped it all into a pot on the stove and I boiled it hard for about 20 min. {I only did this because I didn't have time for it to cook longer in the slow cooker. If you have 8 hours for it to cook, you don't need to boil it at all.} I put it back in the slow cooker. Then I made my dumplings by mixing the bisquick, water, and spices. I spooned the batter onto the soup in the slow cooker, covered it, and cooked it for 20 more minutes. Serve it up! I also like this soup with corn bread instead of dumplings, but Eugene loves the dumplings, "It's like half baked bread dough - what else could you want!"

We had small group last night. We watched a video of a couple where {long story short} the husband cheated and left his family for four years, and the wife always prayed for him and finally accepted him back and both found the Lord in the process. We talked about how sometimes we just always expect marriage to be there. I am remembering to not take my marriage or my husband for granted. We also talked about the great grace, forgiveness, and Christ-like love the wife showed.

And we talked about how God's purpose for us isn't to get us through the struggles; it's to drive us to Him in the midst of the hardships. This one is hard for me right now because I keep telling myself, that once we get pass this crazy time, our marriage will be easier, my trials will be lighter. But it's not likely. Life is full of challenges. And it's always going to be hard. But I have my God, and I have my husband, and that's good enough for me. I have to learn to enjoy life, despite the tearful and fearful times, because it's today. I don't want to focus on the day things will get easier, because that honestly may never happen. And I'm okay with that. I'm okay with that. Things are good right now, and I'm going to work on soaking up every second of life because I'm blessed with a God who is drawing me nearer to him and a husband who is staying by my side forever.

Oh, and there's a great Air1 verse of the day: "They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them." Psalms 112:7

xoxo,

Jane