make disciples of all nations
Sneak Peek of just SOME of the projects you'll get to see all next month:
Before the $1.00 lamp facelift
During dresser refinish
Almost complete "Big Betsy"
New princess bow hanger for the princesses' room
During the laundry room makeover 
Master bedroom dresser BEFORE
Operation Play/School Room Organization 
New WOODEN Pantry Shelving 
Hint about the "boy's room" who will be sharing with new lil sis, ELLIE!
This is a compensated guest post from the Instawares Kitchen Supplies Blog. I hope their thoughtful Time and Money saving ideas for your kitchen are helpful for you!
Three easy payments do not guarantee a time saving or necessary gadget. Even masters of the kitchen like you can fall victim to flashy marketing that over-promises and end up with a product that under-performs.
Below you will find a list of five kitchen items to avoid. Save yourself time and money by steering clear of these foodie foibles.
1. Any Garlic Gadget
Do not fall for the hype and think that some swirly-twisty thing or silicone tube is going to produce perfectly peeled and minced garlic. All the clever cook needs is a knife. Give a single clove of garlic in the skin a good whack with the flat side of a knife; the husk is easily removed. Use a microplane or knife to chop or mince garlic. Even better, add a little coarse salt and crush the clove into a paste with the side of the knife.
2. Tiny Appliances With Single Uses
Doughnut makers, hotdog warmers, mini-cupcake bakers and the insurmountable pile of other single use gadgets are only good as gifts for office holiday parties. Your precious counter-top real estate is better employed by performance powerhouses like a stand mixer and a regular old toaster. You have come a long way since baking a single brownie with a light bulb when you were ten years old, do not backslide now!
3. Knives That Can Supposedly Cut Through a Sedan
Get a chef’s knife. One. One chef’s knife will be one thousand times more useful than ten knives that tout dubious claims. If you need to cut through a sedan you can always get a plasma cutter.
4. Specialty Pots
A strainer is a must in any cook’s kitchen. Since you are a cook and have said strainer, you can bypass the pasta pots and weird microwave contraptions for cooking noodles, right? Right! With a strainer and a metal lotus steamer tray you can bypass nearly all the specialty pots out there. Double boilers, pasta pots and steamer pots are all just space wasters when you have a well outfitted kitchen.
5. Anything that Does a Single Task
Everything in your kitchen should work in multiple situations. That is the true test of good kitchen equipment. Gadgets and gear need to earn their keep in your cabinets and drawers. Your thermometer should work for candy, oil and meat. Your griddle can handle panini, pancakes and burgers. With a few exceptions, like a separate identifiable cutting board for raw meat, everything in your kitchen should be able to complete more than one task.
Kitchen space is at a premium in homes everywhere, so make sure your gear works as hard as you do. Take back your space by ousting expensive gadgets and gizmos. Simple is usually best and the rest better earn its keep!
If you enjoyed this post from Instawares Kitchen Supplies Blog, you can find new articles on the latest in restaurant and kitchen equipment on their blog.
I can't believe I forgot to tell you all that I had my monthly post go up on Friday. Ugg So behind. Any how...
We have literally just moved into the town we have planted a church. After over a year of planning, meetings, launches, commuting, selling a house, and finally buying a new home, we are “in the field”!
To hear my 5 Simple Missional Living Ideas that any Christian can do, head over to A Common Bond!
The Missional Times is out! http://t.co/i6jDu401Yh ▸ Top stories today via @JulesRothacher @MrsMcGugan @johnnyschlaack
— JR Woodward (@dreamawakener) August 14, 2013
Click for the exact The Missional Times edition.
Nearly a year after listing our home for sale, it's finally sold.
You know, I wasn't really happy about that. Now that its been over a year after writing "How to Stage Your Home to Sell" and "5 Ways to Advertise Your FSBO Home", I wanted to do a follow up post. You can read about the 7 things I learned while on this journey on the Homemaker's Challenge today.
I just wanted to give a lil update on where we are. Literally.
There is a wide group of people who stop by this blog occasionally. Some are friends and family I grew up with from birth until graduating Fayetteville High. Some are friends I matured with at Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge. Then there are the ministry friends and family I have met along with way over the past 9 years of marriage; anywhere from Walnut Ridge FBC, Parkers Chapel FBC, Central BC, The Valley, and all those we've collided with in between.
I lived in 2 houses as a child; one of those was for 16 of 18 years. Since moving out to attend college I've lived in 1 dorm room, 1 apartment in town, and 1 apartment on campus, as a single adult. Now I'm about to move to my 6th houses in my 9 years of marriage. That's 11 homes in my life time of 29 years {this August}. Since this has all been in Arkansas, I'm not sure if I can wear the same badge but I can definitely relate to "The Humbling of a Nomad".
I've had tons of friends from different corners of the state as well as the town we are currently "living in" have been asking similar questions, all just in the past couple days. I thought I'd take a minutes and let ya know the answers to these FAQ::
Yes. Depending on which house you're asking about.
We "closed" on our "big blue" house in White Hall and sold it for good! After a year of it being on the market {6 months with an agent & 6 FSBO}, we finally sold it to a perfect family who will be so blessed by the space. God really did turn a hard year of waiting into a situation in which He could be glorified.
No we haven't "closed" on the home we're buying in Vilonia. A week after selling our house in White Hall, we made an offer on a house in Vilonia. To most this sounds like a hasty decision, but if you know us {and the details of this life in limbo then you know we've been searching for a home "in the field" and this is the exact layout I fell in love with when we first began our journey of house hunting that has included hours of online searching, an awesome realtor and over 2 DOZEN houses. This will be the "nicest" home either of us have ever lived in. Don't get me wrong, we haven't lived in crappers but this is the newest and fancier than I ever saw us being able to buy. Just goes to show, God blesses us beyond what we deserve.
We are supposed to "close" any time between now and July 10th!!!
Again, Yes. Depending on which "move" you're asking about.
We moved essentials into our "borrowed" home and then the rest of our belongings after the sale of "big blue".
We have not moved to our new home we are in the process of buying. We are giving the seller a week after closing to move her furniture out as well as to stretch and clean carpets {the only thing not perfectly maintained about the home}. Keep ya posted 😉
I bet you can guess this one...Yes. Depending on which "new town" you're asking about.
Conway, the town we are currently living in our "borrowed" house is great. The town feels cleaner and while having all the amenities of "bigger town" without the 1-2 hour commute like ALL the past places we lived, yet still feels small enough to not be overwhelmed.
Vilonia, the town in which we are buying our new home, is only a 15 minute drive to Conway. Although it is a rural community, it still has several gas stations, restaurants, and a grocery store. Plus, our church family is all out there.
When beginning this church planting trek, the first thing they tell all church planters is to "move to the field", meaning live in the community in which you plan to minister, serves, and be a part of that community. Guess God chose to use us a lil differently. Which I love. I think this has let us see, this isn't about us. Often in youth ministry, groups grow based on the popularity and personality of the pastor. Here, He is keeping the truth at the front of everything we do: this plant is about the people God so dearly loves already planted in Vilonia and how He wants to empower them to reach the masses for His name.
We live in a "borrowed" house that has become home. It really is true, home is where your heart & family is.
Back in March, 1 weeks before our preview services and 5 weeks before our launch date, we were blessed beyond comprehension by a couple who can only be described as "used by God". Through the church that partnered with us for the plant as well as mutual friends, God connected us with a family who heard about our 1 hour commute multiple times a week for services and meetings because our house {WH} still hadn't sold. They allowed us to stay in their home that hadn't sold yet & the former renters had just moved out of...for FREE. Talk about birds of the air.
This transition home has allowed us to be used by God at the valley, wait to sell our home to the perfect family, find the perfect new home for our family, all while being taken care of by God via this amazing family.
This entire God situation deserves a post all its own; I'm just having trouble putting it all into words.
We live on the side of a gorgeous mountain, in a log cabin, with a beautiful view, a huge shop/storage building, 30 minutes from the valley, in a home that was made for just a time as this and our family. God is good.
If I didn't answer your questions about our whereabouts, just ask! I'll keep ya posted on the "final move" and "new home"!
The Valley Church was planted on Easter 2013. Our church was NOT destroyed by the tornado because the church is a people not a building. Our meeting space may be gone but we will continue to be a light for Jesus in this community!
Clicking the image above will take you to our fundraising site. 
