Wells Upon Overflowing Wells

We are all thirsty for something. Reputation, money, a new house, health, happiness, marriage, babies, friends, a job, a better job, that new iPad, that new coffee maker, acceptance.

How well I know this. Contentment is the thorn in my side and always has been. Judgment and comparison have always been a way the enemy can so easily entangle me. A friend gets a new job and I consider: how well do I actually love mine? A friend gets married and I think: why couldn't my story be more like theirs? A friend gets a new haircut and I think: why couldn't this or that be changed about me? I think if only I had ______________, I would be happy, fulfilled, I wouldn't ask God for anything else.

The thirst is never quenched.

HOLD ON, WAIT, STOP.

Correction: the thirst is never quenched in temporary, earthly things. One truth I know: I serve a God who is Living Water, whose wells upon overflowing wells never, ever run dry. I am ever so glad for the grace upon grace that the Lord offers us in Him.

John 4: 13-15: "Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'"

So, if I know that the thirst CAN be quenched, how do I practically live that out? How do I live a life that shows that no amount of earthly things could ever compare to Christ?

I am reading a book called Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I love her thoughts on this topic: "When it comes down to it, we don't believe God's word is truly sufficient to deal with our problems... I need God's word PLUS tapes and conferences and counselors. Sure, I need God. But I need Him PLUS close friends; I need Him PLUS good health; I need Him PLUS a husband; I need Him PLUS children; I need Him PLUS a job that pays enough; I need him PLUS a house with a microwave, a washer/ dryer, a garage...."

Questions I've been asking myself lately:

What kind of advice do I give to myself (how do I self-talk)? What kind of advice do I give others?

When I start to really listen to the words I am saying to others (and to myself) during the day, I have found that the advice I give is not from God's word. It is from selfish thinking and gain. If I truly believed God was enough, I would speak that truth to myself and to others. The only truth we can offer is in God and His word. So often I listen to advice from friends or I give advice to others that will NOT quench their thirst. It will leave them empty and thirsty again.

What do I listen for? Do I hear what I want to hear as opposed to God's truth?

Do I give my best to God?
I have been going through the Old Testament lately. It has been truly life changing. With a friend, I have read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. I can relate so much to the Israelites. One of the themes that has stuck out to me is that in sacrifices that were made to the Lord, the Lord required the Israelites to give their best. How often I want the best to be saved for me, not for the Lord or others. One example for me is in finances. My money is mine (false). I can do what I want with my money with no consequences (false). It's the Lord's anyways so my heart should be to honor Him with it.

Numbers 18:29 "You must present as the Lord's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you."

Am I complaining? What does that say about my faith?
The Israelites really were a bunch of whiners and complainers. But how often do I lack faith that God will provide? I want my heart and the words I say to reflect that God CAN and DOES provide in practical, meaningful, and real ways. In ways that provide a wellspring of life and living water, wells upon overflowing wells.

Numbers 14: 2-3 "Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword?"

God's Word reveals that He HAS and ALWAYS will provide for us. And complaining about what we have does not honor the God we know provides and does not show a heart of faith.

What are my "empty wells"? What do I long for, seek, make my idol? 
In the end, Jesus Christ is the only well we can turn to that will never run dry. Our bodies, our money, our possessions, our families, everything will rot away one day and all that we have left is what is eternal.

Numbers 15: 39-41 "And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after... I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord your God."

Imagine it is the driest, hottest day you can imagine. You lips, mouth, tongue are cracking. You are so thirsty your throat hurts. Now imagine seeing a tall glass of cold water with ice sitting right in front of you dripping with condensation. You take the glass in your hands and finally, finally get to drink the cool water. It runs down your throat and tastes sweet, refreshing, energizing, invigorating, revitalizing. This is the option we have every day in Christ Jesus.

{May the sweetness of the cool, refreshing Living Water fill you. I need it bad.}

John 7:38 "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"

Pin It

Easy Freezer Meals For A Month: The Goods and Bads

So right before school started this year around the middle of August, I decided to try out an idea a friend told me about that she called her "marathon cooking day". The idea is that you set outside one Saturday or day you have off and spend that day cooking lots of meals in large quantities. Then, you freeze em and you have meals for a month! Ta da!

So, I decided to try it out. Because I am a truth seeker and lover of being honest, I will tell you all the goods and bads. I will give you some of the recipes I tried but please know I am not a pro and I highly recommend you seek other sources as well for ideas. This was my first time. :)

The Good:

- I always have meals ready to go. And for me, they have laster longer than a month.
- I don't have to always stress about what we are going to eat during the week.
- You don't have to plan to far ahead. You can just think about what you want to pull out the night before and there you go.
- If you make meals you like, its yummy and its fast.
- We used a vacuum sealer so that it would not spill and would last longer in the freezer with no freezer burn. I HIGHLY recommend this. But I know Ziploc bags can work as well. They just don't last as long.

The Bad:
- It can get repetitive. When I tried out this method, I made 6 different options:  breakfast burritos- sausage and bacon, enchiladas- beef and chicken, chicken broccoli bake, and honey glazed chicken. After you have had these meals for awhile, you don't necessarily want to keep repeating.
- I chose meals that were too similar (burritos and enchiladas). Again, too repetitive.
- It can be expensive when you buy a large quantity of food at one time.
- If you don't plan ahead, then it is going to take longer for your meal to defrost. If, for example, you take out the meal that morning for the night, it might not be ready to be cooked yet. This drives me nuts when I am hungry and it is taking longer to cook. :( So you do have to plan ahead a little bit (the night before)

If I could do it again, I would try to vary my meals a little more. I would also maybe plan for two days to cook so that I could have enough time to make different kinds of meals. I tried to find recipes that had ingredients that for the most part I had around the house. I didn't want to spend extra money on little ingredients. I recommend double checking your freezer to make sure you have enough room! I ended up not having to buy an extra freezer, but if you really want to go hard core, it could be a good investment. My friend makes cookie dough in advance to freeze, sauces, lots of things! It can be addicting!!

Here are my recipes: (Keep in mind I am a beginner and I recommend looking at other sources for ideas as well)

For All Freezer Meals
- get disposable casserole dishes- I suggest 9 x 13 aluminum dishes
- vacuum sealer
- sharpee for labeling once vacuum sealed
- make sure you have large mixing bowls

Chicken and Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients:
6 cups cheddar cheese
1 pack of white rice
2 cans of black beans
2 packs of FLOUR tortillas (I don't recommend corn- tried it and didn't work too well)
4 packs of taco seasoning
1 big pack of chicken breasts from Costco or Sam's club (I split up my chicken into what I wanted for enchiladas and for my chicken broccoli bake)
1 pound of ground beef
4 once can of green chiles
3 cans of enchilada sauce

Optional: Sour cream, green onions, toppings for when you are ready to cook

Steps:
1. Cook chicken. Suggestion: Use slow cooker the night before your marathon cooking day. Season with taco seasoning.
2. Brown beef. Season with taco seasoning.
3. Cook rice (I suggest rice cooker). Make as much as your rice cooker will hold or 3-4 cups.
4. Heat black beans.
5. Combine rice, black beans, and green chiles in a mixing bowl. Divide the mixture in half and put the half in another mixing bowl.
6. Once meat is cooked, add beef to one and mix it all up. Add chicken to the other bowl and mix it all up.
7. Grease your casserole dishes. I used about 5 or so.
8. Warm up your tortillas. (Zap em in microwave for 30 seconds)
9. Set up an "assembly line" to prepare your enchiladas. Take a tortilla, put about 2 spoonfuls of the mixture in the middle of the tortilla, roll it up, and set it in in your disposable dish. I was able to fit about 4-5 tortillas in a dish.
10. Add enough enchilada sauce to cover all the tortillas in each dish. Add cheese on the top of each dish.
11. Vacuum seal your dishes. Label with a sharper the name of the dish and date made.
12. Take the enchiladas out the night before you are ready to cook.
13. When ready to cook: preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook for 30 minutes with aluminum foil on the top of the dish. Cook for another 15-20 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Add sour cream or green onions on top and serve! Yum. :)

I have also heard that others freeze separate parts of the enchiladas and assembly when ready to cook. An idea for thought!


Breakfast Burritos: Sausage and Bacon

Preparing the burritos is very similar to the enchiladas. Except that once they have been thawed, you can zap em in the microwave and they are ready to eat. Yes!

Ingredients:
2 packs of sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)
2 packs of bacon
2 dozen eggs
4-5 potatoes or a pack of hash browns
2 packs of flour tortillas
Gallon Ziploc bags

For serving later: salsa

1. Brown sausage.
2. Brown bacon.
3. Cook eggs.
4. Chop potatoes in 1/2 inch squares. (Or cook hash browns)
5. Mix eggs and potatoes all together. Separate into half- put half in another mixing bowl.
6. Add sausage to one bowl, bacon to another.
7. Warm up tortillas in microwave.
8. Get your "assembly line" ready. Get tortilla ready, add scoops of bacon or sausage mixture, roll up.
9. I used ziploc bags for the burritos or you can vacuum seal the burritos directly. (The enchiladas have the sauce which makes them a little harder to do this) Label with name and date.
10. Pull out the burritos from the freezer one day before.
11. I heat the burritos in the microwave when ready to eat!

Chicken and Broccoli Bake

Ingredients:
10 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
4 cups broccoli, lightly steamed (you can use frozen or fresh)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Ziploc bags or disposable aluminum dishes (2-3)
Butter for greasing dish

Steps:
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix.
2. Separate into your greased dishes.
3. Vacuum seal or put in ziploc bags. Label with dish name and date.
3. When ready to eat: Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly.

Honey Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast

Steps:
1. Place all ingredients in a gallon bag OR separate into smaller quart bags (For Tony and I, smaller portions are better- up to you).
2. Take out the night before you want to eat it.
3. When ready to eat, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Empty contents into a baking dish, about 20-30 minutes. You can also dump into a crock pot (day of)- 6-8 hours on low, 4-6 on high or until done.

You can also call the chicken recipe a "dump" recipe, meaning you can just dump it and go. Super easy. Basically, you are marinating your chicken. I think the freezer option helps the flavors really sink in the chicken.

We eat the chicken with rice. You could do potatoes with it. Or you could make chicken sandwiches with burger buns. I like potato burger buns :)

Well, those are my recipes! There are LOTS of places online you can look up freezer meals and get some ideas. I recommend trying it out and seeing what you think. Stress free!

I also recommend this book: (My friend and I found lots of good recipes in there- but you can see what you have around and get some ideas)

Happy freezer meal making!!



Pin It

A Snippet of Life Lately

Life lately has been full of energy, bursting with the Lord's unceasing love. 

The Lord is lately teaching me that I don't have to do, do, do. My energy, my rest, my peace comes entirely from Him. Being in the Word lately has helped me immensely... the truth is setting me free from lies I believe. Lies that I can do more, I can do better. I am resting in the Lord. He works IN us and we don't have to impress, to achieve. 

Philippians 2:13: "For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." 

Biggest life updates from the Luikens include:

1) I am going back to school at Wayland Baptist to get my Master's in Counseling. This is in combination with my second year of teaching (need I mention I am still learning how to do that well). So my weeknights are full of writing papers, taking quizzes and tests, and then grading my student's papers and tests... :) Some Saturdays I am going to class from 8-3. I feel each day is full of new tasks, but somehow I am finding the Lord gives me what I need for each day, with strength not my own. I am not sure what I want to do quite yet with my degree.. but I love the idea of someday staying at home with a family but working part time with kids, with families, or at a crisis pregnancy center. The Lord is good so I am trusting where this will go and we'll see!

2) Tony is enjoying his new job at the airport and being in the National Guard. 

We are both learning to balance work, community, church, rest, and time together. 

Here are some picture snippets of our last few months:

Mom and her friend Art came to visit Tony and I in Alaska in the beautiful summertime

Laura, Mom, and I ran the Mayor's Half Marathon in downtown Alaska in June

Mom and I with our medals!! :) Hard work paying off.

Tony and I ran the Color Run in Anchorage with our friends Laura and Brian

We took in incredible trip to Valdez, Alaska with Tony's family. Absolutely breathtaking.

Valdez, Alaska

Jessie (my sister in law) fishing in Valdez, Alaska

We took a summer roadtrip and drove from Phoenix, Arizona to Seattle, Washington!! Made our first stop of course at the Grand Canyon. I got chills. Man God is amazing.

Of course we made a stop at In N Out Burger

Desert Mountains

Roadtrippin'

Made another stop in Boise, Idaho

Our final destination was Woodinville, Washington where we spent a few days exploring the wineries and just Seattle area. It was fantastic!!

Stopped at the market.

Mariner's Game!

Tony wanted to stop at this distillery that was in the middle of all the wineries. Great place!!

We also stopped at Chateau St. Michelle. We spent time with Tony's family but also had some great time together to end an incredible summer.

Pin It

Denali Highway Trip

So, when I got back from Texas in June, Tony planned a camping trip for the two of us. I have been wanting to see Mt. McKinley since I have been up here and so we drove the Denali Highway. The trip runs from Paxon to Cantwell, Alaska and is 134 miles long. We left for the trip on a Wednesday and came back to Anchorage on a Saturday so it did not take us too long. 

It was a very relaxing trip and I finally got to check off my Alaskan bucket list seeing Mt. McKinley (Alaskans call Denali) up close. 

We camped one night in a campground, the Brushkana campground and the other nights we found little pull offs of the highway to camp on. One of the pull offs we found was this spectacular lake spot that was completely private. It was the perfect camping spot- we got to fish and shoot and cook yummy camp food.

This drive is actually rated one of the most scenic drives in Alaska. When you are driving, all around you is mountains it is absolutely breathtaking. There is a lot of tundra and little hiking pull offs as well. I would definitely highly recommend this trip if you have an RV (we just went tent/ car camping). 

I wanted to share one of our favorite trips in Alaska with you! It's been a fun summer.

Our lake pull of spot- Tony is fly fishing as the sun was setting. So beautiful.

This is how we camp: pack it all in the car and set up the tent! We got to use our five person tent for the first time this summer which was awesome. We loved it. We kind of call it "car camping" because you aren't necessarily back packing where you have to transport all your things with you and its not an RV. It is nice having everything in the car to grab when you need it, and we love our new tent.

River from our trip

Me and Sagey girl chillin around the campfire, making s'mores!

This was our picture from Mt. McKinley! Beautiful.

Tony is a pro at getting our campfires goin.

Mountain views :)

This igloo has such a strange interesting history. It was once built as a hotel but the owner couldn't afford to keep building it. It was passed to a different owner who then tried to slowly renovate it but with the price of fuel to get to NowhereTown, Alaska, they just couldn't cut it. It now sits as a kind of landmark. So, I guess there really are igloos in Alaska (but not the kind everyone thinks of). 

Tony bought a new dutch oven to cook with. We loved it on our trip! We have really enjoyed learning how to cook different camp foods. One night we had steak and potatoes, or we just have fun, simple things like hot dogs and s'mores. We made pancakes and eggs one night and it was so yummy. This is a picture of Tony's pineapple upside down cake he made in this dutch oven and it was amazing. 

All in all, it was a restful, incredible, beautiful trip. I highly recommend the Denali Highway to all visitors and Alaskans. 

"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Psalm 90:2

Pin It

A Little Texas Fun

So, at the beginning of the summer, I got to take a trip to Texas to see the fam- SUCH a blessing. Lots of rest and time with family and friends. I felt God really moving in a way of just rejuvenating me and reminding me of how He provides for my family and just having sweet time to catch up with good friends and be encouraged and reminded of truth. I also LOVED being able to be able to be a part of my sister's gender reveal party for her baby #2, a GIRL! Living in Alaska, I hate that I can't be a part of those kind of family events. It was such a blessing to share a big moment with my older sister. I couldn't be more excited by the news and love being able to watch and learn from my sister as she learns how to be a mom to now TWO babies :)

Here are some highlights from the trip:

Out to eat at Chuy's for some amazing Tex Mex
Me, Brannon, Mom and Em

Always feel torn between Alaska and my family in Texas. My sister is so good about helping me feel welcome when I come back and celebrating each moment! I feel like I have a 1/2 Texan, 1/2 Alaskan heart. 

Time with friends! Got to catch up with my Banders who is in medical school right now and also have a mom/ daughter date. 

One of the highlights of my trip: My friend Liz had her first baby, a sweet girl named RYAN! I was so so happy to be able to visit her in the hospital and be a part of this moment with her. She is the first of my group of best friends from my hometown to have a baby. I couldn't be more thrilled for her. And Ryan is so beautiful!!

How can you resist little Branny's face? My nephew is the best.

I DID get to experience a little reminder of Texas summers. SO HOT.

And of course, I went to Chick Fil A at least three times. I loved it so much I brought myself back some Chick Fil A sauce to Alaska. Alaska is incredible, but one main thing it lacks is CHICK FIL A. Seriously, I would quit being a teacher to start this chain up here. LOVE this place. Gimme some waffle fries, a nice fried chicken sandwich, maybe a milkshake.... now we're talkin.

I also had a layover in Los Angeles and got to visit a friend who lives there. We took a short trip to Venice beach and saw the sights. Really interesting place to visit! Would love to have more time to explore that city.

Also a highlight: getting to catch up with my dear friend Stephanie! She was the maid of honor in my wedding and just a friend who is always encouraging, kind, and points me to truth. Such a blessing to get to visit and catch up with her. 

Also had a much needed SISTER day of pedicures and hair and everything girl. 

My Aunt Beth surprised me and the family and came to Texas while I was there which was so so nice. Loved getting to visit with her because it just seems like so long in between the times we get to talk and see each other :)

Of course I had to take a trip to get some barbecue. My brother in law Joe took me to the second best barbecue in Texas, a place called Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum, Texas. We waited in line for about an hour and half but it was SO worth the wait- the brisket was INCREDIBLE. I would HIGHLY recommend this place if you are ever in Dallas, Texas.

Such blissfully good times with family and friends. 

And the best part of my trip: my little Branski. My nephew has such a happy, joyful disposition. LOVE being his aunt. 

Texas, I miss you. Thank you for your wonderful food. And most of all for being a place I can visit people that mean so much.

Pin It

A New Season

Every summer I have lived in Alaska, I have loved where I live more and more. With each Alaskan summer comes more camping, fishing, hiking, and sunshine than the last. (Literally, more sunshine. It is 9:17 and still sunny right now)

So much has happened this summer and it has been a blast! 

In June, I went down to Texas to spend time with family and friends. I got to see my sweet nephew Brannon. I loved getting to be a part of my sister's gender reveal and found out that my sister and brother in law Joe are expecting a GIRL this November :) My niece's name will be Kelley Kay and I am excited that Tony and I will be able to be in Texas for Christmas so I will get to hold my little Kelley as much as I want. Perfection. 

Me and the Brankin

In June, Tony and I also took a four day camping trip down the Denali Highway in Alaska. We got to stop and take pictures at Mt. McKinley (which Alaskans call Denali). Denali means "the great one", which makes sense as it is the highest peak in North America. We also got to use our new cool camping gear, including our new five person tent (with extra room for Sage) and our new Dutch oven (Tony made apple pie and pineapple upside down cake with it). It was a trip we both have been wanting to do for awhile and we loved it. (Post to come on that later)

From our Denali Highway camping trip 

Just some hints if you are considering taking this trip: http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/recreation/denali_highway.html

Great tips to remember including WHEN you should go, what to bring, campgrounds along the way, etc. If you have never been to Alaska, it is an INCREDIBLE view and great trip!

Also in June, my mom and friend Art visited which was super fun! My mom, Art, Tony, and I all ran the Mayor's half marathon together. Training for the half was a great kick in the butt to get in shape this spring and it felt great to complete that goal. 

June was a month of just resting and family and a little Alaskan travel. It was wonderful.

For July Fourth, we took a trip down to Seward (about 2 hours from Anchorage, and on the coast, called the Kenai Peninsula). The road to Seward is very beautiful is and is well known for its incredible view. You drive next to the mountains and ocean. Highly recommend. :)

We got to camp in Seward for the holiday. We also got to see a friend run what is called Mt. Marathon. Mt. Marathon is a 5k event where racers run up a mountain and back down, ending in the town of Seward. It is definitely a coveted event because you can only enter through lottery. I am definitely going to try to enter next year, we will see :)

Mt. Marathon Race in Seward Alaska- Independence Day

In July, I also decided to work part time doing social work again. It has been a good way to feel productive, help people in a needed field, and make a little extra money. Tony and I are trying to save for some of our travel goals (Israel and Italy). :)

Some of our biggest and most recent news is that Tony got a new job!! Which is exciting. Tony is moving from his job doing Emergency Management on base to working at the airport. Tony is going to be doing a sort of catch all/ public relations work there. He will start in August. Yay!! God is so good. He always answers our prayers in his time. 

And in other news with Tony: my hubs just enlisted in the National Guard TODAY! I am still learning what it means and how it will look realistically but he will have to go to Basic Training in Georgia starting in January. He also will commit to working once every weekend out of the month. I am so proud of my soldier. Again, God is so good and the giver of all good gifts.

Well, I think that updates all on the Luiken family. Change is good and I praise God for it. We are enjoying summer and rest. More summer posts and updates to come! Thank you for all prayers. 

"Behold, I am making all things new."

Revelation 21:5

Pin It