Slammer Threats, Wendy Pope, and Ministry Matters

Welcome, y’all. This is Shellie and I’ll be chatting with Wendy Pope in this week’s episode. Wendy is a speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries and a contributor to their P31 online devotional that reaches over one million readers a day.

Wendy will be here to talk to us about her new book, Yes, No, and Maybe. The subtitle, y’all—Living with the God of Immeasurably More. Longtime readers and listeners will recognize that as one of my favorite topics, and Wendy speaks to it with wisdom, humor and clarity. You don’t want to miss this discussion.

Afterwards, we’ll whip up something Smothered Chicken in the All Things Southern kitchen and I’ll close with a few devotional thoughts of my own. Right now, let’s chat…

I’ve fresh off another weekend of travel and ministry and I’m looking at another road trip come Friday/Saturday. Indeed, the speaking season is off with a bang, but I also want to be knee deep in everyday life where I’m Keggie to my grands, a good and loving daughter to my parents, and the sweetheart of my beloved farmer, not to mention having time for my other family and friends. Translation—I need Jesus, all day every day to make it work. Without Him I’m absolutely incapable of balancing it all, but with Him— well, He makes the impossible, not just possible, but pleasurable.

Just one of the things I love about my farmer, is how he supports my life’s work in his own unique way. When I’m about to leave to serve for the weekend, Phil will tell me to “hit ‘em hard and hit ‘em often.” I realize that may strike you as unusual advice to give a speaker, but the two of us have the inside story. We know it means “go get ‘em” for Jesus.

Violence is never the answer, even when it’s tempting. I’ll confess to having those moments too. You know the ones where you want to slap someone nekkid and hide their clothes– but you know Jesus won’t sign off on it.

I had one of those moments when I came back from the Arkansas event. Y’all, someone is messing with me. First, before I left, I had gotten an email from this person saying that he had back loaded my website with a virus and if I didn’t buy his software he was going to unleash blankety blank on my site.

Then, I got home and found a voicemail from someone claiming to be from the IRS collection services. They said I was in remiss, which I’m not, but they also said if I didn’t call them back within 24 hours the local authorities would pick me up and throw me in the slammer. No kidding. Those were the words on my answering machine.

If I could find the responsible party I’d hit ‘em hard and hit ‘em often. You know, in Jesus name…

BUMPER

Interview with Wendy Pope *you’ll find this on iTunes (you can subscribe for free!) or you can listen through the audio link at the bottom of this post. Just look for the audio bar and hit the play button!

BUMPER

All Things Southern Kitchen 

Welcome back to the kitchen, y’all! I took a break earlier in the work day to put on some smothered chicken and a quick poll on Insta told me that not everyone knows how to smother chicken. What? Let’s fix that right now!

The Belle’s Smothered Chicken

1 cup-up chicken or 3-4 bone in chicken breasts
1 and ½ to 2 cups of milk
1 stick of butter
1 cup of flour seasoned with: 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon chicken rub seasoning
1 teaspoon Tony’s Cajun seasoning
1 small white onion
1 small green pepper
1 small carton of mushrooms (optional)

We’ll begin by melting a stick of butter in a big cast iron skillet while we season a cup of four with 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon chicken rub seasoning, 1 teaspoon Tony’s Cajun seasoning. We’re pat our chicken breasts dry, dredge ‘em in this flour and shake off the excess flour before placing them in our skillet of melted butter.

We’ll have them over a medium high heat. Our plan here is to get all sides of the chicken golden brown. Then we’ll remove the chicken breasts and let them rest while we sauté’ our chopped onion and bell pepper in the remaining butter. Once those veggies are clear, we’ll stir in 2-3 tablespoons of the leftover seasoned flour and then we’ll slowly add a cup and half to 2 cups of milk. Reduce the heat and let this simmer until it thickens into a sauce. Return the golden chicken breasts to the skillet, cover it, and slide it in a 300-degree oven to cook low and slow for an hour or so, or until the chicken is falling off the bone yummy! That’s it! Enjoy folks! That’s smothered chicken from the belle’s kitchen, to yours~

BUMPER

Southern Comfort

Let’s open the Word together:

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.”

Psalm 118:5  “From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.”

Sometimes, during early prayer mornings on the dock, I get a certain smell that reminds me of years gone by and I’m a little girl, fishing with Papaw Stone at his camp on the old river.

I think of all the sermons he preached, the people he witnessed to, and the souls he saw come to Jesus and I long to sit with him again and talk about ministry, about relationships and expectations and the inevitability of disappointing people as you try to balance it all; about callings and fallings, and getting up again to tell of the One who keeps pulling me forward.

I may say things differently, but our message is the same because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And I believe Papaw Stone would add his yes and amen to these early morning thoughts… The way to God is indeed a narrow path, requiring full surrender to Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life, but hear me, full surrender also opens into a broad grand place where we’re invited to explore the width, length, depth, and height of the limitless love of God— opened to us by the narrow way.

If we aren’t experiencing the broad place where He is the ever-present Guide, and we his ever-learning pupils, following on with sometimes sure, sometimes stumbling steps, but steadily nourished on the journey, it is because our surrender is partial and flawed.

I’m not saying there won’t be obstacles and pain, lions, tigers, and bears. I am saying we’ll war with the Valiant Warrior and He, not us, is an ever flowing well of resources.

That’s it for this week, folks. Until next time, may the Good Lord bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you, and give you peace. This is Shellie with hugs for all~

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS