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Cheeseburger Cups

Valerie Basham

September 9, 2011

I found this recipe at Taste of Home ( I get an e-mail with various recipes from them once a week.) Most of it is just as they originally posted. I did make one change. Rather than use only one can of biscuits, I used two. I did not double the entire recipe, just the number of biscuits. This made it stretch a lot further! My entire family loved this! I hope yours does, too! 🙂

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. prepared mustard

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tubes refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1/2 cup cubed process cheese (Velveeta)

Directions:

Brown beef in skillet until no longer pink; drain. Stir in ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire. Remove from heat, set aside.

Press each biscuit onto bottom and sides of greased muffin cups. I had four empty muffin cups, since there are 20 biscuits and 24 muffin cups. Fill the empty muffin cups halfway with water, for equal baking. Spoon beef mixture into cups; top with cheese cubes.

Bake at 400º for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Who Shall Stand?

Valerie Basham

3 comments

September 9, 2011

Rev. 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

This verse really convicted me this morning. Not because I fear God’s wrath. I am saved, therefore, I am not appointed to suffer God’s righteous anger. When God looks at me, He sees His Son, Jesus, and He is pleased with His only Son. I was convicted because so many are lost, so many do not know that one day, God is going to judge them. Only the blood of Christ on their lives can protect them from God’s wrath.

Tomorrow, our church has a visitation/flyer distribution day. I’ll be honest, almost everyone you talk to here claims to be saved. Those who aren’t saved, will let you share the Gospel, and they might even pray the sinner’s prayer. But then, when the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witness share their version of salvation (which are lies from the Devil!), they accept that, too! We’ve witnessed a lot in the 3 years of our ministry here, but very few have gotten saved.

I’m praying that the Holy Spirit is preparing someone right now to listen to the Gospel. I’m praying He will open their eyes, their ears and the hearts to listening to the truth. We can only tell them, we cannot convince folks that what we are telling them is the truth. The Holy Spirit does that part, and oh how we need Him to work!

I want everyone to be spared the wrath of God.

This Is Not the End

Valerie Basham

1 comment

September 8, 2011

Exodus 3:1b ..: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even Horeb.

John 18:12 Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,

Have I told you lately how much I love God’s Word? How much it changes my life? How real it is? I know some people who are ultra spiritual. They never struggle with sin. They never get discouraged and wallow in it (like I do). I’m so glad the Bible isn’t ultra spiritual. Don’t worry, I’m not being flippant, it’s the truth. We see over and over in God’s precious Word examples of people who fall, get up, fall again, get up…you get the idea. Most of the Bible characters are not walking around in glowing robes of light, singing every word, rather than just speaking. No. They are real.

Can I be honest with you? Oh. I’m too honest for you already? Sorry about that. Hold onto your hats cause I’m about to get even more honest with you! 😉 I’ve been discouraged lately. Very. It seems like everything is going downhill fast. A very special family in our church is having to move away due to a job relocation. Another family has left to go start a church in our town. Almost a year ago, we lost our second group of people…yes, second. The first left a year and a half ago. We didn’t think it could get any worse after that, because that was so heartbreaking, but it did. And it seems to be getting even worse than worse. (Is that possible?) Our Master Club and children’s church have been shut down. It seems we just can’t do anything right. Waaaa!!! Oh, sorry. {composing myself} Enough whining? Okay, I’ll stop. All of this does get better, please keep reading.

Each day, I read a little from the Old Testament and the New. I started today in Exodus. I just love starting a new book! I came to Ex. 3:1. Moses was in the “backside of the desert”. That sounds pretty barren and isolated, doesn’t it? Sounds like a place where you might think even God has forgotten that you exist. I thought, Hmmm. I’m in the backside of the desert, well, it feels that way. Lord, why is everything so bleak? When will it start getting better? then, I read on. Later, Moses turned to behold a bush that was on fire, but not being burned up. It was in this barren, lonely place that God called Moses to do great things for Him! It wasn’t Moses’ end, it was his beginning!

Then, you will never believe this! Okay, maybe you will. I headed over to John 18, my New Testament reading for today. I read about Jesus being taken to be “tried” and crucified! Another bleak situation. I read about Peter’s denial of the Lord Jesus. What a horrible event! I’m sure Peter thought his ministry was over. But you and I know the rest of the story. We know that Jesus rose again! We know that through Christ’s suffering and death, we have eternal life in Heaven! We know that the Lord seeks Peter out and to tell him that his failures don’t signal the end, but in fact, a beginning! Peter had far greater things happen in his ministry after his denial of Christ, than before.

I was thinking that the Lord was through with me and my family. I was thinking that all of these bad times surely signal the end. But the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, came down to me today – small, insignificant me – and sat beside me. He gave me a very special message through His Word. He said, “This isn’t the end,Valerie, it just appears that way. I know where you are, I know what you’re doing. And it’s not over. Not yet.”

And I say to Him, with tear-filled eyes, “Thank you, Lord. Thank you so very much.”

Better Late, than Never!

Valerie Basham

3 comments

September 8, 2011

Back in May…yes, that’s four months ago…we closed out the Master Club year with a very special presentation. My daughter, Lauren, completed the work required by Master Club and earned three “crowns”. You could think of these as “ranks” in scouting. However, she did three years’ work in only two! Whenever you earn all three “crowns” in Master Club, you are eligible for an award called the “Triple Crown Award”. Lauren was very excited! I had forgotten my camera that day, but a very sweet lady in our church offered to take some pictures. She sent them to me ages ago, but I’m just now getting them posted. {blushing}

I am so proud of how hard she worked! There were a lot of projects that had to be done at home, on her own, and she buckled down to do it! 🙂

One happy girl. 🙂

Sadly, our Master Club program has been shut down, hopefully only temporarily. We’ve lost some kids and are rather short on workers, so it had to be done. This is a ministry that I was in charge of, so I feel like a failure. I wonder, what did I do wrong? If you think of us, please pray for us, that we will be able to re-start this ministry, and add on many others in the months and years to come. Thank you!

The Daily Dose

Valerie Basham

no comments

September 7, 2011

Heb. 3:12-13 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

These verses explain exactly why each of us needs to be in God’s Word daily, on our own. It doesn’t matter if you read a whole book of the Bible each day or a whole chapter. It doesn’t matter if it’s one hour a day or 15 minutes a day. Being in God’s Word, everyday, is like looking in the mirror – the spiritual mirror.(James 1:23-25) We need to see if we have “an evil heart of unbelief”; we need to be exhorted to do right, to keep going, to stay faithful.

Being in church is an excellent way to get fed from the Word of God. God has ordained regular men to proclaim His Word, so we should be in our places to hear “thus saith the Lord.” But that shouldn’t be the only time we study God’s Word.

I can’t tell you how many days I rise and try to shine, but the last thing I want to do is plant myself in front of God’s Word. But I also can’t begin to tell you how many times I walk away a different person. I’m humbled (or humiliated), I’m loved, I’m encouraged, I’m strengthened.

I have a great husband and a wonderful pastor. 😉 I have a very loving family. I’m blessed with friends who care about me. But no one on Earth can do for me, what God can do through the pages of His holy word.

You could think of God’s Word as your daily spiritual vitamin. Have you had your dose today?

Jesus Says Good-Bye

Valerie Basham

1 comment

September 6, 2011

So, I’m a little strange, I guess. I get really attached to characters in books, especially Bible characters, because after all, they were real. I hate to come to the end of their lives.The end of Jesus’ life is no exception. In John chapter 16, he tells the disciples about what to expect after He is gone. He says, Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you… (John 16:7-8b) He goes on to tell about His death, resurrection and the second coming.

To end the chapter, Jesus says These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
What a great way to begin my day! To be reminded that even though Jesus is gone, and has been for centuries now, I have the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. And to have Jesus say to me, in these very troubled days, that I need to be of good cheer, for HE has overcome the world! My hope is in Jesus, not in myself. I can say with confidence that I can make it, because He already has.

Oh, and isn’t it nice that when I come to the end of a Bible character’s life, I can just flip back a few pages and re-live it all over again? 🙂

Have a wonderful day today, friends! Our hope is in the Eternal One, so let’s not worry about these temporary times.

The Problem Isn’t Facebook

Valerie Basham

7 comments

September 6, 2011

I’m coming up on my third year of being on Facebook. At first, it was so exciting to be able to interact with friends from my past, who lived far away. It was great catching up with them, seeing how their kids had grown, or where they had moved off to. Soon, however, I got sucked into petty debates and frivolous arguments. These conversations did nothing positive for me. In fact, I started getting butterflies at the thought of logging on, afraid to see who had commented on “that thread”.

Several of my friends have deleted their accounts. Some have said, “Husband’s leave their wives for other women on Facebook.” Or, “People gossip on Facebook.” or “There’s too much drama.”And, for those people, leaving Facebook might have been just the right thing. I often feel that I neglect some people, because there are so many to keep up with! I could never keep in touch with all of them! At times, leaving has seemed like a good solution. But, if I left, I wouldn’t be able to keep in touch with our family far away. And I wouldn’t know about certain prayer requests. So, I’ve stayed.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the problem isn’t Facebook. It’s me! Wherever you find humans, you find sin. Wherever you find sin, you find humans allowing it to control them. I know, because, I’m a human. If a man or woman desires to be unfaithful to their spouse, they don’t need Facebook to get the job done. They will find a way. If a person wants to gossip, they certainly don’t need Facebook! Ever hear of the telephone? E-mail? Personal conversation? Yep. It happens all the time. As far as drama? Well, we know that you don’t need to look far to find that, either. I’ve made a decision. I’ve chosen to stay out of drama, as much as I can. So far, it’s worked! If a person is bragging about committing sin, I don’t preach to them. Why in the world would they listen to me? I’m nobody! Only the Lord can change hearts and lives. I just need to pray for them.

I’ve been disappointed to see, via Facebook, some of the choices my friends have made. I wish they would let the Lord direct their paths. But then, I can’t really judge them, because I don’t always heed His Word like I should, either. We are all in the same sin cursed world, in sin cursed flesh. We all need each other’s prayers, love and compassion. I hope that’s what you’ll always find on this blog, on my Facebook page, and most of all, in my life.

“Breathe on me, breath of God.

Fill me with life anew.

That I may love, what thou dost love.

And do what thou wouldst do.”

– E. Hatch

I Want to Abide in Christ

Valerie Basham

1 comment

September 5, 2011

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John chapter 15 is an excellent chapter! It has so many great things in it! If you have time today, read it over. It’s only 27 verses. A couple of things caught my attention this morning. First of all, Jesus says to abide in Him, because without Him we can do nothing. You know, I’ve felt very powerless lately. Not that I can lose my salvation, but that no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to accomplish anything of true, or eternal, value. I got to thinking, maybe I’m not “abiding in Him”? I wondered how I could abide in Christ? Of course, I do abide with Him always as far as my salvation goes. I can’t lose that. But Jesus seems to indicate it’s something other than salvation. He says in John15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. So, it would appear that I can abide by obeying His commandments. By keeping His commandments, and abiding, I will also have full joy (John 15:11) The commandment that Jesus stresses that we keep is found in John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Love one another…that seems to be the thing I struggle with the most!

So, to “abide”, I must keep His commandments, particularly loving others as Christ loved me. If I do these things, He will give me full joy. I will also bring forth fruit, and that fruit will remain. (John 15:16)

One more interesting thing about this chapter, is that Jesus explains why we are hated. Let me say, I hate being hated! I want everyone to love me, or at least like me. I try to be thoughtful and kind. I do my best to go to a person immediately if I think I’ve hurt them in some way, and apologize. I do all I can to keep and make friends. But, some folks just don’t like me. Jesus says in John15:18-19 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated mebefore it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love hisown: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of theworld, therefore the world hateth you.

I think that’s prettyclear. We, as believers, are in the world, but not of it. We march to the tuneof a different drummer, you might say. We are out of step with society atlarge. Our lives revolve around God’s Word, God’s House, and our families. Notclimbing the ladder at work, not spending time on the lake, or buying thelatest fashions, or whatever. This seems strange to the world.

Not only are ourpriorities different from the world’s, but we believe there is a Heaven, and aHell. People don’t like to think that there is a Hell, but God’s Word saysthere is. We had a lady leave our church because my husband said that a certaindenomination rejects the Gospel, therefore, those people are going to Hell.This didn’t sit right with her. She liked someone from that church, and didn’twant to think about their going to Hell. Instead of witnessing to them, sheleft the church. I don’t understand. It wasn’t my husband’s opinion, it wasGod’s, based on His own Word!

I want to abide inChrist, not depend on my own strength to see things accomplished for him. Evenif it means I am hated.

Funny Photos, Special Memories

Valerie Basham

2 comments

September 5, 2011

I’m a bit behind on posting photos of my family. Rather than write seven different blog posts to catch up, I thought I’d just combine them all into one. I hope you enjoy them. Thanks for indulging me as I share about my favorite people!

Matthew enjoyed “typing” when the little girls set him at the desk back in July.

“Yes? How may I help you?”

“Oh, sure, let me look that up.”

It was so cute how he put one hand on the mouse and the other on the keys! 🙂

Laci enjoyed some watermelon from a family in our church. We live in the watermelon capital of Arkansas, so we usually get lots of watermelon from folks in our church. This year, we only got two, so I guess the drought effected the crops. It’s been very dry. We are thankful for the ones we got! 🙂

I don’t know what Matt was doing here, but it was funny!

He’s blowing on it now! And there’s his number one fan, Leslie Anne! 🙂

The girls had a good time creating new outfits! 🙂

Matthew helped me put the laundry in the dryer. 🙂

They used Matthew as a patient – they laid him on a homemade stretcher and carried him around the house. He’s such a good sport. 😉

His injury? A broken leg! See the cast? (One of Mitchell’s socks)

Poor guy! At least Mitchell is giving him some comfort.

The poor wittle patient!

Matthew likes taking *everything* out of my nightstand drawer! Books, papers, pens, lotion, and, is that a partially finished cross-stitch item on the floor? Yes. Yes it is. (Shaking head)

This is my most recent photo. Lauren is so good to her baby brother. Here she is cuddling with him. Oh, and allow me to introduce you to his wife. The lovely doll beside him (really, it’s a doll) is his wife. At least, that’s what the little girls told me. 😉

There’s never a dull moment around here. And I’m so grateful!

Wishing you all a restful and fun Labor Day!

The "Eyes" Have It!

Valerie Basham

4 comments

September 4, 2011

About two weeks ago, I let the little girls go out to play on the tarp – that’s a homemade slip’n’slide made from a big tarp and a water hose. A month or so ago, the kids found a golf club behind our church. Leslie had gotten that golf club to play with on the tarp. They had made a nice, big puddle with the hose. Leslie thought, “I bet if I swing this club down in that water it will make a big splash!” So, that’s what she did. She swung back and, whoops! Laci was there! She hit her on the outside of her right eye! It left a very big gash and she was bleeding profusely. I don’t handle blood well, especially my children’s! I called Terry and he was able to come home to see what needed to be done. Sure enough, he thought it needed stitches. I took her to the ER in town, and they felt it should be glued rather than stitched. I said okay to their plan, but I regret it now. It didn’t stay closed very well with the glue and now there is going to be a bigger scar visible than if it had been stitched. It was right in line with her eyebrow, so I’m hoping the hair will grow in and cover it.

Leslie felt terrible about this whole thing! She and Laci love each other so much, she sat and cried for a while, feeling terrible about it. I was happy that it wasn’t worse than it ended up being. The Lord truly watches over my family and I’m so very grateful!

The first day. They covered it with a bandage. You can see some bruising and swelling on her right eyelid. And, she’s so happy! {sarcasm}

About two days later. I removed the bandage. They used glue, as well as steri-strips.

The lower redness (in the shape of the bandage) was not there at first. I think she had some kind of allergic reaction to the bandage they used. It cleared up in another two days.

It took almost two weeks for all the glue to come off! They used way too much. It also removed her eyebrow! You can see the scar clearly, but I’m hoping more time and the eyebrow growing back in will help it become less noticeable. At least she’s smiling a little here! 🙂

Speaking of eyes, and on a happier note, Lauren and Leslie got glasses! Leslie didn’t pass the eye exam at her six year checkup, so our pediatrician recommended that we follow up with an eye doctor. I’ve been meaning to take Lauren for checkup for a while now and kept forgetting! I found out our insurance covers the exam and glasses, so that was a blessing! Lauren’s eyes were worse than Leslie’s, so she’s so glad to be able to see better! 🙂 When he put the right lenses on at the exam, and asked “Better or worse.” She said excitedly “OH! BETTER!” It was cute.