Rose-Colored Glasses

A few years ago, my sister asked me if I thought I looked at Bryan through rose-colored glasses. I answered, "I don't know, why?" She went on to say, "Well, sometimes he does or doesn't do certain things that would drive me crazy but they don't seem to bother you. I wonder if you see him the same way others do?"
      I stopped to think...."Huh? Have I missed something? Should I be more irritated? Is he "getting away" with something? Am I delusional? Mistaken? Do I really not see him as others do and if so is that a bad thing?" After a few minutes of all this chaos running through my mind, I literally shook my head loose (like you see on cartoons) of these thoughts. Instead of the paranoia and mistrust, images of our past 17 years together flashed before my eyes.

• I saw him on our first date all dressed up, new haircut, bearing a beautiful red rose. He took me to a park and set up a candlelight dinner with take-out from my favorite restaurant. 
• I saw him on our wedding day looking at me like I was the only person in the world, feeling so loved and cherished.
• I remembered how he took care of our newborn daughter and me after I fell and broke my arm even though he had never even babysat before. 
• I remembered the support he gave me when we lost our twins.
• I remembered how he got up for almost every single feeding and changed more diapers than me.
• I saw the picture of him bringing me water after I had just screamed my head off at him.
• I saw all the times he has taken out the trash or cleaned a toilet because I told him when we were first married I didn't like to do those.
• I remembered how he humbled himself to hang Christmas lights one year, in the freezing cold, just to feed our family.
• I remembered all the nights I woke him up at 2 or 3 in the morning because I was scared or anxious. He didn't get irritated but either prayed over me or just talked to me until I fell back asleep.

      Do all those "memories" overshadow that he keeps buying bigger garbage cans so he doesn't have to take it out as much or he leaves his shoes everywhere or he is often late....YES, most of the time, it does! Because I CHOSE to remember his loving traits more often than nitpicking about all his faults. (What if he did that to me? I would be in big trouble) I pray constantly, "Please God, let me love this man well. I don't always know what healthy love looks like but I know I don't want my critical nature to tear him down. God, let me see him as You do. Let me focus on the good in him rather than the negative. Help me to CAPTURE my thoughts." I chose everyday how I want to "see" my husband. It can be hard and I often fail. But then I ask God to remind me and play back our life together, over and over and over until I change my heart.

       I looked at my sister and smiled, "Yeah, I think I do look at Bryan with rose-colored glasses because I asked God to help me do just that. I choose to be thankful that I am and have been well loved."

"... But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn't so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you've done." Romans 2:1-2 The Message

Bryan....

The next couple of blogs I am going to devote to my husband. His birthday is next week and instead of buying him a whole lot of stuff, I want him to know and read how much I love him. I want to share this on my blog because, well... I share just about everything else so why not? Hopefully it will spur you on to thinking about how and why you love someone and maybe let them know... a bit more. WARNING: It could get a little mushy so if this makes your stomach turn do not continue any further :)

Some of you are saying, "Well it's Bryan. He is easy to love. He is a pastor, of course he acts this way. I want to stop that train of thought. Don't use the pastor card as a scapegoat. Don't assume that he was just born that way. Don't think 17 years ago he was the amazing man he is now. He chose to let God transform His heart. He chose to be a different person. He chose to obey and trust God. And he chose to let God help him love this broken, broken girl.

 "So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

What Can We Learn from Billy Graham

10 Leadership Secrets from Billy Graham

1. Leadership is forged in the furnace.
How can we as ordinary leaders deal with the heat we feel and rise to challenges greater than our capacities? While Billy Graham's natural mindset is "What could go wrong?"—he is determined to live by his convictions and the gospel of hope, and to communicate that confidence to others. Despite the worst, a leader must personify hope for the best.

"I've read the last page of the Bible. It's going to turn out all right." — Billy Graham

2. The spirit of teambuilding empowers and energizes.
We can't always choose our leaders or teammates, but we can raise effective followership to a high level, often despite difficult circumstances. Billy Graham's extraordinary success with his core team raised the bar about what can be achieved. His decisions were based on mutual agreement rather than on a dictatorial basis.

"God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with." — Billy Graham

3. Never underestimate a "small temptation".
Greed, pride, lust, and ambition—temptation can blindside you. A small indiscretion may appear worth the risk. But only after we hook into temptation do we discover its strength. By openly declaring their ethical standards, Billy Graham and his team admitted the dangers of temptation and clarified the expectations and accountabilities. You have to be in the dark, what you are in the light.

"When wealth is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When character is lost, everything is lost." — Billy Graham

4. Laser in on the mission.
It is easy to lose focus, especially with tasks that are closely related to your core mission. Without a clear purpose and well-channeled efforts, energy is diffused and power is dissipated. Billy Graham has focused on one element—connecting with broad audiences and bringing them to the point of decision. That means he primarily leaves to others the task of helping people grow in faith.

"I just want to lobby for God." — Billy Graham

5. Embrace the challenge of criticism.
How you respond to critics reveals a lot about your sense of calling and your composure. Critics can force you to evaluate what you really believe about yourself and your mission. While Billy Graham at times would be angered by his critics, he would frequently hear out a critic, then explain his calling and his determination to fulfill that mission, inviting the critic to help with what Billy was compelled to do.

"Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys." — Billy Graham

6. Recognize fear as a catalyst for courage.
One key detractor of courage is the avoidance of conflicts we dread. In the late 1970's, Communist authorities extended an invitation for Billy Graham to speak in Russian venues. U.S. leaders pressured Billy to decline the offer. After agonizing over the situation, Billy accepted the invitation. The U.S. media was sharply critical. Billy had to keep soldiering on and accept the harsh realities of the assaults. It was later acknowledged by the media that Billy alone had looked past the atheistic Soviet propaganda to see a nation eager for change.

"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened." — Billy Graham

7. Turn unthinkable failure into gold.
No one likes to fail, and leaders' failures produce magnified consequences. However, the goal is not a fail-safe record but a pattern of increasing effectiveness. In 1950, Billy Graham was allowed to briefly visit with President Truman. Afterwards, not knowing he was violating diplomatic protocol, he told the press everything he could remember. Learning of his grievous error, Billy vowed that it would never happen again. He eventually became a confidant of popes and presidents and prime ministers because he had learned to keep conversations in confidence.

"Out of defeat can come the best in human nature." — Billy Graham

8. Emphasize the common ground
Managers work mostly within an organization while leaders also develop key relationships outside the organization. Over the years, Billy became a tremendous bridge builder, reaching across denominational, political, racial, and religious boundaries. Billy found ways to emphasis the common ground. Bridges aren't built by hiding our foundations and intentions but by admitting where we are, respecting those on the other side, and affirming the worth of the connection.

"We are not cisterns made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing." — Billy Graham

9. Inspire other leaders.
One of the most profound effects of Billy's leadership has been his stoking the fires of other leaders beyond his own organization. Rick Warren, author of the bestselling The Purpose Driven Life said, "Billy's fingerprints of influence are all over my ministry." For many leaders today, Billy was both a voice of wisdom and a mentor. One such leader remarked, "Billy's willingness to allow others to succeed may be his greatest lasting impact."

"The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes away saying not, 'What a lovely sermon!' but, 'I will do something.'" — Billy Graham

10. Leverage Weakness.
Great strengths are usually accompanied by significant weaknesses. Effective leaders accept their weaknesses and leverage them. First they admit them, then adapt, delegate, and constantly learn. Billy Graham had a deep sense of his own limitations. Despite his preaching to millions, Billy has often professed he wasn't a great preacher. And he was right. There are others who are more eloquent. Billy consistently set himself to learn from everyone.

"God measures people by the small dimensions of humility and not by the bigness of their achievements or the size of their capabilities." — Billy Graham

Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread

by foodiebride on July 6, 2011

You can take the long route and make your favorite pizza dough and marinara sauce, or the short route and pick up your favorite pizza dough and red sauce from the store.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 lbs pizza dough (I used this recipe because it makes enough for two pizza)
• 6 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (you'll need ~48 pieces)
• 48 slices of Turkey pepperoni (from 1 package)
• 2-3 cups marinara sauce, warmed, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat garlic and butter over medium heat just until the garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat and let sit.
2. Lightly brush the inside of a bundt pan (or other oven-safe dish) with garlic butter.
3. Pull off large marble-sized balls of dough and flatten (~2/3 of an ounce, a kitchen scale makes this very easy). Top with a slice of pepperoni and a cube of mozzarella.

4. Wrap the dough around the pepperoni and cheese, pinching well to seal.
5. Very lightly brush the pizza ball with garlic butter and place into the bundt pan (I dabbed the pizza balls on a butter-dipped silicon brush to keep butter use low - there will be 1+ Tbsp leftover - and my hands butter free. Buttery hands make it hard to get the pizza balls to seal).
6. Repeat until all of the dough is used.
7. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, while preheating the oven to 400.
8. Bake for ~35 minutes, until the top is very brown.
9. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.
10. Turn out onto a platter and serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

Notes

Yields: 48 pieces
Adapted from Pizza Bites via Annie's Eats