Countdown to Shutdown

Hey all,

Just a 411 for all of you, I will be shutting this blog down in 7 days. My new blog/site is kdsmith.wordpress.com and it is up and running already, still a few bugs to work out but the majority of past posts from here have been moved over to the new blog. You can go to that blog and sign up for email updates. I look forward to using this new site, it is more user friendly and able to be updated through my phone as well as my computer. I hope that all of you will join me at kdsmith.wordpress.com

Lam. 3:22-23 Thank God that His compassion never fails and He provides new mercy every morning. I can always use some compassion and mercy

John 8:32. Truth always brings freedom! May we all walk in truth today so that we may have freedom in our circumstances!

Last message Continued: Will ur kids still believe it?

Dad posed these question to us during Awaken: In 30 years will you still believe it when the preacher says Jesus is coming back? Will ur kids still believe it?

Awaken was great!!! Dad did awesome!!! He preached "It's high time to awaken"

Jesus had to "Awaken" the disciples in the garden, I wonder if they would have reacted different had they tarried with Him in prayer...

9 hrs until the "Awaken" series starts here at Faith! I'm so pumped I can't sleep! Must try though

There was nothing "safe" about the cross, to reach this world we will have to leave the comfort of safety and step into "unsafe" territory

Great meeting @ the Taylors, good food, great people. I am now ready to chillax for a bit before bed. Awaken starts in the morn. Exciting!!!

Meeting at the Taylors about our July 3rd event...having Chicken stuffed with Cajun dressing mmm mmm

AWAKEN!!!! Romans 13:11-12

Merging of the Blogs...

Hey All,

I just wanted to let you all know that I am merging my blogs into this one...

Two blogs can be a hard thing to keep up with so I am shutting down the "K's Faves" blog and keeping this one however I will still post recommendations, recipes, and info on this blog along with relevant spiritual topics...

Enjoy & God Bless

Ok so by popular demand I am posting the recipe for the "Creamy, Cheese & Leek Soup" that I made for the "Radiant Women's" traveling supper

This recipe makes a really large pot.......probably around 40-50 cup size servings

Ingredients

• 8 table spoons of unsalted butter
• 3 Large Leeks chopped (Only use the green parts)
• 3 32 ounce boxes of Chicken Stock (Preferably "Rachel Ray's")
• 8 cups of half & half
• 8 Golden Potatoes (Finely chopped or diced)
  
• 3 cups of White Cheddar (Grated)
  
• 3 cups of Parmesan (Grated)
• 3 cups of Smoked Cheddar or Smoked Swiss (Grated)
• 2 cups of Whole Milk Mozzarella (Grated)
• 5 pinches of dried Parsley
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Garlic Powder to taste
  
• 5 cups of "Sharp Cheddar" (Grated for Garnish)
  
• Dried Tarragon Leaves & Parsley (for Garnish)

Instructions

Melt your butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and saute until they are tender, salt and pepper the leeks during the saute. Add chicken stock & potatoes, bring to a steady boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the soup with a "hand blender"....Do not, I repeat do not use a regular blender as it will explode out due to the heat of the soup.

After the puree is finished add in your half & half and pinches of parsley. You can now begin to add your cheeses, whisk or stir it in until melted.......this is the delicate part because the soup can begin to scorch....make sure you keep a steady stir or whisk at all times so scorching does not happen. Add salt, pepper & garlic powder to the soup to taste....be careful not to over do the garlic, add very small amounts at a time. Ladle soup into cups, garnish with sharp cheddar, dried tarragon leaves and a small pinch of parsley. Serve soup with "Bisquick Cheese-Garlic Biscuits" add some dried parsley to the biscuit mix to give them the herb element.

Bon Appetit

C=:-)

Guri do Sul Brazilian Steakhouse

OK I know this is another blog about food but hey what can I say....I love food.

Now I had heard about Brazilian steakhouses but had never experienced them until this year. I went to a Brazilian steakhouse in Houston and well it just was not that great, my wife could not get the meat cooked the way she liked it and the staff made you feel like you were inconveniencing them however the food was good. So I resigned myself to the fact that I would probaby not be going there much. I was driving down "Research Drive" in The Woodlands one day and I saw these words on a building "Guri Do Sul", I quickly realized that it was a brazilian steakhouse and I became excited due to the fact that we frequent The Woodlands & Conroe quite a bit.....ok it's kinda our home away from home. So a few weeks went by and we happened to be staying in a condo on Lake Conroe; Beth, Mom & the kids had to go to the church for a ladies party so me and Dad decided to meet a friend at "Guri Do Sul".........the rest is wonderful history. First off the environment was nice and relaxing, the establishment was clean and the staff were super.

We got our salad plates and begin to eat from the massive salad bar. Smoked salmon, cold meats, cheeses, black beans & rice, veggies and more....while your getting your salad the waiters are dropping off your "All You Can Eat" sides such as loaded mashed potatoes, hot rice (good stuff), fried bananas and last but not least cheese rolls....Be Ye Warned!! Ye Will Eat So Many Of These Cheese Rolls That Ye Will Be Miserable!!!! They are awesome!!!!

So now we have our sides, our salad and our drinks....we enjoy these things for a few minutes and then we turn our little card over to the green side and this signals to the staff that you are ready for meat.......and you better be ready....

...for at least 12 different meats....

....Prime cut Sirloin, Filet Mignon (my fave), Pork Ribs (my 2nd fave), Parmesan Pork Loin (my 3rd fave), Lamb Chops, Chicken Legs, Pork Sausage, Flank Steak, Grilled Salmon, Bacon wrapped Filet / Chicken Breast & Garlic Sirloin......Oh did I mention this is also "All You Can Eat".

No matter how you like your meat cooked they can do it

This place is awesome.......we ate until we were stuffed!!!

If you are looking for an awesome dining experience......check out Guri Do Sul off of "Research Drive" in the Woodlands, TX

Cost: $45 per person after drink........it may sound expensive but it is really not when you consider all the food that you get and the quality of the dining experience.

I crave this place now and plan to join them for dinner again very soon

Here is their contact info

www.guridosul.com

Give them a try.........I think you will be pleased

Brooklyn Pizzaria

Whassup everybody, I'm hitting you with my first "Fave" of many to come. I wanted to blog tonight about a place called "Brooklyn Pizzeria" in Humble, TX. Now listen I don't usually do a lot of pizzerias for a few reasons, 1. Pizzerias are usually expensive and not worth the money", 2. Pizzerias are usually not everything that they are cracked up to be and 3. pizzerias are usually trashy joints ran by some stoner who let's the local kids come in a graffiti all over the walls lol!!! If I am going to go eat somewhere I really want the price to be right, the food to be great, the service to be good and the establishment to be clean.....I mean c'mon is that to much to ask? Apparently it is at some places lol.

So I saw that the "Brooklyn Pizzeria" a couple of years ago and it intrigued me because I am always looking for good pizza (sorry Little Caesars and other chains but your pizza is not much better then the ones in the freezers at Wal-Mart) so I comment that we need to go check this place out but we didn't so then I read some good reviews and think to myself "I need to go check this place out" but I didn't (I'm so stubborn I don't even listen to myself :-D ) but a couple of weeks ago I decided to stop in for lunch on a Sunday afternoon and Oh My Goodness I was hooked.....I went and ate there 3 days in a row :-D.

Brooklyn Pizzeria is a family owned and operated restaurant. Its authentic taste cannot be imitated, because its recipes have been handed down in the Shahini Family through generations. Listen folks these guys are the real deal, they got 23 years of business in Brooklyn under their belt and 2 years of business here.....if you failed math like I did let me help you that is a total of 25 yrs of making pizza.....if you do something for 25 yrs chances are your going to get something right and let me tell ya these guys got it right.

I give this place 5 stars and here is why

Their prices are reasonable
Their establishment is clean
Their staff is super friendly and fun
Last but definitely not least their pizza
is the second best pizza that I have ever had.

So go check them out in Humble, TX in front of Wal-Mart.....I recommend their "Pepperoni with Extra Cheese".

Here is their website......check em' out www.bkpizzeria.com

Alright all of you out in cyberspace until next time.........Peace Out :)>-

Click picture below for menu

Re-post: The Battle Is Not One-Sided

This is a re-post of a old blog that I had going once before.....I felt that this deserved a re-post

We are in a War...

This War is not in the physical realm...

This War is in the spiritual realm...

There is an enemy named Lucifer...

There is an enemy called flesh...

Both of these are at war with our spirits & our minds...

Ephesians 6 says it like this: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

The spirit world is very much real and there is a constant war being waged by the enemy of our souls and his minions, there is also a constant battle between our spirit and our flesh...

The war is inevitable...

If you choose to live a holy, consecrated life then you are going to have to be willing to go to war...

So now we know that we are in a war...

The next question is...

Are we fighting or just being beat...

So many times when it comes to Spiritual Warfare we say "Man I'm Battling" or "I'm in Warfare right now" but we are really not battling........we are being beat...

Why???

Because battle means a combat between two persons, a battle is not one sided...

A one sided battle usually means that someone is being beat or that they are gearing up for their next assault...

Hopefully it is the latter and not the former...

So many times I fear that we say we are in the battle but in reality we are doing no warfare...

There is no prayer going up...

There is no fasting taking place...

The Word is not being read like it should...

If I am on the front lines...

The enemy is shooting at me...

my gun is just laying beside me not being used...

I'm hollering to my comrades "I am in a battle"...

They look at me like I'm out of my mind...

Why???

Because I am not engaging in combat...

Instead I am standing idle while the enemy barrages me with bullets...

I'm not in a battle because I am not using the weapons that have been made available to me...
2 Corinthians tells us: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...

We have been given weapons...

Eph. 6 tells us about the weapons...

13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Gird up your loins with truth...

• Truth is your protection...

Protect yourself with truth...

Speak truth to your enemy...

When your enemy comes in with lies and doubts....

Stand tall and speak truth...

• The Breastplate of Righteousness...

Righteousness means to be free from guilt or sin...

Wear Righteousness on your chest...

Wear righteousness over your heart...

The Breastplate of Righteousness covers more of your body then any other piece of armor...

The Breastplate covers the vital organs...

You must cover your spiritual vitals with Righteousness...

• Feet shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace...

The Gospel of Peace is simply Good News...

Walk in the Good News...

What is the Good News...

Good News is simply "Good News"...

Good News = "Satan I am bought by the blood of Jesus"...

Good News = "Satan I am a child of the King"...

Good News = "Satan I am a overcomer"

• Faith is our Shield
  

Faith is perhaps the most vital weapon...

Faith shields us from unbelief...

As long as I have faith, unbelief cannot prevail...

Faith that “I Will” overcome...

Faith that “I Will” be victorious...

Faith that no weapon formed against me shall prosper...

Faith...

Faith is vital to my survival...

Faith is our shield...

Faith is our protection...

• The Helmet of Salvation...

Why should I wear Salvation on my head??

The word Salvation in the Greek means deliverance and preservation...

The Helmet is wore upon the head...

The Helmet protects the mind...

The Helmet of Salvation delivers my mind...

The Helmet of Salvation preserves my mind...

The battle is usually won or lost in the mind...

It is important to have my mind constantly delivered...

Delivered from doubt...

Delivered from fear...

Delivered from impure thoughts...

Delivered from lies of the enemy...

It is important for my mind to be preserved...

The word preserved means to keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction, to keep alive...

The Helmet of Salvation keeps my mind safe from mental injury, mental destruction...

The Helmet of Salvation keeps my mind alive...

Get your Helmet on...

• The Sword of the Spirit...

The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God...

So is that Sword one word???

If the Sword is one word then which one is it???

Word in the Greek original text is "hrema"...

Hrema means "Utterance" or in our language "saying"...

God's utterance or sayings is found in scriptures...

This verse is not talking about one specific word/utterance/saying but rather whatever word (scripture) that is relevant to the situation...

The Bible is God's word but his word is made up of many, many "words" (scriptures)...

So we must take up His word and do warfare with it...

His word for your situation may be found in the Old Testament while His word for my situation may be found in the New Testament...

His Word cannot be narrowed down to "one" word but instead it spans across every scripture written...

The Bible goes on to tell us to pray with all prayer and to make earnest petitions in the Spirit...

We cannot just pray a "patty cake" prayer...

We have to pray in the Spirit...

We have to make earnest and humble petitions before God...

This is how we stay humble and remember that He ultimately has control over every situation and battle...

The scripture also says watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints...

We must keep our eyes open...

We also cannot survive alone...

We should look out for our fellow warriors and pray for them to persevere...

These are our weapons...

These are not carnal weapons...

Never try to fight a spiritual war with the arm of the flesh...

Never try to fight a spiritual battle without God and His weapons...

One thing to notice is this...

• Nowhere in this scripture does it say anything about a covering for your backside...

Why??

Because God never intended for us to run from the enemy...

To retreat means that the enemy has won a victory...

Sure there are times when we have to duck down and hold on for dear life......those times when we feel like we are being beat but guess what, if you are still on the battle field then you are still in the battle...it does not matter what you feel but rather what you do...

Remember this..

2 Cor. 4:8-9

⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

It's not a battle if your not feeling a little hard pressed, perplexed and persecuted but just remember your still on the field so your still in the fight...

There are times when you have to put up that shield of Faith, hunker down and trust...

When I have to hunker down under my shield of Faith it means that someone else is fighting for me......that someone is God...I may not see Him or hear Him but He is there...

There are times when He will give us the strength to fight but then there are times when he will push us down under our shields and say “Rest my child and let me do “all” the fighting”...

We don't have to run..

If you are running then that means you are not using the weapons that God has provided...

We have to fight...

Why do we have to fight?

If God can fight for us then why do we ever have to fight?

Because it makes us strong servants of God...

When we fight in this war we have to use God’s weapons therefore we have to rely totally on God......this increases our faith in Him and He receives praise and worship from from our battle...

You see God does not want spiritual weaklings but rather strong warriors...

But...

God does not expect us to be a warrior over night...

He expects us to follow His word, use His weapons and grow into the warrior that we are to become...

You are destined to be a warrior...

You can do it....through Him...

It doesn't matter if you are a seasoned warrior or a warrior in training, if you will use the weapons and go with God then you will be victorious...

We cannot stand idle while our enemy wages war on our soul...

I am tired of seeing people being beat because they choose to stand idle and not use the weapons that God has given them...

Go to War!!!

Use the God Given Combat Tools that are available to you!!!

Stop letting the enemy whip you whether it be your flesh or Satan!!!!

Devil We Declare War!!!!!

Flesh We Declare War!!!!

Ephesians 6:10

STRIVE!!!

Philippians 3:14 (The Message)

^12-14 I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

In this world we live in we are tested and tried sometimes daily. At times it feels like the more we strive toward our goal the further we get from it. So many times people simply give up on their dream, give up on their hopes and they just give up in defeat.

In our daily walk with God we all have dreams, goals and promises but sometimes it seems that everything that can come against us does and we become overwhelmed, tired and disillusioned.

We feel that we have fought, pressed and reached so hard for what we desire only to be awakened to the realization that we are imperfect.......we finally get to the place that we are not sure that God can even use us or if we can even make it through this life.

If you feel or have ever felt this way then congratulations!!!! You are normal, it is normal for us as human beings to reach the place where we begin to feel like we are a little fish in a great big pond and we become overwhelmed.

Now to all of you little fish lol! I want to introduce a 6 letter word into your vocabulary

Strive!

That's right...Strive

The word strive means to devote serious effort or energy

How much serious energy and effort are we really devoting to our situation compared to how much negative influence we are taking in?

I fear that many times the word "Strive" is not in our life but rather the word "Strife"

You see "Strife" means conflict

Conflict!!!

Conflict is exactly what I described at the beginning of this blog

Strife causes conflict to the individual and then they begin to think and feel hopeless and worthless, they begin to feel that they cannot make it.

Strife = Conflict

I think it is time to replace our "Strife" with some "Strive"!!!

You see strife will take me no where but "Strive" will take me everywhere.

The things of this world are coming against me, what will I do? Strive!!!!

People are talking smack about me, what will I do? Strive!!!

I lost my job, what will I do? Strive!!!

My friends have deserted me, what will I do? Strive!!!

The enemy of my soul has been shooting his darts at me, what will I do? Strive!!!

I not perfect, what should I do? STRIVE!!!!!!

In the scripture above the Apostle Paul says some very powerful things, he says (Paraphrasing) "Hey I'm not saying that I'm perfect but I'm reaching for the one who has reached out for me, I'm no expert but I got my eye set on the goal that God is pointing me towards and I am running towards it.....no turning back for me"

What are you doing Paul? Striving!!!

They might beat you again Paul, what you going to do? Strive!!!

They might mock and ridicule you Paul, what you gonna do? Strive!!!

Strive!! Strive!! Strive!!

Replace "Strife" with "Strive"

Replace "Conflict" with "Confidence"

Here are "Five Strive" points

1. Stop expecting to be perfect...and just strive!!
2. Cut off negative influence...and just strive!!
3. Team up with others who are striving...and just strive!!
4. Replace fear with faith...and just strive
5. Understand who your "Coach" is (God)...and just strive!!

Just Strive

Stop expecting big wins every time but instead find fulfillment in the small victories

I like the way Louis L'Amour put it

"Victory is not won in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more - Louis L'Amour"

Hold Your Ground......don't let anybody steal the victories that you have already won.....hold your ground....it's your ground!!!

Strive!!!

You Can Do It!!!

God is your coach and His plays are always right!!!

Let your adversaries be learning experiences, let your trials propel you forward stronger and better then before........let your failures be lessons and press on toward your goal

Strive!!!

Grab hold of "Unwavering Strive"

Unwavering Strive

In search of happiness
Sorrow creeps in… slowly
Like a thief at night… taking over my life.
I’m caught unaware, absorbed in despair.
My dreams though feted… Joy defeated.

Wind blow east, wind blow west...
God! ... When will I find rest?
Another day, another strain
Joy? ... Yet t' no avail
Wishes and dreams on feeble trips
Crushed and drowned by nature’s tricks
I sit to ponder...Could joy be yonder?
Why me? Why me? ? I quizzed and wonder!

Sadness engulfs the atmosphere
Tomorrow? Way beyond compare
Loneliness clears a path to tour
Familiarization… its aim for sure.
Retreat dares its ugly head
Love conquers all… so, no despair.

A divine ray, so pure shines through
Amidst the foggy dust and dew
Now am cold, my life unfolds
I now know… Oh yes I know!!
Those pains, I see were meant for gains
Take heed, love life, unwavering strive
These words of note, proposed for hope
I lay to rest, fulfilled at best.

Fred Omorogbe

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