Author: Laura Crosby (Page 14 of 54)

When Your Waiting is Wearying

January 23, 2019 /

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.

Psalm 62:5

All waiting is hard. Some waits are more brutal than others.

It’s 7:30 a.m. in Florida as I write this. My sweet 88 and 85 year old parents are stuck in the Detroit airport on their way home from visiting us here. There is ice and snow pelting the Midwest. Oh, January.

Mom and Dad are “sleeping” in black vinyl and chrome airport seats not designed for comfort. They have been there since 5:00 p.m. last night when their connecting flight to Chicago was cancelled. The rescheduled flight has been pushed later and later to the point that they probably would get home quicker if they bought boots and walked.

They are waiting, waiting, waiting. But here’s the thing. We know that at some point, a flight will take off, carrying them from Detroit to Chicago. They are waiting with a sure end.

Also this morning as I’m writing, I jump up every few seconds to catch the sun as it lifts through the clouds above the Atlantic Ocean. I wait for the sunrise. I am waiting with a sure end.

Our friend Alyssa was pregnant, waiting a week past her due date, but the doctors comforted her, saying at some point her baby girl would be born. It was a sure thing.

However, as Emily P. Freeman says, “All waiting is not created equal. This I know for sure.”

I have other friends who are waiting without a certain end.

One who is waiting to get pregnant.

One who is waiting for healing.

One who is waiting to meet the man who she longs to marry.

There is no clear picture of the end. No guarantee that at some point someone official will call your number, and say “Ok, it’s time. You’re done waiting for exactly what you want.”

Years ago I was waiting for a job, a title, a paycheck – validation that my calling was legit. That job never came. What I learned was that what I was waiting for wasn’t as important as Who I was waiting with.

Who > What  

When my focus is on Emmanuel, God with me, I am reminded that He loves me more than I can imagine.

I am assured that He will work all things together for good as I seek Him in the waiting.

I am secure in my identity as a cherished child of His regardless of circumstances.

I am prompted to consider that His perspective is greater than mine, His purposes will prevail.

I am a terrible wait-er. Much easier for me to write this than to practice it. But practice we must.

So, today if you are weary of waiting, take a deep breath.

Breathe in the nearness of your friend Jesus who waits with you.

I started thinking about this prompted by Emily P. Freeman. If you’d like more on waiting, check out her wonderful podcast, The Next Right Thing.

A Blessing for The New Year

December 27, 2018 /

I sit and stare at my computer screen after triaging emails that have accumulated over the holidays. I’m tired. I bet you are too.

We’ve baked the special cookies and wrapped presents we hoped would delight. We’ve tried to be present to Jesus and kept traditions and navigated family drama, and made time to sit by the Christmas tree.

We’ve tried to remember to breathe. 

But now it’s the end of the year and we’re tired, and as we consider whether to make resolutions, we’re tempted to think of all the things that haven’t happened in 2018 – the pregnancy, the boyfriend, the job, the healing…

We think of the ways we’ve messed up – the rejection letter, or the One Word that we haven’t seen fleshed out in our life perfectly. 

“I am learning ever so slowly that maturity and a growing faith show up not in our ability to stand up straight and blameless, but in our willingness to turn, again and again, back to the face of God. Not once, but a thousand times once and then a thousand times more.” 

Emily P. Freeman

Me too.

It’s hard to be both honest and hopeful. We need to be gentle with ourselves and remember our hope isn’t in a resolution made or broken, but in God who is good.

And so, we trust…

“…that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

that “we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Cor. 3:18 NASB

As 2018 comes to a close, I’d like to offer a blessing:

This day, may you be assured that you are seen and loved as is, not “only if”. May you know that your proud Papa is cheering you on, beaming at the small, teetering steps you’ve taken in 2018. May you hear Him singing over you, see Him delighting in you, and have faith to let Him take your hand and walk you into a new year. Amen.

Missing Church

December 20, 2018 /

When I was growing up we never missed church.

Really.

I’m sure we must have had one week when someone was sick, but I honestly don’t remember it. “Going to church” was a commitment. It was a given.

Yeah, I know “church” isn’t just a place. It’s not the building.  The New Testament word for “church” is ekklesia, which means “the called out ones.” WE are the church.

But our God cares about places too. He is a God of rhythms, rituals, and rocks. He commanded the Israelites to build a tabernacle, a temple, and to pile stones in specific places so they wouldn’t forget His faithfulness or formation of them. I think “going to church” as an act of worship, is significant. When we “miss church” we miss something more than an item on our to-do list.

In this season of “lasts” for John and I as we anticipate leaving ministry at CPC,  I want to be at church every possible chance I get. I want to be present to all the people in this community I love, and present to God at the same time.

I want to be greeted by Debbie at the door of the Great Room, and sit in “my” pew, and remember all the marking moments I’ve experienced here. I want to serve communion, and receive it too. I want to snag one of Sharon’s famous cookies at the receptionist’s desk when she works on Wednesdays. I want to see Noel in the Bobcat shoveling snow, and hear Jane practicing the organ. I want to eavesdrop as Michelle patiently helps someone who is new and lost and has wandered into the bookstore. I want to hold a baby at Mom’s Morning and pray with the Catalyst community. I want to hug Dinny at the 9:30 service, and give Betsy a kiss in her wheelchair at the 11:00. I want to bring dinner to Families Moving Forward and I want to be run down by rambunctious teens in the hallway on a Wednesday night, and I want to listen as Heather leads the littles in choir song.

I don’t want to miss church. 

Each of these things by themselves is not dramatically significant. But together, like dots of color in an impressionist painting, they create a picture of how God has been forming me.  

Like one of my favorite verses says, “Do not despise the day of small things.” (Zechariah 4:10)

As much as I crave being present in the actual church building these days, it’s rarely convenient to go to church. I may be tired, or want to meet friends for brunch, or there’s snow (dontcha know). But in going at a time I don’t choose, maybe I cooperate with God in my formation as well as worship Him.

The people who sit around me in the pews aren’t always people who are easy for me to love. I may run into someone who’s been super critical, or has different political leanings than I do, or is awkward to talk to. Maybe by not missing church Jesus forms me into a tiny bit more gracious, empathetic person.

The songs we sing aren’t always my favorites. There may be fussy toddlers who are distracting, and sometimes I would rather be making my to-do list instead of trying to listen for God’s Word to me. Sometimes the prayers go too long or the silence is too short. But perhaps Jesus is using these to form patience, or tolerance, or humility in me.

The inconveniences of “going to church”  are exactly the reasons that it’s important for me not to miss. Because bit by bit, God is going to use these things to make me more like Him if I pay attention.

Church isn’t easy. It takes patience and prayer and perseverance. We’re broken people with rough edges, rubbing against each other as we try to follow Jesus. But God uses this proximity to each other and to Him, to create something beautiful.

As John and I transition out of ministry at CPC, we won’t miss church on Sundays (we’ll go to church somewhere!), but we’ll sure miss this church where God has showed up and showed off, and formed us into the people we are today. 

What to Do When a Friend is in the Depths of Despair

December 5, 2018 /

Tonight is a Christmas candlelight service at our church. Those who are grieving, gather in the darkness, remembering loved ones, present to the loss we’ve experienced, but also clinging to the hope Jesus offers. Emmanuel. God with us. Even in the dark.

It is quiet, and sacred, and to me, feels like a warm comforter on a snowy night.

But it brings to mind a conversation that I had in October with a friend who is mourning.

“I’m here! Yesterday I couldn’t get out of bed. I’ve lost my capacity to engage, concentrate or make decisions.  It’s easier to succumb to the isolation than to fight to justify my pain out in the open.  Let’s count today, sitting in a restaurant with you a win.”

I sit across the table from my friend of almost 30 years, autumnal salads with apples and craisins between us. I listen as she catches me up on the losses she’s experienced over the past year and a half since her husband died suddenly.

“I don’t know who I am anymore.  Life and everyone in it is moving on. People wave goodbye from bright shiny trains, I no longer have a ticket to ride. All I can do is watch them go; disappear into a future I cannot see.”

Three hours later I feel like we’re both exhausted from trying to process the overwhelming pain she’s enduring.

“I know people mean well, but I’m tired of ‘How are you?’” she says as she dispiritedly picks at her salad.

“When I respond authentically, and say, ‘As bad as you imagine or maybe worse’, I watch their hope get swallowed up by disappointment.”  

“Don’t ask if you don’t want to know. I’m angry that it feels like it’s not ok to not be ok. I’M NOT OK and my kids are not ok.” 

Anne of Green Gables would say she’s “In the depths of despair.” Only Anne was being overly dramatic and this is real life trauma.

Even Jesus, when in the depths of despair, turns not only to His heavenly Father, but also His community. In the Garden of Gethsemane He’s very vulnerable. He says to those closest to Him, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow.” and He names what He needs from His community.

“Stay here and keep watch with me.” 

Notice He doesn’t ask them to fix or give advice, just sit with Him in His anguish. This is soooo hard for us isn’t it? We’re DO-ERS! We want to alleviate our friend’s pain, and doing something also makes us feel better about ourselves dontcha know!

“Christ came so that we might share in his resurrection life. But first, He invites us into a co-suffering relationship. This means death, and for us in this, death means releasing our right to have an answer and giving up our desire to be the hero.” Emily P. Freeman

One of the questions we can ask ourselves is “What does love require of me?” 

  • It may often require sitting with a friend and saying nothing, just listening deeply, nodding, or holding.
  • Love may ask us to pray silently or outloud, leaning on the Holy Spirit to give words to our groans on behalf of the other.
  • It may prompt us to validate the pain of our friend by echoing back what we’re hearing and acknowledging that everyone’s grief is unique.
  • Love may lead us to affirm the courage, authenticity, perseverance or other godly qualities we see in our friend even in a season when they feel confused and out of control.

What is your experience walking with friends in pain? Are you afraid of saying the wrong thing? What have you found that’s helpful?

Remember, we’d all love to hear your thoughts! Just click on the title of this post if you receive this by email and it will take you to the place where you can just scroll down to leave a comment. (Don’t worry if your comment doesn’t show up immediately…it will!)

Also, I’d love to see you over on Instagram! It’s my favorite place to hang out.

What Are You Holding On To?

November 29, 2018 /

Transition. Almost everyone I know is experiencing it. It’s just a part of life. Things change, right? 

You might be welcoming your first baby into the world, or seeing your last “baby” off to college.

It can be a euphemism used when you lose your job or choose to change jobs. “I’m in transition.” 

It might involve a cross-country move, or a move from an apartment into your first real home. 

My husband and I are in a major season of transition – out of ministry at the church where we’ve served for 30 years, and into…something God hasn’t made completely clear yet. 

In times of change, it’s easy to major on what we’re losing. And sure, it’s appropriate to grieve. That’s part of the process, But these days I’m trying to focus on these verses from Romans 8:15-17

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children.

During a different season of change years ago, a mentor of mine said, “Laura, imagine you’re a trapeze artist, high above a circus ring. You’re swinging, swinging, and the next trapeze floats into sight. You know you need to reach out and grab it, but in order to do that, you have to let go of the bar you’re holding onto. If you try to hold onto both the past and the future, you’ll be like a turkey wishbone pulled apart at Thanksgiving.” (Mixed metaphors, but you get the idea, right?)

In one sense I get it. This is true to a degree. But I’d like to tweak it a little. I suggest that if we hold on to any circumstances of life – clinging to, or pining for “this” perfect situation, or “that”, we’ll be perpetually fearful and disappointed. If instead, the one constant we cling to is our “Abba” we will always be secure, assured of His good plans for us. 

Easier said than done! This month I am trying to hold only to Jesus, celebrating His goodness and faithfulness over the past 30 years, and trusting Him with an attitude that is “adventurously expectant” for what’s ahead.

What about you? Where are you in transition? 

I pray this song is encouraging to you, as it is to me. I love the refrain at the end. “I’m holding on to You, Lord. You’re holding on to me.”

 

A One Word Challenge for November

November 4, 2018 /

I burst into the house, arms full of groceries. “John, you’re never going to believe this!” I say to my husband who is watching a football game on T.V. “I had TWO, not one but TWO people thank me for my patience standing in lines today! Can you believe that???”

I am NOT a patient person! And I get impatient with myself for BEING impatient! But this is one of the fruits of the Spirit that has been my Word for the year. Although no-one will ever describe me as patient, there are tiny victories where I see the Holy Spirit exhibiting patience through me.

So here’s your One Word challenge for November: Celebrate even small wins!

Example: I HATE technology. It’s detail-y and unreliable and evil I’m convinced. As a person of little patience, it can drive me crazy when it doesn’t respond the way I want immediately. The other day I was preparing to speak and I had created a power point presentation to go with my talk. I opened it, but all it showed was a blank screen. I took a deep breath and tried opening it about 5 different ways. Then I went to a flash drive I thought I had saved it on, and tried that way. No luck.

Here’s where the win comes in. In the past I would have given up and either called my tech-savvy friend Heather to come over, or just scrapped it. Instead, this time I persevered and took it on as a creative problem-solving challenge (like a spy assignment!). Eventually I cracked the code and celebrated this small evidence of progress in the area of patience and perseverance – fruit of the Spirit, not fruit of Laura.

Share one of your small wins in the comments! If you get this in email, just click on the title and it will take you to the website where you scroll down to leave a comment. If this is your first or second time to comment, don’t worry if it doesn’t show up immediately…it will! Looking forward to hearing from you!

The Good Thing About Caves

October 24, 2018 /

I’m not a fan of caves. I mean really, who is? Disconcerting darkness, and bats and snakes and who knows what else. Think of the boys’ soccer team trapped in that flooded cave in Thailand. Can you even???

But we all have “cave” times that can’t be avoided – times when we are isolated, discouraged, weary, disoriented and feel trapped in the dark, amIright?

And yet…

God does some of His best work in caves! Consider the cave of Adullum where God prepared David to take his role as king (1 Samuel 22). He was on the run from the insecure King Saul and was joined by a band of misfits as he tried to respond with godly patience and respect to Saul.

Maybe you’re in a cave of rejection.

Or the cave at Horeb where God refreshed the exhausted Elijah (1 Kings 19). Remember, he ran there and said, “That’s it! I’m done! No more prophetting for me!”

Maybe you’re in a cave of exhaustion.

Or the cave where Lazarus was buried and Jesus showed both his compassion and power (John 11). Mary and Martha had given up, angry and frustrated that Jesus hadn’t arrived in a timely manner and executed their plan for healing BEFORE death.

Maybe you’re in a cave of overwhelming circumstances and you feel out of control.

So how did God show up in each of these caves and make a difference? In each case He provided. He gave unlikely partners, counsel, food and rest, comfort, healing…and next steps.

What’s interesting to me is what He didn’t provide in the cave times. He didn’t give a detailed explanation of why He had allowed the circumstances that drove David, Elijah, or Lazarus to their caves. But He DID provide perfect timing.

A cave is a place to hold your concerns in God’s presence alone, and that’s good, but caves can become too comfortable. The circumstances that propel us there may be painful, but the cave can begin to feel like a safe place where we’re protected from the meanness of the world. Sometimes we’re tempted to hideout instead of step out with renewed power from God.

But in each of these situations, God does His work and then says “Ok, it’s time to leave.”

Eventually, God sends a prophet to David with this command, “Do not stay in the stronghold.” (1 Samuel 22:5)

After Elijah is rested and refreshed, God says, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord…” and then “Go back the way you came…” (1 Kings 19:11)

Once it was clear nothing could be done, Jesus shouted, “Lazarus come out!” (John 11:43). Yes, He spoke to Lazarus, but there was  cave work being done in the lives of Mary and Martha too.

In each of these caves something needs to die. Self-sufficiency, self-centeredness needs to be snuffed out.

When we’re in a cave, often it seems that God is encouraging us to let go of our false self – the part of us that is dependent on talents, titles, triumphs and re-tweets for our sense of worth. Instead, in the cave we are encouraged to abandon ourselves to God.

So, just a few questions we might ask ourselves about caves:

  • If you’re in a cave right now, what has driven you there? Name your cave.
  • What is the invitation from God in this dark time?
  • Has He finished His work and is He nudging you to step out?

As always, I’d be delighted if you’d share your thoughts with the rest of us. To post a comment, if you receive this in email,  just click on the title. That will take you to the post on the website. Scroll down and post away! If this is your first or second time, don’t worry if it doesn’t show up right away…It will.

 

 

 

 

How to Get Better at Anything (A One Word Challenge for October)

October 5, 2018 /

Getting better at anything…. ugh, it’s not easy, right?

It’s not easy, but it is simple. Jon Acuff

If you chose One Word for the year (or if you have any goal ever at all) this is for you.

If you want your kids to be better swimmers, you get them in the water, right?

If you want your kids to learn to read, you read with them, right?

If you want them to get better at social interaction maybe you take them to a party and coach them.

God, as our heavenly parent allows us to be put in situations that stretch the muscles that need stretching so they get stronger.

Have you experienced this?

My One Word is “Fruit”, and specifically the fruit of the Spirit that is PATIENCE! Even the way I write that word says how I feel about it.  Lord have mercy!

Perhaps because this is my word, the Lord seems to keep putting me in situations where I need to WAIT. Where I need PATIENCE. And He says, “Just do it.”

I had an important note I wanted to mail. I was a hard note, a risky note. I knelt to pray before I sent it. As I prayed about it, I heard “Wait.”

“Why?!” I asked. I racked my brain and couldn’t think of a possible reason why I should wait.  Maybe it wasn’t really God speaking to me, but on the off-chance that it was, I figured I’d better obey. It required patience and discipline to wait, which may have been God’s strategy all along, but it was sooooo hard! The next day I reread the note and noticed something I hadn’t before – one line that sounded a little passive-aggressive. Ugh. Ok, Lord, score one for “wait”.

In general, my husband and I are in a season of transition which does NOT suit my personality well – perfect for someone who needs to learn patience, amiright? I’m a “J” on the Meyers Briggs inventory which means I want to make a PLAN! I want to DO something! I want to to FIGURE IT OUT AND MOVE ON!” Recently I was waiting for my family to meet me for dinner while in D.C. and decided to do a prayer walk, asking God for a vision for a post-transition future. And again, I heard that stupid word from Him, “Wait.”

So my suggestion for a One Word challenge for October is to look at your life and notice where God has been allowing you to be put in situations where your One Word muscles are stretched. Talk to Him about those situations. As always, I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments. If you receive this in email, just click on the title and it will take you to the website where you can post a comment. Don’t worry if your comment doesn’t appear immediately – the first couple of times you post I have to ok them.

I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:13-14).

An Invitation You Don’t Want to Miss

September 28, 2018 /

Are you skimming this between meetings, or between changing diapers and fixing dinner?  Waiting in the carpool line?

You barely have time to take a quick glance at this post, and the last thing you want is to feel guilted with one more thing you should be doing or not doing. I hear you sister. You’re desperate for a little encouragement or a hack to do EVERYTHING FASTER.  Sometimes the thing you long for the most is the hardest to make time for.

Invitation to Retreat is a new book by Ruth Hayley Barton. It’s a timely, tall drink of cold, refreshing water – permission to stop, withdraw, and gulp God’s goodness. It’s an invitation to choose the counter-cultural way of slowing and silence instead of stress and striving in our own power. It could be seen as just an advertisement for a Transforming Center retreat (which would not be a bad thing), but it is so much more. Whether you use this book as a resource for a classic retreat, or use it to inform your daily and weekly spiritual rhythms, it has tremendous value.

One of the images I love most from Ruth is that of retreat as strategic withdrawal from the battle lines. Whether we are paying attention or not, we are all in a spiritual battle. Ruth writes:

“We often see this (retreat) as a negative thing; however, military retreat can also be a wise tactic – an opportunity to rest the troops and tend to their wounds, to stop the enemy’s momentum, or to step back to get a panoramic view of what’s going on and set new strategies.”

Each chapter is relevant to retreat, but also contains valuable insights that are transferable to  everyday life. For example, who of us can’t relate to the daily need to relinquish false-self patterns –  identity dependent on what we do rather than being Jesus’ beloved?

“The cure for too-much-to-do is solitude and silence, for there you find you are safely more than what you do….That harassing, hovering feeling of ‘have to’ largely comes from the vacuum in your soul, where you ought to be at home with your Father in His kingdom.”

I also found great challenge and encouragement in chapters on Discernment, Recalibration, and Spiritual Freedom.

Ruth quotes Henri Nouwen saying,

“‘Maybe my own deep-rooted fear of being on my own and alone kept me going from person to person, book to book and school to school, anxiously avoiding the pain of accepting responsibility for my own life.’” Then she adds, “On retreat we stop avoiding the pain of the disconnect between our deepest desires and the way we are actually living.”

Today you may be overwhelmed with “to-do’s”. Instead, I pray you will hear the gentle invitation of Jesus to come away with Him, back to your true self, beloved whether the meeting tanks, or dinner is mac ‘n cheese out of a box, or you forget to pick up a kid at soccer.

“Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” Mark 6:31

Remember…If you want to post a comment and you receive this by email, just click on the title and it will take you to the website where you can share your thoughts!

3 Life-giving Choices to Make in a Season of Change

September 17, 2018 /

I glimpse a small patch of bright fire red in the middle of still-green maple leaves as I bike around the lake near my house. It’s not cold yet, but there’s a change in the air. The mornings are cooler and it takes all day for the sun to warm the earth, barely struggling up to the high for the day, like a middle school boy trying to do chin-ups, then sliding quickly back down. Yellow buses lumber through the neighborhood and we notice that dusk tiptoes in earlier. I smile at “bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils”. I want to light candles, make soup, bake muffins. Things are changing.

Whether you’re back to packing lunches and driving carpools, or adjusting to a new baby in your home, or anticipating a change in employment, moving to a new city, or trying to accept a “new normal” without a loved-one, Fall marks a season of change. And even good change can be hard.

For us, we’re in a bittersweet season of “lasts” as we anticipate transitioning out of ministry at the church where we’ve served for almost 30 years – last kick-off Sunday, last Thanksgiving, last Christmas… We look forward, “adventurously expectant” (Romans 8:15 MSG) to what God has next for us, but still… It’s got me reflecting on how to “choose life”(Deuteronomy 13:19) while also in the midst of grieving that inevitably comes with change. Here are three practices I’m engaging in:

  1. Honor traditions.

In seasons of change, traditions are comforting and reassuring.  Throughout Scripture God institutes festivals and celebrations that are woven into the rhythm of the year. One of our traditions through the years as our daughters were growing up, was a “first day of school dinner” to which we invited two single friends on staff to join our family. They are like surrogate aunties for our girls. We always have homemade chicken pot pie and share “first day” highlights. Our girls are grown and living far away now, but their “aunties” are still here and so we gathered a couple weeks ago for the traditional dinner, sharing memories and laughter with thanksgiving. What traditions can you continue to embrace (or even create) during a season of change?

2. Reflect on relationships.

Change in location or circumstances often means change in relationships. Some people you’ve seen regularly will seemingly vanish from your everyday life. Transition is a good time to do a relational Examen. Reflect on the people in your life. Are there any relationships where there might be unresolved issues?  Are there questions that you need to ask?  Romans 12:18 is a good guide: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Recently, God convicted me that there was a past relationship where I hadn’t sufficiently checked in to make sure there wasn’t unspoken pain. I felt like maybe I hadn’t adequately cared for this person in her time of transition, so I set up a coffee to ask how she felt. Is there someone you’ve been too busy to see in this new season? Might they be hurt?

3. Focus on the unchanging character of God.

Speak gratitude. Some things don’t change. God is faithful. What are the attributes of God, the glimpses of grace and goodness you can call out each day as a counter-weight to the circumstances which may feel out of control or stressful in seasons of change? If you have kids, can you share “God-sightings” around the dinner table? Or journal about them? Or have a texting agreement with a friend – each of you texting how you remember God’s attributes each day?

TheplansoftheLord stand firm forever, the purposes ofhis heart through all generations. Psalm 33:11

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

So, those are my thoughts on what helps when change seems to throw me a loop. What about YOU?? What would you share? If you receive this in email, just click on the title at the top and it will take you to the host site where you can leave a comment.

And…Just for a fun bonus, here’s the chicken pot pie recipe I use 🙂

Crust

1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I splurge on rotisserie chicken already deboned)
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
** I usually cut down on either the broth or the milk, and I add about a Tablespoon of “Better than Boullion organic chicken base”
Can also add sautéed mushrooms.
Steps
  • 1 Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan. (I pre-cook the bottom crust for about 10 minutes so it doesn’t get soggy with the filling)
  • 2 In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.
  • 3 Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.
  • 4 Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

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