We here at Women in the Word want to wish you and yours all of God's best for the upcoming new year. We may not know what the future holds, but we know and trust the One who holds it! God bless...

Woo hoo! The new year is right around the corner! How will you be saying goodbye to 2021? A good dinner out? At a party with friends? Or maybe like me, snuggled up with family watching the ball drop from the comfort of your couch? However you choose to celebrate, have fun and stay safe. And don’t forget about our monthly Bible challenge starting January 3rd. Sandra, one of our writers here at WitW, will be posting the reading schedule on Saturday’s for the week ahead. So grab your Bible and your friends, and join us here and over at our WitW Facebook page to be a part of the discussion! Just click the link below. Happy New Year and God bless! 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2

https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2 

WitW Monthly Challenge

With less than 10 days left in 2021, are you ready for something new? Join us in 2022, starting January 3rd for monthly challenges designed to make you, healthier, happier, and stronger in your relationship with God. January will be a month dedicated to finding peace in a world that is anything but. Are you ready for a new year and a new you? And don't forget to check us out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2

 Mexican Shredded Beef Wrap

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 boneless beef chuck roast (2 to 3 pounds)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 flour or whole wheat tortillas (8 inches)

Optional toppings: Torn romaine, chopped tomatoes, sliced avocado and sour cream

Place onion, jalapeno and garlic in a 4-qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper; place over vegetables. In a small bowl, mix tomato sauce, lime juice, chili powder, cumin and cayenne; pour over roast. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. Remove roast; cool slightly. Shred meat with 2 forks; return to slow cooker. Serve beef on tortillas with toppings of your choice.

Can you believe it’s only 10 days until Christmas!? After the holidays and taking care of everyone else, why not start the new year taking care of yourself? Get ready starting January 3rd for WitW’s monthly challenges aimed at becoming a stronger, happier, Christian. And don’t forget to check us out over at https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2 

Mexican Wedding Cookies 

2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

Zest of 1 orange 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

Pinch of kosher salt 

2/3 cup finely chopped pecans 

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and orange zest until fully combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture gradually to the mixer until just incorporated. Fold in the chopped pecans by hand. Using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, portion the dough onto a baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Divide the chilled dough between 2 baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch between each cookie. Bake until just golden, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Once the cookies have cooled, place the powdered sugar into a shallow dish. Roll each cookie in the powdered sugar until completely coated. Makes around 40 cookies.

The new year brings with it new resolutions, and promises of change. How does letting go of anxiety sound? Or how about growing in your relationship with God? And who doesn’t want to become a more powerful prayer warrior? If these are changes you’re looking to make, join us starting in January for the WitW monthly challenges. Challenges designed to make us better, stronger, and closer to God. And don’t forget to check us out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup canola oil

5 teaspoons brown sugar

18 to 20 maraschino cherries, halved

Preheat oven to 400°. Drain pineapple, reserving 1 tablespoon juice. Set pineapple aside. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs, yogurt, oil and reserved pineapple juice. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in reserved pineapple. Fill greased mini-muffin cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle tops with brown sugar; top with halved cherries. Bake 9-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Cheesecake With Gingersnap Crust

12 ounces gingersnaps

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

6 tablespoons salted butter, melted

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 

Dash of kosher salt 

Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

3 large eggs, at room temperature 

1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature 

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel sauce, or Hot fudge sauce, optional

Whipped Cream, optional

Chopped pecans, optional

For the pumpkin gingersnap cheesecake: In a food processor or blender, grind the gingersnaps until fine. Pour into a bowl and stir in the pecans, melted butter, brown sugar and salt. Press into the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. To make the filling, beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer until soft, scraping the sides once. Mix in the pumpkin, scraping the sides once or twice. Add the eggs 1 at a time, allowing them to mix in, then add the sour cream and mix. With the mixer on low, add the granulated sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg. Thoroughly scrape the bowl and mix to ensure everything is smooth and mixed in. Pour the filling into the pan, smoothing the top. Set the pan on a baking sheet and bake until the filling is no longer soupy but still slightly jiggly, about 50 - 65 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the door just a hair and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 30 minutes, then cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve with drizzle of sauce, a dollop of whipped cream, and a sprinkle of chopped pecans. 

Heavenly Father:

As I recall those first days when I made the commitment to surrender my life to You, I realized there were many things I had to change in me. Then, as I came across this virtuous woman in Proverbs 31, I knew I wanted to become such a woman because I wanted to be worthy of your calling- a calling for each woman-

Yes Heavenly Father, with all my heart I want to become a woman:: ““… who fears the Lord [reverently worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect], …”!  (Proverbs 31:30)

I was not a wife yet, nor a mother, but Your Holy Spirit gave me such a hunger and thirst for your Word and little by little I became aware that it was You who would make this change in my life… the change would have to start in my heart. And that the virtues of this Proverbs 31 woman was something I had to practice daily, and I prayed and rested on Your Promises (Jeremiah 29:11-13), trusting You would kindly take me by the hand in my walk with You!

For some reason, when I think about the woman described in Proverbs 31, I think about my grandmother. Now, she differs greatly from this woman who was described as a wife, attending to her household full of people. By the time I came into my grandmother’s life, her husband had passed away and her children were grown and she lived alone with a very meager income. And yet, to me she embodied a passion for life, for people and for God that enriched my heart and established a deep sense of awe and wonder. She was always busy and yet she balanced that with engaging time spent with her grandchildren and the many children she taught in kindergarten and Sunday School. Her love and passion for God was known by all who met her. Even as her body wasted away from cancer in her early 60s,she flourished in His love, peace, and wisdom. Even at her weakest, she was strong. 

In Proverbs 31, King Lemuel is passing on words of wisdom from his mother. She desired for him to be careful about choosing the right woman to marry because she knew that he needed a woman who would be a home builder and not a home breaker. Yes, the woman is described by her feats and accomplishments but that is not the emphasis. The emphasis is the source of her strength and accomplishments. As we look through the Scriptures we can catch glimpses of this type of woman who draws her strength from God and flourishes like a tree.

“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.”  Psalm‬ ‭52:8‬ ‭

Just like the Proverbs 31 woman, women like my grandmother are a blessing to their husbands and those they graciously serve. “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.”  Proverbs‬ ‭31:10-12‬ . 

These women nourish the souls entrusted to them and their spiritual growth is like a living, breathing pulse that energizes and encourages those around them. “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.”  Psalm‬ ‭128:1-4 

Even as they age, there is a distinctive strength of character and steadfastness because they are rooted in Christ.  “The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”  Psalm‬ ‭92:12-15

‭‭My grandmother was a woman I admired and I longed to emulate her as I established my own family, but when she passed away, I was 18 and I foolishly abandoned my trust in God. I busied myself with trying to be successful in my own efforts. It was no wonder that my household began to fall apart. I was trying to build it on my own efforts. But, God reminded me that my grandmother’s life was rich and  purposeful in spite of her circumstances because she was rooted in Him. When I sincerely surrendered to letting God be the source of my strength, knowledge, and love, He began to build and establish my household. I had to learn that all of my busyness and people pleasing pursuits of perfection were in vain. The Proverbs 31 woman trusted in the promises of God and let Him establish the success of her home and the security of her household. “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”  Psalm‬ ‭127:1-2‬ ‭

None of us can be like the woman described in Proverbs 31 by our own efforts. It’s not what we do or don’t do but who we are rooted in that makes the difference. God promises to help us, teach us, mold and shape us. He promises to be the source of our strength no matter our circumstances. 

The Virtuous Woman (Proverbs 31: 10-31)

There is no individual story to write, for the Proverbs 31 woman is us all. Or at least the woman God wants to develop in us all. She is everything admirable in both a woman and a wife. And as someone once said, rather than being the yardstick by which all woman are measured, the virtuous woman is the goal we as women should be moving toward. 

When asked to describe true beauty, author Mandy Hale wrote, “There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.” That’s who the Proverbs 31 woman is. Clothed in strength and dignity, her heart is surrendered to thankfulness for all God blesses her with. And out of that thankfulness, comes a character worthy of her family’s praise. For the beauty she exhibits within, shines through in her care for others, sparkling brighter than the largest diamond. And with hearts overflowing with praise her family cries out, “her worth is far above jewels.”

Now that’s not to say we are to be shrinking violets, or are to hide our beauty. After all we are made in the image of God. Each of us is a masterpiece formed by the hands of the Creator of beauty Himself. But as Peter teaches, “Your adornment must not be merely external- braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:3-4)

These are the qualities that glorify God and honor those around us. Qualities such as humility, caring, wisdom, and goodness. And after all, what could be more beautiful than having the glory of the Lord shining through us for all to see? For as Proverbs 31:30 says,” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” 

Ask yourself whose praise is it that you want. Worldly praise for a beautiful shell, or the praise of God and those around you for a heart surrendered to God? Timothy tells us, better to be adorned “by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim of godliness.” (1 Tim. 2:10), then to be just a pretty face. I love how Wayne Barber says, “There is no makeup that will make you look better than godliness. There is no hairstyle that can hold a candle to holiness. And there is no etiquette that earns respect and honor like righteousness.”

If you’re like me, you have work to do in becoming a virtuous woman. And it’s going take a lot of grace in getting there. But we serve the God of grace. One who knows our struggles, fear, and downfalls. And if we will let Him, in time, God will develop the character traits, found in a Proverbs 31 woman. A woman who is a blessing to all who know her, and one worthy of praise whether it is given or not.