Thursday Thoughts . . .

We had our Relief Society Presidency meeting last night. (The Relief Society is the World's longest running Women's Organization, having been founded in 1842, and now having over 5.2 milllion members in over 170 countries. ) As most of you know I am in the leadership of our Ward's Relief Society. There are three of us as well as our Secretary and we meet together every two weeks to discuss the needs of the Sisters in our Ward and plan Lessons, Activities, etc. for them. It's all about love . . . love for the Saviour, love for the sisters, and love for our Heavenly Father.



We always start our meeting off with a prayer, and then one of us shares a spiritual thought with the others. I just loved the Spiritual thought that was shared last evening and wanted to share it with you this morning. The sister who shared it began by speaking about the Saviour and how most people know who He is, and if asked would certainly say that they believe in Jesus Christ . . . perhaps they may think He was a great man, a man of great historical import, a great teacher, etc. I don't think you would get many who would deny He existed. She then went on to ask . . . but do you believe Jesus Christ??? There is a big difference between believing "in" Jesus Christ and "Believing" Jesus Christ. Even Satan believed "in" the Saviour . . .

It really started me thinking about the difference and has stayed with me all night through.


(I love the art of Simon Dewey)

I believe in the Saviour of course. I always have . . . but it is not enough to merely believe "in" Him . . . to be a true Disciple of Christ, one must always believe Him. That means we take everything He said, everything He did, everything He taught and everything He promised, to be the absolute truth with no variance or grey areas involved.

That means we believe without a doubt that He is the only begotten of the Father in the flesh . . . that He came to save us and show us the way, that His life is the only example we need to follow, and His teachings are all we need to know. That He loved us with an infinite love and still does. That He cares intimately for each of us in a very personal way, despite any faults or shortcomings we may have. That He will return again one day to restore God's Kingdom here on earth.


(again Simon Dewey)

Faith in Jesus Christ means believing Him . . . it is a firm conviction without deviance that He is who He says He is and that He will help us when we seek Him. It means trusting in Him, remembering Him and following His teachings. It means knowing He is the son of God and that He is the only way, the truth and the light.

As we follow His example and teachings . . . and live our lives according to His words, we can become like Him . . . we can become one with Him and our lives will be changed in immeasurable ways . . . for the better. Having faith in Jesus Christ is more than a belief and a knowing . . . it is a source of power that we can renew each day through prayer, study and the desire to follow Him.



It is simply not enough to know who He was and is . . . we must know Him. This is the knowledge which will help even the weakest of us to walk on water . . .

Just my thoughts this morning.

Hot and sticky weather = crockpot weather. Yes, I have been using my crockpot again and . . . in a very tasty way . . .



*Crock Pot Pork Chops with Salsa Beans*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

Tender pork chops cooked with a tasty bean mixture, the perfect combination and size just for two people. It can very easily be multiplied to feed more if you wish. Do take the trouble to brown your chops first as this adds a lot of flavour to the finished dish.

2 bone-in center-cut pork loin chops (1/2 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon peppered seasoned salt
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup chunky salsa
1 can (8 oz) baked beans, undrained

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (Spray first with nonstick cooking spray). Sprinkle pork chops with the peppered seasoned salt. Place them into the heated skillet. Fry for 2 to 4 minutes or until nicely browned on both sides.


Mix the corn, salsa and beans in a 1 1/2 quart slow cooker. Top with the browned pork chops, overlapping them as necessary, and pressing them gently into the bean mixture.

Cover and cook on low heat for four to five hours. I like to serve this with a salad of some sort and baked potatoes.



Cooking in The English Kitchen today, Corned Beef, Sweetcorn and Red Onion Hash!