We've recently started Max Anders' "What You Need to Know About Spiritual Warfare." (Our edition has a more recent cover, but the point is that the book is available online.)

We were supposed to start the week before last, but our plans were waylaid by a surprise birthday party that my wonderful husband and friends put together. I keep meaning to post about it, but I still have some photos to upload.

Anyway, prior to home life group, one of my friends (Friend A, who attends home life group) mentioned that she felt an evil presence at one point, and another friend (Friend B, who attends home life group) said that she couldn't finish reading the first chapter of the book because of a sudden headache. At the time, I was babysitting and didn't answer my phone when Friend B called, so Friend B called Friend A to tell her, and Friend A prayed for her. The headache mostly went away, and I later heard the story from both of them separately.

And I thought, "Why is this happening to them?"

Susie Larson, in her amazing book "Your Beautiful Purpose," which I highly recommend (and may cover in life group), says that we can't always see God's forces mounting before us when God is about to do something great through us, but the enemy can, and--knowing that we cannot see the awesome power supporting us--chooses to attack us in an attempt to waylay us.

With this in mind, I thought to myself, "I know that they are both great women of God. They are actively advancing the Kingdom--what if that's why they're being attacked and I'm not? The enemy wouldn't bother with them if they weren't doing anything. Maybe I'm not doing anything. What if everything I'm doing is in vain? What if I'm doing it for myself, and everything is meaningless?"

Later, Friend B said that Friend A told her that she wouldn't be surprised if our home life group is attacked spiritually as we continue this study.

And then, it clicked.

I used to sometimes have really intense nightmares. After a while, I recognized the nightmares and the oppressive feelings for what they were, and I started to tell the enemy that he had no power over me, that he needed to leave my presence because Jesus Christ gave me authority over him.

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. -Luke 10:19

The nightmares stopped.

I realized that I wasn't having the same feelings, the same experiences, that my friends were having because the enemy knew that I recognized those attacks. He needed to change tactics.

So I doubted myself; I took the bait--until that moment when I realized that my own misgivings were the enemy. The moment I considered my fears in a different light, the doubting ceased and I smiled, partially out of happiness that I understood my own fears and partially out of surprise that

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. -1 Peter 5:8

pasta alfredo

Because Alan and I cook dinner for 8 to 18 people every week, we're always looking for dishes that are not only quick to prepare and relatively inexpensive, but ones that are also wholesome and delicious.

Enter pasta alfredo.  It barely resembles the original fettuccine alfredo recipe, but it's still pretty yummy.  This dish would be great for a potluck or other large get-together, but if you're just cooking for a family, I would definitely recommend cutting down this recipe (unless you want to eat pasta for a week).

• 4 boxes of pasta, uncooked (I used radiatore, rotini, fettuccine, and spaghetti, solely because I like to have different textures)
• 1 1/2 C. butter
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 3 C. skim milk
• 3 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 C. parmesan
• salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions (preferably not until you add the cream cheese, otherwise the pasta will cool).  Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the minced garlic.  Heat and stir until fragrant, then add the cream cheese (it's easier if you cut the cream cheese into eighths beforehand).  Stir until the cream cheese is blended, then add the milk.  Heat through and season with garlic powder, oregano, and basil.  Add the parmesan cheese and stir slowly until the cheese melts, then season to taste with salt and pepper.  Pour over the pasta and toss gently--serve immediately.

ministries

We are busy.  Busy and blessed.

"The Case for Christ" is going to be good, we can tell--we're breaking the sessions in half because of the involvement in and debate around the discussion questions.  I think one of our struggles will be the fact that we are all fairly strong in our faith, so the best way to approach this study will be to gain knowledge in order to answer those tough questions we might not expect (but that might be the opportunity for us to be fifteen).

The fall quarter of Sunday Morning Life Group ended today.  Teaching is a little overwhelming, sometimes, and I've really stepped out of my comfort zone (I am a fan of my introverted tendencies and I strongly dislike praying aloud, but I've done it for the past eleven weeks).  However, I would like to continue teaching.  Classes and teachers typically change every quarter (granted, this is only the second quarter that Chapel Next has offered Sunday Morning Life Group), so I would like to be able to offer a stable class that people can count on.
I'm just not sure if I should offer it for women (PWOC meets on Tuesday mornings, but I know that not everyone can attend), or if I should offer something similar to "Captivating" meets "Wild at Heart"--a class where men and women can learn about themselves and each other, and how to relate to one another in a Christian sense.  Or maybe something completely different.  I brought this up with a friend Monday night at dinner--we talked for two and a half hours about this and that and life in Texas and ministry opportunities, and it was a blessing.
Meanwhile, Alan keeps busy with Children's Church, which he teaches on the first Sunday of the month.

This was my first week off between semesters.  With God's help and direction this semester, and much support and love from my husband, I earned a 4.0 and believe that this is exactly where He wants me.  One of my professors said that she would "strongly encourage" me to go for a doctorate after this program, because she believes that I have "a brilliant writing style" and sharp skills--both of which are generous blessings from God and just the message I need to hear (and remember) during those times when I feel inadequate.

giving thanks ... and buying stuff.

We spent Thanksgiving with friends this year.  Not that that would be a particularly surprising statement, coming from Alan.  But, this was the first Thanksgiving that I didn't spend with my family (or, to be more precise, this was the first Thanksgiving that I spent with my own, grown-up family).

A couple of weeks ago, one of my friends asked me what I thought of Texas, now that I've been here for about five months (I like the fact that everything is close and the weather is warm, but drivers are unpredictable and social etiquette is ... not what I'm used to).  The conversation turned to homesickness, and we both admitted that with the holidays approaching, we missed familiar faces and places.  (This will be the first year I can't attend my hometown's Christkindl Market, and even though I always hated traipsing around from booth to booth in the freezing cold, it's the principle of the matter.)  Fortunately, she and her family were some of the friends who joined us for food, fellowship, and the longest game ever of Dicecapades.

Alan and I even took glazed ham and baked pineapple (my mom always makes those two dishes for Christmas).  And I don't even like glazed ham.  Or baked pineapple.

Alan also experienced Black Friday for the first time ever.  Because we ended up staying so late at our friends' house, we dropped off food at home and then went shopping.  It wasn't nearly as bad as we anticipated, since there are far more people in Killeen than what we've been used to, but we also didn't even attempt stopping at Best Buy or Kohl's (the parking lots were absolutely full).  We purchased a TV, which was due to be replaced ... our old TV was so small that the last line of subtitles sometimes got cut off when we watched foreign films.  And, if that's not reason enough to replace the television, there was a VHS deck in the bottom of the TV.

Actually, the main reason we wanted to upgrade was because we finished "Resilient Warriors," so our Home Life Group will start studying "The Case for Christ" on Friday, and the lesson comes with a DVD series.  Nine (or more) people watching a session on our old TV?

Not happening.  We couldn't see the screen properly if we sat on the couch, so we typically watched movies sitting in front of the couch (which kind of beats the purpose of having a couch) or lying on the floor halfway between the television and couch.

busy + blessed

I've started so many posts (and finished them and left them sitting in draft form for weeks), but since Alan and I wanted this to be a joint effort, it's sometimes difficult for us to coordinate schedules.  And by that, I mean that I usually write during the day, and then forget to tell him that I wrote something I'd like him to read/add to/edit so we can post it, so nothing ever happens.

The house is looking a bit more homey--Alan hung some of our wedding photos in the entryway and we strung some Instagram photos in the hallway.

We wrapped up "Resilient Warriors" on Friday (we moved our home life group to Friday evenings, since we have a penchant for staying up until the wee hours talking) and will start studying "The Case for Christ" next week--we decided to take a break this week to relax after Thanksgiving--we provide dinner each week, so preparation can be a bit exhausting.  We're (the ladies' class) also preparing to wrap up the fall Sunday Morning Life Group sessions--there are only a couple of chapters left in "Captivating."

Work- and school-wise, we're both doing well, even though our dream job is to be attached at the hip every day and somehow manage to still earn an income.

Unfortunately, we still have yet to figure out that one.

life is full of blessings!

Life has become so full, and we have been so blessed over the past few weeks!

+ Alan was supposed to be "in the field" this week, which would have meant that he would have been sleeping on post all week, but plans were changed, so he's been home every night.  We love being able to see each other in the morning, enjoy lunch together, and spend time together in the evenings.  It's especially nice on Thursdays, because Thursday seems like the weekend for me (because of grad classes) and he gets off early on Thursdays.

+ I'm (Elizabeth) a graduate student!  It's challenging and stimulating, and I've met some really great people in the program.  There's a Chinese student who's been in the country for two weeks.  We met at the graduate student welcome reception--she asked where I was from and seemed a little disappointed that I wasn't Chinese, but I asked if she spoke Mandarin (in Mandarin), so we've been practicing our English and Mandarin together, and I've been trying to get her off campus and out and about.
I've also met two women whose husbands are serving in the Army.  One is writing a novel and one works for the Army as a civilian.  Last night, I went to the writer's house and we talked a lot studied together.  She said it would be cool if I visited her church and she visited mine.
Lastly, I met two women at the reception who seemed really nice.  We started a conversation and were rather gregarious and extroverted ... and then we all admitted that we usually aren't so outgoing, that we'd much rather just sit in the corner and eat our food and people watch.  Immediate bond?  I think so.
Here's to the introverts of the world.

+ Alan and I are going to start leading a home life group, which is like a home Bible study.  We'll be studying Resilient Warriors.

+ I (Elizabeth) am going to start teaching a book/Bible study on Sunday mornings at chapel.  When we first arrived, Chapel Next had only just started life groups (the chapel's version of Sunday School), and they were for both men and women.  I really missed the cohesiveness that I had with the ladies class in Pennsylvania.  (Also, I had attended the same church for over two decades.)  While we were undergoing training to lead a home life group, I asked if something like a women's group was available, or if one could be started.
I think there's a need for a women's group (especially because not everyone can attend PWOC on Tuesday mornings), and I've been wanting to teach ever since I took an inventory on spiritual gifts at my home church in PA.  The home life group leader mentioned it to the chaplains, and now we'll be studying Captivating.

+ I (Alan) would just like to say that the lord our God has brought us together and is pouring out his blessings around us. As for me and this house we will serve the lord. Our cup runneth over.  For Christ's sake . . . for when I am weak I am strong.