Making The Time

It's the very last episode. Hear about the plans for next season along with the Top 10 moments from this season. I also read some scripture and talk about serving and thankfulness before ending out the season. 

Bethany and I take some time to talk about the Thanksgiving season, and I love her take on serving family and friends within the home, both from a practical standpoint and a spiritual standpoint. We also talk a bit about perfectionism and saying no to it during the holidays. 

Bethany Barendregt: Website 

Women Encouraged: Website 

Alex's Shawarma Recipe: 

Makes enough for a crowd of 15 people 

Recommend starting this a day ahead of time and marinating for a minimum of 3 hours and up to 24 hours (refrigerated).

2 1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin
2 1/2 Tablespoons turmeric powder
2 1/2 Tablespoons ground coriander
2 1/2 Tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
24 boneless skinless chicken thighs
8 cloves garlic, grated or very finely minced 

2 large onions, thinly sliced
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup olive oil

To serve:
Pitas
Tzatziki sauce
Hummus
Crispy lettuce like Romaine, chopped
Pickles
Kalamata olives
Thinly-sliced red onion

To make shawarma:
1. Mix all the spice ingredients together and set aside.
2. Pat the chicken dry, salt on both sides, and slice thinly into bite-size pieces.
3. Place chicken pieces in a large bowl, add spices, and toss to coat.
4. Add onions, lemon juice, and all of oil. Toss everything together again. Cover and refrigerate to marinate a minimum of 3 hours and up to 24 hours. (You can skip marinating time but the flavor will not be the same.)
5. When you are ready to cook, take the chicken out and let it sit at room temperature while you preheat the oven to 425°.
6. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil, spray with cooking spray then drizzle a very small amount of olive oil over it.
7. Spread the marinated chicken and onions in a single layer over the baking sheet and roast the chicken for 30 minutes in the 425 degree oven. When the chicken is fully roasted, move the pan to the top rack of the oven and broil for a few minutes (watch carefully to ensure it doesn’t burn).
8. Serve chicken immediately with tzatziki sauce, in pita pockets, or over salad. We also enjoyed it paired with a Mediterranean quinoa salad

Karen and I packed a lot into 20 minutes. Mainly, we spoke to having hearts of gratitude in all things. While it's only October, Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. And fun fact: Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October, so I suppose this comes right on time for them. In the last four episodes of Season 2, we'll prepare for Thanksgiving by first preparing our hearts. We hope you'll join us!

Links + Resources:

Karen Gauvreau: website

Making The Time Patreon: website

Do you struggle with fear? On today's episode, I'm talking about fear regarding relationship with family and friends. I have come to find that it's in stillness with God where fears are calmed, where I can truly say "it is well with my soul," where I can walk with confidence because God is holding everything together. I don't know about you, but I don't want fear to lead to unhealthy emotions such as anger or bitterness. So I hope you'll take a listen and hear my heart, and then in the presence of God, choose faith over fear. 

In this episode, Megan and I talk about how stillness can be difficult in the busy seasons. Between children and work and projects on their fixer upper, Megan approaches this topic of stillness with honesty. She doesn't have it figured out and neither do I. Does anybody, really? Since none of us are experts when it comes to being still, maybe we can all just learn together in this episode.

Life moves way too quickly. They say the days are long but the years are short, and I wholeheartedly agree. That's why I need stillness, because I don't want to be in such a rush that I miss it all. I already know that one day I'll look back and this season of my life will be a blur, so I want to have moments where I take in this one life I'm living in the present, not somewhere down the road. I want to breath deeply, to seek the beauty of holiness, to calm the worry over things not being exactly how I'd like, and to simply "be."

In this episode, I'm sharing 10 ways that I create stillness in my life. Some are ways that help bring my focus back to God, and some are ways that allow me to gain perspective to enjoy the here and now.

I'd love to hear how you create stillness. Let me know in the comments!

For the month of September, we are talking all about stillness on Making the Time podcast! Making time for stillness can be so difficult. There is always so much going on, and if we're not careful, we find that from the moment we rise to the moment we lay down, we have rushed through the day and haven't made time to stop and simply 'be.' In this episode, Terri tells us about a time when her family was forced to be still and a few things she did to create stillness in her life. We also talk about a nonprofit called Door To Grace where Terri serves on their Board of Directors. Door To Grace is an aftercare organization for minor girls who have been sexually exploited in the state of Oregon. We learn from Terri the importance of cultivating stillness as well as enjoying life, and how both of those allow her to pour into this nonprofit in a way that's life-giving for all who are involved. Terri was so fun to sit and chat with, and I think you're going to love this episode!

Terri Conlin: Website

                   Instagram

Door To Grace: Website

Patreon Page: Making The Time

Links from the show:

Grace Like Scarlett: Grieving With Hope After Miscarriage And Loss by Adriel Booker

How To Bless Others Even When You're Broken by Erin Whitmer

In this episode, my husband shares the story of losing his leg to a skiing accident and his dad to cancer all within 10 years. In the continuing of life, I sometimes forget just how much my man has been through. Yet he lives without complaint, works hard, serves in our local church, and treats me and his little girls like queens. I hope you are encouraged upon hearing his testimony.

Links from the show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLksDmiJ12Q&t=41s