Life is Short and Bacon Jalapeno Cream Cheese Chicken

I have always believed in God but there have been several points in my life where I have not focused on my relationship with Jesus.  My husband and I had always been looking for a church home but it never seemed like a real priority until a couple of years ago.  Before that I would say that I had Jesus on the back burner.  Sure, I always believed and knew he was there and I would pray when I really needed or wanted something.  But I never put any time or energy into my relationship with Him.

I know there are so many people out there who are at that point in life.  You may be a believer.  You may have been raised in church.  Or maybe you are on the fence about whether you believe in Him or not.  You may think you have plenty of time to "get right" with God before you die.  You may think, like I did, that it's not that important to have your kids in church until they are older when it "really makes a difference".  You are so wrong about that and so was I.

Life is short, sometimes shorter than we would like.  The events this past Friday are proof of that.  I am so thankful we have a God that loves and protects the innocence of our children.  If any child, ANY child, were to die today I am absolutely certain they would be in heaven with Jesus.  Unfortunately, us adults do not have that luxury.  We are told that we will be judged.  We have to face Jesus when we die and answer to Him for how we chose to live our life here on earth.

I encourage you to stop putting off your relationship with Jesus.  Stop putting off getting your kids into a good church with a good childrens'/youth program.  Your children will grow up one day and there will come a point where they have to decide, on their own, how they feel about Jesus.  There comes a point where all children are no longer innocent and have to make tough choices and develop a belief system.  Give them the gift of knowing that foundation now.  It is your job as a parent to guide your child and demonstrate faith.  None of us know how long we have on this earth. 

Regardless of what you think or what others say we do have a purpose here on earth.  We are not here for self fulfillment.  Living life that way and teaching that to your children is so detrimental to your and their future after our lives on earth come to an end.  There is something so much greater after this life and we have to be prepared for that.

I often ask myself these questions: If I were to leave this world tomorrow am I convinced I would go to heaven? Do my friends and family know what I believed and who I was? Have I done everything in my power to teach my kids about Jesus? Have I shown love and compassion (aka Jesus) to strangers?  If the answer to any of those questions is "no" I realize I have more work to do.


Bacon Jalapeno Cream Cheese Chicken
I made this recipe up last week after taking an inventory of my fridge and trying to decide what to make for dinner.  It's super easy and Garrett and I loved it!  (Too spicy for Garrison.)

Ingredients:
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (thawed)
Chopped pickled jalapenos (quantity depends on how spicy you want it)
1 small container cream cheese
4 bacon slices
Pepper
Toothpicks


Directions:

1. Thaw and trim fat off chicken breasts.
2. Slice chicken breasts in half length wise (thins them out).
3. Spread generous amount of cream cheese on each breast, chicken breast that is.  Haha!
4. Top with chopped jalapenos.
5. Roll chicken so mixture is on the inside and wrap with a slice of bacon.
6. Put a toothpick through each breast to hold together.
7. Bake on 375 for approximately 30 minutes, or until juice runs clear.
8. Broil for approximately 5 minutes to get bacon crisp.

Jewels*