Do our pets go to Heaven??

    Recently my family lost our beloved dog, Blackjack, after he was attacked by a stray dog. It has brought the question up in our household as to whether or not our beloved pets enter God's kingdom. Honestly, I hadn't given it much thought, as I had never lost a pet until now. Blackjack had been with us for almost 7 years and he was my dog. He loved the kids, but he was mama's boy. 

As I examine the scriptures today I am pleased to read what the Lord left us in His love letter to us.

Although He left us no for sure answers about the afterlife of our pets, He does indicate that there will be animals in heaven and the new earth. And guess what??? There's only one way to know for sure, go there for ourselves one day. I can promise you that if you haven't believed on Jesus as your Lord, that God raised Him from the dead on that third and glorious day, then you won't make it to heaven to find out. That's harsh, but it is true. The Lord made the plan of salvation so simple, He wrote it perfectly in John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Will you open your eyes and heart to Him?

Wherever you are my sweet Blackjack, rest in peace and know how much you are loved and missed!

Homemade Shake and Bake Mix

Ingredients

3 cups bread crumbs

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp dried onion flakes

3 tsp paprika

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp dry parsley

½ tsp dry basil

½ tsp dry oregano

Mix all ingredients until well blended and store in tightly sealed container for up to 2 months. 

For Pork Chops:

Heat oven to 425°. Line pan with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. Place desired amount of mix in gallon size zipper bag. Moisten chops under running water. Drop chops individually into bag, shaking until well coated. Place on foil and bake for 30 mins or until done. 

For Chicken:

Heat oven to 400°. Line pan with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. Place desired amount of mix in gallon sized zipper bag. Moisten chicken under running water. Drop pieces in mix individually, shaking until well coated. Place on foil and bake.

Bone in: 1 hour

Boneless: 30 minutes

Worlds Best Pinto Beans (Oven Style)

World's Best Pinto Beans~~in the oven

1lb dried Pintos (or any other dried bean if you prefer)
Salt to taste
Onion, cut in quarters
Meat seasoning (ham bone, bacon etc)

Sort & rinse beans. Cover with water above beans by 1 inch. Salt to taste & add meat seasoning & quartered onion. Bring to boil on stove top. Cover pot with tight fitting lid (cast iron or other oven safe cookware recommended). Place in oven that has been preheated to 250° for 2 hours, checking water level every 30 minutes. ENJOY!

Contentment

 In today's society it seems that if you turn on the television, or go into the grocery store you are bombarded by a million reasons why what you already have isn't good enough. The perfectly good vehicle sitting in your driveway doesn't have air conditioned seats or built in navigation. And come on those are features that we are entitled to! I mean our husbands work 40 + hours every week and we work hard around the house doing dishes and wiping runny noses.
   So we begin to obsess over all the reasons that our "old" beater isn't good enough anymore. We have had it for almost a year and the new models are coming out. It has a microscopic paint blemish under the hood and our bottoms are hot on those leather seats in the summer.
   But is that what God wants for us? I think not! 1 Timothy 6:6-7 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. So my question to each of us, myself included, is where are your treasures at? Are you laying up treasures here where corruption and thieves will one day surely take hold? Or would the world and the kingdom of heaven be a better place if we devoted our time and finances to helping others and making sure our children have a heart for sinners and the less fortunate. When is the last time you worried if your family would have food to eat today? It has been awhile, and maybe never for some of us. There are people in our country, in some of our very own communities that cannot feed their families!

   So what can we do to make a change in our hearts, and even to the community we live in? Pray, ask God to search our hearts.  Make time to donate your time helping those less fortunate than yourself, and open your wallet and let God have control of your finances. That money isn't yours anyways, God has simply allowed you to be a steward of it.You cannot out give God!