Any friend of Paul's is a friend of mine...

Our Daily Bread
I get to travel a lot for fun.  There have been times when friends directed me to their friends in other cities.  "Duane is a good friend of mine.  Please show him around".  Does this sort of sound like the scripture and devotional today?

Paul not only ministered to many folks around the Mediterranean Sea, but he also directed others to the different areas for ministry and support.  He also warned others about some possible charlatans and folks that mislead new Christians.  He was sort of the spiritual quarterback for that age!  hehehe

How do we respond or do these things today?

Lord, thank you for the leaders and spiritual quarterbacks today.  

Foodie Friday
One of the questions I get asked is "how do you afford to eat out all the time?".  I don't eat out ALL the time, but I do eat out a lot because of my busy schedule.  I like being busy!  Here are some tips I learned over the years.

1. Use coupons.  There are lots of coupon sites from Groupon to Entertainment book, etc.  Some are BOGO (buy one get one).  Use those even though you are buy yourself.  Box up the second meal for another night that week!  One helpful tip is to stay away from side dishes that don't warm up well in the microwave (like squash...  ewwww).  
2. Use gift cards.  If you have a Giant Eagle in your area, buy restaurant gift cards at Giant Eagle so you can earn gas discounts.  I have earned as much as $1.20 off each gallon of gas at times by letting these discounts accumulate.  Keep your gift cards in an organizer so you don't lose them.
3. Enroll in restaurant loyalty clubs.  You give our your email address so you can receive coupons periodically for your favorite restaurants.  There is some useless spam at times, but there are also useful coupons many times!
4. Don't feel like you have to eat the entire meal.  I sometimes get combo meals, then split the meals in half.  At O'Charleys, I get the shrimp and steak special and then save the steak, potato and broccoli for another meal.  I eat the salad or soup and the shrimp for my meal.  Two meals for the price of one!
5. Take advantage of restaurant specials or happy hours.  There are some restaurants that have special meal deals before 6:00.  I have eaten $40 meals for less than $20 several times because I ate at 5:00 instead of 7:00!

I hope this helps.  Find what works best for you.  I will write some tips for making the most of eating well at home next week.


Other Stuff
I had a busy evening last night.  I had an appointment with my counselor.  I had a quick dinner with my walking buddy and her husband.  I went to chancel choir practice.  Very nice evening!  I was pretty tired when I got home.

I am fighting turning on the heat at home. I may have to break down and turn it on this weekend.  ;-p  I use a small heater in my bedroom since I am not at home that much right now.

Going to usher at the play at church tonight.  Will do some D1 reading before that.

Let go, my friends!  God will be there to catch you!