Harvest

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Blessings

I know a few friends & family who could use this song right now.

I hope it blesses you!


Lyrics:

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if the thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
As long as we have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Sketti!

Ah, the joys of a boy feeding himself SKETTI!

"Jackson, did you make a mess?"
"Who me???"

Happy Wednesday, y'all!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Answered Prayer!

I think this photo answers your questions!
Thank you so much for praying for Miss Charlotte!
~Isaiah 49.23~
Those who hope in the Lord will not be disappointed.

By the way, I shamelessly stole that photo from The Tousey Blog. ha!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Prayer Request

Many of you know my dear friends, The Touseys, and their special journey with their daughter Charlotte. On Monday, Miss Charlotte {2.5yo} will be admitted to Duke to have her heart catheterization in preparation for her third heart surgery in April.

Please join me in praying for Charlotte. 
~Pray specifically for her mood Monday morning as she will not have any food after midnight Sunday.
~Pray for her body's acceptance of anesthesia and that there will be no reactions.
~Pray for Charlotte to be brave as she enters the hospital operating room.

Psalm 16.8-11
"I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me...
You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Monday, March 14, 2011

A Bountiful Weekend

Jackson and I took a little trip to Camp Bountiful this weekend. Remember our happy place? Oh yeah. We took our happy place up one notch. We got Moosky & Poosky all. to. ourselves.

On Saturday Moosky took us into town. First stop: the local Feed & Seed. {Whatever mountain town joke that just popped into your head does not do this "store" justice.}

We found roosters, turkeys, hens, baby chicks, iguanas, fish, snakes, rats {with & without fur}, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, bunnies, chinchillas, ferrets, parrots and crickets. {I'm not kidding, they had a crate full of live crickets.}
Checking out the baby chicks. Notice iguana to our right.
"Is that thing going to eat me?"
The signage around the baby chick cage. Personally, I was overwhelmed by all the info and disclaimers. I think they should have gone with just one sign: "Good luck picking out a good one!"
Watching the chicks eat.
Watching all the fish. Jackson is mesmerized by fish.
Discussing his finds with me. He loved saying, "Koi!"
After the Feed & Seed, we headed over to the park. Jackson had so much fun on the playground and swings.
The Lord has truly blessed us with such sweet friendships with Moosky & Poosky. We love them dearly and cannot wait to see them again. AND SOON!


*Photos courtesy of Moosky, Inc.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Observing Lent

Growing up in a Baptist church, Lent was not taught or observed. The Easter season was essentially the week before Easter. When I went to college and met women from other denominations, I began to seek an understanding of Lent since several of my close friends observed the Lenten season. Many of them would begin their discussions before Ash Wednesday as to what they would "give up" for the next 40 days. But they rarely talked about the symbolic nature of this self-denial. Despite many questions and conversations, I was left thinking that for most it was an opportunity to shed a few pounds since bathing suit season followed closely after the Lenten season.

It really wasn't until I was enrolled in Seminary taking a church history class that I had the opportunity to grapple with questions surrounding many traditions within the church. And more, to find out the truest reason for observing those traditions. When I spent time researching the reasons for Lent, I became intensely aware that those 40 days could be an opportunity to set my mind and heart straight in preparation for celebration for Easter.

The opportunity to observe Lent became less about what I was "giving up" and more about sacred time with my Heavenly Father. For most of my life I have done a daily quiet time and studied the Word of God in bible studies. But the Lenten season has allowed me the chance to take even more time to be still and quiet before the Lord. It allows me to search deep within myself and ask hard questions:
~What kind of prayer life do I really have?
~What are the idols in my life that are preventing complete unity with God?
~Where have I been un-Christlike?

A dear friend emailed me an article today that I wish I had read years ago. It is written by a pastor* who in the most simple terms defined Lent. I wanted to highlight a few of his thoughts.

"The Lenten season is the spiritual equivalent of an annual physical exam; it’s a time to take stock of our lives, {in particular} our hearts. Keeping Lent, however, is potentially dangerous, precisely because of this focus on the heart. After all, it is much easier to read a book on prayer than to spend time leisurely speaking with our heavenly Father. It is much easier to fast from certain foods than it is to turn from idols of the heart. It is much easier to write a check than to spend time in ministries of mercy. Consequently, Lent is easily trivialized. The point of Lent is not to give up chocolate; it’s to give up sin!"

He does an incredible job of explaining how to truly observe Lent in four basic {hopefully "overlapping"} ways: self-examination, self-denial, acts of compassion, and using the means of grace. What I have found to be true for many people is that the focus of Lent is only about one aspect, self-denial. Rarely is that denial replaced with scripture memorization, additional prayer time or serving someone in need.

As a parent, observing Lent correctly is not only for my own spiritual growth, it is for the spiritual growth for our family. We need to take the time to stop and ask hard questions of ourselves and to follow through with actions that glorify our Heavenly Father. As a family, what could be a more sacred opportunity as we prepare our hearts for Easter?

~Hebrews 13.15-16~
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of 
praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good 
and to share with others for with such sacrifices God is pleased.


*Rev. Craig Higgins, Pastor, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Rye, NY.
Part One, Part Two

Sunday, March 6, 2011

GF Chocolate Chip Cookies


A while back I bought a box of the King Arthur GF Flour Blend. Since learning of my GF requirements, I have bought dozens of flour blends as well as the individual flours to do my own mix. I have found a blend of my own that works well, but boxed versions have left me severely disappointed. I am happy to report that the King Arthur blend is the exception. I made a standard chocolate chip cookie recipe last night with the blend and they turned out so well. The usual grittiness that accompanies a GF cookie was minimal and the chewiness that I love in a cookie was perfect.

Here's the recipe, modified from Nestle's.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter

  • 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 teaspoons GF vanilla extract

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 1/3 cups King Arthur GF Blend

  • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum* 

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 2 cups chocolate chips

  • 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts, {optional} 

  •  *Xanthan gum is a MUST for GF recipes. Yes, it is an expensive item, but if stored in a ziploc in the freezer, it will last for quite some time.

    Directions:

    1) Beat the butter, sugars, vanilla and salt till fluffy.
    2) Beat in the eggs one at a time, being sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl midway through to make sure everything is well combined.
    3) Whisk together the flour or flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, and baking soda.
    4) Beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, then blend in the chocolate chips and nuts. Again, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to be sure everything is well blended.
    5) Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour, or for up to 2 days. {This is key to the cookies turning out well.
    6) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a couple of baking sheets, or line with parchment or silpat. {Note: On my baking stone, I found that the cookies baked better at 370. This may be something you have to adjust for your oven or baking sheet/stone.}
    7) Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. Leave space between the cookies so they can spread.
    8) Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, to set, before transferring to racks to cool completely. Or allow them to cool right on the baking sheets.