Baby Dedication and Social Justice

Hello! I recently attended a seminar on justice. It was life changing!
Let me start by sharing that God has been revealing Himself in new ways to me recently. I have come to know Him as my bridegroom, my righteousness, my healer, my joy and peace. The list could go on and on, but during this seminar, God was showing me Himself as judge.
I'll be honest, I have never really given much thought to God as my judge or even as judge of the world. It isn't the prettiest picture of God. It isn't something that people talk about. It is something that I am still learning about.
I will attempt to share enough of what I am learning that maybe what I share will make sense. God is just, it very clearly says so in scripture (Rev. 15:3, Rev. 16:7, Psa 36:5-6). Justice requires judgement, therefore God could not be just if He didn't also execute judgement.
The beautiful part of God is that He made a way of mercy from the judgement. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 6:23 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." -1 John 1:9
For me, the ultimate judgement of death or life is what I have always thought of in reference to God as judge. It didn't occur to me that we are currently living in a time of judgement. But we are! We are in the midst of judgement because of the blood that has been spilled.
I could focus on just about any social issue...there are many. However, I want to quickly share what I have learned about abortion in the last few weeks.
There are debates about many things surrounding abortion. I am not going to address them. I think you will be able to quickly figure out what I have been convicted to believe.
We have killed 55 million babies through abortion. Each one of those babies had a God given purpose. Now, we are faced with the reality that there are 55 million less people serving the Lord because of abortion. YIKES! This was a reality check for me. Who is filling the places of these 55 million people? God intended for each one of those 55 million babies to have a special talent and a special place of service in his army. Hello...we are now 55 million people short in the army of the Lord. Does this hit anyone in the face, like it did me?
Fast forward to a beautiful morning at church. I was confronted with about 25 beautiful babies and their parents. It was baby dedication, a time when families dedicate their babies to the Lord and stand before their church asking for support of the body of Christ in raising their child. It is a beautiful time for the families and the church. I laughed at the antics of one little boy as he was climbing his father's chest. I smiled at the beautiful little girl who listened so carefully that you just knew that she knew exactly what was going on. I laughed with everyone when the cute little boy with hair sticking straight up, smiled and giggled at the pastor. It is such a blessing to see so many loving families dedicating themselves to the service of the Lord.
At the same time, my heart grieved. I realized that there were many more children that the Lord wanted there in that service, that would never be here. They were aborted. They are not here.
This revelation has grieved me and has made me realize that I have a responsibility to speak out. To stand out. To say something when others simply let it go. No, I am tired of letting it go. How many more babies will not be here if I don't speak up? How many more babies with purpose will die before I stand up?
Will you join me? Will you speak out? If I can share more about what I am learning, then let me know. I would love to share more about my God and His plans and purposes.
I will be a warrior in His army! Join me, please.

The Original Boyfriend Cookies

Hey Guys,

If you have known me for very long, you have probably had my favorite cookies, The Original Boyfriend Cookies. They are the best cookie ever! They are easy to make. The recipe makes a bunch of cookies. They travel well, so they are perfect for trips. And the recipe states, "if you don't have a boyfriend already, this is guaranteed to get you one. If you already have a boyfriend, this is guaranteed to keep him for you!"

Although, I haven't found that to be true, everyone who has ever tried these love them and want more. So, I thought I would share The Original Boyfriend Cookie with you :)

 Butter, peanut butter, and lots o' sugar...a great combination!

 Yummy gooeyness!!! Delicious right out of the bowl...shhh...don't tell anyone that I enjoyed the dough before it was cooked.

They may look crunchy, but they are still very chewy. They travel well, because they are hardy on the outside with yummy gooeyness on the inside.

The Original Boyfriend Cookie
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 sticks butter or margarine
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky both work)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups oatmeal
1 (6 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream sugars, butter and peanut butter. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Add flour and baking soda. Mix well. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely and enjoy! Makes about 9 dozen cookies.

Until next time...

Super Girl

Hey guys,
If you are around me for very long, you will quickly find that I love to talk about Jesus and what He is doing in my life. So, buckle your seat belt, 'cause here I go again :)
So, the other week, I was surprised that this song kept coming to my mind. It is a song that I first heard when I watched the movie, "Princess Diaries". To be honest, I wasn't really sure why I kept thinking about this song, but I pulled it up on good old Youtube and listened to it again.
What surprised me was that this song may have been written about a girl searching for the love of a guy, but God wanted to speak that He is the one that we long for. Take a quick listen...


She sings that she is super girl, but who is going to save her. I can imagine that each one of us have felt that way, that we are super girl/guy and that the whole world (or at the very least, our world) is depending on us. But in the end, the world is more than we can handle and we cry out, who is going to save me? God is the answer! He is the only one who can save you and me. He is the only one who can hold us. There is no other way...He is it.
If you feel like you are holding the pieces of your world together and you just can't do it alone anymore, take the leap, into the arms of Jesus. He is always faithful! He will save you!
Be blessed, until next time...

Father's Day

Happy Today!

I am so blessed to have a wonderful dad to celebrate on this Father's day! We enjoy hanging out together outdoors and sometimes chatting about the trees and flowers we see. We enjoy rafting together and are always surprised at how cold the water really is. We enjoy eating good  food and occasionally talking about recipes that we would like to try. We love to go camping even when the bugs bite and the ground isn't quite level. There are many reason that I am thankful for my dad. As much as I am thankful for my earthly dad, I am also thankful for my heavenly Father. Today is a good reminder that I need to let my dad here on earth know that I am thankful for him. I also needed to be reminded that my heavenly Father wants me to praise Him too. 

Recently while walking out of church, I saw a precious little boy and his dad. The little boy was laughing and running away from his dad. The little boy could still see his dad and was not in any danger, but I could tell that the boy was suppose to be staying next to his dad as they walked to their car. Once the dad realized that the boy had run away, he didn't say a word, he simply put out his hand to the boy. The little boy giggled one last time and ran to his dad. The little boy put his hand in his father's hand and they continued to walk to their car.
All of the sudden it hit me, that God calls to us in the same way. He doesn't try to coax us with flowery words, He simply puts His hand out and invites us to trust him. Just like with the little boy, we are truly safe when we are hanging onto our Father's hand.
On this day when we celebrate our wonderful daddys, remember that you have a Daddy in heaven that simply wants you to trust Him. Take His hand. Also, enjoy the day with your dad if you are blessed to be near him. God bless, until next time...

Blueberry Season...That Means Streusel

Happy Today!

Blueberries are in season and I am so thrilled! Blueberries or as my friend says, b b's, are a good source of antioxidants and are low in calories. I like to say that they are the perfect snack. I really like them right out of the freezer, the perfect cold snack.

 My family and I have found a new (to us anyway) recipe that we love. It is soooo delicious that my family keeps asking me to make it. It is a Blueberry and Cheese Streusel. I looks super elegant and is so easy to prepare.

I was going to take a picture of a sliced piece, but it got eaten before I could grab a picture, so you will just have to make this for yourself to see the yummy inside.

Blueberry and Cheese Streusel
Batter:
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Filling:
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon peel, grated
Topping:
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Prepare batter by combining flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl; using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut in butter. Set aside one cup of crumb mixture. To remaining mixture, add baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes then pour mixture into a lightly oiled 13x9 baking pan; layer blueberries over batter. Combine filling ingredients and layer on top of blueberries. Combine topping ingredients and mix with reserved crumb mixture, sprinkle over filling layer. Bake streusel at 350 for about 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 20 servings.

Enjoy! Until next time...

The Gift

Hey, Hey, Hey!!!
Check out this awesome praise song by Kevin Prosch and Heidi Baker. It will move you into a spirit of praise to God...so watch out :)

Trees and Flowers-The Makings Of A Teachable Moment

Hey friends and family,

You know how I am about nature...I could spend every spare moment outside. Now that it is warming up a bit, the bugs are starting to drive me indoors though. I hate it, but I would rather not have buggy bites all over my legs all summer. Maybe I just need to invest in some good organic bug spray. I have a feeling I will get desperate enough to try anything. Well, I digress.

Okay, back to my teachable moment with the flowers. I was recently enjoying a moment outside when this beautiful flower caught my attention. Isn't its beauty outstanding? It really is a show-stopper!

 I was thinking, as I often do, when it hit me, that I am to be like a show-stopping flower in this world. This thought went back to a conversation that I was having with some women recently. They were talking about current day-time television. I'll be honest, I don't watch that much tv, and don't watch tv at all during the day, so I was not participating in the conversation, but overhead it more or less. They were catching up on what so-and-so was doing. They were talking about the horrible relationship standards in these shows. They were actually talking about the characters in these shows as if they were real. As these women were talking, I pondered what it would mean to these women to see, in real life, an example of a beautiful godly women. A show-stopping women of God.

Then it hit me that as a Christian, I am called to be a show-stopping woman of God. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." -1 Peter 2:9 "Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possesion." -Deuteronomy 14:2  "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." -Matthew 5:16
Just like the quiet beauty of the flowers drew me to them, so will the quiet beauty of a chosen daughter of the King draw many to His throne. This is the challenge: to be a show-stopping beauty of the King!

 Now for the teachable moment that I had with the tree. I love to look up into the trees and see the sun filtering through the leaves and limbs. It is a beautiful and peaceful scene. Sometimes, I simply enjoy listening to the birds chirping and singing. I am always amazed at the beauty that is in nature.
I was spending a moment looking up into the tree branches, when I heard a loud crack and a limb fell to the ground. That is when I noticed the roots of the tree. I'll be honest, the roots of a tree have never looked beautiful and all that interesting to me. But at that moment, God reminded me of a sermon I heard.
The sermon was about your roots running deep. I wish I could remember the scripture that went with the sermon, but alas I can't. The point is that a tree with shallow roots is tossed and thrown about by the wind and can easily be uprooted. We must have deep, grounded roots in our Lord in order to withstand the wind and even the drought that will come in our walks. This is another picture of that: "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." -Colossians 2:6-7  Now, I believe that roots are just as beautiful as the branches and leaves. The roots are so important! I think I shall spend some time grooming my roots. How about you?
God bless, until next time...

Quick Saturday Lunch Pizza

Hey Guys,
I am a big fan of pizza, but as with many people, I am trying to eat a bit healthier. This is not always an easy task when you LOVE cheese...Did I mention that I LOVE cheese. So, in an attempt to "healthy up" my pizza here is one of my experiments that I think you may like.

 I took a piece of flat bread and spread yummy basil pesto all over it. I love pesto because it is good for you and compliments just about any cheese you put it with.

 Then I mixed parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and sprinkled them on top of the pesto. Oh, yum, it is looking so good!!!

Tomatoes are always good with cheese and pesto, so I sliced and seeded some tomatoes. I also added some cooked chicken to add a little protein. You could add some yummy mushrooms or just about anything...your imagination is the only limit. Bake in a 450 oven for about 7-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. These pizzas were a quick, yummy treat on a lovely Saturday.

Enjoy your own creations! Until next time....

When Life Is Looking Rough...

"Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord!

Praise you the Lord!-Hallelujah!" -Psalm 150:6, Amplified Version

When I see an image like the one above, sometimes I can't help but think that everything in that persons life must be going well and so they are able to praise the Lord. Do you think that too, or am I the only one?
Well, God took a two-by-four and hit me upside the head the other day with this thought. "I (God) want you to praise me for the good things that are yet to happen. I want you to praise me in the storm. I want you to praise me even when life is looking rough. Yes, I want your praise when things are going well and life looks good, but your praise is even more precious to me when it requires a sacrifice."
So, I have begun to praise Him in even more beautiful ways than I thought I could. I know that my praise is simply the work of the Holy Spirit inside me, but I can't tell you the difference it has made in my life. When I start to feel that life is overwhelming me, I praise Him. When I start to feel depression seeping in, I praise Him. When I have had a wonderful day and everything is going well, I praise Him. Praise is a practical way for me to continue to seek the face of God. It is a practical way for me to love my God back.
If you are like me and need a jump start for your praise, check out this song by Kevin Prosch:
http://youtu.be/plWX_fujWwE
God bless until next time...