Coffee Cake

Happy Today!

I have decided that everyone needs a good go-to coffee cake recipe. I think I may have found the one that I like. You can bake it without any additions, or you can add blueberries (which are currently in season). With this recipe your imagination can run wild with fun additions.

Simple to make. And easy to clean up, because you only use two bowls.

Oh, so yummy...I almost didn't get a picture of the finished product. It came out of the oven and watch out...it was almost eaten up in 10 minutes.

Easy Bisquick Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Streusel

1/3 cup Bisquick mix

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons firm butter or margarine

Coffee Cake
2 cups Bisquick mix
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg

Heat oven to 375°F. Grease 9-inch round pan. In small bowl, stir streusel ingredients until crumbly; set aside. In medium bowl, mix coffee cake ingredients until blended. Spread in pan. Sprinkle with streusel. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy! Until next time...

Our God

Hey Friends,
Sometimes I come upon a song that just makes me want to shout and praise the Lord. This is one of those songs. At times when I am singing it, I realize that I am pumping my fist in the air like I am at a football game. Isn't that how our praise is suppose to be? Like our team just won the ballgame and we just can't contain our excitment? Enjoy pumping your fist to this song by Israel Houghton:

Until next time...

The Hawk

Hey my friends,

I went to a local lake the other day and was enjoying a beautiful sunny day with my Jesus. The sun was reflecting off the lake. There was laughter of children playing in the water. There were fishermen out on the lake. The birds were chirping and singing. It was a beautiful day!

I settled into a spot on the docks near a couple that was fishing. I throw my feet over the docks and enjoyed the cool water on my feet. I started to read, but was quickly interupted by a fight in the air. All I heard was this little bird chirping and "fussing". I looked up into the sky and saw a little bird diving and trying to attack a big hawk. I laughed at the futility of the situation. That little bird, for whatever reason, was very upset with the big hawk. However, in an instant the hawk could have flown away leaving the little bird in his dust. After watching for seven minutes as the hawk soared and the little bird dived and fussed, the hawk soared up into the sky and left the little bird behind. I can only imagine that the little bird was still very frustrated.

As I sat in the calm quiet thinking about what I had just seen, I was reminded of several conversations that I have recently had about prayer and God. One conversation went something like this: "I just know that God gets tired of me coming and asking Him for the same things." Another conversation went like this: "I feel like God doesn't want to hear my prayers, because He already knows what I want and need." Even the other day, I heard a lady say, "I know I'm His daughter, but I feel like He gets weary of my requests."

I feel like we think of ourselves like the bird that was pestering the hawk. We sometimes think that we are bothering God with our prayers and requests.

Let me declare to your heart today, that He loves for His children to talk to Him. He loves for us to bring our requests to Him. He doesn't sit in a throne room, in pomp and splendor, simply enduring our prayers. He values our prayers. He values them because He values the relationship He has with you!

One last thought, just in case you don't believe me. Here are His words for you:

"The LORD is near unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The LORD preserves all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy." -Psalm 145:18-20 (KJV)

On this journey I find it hard to believe this truth sometimes. However, I do believe that my Father loves to hear from me as much, if not more, than I enjoy talking to Him. Believe this truth of your loving Father. Be blessed until next time...



Broken

Hey friends,
This music video really needs no introduction. Just take a few moments and listen.

My prayer is that you may know Jesus Christ in a very real and personal way. If you can feel Him tugging at your heart, then say yes. Say yes to one who longs to love you in a very real way! Say yes to the only One who can take what is broken and make it beautiful.

Frosty...not the snowman :)

Hey,

During the summer there is nothing better than a nice cool dessert. Our dessert of choice on those really hot days is homemade frosties. My family went to a friends house a few years ago and they served us these frosties. I knew the minute I tasted them, I had to have the recipe.

So, grab your icecream churn and give them a try...I promise you won't regret it :)

Homemade Frosty Recipe
1 can sweetened condensed milk
A half gallon of chocolate milk
1 Large Cool Whip (no substitutes)

Mix all ingredients together in a very large bowl. Pour the frosty mixture into your icecream churn. Churn for about 15 minutes or until the mixture reaches a frosty consistancy. (On really hot days, it takes our frosties almost an hour to get to the correct consistancy, so just keep an eye on it.)
Enjoy! Until next time...

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...