Nursery Tales

I was talking to a fellow co-worker and we were talking about grilling and I told her how my hubby and I would have to wait a little while longer before we could grill again since our new place could not accommodate a grill. She asked if we grilled a lot and I casually mentioned we sure did; back BT (Before Tennessee). At that moment, I realized what a defining moment our Tennessee Sojourn was in our lives. We had chosen to get out of the boat and pursue God and His will for our life, regardless of what lie ahead.
It's taken to this point, to begin seeing ourselves on the other side. Tonight at dinner, I told my hubby that there are certain things that happened while we were down there, that I realize were still "tender to the touch." The wound had healed, the scab was gone, but every now and then, a memory would bump up against it and I would wince.
One thing we did learn through the experience was that we were NOT ALONE. Our Daddy God was there step-by-step. Jesus had taken the wheel on more than one occasion and the Holy Spirit was there too, teaching and bringing comfort. Here is one of the lessons He taught me.
Lessons from the Nursery – 9/2/12
Today after a very stressful and emotionally draining Saturday...stepping out in faith is no cake walk. I was looking forward to being in the Word the next day when I remembered "I'm supposed to work in the nursery!"
I stirred myself up, with the words "do it with a cheerful heart, as unto the Lord, regardless how you feel." I really wanted to be in the main sanctuary, because I really needed to hear a message that would encourage my heart.
There was only one baby this morning, and he was "out of sorts," before he even got to class. I saw his face crumple into tears as his daddy handed him over to me. He would look at me warily with his big blue eyes full of tears. I began rocking him. I patted his back and told him he would be okay.
However, the little one was like me; restless, anxious and unable to trust the person who was holding him. I began to sing songs over him as I tried to play with him. I tried my best to engage him with toys and funny voices. It would seem as if he would get interested then all at once, he would remember that he didn't know me. His bottom lip would quiver, and then the tears began to flow. He soon began to rub his eyes and ears. This was a clear sign that he was tired, but he didn’t want to settle into rest. He didn't want to let go.
But I persisted and continued to rock him and pat his little back as he laid his head on my shoulder. I could feel his little body shudder with the hiccup whimpers that happen after a long crying spell. Soon, the movement subsided and I could tell that he had surrendered to my ministrations and fell into a peaceful sleep, trusting finally that I would not drop him or let anything harm him.
As I rocked him, the Lord spoke to my heart, "you are like him. You are weary and fretful and you are fighting me. I told you when you began this journey that as you rely, I will supply. And I have, and I will continue to do so. I have been singing songs over you. I have sent my Spirit to encourage you with the word from your Pastor, friends and even people you don't even know. I have you and I will supply all that you need. REST in me, don't fight it. REJOICE in me and declare, EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT."
Slowly, a smile crept over my face as I allowed myself to enter into the rest that only the Father can give. I had church, even though I hadn't been in the main sanctuary. God always knows what word we need to hear. He is faithful to minister to us no matter where we are. I'm always amazed when people tell me that they don't want to volunteer because they don't want to miss out on what God is doing. They don't realize that when they submit and put their hands and hearts to something and get in their place, that God will bless them right where they are.
This is only one of the stories I could share about what I learned from the trenches. But I encourage you to Get out there and serve...you will be BLESSED to be a blessing!

Do this in Rememberance of Me

Monday is Memorial Day.  It’s a day when we, as Americans take time to remember the freedoms that we enjoy came at a price.  Over the years, many men and women have paid the ultimate price to ensure that all Americans have the right to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

We take the time to honor their sacrifice.  But in this day and age, I have to ask the question: "Do we really understand what it means to honor?"

Honor /hon·orˈänər/ is defined both as a noun and a verb: 

Noun: honour; noun: honor

      1.     High respect; esteem.

      2.     A privilege.

Verb:

1.     Regard with great respect.
2.     Fulfill (an obligation) or keep (an agreement).

To me, honor is more than a parade.  It’s more than eloquent speeches and floral wreaths laid on tombs.  It is an action.  It is living your life understanding and valuing the price that was paid.

As I watch the news stories and posts on social media, I can’t help but think of the bigger picture.  What about their families?  What about the Moms and Dads, sisters and brothers?  What about their spouses and kids?  These men and women had lives that they put on hold to serve their country.  They had plans and dreams.  It is humbling to think of all they sacrificed, so that we may live in freedom.

How do I honor that?  What do I do to show that I value and esteem their sacrifice?  The Word is clear that we are to honor the sacrifices of other’s by putting ourselves in remembrance of what they did.  This is why we celebrate Memorial Day.  We come together as a nation to remember and give thanks to all who laid down their lives so that we may enjoy ours. 

The Word tells us that just before Christ died, he shared a very special moment with his follower’s.  Unbeknownst to them, in the simple act of breaking bread and sharing a drink, they were foretold of an act of Love so great; the world would never be the same.

For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself.  On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you.  Do this to remember me.”  In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood.  Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.”  For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NLT

Through this act, we honor Christ's life and death.  It’s not merely the partaking, it’s also the remembering.  That is why we take the time to put ourselves in remembrance.  I have often wondered why Jesus chose the elements of bread and wine to symbolize his death.  Could it be because food and drink are necessary to life and he knew that at the very least, we would come together 3 times a day to partake?   

I believe He knew that every time we broke the bread and drank the wine, it would put us in remembrance.   So, I encourage you the next time you “break bread,” to take the time to remember that it symbolizes the Blood that was shed for all, so that we may enjoy Life, Liberty and pursuit of Holiness!

White Chocolate Lemon Biscotti

In my previous post, I mentioned how much fun I had cooking and baking with my friend when we were on our Tennessee Sojourn. We enjoyed our coffee times in the morning where we would drink iced coffee and talk about our Daddy God and the Word.
One of the recipes we tried was a biscotti recipe that we tweaked to become our White Chocolate Lemon Biscotti. Here is the recipe in honor of my lil' sis and our morning "cawfee tawks."

White Chocolate Lemon Biscotti 
3 c Flour
¼ tsp Salt
1 c Sugar
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon zest
3 eggs
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
¾ c white chocolate chips 
Pre-heat oven to 325°. Coat a large cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk egg, lemon zest and juice together. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Mix well. Add chips. Working on a floured surface, shape dough into 2 logs and 14” long and 1 ½ “thick. Place logs apart on cookie sheet (at least 4” apart) as dough spreads. Bake 20-25 min, until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and allow logs to cool before slicing. Reduce oven temp to 300°. Cut logs diagonally into ½” slices using a serrated knife and sawing motion. Lay cookies on sheet and return to oven and bake an additional 40 minutes. As they cool, they will crisp up. These will store in an air tight container for 1 month. 
Variations:
Dried cranberries with orange zest and juice
Add sliced, blanched almonds with dried cherries
Lemon and dried blueberries

Buttermaking in Tennessee

Our first 4 months of our Tennessee Journey were spent at our friend's home in Manchester. To say that we were blessed by their hospitality is an understatement. I met my friend in choir at my home church in Ohio, through a series of events, she found herself back in the state of her youth, married to a great guy and with a wonderful, adorable son. My friend and I are both "foodies" and one of our favorite things to do together was trying new things in the kitchen. My hubby would laugh at the two of us and tell us we were better than watching the "Food Network!"
I love baking and cooking, my friend loved cooking too, but was just beginning to flex her baking muscles so we would try new recipes like Lemon Blueberry cake and White Chocolate Lemon Biscotti. I also showed her how to make butter. Who would have thought such a simple task would have such a powerful message! Here is a page from my journal:
Butter Making - Aug 24, 2012
I just wanted to share something with you....the other day my friend and I decided to make some home-made butter. She and my husband had never made it before, but I had, and I knew what to expect.
We began by pouring some heavy cream into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. We secured the lid and then we began to shake the daylights out of it. We shook and shook and even shook some more. Eventually the cream turned into a frothy whipped cream. My friend wanted to open it up and look at it, but I said, "No, you can't disturb the process."
She stated, "Nothing is happening, I can't see anything moving and I can't hear anything either." I told her, "Be patient and KEEP SHAKING." We continued passing the jar around and we each took turns shaking it. As our arms grew weary, we would hand it off to the next person. They would take up where we left off.
Eventually, on the side of the jar, I began to see some clear patches and I knew what this signifies... we were getting VERY CLOSE, so I intensified my efforts, then SUDDENLY....WHUMP, WHUMP! The cream came together and we had a ball of very soft butter!
However, it was not done yet and we shook the jar some more. The more we shook, the more you could hear the sound of "an abundance of rain" as the liquid whey separated from the rich thick butter. My hubby thought we had added more liquid, but I had to tell him, "No, it's just the process."
Finally, we had a nice hard lump of butter, so we poured it out and separated the liquid whey from the solid butter. But, the butter wasn't ready....not just yet! We placed the butter in a dish and began to press it. As we applied pressure, more liquid whey came out of the butter. You would be surprised at how much pressing is required to get the butter to it's final state.
The pressing process is also the time that we give the butter its special flavor! Depending on what you have need of; this is the time when you add the right ingredients to create just the right flavor profile you desire. To one bowl, we added a little salt to make savory butter. To another bowl we added a little brown sugar and cinnamon to make it sweet! After the whole process, my friend said that in the middle of it all, when it didn't seem like anything was happening...it was! She then said, "Wow, that'll preach!"
Last night, we enjoyed the fruit of our labor slathered on some nice hot biscuits! I smiled as I look at my friends and family and reflected on what we had been through to enjoy this "promise." It spoke deeply to my spirit because many times we want the end result but we don't want to count the costs of what it takes to get there. The rewards of obedience are rich but it often takes time, pressure and a little bit of shaking to get there.
Fresh Butter
8 oz of heavy whipping cream
1 large, clean quart jar with a tight fitting lid
salt, optional
Pour the creamy into the jar, close the lid tightly and shake it until the soft ball stage. Continue to shake until the butter firms up to a ball. Open jar and pour out whey and then place butterball into a bowl. With the back of a spoon continue to press whey out of butter until all liquid is removed. Add salt or other desired flavoring. Pack into a pretty mold or other container and place in refrigerator to chill.

On the Move...one step at a time

It seems that the month of May is when my hubby and I get on the move.  This May, marked two years since we stepped out in faith, packed up our lives and headed south on a journey that brought us through many tests and fiery trials.

We have seemingly come full-circle, as we just completed a move into a new apartment.  This may seem minor to most people, but to us, it is a major step UP since we have been living out of our suitcases for two years.

What began our journey, was an unction from the Lord about my husband taking the next step in fulfilling his calling.  I love it when you are equally yoked to your mate!  You find that God will speak to your heart individually and then when you come together, you realize that He has spoken the same thing to you as He has spoken to your mate.  Since the very beginning, my hubby and I have almost always been on the same page.  Even the times when we weren't, it didn't take much to adjust our hearts and get there.

In our prayer time, we both heard the word Chaplain.  Desiring to be willing and obedient, we began to inquire what he would need to become a Chaplain.  We found he needed more education and training, so after praying about it, we began pressing towards that mark. (Philippian 3:14 NKJV)

Through a series of events and over the course of  the next year, we found ourselves sowing what we could and packing up the rest of our things and putting them in storage.  We brought along only what we could fit into our car, and began our journey south to Tennessee.  It was May 6, 2012.

As we were driving, we came through a severe rainstorm and a beautiful rainbow crossed the sky.  I took it as a sign from our Daddy God that we were in covenant with Him and He would see us through what lay ahead.  In my naiveté, I imagined the road ahead would be full of hearts, flowers and rainbows.

Looking back on all we have been through, my hubby and I wondered if we would have been so willing and obedient to get out of the boat if we had known then, what we know now.  But my friend, that is exactly what it means to walk in faith.  It means moving forward when only the next step has been revealed and trusting the one who called you.

Often times we pray and sing songs about going where He wants us to go, doing what He wants us to do and saying what He wants us to say; however, in my experience, as humans we tend to go, do and say ONLY if we can be assured that the path ahead will be easy and the reward will be great.  
Realistically, the song many of us would sing would be...I'll go where you show me to go, I'll do what I see you want me to do, and I'll say what you want me to say as long as it doesn't get me into trouble.

However, the Word tell us exactly what faith is.

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.  Men of God in days of old were famous for their faith.By faith—by believing God—we know that the world and the stars—in fact, all things—were made at God’s command; and that they were all made from things that can’t be seen. Hebrews 11:1-3 TLB

Through the Tennessee Sojourn, as I like to call it, my husband and I walked by faith and not by sight and we learned that walk is not for the faint of heart. 

Over the next several blogs, I feel led to share some of what we encountered and learned.  It is my prayer that it would help someone else who may be on a path in their life that they took in faith and they can't see the next step. 

I encourage you to keep your eyes on Him and take the next step in faith, even if you can't see the whole path. He will light the way one step at a time.