Sweet Words

I had a friend call last week all the way from Pennsylvania.  She left a very sweet voicemail, the kind that you never delete and even go back and listen to on occasion.  And when we were able to connect "in person," our conversation was so incredibly encouraging.  She has been faithfully praying for us since we left PA, almost two years ago, and God had laid it on her heart recently to share that with me.

She had no idea what is going on in our life and ministry right now.  But God does!  He knew I needed the encouragement, the perspective, even the loving rebuke that only she could give, so far removed from the situation(s).  I am so grateful for this friend's sensitivity and surrender to the Lord's leading.  Her words and prayers were truly a "balm" to my weary soul.

Margaret Grubric

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." Proverbs 25:11

Returning

I've been studying the book of Nehemiah in preparation for teaching our teen girls Sunday School class.  This book, as well as Ezra, is about return.  The people physically return to the their homeland.  Under Ezra, they rebuild the temple.  Yet some still weep because even its present glory couldn't compare to its former.

Then the people rebuild the walls of Jerusalem under Nehemiah's leadership.  They return the city to the structure of strength it once was.  Yet many scholars believe Nehemiah's wall to be much smaller in circumference than the original.

And then, most importantly, the people return to the Book of the Law.  They read about the Feast of Tabernacles and God's constant dwellingplace with His people, even in the wilderness.  They weep and mourn for their disobedience in not keeping this feast since the days of Joshua, some 900 years earlier.  But they return and keep the feast, with rejoicing in the unchanging character of their God.  They read of how they were to be a holy people, set apart from the pagan influences of the surrounding cultures.  And they do the hard work of returning to that sanctity, many of them by divorcing foreign wives.

So too in our lives, we can't always go back.  We can't undo mistakes, take back words or change our actions.  We don't even get a second chance to take advantage of missed opportunities.  The people of Israel made a choice to worship other gods.  Their long captivity was the consequence, God's judgment.

But we can always return.  We can go back to the place we left behind and we can start over.  This is the Biblical idea of repentance, turning from our sin back to God.  We so easily stray after sin, "prone to wander," as the songwriter aptly describes.  But we can always return to our God.  There is not even a "shadow of turning" with Him (James 1:17).  He remains constant and faithful, waiting to welcome us back as the father of the prodigal son in Luke 15.  He offers abundant grace and mercy when we return to His throne (Heb. 4:16).

Why, then, is it so hard to return?  I fear it is our pride that keeps us from turning back.  It takes true humility to admit our sin and return to Christ.  And it takes grace to remain at the foot of the cross when Satan constantly reminds us of the far-reaches of sin we came from and tempts us to come back.

I can't help but think of Naomi, another character we've studied in our girls SS class.  She left her homeland in famine and some would say experienced God's judgment for doing so in the loss of her husband and sons. But she returned and what did she find?  Not only food in abundance, but a redeemer for her dying family.  What grace!

It's been almost two and a half years since I last posted. . .  So much has taken place since June 2011 - a second child, a new job, a new house, a new life for our family - and I haven't written a single sentence!  But now it's time to return.  I've been burdened lately to come back to the discipline of writing, putting my thoughts down on electronic "paper."  Not necessarily for you, the reader (because I really don't think there are many, if any!).  But for me.  I need to remind myself of the ordinary miracles present in my life - like grace for the repentant, returning sinner.

So at the risk of admitting my failure, past and probably future too, I officially return to blogging!  May God give me grace.  :)

Ladies Night Out

Much of what has been consuming my time lately was a ladies outreach event for our church.  We held our first Ladies Night Out on Friday with a theme of "Making Life Beautiful" - inside and out.

 

About 40 ladies got together for a night of pampering - chocolate, coffee, cosmetics and just plain fun.  We had a speaker share a few beauty tips and "trends" for the upcoming season.  We played a few games and gave away some fun prizes.  

We wrapped up the evening with a challenge from God's Word on the true inner beauty that comes only from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  

We enjoyed quite the spread of finger foods to dip in our chocolate fountain and an extensive variety of coffees and teas in our very own coffee bar!

We decorated with butterflies in fun spring shades of green and purple.

It was a lot of fun to spend an evening together with ladies of all ages and backgrounds.  What a lot of work - but it was well worth it.   Seeds were planted and now we get to see how God will grow them into beautiful, transformed lives for His glory.

Presents for All!

Throughout this Christmas season, my husband and I have been trying to teach Noah the importance of "giving."  With a birthday two weeks before Christmas and as the only grandchild on my family's side, he's been blessed with more than enough presents from family and friends.  So we've talked a lot about how giving gifts to other people makes them, us and Jesus happy. 

A few days before Christmas, I took Noah out shopping with me.  As we were driving toward the mall, we were talking about all the family members we'll be seeing soon and the presents that we've gotten them - "making our list and checking it twice."  :)

We finished the list and Noah was quiet for a minute.  Then suddenly, he cried out "Oh, no!"

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Coda!" he replied.  (Coda is my parents' dog.)

"Coda!  Missing!"  he said, very concerned.

"Coda's missing?"  I asked.

"Yeah, Coda.  Missing present," he said and continued to repeat the entire way to the mall.

He was so insistent that we had to make a stop at the nearest pet store to pick out a present for Coda the dog.  When we got home, he helped me wrap the gift and when we arrived at Nanny and Papa's house for Christmas, Coda was the first one to receive a present from Noah.

I guess he's learning something. . .

Christmas Tea

Our little church hosted its first ladies' Christmas tea on Friday.  We literally transformed our fellowship hall into a sparkling "winter wonderland."

It was certainly a labor of love to plan, set up, decorate, bake for 50 ladies, but what a treat for everyone!  We were able to spend a quiet evening together as ladies, drinking tea and of course, eating desserts!

We played a few tea-themed games (see below for a PDF), sang some Christmas carols and heard a testimony on the power of prayer from one of the ladies in our church.  It was such a special evening.  Though, I'm glad that we have a whole year to rest up before we do it again!

I had a hard time finding appropriate tea party games online, so if you're ever in need of some tea trivia, feel free to use or adapt the games I created here.

Soup to Share

White Cheddar Corn Chowder

I love soup, especially when the winter turns cold.  Last year, I came across this delicious recipe and I've already made it twice this year!  Both times, I've doubled the recipe and shared some with friends and other families.  It's somewhat labor-intensive (as are most recipes from Martha Stewart), but it's well worth the effort.

White Cheddar Corn Chowder
from Martha Stewart Living, Sept. 2007
Serves 6

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 2 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 6 ears of corn)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add celery, and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add coriander, cumin, and cayenne. Raise heat to medium-high, and add wine. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add potatoes, stock, and milk, and bring to a boil (skim any foam from surface). Reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Add corn, and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. *I added 4 oz of grated white cheddar cheese and let it melt before pureeing.*  Remove from heat. Transfer 2 cups soup to a blender. Let cool slightly, then puree. Return puree to pan, and stir. Reheat if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into bowls, and top with cheese. *I served with crumbled bacon.*  Chowder can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Baskets of Blessing

This year, my husband and I started a Thanksgiving ministry at our church called Baskets of Blessings, taken from Deuteronomy 26.  The ministry was designed to be both outreach into our community and "in-reach" for our congregation.  For the outreach, we asked our church families to collect non-perishable food items to donate to a local food bank.  Together, we were able to donate 8 complete meals for needy families, each including a $25 gift card for the turkey!

For the "in-reach," we asked families to compile a basket of items that represented God's specific blessings over the past year.  At our praise service, the night before Thanksgiving, families took turns sharing what was in their baskets.  What a sweet time of fellowship!

Here's what we included in our basket:

Our wedding picture
We've been blessed with five years together

Our high school diplomas and senior yearbooks
We've both been blessed with a godly family heritage and Christian education

An ice scraper
We considered the blizzard of 2010 to be a beautiful blessing.  Also, we used that ice scraper to hold open the hatch back of my 1989 Ford station wagon, which we were able to sell this year for $800.

My coupon book
We're blessed to have a little extra cash this year thanks to all that I've learned in the world of couponing.

My external hard drive
I posted about losing my external hard drive a few months ago, but this was a blessing in disguise - showing me my need for complete dependence on God.

Noah's new coat
Noah had been needing an "in-between" coat and I found a great one at a consignment shop for less than $5.  An added blessing was that on Black Friday, I saw the exact same coat in the department store for $70!

Prayer Calendar

I've been needing a little extra "encouragement" lately in my prayer life, so I sat down this afternoon and created a prayer calendar.  I'm sure there are more "professional" versions available, but I think this will help me pray for specific people.

I came up with several different categories of people/ministries in my life (i.e. my family, my playgroup, my Bible study) and I assigned a category to each day of the month.  I left room below each category to add a person's name, so I'm praying specifically for one person every day.

I'd be interested in hearing your prayer "helps" too!

Apple Picking

Our playgroup, Connect the Tots, went apple picking on Friday morning.  The weather was a little chilly and rather windy, but we had a blast!

While we were there, we were able to learn about how a farm works, visit a few of the farm animals and run through a haybale maze.  Then, we took a wagon ride out the orchard, where each mom and "tot" got to pick four apples each.  There was even a cup of fresh-pressed cider waiting for us when we returned.

We had planned to eat a picnic lunch at the farm, but we decided to move our picnic indoors back at the church.  This was our first official activity and I was very pleased with how well it went, though, I must say, it's a lot of work to coordinate all the details!  But the fellowship with other moms and the smiles on all the kids' faces made it worth all worth it.

If you're interested, we visited Varner Farms in Collegeville, Pa.

Hot Chocolate in a Hurry

Our church held "A Purposeful Day at the Park" on Saturday where we rented a pavilion and had free food, music, games and literature for anyone that stopped by.  A few hours before the event was to start, my husband and I realized/decided that we should probably have something hot to drink, since the weather was only supposed to be in the 50s and rather blustery.

So at 9am, I set to work whipping up a batch of hot chocolate.  I didn't have the time or the budget to run to the store, so I had to use only what was already in my pantry and refrigerator.  By 10:30am, I was at the park with more than 5 gallons of very yummy hot chocolate.  Here's what I included:

-semi-sweet chocolate chips
-unsweetened baker's chocolate
-cocoa powder
-sugar
-vanilla
-evaporated milk
-chocolate-flavored coffee creamer
-milk (a combination of 2% and whole)
-hot water

This is by no means a "recipe" for hot chocolate, but rather a testimony of resourcefulness.  Because I've been couponing more, I had many of these items in "bulk," waiting to be used for just such an occasion.  This proves that even people as un-creative as me can "rise to the occasion" when the need arises, you do what you can with what you have - making lemonade out of lemons - or hot chocolate out of various forms of milk and chocolate. . .   :)

Connect the Tots

In addition to my many new roles as wife of the assistant pastor at our little church, I've endeavored to start up a playgroup.  We're calling ourselves "Connect the Tots."  Cute, huh?

We had our first playdate/lunch last month at my house.  It was another rainy day, so our play room filled up quickly with kids and toys, but it was a lot of fun!

In a few weeks, we'll be heading out to a local orchard for a tour and some apple picking.  I can't wait!  I haven't told Noah yet, because I know he'll be too excited to wait patiently (we're still working on the concept of "later").

I'm really looking forward to getting to the other moms in our group better.  It's an encouragement to know that you're not the only one struggling through the day-to-day life of a new parent.  If you're like to keep up with our little playgroup, you can find us on Facebook.

Tiny Trackers

 

I've recently begun teaching the 3,4 & 5 year-olds at our church on Wednesday night.  We use the Truth Tracker curriculum, so our little ones are called Tiny Trackers.  We're having fun "tracking down the truth in God's Word."  Every week we put on our detective hats and look for clues about the night's special word.  We play games, sing songs, do crafts & activities, memorize a verse and learn a Bible story - all to reinforce a truth from God's Word.  Every week I'm exhausted by the kids' energy and encouraged by their enthusiasm to learn about God.

Truth Trackers' website