Questions to ponder

What dream has God given you?

How do you see God moving to bring that dream to reality?



"the place where God calls us is the place where the world's deep hunger and our deep desire meet."
- frederick buechner

Persevere

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles us,
and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us ...

-Hebrews 12:1-

Trusting

Blessed be the LORD,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplication.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exults,
And with my song I shall thank Him.
- Psalms 28:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.
- Philippians 4:6-8

He knows my requests, He has heard, He will supply His peace.

... and [Abraham] went out, not knowing where he was going.
- Hebrews 11:8b
"Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading. It is a life of faith, not of intellect and reason, but a life of knowing Who makes us "go". The root of faith is the knowledge of a Person, and one of the biggest snares is the idea that God is sure to lead us to success.
...
"The life of faith is not a mounting up with wings, but a life of walking and not fainting. ... Abraham is not a type of sanctification, but a type of the life of faith, a tried faith built on a real God. 'Abraham believed God.' "
- oswald chambers, "my utmost for his highest", march 19

Remembered Joys

The oranges are blooming!
I was walking outside tonight, enjoying the mild evening and the half moon, when I caught a familiar scent. I smelled the orange blossoms.
The scent of orange blossoms is heady and earthy, exquisitely complex yet simple. It is strong and delicate, a scent that, once smelled, is unforgettable.

Serendipity

The lone tulip in our yard.

A year and a half ago we planted several bags of tulip bulbs, and last year most of them bloomed. This year? Well, .............. we have one (so far)!
A single, lone beauty.

We were starting to lose hope that any would bloom, and then ................. one did! A surprise that made us smile.

Quote

"Money is only paper and green ink, son. What makes it valuable is the work that earned it."
-Lucas McCain
The Rifleman

Happy Birthday To Daddy, Happy Birthday To You!

He turned 50 today!!!!!!
Wow, that's old! Or young, it just depends on your perspective.

We had a party this afternoon, to which some of Dad's oldest friends (or at least, the oldest local ones) were invited.
The main event was a BBQ, and included hot dogs and kosher Polish dogs (with sour kraut), two kinds of hamburgers, and salmon.
Some of the favorite recipes from today were Ambrosia (otherwise known as "5-Cup Salad"), Chocolate Spice Cake and Lemon Meringue Pie. Yummy!

Ambrosia
1 cup flaked/shredded coconut
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mandarin oranges
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup miniature marshmallows
Combine everything, and let it sit overnight in the fridge. You can mess with the proportions as much as you want (I like to triple the recipe and put in 4 cups of mini marshmallows). Best served chilled.



Chocolate Spice Cake
Grease and dust a 9x13 sheet pan.
Sift together:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
Combine and bring to a boil:
1 cup butter
1 cup water
4 tbsp. cocoa
Pour this over the dry mixture and mix in:
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
Bake at 400 degrees, 20-25 minutes.
Icing
Heat:
1 stick butter
4 tbsp. cocoa
6 tbsp. milk
Add 1/2 - 1 box powdered sugar to achieve desired consistency and 1 cup pecans (optional). Spread on cake while hot.


Lemon Meringue Pie
Combine
3 tbsp. cornstarch with
1 cup (scant) sugar in the top of a double boiler. Add
grated rind of 1 lemon,
4 tbsp. lemon juice,
1 tbsp butter, and
3 beaten egg yolks. Mix well, then add
1 1/2 cups boiling water slowly.
Cook over hot water until thick (should coat the back of a spoon).
Pour into pre-baked pie shell.
Meringue
Beat until foamy
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
5 tbsp sugar (beat in slowly) until stiff and glossy.
Do NOT under-beat.
Heap meringue onto hot pie filling and spread - carefully sealing edges to prevent shrinking or weeping.
Bake about 10 minutes at 400 degrees, or until delicately golden-brown.
Cool gradually to prevent shrinking.




It sounds as if all we did was eat! Not so ................. There was a lot of talking, laughing, and remembering!
We had a wonderful time celebrating Dad and all that he has meant to us.
I do not think that it is possible to overstate the blessing of having a father who loves God, a father who seeks to know God ever better and deeper. Even more, one who prays for his children every day.

Thank you, Daddy, for teaching me about the Lord of your life and the world He so lovingly created.
I love you Dad.

Blessing & Praise

I will extol Thee, my God, O King;
And I will bless Thy Name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless Thee,
And I will praise Thy Name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
-Psalm 145:1-3

I will praise, I will bless His Name.
When everything is beautiful.
When darkness overwhelms.
When the light breaks forth again.
In joy.
In sorrow.
In plenty.
In want.
In dryness.
In freshness.
When I can't see His plan.
When He is blessing others.
When He seems not to see me.
When He reveals Himself to be faithful.
When He shows Himself true.
When He shows His righteousness.
When He shows His beauty.
When He gives.
And, yes, when He takes away.
I will praise Him.

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful/Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place/Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out/I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord/Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name/Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me/When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name/On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering/Blessed be Your name

You give and take away/You give and take away
My heart will choose to say/Lord, blessed be Your name

-Matt Redman, "blessed be your name" from Where Angels Fear To Tread

Becoming (best?) Friends

So true! If you had asked me 5 months ago if I had any "romantic prospects", you would have received an emphatic "no". Chances are, you probably did! But ...such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death (Psalm 48:14). It seems as if God loves to surprise me; life with Him never gets stale, and I am enjoying every moment.

There was a definite process by which one made people into friends.
It involved talking to them and listening to them for hours at a time.
-Rebecca West

John and I are on our way to becoming very good friends, perhaps even life-long companions. Yes, this involves hours of talking, hours of listening, and multiple hours of conversations. Hours of talking tend to take up a lot of time (!), but I wouldn't want to spend those hours in any other way ...

A Very Grand Thing

"Halfway between Pooh's house and Piglet's house was a Thoughtful Spot
where they met sometimes when they had decided to go and see each other,
and as it was warm and out of the wind they would sit down there for a little
and wonder what they would do now that they had seen each other. ...

- the world of pooh, ch VIII, "in which Piglet Does a Very Grand Thing"
by a. a. milne

A Question From Ben

"Is Ronald Reagan George Washington's father?"

Hmmm. Maybe Ben was thinking of the Bush family .... All those similar names can get confusing!

And, in further news, Ben has declared himself to be "roll-able". He was helping Mom clean the garage and found an old pair of roller skates. Now Ben is in the kitchen, sitting on his heels and scooting around. He doesn't have a care in the world!

Loving Each Other

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

-Romans 12:9-13

Doing My Best

Math Homework, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.

"Your job is to do the best you can and leave the results up to God."
- Facing The Giants

That includes everything.
Yes, everything.
Even math homework.

Even when I don't understand or "get" it.

I Corinthians 12:4-8a

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

A Party For Julia - and Grandpa's birthday

Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!

Today was Grandpa's birthday! He turned 81, a very young 81.

Julia had a birthday party this afternoon, and Grandpa and Grandma came over as well.

There is a verse in Proverbs somewhere says that something to the effect that "children glory in their fathers".
I was thinking about this verse in respect to Grandpa. His children and grandchildren do "glory" in him. He has lived a life of that we desire to emulate, and he continues to do so.
Grandpa taught his sons to be men of God, and now we, his grandchildren, can "glory" in our fathers. None of them are perfect, nor will they ever be, but they serve a mighty God and desire to bring Him glory and praise.
God has indeed blessed our family.

Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!