The Divided Highway of Worry

December 1, 2015December 1, 2015 RefreshHer6 Comments

I traveled from Kentucky to Tennessee yesterday on my favorite route. I was on I-75 for an hour, then pretty much the rest of the way home on a divided highway – four lanes of traffic – two going one way and two going the other way.

As I drove the divided highway, I thought about the sermon I heard at my parent’s church the day before. The text was Philippians 4:6-8 and the pastor spoke about living without worry in a chaotic world. He explained the word, “worry” comes from a Greek word meaning, a divided mind. Just like cars whizzing in two different directions, when I worry, my thoughts are going in the direction opposite of God’s path for my life.

Verse six says to be anxious for nothing – in other words, don’t worry about anything. The pastor reminded us that worry chokes out the Word of God, as we read in the parable of the sower.

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. Matthew 13:22

The resolution to worry is prayer.

But in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

In other words, the route has two paths to take, the path of worry and the path of peace. The automobile that gets us to the path of peace is prayer. What better views are on the path of peace, than the divided highway of worry!

What has your mind going in two directions today? Stop right now and pray about whatever situation is on your heart. The destination of peace is just ahead, if you’ll do that, friend.

Anxiety or peace? It’s our choice. Which road will you travel today?

Lovingly,

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breakfast

Holiday Muffins At the Top of the Baking List

November 30, 2015December 27, 2015 RefreshHer9 Comments

Baking is like many things – you have to stick to it and keep trying after you have a fail. Giving up because you’ve had a flop will keep you from making progress, and even learning lessons along the way. You’re seeing this recipe today after three previous attempts to post! It’s been frustrating, but hopefully someone will be really glad to have this recipe, or will be refreshed by the encouragement not to give up!

Since tomorrow is December the first (what?!), I thought I would share a holiday muffin recipe as my first recipe of the season. I made some Cranberry Streusel Muffins for Thanksgiving breakfast last week. It was a new recipe to me and I couldn’t wait to try them! These were the perfect blend of tart and sweet. The crumbly topping on the top is oh, so good! We had a muffin with a bowl of hot oatmeal and cups of coffee, and it was a fantastic breakfast! Here’s the recipe:

Cranberry Streusel Muffins

1/4 Cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

3 Tbl. butter, softened

1/3 cup chopped pecans

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 cup flour in small bowl; add softened butter, rubbing with fingers until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Cover and chill.
Combine granulated sugar, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 2 cups flour in large bowl. Stir in cranberries,. Make a well in center of mixture. Whisk together buttermilk and next 3 ingredients; add to dry mixture, stirring until just moistened.
Lightly grease with cooking spray (or line with paper liners) a 12-cup muffin tin, filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle with streusel mixture, pressing gently to adhere.
Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. Transfer muffins to wire rack. Serve warm.

If you are having a December brunch, are hosting Christmas breakfast, or even just have extra cranberries left over from Thanksgiving, you need to put this recipe on your menu. It will deliver smiles and happy sighs to your breakfast table!

Has anyone else had a situation recently that demanded patience and a re-do?

Anyone else baking for the holidays yet? I’d love to hear what you’re making!

With love from my country kitchen,

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My Favorite Thanksgiving

November 26, 2015November 26, 2015 RefreshHer1 Comment

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! Today I’m re-posting from 2009 because I think of this particular Thanksgiving every single year.

I’ve been pondering past Thanksgivings. All holidays were special when I was growing up. There were certain foods and traditions that were a part of each special holiday, and I have many wonderful memories of the years when I was growing up. But when I think about my favorite Thanksgiving I think back to the year before I got married. I was in love; I think that had to be what set this Thanksgiving off from all others!

This was a first for me; I was hosting the dinner in my home – a 14′ x 70′ trailer, for my boyfriend (soon to be fiance’), and both sets of parents! The kitchen was so small that if I hoped to open the fridge during dinner or slip over to the sink during the meal, there was no way we could eat dinner in the kitchen. So I moved the kitchen table into the living room and turned it into my dining room.

I don’t remember the entire menu, but I know we had the essentials – turkey and mashed potatoes (thank goodness my mom came early to help me roast the turkey)! We also had green beans and a jello salad. I remember making my first ever yeast rolls. I was so proud that they rose to their clover shape! I’m not sure how they tasted, but they were pretty! I made gingerbread place cards for each place setting. They weren’t nearly as fancy as these, but they were cute and edible!

Everything was very simple. There were no fancy dishes – just the ones I’d picked up each week at the grocery store. My cloth napkins were ones I’d made myself with a couple yards of fabric. I served a simple sherbet punch and iced tea to accompany our meal.

There we all were, gathered in my little living room. I was giving thanks for God’s provisions for this insignificant first grade school teacher. Everything I had was so obviously a grace gift from my loving God. I was seated next to my husband-to-be, and with my godly parents who were the best parents a girl could have, and also with my future in-laws that had been so gracious to me.

That was twenty-nine years ago, and though I’ve had many special Thanksgivings since then, that one is the most memorable. It was the beginning of sharing my thanks to God beside the man with whom I would share my life. God’s been so faithful to us all these years.

This year as we bow our heads together, hands clasped, we will again number the grace gifts He’s given. One of those is each other. Thank you, Lord.

What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?

With thanks to my great God,

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Dinner · Pork chops · Thanksgiving

What I’ve Done/What I’m Doing

November 25, 2015November 29, 2015 RefreshHer5 Comments

Wow, lots of things have happened in the last week – wait, I think I said about last week, too! It’s true, but it’s a blessing. Each week is filled with ministry and blessings, and those two are all intertwined! Serving the Lord is wonderful, and I am a woman that is thankful and fulfilled!

Let me tell you about some of my blessings via these pictures above. We’ll start on the top left and go across each row.

Honey Spiced Glazed Pork Chops, baked sweet potatoes and peas made up supper one night. The sauce makes a plain pork chop incredible!
Until you see second graders act out the pilgrim’s and Indian’s first Thanksgiving, you have not lived. My little neighbor girl was one of the cutest pilgrims ever. We watched her and her fellow classmates give their rendition of Thanksgiving. Too cute.
Last weekend my husband and I had the privilege of serving in a leadership conference. On Saturday afternoon during free time, we drove to the Amish Bulk store and they had their donut and pretzel truck up and running. I tried one of the pretzels for the first time. Oh. My. Let’s just say I hope it won’t be my last! I think they’re even better than their wonderful donuts!
I mentioned yesterday about the children I had the privilege to teach in Sunday school last week. This is a picture I took of them while they were reading our passage together. They all participated so well. What a blessing they were to me!
I’m hosting Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow and I’m making individual cornucopias for treats and name cards. I’ll show the end result of these little guys next week.
The fireplace makes for the coziest bedroom in the early morning. My husband had the fire going for me to enjoy during my devotions yesterday (it was 24 degrees!). It felt soooo lovely.
Not pictured are all my preparations for Thanksgiving dinner and company for a couple days. I’m having tons of fun, and I’m super excited!

That’s what I’ve done and am doing. What are you up to these days before Thanksgiving?

Lovingly,

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Christian Life · Uncategorized

The Danger of Telling God, “No!”

November 24, 2015November 29, 2015 RefreshHer7 Comments

I’m helping out a little in our Sunday school program at my church and am teaching a class of the sweetest children. It’s always amazing to me how the Lord takes the simple lessons I’m teaching them and drives home a truth that I need to hear. It happened again last Sunday.

We were all reading in I Samuel 8 about the children of Israel demanding a king. God told Samuel to warn them about what would happen if they had a king ruling over them.

Their sons would be his warriors, his servants, his captains, his weapon makers
Their daughters would be his maids, cooks, bakers
Their fields would belong to the king
The king would take their servants, their sheep and donkeys
They would regret their choice, and will call out to God, but He will not hear them

Then my whole class read verse 19. After hearing the dire consequences the Israelite’s response was:

Nay; but we will have a king over us!

I had the children repeat the Israelite’s response with me. First we stood, folded our arms and stomped our foot while saying, “NO!” Then we pounded one fist on our other hand while saying, “WE WANT A KING!”

I talked to the children about their stubbornness in demanding something from God, even though they knew it was not good for them! Then the arrow came to my own heart.

How often I do the very same thing! When I read or hear the danger of sin in my life and I choose it anyway, I am behaving just like the king-demanding-Israelites, and God will give me what is not good for me in order to teach me and discipline me. Gossiping, slandering, being lazy, proud, or uncaring for the lost will all bring the consequences God warns about in His Word. Bitterness, anger or being deceitful are full of dangerous consequences. Having a faithless heart in God’s plans, worrying, planning and scheming my own actions are also sinful choices. It’s me pounding my fist into my palm and making demands that God lovingly warns about.

It’s my choice – will I heed God’s loving warnings and go His way, or will I stomp my foot in defiance and foolishness only to reap the costly consequences? The danger in saying “No” is that God will let me have my own way. But He loves me too much to let me go on stubbornly and sinfully disregarding His directives. He knows what is best for me! It may look like things are good for a while when I go my own way, but eventually I will reap from my sinful choices. God will not be mocked.

“Oh Lord, help me to lift my hands in surrender and say instead, “YES, I WILL OBEY!”

If there’s any area in your life not surrendered over to the Lord, hear His loving warning and obey. There are also blessed consequences for obedience!

Lovingly,

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