I’ve been thinking a lot recently about getting old.  Maybe it’s my September birthday breathing down my neck; I don’t know.  It’s made me watch older folks around me.  Some are suffering with physical issues, seen in their difficulty to walk, breathe, or talk.  Some are spunky and seemingly full of energy.  Others still have lost their ability to think rationally.  It’s made me wonder what I’ll be like when I reach those “golden years.”  It’s all in God’s sovereign hands.

I may not have control over what happens to my body or mind, but one thing I can control is how I finish the race spiritually.  As I’m reading through I Kings, I’m reading about the end of many men’s lives.  Solomon, who started out his early years loving God and serving him, ended up an idolater because his wives turned his heart from his God.   His end was weaker than his beginning.  Is that what God desires?  Of course not.  Is it possible to keep the faith all the years of our life?  Absolutely!  David walked in the Lord’s ways even after falling into sin.  He encourages my  heart! I want to be like the passage in Psalm 92 that says,

I wanted a centerpiece for my kitchen table last week, so I went out to the herb garden and did some clipping to make the arrangements pictured here.  The fragrance was wonderful!  I included rosemary, thyme, sage and Knock-Out Roses.  The next morning I also added some of the purple phlox that are so fragrant.  This stayed fresh for several days and was such a pretty pop of color and fragrance on my table. 

The picture below is the same arrangement taken with the “Retro Camera” app on my phone.  I like the way it makes it look kind of frosted (though I’m sure thankful it’s not cold enough to do that!).

Sometimes all you need is a walk around the yard to create something pretty for inside.

Take a walk around with a pair of clippers and see what you can find to spruce up the dinner table for tonight. Who says company has to be coming to have a pretty table? Let your family know they’re special!

From my parsonage windows,

It was a really strange feeling to find out just recently that someone on Facebook had taken my name, my picture, and even slipped up on some of my contacts asking them to befriend them again.  I’m thankful for a friend who alerted me, making it possible for me to report it and get the “new account” blocked and stopped.

After being alerted of this news, I checked the other Denise’s account.  The page had my picture, but nothing else.  There was no timeline of my travels, no connections with others, no information about me, thank the Lord.  They had my name and my picture, but it seems that is it. They even misspelled my name!  It was obvious that they don’t know me, but were only pretending that they did.

I’ve thought a lot about that through the night.  In a spiritual light, we that have trusted Christ as our Savior, have taken on His identity.   We announced that to the world when we were baptized after salvation.  We should be less and less of who we were before salvation, and more and more of Christ each day we live.  I’m afraid, too often, it’s like my impostor, we take on the identity, but we don’t go to the effort to really know Christ. 

If someone were to look at our account, would the page be fairly empty or would it have a “timeline” of activity?  Would it show pictures of those we spoke to about our Savior?  Would it mark the places we went to serve?  Would it be full of God’s Words because we  know Him so well? 

I’m certainly not thrilled at someone pretending to be me, but I am thankful for the reminder that when I say I’m a Christian, others will see by what flows out of my life if I really know Him or not.  Let’s not be impostors – let’s be truly identified with Christ and come to know Him better every day!

You won’t drift into growth; it must be intentional. What did you do today to come to know your Savior better?

With love,

The real   =)

I had a Sunday off from cooking!  Why?  Because of my sweet husband who occasionally says, “You’re going to rest on Saturday.  We’re going out for dinner Sunday.”  Though I love cooking, I have to admit, it was pretty great having Saturday to work on a project.  He’s so sweet.

I did some baking on Friday, though, and I wanted to share this recipe with you.  If you have an abundance of zucchini, and anyone who has a garden usually does, you need to make this recipe!  We were given a few extra large zucchini, and I was so glad, because I found this recipe in my newest Southern Living Magazine and couldn’t wait to try it!  All their recipes are tops!  I made a double batch of this bread, then I shredded the rest of the zucchini and put 13 bags in the freezer!  What a blessing!

Each recipe makes 3 small loaves – 3″x5″ – perfect for giving away as little thank you’s.  I wrapped up several – some for the folks that had shared their garden with me, and another for a friend who had been a blessing last week.  My favorite way to show my appreciation is a gift from my kitchen.  It’s just a little loaf, but it lets folks know that I am grateful for their kindness.

Here’s the recipe:

Lemon-Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 T lemon zest
2 tsp poppy seeds

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty stand mixer until creamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
2.  Stir together flour, salt, and baking soda.  Add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.  Stir in zucchini and next 2 ingredients.  Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 3×5 inch pans.
3.  Bake at 325 for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).

How do you show appreciation for people that share their garden bounty with you or are generous in other ways?

From my parsonage kitchen,

My husband and I have a friend who loves his coffee.  When he came to his office one day to find that someone had cleaned – I mean really cleaned the pot, he about croaked!  He claimed that was what gave the coffee its great flavor! Ha! Well, we love our coffee and iced tea around here, but I like the containers to get a good cleaning on a regular basis!  This means going beyond using Joy Dish Soap.  This job calls for Baking Soda!

I love this stuff – it’s almost like magic.  I barely started cleaning my pitcher and the stained tea and coffee just disappeared!  Now everything is shiny once again.  Ahhhh…

Freshen up your coffee pot and/or tea pitcher with some baking soda and then sit back and enjoy the sparkle – and the pure coffee flavor!

See you in church Sunday!

Be refreshed,