I Remember

March 22, 2016March 21, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

I worry about myself sometimes!

“Where are my keys?”

“Who was I supposed to email today?”

“What was it that I wanted to pick up at the store on my way home?”

There is a command in Scripture to do some purposeful remembering about something far more important than keys and groceries – we’re to be remember the cross:

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

I’ve heard these verses read many times as I’ve taken communion at church, and I heard them again this past Sunday as we remembered the Lord’s death. The bread was distributed, then a prayer was spoken, thanking Christ for being our sacrifice.

I took the bread and put it in my mouth. As my teeth bit down into the small wafer, the words, “This is my body, broken for you” rang in my ears. Just as my teeth were grinding that bread into tiny pieces, once again, I was remembered that it was for me and because of me that Christ suffered. I put Him there. It was my sin. I caused the pain. I nailed Him there as surely as I was now grinding that wafer into little bits. My heart wrenched with the thought of my wickedness and His sacrifice!

How thankful I am for the reminder of Christ’s suffering that our monthly communion time brings. To sit in my seat and take of the bread and the cup is to remember that:

Christ died for individuals – you and me.
Just as I received Him as my Savior, I must personally keep a clean heart – before partaking of the bread and cup, and every day in between.
My sin put Him there.
He suffered untold pain and agony.
I’m preaching the message that I’ve been saved, and He is coming again every time I take comunion!

A personal message. A personal remembrance. A personal Savior.

Thank you, Lord, for making The Lord’s Table a command for believers, so we would go back to the cross. Thank you, dear Jesus for dying for me. I remember.

Have you taken a heart-felt trip back to the cross to remember what He did for you?

Lovingly,

Dinner · Easter

Do Ahead Easter Menu

March 21, 2016March 20, 2016 RefreshHer7 Comments

The result will be something delicious and beautiful, and you won't be exhausted!

It’s Easter week!!!! This is my favorite holiday! Without the resurrection, there’s no hope, no eternity in heaven, no joy for today! But because Christ lives, we have it all! He lives within m heart, and as a believer, I should celebrate every single day! I will definitely celebrate on Easter! We’ll celebrate at church this Sunday as we worship with the Galkin Evangelistic team. We’re excited about the day/week with them at BCBC!

Let’s talk about the Easter dinner today! Some of my favorite foods to fix for Easter are already posted here on my blog, so I thought I’d do an Easter Round-Up and share some of my favorite recipes that would make a wonderful Easter dinner, in case you need some suggestions for your menu this coming Sunday! These aren’t just good recipes, most of them are things that can be made in advance, which will lighten your load on the weekend!

Let’s talk dessert first! This Coconut Cake has been an Easter tradition for many years at my house. On the link you’ll find the recipe and my instructions of how to put the cake together easily. This cake is THE BEST! It’s worth the effort, and if you do the steps one at a time, a few days in advance, it won’t even be that much effort!

The result will be something delicious and beautiful, and you won't be exhausted!

This frozen fruit salad is so delicious and is made ahead of time, which is always a winning recipe in my book!

Frozen Fruit Salad

1 can jellied cranberry or cranberry sauce
1 can crushed pineapple, drained

2 bananas chopped in small pieces
1 c. chopped pecans
1 8-oz. container Cool Whip

Place jellied cranberries or cranberry sauce in mixing bowl and using a whisk, break it up well. Add pineapple, banana, and pecans and combine. Fold in Cool Whip.

You can put this in a 9 x 13 dish or make individual servings by placing cupcake papers in cupcake pan and filling with mixture. Freeze. When ready to serve, peel paper of and serve on a piece of leaf lettuce.

Fresh Broccoli Salad is often covered with a heavy dressing, but this one is a lighter version, but every bit as good! We love it. It would go well with a ham dinner. You can mix this together the night before.

Fresh Broccoli Salad
4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
1/4 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1/4 cup (1-inch-thick) slices red bell pepper
1/4 cup raisins
2 1/2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 center-cut bacon slice, cooked and crumbled (drained)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
Preparation
Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine vinegar, sugar, and oil in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine. Pour vinegar mixture over broccoli mixture; toss gently to coat.

Do-Ahead potatoes are a great time saver on Sunday. This recipe has been a favorite of ours for about 30 years!

Gourmet Potatoes
6 medium potatoes
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 C butter
1 1/2 C sour cream (I used light)
1/3 C chopped onion
1 t. salt
paprika

Peel the potatoes. Leave them whole. Cook in boiling water ’til tender. Cool.
Shred potatoes coarsely. In medium-sized saucepan, melt butter and cheese. Stir ’til melted. Remove from heat; blend in sour cream, onions and salt. Fold in potatoes and pour into a 2 qt. casserole dish.
Sprinkle with paprika on top. Refrigerate overnight. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Lastly, if you need a great do-ahead roll, these are my very favorite. You make them up to the point of just par-baking them, then pop them in the freezer. They only require about 10 minutes of baking from their frozen state when you need them! I make up half of this recipe and keep these rolls on hand for last minute dinners after the holiday meal is over!

rolls

This is Lee Drummond’s recipe. You can find it on this post.

Working on your menu a little at a time this week will cause less stress on Sunday. It’s all about the Lord Jesus Sunday – so make wise choices this week so you can focus on Him rather than having to fuss with the meal!

Do any of these strike your fancy? What will you be fixing for Easter dinner?

Lovingly,

children · Easter · Uncategorized

Object Lesson About Why Jesus Died

March 11, 2016March 10, 2016 RefreshHer5 Comments

I like spring birds, bunnies and eggs as much as the next person, but when it comes to explaining the true meaning of Easter and why Jesus came, all the “cutsie” objects I just mentioned, are just that. We need to make sure children understand what Easter is all about.

If you need a jaw-dropping illustration for children of what Christ did for us on the cross, you’ve got to see this great object lesson.

When I did this for Bible club the children asked to see it again and again! It is a great picture of the meaning of the cross, isn’t it?

With whom could you share this Gospel object lesson?

Stay refreshed,

Bread · breakfast · Easter

Freshen Up Friday

April 3, 2015April 3, 2015 RefreshHer1 Comment

Easter weekend is here! This is my FAVORITE holiday. Because Christ lives, I have purpose for today and hope (assurance) for tomorrow! I trust you have that same confidence in Him!

Yesterday in my Bible Club, we made Resurrection rolls. These help tell the story of the burial and resurrection of Jesus. If you have children, this would be a fun activity to do with them as you tell the account of what happened after Jesus was placed in the tomb. At the end of the lesson, you have a delicious treat to share together.

As we made the rolls I retold the story. Rather than making the marshmallow represent Jesus, I chose to just say, “This can help us remember…”

Pictures 1, 2 – We used a toothpick to ease rolling the marshmallow in the butter then sugar and cinnamon. As we put the toothpick inside, my youngest student said, “This reminds me of the thorns they put on Jesus’ head!” Good point! It could also remind us of the nails that pierced his hands and feet.

As we rolled the marshmallow in the spices we talked about how the women came to the tomb to place spices on Jesus’ body.

Picture 3 – When we put the marshmallow in the crescent roll dough we remembered that Joseph took Jesus’ body down from the cross and wrapped it in cloth and placed His body in his own tomb.

Picture 4 – It helps to put foil on the cookie sheet because the marshmallow will seep out and create quite a sticky mess.

Picture 5 – The roll is empty inside! When the ladies came to the tomb on Sunday morning, it was empty! Jesus wasn’t there! The angel reminded them that He had risen, as he said!

It would be a great tradition to serve these on Easter Saturday or Sunday morning before church! Not only do they make a great teaching tool, they are super good!

Christ lives! Stay refreshed,

Easter

A Peek Inside the Parsonage

April 4, 2012April 13, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

If you had peeked inside our parsonage on Easter weekend when my girls were young, you would have seen us having a great time together as a family! We had several traditions that we loved, because Easter is the BEST holiday for believers! Without Easter, we would have no hope! You can go here to read about our traditions.) We shouldn’t be stuffy and no fun on Easter – this is a time of celebrating our risen Savior!

Easter week is such a great week to teach your children about salvation. That seems obvious, doesn’t it? But some parents worry about telling their young ones about the cruelty, the pain, the suffering, the blood, the cross, the mean soldiers, and death of Jesus. Their thoughts are, “Isn’t there enough bad stuff in this world without exposing their young minds to such things?” My answer is this isn’t bad! The Easter story – and all that goes with it brought about the very best good that we could ever receive!

Here’s a great activity that will help teach your children the message of Easter in a really creative way – by baking Resurrection Cookies! Each ingredient adds a special part of the story, from the salt to the vinegar. You mix the ingredients together and read the Scriptures as you go along. I’d suggest printing the verses out on slips of paper beforehand. Write the verses in condensed form if you’re dealing with pre-schoolers. The cookies get placed inside the oven, where they stay overnight – like Jesus’ body stayed in the tomb. The next morning the cookies are ready, and when you bite inside, they’re hollow – empty! Just like the tomb was on Easter morning!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients

■1 cup whole pecans

■1 tsp. vinegar

■3 egg whites

■1 pinch salt

■1 cup sugar

■gallon size zip top bag

■wooden spoon

■tape

■Bible

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2. Put the pecans in the plastic bag. Let the children take turns breaking them by beating with a wooden spoon. Don’t crush them finely, but leave in large pieces.

Explain that Jesus was arrested and beaten by the soldiers. Read John 19:1-3

3. Let the children smell the vinegar. Pour it in a mixing bowl.

Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, they gave him vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

4. Pour the egg whites into the mixing bowl with the vinegar.

Explain that eggs represent life. Jesus gave his life so that we can have life. Read John 10:10-11.

5. Sprinkle salt into each child’s hand and let them taste it. Put a dash of salt in the mixing bowl.

Explain that salt represents the tears shed by Jesus’ disciples. It also represents the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

6. Add 1 cup sugar to the mixing bowl.

Explain that this is the sweetest part of the story. Jesus died because he loves us. He wants us to know and belong to him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

7. Beat the egg whites with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until it forms stiff peaks.

Explain that the white color represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

8. Fold the broken nuts into the beaten egg whites. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheets.

Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

9. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and let them seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

10. Go to bed!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven. Jesus’ followers were very sad when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

11. On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Let them take a bite and show them that they are hollow inside!

On the first Easter morning Jesus’ followers were amazed to find his tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

He has risen!

The Easter story cookies recipe was found at this site.

How do you tell your children about Easter?

From my parsonage windows,