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,

“Mom, I need a cell phone.”“
May I go with all the youth on the big outing next month?”
“Can I please have a friend over to spend the night?”
“Mommy, can I stay up a little late and watch the Olympics?”

The things children ask of their parents seems like it’s unending sometimes.  There’s always a need or request waiting for an answer…at least that’s how it was here.  What is a parent to do?  How do you wisely answer all the requests?

I read in I Kings 3 yesterday about Solomon becoming king in his father, David’s place.  This is the chapter where God comes to him in a dream and Solomon wisely asks for nothing but wisdom from God.  Then God leaves Solomon with this statement:

I was recently with a few friends for a time of fellowship and prayer.  We were honest with one another. We shared our hearts – “I’m struggling with this…”  “Really? I doubted God with this…”  “I keep failing here…” 

Strange what a comfort – (and sometimes a surprise) it is to know that other people struggle just like we do.  It’s not that we want them to fail, but it’s easy to think we’re the only ones that have selfish motives in our hearts or hateful words that slip from our tongues. 

Peek inside the parsonage and you will see that your pastor and his wife – whether it’s The Cunningham’s or another preacher and wife, have sin issues that they deal with just like you.   I get discouraged some days because of my sin, but I’m so thankful that when I read God’s Word, I see there, too, that I am not alone.  In Hebrews 7, we read that the priests in the Old Testament offered up the sacrifice, first for their own sins, and then for the people’s. They were aware of their sin and their need for cleansing.  I am also aware of that very need every single day and therefore rejoice in I John 1:9 and the truth that God cleanses and forgives. 

Why do I make this point?  Just to remind those in the church – don’t put your pastor and his family up on a pedestal, for they will surely disappoint you.  We stand just as needy before God as you do.  Pray for us to desire to be pure before God and to say no to sin.  Pray for us to keep short accounts of our sin that we walk in fellowship with our God.  Pray that we will love what the Lord loves and hate what He hates.  Pray for their children to have tender hearts towards sin – not because they want to please the church, but because they want to please God.

When you go down to the altar some Sunday because the Lord’s dealt with your heart, and you find someone next to you, and realize it’s me, you’ll say, “Oh, yeah. I know all about that girl. She’s just like me!”

From my parsonage windows,