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Freshen Up Friday

How could we not be refreshed on Good Friday?  I’m seeing this day with “new eyes” after visiting Israel in January!  Take a look with me…

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Matthew 26:36-39

Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there; Matthew 27:33-36



The place of a skull

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Matthew 28:1-6



We went inside the tomb…



It is empty!!! Praise the Lord!


Because Jesus lives we have hope!

Be refreshed in that truth,
and Happy Easter!

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Curiosity’s Price

Dinah, about 16 years of age, was the new girl in the neighborhood.  She hadn’t been here long, and she was curious about the other young women here.  Perhaps she wondered what kind of styles they wore, how they wore their hair, and if they were allowed to wear make-up.  Her curiosity got the best of her, so she slipped out on her own, away from the safety of home, to check it all out for herself.  That was when Shechem saw Dinah, took her, and defiled her. 

We read this story in Genesis 34.  While we understand that Shechem committed a sin, we must also realize that Dinah put herself in a very vulnerable position when she left the security of her home and family.  It doesn’t sound like her parents knew what she was doing when you read verse 1 – Dinah…went out to see the daughters of the land.  Her curiosity was her undoing. 

What lessons we can glean from this story! 

  • If you’re a young woman, under parental authority, trust your parents’ wisdom, and seek their advice about where you go and what you do.
  • Our curiosity should never take us to see things that could ultimately lead us to sinful situations.   Proverbs 4:25 says, Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Be careful about things you look at on the Internet and television.  Guard your eyes and your heart.  Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
  • Think about what you’re getting ready to do and about the potential consequences. Proverbs 4:26, 27 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Dinah’s desire to see the “daughters of the land” not only hurt her, but it angered her brothers to the point that they sought for revenge, and ended up killing many men as a result.  Our choices don’t only effect our own lives, it will have impact on those around us as well!

Guard your heart and your curiosity.  It could end up costing you far more than you really want to pay.

With love,

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    Dig Another Well

    “If my neighbor blows his grass clippings in our yard one more time, I’m going to let him have it!”

    “That restaurant drive-through never gets our order right!  If it’s wrong again today, I’m going to give them a piece of my mind!”

    “My sister-in-law gets on my last nerve criticising my son!  So help me, the next time she says something, I’m to give her what she has coming.”

    We all experience people situations that can “push our buttons” to the max!  How are we to handle these kinds of trials that make us think we’re going to lose it?

    Genesis 26 gives us a great example.  This truth was shared with us some years ago at our ladies’ retreat at our church and I was reminded of it when I read this chapter recently.  Abraham was forced to move to the Valley of Gerar, away from Abimilech.  The Philistine’s had come along and stopped up their wells!   So Abraham’s herdmen moved and dug another well for Abraham’s family and livestock.  However, the herdmen of Gerar strove with them.  Verse 20 says, “And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours…”  Was it theirs?  No!  But what did Abraham’s servants do?  They dug another well!  This did not stop the problems with the herdmen of Gerar, though, for in verse 21 we read, “And they digged another well, and strove for that also…”  Again, Abraham and his herdmen left and simply dug another well!  What would you have done after digging  a well four times?!

    Matthew Henry says, “Those that seek peace will eventually find peace.”  Instead of standing up for “their rights” they chose to remove themselves from the strife and be peaceable.  Sometimes it’s best to just dig another well, rather than destroy our testimony in a desire to fight for what we think is rightfully ours. 

    Do you need to dig another well to keep peace – and your testimony?  Follow Abraham’s example and get out the shovel instead of your soap box.

    With love,

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    Freshen Up Friday

    Here is a great product that every woman should have in her dresser drawer…Lingerie Tape.  It’s used to hold clothing in place so there won’t be embarrassing reveals.  I first saw this product when I was coordinating a wedding.  A bridesmaid came with a roll of it to keep straps hidden and neckline secure.  It works great and is invisible. 

    Gaping necklines or tank top straps can be made secure with just a couple inches of tape tucked under your clothing.  The tape is double-sided, so after pulling off the amount you need, place the sticky side on your skin under the garment, then pull off the white layer revealing the other sticky side of the tape.  Press the clothing onto the tape and voila’! 

    Because my top had narrow sleeves, I added a piece of tape just below each shoulder.  It held it in place beautifully.  Summer outfits need this product!

    This stuff is great and makes an outfit modest without having to constantly be fooling with it to keep it where it ought to be.  I found it on Amazon for $6.  Freshen up your wardrobe (and your modesty) and invest in a roll.  It will make a believer out of you!

    Be refreshed,

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    What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?

    I’m not sure if there’s a smell so grand as garlic baking on bread sticks!  Does that bring Olive Garden to mind?  What a delight to smell that basket of garlic making its way to your table! 

    Do you know there is a smell God loves?  I read  this in my Bible reading this weekend – Genesis 8:20, 21 – And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. The Lord loves the smell of our love for Him that is seen in our obedience!  Is He smelling that sweet savor in your life today?

     
    I was so happy to find a recipe that mimics the taste of Olive Garden’s bread sticks.  They are a yeast bread that only has to rise once, so they are done in a relatively short amount of time. 

    My menu yesterday was:

    Swiss Steak
    Mashed Potatoes
    Southern Style Green Beans
    Green Salad
    Garlic Bread sticks
    ~~~~~~
    Pound Cake with Fresh Strawberries and topped with
     Strawberry Whipping Cream
    Swiss steak is a great dish for Sunday, because it requires 4 hours of baking time.  During the time you’re in Sunday school and church – you were there, right? 🙂 – the meat cooks down so tender you don’t need a knife!

    4 lb. Arm roast
    1/4 cup flour
    1/2 tsp. salt
    1/4 tsp garlic powder
    pepper
    2-3 Tbsp oil
    1 16 oz. can tomatoes, cut up
    1 onion, sliced
    1 small green pepper, sliced

    Serves 6
    Heal oil in large skillet.  Season roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
    Dredge in flour, then brown on both sides in hot oil. 

    Place in roasting pan.  Arrange onion and pepper slices on top of roast, then pour tomatoes over top.  cover and bake at 250 degrees for at least 4 hours, more if you have time.  check occasionally to see if it needs water. d(Okay, you cant’ do this if you’re at church, but I just make sure it has plenty before I leave.) Makes its own gravy.

    I did my mashed potatoes in the crock pot – like I’ve mentioned before.  Just peel and cut them up, cover with water in your crock pot and turn to high.  When you get home they will be ready to mash!

    For Southern Style Green Beans in a can, pour the beans – liquid and all in a skillet.  For 2 cans of greens beans add about 2 Tbl of butter and cook over low heat until all the liquid is evaporated.  They taste like they’ve cooked all day long!

    Garlic Bread sticks as seen on Chef in Training.

    1 1/2 cups warm water (between 110 – 120 degrees F)

    1 package active dry yeast

    4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

    2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

    2 tablespoons sugar

    1 tablespoon salt

    In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes, covered. Mixture should be frothy.In separate bowl, combine flour and salt.

    Add to yeast mixture. Add melted butter. Mix with paddle attachment of stand mixer or wooden spoon until fully combined.

    Knead dough for a few minutes just until dough is smooth. Do not over knead!

    Grease a cookie sheet. Pull off pieces of dough and roll out into strips. (It will make 16, so cut the dough in half, then each half into 8 strips.)
    Cover the dough and let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour.
    Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and once heated, pop in the bread sticks. In microwave, combine the following:

    1 stick unsalted butter (or 1/2 cup margarine)

    2 teaspoons garlic powder

    1 teaspoons salt

    After bread sticks have cooked for 6 or 7 minutes, brush the bread sticks with half the butter mixture.

    Then continue to bake. Bake for 5-8 more minutes.

    Immediately upon removal from the oven brush the other half of the butter on the sticks. I also sprinkled them with some Parmesan Cheese.
    Allow to cool for a few minutes before eating.  (Sure.  Just try!)

    Strawberry Whipping Cream

    Whip up heavy whipping cream with about 1/3 Cup powdered sugar.  Whip until soft peaks form.  Mash up strawberries or raspberries, add to whipped cream. 

    What was cooking in your kitchen this weekend?

    From my parsonage kitchen,