If we do what we’re supposed to do, when we’re supposed to do it, we would get ourselves in a whole lot less trouble. Have you ever found yourself not doing what you were supposed to? We all have.

In preparation for our monthly Bible study, I recently read II Samuel 11 where it says that David sent Joab and his servants forth to battle,

I can just see him meandering around the beautiful home in which he lived. Everyone was gone. It was quiet. He had time to rest. Verse two says he got up off his bed and walked upon the roof. He shouldn’t have been strolling, he should have been fighting! But now, because he was in a place where he shouldn’t have been, he found himself doing something he shouldn’t have done – he looked upon his neighbor, Bathsheba, washing herself. He lusted after her and had her brought to the palace where he had an immoral affair with her. The consequences of this tarrying were many; the last was the death of his child that Bathsheba conceived. I wonder if David ever thought to himself, “If only I’d have gone with my men like I should have, none of this would have happened.”

This Scripture was part of our Bible study about looking after our home and not being idle. We can certainly apply this to being busy with the household chores, for they are certainly necessary and needful, but I’d like for us to think about other areas in which we are tempted to be idle instead of vigilant.

If we have children it can certainly be a temptation to “send them on” while we tarry. Perhaps we send them to their room to play because we are tired of their bickering. When it’s nice outside we may, in a moment of frustration plead, “Just go out and play!” After a battle of obedience we may tarry in punishment when we see our child doing again what he just got in trouble for ten minutes ago. We look the other way to avoid having to go through this all again.

Teenagers can make us want to tarry. For fear of what we may find, or because we don’t know how to handle it, many parents choose to remain comfortably at home while their teen is fighting the battle with drugs, peer pressure, or inappropriate relationships.

Oh parents, can I encourage you to get in the middle of the battle with your children? Stay after the discipline while they’re young. It may wear you out now, but it’s far better than them having to pay a high price for their rebellious spirits when they’re older. When there is strife between your children, take time to teach them how to biblically respond to one another. You need to stay connected with your teenagers too. Establish a Facebook profile so you can be your child’s “friend” and check on them. See who their other friends are and what they’re posting on the Internet! I do not apologize for doing this. I wanted to know what was going on in my girls’ lives, and this was one way I did that. I care enough to jump into the battle, and not tarry so I can pretend that everything’s okay. You may be saving them from destroying their lives. One prayer I prayed often when our girls were home was, “Lord, help me to know when I need to go to them and interrupt whatever they’re doing.” You can’t imagine how many times the Lord answered that prayer. How thankful I was for the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Another area in which we can’t be idle is in our marriage. We must remain active. Guard your relationship. Pour your time into nurturing it. Guard your own heart against improper relationships with other men. Don’t put yourself in a place where you shouldn’t be.

Don’t tarry. Stay in the battle and fight for your home life.

With love,

How thankful I am for Sundays! What a blessing it is to get to go to God’s house, praise Him, fellowship with believers, and have a day that’s different from every other day of the week. Sunday is the Sabbath and the Lord made it for us.

As I was having my devotions on Saturday I read in Luke 4:16 – And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day… Our sabbath is now on Sunday because that was the day the Lord rose from the tomb and we go to praise our risen Savior! But still, it was Jesus’ habit to be in the synagogue on the sabbath. Is it our habit too? Is the entire day the Lord’s? Do we use the day as it was created? As I studied this passage I was challenged to make a change or two in what I do on that day to make it more of what the Lord intended. In truth, it can be a very busy day for us, so I’m endeavoring, with the Lord’s help to smooth some things out so it can be what the Lord desires. I trust your Lord’s day was a wonderful one!

Our Sunday school class had their monthly lunch at church yesterday. Our theme was Italian food. When I went to sign up for what to bring, there were already many bringing main dishes, so I decided to try my hand at making homemade French loaves to contribute to the meal. The recipe I found was very easy, fat free, and probably cost me pennies to make. Oh, and you can have fresh, hot bread in two hours!

I buy the 25 pound bag of bread flour at Sam’s and the large package of yeast, which is the much cheaper way to go. Here’s the recipe:

2 Tbl. active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
4-1/2 to 5 cups bread flour
1 tsp. cornmeal

In large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. I use a thermometer to make sure the temperature is correct.

Add the salt, sugar and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.

I have the blessing of having a bread hook for my Kitchen Aid, so I use it instead of kneading it, but it should look like this…

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Here’s the dough after rising:

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape into 12 in-long loaves.

Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with cornmeal. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

What do you do to make the Sabbath day special, and make it a day of rest? What was cooking in your kitchen this weekend?

Love,

I have a huge collection of cookbooks and I use many of them, but my all-time favorite is one I got several years ago. It’s a collection of recipes from Cooking Light. The reason I love their recipes is because they use “real” ingredients, not substitutions, only they use less of those good things, and the recipes are all delicious! The light part comes from a reduction of the fat. I figure any little bit I can cut out of our diet will only help, right?

A couple days ago I made an Espresso Walnut Cake from Cooking Light. It was moist, cinnamony (new word!), and so yummy! It’s great for dessert or brunch.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon instant espresso or 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules, divided
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs
2/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt – I used light sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray, and dust with 2 teaspoons flour.
Combine brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon espresso granules in a small bowl.

Place the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave at HIGH for 1 minute or until butter melts. Add granulated sugar, stirring with a whisk. Add eggs; stir well. Stir in yogurt, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Lightly spoon 1 1/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour and 2 teaspoons espresso powder, stirring just until blended (do not over stir).

Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle with half of the brown sugar mixture. Carefully spread remaining batter over brown sugar mixture, and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar mixture.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

This is so good with a cup of coffee! Try this for Saturday breakfast. Your family will wander in from their sleep when they smell this baking in the oven!

Here’s another great recipe for honey and spice pork chops. I served it for supper with mashed potatoes, apples, peas and homemade bread. We loved it!

Happy Cooking and baking,

I heard this poem by Amy Carmichael being read yesterday. How convicting…

Thankful for Calvary’s love,

When I was a teenager I had to have my wisdom teeth cut out. During the time of my recovery (and while I was doing my chipmunk impression), I could only eat soft foods. I ate yogurt…for several days. Ever since then I couldn’t stand the taste of the stuff, I don’t care how much doctoring I did to it. Then a couple years ago my husband and I visited the B&B I shared with you recently, The Windover Inn, and she served us yogurt with our breakfast. It was delicious! It didn’t have the tart taste I’d remembered yogurt having. When I inquired about it she told me she got it at Ingles and that the brand is Stonyfield.

I buy the fat free French Vanilla in the 32-oz. container for a little over $3 and it lasts me a couple of weeks. I add some fresh fruit and granola and have a great breakfast or evening snack. The small containers are convenient, but much more expensive. You can get some good coupons on their website. They have a .50 off the 32 oz., and if you use that at Ingles they will double it. This really is the best yogurt – you must try it!

I’ve shared some of my favorite money-saving websites with you in the past that point you to sales and coupons. Between those web sites and the Sunday paper, I end up with lots of coupons. Keeping them organized is really important. I tried the little coupon holder with the pockets and dividers, but it seemed like all I did was shuffle through each pocket looking and looking for the coupon I knew was in there. I was on the lookout for a better system.

Here’s what I came up with:

I don’t know about you, but I always like hearing someone give their first-hand opinion of products that are supposed to do something grand (I guess all products are made to do just that, aren’t they?) I had used Crest Whitening strips some years ago, and so far I’d have to say I like these Listerine strips better. They are easy to put on, and they dissolve in your mouth. There’s no messing with taking them off in ten minutes. After about 15 minutes they’re gone. They have a pleasant minty taste. I’m half way through the two week period it takes for them to do the whitening, but I must say I can see a difference already. I would certainly say they’re worth using. So now every one’s going to be staring at my teeth when I talk to them, right? It’s okay, go ahead. 🙂 **Smile!**

Country Living