Every time I start praying, my kitty, Liza comes and gets as close to me as she can. Yesterday it made me wonder if I’m as eager to get close to God in prayer as she is to be close to me!
I’m reading a wonderful book right now called, The Kneeling Christian. Here are some favorite quotes I’ve come across recently:
To be little with God in prayer is to be little for God in service.
A man’s influence in the world can be gauged not by his eloquence or his zeal, or his orthodox, or his energy, but by his prayer.
If God were to answer the words we repeated on our knees this morning should we know it? Should we recognize the answer? Do we even remember what we asked for? He does answer. He has given us His word for it. He always answers every real prayer of faith.
If no one on earth prayed for the salvation of sinners more fervently or more frequently than I do, how many of them would be converted to God through prayer?
This book has been so convicting to me. I’m asking the Lord to help me to pray more. I’d challenge you to get a copy of the book on Amazon and be challenged in your prayer life, too.
What was the last prayer request you saw answered? I’d love to hear and rejoice with you!
We all tend to drive so hard all week long. Work, children, laundry, meals, cleaning house, running to ballgames, practices, lessons and appointments wear us down and out. Do something today just because you love it. Work on a craft, read a book that will make you sigh, watch a show that will make you laugh. Do something (or nothing!) just for the pleasure of it! Do something not out of necessity or duty – just enjoyment. Watch how it will Refresh your spirit!
I couldn’t make myself look. My poor Jeep was being towed out the driveway and taken to the Jeep “hospital. Hopefully whatever is keeping it from cranking up will be an easy repair and she’ll be back home soon. She had no power whatsoever and was completely out of service. It would’ve made my heart sad to see her pitiful condition on the back end of a tow truck. I turned away so I wouldn’t see!
Sometimes that’s exactly how I feel – like my heart and my emotions are being carried away – maybe not on a Tow Truck, but on a Whoa Truck! I want to stop, quit, and not go on. I can’t even bear to really look in the mirror at my reflection because I know the emptiness and sorrow and powerlessness that I might see. A crushed spirit, overwhelming burdens, too busy schedules, and the cares of others can all have impact on my heart, needing the repair that only the Lord can bring.
My “hospital” is my prayer closet. Oh, the Surgeon’s hands are so gentle. He always patiently sits and listens as I pour out my list of ailments. He administers the healing with His Word, His love, His comfort. After praying to Him, I sit and listen. In the quiet He speaks words of peace to my heart. He brings His Word to mind. In the stillness He speaks. The tears that have come are wiped away and in time I’m ready, once again to be back in service. No more emptiness – He fills me and empowers me to move forward. I don’t like the down times of my car or my heart, but you know, without times of weakness, I would be dependent on my own strength.
It takes the tow truck pulling up to make you really appreciate being able to jump in your car and GO! It takes times of spiritual weakness to make you really appreciate the Spirit’s enabling you to serve Him. Without Him, we’d just be sitting idle on the back end of a Whoa Truck! I know where I’d rather be!
How about you? Do you ever want to quit? Don’t throw in the towel, run to your Quiet place and let the Lord recharge your spiritual batteries!
Thanks for letting me give you an honest, raw look from my porch!
For our Easter dessert last weekend, I made my traditional dessert – Coconut Cake with Lemon Filling. It’s from Southern Living and it’s the perfect dessert for Easter or Christmas or Ground Hog day or Lincoln’s Birthday or trash picking up day…you get the idea. It’s so yummy I really only make it once a year.
The cake is a golden batter – not a white cake, but it’s three layers with a homemade Lemon curd in between. The fluffy white icing balances out the tartness of the filling just perfectly!
Like any cake of this nature, it can take lots of time to make and can be intimidating to a beginning baker. However,I am writing this post to simplify the whole process. You can do a cake like this!!!!
Start by making and baking the cake layers a week (or even two weeks) before you need the finished cake. Always, always, always put waxed paper in the cake pans for easy removal! I don’t care if the recipe says to grease and flour the pans, I always use waxed paper instead. No use making a cake if half of it sticks to the pan!
After cooling the baked layers, wrap them in plastic Wrap and then place each layer in a freezer bag. Freeze until needed.
Make the filling for the cake a day or two before you need the finished cake. This will allow time for it to set up and thicken nicely and it will spread on the cake layers easily.
The day you need the cake, make the icing.
Take the layers out of the freezer. Place waxed paper pieces on the cake plate to keep the plate free of icing, crumbs and coconut. Place filling between the layers.
Start by putting a large scoop of icing on the top and push it over the sides of the cake. Smooth icing. Top with coconut. Remove waxed paper from under cake layers.
Line the pans with waxed paper and spray the paper and the pan edges with cooking spary.
Bake layers until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. The batter will pull away from the sides of the pan, too.
Place waxed paper pieces on the cake plate before filling and icing.
Place a dollop of icing on top, then push over the edges to ice the sides.
The result will be something delicious and beautiful, and you won’t be exhausted!
When you work ahead and do a part of the whole recipe a little at a time, it really is a simple process (I am resisting the urge to say “it’s a piece of cake! But it really is!).
Here’s the recipe for the Coconut Cake from Southern Living:
Coconut Cake with Lemon Filling
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition.
2. Combine flour and baking powder; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1 tsp. vanilla.
3. Beat egg whites and salt at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir about one-third of egg whites into batter; fold in remaining egg whites. Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
4. Bake at 350° for 18 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
5. Spread Lemon Filling between layers. Spread Fluffy White Frosting on top and sides of cake. Sprinkle top and sides with coconut; garnish, if desired.
Lemon Filling
Ingredients
1 cups sugar
1/4 Cup corns starch
1 cup boiling water
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
Preparation
1. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan; stir in 1 cup boiling water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar and cornstarch dissolve (about 3 minutes). Gradually stir about one-fourth of hot mixture into yolks; add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Stir in lemon juice.
2. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Cool, stirring occasionally.
White Fluffy Icing Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Preparation
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small heavy saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until clear. Cook, without stirring, until mixture reaches soft-ball stage or candy thermometer registers 240°.
2. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; slowly add syrup, beating constantly. Beat until stiff peaks form and frosting is desired consistency.
Top cake with one cup flaked coconut.
Do you enjoy baking detailed kind of desserts like this cake? I’ll bet if you hesitate it’s because it looks too complicated. Try this sure method, and see if you don’t have a success on your hands…and some really delicious icing!
As juicy and delicious as Tootsie Roll Pops are, I haven’t had one in about twenty years. My reason? One day I was enjoying my favorite flavor (chocolate) and I had gotten past the hard sucker part and was enjoying the Tootsie Roll in the middle when I felt something give way in my mouth. It was part of my tooth! I literally got sick to my stomach. Curious, my tongue felt the area of the strangeness and realized that I had just successfully pulled the crown off my tooth with the sticky candy.
I made an appointment at the dentist to have it repaired, but up until that time, that tooth was a source of much discomfort. When I ate, I had to chew on the other side of my mouth since that back tooth was now useless. I tried to keep any kind of food from floating to the broken tooth, to avoid any more decay or trouble. I totally overused the other teeth, just trying to avoid the one that was out of commission. I was so relieved after it got repaired and I could use it once again! However, my personal rule is – NO MORE TOOTSIE ROLL POPS!
When I recently read Proverbs 25:19, I was made to think back to my injured tooth incident. The verse reads,
Confidence in an unfaithful man (or woman) is like a broken tooth…
Why?
An unfaithful woman brings discomfort to others because she can’t be counted on. Things that should be done are left lacking, causing difficulty for everyone else.
An unfaithful woman can’t be used. She’s not trustworthy. She’s not ready.
An unfaithful woman is avoided. Why call and ask her to serve in a ministry or lead this or help with that…it’s better to find someone else. She’s made a name for herself.
But, like my tooth, an unfaithful woman can be “fixed!” Simply by seeing her sin of unfaithfulness, and confessing that to the Lord, God can equip and use her once again. Her life can be steady and sure, bringing eternal rewards One day at the Bema Seat!
I’m proud to say, that I know a woman who is NOT a broken tooth, but a faithful, solid trustworthy servant of the Lord. We just recently honored her at church; her name is Reva. She has served in our church nursery for over 45 years! You could count on her to be there! You could be sure she would let someone know if she was going to be out due to sickness or vacation. You could trust her to be a loving worker and doting on those babies. You could bank on her week in and week out!
She is moving away, and she will be missed greatly at Boones Creek Bible Church, but I know that wherever she attends church, she will carry her faithfulness with her! We love you, Reva! May your tribe of faithful women increase!!!
Are you considered faithful, or more like a broken tooth? It’s a question we all need to ask ourselves and our Savior.
Every time I start praying, my kitty, Liza comes and gets as close to me as she can. Yesterday it made me wonder if I’m as eager to get close to God in prayer as she is to be close to me!
I’m proud to say, that I know a woman who is NOT a broken tooth, but a faithful, solid trustworthy servant of the Lord. We just recently honored her at church; her name is Reva. She has served in our church nursery for over 45 years! You could count on her to be there! You could be sure she would let someone know if she was going to be out due to sickness or vacation. You could trust her to be a loving worker and doting on those babies. You could bank on her week in and week out!
