Let Them See The Light!

August 1, 2013July 24, 2015 RefreshHerLeave a comment

As I was studying my Sunday school lesson this week, a memory popped into my mind. It was that of our laundry room that was in the house we lived in when I was a teenager. It was a basement laundry room, and there were no windows in it. It was dark. Very, very dark. I remember not even being able to see my hand in front of me when someone (honestly can’t remember who) turned the light out on me. Even as a teenager, it was creepy! I inched my way toward where I thought the door was and found the light switch and turned it on. The darkness was gone. Did the light change the room itself? No, but thankfully, it made the darkness disappear!

The illustration in our lesson reminded us that the light doesn’t change the room; it simply dispels the darkness. It makes the darkness disappear. In a much greater way, when Christ lives His life in us, the darkness of our sin nature is gone and Christ is seen instead. Oh, how I long for that to be true in my life!

I want the dark, ugly nature to be replaced by Christ’s love.
I want His kindness to cover my indifference.
I desire His gentleness to outshine my impatience.

How does that happen? It takes place when I yield myself to Him. I must ask for His Spirit to fill and control me. I must obey His Word instead of the pull of my flesh.

I wonder how dark we look to the world around us? Or is it obvious that Christ dwells within us because that Old nature is dispelled by the Light of the world? Oh, may it be so!

How have you seen Christ’s light in others?

With love,

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A Peek Inside the Parsonage

July 31, 2013July 26, 2015 RefreshHer8 Comments

A Peek Inside the Parsonage has been my post every Wednesday for a long time now. However, I’m going to have to come up with a new name because…

We’re moving out of the parsonage; we’ve bought our own home!

I had shared with you recently that we were looking at houses, and we finally landed on the one pictured above, after months of looking, waiting for my mother-in-law’s condo to sell, and all those details to get in line. We are beyond excited! Our closing date is set for August 23rd, so as you can imagine, there’s lots of planning, packing and preparing going on inside the parsonage right now.

What is so exciting is how the Lord has brought us to a house that has virtually everything we wanted:

An office space
Both a living room and a family room
Large open space for entertaining
Three bedrooms
A view of the mountains
Space between us and our neighbors – we will have a little more than an acre here!
Quiet – Country life doesn’t get any better!

This is an answer to a ten-year prayer request. I knew God would answer, I just didn’t know how or when. As He has promised in His Word, He did it “exceeding, abundantly above!” We are praising the Lord for answering the longing of our hearts, and we are excited about using this new home to be able to serve Him in an even greater way.

I write these Wednesday posts to give you a little look at what is happening in our lives and ministry, and also at what it’s like to live in the pastor’s home. Do you have a suggestion for a new name for these entries? I have a few weeks to come up with a new name, and would love and welcome your suggestions!

From the parsonage windows (for a few more weeks),

Christian growth

Religion: Checked Out

July 30, 2013July 26, 2015 RefreshHerLeave a comment

Have you seen these Little Free Libraries? This one is my mom’s in central Kentucky. It’s a great idea!

Her library reminds me of a very ambitious boy, 10 years of age, who saw the need for a library in his small community and took it upon himself to open one. We, the television audience, were receiving a tour of his very adequate library. As he got to each different section, he would explain what kind of books were on those particular shelves. He reached a rather small bookcase and said, “And here in this section is all my religion.”

How interesting…isn’t that how many Christians categorize their spiritual life? “Here in this section of my life is my religion.” Their “religion” is never brought over into every fiber of their daily living. It’s “checked out” on Sunday morning for its need and then put back on the shelf until it’s needed again. Next time, perhaps a family crisis, discovery of a terminal illness, or the death of a loved one will be the situation when they will wisely draw on the “religious section” once again.

How could we think that we can grow, much less survive int his world without a vital relationship with the Lord? Robery Lowry penned it this way, “I need Thee, O I need Thee, Ev’ry hour I need Thee, O bless me now, my Savior – I come to Thee.”

We must daily come to the Lord to grow and mature as a believer so that we may be ready for the crisis times when they come. Psalm 73:24 says, Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel.” In every decision we make through the day, great or small, we must look to the Lord for His counsel. Without His wisdom, (His Word), we’re left up to our own helpless resources. But when “my flesh and my heart fails, God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Verse 26) Verse 28 goes on, “But it is good for me to draw near to God. I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.”

Surely, drawing near to the Lord daily is “good.” We learn of His attributes, His promises, His help, and His presence on an hour by hour, moment by moment basis. Instead of having only a “religious section” on our shelves, let’s live with our spirituality infiltrated into every area of our lives, guiding and blessing us. Let’s keep our spirituality always “checked out!”

Has your walk with God been fresh and vital today or is it distant? Draw nigh to Him and He will draw nigh to you! James 4:8

With love,

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What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?

July 29, 2013July 26, 2015 RefreshHer2 Comments

Over the weekend I made a heartier breakfast. I whipped up these Bacon & Egg Toast Cups that I posted about here. I had failed to add it to my recipe index, but that has been corrected! These are so quick and so good. If you haven’t tried them, you must. The protein in those little guys kept me going until beyond 1:00! That’s really unusual for me!

I love it when I find a recipe I want to make that week and realize I already have all the ingredients for it in my kitchen! Such was the case when I saw Pioneer Woman make a shrimp and pasta dish on her show. I had purchased a large bag of shrimp at Sam’s and had one serving left of it in the freezer. All the other ingredients are pretty much staples (except heavy whipping cream, but I had used part of it for another recipe). This is one of those OUTSTANDING company’s coming kind of recipes! Here it is. My name for it is different than hers; I call it Shrimp and Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce.

Shrimp and Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
3/4 pounds Penne Pasta – I used the pasta I had on hand.
1 pound Shrimp
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Onion (small)
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 cup White Wine, Or To Taste ( I used chicken broth)
1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Fresh Parsley, to taste
Fresh Basil – To Taste
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions:
Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.

Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite–sized pieces and set aside.

Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).

Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.

Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

Serve this with some nice bread and you will be all set! This is a 5 Star recipe, I promise!

What was cooking in your kitchen this last week?

From my parsonage kitchen,

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Freshen Up Friday

July 26, 2013July 26, 2015 RefreshHer3 Comments

Freshen up something at home:

It’s amazing to stop and notice the little things that can be overlooked around the house.The other day I put my hand on the door knob and took a minute to “look” at the door. Yikes! There were fingerprints everywhere. I got a soapy rag and made my rounds to all the doors in the house, giving them all a little wipe down. What a lovely difference that made!

How about taking a walk through your house sometime today and taking a look. Freshen up the door by giving it a cleaning them with a Clorox rag or just good ol’ soap and water.

Freshen up your weekend breakfast:

This yummy blueberry coffee cake was made by a great cook in our church, Jane. She brought it to our Sunday morning fellowship last week and I was fortunate enough to get the last crumbs on the plate! It’s really moist and has a nice crunchy sugar topping. This would be a great Saturday/Sunday breakfast! Jane was sweet enough to share her recipe with me:

Best Blueberry Coffee Cake – It lives up to its name!

Ingredients:

Crumb Topping
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

Coffee Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I usually use ones straight from my freezer, without thawing them)

Heat oven to 375°F. Grease bottom and side of 9×3-inch springform pan or 9-inch square pan. In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour and the cinnamon. Cut in butter with fork until crumbly. Set aside.

In large bowl, stir together all coffee cake ingredients except blueberries; beat with spoon 30 seconds. Fold in blueberries. Spread batter in pan. Sprinkle with topping.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Cut and enjoy!
(Adapted from a Betty Crocker Recipe)

Freshen Up your spiritual life: