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"Lord, Don’t You Care?

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Last night I had the blessed privilege of teaching our monthly ladies’ Bible study. The title of the lesson was, “Lord, don’t you care?” How easy it is to ask that question at a time when we are overwhelmed by our circumstances.



When you consider the prophet Elijah, you see in I Kings 19 that as soon as he had experienced victory over the prophets of Baal, Jezebel made a threat on his life. After blessing comes battle! Now instead of trusting God, he had a


1.  Distracted Heart – A wrong focus made him run for his life! All he could see was Jezebel. He no longer saw his omnipotent God who had just sent fire from heaven. Martha in Luke 10 was distracted by her sister, Mary. I wonder – did Martha even hear Jesus and the disciples come in her home? Or was she so busy clanging her pots that she never heard his knock, the shuffle of their feet, their call of “Hellooooo?” What is distracting you from hearing Christ’s voice? He wants to speak to us each day, but we allow the distractions that the enemy sends to muffle the sound of His voice.


2.  Discouraged Heart – Wrong thinking made Elijah want to die. “What good am I anyway? Just take my life, God!” Elijah was thinking wrong thoughts. He was basically asking the question that Martha asked Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care?” Yes! God cared. We read in I Kings 18:46 that “the hand of the Lord was on Elijah.” Where God puts a period, let no man put a question mark. “Your hand is on me, Lord?” Elijah was thinking. “Then why is this woman chasing me?”


We do the same thing when we read, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” “You love me, Lord?” we ask. “Then why is this happening in my life?” We become discouraged when we don’t think right. Discouragement feeds off isolation. Elijah left his servant and went on alone into the wilderness. It is our inclination to isolate ourselves when we need fellowship the most. Many people will attend church and church functions less when they really need it more! God proved His love for us when He sent Christ to die for us. Romans 5:8 We really don’t need more proof, but because God deals with us and draws us with lovingkindness, He shows us His love through many means. The Lord may be using this simple devotional to remind you that He hasn’t forsaken you, and that He does love you!


Now Elijah falls into the last trap of the devil, that of a


3. Doubting Heart – Wrong beliefs made him doubt Truth. Elijah told God what He was thinking – “I’m the only one left!” Martha told the Lord what was on her heart too, “I am left alone to serve!” As we bow in prayer, we should tell the Lord what we’re thinking, so He can tell us the truth about our situation. The Lord told Elijah there were 7,000 that hadn’t bowed the knee to Baal. Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the better part. God asked Elijah in I Kings 19:9 “What are you doing here, Elijah?” The Lord asks us that too when we are doubting. “Why are you here? Why are you not believing the Truth? Are you believing that what you’re doing doesn’t count? That your children will never turn to the Lord? That God isn’t hearing your prayers? How did you get here? God hears the prayer of the righteous. He is not willing that any should perish! It is God that works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. That is the truth! We must stick around long enough to hear God answer us. Don’t bail out too soon!

Focus on the Lord.  Be encouraged.  Believe the truth!

Later this week I will post pictures of the demonstrations that made up the second half of our time together.  There were so many creative ideas…wait ’til you see!

With love,

dessert · main dish

What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?

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I love digging in my recipe box! I come across recipes, some clipped from magazines and newspapers over a span of thirty years, some handwritten, that I begged asked great cooks for. My box is as full as ol’ Santa’s belly after a Christmas Eve of cookies.  It’s almost like a little scrapbook of places we’ve lived and friends and family that are far away.  If I ever need inspiration for my weekly menu my box is the best place to start. 


I found this great recipe in my recipe files last week.  It came from a dear friend I met at family camp at The Wilds many years ago.  This is the perfect main dish for Sunday because you cover it then bake it for 2 hours with no stirring or fussing needed.  That’s why it’s called No Peek Chicken!  It’s super fast to put together too, which is great for a busy Sunday morning!


No Peek Chicken


4-6 Chicken breasts, cut in quarters (you can also use a cut-up fryer)
1 small box of wild grain brown rice (original)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of broccoli soup
1 can water


Place chicken pieces in bottom of a glass baking dish.  Mix rice, soup and water.  Pour over breasts, then sprinkle with the spice packet from the box of rice.  Cover with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours.  No peeking!


Alli was home for Thanksgiving and got into a “baking mood” over the weekend.  She had found a wicked brownie recipe online that she wanted to try.  These are  chocolate and peanut butter heaven!  Oh my!  Here’s the recipe:


Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies – adapted from The Food Network




Brownie Layer:


1/2 cup unsalted butter


2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 cup sugar


2 large eggs


1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


1/2 teaspoon baking powder


1/2 teaspoon salt


3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks




Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Layer:


1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened


1/2 cup packed light brown sugar


2 tablespoons milk


1/2 cup creamy peanut butter


1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


1/2 teaspoon salt


Ganache Layer:


3/4 cup dark chocolate chips


1/4 cup heavy whipping cream


1/4 cup coarsely chopped salted peanuts, optional


Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8-inch pan with cooking spray.


Brownies: microwave the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a microwavable bowl at high power until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Stir until combined, then mix in the vanilla extract. Meanwhile, beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and add in the chocolate mixture. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt and chocolate chunks. Spread the brownie mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake until the brownies are set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean, about 22 to 28 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.


Peanut butter cookie dough: Add the butter and brown sugar to a large bowl and mix until creamy. Mix in the milk and the peanut butter, then stir in the flour and salt. Spread the peanut butter cookie dough evenly over the cooled brownies.


Ganache: In a small microwavable bowl, microwave the dark chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream, uncovered, on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Continue stirring until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Spread the ganache over the peanut butter layer and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts. Refrigerate until the dough and ganache are set, about 1 hour. Cut into 16 squares and arrange on a serving platter to serve.


Now, if that’s too fattening, here’s a low-fat recipe Alli tried.  I doubt you could find a simpler brownie recipe!  These only have two ingredients!  They’re moist and chocolaty!


Devilish Pumpkin Brownies (you won’t taste the pumpkin!)





1 Box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1 15 oz can pumpkin (not pie mix)


Mix these two ingredients and place into greased or paper-lined tins.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 min.  Check center with toothpick.


That’s some of what’s been cooking in my parsonage.  I’ll bet something tasty has been cooking in yours too!  Have you tried a new recipe, or revisited an old one that you hadn’t made in a while?  I’d love to hear about it!


From my parsonage kitchen,

Refreshment

Freshen Up Friday

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Congratulations!  You survived Thanksgiving!  Are you worn out from the preparations or the travel, shopping and visiting of it all?  What you need is rest.  Easier said than done, huh?.  I know.  But with the holiday in full swing now, we all need to make sure we’re getting adequate rest. 

To refresh your body and prepare for the even busier days ahead, why not schedule an early bedtime in the next night or so?  Write it in on your calendar if you need to.  With it getting dark so early now, it’s easy to pull on some comfy pajamas, and get into bed at least by 9:00.  Make the bed cozy with pillows to prop up in so you can read for a while, or watch a good Christmas DVD before you nod off.  If you have little ones, this shouldn’t be harder for you than those that don’t have young children.  Put them to bed, then head there yourself!

You’ll be a better woman in the morning for having gotten some extra winks.  The dark circles will be less visible and you will feel rested and of course…refreshed!

See you in church Sunday!

With love,

Family life

A Peek Inside the Parsonage

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Books were a very integral part of my growing up years, therefore, when I became a mother, I wanted my children to also have a love of good books.  I began reading to my girls very early in their lives – as a matter of fact, I read to them before they were born! 

When they were infants, I would hold my girls in my lap, a book in front of them, and read the story while letting them see the pictures.  Hence, both of my daughters have grown up with a love for reading.  We read at playtime, after supper, before bedtime, and often several times in-between!

There is one book that we read for many years and was always associated with Thanksgiving; it was,  Amy’s Goose, written by Efner Tudor Holmes and illustrated by the infamous illustrator, Tasha Tudor.   It is the story about a flock of geese that come each fall to the same farm as they are headed south for the winter. The little girl, Amy, that lives there, has come to consider these geese as “her geese.”  She could hardly wait for their return each year.

“Dinner seemed to Amy to be taking unusually long.  Ordinarily she loved sitting there in the dining room with all three of them together, and the candles casting soft shadows on the warm wood-paneled walls.  The room smelled of freshly baked apple and pumpkin pies.  But Amy’s thoughts were with the geese out on the moonlit lake.  Her geese, she thought.  They had remembered, and had come back to her again!”

This little girl finds that one goose is sick and nurses it back to health, then struggles to decide whether to keep it on the farm or let it be free.  It is a sweet story of love and surrender.

I can’t resist each Thanksgiving of getting out our copy of Amy’s Goose and setting it on the coffee table. It speaks as loudly of family time for the Cunningham’s as Tom Turkey in the middle of the dining room table does for others.   As we sat together in those early years to pour over the pictures and words of our books, we were also pouring into one another’s lives, and it knit our hearts together in a way that no other form of media really could. 

Though the story tells of love and surrender, when I see Amy’s Goose, I think of love and togetherness, because that’s what that book and many, many others created in our parsonage home.

Do you have memories of reading in your childhood years? What are some of your favorites?

From inside the parsonage,