The Sea of Galilee



There are already several blessings about this trip.  One is that I really had never desired to go to the Holy Land before this year.  However, I did a Bible study in the early spring of this year in Mark and John about Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee.  As I was studying this I met a friend who had been to Israel.  She explained the geography of the area and why storms would sweep down on the waters so quickly.  I went to my computer and watched videos of the sea and my heart began to wonder what it would be like to get to travel there and see it all myself.  My heart had connected with this place in a way I’ve never experienced before.  I had NO IDEA that the Lord was going to move in the hearts of our church to send us on this trip.  I see now that He was preparing me.

I had the privilege to go to Spain in 2008.  I loved the trip, but I didn’t enjoy the flight so much.  As a matter of a fact, the tight quarters on the air bus really worked me over.  I’ve claimed to be claustrophobic in the past and it seems to have gotten worse.  However, I’ve been reading God is More Than Enough recently and the Lord has brought to my heart that He is more than enough for my “phobia”.  When did He bring this to my mind?  Before we learned we were being sent to Israel.  Again, I know that He is preparing me. 

God is so good, providing in His grace what I do not deserve.  I truly do not deserve this blessing bestowed on us by our church, but I know that this is His will and that He will use this in our personal lives and our ministry.  I’m excited!  I’m going to be praying about how the Lord would have my heart prepared before I go.  What should I study?  What passages would He have me memorize?  What do I need to brush up on before learning all our guide will tell us?  Will you be praying with me about these things?  I know that He will be more than enough!

If you’re a member of BCBC, let me say thank you for this investment.  My husband and I pray that the Lord will bless our church abundantly for their kindness to us.  We love each of you!

Because of His grace,

A weekend like July 4th calls for some good ol’ American favorites.  Down South one of those favorites is barbequed anything!  I got a package of pork ribs on sale at Ingles this week, so I put them in the crock pot for Sunday dinner.  I found a new sauce to try, so I made that and poured it over top of the meat, turned it on low and left for church.  They were too done for my liking, but as long as they were covered with the sauce they were okay. It’s not the fault of the sauce as much as it was my timing the meat in the slow cooker.  It cooks faster than I’m used to, and I still haven’t figured it out! 

I served couscous as a side dish instead of potatoes or rice.  We really like it; it’s a nice change!  I added almonds instead of the pine nuts that the recipe calls for.  I halved the recipe and it still made more than we needed, so I’ve frozen it for future use!  My new favorite thing is corn on the cob with Parmesan cheese.  It is sooooo good!

My table wasn’t patriotic, because my husband had brought home the beautiful bouquet pictured above on Saturday (he’s so sweet), and it had  lavendar and pink flowers, so I stuck with that color theme on the table.  But my shelf pictured above is red, white and blue, so we had the flavor of the holiday in the room! 

I added a little sprig of Thyme inside the fold of the cloth napkin.  I’d seen a picture in a magazine with mint tied onto a napkin and thought it looked so fresh and summery.  I have several pots of thyme, and love the smell, so I simply folded the top layer of the napkin up to create a pocket, and tucked the herb inside.

Summertime and ants.  They’re synonymous, arent’ they?  I heard someone say recently, “I can’t rid of these pests!  They keep coming into my kitchen!” 

The Lord talk about ants, but it’s really not in a negative way.  Here’s what He has to say about them:

• Prepare now for eternity!  Today is the day of salvation.  Joy and peace are ours when we’re secure of a home in heaven.
• Plan and prioritize my day listing the things that need to be done.  Nothing will be forgotten if it’s written down!
• Prepare desserts, frozen salads, breads and main dishes and put them in the freezer.  They’ll be ready for guests I may have, or to share with someone who needs a meal.
• Look ahead for birthdays and anniversary cards.  This will mean no more late greetings! 
• Buy ahead for Christmas.  My budget will be lower when I buy things on sale throughout the year.
• Prepare ahead for Sunday school.  A calmer weekend and a happy Sunday school class will result!
• Plan ahead for ladies’ ministry events.  More people can be involved in helping and attending if they know what’s coming up.
• Using the summer fruits and vegetables God provides for me, can or freeze for the winter months.  This will give us summer fruits and veggies even in the wintertime!

See you in church Sunday!

With love,

I have no idea why I’m always tempted to try a new recipe for company or an important event.  The one thing I do know is that this started very early in my marriage.  We had only been married for a month, when I decided I would celebrate our first month anniversary with a knock-it-out dinner for my new husband.  I was taking Good Housekeeping Magazine at the time and had found some recipes with pictures that looked like the perfect choice for a menu that would “wow” him! 

Thirty years later, the recipe name alone would be enough to make me flip the page in horror, but the picture of the dish looked colorful and appealing so I fell went for it.  What did I make?  Lasagna Broccoli Roll-Ups!  I know, it’s a nasty combination.  Live and learn.  Let me describe the dish – you take a cooked lasagna noodle and place a mixture of broccoli and Ricotta Cheese on  it, then you roll it up and place it in a baking dish.  A spaghetti sauce is poured over all and it’s then placed in the oven to bake until it’s bubbly.  In my memory it looked good.  Tasting it was another story.

My husband came to the candlelit table that was set with our wedding china and crystal.  We eagerly spooned the dish onto our plates and took a bite.  Oh my goodness.  It was DRY.  That Ricotta Cheese was expanding in our mouths like a sponge.  My husband’s description of it (later) was, “Have you ever had something in your mouth that got bigger the longer you chewed it?”  He was a perfect gentleman, not saying anything, but dutifully chewing, smiling and nodding.  What relief came across his face when he heard me say, “This is terrible.  Let’s just eat the salad and bread!”  We did just that.  I’ve been terrified of recipes since then that call for Ricotta Cheese, though I’m sure not all are bad.  It’s just too scary to even try!  It would be like returning to the scene of the crime! 
Do you have an ingredient that you’re afraid to eat or cook with because of a bad experience? 

From the kitchen of my parsonage,

What would the children of a perfect family look like?  We’ll never know, because there are none.  Even where things look perfect, there are two sinners who marry, and with the vows made on their wedding day, they bring all kinds of cargo (emotions, habits, & natures) with them that they will have to deal with.  But what about a broken home, or family where only the wife is a child of God?   It is certainly harder, but His Word is full of instruction to guide us in helping our family honor Him – no matter the makeup.

I was reminded of this truth yesterday when I read Acts 16:1 – Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: This is a family divided; Timothy’s mother was a believer, his father, it seems, was not.  We would gasp, shake our heads and grimace at the chance their son had to turn out to be a Christian, like his mother and grandmother.  But he did trust Christ! 

Timothy didn’t just trust Christ – he became a right-hand man to Paul.  Paul said of him in Philippians 2:19-22 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.  Timothy was a rare breed of young men.  He was a man who was faithful, dependable, and a servant of Jesus Christ, spite the fact that his mother trained him spiritually without the assistance of her husband. 

My point is this – if you are married to an unbeliever, or a man weak in the faith, or have no man at all in your child’s picture, God will equip you to train your child for Him.  Your little one isn’t a “lost cause.”  God has a plan for his/her life, and He can and will enable you to have wisdom, strength and grace to lead him/her to the Lord.  May you be like Timothy’s mother, Eunice who Paul said had “unfeigned, (sincere) faith”.  She lived out  a wonderful testimony of faith and obedience before her son, and that helped him to follow the same path for his own life.

You live like Eunice, and watch your child turn out like Timothy.

With prayers for you,