Christian Life

Sufficient Grace

RefreshHer3 Comments

Startled. That was the look in his eyes.

My husband and I hadn’t been married long before I lovingly made him an apple pie, cut a slice of it and put it in front of him. Then I got the look – the startled one. He looked at the pie, then at me in disbelief. Then he said, “Hon, from now on please cut me a slice bigger than an 1/8!” Clearly this was not sufficient for his appetite. I grew up in a family of small eaters and 1/8 was always enough for us. I learned my lesson and have increased his portion size!

Last night at prayer meeting we read II Corinthians 12:9 – And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. It was explained that the word sufficient means enough. God’s grace will always be enough for every trial we’re going through. It will be portioned out for each person, for each need, and it will not fall short of being sufficient. It won’t be 1/8 of his grace when we need “the whole pie!” We will never have to look at the Lord in prayer and be startled that He only gave us a small amount.

It is enough. Always. For every need.

How have you experienced His grace?

Because of His sufficient grace,

P.S. Thank you to those of you who participated yesterday! I’ve learned from you and am taking note of the books mentioned, as well as your comments.

Uncategorized

Noteworthy Wednesday

RefreshHer10 Comments

I like change; ask my husband. He never knows what he’s going to find when he comes home. For starters I like to change – the placement of the furniture, accessories in my decor, the rings on my phone, my menu, and the background picture on my computer!

I’m also going to change things up on Wednesdays here on my blog. I’d like to try a little experiment. I know someone is reading this at least fairly regularly, and I thank you, and am humbled that you’d spend a few minutes of your busy days to do so! Can I call on you to participate on Wednesdays? I’d love to have you share some of the best things you’ve seen, read, tasted, tried, heard, purchased, etc. I think it’s so helpful to go on a cooking website and read the reviews of the recipes. It really makes me determine whether I’m going to try it or not. In the same sort of way, I thought it would be helpful to one another if we shared noteworthy things on Wednesdays.

For starters today, would you please share the best devotional book you’ve done/read? Even if you see that someone else has already mentioned it, please share it again on your comment. If you are not a blogger and want to comment, then just choose the name/url option & simply write your name in. Let’s encourage and refresh one another by participating together on this!

Thanks ahead of time for taking time to leave a comment! You will, won’t you? 🙂

Under His feathers,

Speech

Don’t Be a Doeg

RefreshHer1 Comment

When I taught elementary school before my girls were born, I used to tell the parents on our first meeting, “If you don’t believe everything your child says about me, I won’t believe everything they tell me about you!” Children can say some pretty startling things – but it’s seen through their young perspective, and hence, is not always accurate. We can see how a child can misunderstand and then tell things they really shouldn’t, but what happens when an adult misinterprets, then goes running to find someone they can tell? They become like Doeg.

Doeg is found in I Samuel 21-22. In this chapter we read about David running away from Saul. He’s fearful for his life, and rightly so! Saul has just tried to nail him to the wall with his spear! David goes to Nob and seeks help from the priest, Ahimelech. The priest gives David bread and also Goliath’s sword (I’d say David earned it, wouldn’t you?). In verse 7 we read, “Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.” I can only imagine David’s thoughts when he saw that Doeg had seen him…”Oh, no! There’s that busybody Doeg! He’s sure to go running to Saul and tell him of my whereabouts!”

That is precisely what Doeg did. When Saul had his men gathered together to scold them for not helping him find David, Doeg gets his chance to speak up. Here’s what we read in chapter 22 – Saul said, “…is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. ” Doeg is of he personality that I imagine he couldn’t wait to share this juicy little bit of information! This news infuriates Saul and he orders all the priests to be killed. None of the footmen would do it, so Doeg jumps in to carry out Saul’s cruel wishes.

Doeg left a bad taste in many people’s mouths with his actions. One person that records what Doeg was like is David. In Psalm 52 he gives a detailed description of him. It’s also a list of what we need to steer clear of if we’re to have a life that honors the Lord. Here’s what a person is like if they’re like Doeg:

  1. They dwell on mischief rather than God’s goodness. Ps 52:1,2 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

  2. They love evil news more than good news. V. 3a Thou lovest evil more than good

  3. They tell lies instead of the truth. V 3b (Thou lovest) lying rather than to speak righteousness.

  4. They enjoy devouring words rather than those that build up V. 4 Thou lovest all devouring words…

It can be real easy to feel smug and say that we’d never do what Doeg did! Murder God’s servants? No way! But if we

  • talk more about people in a negative light than in a positive one, we’re being a Doeg!
  • enjoy hearing some juicy information about someone, if our ears lean in to hear some evil report, we’re being a Doeg!
  • pass on things that we shouldn’t be sharing (even if it’s true, is it necessary to tell?), we’re being a Doeg!

These are thoughts that the Lord brought to my mind recently as I studied this passage. Yes, they are convicting thoughts. If we’re honest, we’d all admit to being a Doeg on occasion (and once is too often!). It’s a sin. It displeases the One who created our mouths. My prayer is that instead of being like a child who blurts out whatever I’ve heard or have seen, the Lord will “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3 I don’t want to be a Doeg! How about you?

Grateful for forgiveness,

Cooking

What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?

RefreshHer2 Comments
There are mixed emotions at our house. One the one hand there is sadness…camp is over for our daughter, Alli and she’s missing it already. Then there is also joy…camp is over for Alli and we have her home for a couple weeks! See what I mean? It’s all about perspective! 🙂
We also had the joy of having a friend of Alli’s, Yvette, join us for the weekend. She was also a waitress at The Wilds this summer, and the two girls worked and served hard together. It was a blessing to get to know this sweet girl, who also has a heart for the Lord.
She and Alli had plans to spend some time in Asheville on their way home from camp Saturday, but that all changed when Yvette’s car kept dying! Thank the Lord for a Dad that came to the rescue (my husband!). It was a reminder that we can make plans, but our God is in control. It also reminded me that the Lord answers our prayers as we pray for the safety of our children.
They made it home safely, albeit much later than we’d all planned, tired and hot (no air conditioning in the car). However, I had dinner prepped and ready. After showers and a glass of cold iced tea, we had supper Saturday night. Later this week I’ll share this recipe, but it was amazing. It was Brazilian Grilled Steak with Artichoke Salsa. It was fresh tasting and so very good!

Here was Sunday dinner:

Pork Tenderloin w/Herb Glaze
Mashed Potatoes
Steamed broccoli w/almonds
Crescent Rolls
Chocolate Lava Cakes with Pistachio Cream

I searched for a new Sunday entree’ and found this on an amazing blog – Once Upon a Plate. I could spend hours on there searching for new recipes to try! This Pork Tenderloin was a fast dish both to prepare and to bake.
1 or 2 pork tenderloin (12 to 16 ounces or so, each ) OR 6 (8-10 ounce) Pork chops
1 Tablespoon Herbs de Provence (recipe to follow)
Salt and cracked black pepper
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Glaze:
1/3 cup honey
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small shallot, chopped
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
Sea salt
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

To prepare the pork: Rub meat (tenderloin or chops) with herbs and salt and black pepper. Heat olive oil in a very large pan until smoking hot. Add the meat and sear well on all sides (if using chops sear both sides, turning once.

Mix the honey (or agave syrup), garlic, mustard, shallots, lemon juice and zest, and pinch sea salt. Pour over the meat and place in the oven and cook until meat reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat.Remove meat to platter or plates. Place the pan on stove top over medium heat and bring to a boil add the butter and adjust the seasonings. Pour over sliced tenderloin or chops and serve hot. (Alternately offer the glaze at the table to allow each diner to add their own.)

This is a Cooking Light version of the famous (and very fattening) Lava Cakes. It is very good, though I’m still tweaking the cooking time to make it gooey in the center. These are Chocolate Lava Cakes with Pistachio Cream. They are a little time consuming, but you could easily prep them early in the day. They only bake for 9 minutes, so it was nice to pop them in the oven when supper was finished and have a warm cake to serve!

Later this week I’ll also share the recipe for these muffins – a new one for me. I served these for Sunday morning breakfast. They were full of blueberries and baked up better than other recipes I’ve tried. Usually the topping sinks down into the muffin, but these stayed high and pretty!

Herbes de Provence is a blend of herbs native to the Provence region in southern France where the fresh herbs are gathered from the mountain sides to use in traditional dishes. Rosemary, thyme and bay leaf are the base for the blend-without these it is not herbes de Provence. From there basil, lavender and fennel are added. In France, lavender is only added in very small amounts and sometimes excluded.

Here is a very basic blend that can be mixed, although each cooks adds her or his own touch to the blend which changes it slightly.

Dry herb Ingredients:
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon marjoram
1 tablespoon summer savory
1 tablespoon thyme
1 crushed bay leaf
1 teaspoon lavender
1 teaspoon fennel

Mix together and keep in a covered container.

It was a busy weekend in my kitchen! What was cooking in yours?

Christian Life

The Picture of a Man Out of Fellowship With God

RefreshHer3 Comments

I love the descriptions that are painted for us in the Scriptures. We are often given little details that really give us a mental picture of the person in that passage, or of the situation as it unfolds. Yesterday I read I Samuel 22 and was enamoured by the clear portrait of a man who was out of fellowship with God; the man was Saul.

In this chapter Saul learns that David has slipped out of his fingers once again and had even been aided by the priest, Ahimelech. Saul is so angered by this that he pulls his men together. He is standing underneath a tree giving his men a lecture all the while the Scripture says, “having his spear in his hand.” I wonder if he was showing the sharpness of the blade while he spoke his angry words to them. Was he threatening them with this gesture? My speculation is that he was.

I won’t take the time to describe the whole story, you can read it here. But what I saw as I read the passage was what a person acts like or looks like when he’s out of fellowship with God. I’m not sure if Saul was truly a believer, but even if he was, the first sign of a man out of fellowship with the Lord is that he:

  1. imitates an unbeliever

  2. becomes self-sufficient vs. 6

  3. judges incorrectly and jumps to conclusions vs. 7, 8

  4. is selfish vs. 8b

  5. will try to persuade others to join their ungodly ways vs 8c

  6. will have close companions that are also ungodly vs. 9, 10

  7. will be arrogant vs. 11

  8. will not listen to the truth or be reasonable vs 14, 15

  9. will make poor/ungodly decisions Vs. 16

  10. will despise godly people and will do anything to avoid them. Vs. 17

A person doesn’t have to have all those characteristics in their life (as Saul did) to be out of fellowship with God. They may have only 2 or 3 of the ten listed. We need to look at our own hearts carefully and see of any if these are a part of our lives at this time. If so, we can repent (I John 1:9) and be restored before we begin to look like this description. If someone read this list, would they think of me? Of you? Or would they find us in this list…

  1. Love

  2. Joy

  3. Peace

  4. Long suffering

  5. Gentleness

  6. Goodness

  7. Faith

  8. Meekness

  9. Temperance

Oh, may it be so!

Have a great weekend and I’ll look for you in church!