Uncategorized

What’s Cookin’ in someone else’s Parsonage?

I’ve mentioned here before that I have an identical twin sister. We share many things in common – one of them is a love for cooking! She’s a great cook, baker, and hostess. I’ve asked her to be my guest today and share with you, not only a recipe, but also her recipe blog.

Dianne writes:
What a special honor to be a guest on my sister’s blog! Interestingly enough, as identical twins, we are both pastor’s wives, we both live in parsonages, and we both enjoy cooking and having guests in our home. Our parents fostered a love for the Lord in all three of us girls, and our mother fostered a love for cooking for our families. Mom made ordinary days special and special days even more special—and she still does that to this day. Dinner after church was always a special meal served on the china and placed alongside a cloth napkin. I thought that was how everyone ate on Sundays. I learned differently as time went on.

You don’t have to have wealth or fine things to make dinner time special. What matters is sharing a meal with family and friends and time spent around the table after dinner talking and laughing. With an empty nest now, Sundays are very different for me and my husband. We now pastor in a congregation that is very connected to their family so we are often invited to gather at their table which is a joy. Occasionally, I have the privilege of cooking for guests on Sundays. Some days, like today, it is just me and my husband. But in “Mom-fashion” I try to make dinner as special for the two of us as it would have been had I had guests.

Something about sitting at the dining room table encourages lingering and conversation. So I encourage you to make Sundays special. By the way, Denise and I also have something else in common—we both have a blog. If you’re looking for a special recipe, I invite you to visit my blog: http://diannesrecipebox.blogspot.com/ Who knows? Maybe Denise can be my first guest blogger!

Here’s what was on our table today:

Elegant Chicken Rolls (recipe follows)
Rice Pilaf
Cole Slaw
Green Beans
Wheat Bread from the deli
One-Bowl Mocha Cake

Elegant Chicken Rolls
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4-6 ounces each)
4 ounces cream cheese softened
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2 T. fresh basil leaves snipped
1/2 t. coarsely ground black pepper
6 T. sweet roasted red peppers, drained, chopped
1 1/4 c. seasoned croutons, grated ((1 cup crumbs)
1 egg1 T. milk
12-18 large spinach leaves
6 ounces thinly sliced deli smoked ham

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Butterfly cut each chicken breast half by inserting tip of knife into thickest side of chicken then cutting lengthwise through middle of breast, almost through to the other side. Spread chicken breast open flat. Place each chicken breast between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Flatten chicken to 1/4 inch alternating pounding and rolling.
2. In small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, feta, basil and black pepper; set aside. Chop red peppers and drain on a paper towel. Place croutons in a plastic storage bag and finely crush. Combine egg and milk in another small mixing bowl.
3. For each chicken roll, cover chicken breast with single layer of spinach rolls, about 2 tbsp of the cheese mix, 1 tbsp of the red peppers and then one slice of the ham. Roll up, jelly-roll fashion,
4. Dip rolls in egg mixture then in crumbs. Place seam side down in a baking dish and bake for 35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing, Dianne! I hope you’ll check out her blog and try her chicken or cake recipe. You won’t believe it, but the cake recipe was found on Cooking Light. It is the most moist decadent chocolate cake you’ll eat…and hey, since it’s light you can have two pieces! =)

What did you have for dinner on Sunday?
Uncategorized

Stayed on Him

If someone asked you where you were staying, in what situation do you think the question was asked? You might be away on vacation and they want to know what motel you’re staying in. You might be on a weekend retreat at The Wilds and someone asks where you’re staying on the campsite. Are you staying in the duplexes? Are you staying in the inn? Those “stays” are usually short-lived. You can’t live at a resort after your week’s reservation is over (sad, huh?). And as much I always hate leaving The Wilds I eventually have to go home. My stay is over.

One morning his week I studied Isaiah 26:3 – Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. I thought on the verse all day and then that night I heard a message from a godly pastor and he was speaking about this same verse. He had shared with the congregation that his adult son has cancer. Then he said, “Where are you staying? Right now I know where I’m staying – I’m staying on Jesus!” He shared that he was having to rest on the Lord heavily and think upon Him while going through this trial. He was keeping his mind, his thoughts stayed on the Lord. Only then can peace saturate our hearts.

The trial won’t last forever, and even after it’s over, we can keep on staying on Jesus, keep on thinking on Him, keep on trusting in Him. As a matter of a fact, when it’s all said and done, you’ll find it easier to “stay” on Him because you’ve seen the benefits and the joy of staying with Him!

So, today – right at this moment, where are you staying? Are you fretting and worried, or are you staying on Jesus and enjoying the peace that only comes when you trust in Him? Your reservation is never over! Stay!

Uncategorized

The Place to Pray

Just imagine that someone very dear to you is in the hospital and awaiting surgery. You call your pastor and make him aware of your loved one’s condition and you ask if he would come and pray with the family before the surgery. He says he would be happy to do that.

The next morning before your loved one is wheeled to the operating room your pastor walks into the room. He looks around and surveys the situation. He sees that things are critical, that the family is very concerned, and that this could be a risky operation. Then he holds the hand of the patient and begins to pray for all the needs that he has just seen. Your pastor isn’t God, but his presence and his prayer comforts you and reminds you of the Truths of God’s Word as he prays Scripture. You’re so glad he came.

Now, let’s imagine that when you called him the day before to ask if he’d come and pray with the family before surgery he said instead, “You know, I can pray just as well at home. God will hear me whether I’m there at the hospital or here. Be assured that I will be praying for your loved one.”

Aside from being hurt by the response, what would be missing if the pastor prayed at home? He would have missed some of the details he saw when entering the hospital room – the seriousness of the situation or the worried looks on the faces of the family members. He wouldn’t have been able to reach out and hold the hand of the patient, or give a compassionate hug to the worried family members. They wouldn’t have been reminded of the truths in the pastor’s prayer. God indeed would have heard his prayer, but the pastor’s presence there in that hospital room had a great deal of effect on his own prayer and on those that heard it.

How often have you heard your pastor plead with you and the church to come to a prayer meeting? Perhaps it is a prayer meeting for upcoming revival. Perhaps it’s the pre-service prayer meeting, or even the regular Wednesday night service where we spend time in prayer. Have you ever said, “I can pray at home just as well and I will do that!”? Making the connection to the hospital room prayer, can you see what you may be missing by not praying together with other believers in the church where the services are going to take place?

  • You will miss the connection with the people. You won’t understand their immediate needs or be able to pray and encourage them with your prayer for them.
  • You will miss out on the specific needs. Once you gather in the church you may become more aware of the needs of the pastors, the lost that will gather there, with the teachers that will stand and proclaim the Word of God. Sometimes just being there will open your eyes of things to pray about. Your pastor is undergoing spiritual warfare! Someone needs to lift him up before the throne so he can preach the Word in its truth and power!
  • You will be more distracted.

These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication… Acts 1:14 Can we not gather together to pray for the needs “in the hospital room?” The needs are great. Will you meet us there?

Sunday morning 8:30 – Pre-service prayer meeting

Wednesday night 7:00 – Prayer meeting

Uncategorized

Refreshing Money Saving Tips

As I think about the name of my blog I think about the things that refresh me. One thing for sure is a good deal or saving money on needed items. A few weeks back I stopped at Walgreens for an item. As I walked towards the front of the store I noticed a cart with 5 pound bags of Domino Sugar. It grabbed my attention because: 1. I needed sugar and 2. it was on sale for $1.99. That’s not a bad price and it would save me a trip to the dreaded Walmart. I picked up a bag and headed to the cash register. When the girl gave me the total for my order I said, “I don’t think you charged me enough.” “Oh, it’s correct,” she replied. “The sugar is ringing up at eighty cents.” Making a dash to the cart I said, “I’ll take the other three bags that are over there!” Wow! That made my day! That sugar will take me through my holiday baking!

So, in an effort to refresh you readers that also love a good deal, I’d like to pass along a couple blogs that have been a blessing in helping me find good sales. One is Money Saving Mom. Not only does she tell you where you can find great prices, but she also shares her plans for cooking and baking ahead for her freezer and ways to save money all through the year.

Another favorite sight is for those of you that also live in the south. It is Southern Savers. I love her blog because she not only tells you about the sales but gives categorized lists for all the southern stores and posts links to coupons to go with the sale items, which can sometimes result in getting an item for FREE! If you need cheese for a lasagna and want to know where you can get it on sale you can type it into the search engine and it will tell you where to go for the best deal! You can also create a personal itemized list for each store where you want to shop! She takes all the hard work out of using the sale papers!

Aside from saving lots of money, I’ve also been able to avoid Walmart for the last couple of weeks, except to run in for a pharmacy item. I can handle that! I hope these blogs refresh you and help you to save some money! Happy shopping!
Uncategorized

The Faith of a Child

I heard a story yesterday that touched my heart so deeply. I have to share it with you here. Grab a tissue and read on…

My nephew’s six year-old son had heard about their church’s upcoming ministry to provide a Thanksgiving meal for the poor in their area and he wanted to help. Unbeknown to his parents he took his little money box to church with him this past Sunday and desired to give its contents to the church. Between the Sunday School hour and the preaching time Connor approached the pastor of their church and told him he had $7 dollars that he wanted to give for the Thanksgiving dinner. He lamented that it wasn’t very much, but he wanted to share it. The pastor inquired, “Are you sure you don’t want to keep this for yourself and buy something?”
“Oh no. I want to give it so the poor people can eat.”

During his message on “Little is much” the pastor called Connor to the platform to join him. Giving him a microphone he asked him to tell the folks what he’d brought to church with him. Conner replied,
“I brought $7 with me so the poor people could eat Thanksgiving dinner. I also have three stones in my box. They are real pretty; they came off my mom’s bracelet when it broke. I thought maybe the church could sell the stones and get some money for them.”

These stones were of no great value, but they seemed it to little Conner, and they were valuable to the Lord too…

The pastor asked Connor if he would pray. He did, 350 people in the auditorium not withstanding! At the end of the service two people approached the pastor and wanted to buy those stones. One was purchased for $20; the other for $100! God took that $7 and turned it into $127 because of the faith and the giving heart of a little boy that wanted to serve.

Wow! What a rebuke to my own heart. Am I willing to share what I have in such a generous way so that people’s needs can be met? Isn’t that what Christ did and what He calls us to do? Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Oh that we would be as willing to reach out, to care for the physical as well as the spiritual needs of others instead of being consumed with ourselves!

Is our faith as strong as this child’s? What is it that you’re needing today and for which you’re doubting God’s concern? He’s as concerned about your needs as He was in providing a buyer for Conner’s stones. Come to Him as a little child. Pour out your heart before Him and watch Him provide.

Thanks, Conner, for teaching your aunt a valuable lesson!