An Encouragement to Spring

May the flowers bloom

May the rain drops cease

and May the sandals come out! :)

♫ "How Deep The Fathers Love For Us" - Phillips, Craig, & Dean ♫

Written by Stuart Townend: here's the story behind the hymn--

http://www.stuarttownend.co.uk/songs/storybehindthesongs/howdeepthefatherslove

Newest grandson/nephew

Profile resembles his big brother--
praise the Lord he looks healthy!

Gluten Free Brownies

At first I thought yuk! Beans in a dessert? No way! Then I read the responses of those who had tried this recipe and all was positive and that got my curiosity up. So the best way to find out for myself was to try it out. Since I can't have dairy I used the coconut oil instead of butter & instead of sugar I used the honey and I added nuts. I'm sure the choc. chips would be yummy too but most have milk in them. These are fudge-like and delicious! You should do an experiment on your family and see what they think. I bet they won't be able to guess the secret ingredient! (Got the recipe from here )

• 2 cups black beans (or 1 can of no salt added, rinsed and drained)
• 3 lightly beaten eggs
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil (or melted butter)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I like the dark powder)
  
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey (or other equivalent sweetener) (next time I want to try palm sugar!)
• 1/2 cup chopped up bittersweet chocolate (or semi-sweet chips if you don’t mind the added refined sugar in them)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts -optional

Making these could NOT be simpler. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8×8 pan. Toss all but the final 2 ingredients (the chopped up chocolate and walnuts) into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Fold in the chopped chocolate and walnuts. Pour into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

What Are Your 2011 Goals?

Maybe you have a goal in 2011 to get more exercise, but what is your number 1 goal for this year? Is it the same as Paul's in Philippians 1:21?

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

How is this accomplished? I was inspired to write a few thoughts after hearing my husband's message this past week.

As Christians, we should have the goal to live for Christ, and we are not alone as individuals in this endeavor. God has placed us in a family of believers called the Church. He expects us to gather with one another on a regular basis. (Hebrews 10: 24-25) By faith, Christ is at the center of our gatherings.

What does Jesus' church look like? She worships and glorifies God and enjoys Him forever. She builds the Kingdom of God. Thankfully Christ's gates are strong enough to withstand the darts of the enemy. Jesus said, ... I will build My church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. Worship is the offense against the gates of Hades. The enemy can only be silent as we give our worship to God.

As we enter into worship we are brought into a heavenly company of angels and to the assembly of the firstborn in heaven and the just men made perfect. (Hebrews 12:22) We have been transformed, as those who have gone before us, from the worship of idols to the worship of God through the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a time of rejoicing in all the Lord has done for us. We have to put aside all the sins that entangle us and look to the One who has redeemed us. By faith we are lifted up into the the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Hebrews 12:22-23

When we gather together each week and are brought into the worship of God with the heavenly hosts, it's as if we get to go to heaven. Who would want to miss out on heaven? We are a part of the Kingdom of God now and Christ is the King. It is not something we have to wait for later - it is happening now! We must look with anticipation to entering into the joy of going to heaven each Sunday! It should be the highlight of our week - the beginning of a new week to serve the Lord.

Our Sunday worship connects us to the rest of our week where we live out the goal of living for Christ. We continue in that Sunday dialog with God as we work, sing, pray, read the Bible, and serve others. It continues in a cycle as we again look forward to gathering with God's people and dialog once more - God speaks His Word (He initiates - He calls us) and we respond in faith with recitations, singing, giving, listening, and prayer- it's our work. Someday our worship will be made perfect when Christ returns- we must be ready and practised up for that glorious day!

May God be glorified as we enter into heaven each Lord's Day in 2011, and may that worship carry us through living for Him each week and into eternity!

Christmas Tradition

I was told to post something, so here is what I've come up with. ;)

My family has a tradition about Christmas trees. I don't know who's idea it was, but it has been carried out pretty regularly every Christmas. We don't get a Christmas tree till the week of Christmas. In some ways it's nice: Cheaper tree, more anticipation, less pine needles. One downfall is when we get asked about it. "So how is your Christmas tree?" "Um, I'm sure it's nice, sitting in the lot where we are going to buy it from."

This year I tried to break the tradition. I really did. "Hey, Mom that looks like a good Christmas tree!" "Oh, yeah." Well, it's December 15 and we still do not have a tree. It's looking like the tradition will hold. That's okay though. Every family has a tradition and that's ours.

Isaiah 55:12
"You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands."

Happy Birthday milestones!

Last month my oldest son turned 30 and today my youngest is turning 18. These two sons have been a blessing to the family in many ways and I'm truly thankful for them!

It makes me think how much, as a mother, I have learned from all my children through the years. They have challenged me to see my own sins. I have been driven to seek the Lord. He is the merciful Savior, the One who forgives! Am I a mother who is merciful and forgives too? They have shown me what it is like to be a child of the King. Do I depend on Him for everything, as a child depends on his parents? Do I show I am a dependent mother, that I can do nothing without the wisdom and direction from the Lord? Their curiosity has driven me to find things out, to look it up, and dig into the truth of a matter. Am I diligent to keep studying God's world & His Word to know Him more deeply?

This is the constant journey we are all on. Become like a child. Be thankful that the Lord works through the little ones and the big ones to bring you to Himself in a deeper way.

Happy Birthday, Toby & Jeremy!