For His Glory

I have been wanting to share something for several weeks. First, I had to find the time to write it, then figure out how to post-not an easy feat for me! Anyway, back in November I was questioning/wondering about the events of my day: washing dishes, changing diapers, diapers, and more diapers, cooking, helping with homework, baths, etc. I felt like these things were not important in the grand scheme of life. I was feeling frustrated by the "sameness" of each day and was definitely not delighting in these "chores." I was feeling restless for "something else" bigger or more important, but wasn't sure what the "something else" was. During my devotion the Lord really used the short time I had to speak to me-which in itself is truly amazing and a blessing! It amazes me how even a short encounter with the Lord can be earth shattering and change my perspective drastically. I read the verse Psalm 47:4 "He shall choose our inheritance for us" (using the book by Spurgeon, Morning and Evening as my devotion). Spurgeon reminds us that we are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances for us. I am to be content with the things that I have and where I am, since the Lord has ordered all things for my good. I should take up my own daily cross since it is the burden best suited for my shoulders and will prove most effective to make me perfect in every good work to the glory of God. I believe the Lord has much work to do in me through my new schedule such as growing in patience, encouraging my husband in his work, delighting and finding joy in my children, and serving others. Almost daily since this day the Lord has brought me back to the simple fact that this is all for His glory! So, if you are, like me, feeling frustrated in your circumstances or questioning the purpose of your present circumstances I encourage you to seek the Lord and ask Him to reveal to you what He would have you accomplish where you are in this season!
Debbie

10:23 / 07

So I have a thing for numbers – odd numbers to be more accurate. I don’t know why, but numbers stick in my head, they are important to me. They either seem good or not so good. Even numbers don’t seem so good, but odd numbers seem “right”. If you know me at all I’m sure you’ve heard some of my “number stories” :-)

Anyway, before I lose you… soon after I became a believer in college I realized that I thought of bible verses and remembered them by their reference numbers. Numbers and verses belonged together. I would even set my alarm to verse numbers. I couldn’t just get up at 6:30am – the clock had to be set for 6:33am because I like Matthew 6:33. I noticed for a few weeks that I would look at the clock at random times and it would be 10:23. There was not another time that I consistently saw on the clock but 10:23 always seemed to find me. I thought – “what verse is 10:23?!”

I read in Hebrews - Let us hold fast to the profession of our faith without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

How great is that verse! It resonates in my spirit - He is FAITHFUL. What strength and assurance this brings during trials and during times of blessing when I remember by God’s grace… He is Faithful. Faithful to all He has promised and Faithful to all He has called and loves. His name is Faithful and True. It is a verse I love and want to proclaim. It identifies who I am (and who we are) - He is Faithful! I still love to look up and unexpectedly see the clock revealing 10:23. It happened last night as I sat in my living room and it made me smile. I’m sure it will happen again today.

10:23 / 07 – may you find yourselves joyfully resting in the faithfulness of our God today!

It's Worth the 10 Minutes

I have 26 blog subscriptions in my reader. Do I read and follow them all? No. I do occasionally find a post that is worth my time to read in full. I found one this week and wanted to pass it along to you all. It is from a blog by Lydia Brownback (author and Christian book editor) called “The Purple Cellar”. I’m cutting and pasting her post to make life easier for you. Check out her blog some time at: http://purplecellar.blogspot.com

Life Lessons from a Toothbrush

My dentist convinced me—an electric toothbrush is an important part of practicing good dental stewardship. So I bought the model he sells at a discount from his office. This isn't just your average plug-in-and-brush model; this is a sonic toothbrush, a superior product for the dentally responsible. I opened the packaging when I got home and was surprised to find a four-page manual inside the box. Sonic magic and all, what could possibly be so complex about operating a toothbrush, I began to wonder nervously. Bracing myself for a complicated lesson in oral technology, I sat down to read. Instructions for operating the brush took up a few sentences, of course: Set it up on the sink. Plug it in. Turn it on. Turn it off. The remaining three pages were taken up with what the manufacturer calls "the brushing experience." Were they kidding me with this? Alas, they were very serious. Apparently it is of crucial importance that each quadrant of your mouth (did you know your mouth has four quadrants?) receives precisely 30 seconds of brushing. And not only that, once the initial two-minute cycle has been completed, you must start all over and brush the "chewing surfaces" in order to complete the "brushing experience."

The biggest lesson I learned from that manual is this—we in America need to get a life. We have become the world's leading experts at turning the mundane into the major. We trivialize our lives and we trivialize society. We do it when we allow an iota of brain space to be taken up with the details of the Spears-Federline custody battle. We do it when we give an ordinary case of post-holiday, mid-winter doldrums a name like Seasonal Affective Disorder. When we allow ourselves to classify our daily oral hygiene as "an experience," we are adding to the insanity.

A popular women's magazine just published an article on how to pick out a new hairstyle. The article advises us to invest time searching for the right stylist and asking everyone we know for good tips. Then we are advised to gather photos of cuts we like, and to browse the Internet for even more possibilities. The hours are adding up here. Then comes the all-important self-assessment during which we are advised to sit down and really ponder the "emotional factors" in changing our hair. Once we have worked through these complexities, we are advised to schedule a preliminary appointment with a stylist for a mere consultation so that "they agree to your limitations before a single strand is sheared." Then and only then is it wise to make the actual styling appointment.

Is it any wonder we are worried, hassled, harried, and anxious women? If we must "experience" our mouths and perform self-psychotherapy before getting a haircut, how can we possible handle real problems? We can't; today we escape them. And making much of the mundane is a primary escape route. But we are defeating ourselves, and those of us who are Christians are wasting our opportunity to speak and demonstrate some meaning into all this mundane mess.

Just today I came home and found an article waiting in my mailbox. It's about a college student named Ariel who lives in the Dominican Republic, and in the article Ariel's daily routine is recounted: Each morning Ariel's mother leads the family in praise and devotions (6:30am). Ariel brushes his teeth in the back yard (6:50am). Just guessing here, but I think it's unlikely that Ariel is using a sonic toothbrush. Ariel eats breakfast—bread with mayonnaise (7:00am). Ariel then goes to school all day. In the evenings, Ariel returns home from school and then walks 20 minutes along the highway to church, a dangerous practice because robberies and accidents are common (7:00pm). Working by kerosene lamp (Dominicans receive only 12 hours of electrical power a day), he studies (10:00pm). And finally, Ariel thanks God for his mercies before going to bed (11:00pm).

I think we could all profit from a few bread and mayonnaise mornings.

Everything in Moderation!

Chocolate Trifle

1 pkg chocolate fudge cake mix (18 ¼ oz)
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding mix (6 oz)
½ cup strong coffee
1 carton frozen whipped topping, thawed (12 oz)
5-6 Heath or Skor bars, crushed

Bake cake according to package directions. Cool.
Prepare pudding according to package directions; set aside.
Crumble cake; reserve ½ cup.
Place half of the remaining cake crumbs in the bottom of a trifle dish or decorative glass bowl.
Layer with half of the coffee, half of the pudding, half of the whipped topping and half of the crushed candy bars.
Repeat the layers of cake, coffee, pudding, and whipped topping.
Combine the remaining crushed candy bars with reserved cake crumbs; sprinkle over top.
Refrigerate for 4-5 hours before serving. Yummy!
Yield: 8-10 servings.

*Hint 1: to crush the candy bars it works well to hit them a few times with a kitchen mallet before unwrapping. This is also a great stress management technique. :-)
**Hint 2: when layering the pudding and whipped topping start from the edge of the dish and spread toward the center. It’s hard to spread pudding over crumbled cake and it looks nice on the outside of the bowl to see the layers.

Chicken Soup for the...Claymont CG

Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice

1 cup chopped cooked chicken
6 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 bay leaves
4 tsp. minced onion
1-2 carrots – peeled, halved and chopped half moon
1-2 stalks celery – halved and chopped half moon
4 whole allspice (optional - *I used a pinch of it ground up)
fresh pepper – a few grindings
½ tsp salt
1 cup cooked rice
2 tsp olive oil
juice of 1-2 lemons
fresh cilantro

Combine chicken, chicken broth, bay leaves, onion, carrots, celery, allspice, pepper and salt. Cook on a slow-medium simmer for about 20 minutes (until the carrots and celery are tender). Add rice and simmer another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in olive oil and lemon juice. Start with the juice of 1 lemon and taste. Add more lemon as you like it and adjust other seasonings if necessary. Toss in some fresh cilantro. Hint: I usually wait to add the cooked rice until just before serving. It helps to keep it from getting mush in the broth and from soaking up too much broth.

Enjoy! And experiment - adjust seasoning amounts and add others!

Potato Soup

Here is the potato soup recipe that many of you requested. Denae didn't use a recipe for her chili, but let's make sure those other soup recipes get posted!!

4 large baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup flour
6 cups milk (at least 2%)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 green onions, chopped
12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/4 cups (5 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 heaping TBS chicken base

Wash potatoes and prick several times with a fork. Bake 1 hour at 400. Let cool. Cut potatoes into half inch cubes, leaving skin on potatoes. Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and bubbly. Add potato cubes, salt, pepper, green onions, crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese and chicken base. Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream. Add extra milk if necessary, for desired thickness.

We need God's Help

This week was just a reminder to our family that we NEED God's help. Mirciades spent a long week in Scranton at the new LaTolteca. He encountered a costly problem that is due to a dishonest contractor. My immediate reaction is to do everything I can to ruin this guy . I would hate for him to continue to rip off honest business people...it really seems unfair. Then I was reminded of a study I was doing this week on "heart issues". It reminded me that revenge belongs to the Lord and not to me. I was reminded that we all will answer to the Lord for our actions on this earth. God will make a way for us to restore this loss of time and money. I feel released from stewing over the situation, and content to just let Mirciades handle it with his boss as they do intend to atleast report him to the local police. Everyday is a lesson in grace and trust!

A New Perspective

Over the weekend at the Women’s Meeting, I found myself silently stewing that some guy (the beloved Mark Prater) was going to teach me and a bunch of other women about women’s ministry. I was appalled and sat there in silence (arms folded of course, you know me) as he went on about some of my favorite topics, like submission and duties in the home. Well, my dear friend who we’ll call “Joyce” just for the purposes of this story gently reminded me that someday Mark will stand before the Lord and be held accountable for the teaching given to us. That changed my perspective entirely! In fact, now I am very grateful and cannot wait to review the material again with a softened heart! Apparently, I missed this recent Sunday teaching, but at least someone I knew did not! Thanks “Joyce” (you know who you are!)

Author Invitations

Sorry for the multiple emails, but I realized yesterday that there was a much easier way to add you all as authors on the blog. You should have just received an email that invites you to be an author on our blog. All that means is that you will be able to write posts (once I explain how) and add comments to the blog.

All that you should need to do is to click the link in the email and then sign into Blogger with your existing Google Account (or create one if you do not have one) and presto, you will be made an author.

Let me know if you have any questions...

Thanks!
Bryan

Faith Comes From Hearing

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
~Romans 10:17

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
~Hebrews 11:6

I am fired up :) And I am aware of the fact that I am very tempted to break one of the ground rules of the blog that we are creating together - short posts and no doctrinal dissertations. At the very least, I am short circuiting the introduction posts (I will come back to them) to send an encouragement that I want us all to hear.

As I shared at Community Group two weeks ago, God has been putting his word on my heart. We talked about how we see God through his word in at least three primary contexts - the preached word, our private devotions and study of his word, and our fellowship together over his word.

Since that meeting, God has helped me to seek him in his word, to believe that he is there and that he will reward me as I seek him. I have not had long quiet times. I have not even had all that particularly moving quiet times. At least once I went back to bed instead of continuing my quiet time because my head was so sleepy that his word was a silent brick wall. Yet, on a more consistent basis than normal, I have resolved that I will not walk out the door of my house without reading at least a small passage of scripture and asking God to reveal himself to me.

Since that meeting, I have had grace to interact with the Sunday messages differently as well. I have been able to listen more attentively and to take hold of, grapple with, and understand, and see God in the things that we have been taught.

Since that meeting, I have had many conversations with friends over the word. Some of the conversations have been encouragement and fellowship over commonalities, others have been disagreement, at times venturing into conflict, wrestling over differences. At least twice they have gone on into the realm of 1-2 o'clock in the morning. All have been filled with scripture. All, even those of disagreement, have been filled with genuine love for one another.

Why am I sharing this with you? Because I feel more alive and bursting with faith than I have in a very long time. I have experienced the reality (and pray that I continue to do so) that faith truly does come from hearing the word of God. I feel powerfully that it is empty foolishness to gain the whole world if it means that you forfeit your soul because I would not trade the inner life that I feel today for anything that this world has to offer.

There are so many things that we can be tempted to give our time to. As a recent example, in one sense I thank God that the Eagles lost on Sunday (sorry) because even though I love football and love the Eagles, I know that the more that they win, the more time I am tempted to devote to that sport. It is not enjoying football that is the issue, but rather doing so in a way that steals time from things that are more important. Football will never bring me the life that I feel right now, even if the Eagles were to have a perfect, undefeated season and actually win the Super Bowl for once. This is just one example of an area where I can struggle to give proper place to fellowship with God through his word in the three contexts that I mentioned above.

So, with already way too long a post, I encourage/exhort/plead with you (and ask you to do the same for me because I will probably be struggling with this again next week), seek God in his word and believe that he is a rewarder of those that seek him. Resolve that you will read his word, even for 1 minute, every day and ask him to reveal himself to you. Go to church (and community group) and participate - be nourished by the word as our pastors feed the flock that God has given them. And in our fellowship together, let's not content ourselves simply with idle chatter on sports, the weather, current projects, or anything else in such a way that holds no distinction from the conversations of the world. Rather let's press beyond that to encourage one another all the more as the day of Christ draws near, for faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Bryan

Questions - Part I: Overview

Ok, so here is the first post as promised. Over the next week or two, I just want to quickly try to answer some of the questions that Cherylee mentioned in her email. You know, the who, what, when, where, why standards... I think that I will actually do a series of posts so that I can keep them reasonably short, both to help you to be able to read them, and to help me not to obsess and spend WAY too much time on any one post. Bear with me on the practicalities. I realize that we are all coming from different places of experience in regards to technology. Hopefully I will be able to clearly communicate my vision behind doing a Community Group blog, and at the same time provide some basic info that will help to bring us all up to speed on what a blog is for and how to make it work.

As I am doing this first series of posts, one of my goals will be to help every person in the Community Group create an ID that you can use to create a post, or to comment on other's posts. Some of you may already have one and be very familiar with this whole blogging thing. If so, could you just sign in and create a comment on this post to let me know? It will help me to get a feel for how much detail to provide on the basics.

As a side note, some of you may have an ID that you created for the Compass blog (or the Labriola's blog, or any other blog who's addres is xxxxxxxx.blogspot.com). If you do, that one will work fine here too. Just let me know what it is with a comment if you know how, or with an email if not.

For the rest of us, here is a link that you can use to create an account. You don't need to worry about what to do with the account yet, just follow the instructions to create one. Once you do, if you could either log in and leave a comment or shoot me an email to tell me your username, that would be great. If you get confused and have trouble creating an account, just let me know I can give you a call to walk you through it.

https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount

Looking forward to seeing you all here! :)

Bryan

Teaser

Hey all. I've been feeling stirred recently. Guess what I created...