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.