Something stinks in here!

The more I get in God’s word the more “Amen!”’s erupt from my mouth, the more grateful I become of his mercy and nature, and the more I find myself singing songs of praise in my heart.  I find myself in a very peaceful place.  As I am on this journey God is showing me the pride that coursed through my veins, he is transfusing me with new life.  ‘His agenda and not my own’ are no longer words said in vain, but with real meaning and desire.  I am finding that in obedience to God’s word, there is humility.  And that is exactly what he desires of us.  In our humble state, he can be glorified.  When we are humble, he can be lifted up.

This morning as I stood getting ready for work a few thoughts popped into my mind. I smiled and said to the Lord, let me find a pen and paper so that I can write them down and share them later if you want me to.  I opened up the bathroom drawer and there was a pen {not too completely surprising if you saw my bathroom drawer…it is a catch all} but I was very happy.  Then I looked around me, I had nothing to write on.  A slip of paper on the dryer caught my eye.  Perfect!  I wrote down three things.

Once upon a time about 15 years ago I remember a woman in our church in Machias, Washington, who was a seasoned smoker, quit smoking.  She only had a few days of no smoking under her belt, but she exclaimed to my mother (who greats everyone in the foyer) that she had just been around a smoker and they smelled awful!  She asked my mom, “Did I stink like that too?!?”  I don’t remember what my mom answered, but it was probably very polite and encouraging, because that is just the way she is.  Sadly this woman, not more then a few days after that, picked up her old habit again and went back on the chain.

God is working hard in my heart.  He is working tirelessly on me.  I don’t want to squander his good work.  It is very irritating when the little boys get dirty right after I give them a bath.  It is most days inevitable.  I want to, as a child of God, try and keep myself clean.  I want to make my heavenly father proud.  Oh Lord, let me know when I am getting stinky...I want to be sensitive to your Spirit.

I am finishing up reading in 1^st Corinthians and a verse froze my eyeballs.  I read it again.  And again.  And I got out my highlighter and I underlined it and I highlighted it.  Corinthians is Paul writing to the church at Corinth.  They were zealous for signs of the Spirit and the supernatural occurrence.  A lot like us today we go in the ditch, instead of living life in balance.  Paul says to them in Chapter 14 verse 12: So with  yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.   He was correcting them for puffing up themselves and putting on a ‘holy roller’ showcase.  Paul tells them (14:33) God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

Here is the frosty that froze my eye balls and caught my attention 1^st Corinthians 15:1-2:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you- unless you believed in vain. {Spirit Checker!}

Ronda’s paraphrase…I (Paul) preached the gospel to you, you received it (in all appearance), you stand in it (so you say), and by it you are being saved (that would be the natural progression), if you hold fast to the word preached (what needs to be done)…unless you believed in vain (unless you are a big faker).

I think I am understanding it right.

This is not a game for show.  God sees your heart, you aren’t fooling God.  You may be fooling a lot of other people.  And you may even be fooling yourself.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Galatians 6:7

And he said to them (Jesus), “You are those who justify yourselves before men, gut God knows your hearts.  For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:15

Ok, Gods word can bring a BIG paddle.  But I would rather be paddled by the word of God then puffed up with pride from the things of this world.  The king of this world {satan} wants you to be either numb to God and overly concerned with self, against God, or fast asleep.  Since satan himself was afflicted by pride and it was his downfall…it worked for him…it works for us.

God is God, we are man, his creation.  God loves the humble.  God loves the cheerful.  God loves those that love him, and love others.  I am but a vapor, a mist…so short is my time here on this earth, yet the manner in which I live my life, in truth or lie, will determine eternity.  And there is nothing hidden that won’t be brought to light. There is no time like the present to open up your heart to God and saying, ‘Renovate me.  Recreate me. Transfuse me. Use me. Whatever it takes, may you be glorified.’

Jesus, your name is precious.  I pray that you will let me never forget the stench of my prideful ways.  I pray that you will give me spirit checks if I am doing something I shouldn’t, saying something I shouldn’t, hearing something I shouldn’t, seeing something I shouldn’t.  I pray that you will give me foresight to RUN from evil.  I pray that you will expose evil to me for what it is so that I can flee from it..  If it is a song, if it is a TV show, if it is Facebook, if it is something that is taking me away from you, if it is an idol, make it detestable to me.  Thank you for convicting me daily.  Thank you for drawing me near.  I pray for anyone whose eyes read these words that it will minister to their hearts.  I pray that this weekend you will help me to be a good example of humility and love.  You are so gracious and I am so grateful. Amen.

I want to thank those of you who answered the question the other day about if you pray before you eat.  I want to especially thank Marie.  She wrote:

I thank Him for the food while I’m preparing it.

I thank Him for the lettuce as I chop it,

The animal that gave it’s life to sustain me,

The people I’m preparing it for,

The fuel to cook it,

The well water to wash it,

The pots and utensils to cook and serve it, spices, etc…

When I sit down to eat something that’s been prepared for me

I thank Him for that person and each item as I eat it.  It’s usually not out loud, unless requested,  but blossoms into praying without ceasing…

We have SO much to be thankful for!

Amen Marie, Amen!

Today was busy, but it was blessed.  I made a new friend and she blessed my day.  I love my job.

Here is the recipe for the tartlets and the quiche I posted yesterday.  Then it is off to the grocery store for me.  I love going grocery shopping…but tonight I am taking the little boys, which is usually a crazy deal.  So pray for me ok?  I really appreciate it!

Heat oven to 425 F.

Lightly grease 2 mini muffin tins (24 total tarts or quiche)

I used Hodgeson Mill whole Grain Insta-Bake Baking Mix.  I put 2 cup of mix in a bowl and mixed with about ½ cup almond milk.  You can use regular milk if you want.  1 tablespoon butter cut pea size mixed into dough. If your dough is too sticky add mix until the dough is only slightly sticky.  If your dough is too dry, add more milk; easy peasy!

Pinch off about a tablespoons worth of dough and use a floured rolling pin on a floured surface to roll out. Place each rolled dough into your muffin tins. Do this until all your tins are full.

If you are baking the tartlets you will want to bake shells for approximately 8-10 minutes.  They should be lightly browned and crunchy.  Cool on a baking rack and fill with preserves.  I used peach.  YUM!!!

If you are baking quiche you will need:

2 eggs

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

¼ cup milk

1 teaspoon steak seasoning

¼ cup cheese

Whisk all ingredients together and use a tablespoon to spoon mixture into UNCOOKED tartlet shells.  Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes.  Edges should be brown, egg should puff up but not jiggle.

Serve warm.

xoxo

Ronda

Tea, Tartlets, and Truth

These little beauties were gone in 2.5 seconds.  I was VERY happy with how they turned out and so was Sam and the little boys who devoured the batch in record time.  I just might have to write a little email to the folks over at Hodgson Mill and tell them that I used their baking mix to make some awesomeness…I think they would appreciate that.

I love making little tartlets filled with yummy preserves and tasty flavor combinations.  But you know what I like even more?  Eating them!

Tartlets with custard and fresh fruit are amazing, chocolate with peanut butter, peanut butter and jelly, mini key lime tartlets.  Oooooohh the possibilities; I love tartlets!  They are perfect with tea and they are pretty to look at.  They are pretty fabulous.  These were Peach Preserves Tartlets.  Kael kept trying to sneak his little hand in to grab one while I was taking pictures.

See his little finger there.  Love that kid!

I also used the dough to make mini quiche.  These babies are a breakfast treat, let me tell you what!  So you get two sweet treats with one batch of dough.  I think that is a sa-weet deal.  They were really fun to eat side by side.  The savory in the quiche next to the sweet in the peach was perfect.

Last night Pastor Bryan (our youth pastor) rocked out a sermon in the main service.  God brought it, Bryan rocked it, and anyone listening was blessed by it.  There was some that did not listen.  There were some that were being distracting (a lot of teen volunteers at the church right now and a few of them were in need of a tap on the shoulder)…but if you had ears to hear, you heard.  I was bummed that not everyone heard.  But, like Pastor Bryan said last night, God’s mercy is new every morning.  Yes, yes it is.  And how sweet is that!

Bryan taught out of Romans chapter 12:1-2. BAM! This is one of the chapters that God has been ministering to me out of!  Very cool.  I like how Romans Chapter 12 closely parallels 1^st Corinthians Chapter 12, which is where I am studying right now.  God is awesome like that.

Grab your Bible and read Romans chapter 12 and then read 1^st Corinthians chapter 12.

As you get to the end of 1^st Corinthians chapter 12…you did just read it didn’t you?  Oh, I hope you did because this next part won’t have the same "jazz hands" moment if you didn’t…At the end of 1^st Corinthians chapter 12 Paul talks about how each has their own gift and then he says something that brought delight to my soul.  It is a journey that God has been bringing me through for several years.

Are all apostles?  Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?  Do all possess gifts of healing?  Do all speak with tongues?  Do all interpret?  But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. {Zing, speaks straight to my heart and zaps me with conviction}

Love never ends.  As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.  When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.  For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.  So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1^st Corinthians 12: 29-31 and 13: 1-13

God’s word is so impressive.  Even if you are not a believer you can nod your head in agreement because this is GOOD stuff!  This scripture speaks to the truth that is written within the blueprints of our spirit.  We know when we read it that it is good!  Yet daily I fail.  Daily I fall short.  Daily I mess it all up.

I am so grateful for the truth that his mercy for me is new every morning.

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.  Lamentations 3:21-26

Oh, doesn't that just warm your heart!  Mine is all nice and toasty.  I do have two toddlers squirming on my lap right now who smell like they need a bath.  I will post the tartlet and quiche recipes later when they are down for bed.  Gotta go be a mom.

Quick little prayer first?  Yep, I need it too.

Oh Father, my heart is set out for you.  It is yours and yours alone.  I won't share it with this world.  I won't dress it in darkness.  I will sing of your faithfulness.  Thank you so much for my friends and family who take time to read this.  I pray that you use this little blog to your glory.  I pray that you be with our family tonight as we go through the routines of getting little boys ready for bed.  That we will cherish these few quick hours we have with them.  I pray that you will help Sam and I to be good stewards over these two tots that you have blessed us with.  Help us to raise them in a way that glorifies you and makes you happy with us.  Let us love one another, let us love others, and let us not hold anyone down and set anyone aside.  Let us sing with those who sing, and dance with those who dance, and embrace those who just need a little hug to lift their spirits.  Help us be sensitive and more and more like your son with every passing second of every passing minute, of every passing hour, of every passing day.

We love you!

xoxo,

Ronda

A world gone wrong, and a dessert done right.

Have you ever started a project and it turned out awful?  I have.  This is the point where you have a choice.  Fix it, or toss it.  I am reading Gods word this morning and as I sit here wrapped in the peace of his presence through his word I find myself in awe of the depth of his reality.  I see a tiny glimpse of his mind, and I see an overwhelming amount of his love and compassionate nature.

I was doing a little word search on “heart” and I started at the top of my list and found myself right up there in the beginning, good ole Genesis.  The top of the heading for chapter 3 in my Bible is “A World Gone Wrong.”

God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.  And it grieved the LORD that he had made man on earth.  It grieved him at his heart. (Another translation I have says “it broke his heart.”)

And the LORD said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth.   Yes, and I will destroy every living thing- all the people, large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky.  I am sorry I ever made them.” Genesis 6:5-7

He wanted to scrap a large part of his creation, including us; wipe the slate of earth clean.  Do you see how real this is?  Do you see that God was disgusted with what he made had become?

…BUT! And this is a pretty sweet but for Noah and his family.

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.  This is the account of Noah and his family.  Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. Genesis 6:9

I am sure most of you have heard the story of Noah.  I picture God looking at earth and shaking his head like, ‘really, wow, nothing is good about this place.  I made it good, but these little stinkers are rotten to the core.’  Then God considers Noah and that Noah is the only one on earth worth saving.  So because of Noah and his righteous relationship with the Lord (which my mind is totally spun up around; I wonder what Noah's walk with God was like), Noah’s family and Noah got instructions for their salvation; blueprints for the ARK.  And God wiped the world clean.

How did Noah’s relationship with the Lord work? I am going to be really praying about this.  Why?  Because I want it.

Lord, thank you for these few minutes this morning to soak up some good word.  Your word is life and health to those who find them.  Write it on the walls of my heart.  Give me the ability to memorize your scriptures, commit them to my memory so that they will be as if they are written in spiritual Sharpie that is permanent and will never fade.  Oh Lord, please let me have understanding as I continue to press in and dig into your word. I only want your truth to shine forth, not my own understandings, but your true meaning behind what is written.  I pray that you will wrap me all up, snug as a bug in a rug, with your love.  I pray for peace for your people who are seeking you.  I pray that you will guide the path of their feet and that you will put us in each other’s way so that our lives will intersect and we can have fellowship.  Thank you for good God conversations with new friends last night.  You are so merciful to us.  We love you so much.  I pray today for little boys that they will be perfect with the potty, that they will be obedient, that I will be patient and that I will raise them and train them up right.  I pray for a day filled with fun adventures.  Thank you Lord for your tender nature and way that you usher me along.

I think that this blog is for me.  I hope that you can glean something from it.  But as I read and write it down it makes so much sense as my spirit, soul, mind, heart, thoughts, finger tips bring this all up and break it all out.  God knows my heart; whether I like it or not.  I am ashamed when I see certain things, but I find great joy in knowing that he is working it all out.  To his glory, not mine.  Just the way it is supposed to be.  *Sigh* I love him.

Yesterday at my job we had a going away party for our teller supervisor whose last day was today… *tear* {I am going to miss your beautiful smiling face Nicole!}  But at the same time, because you left, we got to have a Mexican Fiesta Party Extravaganza to send you off.  And because we had a Mexican Fiesta Party Extravaganza, I got to have the most delicious dessert I have tried in ages!  It was so good, I tracked down the angel who brought it.  Our bank manager and Joplin Globe columnist, Cheryl Finely.  Give her a hand folks!  CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP, HORAY!!!! Cheryl!

Not only did she bring this delicious dessert, but she gave me the recipe, and it was too easy to be true.  So I made it last night because today is Colby’s birthday, our good friend who moved to Joplin from Seattle right before the tornado.  Happy Birthday Colby! High 5!

This was ridiculously amazing. My taste buds were stunned, and the little buggers demanded more.  So I naturally gave into their demands.  They are very convincing little guys.

Here you are folks, straight from Pillsbury…The easiest and tastiest little recipe you may ever come across. Andi Beres can attest to the easiness of this recipe because when I was done she said, “that’s it?” 

Yep, that’s it!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS 

16 ounces cream cheese

2 cans refrigerated crescent dough

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup cinnamon sugar

DIRECTIONS

1 Using a 9 x 13 baking pan, unroll one package of crescent refrigerated dough and line the bottom of the pan.

2 Mix together the cream cheese, sugar and extract.

3 Spread over the crescent rolls.

4 Unroll the other can of crescent rolls and place on top of cream cheese mixture.

5 Pour one stick of melted butter or margarine over the top and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture.

6 Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Uh…YUM!

I hope you have a wonderful Saturday.  I will talk to you tomorrow.  Ok, bye!

xoxo

Ronda

Monkey Brains

When I was in junior high our youth pastors were Chris and Tammy Immer.  I cherish my memories with them and I can remember spending lazy summer days with Tammy at their house 'down by the river' (SNL skit, made me laugh); a group of us girls would watch movies, "chick flicks", and we would play Wheel of Fortune on Super NES, and we would devour Monkey Brains.

Them were the days.

I think I need to start making this a little tradition for some of my youth gals out here.  I love having tea parties, and hang outs, and bread bakin' days.  Sam and I have our eye on a house and we will see if it comes to be.  If it does, Monkey Brain devouring memories are going to be made there.

And if it doesn't, that's ok, you can eat Monkey Brains anywhere.  And they are delicious.  I am sure that you have heard of this referred to as "Monkey Bread," but Monkey Brains is so much more fun to say!  Especially when you bake them in cupcake tins so that they are smaller and perfect for individual desserts.

I jazzed mine up a bit and added apples to the sauce and also threw in some mixed nuts and dried fruit.  So this is Monkey Brains, grownup style.

Ooooey gooooey cinnamon Monkey Brain goodness!  This is a delicious treat  See that pecan right there? I want to eat it right out of the picture.  Mmmm, pecans smothered in cinnamon caramel sauce.

Maybe you should make some, and invite some friends over to enjoy it with you.  Monkey Brains = Awesome Memories

Monkey Brains for 6

1, 12-16 ounce can of biscuits

1/4 cup mixed nuts and dried fruit, coarse chop

1/2 cup of white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup butter or margarine

3/4 cup brown sugar packed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 granny smith apple, washed, pealed, cored and cut into nickle size chunks

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut biscuits into chunks and throw them in a bag with your cinnamon and sugar and shake to cover.  Drop into greased muffin/cupcake tin and sprinkle with chopped nut mixture.

In a saucepan heat your butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and apple.  Heat to boiling and cook for 1 minute.

Pour over each cup.  I Like to make a little extra sauce to hold back and drizzle over the top after they are on the plate.  It is delicious.

Turn oven temp down to 350 and bake for 20 minutes.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes, they will be very HOT. Spoon onto a plate, should hold together nicely.  You can serve it just like it is, with ice cream, with sauce; be creative, and have FUN.  This is fun to make with kids too if they can work a pair of scissors...mine are not ready for scissors.

xoxo

Ronda

I told Satan to shut his pie hole

Lighthearted is where I want to be.  In this moment I want to be light and funny, and full of wit so that you enjoy reading these words and they fluff your day and encourage you.  God put something on my heart Friday, a single word.  The word that he gave me intrigued me because I didn't think it really applied to me.  But then as yesterday went on, I began to experience this word.  I did a great deal of rationalizing, of planning and making excuses, but with each projected milestone I failed...and with the failure came the word...and it is this moment that I see how it applies to me.

What scares me is this word is so HUGE.  I want to take it as far as necessary, but not over do it.  I am going to give a few days to this topic. So consider this an introductory.  I hope you don't give up on me.  I hope that I can write this so that if it is for you, that it will catch your attention, and that you will take a minute to take this journey with me...because I am here RIGHT NOW.

On Thursday I shared about the joy killer STRESS.  Stress is interesting because it is something that we often put on display.  We wave it about as a badge of honor, and even brag about it.  Now for the word I got...GUILT.  Guilt is a different strain of joy killer.  Guilt is secret and hidden and we like to keep it that way.  We don't usually say, "hey everybody, come see how awful I am," "Come see what a bad parent I am," "Come see how little self control I have,"  "Come see what a bad Christian I am." What I felt guilt about I want to keep secret too.  But you know what...I know that what I feel guilty about is nothing but SATAN, because it's just that plain silly.

Wanna hear it?  I ate pie.  I ate the most delicious pie ever.  I ate the most delicious pie that I made myself, and it was delightful, and the perfect ending to my CRAZY week.  But I felt guilt.  I felt guilt because I went over the calories that I wanted to eat yesterday, by a lot!  I felt guilt for everything I ate yesterday because I grazed all day.  I was never hungry, I just ate.

Ronda, the human {veggie/fruit/nut/granola/pretzel/Cherios/watermelon/salad eating} vacuum cleaner.  Oh, and Persian Lime Pie consumer.  Besides the pie everything I grazed on was healthy, and I have no reason not to eat pie but my own silliness.  I am healthy, I am fit, I am active.  WHO CARES IF I EAT PIE!?!?  Nobody.  Absolutely nobody. In fact you are probably saying, "Ronda, you definitely should eat some of that pie...pie is delicious."  And you would be right, and I did, and it was.

Let me tell you that Guilt can be both friend and foe.  If you have guilt, you just might be guilty of something.  Or you might have guilt and it be something to distract you, wind you up, take you out.  Guilt sets you apart and it sets in deep, because you are too afraid to tell anyone about it, or let yourself up from it. Satan is a master at his job.  He is a joy killer and a life stealer.

So Satan, consider yourself on notice.  This is a pink slip.  You are done here.  Shut your pie hole, pack your Guilt and go.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Now that we shooed Satan away.  I want to share with you the perfect end to my crazy week...

~Guiltfree~ Persian Lime and Blackberry Pie

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons melted butter

Filling
3 large egg yolks
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup Persian lime juice or (approximately 4 to 6 Persian limes) If you use key limes they are smaller and so you will need about 9-10 of them.
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest

Topping
2 cups blackberries
1/2 cup water or fruit juice
1 teaspoon lime juice
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons confectioner sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

To make the crust: Mix the ingredients and press them into a 9" removable bottom tart pan or 9" pie plate. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Place on a rack to cool. Reduce the oven heat to 325°F.

To make the filling: Whisk together the egg yolks, condensed milk, and lime juice and zest until well blended; the mixture will thicken almost immediately. Pour into the crust and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, till just set. Remove from the oven, and cool at room temperature for several hours before topping.

To make the topping: Rinse the berries. Stir together the water or fruit juice, lime juice, and sugars in a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat, cooking till the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat, pour over the berries, and spoon onto the cooled tart. Chill for several hours. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. Yield: one 9" tart.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

I am very excited for these next few days.  Will you pray with me?

Jesus, sweet Jesus.  Thank you for giving me your Word, and thank you for giving me a word.  I pray that you have complete control, and that I don't steer this...Please teach me through your word and give me only the right things to share.  Give me wisdom and discernment.  Thank you so much for all the blessings this last week, and for supporting me through the insanity.

We love you.

This warmed my heart yesterday, so grateful for moments like these...I love my boys!

xoxo

Ronda

What to do when you get Offended

Well friends I am going to be super transparent with you, I got schooled today; schooled by the Holy Spirit.  This is happening very often these days it seems.  I really don’t think that it is happening more often necessarily, I just think that when I asked God to search me and know my heart, to try me and know my thoughts…he listened, and now I am getting taught.

When you have a heart that sincerely wants to be close to God and to have his agenda and not your own he will start cleaning house, I think he is getting out his scrub brush for me.  Sorry God, it’s dirty, better glove up!

I think, nay, I know I did things out of order yesteday…twice.  I put my own agenda before his two times!  I knew it too, that is the bad part.  I knew better, but I created really awesome excuses for my bad behavior.  When you have a gripe or an offense the Bible tells us what to do with it.  So I wanted to share my lesson with you.

I don’t think that I am special in the regard that offenses can creep in.  Boo!!!! offenses.  I once bragged that I don’t get offended…ha!  That is right about the time when I started realizing how offensive some people truly are!  I was griping about everything.  I have mentioned before that Sam is my ‘griping board.’  Poor Sam.  I was being a real whiner a few months back and he said “I thought you don’t get offended.”  I instantly knew that he was right.  I even told him so.  I said, “wow, you are right!”  Normally I am not so receptive to being told that I am wrong, I should be, but sometimes that old stinker ‘PRIDE’ gets in the way.  But that day it was instantaneous realization that what he just said was 100% accurate, and I was in the wrong.  Go honey!

Pride bad; offense bad.  Ok, so I will say a few things, because I think there is a lesson here.  I think it is safe to say that I got offended {gasp}.  Yes, it is true.  Ok, so now what?  Well, I told two people about this.  I shrouded it with questions and made it seem more like a quandary, and really it could be those things too, but in the center of it was a gripe, an offense, an ugly little divisive splinter.  Ok, I might be going a little over board with the description of this, but really it comes down to I didn’t follow the example Jesus gave on what to do in this situation.  Therefore, I was wrong.

Thank you God for bringing me back to basics and training me.  Before I say what I learned I want to say that when I was a little kid we got spanked as a form of discipline.  Trust me, we needed it.  After our spanking my Dad (the’ spanker’, my Mom was the ‘crier’) would sit us on his lap and ask us, “now why did I spank you?”  And through our blubbering we would mutter, “Because you love us.”  “That’s right, I love you and I want you to be good,” He would say.  When H.S. gives you correction, listen up, it’s because he loves you.

If you get a gripe here is how you work it out:

1)      Examine your heart and your motives. Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.  Psalms 139:23-24

2)      Don’t be so sensitive that every little thing gets your feelers hurt.  Consider it an opportunity to ‘turn the other cheek’; an opportunity to love.  Now don’t get me wrong sometimes you gotta call out the bad behavior.  But as I am learning, there is a procedure, a time and a place. Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.  Proverbs 19:11

3)      Keep it to yourself!  Pray it, don’t spray it! Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.  Proverbs 21:23

4)      Don’t stop going to church (if that is where your gripe is).  I read a little blog today that spoke directly to the heart of my issue and she wrote:

“Remember that Divide and Conquer is the oldest play in the book, that wolves tend to separate a sheep from the flock to take it down.  Don’t give way to offense, and don’t let it be an excuse for your own spiritual anemia (and that of your family).” ~ The Esther Project

And the Bible says:

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

5)      Pray for their heart and your heart, and if you spoke it out, ask for forgiveness.  You can’t put the cat back in the bag, {Why was the poor cat in a bag in the first place I wonder?}, but you can apologize for speaking instead of seeking.

6)      Read Matthew chapter 18.  God knows us.  God is smarter than us.  God is good and his advice is the best.

Even if you are right, if you gossip (eek, I hate that word), you are wrong.  Take it to God.

Heavenly Father, I am so sorry.  I may have valid points, but I had a poor approach.  Thank you for bringing this to me.  Thank you for showing me these things.  I got a plank in my eye!  Help me get it out, and let me follow your plan, because your plan is best.  Best, better, blessed.  Thank you for all your grace for me.  I need it soooooooo much!

Did you know that it is not difficult to make a cake from scratch?  True story.  I made my favorite cake and took it to the church Sunday night.  When I got there I saw that they had been blessed with a HUGE sheet cake, so I don’t know if my cake had to wait until yesterday to get eaten, but, Kael and I tested it and…it was probably the best cake ever.

The cake recipe I got a while back from King Arthur Flour.  I have never used King Arthur Flour, I have never even seen King Arthur Flour in a store, but I found their recipe online and it was dangerously delicious.  I asked Sam what type of frosting I should do.   I gave him four choices, peanut butter, chocolate, vanilla butter cream, or lemon.  He said lemon.  Lemon is one of my favorite flavors, so I knew this was going to be a tough job keeping myself from testing, tasting, and licking the bowl clean.  I was going to have to have to exercise a great deal of self control, or exercise a great deal.

I think I ended up somewhere in between.

Leaping Lemon Cake {because you will leap for joy when you eat it, maybe even click your heels}

2 cups sugar

3 ¼ cups flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup unsalted butter, soft (if you use salted butter the world will not end)

1 ¼ cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare your choice of two 9” pans, 24 muffin cups lined, or one 9 x 13 pan.  Prepare by lightly greasing and flour dusting.  I also cut some parchment paper to fit in the bottom and then lightly grease that too.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the butter and beat with an electric mixer at low speed, until the mixture looks sandy.

Combine the milk and vanilla and add, all at once.  Mix at low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 more seconds.

Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

With the mixer running at low speed, add 1 egg.  Increase the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds.  Repeat this procedure with the second egg; continue adding the eggs, scraping after each addition, until all four are added.

Transfer the batter to the pans of your choice.  Pans should be filled about half full.  Lined muffin tins, fill cups 2/3 full.

Bake for 40 minutes for a 9 x 13, 27 minutes for 9”, 24 minutes for cupcakes.  A toothpick inserted should come out clean.

Let cakes cool in pan and then transfer to a wire rack.  They are easiest to frost and decorate if they are chilled after cooling.  So once they are cool, wrap them up in tin foil (like a present), and put them in the freezer or refrigerator.  You can even make them several weeks ahead of time if you want.  Just wrap them good.

What I did while my cakes were baking was make my Lemon Curd filling and my Lemon Frosting.

Lemon Curd:

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest (finely grated lemon rind)

½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup butter

Take two pots (or a double boiler if you have one, I don’t so I used two pots), In the bigger pot put about an inch of water, and set on low-medium heat.  With a wire whisk, whisk the eggs and sugar together in the second pot that is set into the first larger pot.  Stir in the lemon juice, butter, and lemon peel.  Cook over simmering water, stirring very often, for 10-15 minutes or until thickened.  Transfer to the fridge and let it cool.

 Lemon Frosting:

1 teaspoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons of butter

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

Cream lemon zest and butter.  Add a cup of powdered sugar at a time, blending well after each addition.  Mixture will be very dry and pasty.

Combine lemon juice and water, and then add to your frosting while mixing on low speed.  This is super good.  Add more lemon zest or lemon juice if you think it needs it.  Don’t test it too much though, this is one of those that you will find yourself sitting on the couch watching your ‘stories’ putting back a whole bowl of this deliciousness if you aren’t careful.

When my cake was cool I put some frosting in my decorator bag and piped a dam around the edge. (You can watch lots of cake decorating videos on youtube to learn how to do this kind of thing).  Fill with your desired filling.  I made a two tier cake so my first layer is filled with Blackberry Jam, and my top tier is filled with lemon curd and topped with lemon curd.  So I put a dam on my first layer, spread my filling, topped with second layer and frosted that baby up.

This is a very versatile cake and let me tell you, boy is it a goodie!

Xoxo

Ronda