We just passed the first weekend of November and my mind is swirling, trying to catch up – I’m not sure where 2014 has gone.  At any rate, we took it easy the past few days and spent some family time together.   And it is just what my heart and soul needed.

November, sometimes, ends up being a countdown to the end of the year. Worst case scenario : it is a fast-paced exhausting race to Christmas.  And I just don’t want to be a part of that marathon this year.  My heart longs to savor this season of Thanksgiving.  I want to take my time and soak in all of the goodness that God has given to us.   Like my favorite hymn, I’m asking the Heavenly Father to “Tune my heart to sing thy grace.”    When I focus on all of the craziness this season often brings, my heart gets out of tune pretty quickly.  

Here are a few of my “thankfulnesses.”  Nothing fantastic by most’s standards, I suppose.  Yet, they are God’s grace – specifically for me.   And I am truly grateful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you feel it?

Tensions are mounting. All reasonable or rational perspective is disappearing.  Panic mode is breaking out everywhere, much faster than the virus we’re afraid of,  and I can’t sleep this evening because I tried to watch the news before bed.

Flipping thru a few pins on Pinterest (trying to induce myself into a sleepy state), I saw a pin about self talk and “being the best calm and focused version of yourself possible.”  Truthfully, it was a bunch of narcissistic nonsense.  As I read the ten things I needed to tell myself I realized that I needed to start telling myself something completely other than that; I needed to remind myself, in these moments of news induced panic, what’s truly important.   I needed to call to mind and remember what God says.

And what He says applies in every situation. Always.
Here are the 12 thoughts about the Ebola “crisis” that He reminded me of tonight:

I’m in control. The Lord has established His throne in heaven,  And His kingdom rules over all.Psalm 103 :19
I’m victorious over death.  For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.  1John 5:4
I’m singing over you, because  I’m delighted with you. The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”  Zephaniah 3:17
I’m listening to you. Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3
I’ve forgiven you. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12
I’m preparing you.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.  Matthew 28:19-20
I’m holding you.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.                 John 10:28-29
I’m with you.  Fear not, for I am with you;  Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you,  Yes, I will help you,  I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’  Isaiah 41:10
I already know the outcome. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
I will keep my promises. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.  Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,  who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2Corinthians 1:20-22
I love you. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39
You are mine for eternity.  Fear not, for I have redeemed you;  I have called you by your name;  You are Mine.  Isaiah 43:1

There’s more hope here, in His promises, than I can ever muster in my own inward-focused self talk. I, in my own strength, will never be the solution to the hope and calm I need.  And I’m so thankful I don’t have to be!

It is Canadian Thanksgiving Eve.  Here, in my kitchen, that means one thing and one thing only.  It is time to bake my Grandma Brubacher’s Pumpkin Pie.   I just finished baking the pie and my house is filled with the aroma and my mind with happy memories.

Isaac begged to eat the pie now.  But I declined with every ounce of self-control I have.

As I worked on the pie crust earlier this afternoon, I pulled out a few very important tools.  I have two rolling pins that I love to use.  I know, I know, it is a little unorthodox to use two pins for one pie crust, but I do it.  You see my rolling pins are very special and fulfill very specific rolls in my baking world.

The first rolling pin was a Christmas gift from the hubs a few Christmases ago.  It is a Vic Firth rolling pin.  If you know anything from the percussionists’ world, you know that Vic Firth primarily makes maple drum sticks.  But, they also make maple, heavy as lead rolling pins.  I use it first on my pie crust, especially if the dough is chilled, to wear the dough out with minimal effort and bring it into submission.

The second is a hand-me-down.  And I’m not talking about a Goodwill find. This one was given to me by my mum, who received it a long time ago from her mum.  How I scored it for my kitchen, I’m not sure, but I love it.  It is a lovely pin, and rolls very lightly and gently.  I use this rolling pin to coax my crust into the desired shape and thickness.

My pie duties and these utensils reminded me of God’s Word, and how it works on my own heart.  There are all kinds of Scripture verses that the Holy Spirit uses for my benefit, kinda like a rolling pin, in order for me to become what He chooses.

Sometimes (actually often) my heart is cold and indifferent to my sin, or full of pride. But He consistently uses His word to penetrate deeply, bringing the warmth and shape He desires.  Often it is difficult work and my heart requires many many passes before the work is accomplished. I am a very slow learner.

Sometimes my heart is full of hurt, fear or maybe even shame.  In these times, when I feel bruised and painful to the touch, He offers gentleness and compassion with words that forgive, heal and restore me.    How beautiful those times are when He tends to my soul the way no one else can.

As the Thanksgiving season begins tomorrow, I’m thankful for many things.  But I’m especially grateful for a Heavenly Father who has given His Word, and His Holy Spirit in order to shape my life, and transform me.  It may be more than uncomfortable at times, but there is nothing more wonderful than realizing My Heavenly Father has a plan and He loves me enough to be at work in my heart.

And I am thankful for these words from Ephesians 2:

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Recently, my friend Patti and her husband found out their little family will be traveling to South Korea to officially adopt their second son.

The timeline is set at a rapid pace, so I wondered what we could do for them before their departure.  When I asked Patti about it, I said,  “What can we do for you, you know, besides praying?”   And the minute I said those words, I knew what we needed to do…

Dianne, a mutual friend of Patti’s, and I decided to give a prayer shower for Patti and her family.

Truthfully, I’ve never been to a prayer shower before.  In fact, I’d never even heard of one before.  I think the Holy Spirit whispered the idea in my ear, because – it couldn’t have been more perfect.

Dianne and I prepared goodies while Patti prepared prayer request lists for different rooms of the house.  We put those lists around Patti’s home – so when the guests arrived they could move room to room on a prayer walk and pray specifically for this sweet family and their needs.

Although we had never experienced a prayer-walk-open-house-shower, many of us agreed it was as natural as if this is what should always happen at a baby shower, or wedding shower, or house warming.  Our focus on HIM at the center of our celebrations – why hasn’t this been obvious before?  It was such a wonderful event that it will be hard for me to imagine doing a shower without prayer next time…

 

 

 

 

I made cookies a few weeks ago – and they were okay. I didn’t say anything about it because they were just that.  okay.   Chocolate and peanut butter, but not quite peanut butter-y enough.   So I tried making them again.  This time I added more peanut butter.  As I was finishing up the batter, and preparing to bake I was unsure – afraid they wouldn’t be chocolate-y enough, so I tossed in some dark chocolate chips, just to be sure.

 

And this is what came out of my oven:  Heavenliness on a cookie sheet!

 

I have to tell you, after changing up the recipe and making it my own – these are definitely worth heating up the oven for even though it is the end of July.  And if not now, save this one for later.  They are de-lish.

Now, here’s the recipe, just for you!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus a tablespoon of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
2 handfuls of dark chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). Cream the butter, peanut butter and the brown sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, blending until mixed well. Toss in the chips.  Drop the dough in heaping tablespoons on the pan, I flattened mine just a little bit, and bake 10-12 minutes.

They are fabulous warm from the oven, but soft and chewy at room temperature too.  Perfect with a cold glass of milk.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

What happens when you find blueberries in your freezer, on a rainy week in June, when you’ve done most of your chores and you want to procrastinate doing any laundry?

You make blueberry crisp, of course!

Except in my case, out of necessity, I changed up a recipe I found on the blog savorysweetlife.com and made it my own.  I kinda had to, because I didn’t have quite enough blueberries.  oops.

This recipe I’m going to share with you is how it turned out – and yes, it was really, really yummy!  I thought I should share it  now because blueberries are about to be in season…

Seriously, you may need this recipe on hand…

Double Berry Crisp

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups blueberries and 2 cups chopped strawberries
• 1 tbsp of lemon
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed in ½-inch squares
• 1½ cups rolled oats
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
• In a large bowl, mix the sugar and flour.
• Add the blueberries, strawberries and lemon juice and gently toss with the sugar. Transfer the blueberries to the prepared baking dish.
• In a food processor, add the flour, brown sugar, and butter and pulse the ingredients until it resembles coarse meal. If you don’t have a food processor, work the mixture with your fingers by rubbing the ingredients between your thumb, fingers.
• Add the oats, cinnamon, and salt.
• Evenly sprinkle the mixture over the berries.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is slightly brown. Serve the crisp hot or cold with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

 

It is definitely worth the 10 minutes this takes to throw together!  Give it a try and satisfy your summertime blueberry cravings.

 

There are many words here on my blog.  I’ve had lots to say over the last several years.  many, many words.

The truth is, tho’ I enjoy expressing myself with the written word, I have one true love. music.

Previously, I’ve not posted any of my own music here on the site.  I’ve kept it simple.  But today, I need to share a bit more of myself.

You see, Michael and I are walking a dark valley,  watching a friend  who is battling cancer.  And were it not for this sweet, abiding peace that comes only from the Holy spirit, it would be absolutely devastating.  I am grateful on difficult journeys, like this one, that I find He is more real, more present, more loving than I ever imagined.

I could type out the words of the hymn and just leave it at that.  But I’d rather give you the song.  It is an old hymn that I recorded quite a few years ago, but it truly portrays the Savior I know and love, who is absolutely, incomparably faithful.

Great is thy Faithfulness

 

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not,
As Thou hast been,Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above;
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

 

So, the day was going along quite nicely.  It really was, and I was feeling successful.  So successful in fact that I  told a friend it was a “banner day.”

Not long after that, my kids and I managed to get out the door with time to spare, which never happens.  It wasn’t until we were halfway to our destination that I realized something important.  I was supposed to bring along work gloves so that I could take them to Michael, who was picking up lumber after work for our back yard fence project.

Well, I couldn’t turn back now – it was too far back to the house.  And so, I called my father-in-law (their house was the initial destination) and I asked him if I could borrow a pair of work gloves to take to Michael.  He just laughed and said that he’d look around for a pair.

It wasn’t until I hung up the phone with my father-in-law and was talking to my husband that I realized what I’d done… because Michael questioned me, “You asked my dad for a pair of gloves?”  in a tone that made me feel quite ridiculous.

banner day over.

Friends, you may not know, but I have an amazing father-in-law.  He is very wise, and full of more common sense than anyone I know.  He’s more active than most men his age, gardening and helping Michael with the shop.   However, due to an accident at work, my father-in-law only has one hand.  a left hand.  But, he typically doesn’t keep those right handed work gloves…

embarrassment ensued.

As we wound our way up the highway, to the top of the mountain, I was horrified.  And I knew I must apologize right away.  ASAP.  Hopefully I could smooth things over.

When we arrived at their house, I begged forgiveness – but, he wasn’t concerned at all.  In fact, we laughed it off, and I knew I had been given a beautiful gift : the gift of  “No offense taken.”    It is hard to come by these days, in a time when everyone is looking for things to go their way, unwilling to allow differences or mistakes, let alone offer forgiveness.

As I drove  around town, running my errands, I couldn’t help but see all of  the budding trees turning a fresh green against the bright blue cloudless skies.  It was a tangible reminder of spring, and its renewal.

Jesus promises new beginnings – that he will make all things new.  This promise applies to my sinful heart and my wayward deeds. He has done everything necessary to remove our offenses, and offers full forgiveness and a completely renewed life.  He can do this because of His incomparable sacrifice.

Here at this time of Easter, the Passion Week underway, Jesus says, ” I forgive.”  He holds no offenses.  The one who deserved no punishment – took all of the offenses on himself.

from Isaiah 53: 5-6

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

 

All of us who believe in Him, yet offend every day and need the grace of His forgiveness, have no reason to hold offenses in our hearts…  ever.   Often, I take offense, completely unable to forgive, tho I have no right to do so. Jesus’ work on the cross allows me to forgive others.  always.  just as he does.

My father in law was authentically Christ-like today.  and I’m very grateful for his example.  and for a Savior who forgives unconditionally.  May I learn to receive that forgiveness more fully so that I can give it away.