Silicone Bakeware February 4, 2010

Recently I’ve become familiar with silicone bakeware (Target has/had silicone cake pans and muffin pans in their $1 section for $2.50 each, run over and you might still find some!).  I looked up on the internet how to use the bakeware, and I read a variety of tips.  Some people said to spray the bakeware, others said not to, some said to put things on cookie sheets, others said to find grates to put the bakeware on while baking.  After some tests, here are some tips I’ve come up with:
~DO spray your bakeware.  You don’t need to heavily coat it, but spray a light coat all over.  The first time I made a cake in my cake pans, they stuck a bit to the pans.  The second time, I sprayed the pans and the cakes came out perfectly.  I also sprayed my little muffin cups a little bit, and the muffins slipped right out when cooled.
~You can put your muffin cups directly on cookie sheet while baking.  If you have a metal grate or cooling rack that can be put in the oven, that will work just as well.  Make sure in that case that nothing spills over the bakeware.
~Allow the baked goods to cool in the pans/cups for several minutes before taking them out of the bakeware.
~Wash the pans thoroughly before the first use

Next I need to get a bread pan!  Don’t be afraid to give the silicone a try, but maybe start out buying something inexpensive and seeing if it works for you.

Wait on the Lord February 3, 2010

“Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!” ~ Psalm 27:14

Lately I have been feeling very restless about my life, and really wishing I could be off doing some things which I feel called to do at some point in my life. Somethings that have been going on have been making me more and more impatient and restless to go do these things, but the Lord has been reminding me that HE knows the perfect timing for me to go do these things. He tells me – “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” Well, what other reminder do I need? My Lord is helping me keep my feet planted on the ground, and helping me to wait. Yes, it is hard, but I also know that God is in control of what I do, and when I do them, and what ever He wants me to do, He will bring about in His perfect timing. In the mean time I need to be looking for what I can do right now to get ready for that – whether it be doing the dishes, cleaning the house, helping people around me, reading books, or studying His word!

So my dear girl – Wait on the Lord!

^“3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
⁵ Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.” ~ Psalm 37:3-5

City On Our Knees February 2, 2010

If you gotta start somewhere why not here
If you gotta start sometime why not now
If we gotta start somewhere I say here
If we gotta start sometime I say now
Through the fog there is hope in the distance
From cathedrals to third world missions
Love will fall to the earth like a crashing wave

So why not? Why not now?

Faith February 1, 2010

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).” ~Hebrews 10:23

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

“But Jesus turned him about , and when he saw her, he said , Daughter, be of good comfort ; thy faith hath made thee whole . And the woman was made whole from that hour.” ~Matthew 9:22

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed , and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.” ~Matthew 21:21

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” ~Mark 11:22

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

“That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” ~1 Corinthians 2:5

Clouds January 27, 2010

“When the going gets tough, when the rides to rough, when you’re just not sure enough, Jesus will still be there.” ~ Unknown (Taken from a beautiful Mennonite song).

The other day I was standing out in our back yard looking up at the beautiful, bright moon. As I was standing there some dark clouds began to race by, and began covering the moon, as it happened I could still see it peeking out at every break, but finally it was covered completely, but it was still there. I knew that under those dark clouds, even though I couldn’t see it at the moment, the moon was shining just as bright.

Then I thought – isn’t it the same way with Jesus? Let’s say instead of the moon we put Jesus there, and instead of the clouds we replace them with all our hard times, and troubles, and every bad thing that happens to us. We may still be looking to Jesus in those times, but sometimes the “clouds” will cover Him up, and we won’t be able to see Him, but we have to remember that He is STILL there, shining brightly. Still helping us along, even if we can’t see Him or feel Him at the moment.

The hymn “My Hope is Built” has a lovely verse which goes -
“When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest in His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.”

Faith is trusting even when we can’t see or feel. Faith is trusting that He IS there through the hard times, and He is! Always!

Footprints in the Sand
Mary Stevenson

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from

anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,

that if I followed You,

You would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one

set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed You most,

You have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,

“The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints in the sand,

is when I carried you.”

Still Not Great Enough January 25, 2010

This past Thursday in my Bible study with some wonderful sisters in Christ, we were studying John 1:19-34, focusing mainly on John the Baptist as the one chosen to prepare the way for the Lord. One of the girls, Bethany, pointed out something that I’ve been thinking about a lot.

In John 1, verse 27, John says that he is unworthy of the task of untying Jesus’ sandals. John was the one God chose to prepare the way for Jesus, and in Matthew 11:11, it is said of him that “among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!” Here he was, the greatest of all men born on earth, and yet he STILL wasn’t great enough to untie the Savior’s sandals! When I think about how great he was, and how low I am, it’s not hard to quickly realize that I’m totally unworthy of Jesus’ mercy, love, and forgiveness.

And yet, He gives them to me. Freely, eagerly, when I come to Him.
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart , O God, You will not despise.”

We aren’t great enough to buy our salvation, or pardon our sins with our begging. But God has made a way for us-by sending His Son to endure the worst the world has to offer, so that when we humbly ask His forgiveness, and give Him the Lordship over our lives, we can find peace and eternal life with Him. Isn’t that great?!!

By Heart By Soul January 22, 2010

How many of us actually say, “I will know You, God, by heart, by soul.” How many of us give up our ENTIRE (that means EVERYTHING that is dear to us, EVERY single fear, EVERY single thing) in our lives to know Him, to love Him, to seek Him, to live for Him? How many of us actually put in the effort to know Him by heart and by soul? How many of us put in EVERYTHING to knowing Him? The other day I was listening to this song for “old time’s sake”, as it was one of my most favorite songs when I was a young teen. Sure, maybe it’s a bit “outdated”, but it still holds a great message…and it made me offer up a prayer, saying that I want to know Him by heart and by soul.

Conversations with God January 21, 2010

Tonight I had the absolutely amazingly unexplainably remarkable experience of being able to hear one of God’s precious daughters speak.  Her name is Gianna Jessen, and she is a survivor of an abortion performed 7 months into her mother’s pregnancy.  This woman was born into the world to be a living testimony of God’s miracles.  There were so many things she said that I want to share with my sisters here, but one of the things that really touched my heart was when she told of her conversations with God in her head.  Gianna told of times when she would talk naturally and lovingly with God in her head during everyday (and amazing like meeting the president) situations.  And I thought to myself, what if we strove each day to talk to God in more ways that just a, “Dear God, thank you for…please help me to…amen.”  ??  Rely on God for your everyday decisions, talk to Him when someone says something that upsets you and you feel upset.  Tell Him when you are happy, confused, sad, or thankful.  He is our Friend, He is there 24/7 to talk to us about the little and big things.  Take the time to talk to Him.

Roses & Thorns January 20, 2010

“You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.”

One Body, One Team January 14, 2010

These past few weeks, I’ve been learning a lot about the Church body–Christian believers around the world–working together for our main goal: spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.  I have been studying 1 Corinthians, and Paul speaks a lot about the body of Christ.  He uses the human body as an example of the Church.  Every single body part is important.  Without yoru pinkie, you couldn’t type on your keyboard as easily.  Without your stomach, you couldn’t digest food.  Without your eyelashes, sand would get in your eye.  No matter how small or important a body part is, it is imperative for a healthy body.

I’ve also been watching quite a few football movies.  Now, I don’t get the sport of football (mostly to me its a bunch of fat men jumping on each other and running after a pointy ball), but I have seen that to play the game effectively, you have to work as a team.  The quarterback may receive the most recognition or be paid the most, but if it was just him playing alone, he’d lose.

Christians need other Christians to win the game for Christ.  We can’t do it alone.  We can’t do it in small numbers of dedicated believers.  We need every player, every body part to win.  Even the kid you know that seems unsure about their faith is a valued team player.  Our job is to build each other up, value one another, and play together to win the game for our Lord.