DEVOTIONS

Brownies with Peppermint Frosting 1 box of your favoriate...

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 20:59:05 -0500

Brownies with Peppermint Frosting

1 box of your favoriate brownies (make as directed on box)

Frosting:

2 Cups powdered Sugar

1 Stick of softened butter

1/3 Cup of milk

1 1/2 tsp. of peppermint extract

2-3 drops of red food coloring

Rejoice!

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:48:50 -0500

He comes, and he has died on the cross; shed his blood that we may have mercy.

He comes. So be glad. Rejoice. As St. Paul says: look: be joyful always.

No-Bake Cookies Instead of vanilla extract add mint extract for...

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:17:42 -0500

No-Bake Cookies

Instead of vanilla extract add mint extract for Christmas! Perfect for the Holidays!

Baby Jesus

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 10:57:54 -0500

During Advent, we can fail to see the story that is going on, and instead see a pretty; perhaps a cute scene; with some barn yard animals, and some “precious moments” angels, and some wise men with gifts; and, of course, a beautiful sleeping baby who never cries. We even hear that picturesque sentiment in the song, right? Jesus couldn’t have been a FUSSY baby: Cause we know: “But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.”

But remember: REMEMBER what this little precious baby was sent here for. This precious baby was born with a mission. Really, here we have, in the Christ, one baby, BORN TO DIE. A baby born, not into a scene of tranquility, but into a world of death and sin.

A situation, even as he lays there in the hay, where Satan and the evil of the world are trying to destroy him! He comes into the world, and immediately King Herod attempts to kill him: to KILL this baby! SATAN desires to KILL BABY JESUS, using the forces of this world! WHAT A WORLD HE IS SENT INTO! HOW THE OPPOSITION TO HIS MINISTRY BEGINS FROM HIS BIRTH!

"I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are Yourself the answer."

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 10:53:43 -0500

““I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are Yourself the answer.””

- C. S. Lewis (via littlethingsaboutgod)

The Example Of The Disciples

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 07:14:31 -0500

Look at the example of the disciples. How about THAT for conviction. THEY lived like they believed it. We hear in the Gospels how they left everything to follow Jesus. And it’s one of the few instances where Jesus seems to give the disciples a good old fashioned pat on the back for doing so. And their sacrifice goes beyond this! Every single one but John was martyred. Every single one lived in such a way that NO ONE could think: “Well, this is just a get rich quick scheme. They’re just after my wallet.” If Christianity was a get rich quick scheme for the disciples, it was the worst one ever! All the people at the top of the pyramid seemed content to march off to death!

But what strength there is in their conviction! And what a witness theirs is because of their sacrifice! And do you know why they could give up everything as they did? Because they knew that they already had everything; and that nothing could ever take it away from them. Not their sins; not their doubts; not the world; not Satan; NOT EVEN DEATH. All because of Jesus Christ. And you know what? That’s the same Jesus who stands in for you. May we always live like it, that the WORLD MAY HEAR, by the power of God’s spirit. Amen.

Thanksgiving Eve Devotion: The Doxology

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:23:42 -0500

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him, all creatures here below;

Praise him above, O heav’nly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Cake pops! Although messy…they are fun. The best tutorial...

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:02:16 -0500

Cake pops! Although messy…they are fun. The best tutorial for making cake pops that I’ve found is from The Pioneer Woman. Click photo for link.

Thanksgiving

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:55:23 -0500

And so, like a thief in the night, here it is: Thanksgiving is upon us. Family, food, football, and parades. What a great holiday! A moment where we gather together and reflect on all the blessings we have been given.

Pioneer Woman’s French Toast Casserole It’s the BEST...

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:36:55 -0500

Pioneer Woman’s French Toast Casserole

It’s the BEST french toast casserole I have ever made.

The Promise Of The Holy Spirit

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:28:31 -0500

THIS is the promise of the Holy Spirit: that you are SAFE. You are safe in your faith; for it is not by your strength that you maintain it. You are safe in your identity as God’s child. You are safe, not because you have somehow “achieved” the Holy Spirit;

But instead because the Holy Spirit has come to you. You are safe not because YOU have the Holy Spirit, but instead because the Holy Spirit HAS YOU.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake This would taste great with some coffee and...

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:19:08 -0400

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

This would taste great with some coffee and whip cream!

He Died For You

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 06:39:21 -0400

For Jesus has given all, and he has done so in joy. Leave here today, then, pondering your worth, and still too in joy, contemplating this question:

Do you have any idea how much Jesus loves you? So much so, that he died. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Halloween Cupcakes Stuffed With Chocolate Marshmallow...

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:53:32 -0400

Halloween Cupcakes Stuffed With Chocolate Marshmallow Cream

Great recipe. Very easy, highly recommended!

Paula Deen’s Gorilla Bread A delicious and easy recipe!...

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 13:10:26 -0400

Paula Deen’s Gorilla Bread

A delicious and easy recipe! Has chunks of cream cheese swirled with cinnamon and sugar in every bite.

It's Sunday...

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 07:17:02 -0400

Be where Jesus is. Come and worship him: him who died for you. He is not merely some sort of life coach who is there to help you out when you need him. HE IS GOD. He is the purpose and meaning of all. He is life and hope and he IS COMING!

How Does Your Story End?

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:39:18 -0400

For you know the end of this story that is your life; and the story that is this world. It ends with the skies breaking forth like shining light; and the return of Jesus Christ; flowing with all the heavenly hosts as his train behind him. This story ends with us being raised from the dead; the perishable clothed with the imperishable; and the mortal with immortality. This story ends with us living in a Kingdom that knows no end, with our King walking among us: Jesus Christ!

Words Can Heal

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:21:38 -0400

“While you cannot put a bandage on a man or woman’s wounded spirit, and while you cannot surgically remove remorse or despair or anger that words may cause, and while you cannot put a cast on a broken relationship. But you know what you CAN use to heal these things? WORDS. Words bring about healing, because, again, in WORDS there is power.”

Post Constantinian Culture

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:18:17 -0400

Now the term “Post Constantinian Culture” means, then, just what you would think it means: that we have moved PAST a world where the question isn’t “which church do you go to?” but is instead, “do you go to church?” Honestly, even more than that, the question is a more incredulous “Why should I go to church? Why would I?” It is a culture that has moved away from Christianity: and has, in many ways, moved past it in two ways: both in moving away from the Christian morality, and from the HEART of the Christian faith: the GOSPEL: the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

Now there are many who are outraged by this. You can turn on the tv and hear any one of them. You can hear people talk all the time as though the america of the 1950’s were like the Kingdom of God come early.

But in saying that, here is something that we are forgetting:

Christians, from the beginning, and as our natural role in the world until Christ returns, are naturally AGAINST the culture. The CHURCH ITSELF is, by its nature, counter cultural. The church is that which subverts the culture: which stands against it!

One of my top 3 FAVORIATE Cake Recipes. Banana Butterscotch Chip...

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 12:10:00 -0400

One of my top 3 FAVORIATE Cake Recipes.

Banana Butterscotch Chip Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
6 TBSP plain yogurt
3 large VERY ripe bananas, smashed
1 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds.

Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.

Mix in half of the flour mixture on low speed.

Add in the smashed bananas and yogurt.

Add in the remaining flour mixture on low speed, just until incorporated.

Fold in butterscotch chips.

Divide batter evenly among two pans. Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Frost when cool.

Brown Sugar Frosing

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup milk
2 cups powdered sugar, more or less depending on how thick you want it

In a saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter.

Add the brown sugar. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium low and continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Cool to lukewarm. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar.

Using a stand mixer with whisk attachment beat until thick enough to spread. If too thick, add a little hot water.

Click photo for original source of recipe. Recipe from Culinary Concotions By Peabody!