Cooking endeavor

I'm on a new mission: to learn how to make Communion crackers like what we serve at our church. Why? Well, first, they're homemade so I know I can do it too, and second, they're delicious. (At least I think so!) Also, I've never made crackers before.

So I looked up some recipes last night and came up with three potential winners. I'll post again when I get the courage to try them out.

Moment of silence

‎"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end... I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him." Eccl. 3:11,14 NIV

So, in one of my LifeJournal readings last week, I had a question. One that wasn't necessarily related to the reading of the day (Ecclesiastes): What happened during the 400 years the Bible was silent between the Old Testament and the time of Jesus' birth? What was God up to? Was He still speaking to men?

John 1:1-2 says

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." 

Later, in verse 14 it says

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."

I heard a theory from a source I can't remember (maybe it was Joyce Meyer?) about those 400 years of silence. Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies foretold by the writers of the Old Testament. What brought Jesus to the earth? Why did it take so long for the Messiah to come? I believe those years were spent with the Word of God being spoken by generations of God's faithful who retold the stories of how God delivered His people and how He promised to deliver a Messiah, the Christ.

I'm no biblical scholar, but I do know that not a day goes by unaffected when you activate the Word of God and speak it in the atmosphere. Whenever you speak God's Word, something changes! It's hard to keep this in mind sometimes, because we are unable to see into the spiritual world, but God's Word tells us of this spiritual realm:

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12 NIV

I believe we have the right, as sons and daughters of the King--and citizens of heaven--to call upon the name of the Lord in times of trouble and activate those angels. God works in so many ways, but the Bible speaks many times of angels that do His bidding (Psalm 103:20, Genesis 19:15, Exodus 23:20, Psalm 34:7, and many other examples). They stand guard to perform His word!

What does this have to do with my original questions about the Messiah? I believe it took many, many years of God's people speaking His promise about the Messiah for those promises to come to pass! Again, I'm no scholar, so I'm sure this wasn't the only reason for the delay, but let's think about our own lives: how many times have you prayed for something, and it seems like forever for those prayers to be answered?

I know in my life, there are things I'm wanting to see happen...prayers to be answered. God quickened in my spirit to deliberately confess His Word over those areas. Sounds so simple, but it is powerful, my friends! I've renewed my commitment to stand in faith--agreeing with what He has already said concerning my family and my future--and will continue to speak His promises each day until the day they come to pass! Would you do the same?

The Altar

Psalm 19:12-14 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Moreover, keep Your servant from willful sins;
do not let them rule over me.
Then I will be innocent,
and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to You,
LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

From the outside looking in, you would think King David had it all together. I'm sure he could play the part of King very well. He could probably go through the motions of being a worshiper better than most, yet he knew God didn't want a show and took no pleasure in such things. God desires truth and sincerity from the inside out (Ps. 57:6), something David learned in the valleys of his life. He knew what it meant to build an altar to God not just physically for sacrifices but also in his heart.

So many people have the place of the altar confused as purely a physical spot in a sanctuary, yet, we are the temple in which God dwells (1 Cor 6:19). So where is your altar? Do you repent daily and ask for the Lord's help and instruction? Do you put your selfish ways to death and pick up your cross to follow Christ in every thing--big and small? David knew the value of a repentant heart as he often prayed as in Psalm 51: 4, 9, 10:

"Against You—You alone—I have sinned and done this evil in Your sight. So You are right when You pass sentence; You are blameless when You judge... Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt.

God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. "

As Christians living under the New Covenant of Christ's shed blood, how much more quickly should we repent knowing that the Holy Spirit lives in us? When we do so, we find a new song of joy that wells up in our heart and spirit--the joy of salvation and grace.

Change es bueno

I get caught in such a crux of wanting to change, yet not knowing how to change. There are so many things in my life, spiritually, emotionally, and physically, that I'd like to change, but I look at them all and get so overwhelmed that I don't know where to start.

It's in times like these where I'm humbly reminded that without submitting to the power of God daily, I am powerless to change. Sure, there are small changes I could make such as going to bed earlier and spending less, but when it comes to the big stuff that really matters, like being more loving, or having more patience, or having better relationships, I'd better leave that to my partnership with God. Heck, even in the small things I need His help.

Which brings me to a line of one of my new favorite songs by Billy D:

I need You
I need You now
I need You, I need Your power
I need You, hear me Lord, I'm calling Your Name
Can't do this by myself, I need You to change

I am not a nun

I bought a couple new books yesterday at my quarterly Lifeway shopping trip. I always find new things that I feel I need to read and apply to my life, so I have to be careful not to spend too much! Actually, this phenomenon tends to happen at any book store. Hmm.

Anyway, one that I got was Only Nuns Change Habits Overhight by Karen Scalf Linamen. I have a big problem of biting off more than I can chew, and choosing to make huge sweeping changes in my life. Hopefully, this book can help my overachieving self come to terms with gradual change.

We'll see. :)

Hilda

I attended the GA Assemblies of God District Ladies Fall Connection (such a long title!) in Warner Robins, GA this weekend. It was a quick overnight trip from Friday afternoon to this afternoon. The worship was so.amazing. Ahh! I just love those times when you can linger in His presence and just soak it up like a nice warm bath. No one cares about what your voice sounds like. You can cry and look rather dumb and no one gives you an weirded-out look. You just feel so free....free to worship.

The speaker for both sessions was Joan Millar from New York. She said something after the worship time last night that struck me anew: we don't want to stop worship because it's what we were created to do. Such a nugget of truth to meditate on!

My favorite song was I Give Myself Away (William McDowell).

I give myself away / I give myself away so You can use me

Here I am, here I stand / Lord, my life is in Your hands
Lord, I’m longing to see / Your desires revealed in me

I give myself away / I give myself away so You can use me

Take my heart, take my life / as a living sacrifice
All my dreams all my plans / Lord I place them in Your hands

I give myself away / I give myself away so You can use me

My life is not my own / to You I belong / I give myself, I give myself to You

As I sang this song, I really made it my heartfelt prayer to the Lord. I realized that it was a reoccurring prayer--kind of like my life's song, I guess--Lord, use my life for Your glory.

Another one of my favorite worship choruses is If You Can Use Anything Lord You Can Use Me. (Actually, I think the title is simply Use Me.) It's old-school, but it definitely cuts to the heart of the matter with no flowery words or complicated imagery.

We went to Olive Garden for lunch, and as we were walking to the entrance, we passed an older lady who looked like she was having difficulty walking. The Lord tugged on my heart to see to her, so I waited at the door of the restaurant in order to hold it open for her.

When I saw she wasn't walking any closer to the entrance, I asked her "Are you coming inside ma'am?"

She replied "No," to which I asked if she needed any help. She told me she would like help getting to her car which was about 20 feet away. I took her by the hand and helped her down the step of the sidewalk and proceeded to walk with her to her Volvo.

We made small talk, and she mentioned how she dislikes it when people call her sweetie, as if she were a child, instead of "Ma'am." I said a silent prayer thanking God for the old-school manners I remembered to exercise! She told me a little about her health and how many people tend to give her free health advice ("Get a cane", "Try a walker", etc.). Then she remarked how I just "offered to help." (What a compliment.)

I told her I was from north of Atlanta, originally from Columbus GA. She used to be in the Air Force. :) I mentioned how my dad was in the Army, and how I appreciated military towns like Warner Robins.

As we finished up our chit-chat, she told me her name is Hilda, and I introduced myself also. I was very glad to meet Hilda today. I think she was an answer to the prayers I sang earlier. I felt God was testing me to see if I would really allow myself to be open to His gentle leading. Thankfully, I can say that I seized the opportunity He placed before me--an opportunity to meet Hilda from Warner Robins and accompany her to her car.