The Silence of the Lamb

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.  Isaiah 53:7

Silence is golden or so they say.  Yet it is one of the most difficult things to do in the face of accusations. Over the past couple of years, God has been teaching me that we need not defend ourselves.  Even Jesus refused the opportunity of clearing His name when the time arose.  It can be so tempting to set people straight on their slander, false assumptions, and condemnations about ourselves.  We all want to look "clean" to the world.  We want what others think of us to be in a good light.  But God thinks differently.  We don't need to defend ourselves.  It wasn't Jesus' job.  It is not ours.  God defends us.

Numerous times through Scripture God tells His people that the fight isn't theirs.  It is His. In Exodus, as Moses and the Israelites face Pharaoh's army before the crossing of the Red Sea, God encourages them by saying, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." {Exodus 14:14}  When we are attacked the hardest thing is to be still...to watch the whole event unfold. Yet we know the ending to the story.  There was no fighting that day! They were saved in their stillness and silence.

 In II Chronicles 20 as Jehoshaphat is about to face three different armies at once, God proclaims, "For the battle is not yours, but God's...You will not have to fight this battle...Go out to face them tomorrow." {II Chronicles 20:15-17}  Face your enemy, but don't fight the battle?  What kind of war cry is that?  The calling of a God that loves us beyond measure.  In the end King Jehoshaphat doesn't fight.  By the time the Israelites get there the three armies have destroyed themselves.  God's people only need to show up to retrieve the plunder, which took three days to collect!

Our God fights our battles.  We don't have to defend our reputations.  We don't grasp for control in a certain situation.  Sure, there are times when we need to act, but we must always remember that Silent Lamb and that we ourselves should follow His lead.  God's got our back and for that matter our reputations and our lives.  We need only to be still.

Gifts Beyond Measure

The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything. He who has learned this knows what it means to live.--Ann Voskamp

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-Flawless flights
-No delays in airports
-A break
-Awesome worship music
-Azaleas

-Flowering trees

-Almost no allergy symptoms

-Sleep

-A chance to go to the Orange Conference 2013

-A husband that "held down the fort"

-Sharing our burdens with each other

-Soup and salad and fresh bread

-Realizing we are all in the same boat

-An excursion to Pikes Place in Seattle

-Yummy food

-Laughter

-Stories and memories that will last

-A chance to feel a little spring

-A time of refreshing

-A new IPhone

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He's Already There

I battle fear.  Always have.  I have always had trust issues...but slowly over time I am learning to redirect my thinking.  God is not dictated by time.  He lives above it...outside of it.  What we fear in the future are only memories for Him. If we look back and count blessings we will see He is faithful.  If we look forward and realize that He is already in our futures, there will be nothing to fear.

One of my favorite books, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are talks about how we can look back and know "He holds"...

Count blessings and discover Who can be counted on.  Can God be counted on? Count blessings and find out how many of His bridges have already held...Trust is the bridge from yesterday to tomorrow, built with planks of thanks.  Remembering frames up gratitude. Gratitude lays out the planks of trust.  I can walk the planks--from known to unknown--and know: He holds.  I could walk unafraid.

 The song, "Already There" by Casting Crowns talks about God already being in our futures.  They are mere memories to Him.  We can walk unafraid into the future because we know He goes before us.  He has already traveled that path.

Already There

 

(Mark Hall, Matthew West, Bernie Herms)

From where I’m standing
Lord, it’s so hard for me to see
Where this is going
And where You’re leading me
I wish I knew how
All my fears and all my questions
Are going to play out
In a world I can’t control

When I’m lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory

‘Cause You’re already there
You’re already there
Standing at the end of my life
Waiting on the other side
And You’re already there
You’re already there

From where You’re standing
Lord, You see a grand design
That You imagined
When You breathed me into life
And all the chaos
Comes together in Your hands
Like a masterpiece
Of Your picture-perfect plan

When I’m lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory

One day I’ll stand before You
And look back on the life I’ve lived
I can’t wait to enjoy the view
And see how all the pieces fit
One day I’ll stand before You
And look back on the life I’ve lived
‘Cause You’re already there
You’re already there

When I’m lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory

‘Cause You’re already there
You’re already there
Standing at the end of my life
Waiting on the other side
And You’re already there
You’re already there

What comfort to know that "He holds".  He holds our past and continues to shape it for our good.  He holds our present and walks beside us all the way.  He holds our future and guides us into it.  Nothing that happens in our lives surprises Him.  He can use it all no matter how painful and ugly it might be.  He holds...

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  Revelation 1:8

Favorite Faith Posts

I don't normally have a ton of time to read other blog posts around the web, but now and again I come across some really good ones.  It has been a rough year for me.  Is it only April?  One heartache after another. Three major ones to be exact. I have been on a very long slow road to recovery from all the drama that came my way earlier in the year.  These posts have helped me gain some perspective or given me comfort.

Don't Kick the Anthill

The Gift of Community

Letters to the Wounded

Got Enemies?

Criticism Hurts

The Only Thing that Counts

What Fried Rice Taught Me About Brokenness

The Gifts He Lavishes

Grace and gratitude belong together like heaven and earth. Grace evokes gratitude like the voice of an echo.  Gratitude follows grace as thunder follows lightning.--Karl Barth

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-God protecting me from getting rear ended
-Prayer
-Scripture memorization while I walk
-An easy Tuesday
-God's perfect timing
-Time to heal
-God meeting me where I am
-The smell of bread baking
-"The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me.  I will protect those who trust in my name."  Psalm 91:14
-Words of encouragement
-That He is our strength in our weaknesses
-Puddles
-Stacks of clean dishes

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Gardening Recipes

Our winter in central Alaska has been a long one.  I can't wait for it to be over.  If you read my blog yesterday, you will see that I am dreaming of my garden even though there is still snow on the ground.  Besides, wishing for the start of my garden I am also looking forward to using what we get out of it.  Here are a few recipes that use the different types of veggies that we grow each year.

Carrot Soufflé

My boys love this!  It is not big and puffy like a regular soufflé. No worries about it falling.

1 1/2 lbs. carrots, sliced

6 T. butter

3 lg. eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 t. cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a 1 1/2 qt. dish, set aside. Cook carrots in boiling water to cover for 15 min. or until tender, drain. In food processor or blender, combine carrots, butter, eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and process til smooth. Spoon into prepared dish. Bake about 1 hour or until set and lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti Salad

4 oz. uncooked spaghetti noodles

1 tomato, chopped

1 small cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper

1/4 to 1/2 cup Italian dressing

Salad Supreme 

Cook the spaghetti noodles.  Drain and rinse. Add veggies to noodles.  Pour enough dressing over the mixture to coat it.  Mix well.  Sprinkle with Salad Supreme and mix well.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.  You can add more Salad Supreme before serving.

Crunchy Zucchini Circles
3 small zucchini
1 egg
2 T oil
6 T unseasoned fine bread crumbs
3 T. Parmesan
1/4 t. salt
1 t. dried basil
1/2 oregano
1/2 t. onion powder
Slice zucchini 1/4 inch thick.  Beat egg in small bowl. Put oil in frying pan and heat to medium. In a medium-sized bowl mix bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt, basil, oregano, onion powder.  Use a fork to hold a zuke slice. Dip into egg and then dry ingredients. Put zucchini in pan.  Cook 5 min. and then turn them over and cook 5 minutes more.  You can also put the zukes on a baking sheet and spray them with oil and then bake them in the oven.  We serve these with Ranch dressing.

This recipe is the best one I have found for making zucchini bread in bulk. You can freeze some of it for later!

Roasted Green Beans

fresh  green beans

olive oil (maybe about 2 T for 2 lbs. of beans)

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Place the beans in an oven safe dish. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.  Mix completely. Roast for about 15 minutes until beans are crisp tender and starting to brown.

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

{More strawberry than rhubarb}

2 cups rhubarb, chopped

4 cups strawberries, sliced

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 T. lemon juice

1/4 t. cinnamon

pastry for a double-crust pie

In a bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon. On lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry and line a pie plate. Spoon in filling.  Roll out pastry for top crust (you can either do cookie cutter shapes for the top (like I do) or do a lattice top. Flute edge of crust. Bake on a baking sheet with sides in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake for another 60 minutes or until rhubarb is tender, filling thickened and the crust is golden. Let stand 20 minutes before cutting.

 

Rhubarb Cake

(This is to-die-for!  Even those that don't like coffee or rhubarb eat this...I should know because Tim claims to hate both!)

Cream:

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup shortening

Add:

2 t. cinnamon

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

Add alternating:

1 cup cold coffee

3 cups flour

Mix in:

3 cups finely chopped rhubarb

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle with brown sugar and nuts (optional on the nuts or you could substitute with oatmeal).  Bake 45 min. in a 350 degree oven.

Rhubarb Pudding Cake

(This is my grandma's recipe)

Cook together:

4 cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

Mix together and then put in the bottom of a pan and spoon the rhubarb mixture over it:

1 cup flour

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

I don't have the baking instructions. Grandma never wrote them down.  But you can put the cake in a 9 inch square baking pan and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until cake is done.

 

Dreaming of Gardening

Spring will not come easy here this year.  As I am sitting writing this post it is snowing. Yes, in April.  This, of course is not unheard of in Alaska.  I made the false assumption that because it had started to melt that we were well on our way to spring. But it has been snowing for days.  So my only solace is in dreaming of my garden and what I am planning to grow.  I have taken up the search for more ideas and tips for this year.  Here is some of what I have found and may try:

Here's a Companion Planting guide. I never dreamed that plants would be finicky about who they hang out with!

Last year I made garden markers.  They were super easy!

 

Here is a great post of herb gardening.  I used some of the ideas from this post last year.

I just recently found this garden planner online.  Such an awesome way to plan out your garden for the year!

Here are some tips from growing tomatoes.  And some more tips.

Small space gardening ideas

How about trying to grow celery from what you bought at the store?

This year I am planning of growing tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and zucchini in my greenhouse.  In my other garden there will be potatoes, peas, lettuce, some herbs, beets and carrots.

So what are your garden plans?

gods at war by kyle Idleman

We think idols are a thing of the past or something you see in an Asian restaurant.  So not true! Kyle Idelman has recently written a book called gods at war that speaks to our constant struggle with idols.  Basically, an idol is anything that we put ahead of God.  It could be a relationship, money, success, food and the list could go on and on.  Kyle touches on several types of idols (a chapter for each) and explains how they get in the way of our relationship with God.

I love Kyle's writing style which incorporates humor and funny footnotes along the way.  He uses Scripture and personal stories to drive home his point.  We may think that we don't have any idols, but the end of the book Kyle has shown that we all do in one shape or form.  He also describes the biggest idol of all for most people. Can you guess what it is?

I would highly recommend this book.  Eye-opening!  It really got me to think of what/who I put before God and how I break those first two commandments.  Sometimes we think we are squeaky clean in this area of life because our shelves don't container nice little statues with round bellies.  Think again!

Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.  I am not required to give a positive review.  All my opinions are my own.

Attitude of Gratitude

"Gratitude diffuses attitude." --Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions

In an effort to keep my attitude where Christ would want it, I count gifts...

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-Reading Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions {EVERY woman needs to read this book!}

-Great conversations with my boys
-Going to a marriage conference
-Getting some deep cleaning done
-The struggles that I have gone through this year
-Knowing that God fights for me
- Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage Conference that we went to this past weekend
-Learning once again how to forgive
-Dentist appointment done
-Sun shining
-Sleeping in the sun
-New shoes
-Chickadees out our window
-Just a few more weeks to finish the semester

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Unglued {Part 3}

Yesterday and the day before I reviewed the book, Unglued, a very practical book written by Lysa TerKeurst about dealing with our emotions in a way that doesn't damage ourselves and our relationships.

If you have read Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions or are maybe thinking of reading it, Lysa has a site with extra resources and freebies.  You can even read the first two chapters online.  She also has created handouts...here are links to several ones that I think are particularly helpful, but there are more there!  Check them out.

Pretending I'm Fine or Proving I'm Right
When Aggravation Accumulates (a.k.a. Pizza Man Grace)
Unglued Assessment Guide (Helpful information on how to determine what kind of reactor you are.)

 

Unglued {Part Two}

Yesterday I posted about Lysa TerKeurst's book, Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions.  As women I think we struggle more than men on controlling our emotions and negative self-talk.  Not that men don't ever struggle in this way, but as I tell my boys, "Men are all about the trauma, and women are all about the drama."
 

One of the concepts that Lysa brings out in her book is that of "underbellies".  Every single human being has that sensitive place, the place we try to protect from others.

"In an effort to protect my underbelly, I sometimes get all wrapped up in myself and tragically forget the underbelly of my critic- the place they are vulnerable and what they might be hiding and protecting beneath their harsh words and prickly exterior."

We forget each other's underbellies because we are so wrapped up in our own stuff.  Several weeks ago, in the Sunday School class that I teach we talked about being wrapped up in ourselves.  I brought in a big stuffed animal (a llama to be precise) and some Saran wrap.  I had a student tightly wrap up the llama in the plastic wrap while I explained that when it is all about us and when we are wrapped up in ourselves, we live life small (the llama became much smaller in the wrap). We suffocate in ourselves because we don't look outwards.  We need to realize it isn't all about us...there are others around us that are hurting.  The ones that hurt the most may be the most critical of all towards others. Can we have compassion on them knowing that their criticism of us is really coming from a place of hurt?

Lysa also has Unglued Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress and Unglued Participant's Guide with DVD: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions.  

Unglued {Part One}

 

Every woman needs to read this book!!!

Ok, there, I said it.  Will probably not make a statement like that again for a long time!  But seriously, as women we struggle with dealing with our raw emotions.  Women can be tough because we are a swirl of of feelings that go up and down.  We are our own worst enemies. We let our feelings rule when really they should only be indicators of what is going on inside.

Lysa's TerKeurst's book, Unglued, discusses how as women we can become unglued and "lose it".  There are four categories of behavior that we use when our emotions run raw. We can be...

Exploders who shame themselves

Exploders who blame others

Stuffers who build barriers

Stuffers who collect retaliation rocks

I bet you know each of these types of behavior.  I bet you have done them.  I know I have.  The key to keeping our emotions in check is to align our thoughts to God's.  Lysa covers how to do that in various ways.  I love her practical advice.

I also love her perspective...here is her take on conflict.

"In God's economy, people don't stand on opposing sides of the conflict scale.  People stand on one side and Satan stands on the other. When we dump hurt into one another's lives we aren't leveling the conflict scale. We are just weighing down the people side of the scale and elevating the Satan side of the scale. Satan loves it when we do his work for him by dumping on each other."

We need to remember that we do not war against flesh and blood, but against Satan himself.

Lysa provides a "procedure manual" on what to do when our emotions go raw and we find ourselves in the midst of ugliness and conflict. She uses II Chronicles 20 as a guide. But you will have to read it to find out.  Like I said, "Every woman needs to read this book!"

Tomorrow I will post a bit more about what Lysa calls our "underbellies".

Spring Produce

I love spring! Here a few recipes that use spring veggies (or you can substitute any veggies you have on hand to fit the season).

Vegetable Cheddar Strata

1 T. olive oil

6 green onions, chopped

Salt and pepper

2 cups broccoli florets (bite-sized pieces)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 English muffins, split, toasted and quartered

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

8 large eggs

2 1/2 cups milk

   Saute the veggies in the olive oil until tender.  Salt and pepper them and set them aside. Grease a 9 by 13 pan and arrange the toasted and cut up English muffins (cut side up) in the bottom of the pan. Scatter the veggies over the muffins.  Sprinkle the cheddar over the entire pan. Mix the milk and eggs together.  Pour the mixture over the veggies.  At this point you can freeze the strata.  If you don't freeze it you must let it sit overnight in the fridge.  When ready to bake, thaw (if frozen) the strata and bake covered with foil at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 20 to 30 minutes until the eggs are set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Spring Veggie Soup with Dill Dumplings

2 T. butter
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
3/4 cup green onion, sliced
1 cup asparagus stalks, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces, cooked crisp tender
6 cups broth
2 cups packed spinach leaves
1/2 t. salt
pepper to taste

Dumplings:
1 cup + 2 T. baking mix
1/3 cup milk
3/4 t. dried dill

In Dutch oven, melt butter; add celery, carrots, green onions, and asparagus. Cook over med. heat until veggies softened (10 min.). Add broth. Cook until mixture comes to a full boil. Lower heat, simmer for about 20 min. Add spinach, salt and pepper. Continue cooking 5 min.
We will freeze the soup and on the day of serving add the dumplings. To do this: Stir together dumpling ingredients. Spoon mixture on top to make six dumplings. Cover and cook for about 10 min until dumplings are done.

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