Peace

Last summer, I found myself burned out and feeling dry spiritually. I knew I needed a break. I took a couple of months away from my own church and spent that time visiting others. While it was not my intention to change churches, I was fully aware that God might be using this time to call me elsewhere.

I stayed involved at my church, attending Wednesday night classes. Most weeks my pastor, Deron, checked with me to ask which church I had visited that Sunday. He even suggested some churches he had liked when he visited during his sabbatical the year before. I was fortunate that both Deron and our worship minister, Jeff, were supportive of my time away from serving on Sunday mornings. Being able to take a break and step back into service when it was over was not something I took lightly, but it was something I knew that I desperately needed to do.

It would have been easier to just sleep in on Sundays and avoid any possibility of change but I knew if I did that, it would have made it all too easy to just walk away from church altogether. So all but a couple of Sundays, I got up and visited a new church. It was a reminder of how hard it is to walk into a new church, particularly when you're walking in alone.

As the weeks went by, I established a routine. Most Sundays, I attended an early worship service and then made it home to sit out on the deck and watch my own church online at 11:00. Throughout July, I felt like I was just going through the motions, still suffering from burnout and feeling drained. At the beginning of August, that changed. I don't remember if I attended a church that morning -- I think it was one of the Sundays I stayed home. While I sat on the deck watching my church online, I felt the beginning of healing. I felt enveloped in the presence of God. At one point in the message, as a beautiful cardinal perched on a branch just a few feet away, Deron suggested that we ask God to give us one word. As I looked at that cardinal, I knew the word God had for me was peace.

If there is only one moment in time that I will remember from 2015, it's that one.

Until next time . . .
Margaret

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Yikes! It's 2016

Time truly flies.

I can't believe how long it has been since I have posted here. Eighteen months ago, I planned to get back to writing but life got in the way. I'm hoping that will change in 2016.

Life will still be there, and some days my life will be more hectic than others, but I hope to write more. I hope to read more. I hope to be present more.

I hope to be more open to God's prompting, and I am feeling His prompting to write again. I'm not sure what I should write about, but that will come.

Until next time, Happy New Year!

Margaret

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. ~ Romans 15:13

Light at the End of the Tunnel

There are days when it feels as if this winter will go on forever. We have been fortunate in Oklahoma to have some warm days in the last couple of weeks, yet winter has returned full force, reminding us not to rush the seasons. Today is a snow day, with frigid temperatures and a landscape covered by snow on top of sleet on top of ice from freezing rain.

To stall before going out to clean off the driveway remind myself that summer will come again, bringing with it unimaginable beauty and fragrances, I am posting pictures from a garden tour from last summer. Winter will be a memory soon enough but until then, I hope these pictures help to warm your spirit!

Until next time,
Margaret

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:3

New Twist on My Grandmother's Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

My grandfather's father was a 19th century country doctor. When my grandfather was kicked in the head by a horse, his father didn't mess around. He took my grandfather in the kitchen and performed surgery on the kitchen table. A pumpkin pie was in the oven, ruining the traditional pumpkin pie forever for the young patient - and I imagine the rest of his family, as well.

When my grandparents married, my grandmother was determined to make a pumpkin pie that my grandfather would eat. She found a recipe for pumpkin chiffon pie in a magazine and sure enough, the pie was a hit. It was the only pumpkin pie Granddaddy would eat, and it has been a mainstay of my family's holiday meals for nearly 90 years.

Inspired by a post on my friend Lea's Facebook wall, I decided to try to make a healthier version of Grandmother's recipe. The texture is a little different, but it's still delicious, and has the lighter feel of a chiffon pie.

I changed Grandmother's traditional pie crust by going gluten-free. Similar to a graham cracker crust but with a bit of a crunch, it's the perfect complement to the flavor of pumpkin.

Crust:
4 1.2 oz. bags of Kay's Naturals "Almond Delight" Protein Puffs
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Crush the almond puffs. (I put mine in a blender but a rolling pin would work.) Pour melted butter over the crushed puffs and mix thoroughly. Press into a pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned.

Filling:
1 15 oz. can of Farmer's Market Organic Pumpkin Pie Mix
1 envelope of plain gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3 eggs (separated)
1/2 cup soy milk (I used the Pumpkin Spice flavor, but Vanilla would work, too.)
1/4 cup maple syrup (separated)

Soften gelatin in water and set aside. Beat egg yolk and add soy milk, pumpkin pie mix, and 1/8 cup maple syrup. Cook until mixture thickens. Lower the heat and add gelatin and stir in until thoroughly dissolved. The gelatin will thin the mixture somewhat, so continue to cook on low heat until mixture thickens again. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Beat egg whites with remaining 1/8 cup of maple syrup. Fold into pumpkin mix. Pour into baked crust and chill.

We let it cool a couple of hours before my mom and I each tried a piece. Like her father before her, Mom declared it a hit, although she did suggest that it could use Grandmother's crowning touch...Cool Whip.

I guess there's a limit to how healthy you can go with a holiday favorite.

Until next time, 

Margaret

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure dwells in you as well. ~ 2 Timothy 1:5

Not My Place

Source: Google Images

I can't begin to tell you how many times I have seen someone with a "Homeless and Hungry" sign and thought, "If only I had food in the car, I'd give it to them." Then last week, it happened.

I ran some errands during lunch and grabbed a hamburger and french fries from McDonald's, planning to eat them in the car on the way back to the office. I had just begun to sample some fries when I pulled up at a light and saw the "Homeless and Hungry Vet" sign. For a moment, I was uncomfortable. I had long vowed that if I saw someone asking for food and I had food in the car to give, I would do so. But this was my lunch. I had already started eating the french fries. And it was McDonald's so it wasn't the most nutritious meal to offer someone. It might even be seen as downright insulting.

But I couldn't exactly sit there in front of the guy and continue to eat my french fries. There was that promise I had made over and over again. The voice in my head reminded me that I wasn't being asked to make a huge sacrifice, I was just being asked to do what I had said I would do.

I rolled my window down and held the bag out. "Do you want my lunch?"  "Yes," he replied as he came to my car and took the bag. He returned to his spot, stuck the bag in the bushes, and held his sign up.

Seriously? He wasn't going to eat it? Was he just waiting for lunch hour traffic to die down? Was he hoping for something better? Was he afraid if he was seen eating, it would cost him more lucrative donations? 

Heck, if he wasn't going to eat it, could he give my lunch back to me? After all, I had enjoyed the few french fries I managed to eat before the attack of the guilty conscience.

Then I realized it wasn't my place to question what the guy was going to do with the lunch. It wasn't my lunch anymore, it was his. What he did with it was between him and God. 

The truth is, everything I have is on loan from God. It's my place to remember that and to be obedient to His Word, even when it's inconvenient.

Until next time,
Margaret

"If you have two coats," he replied, "give one to the poor. If you have extra food, give it away to those who are hungry." ~ Luke 3:11

Sing to the Lord an Old Song

Source: Google Images

My favorite holiday station is the one that plays music from the '40s to the '60s. As much as I love Josh Groban's Ave Maria, it doesn't come with the memories of Frank Sinatra's version. Michael Bublé may do a fine White Christmas, but it's not the same as hearing Bing Crosby's classic. And while there are contemporary Christmas songs that I enjoy, they don't come with the depth of personal history as the songs and artists that my parents listened to when I was a child.

Listening to the older versions brings back images of my dad, my grandparents, and aunts and uncles who are long gone. In my mind's eye, they're all gathered around the tree or at the table for Christmas dinner and they're all young, healthy, and strong. I can see my aunt wrapping gifts to place under her tree. I remember my excitement when my grandparents took me to Sears to see Santa. Those older songs bring back memories of traveling to Texas to see family, arriving just in time to be tucked into bed. More than memories of the past, perhaps they're visions of the future, a tiny glimpse of heaven.

And so it is with the old hymns. While the Bible tells us over and over the importance of singing a new song, it never says to throw out the old. God wants us to recognize His mercy in new ways. He wants us to use our creativity to give a fresh perspective on our love for Him. He wants us to be so overcome with emotion for all that He has done that we can't help but burst out in new and impromptu songs, but He doesn't want us to forget all that has come before.

Just as the older artists bring back memories of traveling to spend Christmas with family, older hymns bring back memories of traveling with the Lord. They're spiritual markers. They remind us of God's hand in our own lives, as well as in the lives of those who have sung them over the ages.

Source: Microsoft Clip Art

All Creatures of Our God and King connects us to St. Francis of Assisi, who wrote the words 800 years ago. And Can it Be That I Should Gain and Hark, the Herald Angels Sing connect us to Charles Wesley, the co-founder of Methodism.  All the Way My Savior Leads Me and Blessed Assurance remind us that, despite her blindness, Fanny Crosby wrote more than 8,000 hymns extolling the grace of God. The older hymns connect us not only to ancestors we never knew, but to all of the brothers and sisters in Christ who sang those same songs to praise God. They are spiritual markers not only for individual believers, but for the church.

So, by all means, sing to the Lord a new song...just don't forget the old.

Until next time,
Margaret

Sing to the Lord a new song. sing to the Lord, all the earth. ~ Psalm 96:1

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More Than a Season

Source: Microsoft Clip Art

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, and as we sang the familiar songs in worship to prepare for the coming of the Messiah, I had a bit of an epiphany. If we believe that Jesus is coming again - and as Christ's followers, we do believe He is coming again - why do we limit ourselves to anticipating His arrival to the four Sundays before Christmas?

Shouldn't we always be watching for His coming? Shouldn't we live in a constant state of anticipation? Shouldn't we be filled with hope all the time?

I'm not big on New Year's Resolutions, but I'm making one right here and now. I will not limit the spirit of hope and anticipation to a season. I will live my life in constant hope and anticipation, watching and waiting for the return of Christ, because He is coming again.

Come Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us
Let us find our rest in Thee
Israel's strength and consolation
Hope of all the earth Thou art
Dear desire of every nation
Joy of every longing heart

Born Thy people to deliver
Born a child and yet a King
Born to reign in us forever
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring
By Thine own eternal spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone
By Thine all sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne

Until next time,
Margaret

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." ~ Matthew 24:42

For the Beauty of the Earth

Northeastern Oklahoma is usually filled with brilliant colors in the fall, but this year's colors have been, well, muted. Some might even feel that they have been disappointing. A second consecutive year of extreme heat and drought have taken a toll.

We had far too much heat and too little rain, turning landscapes that would normally be alive with brilliant hues of orange and crimson into dull shades of taupe and brown.

Still, even when it seemed that the overall landscape was dreary, there were wonderful splashes of color to be found.. 

Sometimes God calls us to look at the big picture. Other times, He calls us to focus a little closer in order to see the details in His handiwork. And He reminds us that, no matter what, there is always beauty to be found.

Until next time,

Margaret

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. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:11

Be Careful Who (and What) You Follow

It took me awhile to get the hang of it, but once I did, well, the rest is history. I am addicted to Pinterest.

The concept of creating boards and pinning pictures seemed so absurd that I couldn't imagine why anyone would do it. Then one day an invitation popped up in my email. I ignored it at first but after a few days I decided to go back and see what it was about. I was overwhelmed. It was a couple of weeks before I looked at it again and I still couldn't understand the appeal.

http://pinterest.com/singleandsane1/

And then one night I was bored and went back a third time. That's when I was hooked. I've tried very few of the helpful hints that I've pinned and none of the recipes, but I do have my eye on a craft for the near future. I have over 240 craft pins, but I tell myself that I'll get to them someday. At least one is a start.

One of the people I began to follow was a friend and former coworker. She has four young children so I wasn't surprised that she didn't pin very often. Occasionally I would see a series of pins showing adorable girl's rooms in shades of teal pinned to a board with the name of her oldest daughter. I thought she must be preparing to change the room from little-girl-pink to something that would reflect how quickly her daughter is growing up. Sometimes there were pins of party ideas, or fun treats and I would think about a fun mom she is.

After watching these pins for a couple of months, I ran into this friend and asked if she was redecorating her daughter's room. She laughed.  "No, that's not me. My daughter has hijacked my Pinterest board." It turned out I was following a nine-year-old. And if that was not humbling enough, the nine-year-old had more followers than I did, a fact which made that child positively beam with pride when I told her.

It got me thinking about how easy it is to allow substitutes to get in the way of the One we should be following. It can be exercise, or travel, or food. It can be relationships, or politics, or, um, Pinterest. It can be work, or family, or church stuff.  It can absolutely anything (and everything) that keeps our focus off of Christ.

And when I realize just how many things I allow to distract me from Christ, that's humbling, too.

Until next time,
Margaret

"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and
take up their cross and follow me." ~ Matthew 16:24b (NIV)

Judging by Appearances

In one of my last posts, I told you about going to hear Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein speak as part of the 40th anniversary of Watergate. They only spoke in about 10 cities, so it was a fairly unique opportunity to hear their take on the events firsthand.

One of the most interesting parts of their talk centered on my favorite president, Gerald Ford. I know, he was president such a short time and you don't hear a lot of people say he's their favorite president, but I have admired him almost from the moment he took the oath of office. There was a bit of a detour in my admiration for him when he granted a pardon to Richard Nixon. That was largely because, at 15, I thought the trial of a former president would be great entertainment. By the time President Ford ran in 1976, I had changed my mind and respected him all the more for the pardon and I was disappointed that I was eight months too young to vote for him.

It took Woodward and Bernstein a little longer to come around. As they told the story, the Sunday morning that President Ford announced the pardon, Bernstein called Woodward, waking him. He didn't beat around the bush, blurting out "The S.O.B. pardoned the S.O.B." Only he didn't say "S.O.B.". They were both convinced that a deal had been made between Nixon and Ford before Nixon resigned but they could never find any evidence to substantiate their suspicions.

It was many years later, as the 25th anniversary of the Nixon resignation approached, when Woodward was working on a book and called President Ford and asked if he could talk to him. Ford immediately agreed to an interview. Woodward traveled to California and the two men met for the first time. President Ford spoke about the turmoil the country had already been through in the two years between the Watergate break-in and the resignation of President Nixon and his belief that a trial would have torn the country apart. He truly believed we needed to put it all behind us, and the only way to do that was to grant a pardon. Now he had said this before, including the first sworn testimony a sitting president had ever given before Congress, but it was the face-to-face conversation in the historical context provided by the passage of a quarter century that made Bob Woodward realize he and Carl Bernstein had been wrong about the pardon.

Source: Kennedy Library

Not only were Woodward and Bernstein convinced they had been wrong, but so was a vocal critic of the pardon, Ted Kennedy. Largely as a result of Woodward's book, the Kennedy Library awarded President Ford the Profile in Courage Award in 2001. This is a portion of Sen. Kennedy's speech as he presented the award:

At a time of national turmoil, American was fortunate that it was Gerald Ford who took the helm of the storm-tossed ship of state. Unlike many of us at the time, President Ford recognized that the nation had to move forward, and could not do so if there was a continuing effort to prosecute former President Nixon. So President Ford made a courageous decision, one that historians now say cost him his office, and he pardoned Richard Nixon. I was one of those who spoke out against his action then. But time has a way of clarifying past events, and now we see that President Ford was right. 

It's easy to look at Woodward and Bernstein and wonder why it took them so long to realize they had been wrong, but the truth is we all allow our preconceptions to cloud our thinking. I see liberals who refuse to cut George W. Bush any slack and who question his motives in all areas. I see conservatives who refuse to cut Barack Obama any slack and who question his motives in all areas. If only we could set aside our emotions and political biases for a minute, we might get a glimpse of two decent men, each of whom has made some good decisions and some bad decisions. We might learn that it is possible to respect someone with whom we disagree on many issues. And we might just grow up a bit.

If only...

Until next time,

Margaret

I said to myself, "In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds." ~ Ecclesiastes 3:17 (NIV)

Never, Ever, Forget

Ready for This Particular Chicken to Cross the Road

When you live in the Bible Belt, every shot fired in the culture wars seems to be the shot heard 'round the world, or at least throughout our section of the world.

The current battlefront can be found at Chick-Fil-A. I refuse to take sides, although I'm sure there are those who think not siding with them (whichever side they're on) is taking a side.

Call me silly, but I think companies can support whatever causes they may choose to support and customers who don't care for those decisions can choose to take their business elsewhere. That seems simple enough.

I don't understand Christians turning this into a holy war with snarky comments and pictures on Facebook. These Christians represent both sides of the issue.

Really? Jesus gave his life for a holy chicken war?

I think not.

Paul indicated in I Corinthians that marriage can be a distraction from the Gospel. While he wasn't speaking to this situation, I think it applies. While there are married couples who manage to serve the Lord fully through their marriages, as Paul says, most who are married have divided interests. As Christians, when we let ourselves become distracted by who is or is not supporting gay marriage, we have divided interests. 

Sometimes I wonder if we all have a case of spiritual ADD as we bounce from one battlefront in the culture war to another. Whenever Christians get caught up in this stuff, we're not focused on Christ. We're focused on convincing others that we're right. That's not our job.

God does not call us to make people just like us, which is a good thing. Jesus unloaded on the Pharisees over that sort of thing, masterfully employing the phrase, "son of hell." (I alternate between chuckling that he used that term to describe religious leaders and feeling convicted that he could be referring to me.)

We're called to love others. We're called to tell people about Jesus. We're called to tell the world about God's grace. We're called to share the story of God's love for each of us, love demonstrated in Christ's sacrifice.

Nothing else compares.

Until next time,

Margaret

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ~ 1 John 4:10