Archive for October, 2006

Fruit Dumpling Recipe

Saturday, October 28th, 2006

autumn-leaves.jpgFRUIT DUMPLINGS(from the More With Less Cook Book)

Prepare 3 cups finely chopped fresh fruit. Use apples, peaches, rhubarb, etc. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare 1 recipe biscuit dough (below). Roll dough into large rectangle on floured board. Cover thickly with fruit. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll up like jelly roll and cut into 1” rings. Place in greased 9 x 13” baking pan.

Combine in saucepan:

1 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon flour

1 cup cold water

Let come to a boil and pour over dumplings. Bake 45 minutes. Serve warm with milk or ice cream. Serves 8.

BASIC BISCUITS

Sift together in a bowl:

2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Cut in ¼ cup shortening.

Add ¾ cup milk all at once, stirring until soft ball is formed.

Turn dough onto floured board; knead lightly 20 times. Roll or pat dough ½” thick. (If you really make biscuits, you would bake them on an ungreased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes at 425 degrees.)

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A Questionnaire

Saturday, October 28th, 2006

1.FIRST NAME? Joyce
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? yes… a character from a novel my mom was reading right before I was born (my first name), and my paternal grandmother (Marie – middle name)
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? I cried about a week ago seeing a covenant child be baptized (tears of joy)
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes; nice and neat, you know?
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? ham
6. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? yes… 9
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOURSELF? Umhmm
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? yes
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? I am tempted at times, but it isn’t kind.
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? I still remember being terribly thirsty, not being able to swallow, and being all alone after losing the tonsils at 5 years old. I threw up on the way home.
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I value my body; no.
12. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? I wear clogs.
13. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? By God’s grace I am morally and spiritually strong, but I’m not as physically strong as in years gone by.
14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce.
15. SHOE SIZE? Don’t faint: 13
16. RED OR PINK? red
17. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I would like to be a little lighter.
18. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My favorite teacher from 5th grade through 8th grade. I wrote to him for years, then lost touch, and found out only recently that he had died before I had opportunity to tell him what a wonderful influence he was on my young life.
19. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? yes
20. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES YOU ARE WEARING? Black skirt, peasant style, and black *Crocs*
21. LAST THING YOU ATE? Pumpkin Yum (Only a small serving; is that OK?)
22. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Rebecca is telling me about the Hershey’s Kiss rose she made in Floral Design today.
23. FAVORITE SMELL(s) autumn leaves; the fragrance of a new-born baby.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? The receptionist at the dentist’s office.
25. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Positive, kind, humble attitude
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Willena, you know I love you!
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Fresh, hot coffee, first cup in the morning!
28. FAVORITE SPORT to play? Ping pong
30. EYE COLOR? green
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no
32. FAVORITE FOOD? A salad with all the fixings, like from Sizzler’s
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy endings
34. LAST MOVIE? Pirates of the Caribbean II
35. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Forest green with a slate grey sweater over
36. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer; but really, autumn.
37. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs; many hugs. I love ’em! With a quick back rub thrown in. Kisses are so slobbery.
38. FAVORITE DESSERT? Apple dumplings. You make biscuit dough, scatter chopped fresh apple sprinkled with cinnamon over, roll it up as for cinnamon rolls, slice it, and pour hot sugar syrup over. Then you bake it and serve the dumplings with milk or whipped cream or ice cream. Yum! I’ll send you the recipe if you so desire. 🙂
39. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Y’all
40. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Don’t know.
41. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges
42. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD Three sleepy puppies
43. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? We don’t have TV reception
44. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Hearing family activity in the home
45. ROLLING STONES or the BEATLES? the Beatles, but really The Moody Blues or Simon and Garfunkel or Joan Baez or Peter, Paul and Mary.
46. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? Chicago, Illinois from San Jose, CA when I was 18.
47. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Writing, drawing, cooking and baking, and all-around puzzle solver
48. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Phoenix, Arizona; 1953.

autumn-leaves2.jpg

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A Cool Link

Wednesday, October 25th, 2006

A friend sent me this short video , The Watchmaker, produced by Kids 4 Truth. Hope you enjoy it!

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Self-Control: Another Excerpt from The Practice of Godliness

Saturday, October 14th, 2006

Sound judgment is the beginning of self-control, and the Bible is absolutely essential to its exercise. Sound judgment must be based on a thorough knowledge of God’s standard, as revealed in the Scriptures, for our

  • ==> bodies,
  • ==> thoughts, and
  • ==> emotions.

Years ago when I first began to grow as a Christian I read the quotation, “God’s word will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from God’s word.” This is not simply a cliche, nor is the Bible some magical wand to wave at temptation. It is sound judgment, growing out of reflection on the word of God, that warns us when the enemy of sinful desire is assailing the citadel of our hearts.

Sound judgment also enables us to form an accurate estimate of our particular needs in the area of self-control. Paul’s admonition, “Think of yourself with sober judgment” (Romans 12:3), is good advice, not only for assessing our spiritual gifts, but also for assessing our spiritual needs. Proverbs 27:12 says, “The prudent see danger and take refuge.” Spiritual prudence requires that we know ourselves – our particular weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Only as we study both the Scriptures and ourselves will we be able to exercise sound judgment.

Next, we must face the issue of whether we are truly willing to give up enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin in return for knowing that our lives are pleasing to God. Kehl points out, “The beginning of self-mastery is to be mastered by Christ, to yield to his lordship. ‘Wouldst thou have thy flesh obey thy spirit?’ Augustine asked. ‘Then let thy spirit obey thy God. Thou must be governed, that thou may’st govern.'” (D.G. Kehl, Control Yourself! (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Publishing House, 1982), page 79.) Are you willing to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord of your appetites and desires, of your thoughts and emotions? If self-control begins with sound judgment, it must be carried forward by surrender to the authority of Christ in every area of our lives. (Emphasis added.)

The above excerpt is from Jerry Bridges’ book The Practice of Godliness, Chapter 11 – Self-Control, pages 142, 143.

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Excerpt from The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges

Sunday, October 1st, 2006

The Practice of GodlinessOn Wednesday evenings I am privileged to participate in a ladies’ Bible study at the Lynden United Reformed Church. Our studies are based on lessons presented by author Jerry Bridges in his book, The Practice of Godliness. Currently, the aspect of godliness which we are studying is holiness. Here is an excerpt from the chapter on holiness that I found especially succinct and edifying:

Even for the most godly Christian, there will be failure in the pursuit of holiness. The apostle John says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8). We still have a sinful nature within us, and we still live in a wicked world ruled by a wicked devil. Temptation is on every hand, and our old nature responds to it.

  • >>But what is the desire of our hearts?
  • >>What is the object of our most earnest prayers?
  • >>What is the major bent of our lives? If we want to train ourselves to be godly, it must be holiness in every area of our lives.

But let’s get specific. When Paul exhorted the Ephesian Christians to a life of holiness, to stop living as the Gentiles did, he dealt with three general areas of morality:

  • >>Honesty (a refusal to lie, steal, or deceive in any way);
  • >>Peaceableness (freedom from bitterness, anger, or strife of any kind); and
  • >>Purity (not even a hint of sexual immorality in word, look, thought, or act).

The message I get from the above passage is, “Holiness is not optional; it’s mandatory.” The Bible confirms this truth in such verses as 1Peter 1:16, “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” As Christians, our desire is to become more and more like our God. We want to become more godly, more holy, more conformed to His image.

Those who profess to be Christians while simultaneously arguing with God’s standards of right and wrong should wonder who they really love. Do they love the holy God of the Bible or a *god* of their own imaginations who doesn’t mind if they live an ungodly life, as long as they give lip-service to Christianity?

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