Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Courtesy of Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sour cream

2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

For the glaze:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired. Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

Broken Cars and Broken Dreams

by Anabel Gillham

Give your burdens to the Lord. He will carry them - Psalm 55:22 TLB

You have seen me tossing and turning through the night. You have collected all my tears and preserved them in Your bottle! You have recorded every one in Your book - Psalm 56:8 TLB

In the early years having four boys around the house meant toy cars . . . all sizes, shapes, makes, and models. My youngest, Wade, came into the kitchen one afternoon, tears on his cheeks and one on the tip of his nose -- a favorite Hot Wheels car in a viselike grip.

"I . . . broke . . . my car . . . Mom," -- uttered between gasping sobs.

I'm ready to do anything I can to erase his tears and put his small four-year-old-world back together.

"Let me see it, Honey." Sure enough. The axle was bent and the little car wouldn't roll. "Hey, I think I can help. I'm real good at fixing broken things . . . want me to try?"

"Yes . . . (gulp), ma'am."

I stepped into the garage and found two pairs of pliers. (You have to have one pair to hold the tip of the axle steady while you straighten it with the other pair; I had faced this serious mechanical problem before.) I went back into the kitchen where Wade was waiting -- crying because something he loved so dearly was broken beyond his ability to repair.

He had the car clutched tightly in his fist.

"You want me to work on it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, then -- you're going to have to let me have it in my hands." I got down on my knees so he could watch while I worked. I loved his head being so close to mine . . . and his leaning against my leg.

Wade's precious little broken cars: Anabel's precious dreams -- broken beyond my ability to repair.

Sobbing, I show them to my Father and He gently says, "Do you want Me to work on them?"

"Yes, Lord."

"Well, then -- you're going to have to let Me have them in My hands."
"But, Lord, that means I'll have to give up control! I've got to keep trying...."

"The choice is yours, Anabel. You may keep them or give them to Me."

"But Lord, You -- You seem to move so slowly! I've given them to You before and nothing happens!"

"Anabel, dear -- I never had them in My hands."

Lord, I stand here holding my precious shattered dreams -- fully intending to give them to You -- but clutching them so tightly. They're badly broken, and I've been trying -- unsuccessfully -- to fix them for a long time now. I choose -- this day -- to open my fists and let them go. Please take them in Your hands and fix them. And Lord -- may I lean on You and watch?

Pecan Squares

Courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa

We make these all year long and when we want to go "over the top" we dip half of each square in warm chocolate.

Crust:

1 1/4 pounds unsalted butter, room temperature 3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:

1 pound unsalted butter

1 cup good honey

3 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 pounds pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, beat the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, until light, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix well.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter with the mixer on low speed until just combined.

Press the dough evenly into an ungreased 18 by 12 by 1-inch baking sheet, making an edge around the outside. It will be very sticky; sprinkle the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned. Allow to cool.

For the topping, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, and zests in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, using a wooden spoon to stir. Raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and pecans. Pour over the crust, trying not to get the filling between the crust and the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars and serve.

Life

Life is mostly froth and bubble. Two things stand in stone. Kindness in another's trouble. Courage in your own.

Cast Down but Not Destroyed

By A. B. Simpson

How did God bring about the miracle of the Red Sea? By shutting His people in on every side so that there was no way out but the divine way. The Egyptians were behind them, the sea was in front of them, the mountains were on both sides of them. There was no escape but from above.

Someone has said that the devil can wall us in, but he cannot roof us over. We can always get out at the top. Our difficulties are but God’s challenges, and many times He makes them so hard that we must get above them or go under.

In the Providence of God, such an hour furnishes us with the highest possibilities for faith. We are pushed by the very emergency into God’s best.

Beloved, this is God’s hour. If you will rise to meet it you will get such a hold upon Him that you will never be in extremities again; or if you are, you will learn to call them not extremities, but opportunities.

Like Jacob, you will go forth from that night at Peniel, no longer Jacob, but victorious Israel. Let us bring to Him our need and prove Him true.

Living by Faith - Not by Sight

A daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me," he said.

"No, who are you?", said the father.

"I'm the new minister at your church," he replied. "When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up."

"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?"

Puzzled, the minister shut the door."I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, 'Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I'll be with you always.' Then just speak to him and listen in the same way you're doing with me right now."

"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.

"Did he die in peace?" he asked."

"Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?"

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we all could go like that."We live by faith, not by sight.- - - 2 Corinthians 5:7 - - -

Happy Thanksgiving

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. --W.T. Purkiser

True Thanksgiving

Oh, give thanks to the Lord,for He is good!~~ Psalm 107:1 ~

Separated from friends, unjustly accused, brutally treated -- if any man had a right to complain it was this man, languishing almost forgotten in a harsh Roman prison. But instead of complaints, his lips rang with words of praise and thanksgiving.

This was the apostle Paul -- a man who had learned the meaning of true thanksgiving, even in the midst of great adversity. Look carefully at what he wrote during that prison experience: "Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:19-20, NIV).

Think of it. "Always giving thanks...for everything," no matter the circumstances. His guards and fellow prisoners must have thought him crazy -- but that didn't stop him. Thanksgiving for Paul was not a once-a-year celebration, but a daily reality that made him a joyful person in every situation. May that be true of us. The Reverend Billy Graham in Hope for Each Day, Words of Wisdom and Faith

Thanksgiving

By Paula Moldenhauer

The aroma of pumpkin pie wafts through the air, mingling with the scent of baking turkey. You pause, smiling as you hear the sizzle and pop of the bird dripping into the roaster. Soon, real potatoes, creamed with milk and butter, will be added to the repertoire. Maybe you’ve pulled out a beautiful tablecloth and set the table with grandma’s china, or if you’re expecting a large group, it might be potluck style, served on paper plates, with friends and family tucked into every corner of your kitchen and living room.

As homemakers, we are in a unique position to make the Thanksgiving holiday a special time for our families. Thanks to the hard work of women in my life, Thanksgiving holds many special memories. Growing up it meant all the cousins at Grandma’s, tons of food, a game of “Annie Over”, and people with bulging paper plates in most every room of the house.

Since having children of my own, Thanksgiving has meant everything from a pilgrimage to family out of state to hosting in my home.

But as good as the memories are there have been plenty of Thanksgivings that I didn’t feel too thankful as the holiday approached. Financial difficulties, grief, or strained relationships made it difficult for me to focus on creating something special for my family. Other times, I was just too worn out from the daily tasks of home schooling and caring for small children to be excited about something that meant more work.

As the Thanksgiving season approaches this year, I’m thinking about what it means to be truly thankful. I’m digging for what I really want to give my family. As I’ve looked for this deeper meaning, I did a little research into the roots of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving didn’t simply grow out of the abundance the pilgrims experienced. It also grew out their suffering. The winter before the first American Thanksgiving, in 1621, about half of the pilgrims had died. They had spent their first year in the New World praying for their very survival. When they gathered to celebrate a good harvest, the memories of great loss were not far behind them.

In 1777, General George Washington and his army paused to acknowledge the first Thanksgiving of the newly formed United States of America. They stopped in open fields in the bitter cold. They were on their way to Valley Forge where a winter of suffering awaited them.

In 1863, after the horrors of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln asked all Americans to celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November. For our ancestors, Thanksgiving was not only a celebration of the good, but also a determination to honor God no matter the circumstances.

In 1990, in President George W. Bush’s Thanksgiving proclamation, he said the first Thanksgiving was one of the “many occasions on which our ancestors paused to acknowledge their dependence on the mercy and favor of Divine Providence.”

Perhaps this is the deeper meaning my heart searches for as I embrace the Thanksgiving season; the determination to acknowledge my dependence on the goodness of God. I want to offer Him my thanks in happy times and sad, and to pass that on to my children.

For some people across our nation, Thanksgiving comes in the midst of personal wartime sacrifice. For many of us, the daily grind of home schooling, a season of financial difficulty, or unexpected sickness threatens our decision to spend this holiday in gratitude. And without a thankful heart we find it even more difficult to give ourselves to the task of serving our families this Thanksgiving.

Whether you are experiencing a time of abundant harvest in your life, or reaching for the ability to be grateful, let me encourage you to seek the Lord today for a grateful heart. Proverbs 15:15 says that a cheerful heart is a “continual feast.”

In my experience, a cheerful heart is an outgrowth of a thankful heart. What more can I offer to my family this season than a continual feast of gratitude? But how do we do that when the cares of life push us down? It is necessary to remember that Proverbs 15:13 says, ‘heartache crushes the spirit.’ We don’t have to feel guilty that we don’t have a cheerful heart, but we do need to take our cares to the Lord.

Recently, I sought to stand in faith during a difficult, heart-crushing time. I found it hard not to succumb to my emotions of despair as I tried to walk in faith. I was comforted when I read that the psalmist poured his complaints before the Lord (Psalm 142:2). This Scripture encouraged me to find a place by myself and I laid it all before Him. Through tears, I told Him how I didn’t like what He was allowing in my life. It was much easier to offer God my thanks AFTER I’d laid my complaints before Him.

An important part of finding that ‘attitude of gratitude’ is being honest with the Lord. After we’ve allowed the Lord to carry our complaints, we can ask Him to give us a thankful heart. Here’s a simple illustration. As a young mother I was completely overwhelmed with the drudgery of keeping our home. I pushed through the many tasks that befell me and felt I would drown. I began to pray for a thankful, content heart.

One day a rush of pleasure flooded me while folding a worn-out, faded dishcloth. That sudden feeling of accomplishment made me realize that the services I performed for my family really did make a difference. I know God answered my prayer for a thankful heart. Never before or since have I rejoiced over a neatly folded rag!

While we surrender to God’s transforming power, we can also choose to thank Him daily, no matter what life brings us. In First Thessalonians, we are encouraged to give thanks in all circumstances. The very institution of our Thanksgiving holiday is a testimony to that verse.

When I think of the suffering of thepilgrims or the soldiers at Valley Forge, I’m inspired by our forefather’s determination to bow their knees before the King of the Universe, whatever the situation. Jeremiah says, “Give thanks to the LORD Almighty, for the LORD is good; his love endures forever.” (Jeremiah 33:11b, NIV).

No matter what we face, we can always thank the Lord for His goodness and His love. As we prepare for our Thanksgiving celebrations this year, may the Lord give us the grace to not only peel the potatoes, baste the turkey, and make that pumpkin pie, but also to live and model a thankful heart. And as we offer sincere thanks to our Father, may we, like our pilgrim ancestors, be laying a foundation of faithfulness for our children to build upon.

Thought for Today

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?-- Corrie Ten Boom

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups white sugar
6 eggs
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; stir into the pumpkin mixture until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the loaf should spring back when lightly pressed.

Ask

Matthew 18:19-20

19. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

20. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

None to Help But God

"Lord, there is none beside thee to help." (2 Chronicles 14:11).

Remind God of His entire responsibility. "There is none beside thee to help." The odds against Asa were enormous. There was a million of men in arms against him, besides three hundred chariots. It seemed impossible to hold his own against that vast multitude. There were no allies who would come to his help; his only hope, therefore, was in God. It may be that your difficulties have been allowed to come to so alarming a pitch that you may be compelled to renounce all creature aid, to which in lesser trials you have had recourse, and cast yourself back on your Almighty Friend.

Put God between yourself and the foe. To Asa's faith, Jehovah seemed to stand between the might of Zerah and himself, as one who had no strength. Nor was he mistaken. We are told that the Ethiopians were destroyed before the Lord and before His host, as though celestial combatants flung themselves against the foe in Israel's behalf, and put the large host to rout, so that Israel had only to follow up and gather the spoil. Our God is Jehovah of hosts, who can summon unexpected reinforcements at any moment to aid His people. Believe that He is there between you and your difficulty, and what baffles you will flee before Him, as clouds before the gale. --F. B. Meyer

"When nothing whereon to lean remains,
When strongholds crumble to dust;
When nothing is sure but that God still reigns,
That is just the time to trust.

"'Tis better to walk by faith than sight,
In this path of yours and mine;
And the pitch-black night, when there's no outer light
Is the time for faith to shine."

Abraham believed God, and said to sight, "Stand back!" and to the laws of nature, "Hold your peace!" and to a misgiving heart, "Silence, thou lying tempter!" He believed God. - Joseph Parker

Orange Yeast Rolls

Ingredients:
1/4 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
1 cup milk, scalded
1/4 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 to 5 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
1/4 cup orange juice
Orange icing (recipe follows)

Directions: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (105 to 115 degrees); set aside. Scald milk. Add shortening, sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Place in mixing bowl. Stir in about 2 cups of the flour and beat well. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in yeast, orange peel and juice and remaining flour (or enough to make a soft dough). Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours. Punch down, cover and let rest 10 minutes.
Divide dough in half. Roll each to a 12-by-9-inch rectangle, 1/4 inch thick. Spread each with filling.

Orange Filling
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1/4 cup melted butter
Combine all ingredients.

Spread filling on dough. Roll up dough like a jelly roll. Seal edges and cut in 1 inch slices.
Place rolls on a slightly greased cake pan or cookie sheet. Cover and let rise untill double (about 45 to 60 minutes). Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Makes 24 orange rolls.

Orange Icing
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
Combine all ingredients. Stir until smooth. Icing may be drizzled over hot or cool rolls.

Rest

by Anabel Gillham

To rest. What a pleasant thought.

"Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me."Psalm 131:2

"I am quiet now before the Lord, just as a child who is weaned from the breast. Yes, my begging has been stilled."Psalm 131:2

Where once, when close to his mother he kept searching and wanting, restless, feeling that in this position he should be receiving—having his needs met, being fulfilled, constantly pampered — now he is content to be held, content with her closeness. He makes no demands. He is quiet. He is still.

* * *
Lord, I long to be quiet, to rest in Your arms, to desire nothing, to be content just to be in Your presence. The things that I think I need, the obstacles that I think need to be moved, the changes that I believe need to take place in my life—are they really that urgent? You have not abdicated Your throne. You are still very much in control of my affairs and You love me and want what’s best for me.

Help is Near!

Psalm 46:1-2

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea.

Butter and Jam Thumbprints

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened

2/3 cup sugar, plus more for rolling

1 large egg

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped from pod, or

1/8 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup raspberry, cherry or strawberry jam 

 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

In another bowl, whip the butter and the sugar with a hand-held mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing just until incorporated. 

 

Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls with a cookie or ice cream scoop and roll in sugar. Place about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball, about 1/2-inch deep. Fill each indentation with about 3/4 teaspoon jam. 

 

Bake cookies until the edges are golden, about 15 minutes. (For even color, rotate the pans from top to bottom about halfway through baking.) Cool cookies on the baking sheets. Serve.

Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 day

God Takes the Burden

As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him.~~ Psalm 103:13 ~~

As God's children, we are His dependents.

Dependent children spend little time worrying about meals, clothing, and shelter. They assume -- and they have a right to -- that their parents will provide everything they need.

Jesus said, "Do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'....But seek first the kingdom of God....and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:31, 33).

Unfortunately, worry is an ingrained habit for most of us. But because we are God's children, He is responsible for our welfare. That is why you should be "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

In other words, let God do the worrying! He says, "I'll take the burden -- don't give it a thought -- leave it to Me."Never forget: God is bigger than your problems. Whatever worries press upon you today, put them in God's hands -- and leave them there.

Reverend Billy Graham in Hope for Each Day, Words of Wisdom and Faith

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

Crust
1 box (15 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box


Filling
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
½ cup milk
2 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
2 cups Green Giant® frozen mixed vegetables (from 1-lb bag), thawed

Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.

In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

The Magnitude of Grace

My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Our weakness should be prized as making room for divine strength. We might never have known the power of grace if we had not felt the weakness of nature. Blessed be the Lord for the thorn in the flesh, and the messenger of Satan, when they drive us to the strength of God.

This is a precious word from our Lord's own lip. It has made the writer laugh for joy. God's grace enough for me! I should think it is. Is not the sky enough for the bird and the ocean enough for the fish? The All-Sufficient is sufficient for my largest want. He who is sufficient for earth and heaven is certainly able to meet the case of one poor worm like me.

Let us, then, fall back upon our God and His grace. If He does not remove our grief, He will enable us to bear it. His strength shall be poured into us till the worm shall thresh the mountains, and a nothing shall be victor over all the high and mighty ones.

It is better for us to have God's strength than our own; for if we were a thousand times as strong as we are, it would amount to nothing in the face of the enemy; and if we could be weaker than we are, which is scarcely possible, yet we could do all things through Christ. Charles Spurgeon

Like Clay

by Charles R. Swindoll (Acts 12:25-13:5)

Keeping the clay of your will supple and flexible calls for constant attention along the way. Once you grow hard and brittle to God’s leading, you’re less usable to Him. I want to take the truths we’ve wrestled with here and make them into a softening ointment you can regularly apply when a change is on the horizon. The ingredients in the ointment you need to apply include a pinch of the negative and a smidgen of the positive.

First negative: Do not remove any possibility. Stay open to whatever it is God may have for you by removing all the limitations. Tell the Lord you’re willing to cooperate. But don’t forget, you may be the next Barnabas or Paul the Lord decides to move. Remember, we’re dealing with change—changing so we might obey.

Second negative: Do not allow a lot of activity to dull your sensitivity. Remember, God spoke while they were ministering. You can be so busy in church activities you can’t figure out what the Lord’s saying.

First positive: Let God be God. He is selective when He moves people. He picked two and left three. That was His prerogative. He could have chosen all five or only one. It’s His call. Our sovereign Lord does as He pleases, and when it’s clear, our response is to obey.

Second positive: Be ready to say yes. Don’t wait for all the details to be ironed out before you agree to release and obey. Sure, there will be hardships, some uphill stretches in the road. So what? Be ready to say yes, and trust Him to take care of the rest.

Only you and the Lord know the condition of your heart. Is it soft and pliable clay, ready to be molded and shaped by the Master sculptor? Or has it hardened into brittle and fragile pottery from years of faithless living?

You know exactly what God is asking you to do. It may be well beyond the boundaries of logic and far outside your comfort zone. You may even have a few friends telling you that what you believe He’s asking you to do is wrong, completely wrong. Still, His leading is clear. Only one thing is needed: say yes, Lord, yes.

Pumpkin Roll

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup solid pack pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup chopped pecans
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Filling:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed for five minutes. Gradually mix in pumpkin and lemon juice. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger; stir into the pumpkin mixture. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle pecans over the top of the batter.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the center springs back when touched. Loosen edges with a knife. Turn out on two dishtowels that have been dusted with confectioners' sugar. Roll up cake using towels, and let cool for about 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Unroll pumpkin cake when cool, spread with filling, and roll up. Place pumpkin roll on a long sheet of waxed paper, and dust with confectioners' sugar. Wrap cake in waxed paper, and twist ends of waxed paper like a candy wrapper. Refrigerate overnight. Serve chilled; before slicing, dust with additional confectioners' sugar.

God's Perfect Timing

by Anabel Gillham

I don't understand, God. I have prayed and prayed, and nothing has changed. I believe my prayers are within the scope of Your will . . . I'm not asking for anything amiss. What's wrong, God?

These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!Habakkuk 2:3

Do you remember Zacharias and Elizabeth, the father and mother of John the Baptist? They didn't have John until very late in life. In fact, they had reached the age at which having children was highly improbable, if not impossible: "I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years" (Luke 1: 18).

But one day, while Zacharias was ministering to the Lord in the Temple, the angel Gabriel came to him and said, "Zacharias, your prayer has been heard."

Do you suppose Zacharias had been praying recently for a child? Do you think he was still entreating the Lord for a son? Maybe just yesterday in his prayers he had said, "O, Lord! Elizabeth and I are so very lonely. How we yearn to have a child. Please, Lord, bless our union and send us a baby. . . ."

I don't think so. I really don't think he had prayed that way for a long, long time. He had given up all hope that he would ever hear the patter of little feet around the house, for he was an "old man" and his wife was "advanced in years."

"Uh . . . what prayer is it that you have reference to, Gabriel?"

"The one you prayed years ago, Zacharias. Remember? You asked God for a son. You see, the fullness of time has now come, and the Lord is going to give you the desire of your heart -- a son, Zacharias, a son!"

In the fullness of time. When is that, Lord? I don't really have any way of knowing, do I? Zacharias and Elizabeth had some lonely years . . . until the fullness of time when everything was ready . . . and then You fulfilled their prayer.

God has an "appointed time" when every minute detail will be finished for you and for me. When that times comes, the prayer will be answered.

It may not be tomorrow
and yet it may
It will happen on
Gods set day
The burden will be lifted
The lost one will be won
The trial will be over
The long task will be done
We cannot know the hour
but we will trust Him as we wait,
for He knows just what must come to pass
He will not be a moment late!
So praise Him in the trial
give thanks for the task
rejoice and be obedient
He knows what you have asked.
It may not be tomorrow
and yet it may
It will happen on
God's set day.