Stillness

Be still, and know that I am God....~~ Psalm 46:10 KJV ~~ 

 Are you so busy that you rush through the day with scarcely a single moment for quiet contemplation and prayer? If so, it's time to reorder your priorities. 

 If we are to maintain righteous minds and compassionate hearts, we must take time each day for prayer and for meditation. 

We must make ourselves still in the presence of our Creator. 

We must quiet our minds and our hearts so that we might sense God's will, God's love, and God's Son. 

Has the busy pace of life robbed you of the peace that might otherwise be yours through Jesus Christ? Nothing is more important than the time you spend with your Savior. 

So be still and claim the inner peace that is your spiritual birthright: the peace of Jesus Christ.

 A Woman of Prayer - 365 daily devotions, Freeman-Smith LLC, Publisher

Lemon Bar Trifle

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter, melted

LEMON LAYER:

1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-3/4 cups cold water
3 egg yolks, beaten
2/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons grated lemon peel



CREAM CHEESE LAYER:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions: In a small bowl, combine flour and pecans; stir in butter. Press into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

In a small heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and flour. Stir in water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in the lemon juice, butter and lemon peel. Transfer to a bowl. Cool to room temperature without stirring. Cover surface with waxed paper; refrigerate until chilled.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Crumble the baked pecan mixture; set aside 1/2 cup for topping. Just before serving, in a 3-qt. trifle bowl, layer 1 cup each pecan mixture, lemon mixture and cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice. Sprinkle with reserved pecan mixture. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 9 servings.

BBQ Chicken and Strawberry Salad

Ingredients
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
(1 lb.) 1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
1 pkg. (10 oz.) mixed salad greens
2 cups fresh strawberries, cut in half
1/2 cup sliced red onions
1/2 cup KRAFT Light Ranch Dressing

Directions

HEAT greased grill to medium-high heat.

GRILL chicken 10 min. on each side or until done (170F), turning and brushing occasionally with barbecue sauce. Cut into strips.

COVER plate with greens; top with berries, onions and chicken.

TOP with dressing.

NotesKraft Kitchens Tips:

Substitute - Substitute blueberries or blackberries for the halved strawberries.

Special Extra - Brush French bread slices with KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing and Marinade. Add to grill for the last few minutes of the chicken grilling time. Grill until toasted on both sides. Serve with the salad.

A New Sense of Joy

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. ~~ Matthew 11:29-30 ~~  

Even the most inspired Christian women can, from time to time, find themselves running on empty. 

The demands of daily life can drain us of our strength and rob us of the joy that is rightfully ours in Christ. 

Are you tired or troubled? Turn your heart toward God in prayer. Are you weak or worried? Take the time -- or, more accurately, make the time -- to delve deeply into God's Holy Word. 

 Are you spiritually depleted? Call upon fellow believers to support you, and call upon Christ to renew your spirit and your life. When you do, you'll discover that the Creator of the universe stands always ready and always able to create a new sense of wonderment and joy in you. 

But while relaxation is one thing, refreshment is another.We need to drink frequently and at length from God's fresh springs, to spend time in the Scripture, time in fellowship with Him, time worshiping Him. ~~ Ruth Bell Graham ~~

Do You Need Wisdom?

James 1:5 

 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Balance

by Charles R. Swindoll 1 Kings 9:3-5 

Both adversity and prosperity confront our equilibrium, but prosperity is perhaps the more challenging test. 

Today we look at another biblical person who rose to the top and kept his balance. The classic example is David. According to the last three verses of Psalm 78: [God] also chose David His servant And took him from the sheepfolds; From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,And guided them with his skillful hands.(Psalm 78:70-72, emphasis added) 

As Jehovah scanned the Judean landscape in search of Saul's successor, He found a youth in his mid-teens who possessed a unique combination: the humility of a servant, the heart of a shepherd, and the hands of skill. And by his thirtieth birthday, Jesse's youngest son held the premier office in the nation. King. At his fingertips were a vast treasury, unlimited privileges, and enormous power. And how did he handle such prosperity?

Read that final verse again. He shepherded the nation "according to the integrity of his heart." In spite of his limitations and imperfections, he was one of the few who passed the test of prosperity. 

Are you? If so, when you give your word, you do it. Exactly as you said you would. Because integrity means you are verbally trustworthy. Furthermore, when bills come due, you pay them. Because integrity means you are financially dependable. Also, when you're tempted to mess around with an illicit affair, you resist. Because integrity means you are morally pure. You don't fudge because you're able to cover your tracks. Neither do you fake it because you're now a big shot. 

Being successful doesn't give anybody the right to call wrong right. Or the okay to say something's okay if it isn't okay. Adversity or prosperity, both are tough tests on our balance. To stay balanced through prosperity---ah, that demands integrity. The swift wind of compromise is a lot more devastating than the sudden jolt of misfortune. That's why walking on a wire is harder than standing up in a storm. Height has a strange way of disturbing our balance.  

Excerpted from Come Before Winter and Share My Hope, Copyright © 1985, 1994 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission

Reach For His Hand

The Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you.~~Deuteronomy 31:8 ~~ 

 Once many years ago when I was going through a dark period I prayed and prayed, but the heavens seemed to be brass. I felt as though God had disappeared and that I was alone with my trial and burden. It was a dark night for my soul. 

I wrote my mother about the experience and will never forget her reply: "Son, there are many times when God withdraws to test your faith. He wants you to trust Him in the darkness. Now, Son, reach up by faith in the fog and you will find that His hand will be there." 

In tears I knelt by my bed and experienced an overwhelming sense of God's presence.Whether or not we feel God's presence when our way seems dark, by faith we know He is there. You can stake your life on His promise: "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). The Reverend Billy Graham

Think with Discernment

by Charles R. Swindoll Proverbs 3:21-22; Philippians 1:9-10 

Discernment is essential. Undiscerning love spawns and invites more heresy than any of us are ready to believe. 

One of the tactics of survival when facing "the flaming arrows of the evil one" (Ephesians 6:16) is to make certain we have cinched up the belt of truth rather tightly around ourselves. 

And what helps us do battle with the enemy also strengthens us in relationships with friends. 

A Christian without discernment is like a submarine in a harbor plowing full speed ahead without radar or periscope. Or a loaded 747 trying to land in dense fog without instruments or radio. Lots of noise, a great deal of power, good intentions, until . . . bam! Disaster. It happens day in, day out . . . with frightening regularity. 

Do I hear you say you want discernment but don't know where to go to find it? Go to your knees. James 1:5 promises wisdom to those who ask for it. Go to the Word. Psalm 119:98-100 offers insight beyond our fondest dreams. Go to the wise. Discernment is better caught than taught. Those who have the disease are often highly contagious. This offer is good throughout life and comes with a satisfaction-guaranteed clause. All are welcome to apply.

Faith

Faith is not a storm cellar to which men and women can flee for refuge from the storms of life. It is, instead, an inner force that gives them the strength to face those storms and their consequences with serenity of spirit. ~ Sam J. Ervin, Jr. ~

Master

There is a thread of truth woven through the opinions of man, but the truth of the Master Weaver is absolute. ~by Roger C. Hall~