Okay, we've had to 'move' because someone keeps trying to 'hack' into our blog & cause problems....so, the new blog address:
ourlordswill.blogspot.com
hope to see you there!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Recipe of the day
Truffle Cake with Candy Cane Cream Recipe
- 16 Servings
- Prep: 35 min. Bake: 40 min. + chilling
Ingredients
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted and coarsely ground
- 2 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 16 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 6 eggs
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
CREAM:- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 candy canes, finely ground
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, optional
Directions
- Combine the cracker crumbs, pecans, 2 tablespoons sugar and butter; press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet.
- In a large saucepan, cook chocolate and cream over low heat until chocolate is melted. Cool. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, flour and remaining sugar on high speed until thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in chocolate mixture.
- Pour batter into prepared crust. Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of the pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Beat cream and sugar until stiff peaks form; fold in ground candy and extract if desired. Serve with cake. Yield: 16 servings.
Daily Devotional
Being kind to the poor is like lending to the Lord; he will reward you for what you have done. Proverbs 19:17
When you take food to the poor, that’s an act of worship. When you give a word of kindness to someone who needs it, that’s an act of worship. When you write someone a letter to encourage them or sit down and open your Bible with someone to teach them, that’s an act of worship.
Poem of the day
In the secret of His presence
How my soul delights to hide!
Oh, how precious are the lessons
Which I learn at Jesus' side!--Goreh
Joke of The Day
Dirty Magazines
An army major called his wife to tell her that he would be late home because dirty magazines had been found in the barracks, and the soldiers responsible were facing serious disciplinary action.
"The punishment sounds a little harsh," she said. "After all, most of the soldiers have pictures of women on the walls of their quarters."
"No, honey,," he explained patiently. "Dirty magazines means the clips from their rifles had not been cleaned properly!"
Word of the day
Mistletoe:
Part of Speech: Noun, mass
Meaning: A semiparasitic shrub of the family Viscaceae with thick evergreen leaves and waxy white berries, that grows on deciduous trees.
Part of Speech: Noun, mass
Meaning: A semiparasitic shrub of the family Viscaceae with thick evergreen leaves and waxy white berries, that grows on deciduous trees.
Notes: As it grows, mistletoe accumulates the magical power to grant anyone the right to kiss anyone else standing beneath it. How it does that, scientists have not yet been able to determine. In England you are obliged to pluck a berry from the twig each time you take advantage of this power, thereby exhausting the twig bit by bit. In the US, however, we leave the berries up and indulge ourselves until no one is left whom we haven't labially offended.
In Play: 
Although it began as a symbol of good luck, mistletoe today is ineluctably associated with holiday kissing: "This grapefruit makes me pucker more than a tree full of mistletoe." Unfortunately, its magical powers are non-selective, so you might hear something like this: "I would sooner eat the mistletoe than kiss him." Of course, you want to watch your language around the holidays. Avoid crude insults like, "Kiss my . . . whatever" in favor of more genteel suggestions like, "As I walk away, kindly imagine mistletoe on my coattail."
Although it began as a symbol of good luck, mistletoe today is ineluctably associated with holiday kissing: "This grapefruit makes me pucker more than a tree full of mistletoe." Unfortunately, its magical powers are non-selective, so you might hear something like this: "I would sooner eat the mistletoe than kiss him." Of course, you want to watch your language around the holidays. Avoid crude insults like, "Kiss my . . . whatever" in favor of more genteel suggestions like, "As I walk away, kindly imagine mistletoe on my coattail." Word History: This Word in Old English was mistiltan "mistletoe twig" from mistil, mistel "mistletoe" + tan "twig". The Old English word for mistletoe, mistel, was probably a diminutive of mist, a word to which it seems related. It may also be related to missel as in 'missel thrush', a bird known to propagate mistletoe. Toe clearly arose via folk etymology after the loss of tan in English—don't those white little berries look just like a baby's toes? The Celtic and Norse peoples considered mistletoe powerful magic. They hung sprigs of it over doors to stave off evil and attract good fortune. If warring parties met in the forest and noticed mistletoe growing in a tree, according to tradition, they were sorely pressed to lay down their arms (though not to kiss and make up).
Monday, December 20, 2010
Recipe of the day
Peppermint Candy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Nestlé® Tollhouse® Semi-Sweet Morsels
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk, divided
- 1 cup white baking chips
- 3 teaspoons peppermint extract
- 2 to 3 drops green food coloring
Directions
- In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips with 3/4 cup condensed milk over low heat, stirring occasionally. Line an 8-in. square dish with waxed paper; butter the paper.
- Spread half of melted chocolate mixture into pan; chill for 5-10 minutes (let remaining melted chocolate mixture stand at room temperature).
- In another saucepan, melt vanilla chips. Stir in remaining condensed milk until smooth. Remove from the heat; add extract and food coloring. Refrigerate until set. Spread over chocolate layer; spread with reserved chocolate mixture. Refrigerate until set. Cut into 1-in. pieces. Yield: 5 dozen.
Daily Devotional
You are…God’s own possession. I Peter 2:9
God loves you simply because He has chosen to do so.
He loves you when you don’t feel lovely.
He loves you when no one else loves you.
Others may abandon you, divorce you, and ignore you, but God will love you. Always. No matter what.
Poem of the day
Help us, Lord, to work together
With the gifts that You bestow;
Give us unity of purpose
As we serve You here below.--Sper
With the gifts that You bestow;
Give us unity of purpose
As we serve You here below.--Sper
Joke of The Day
Goodnight
An army sergeant was passing barracks after lights out when he heard some voices from inside.
He threw the door open and barked: "A few minutes ago you all heard me say "goodnight". What you don't seem to have grasped is that when I say 'goodnight', what I really mean is 'shut the heck up?'"
The room instantly fell silent.
But after a few seconds, a small voice could be heard from somewhere at the back of the darkened room: "Goodnight, sergeant."
Word of the day
Bootleg:
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Illegally produced and sold, as bootleg liquor or bootleg videos.
The leg of a boot—or bootleg—is that part of a tall boot above the instep. Today's sense of bootleg came from the era of swashbuckling boots that rose to the thighs, the tops of which could be folded down. Rolled all the way up they provided a neat compartment for concealing small items, such as jewelry, while passing through customs. So the word first emerged as a verb meaning to smuggle in a bootleg (or two). The meaning eventually dissolved into smuggling anything anyway and, when men began wearing tighter boots, to what it means today.
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Illegally produced and sold, as bootleg liquor or bootleg videos.
Notes: In the era of a world economy, it is difficult for a company to control the production and sale of its products in other countries. The problem becomes especially acute if the product may be copied as easily as videos and computer programs. The problem of bootleg digital products is a pressing issue for some companies today, raising our curiosity as to where this odd little word came from. It may be used as a verb unchanged, to bootleg (videos) and those who bootleg are bootleggers.
In Play: In the US, this word was rescued from obscurity during Prohibition, when alcoholic beverages were outlawed and legal liquor was unobtainable. The word is still most closely associated with bootleg liquor: "When I returned from Scotland, I tried to wean my father from his old bootleg hooch to single malt Scotch, but he was too set in his ways." Today, however, the meaning is spreading into other areas of misappropriation: "Why do I think this is a bootleg video, you ask? Well, the first clue is the fact that the sound track has been dubbed in Chinese."
Word History: The leg of a boot—or bootleg—is that part of a tall boot above the instep. Today's sense of bootleg came from the era of swashbuckling boots that rose to the thighs, the tops of which could be folded down. Rolled all the way up they provided a neat compartment for concealing small items, such as jewelry, while passing through customs. So the word first emerged as a verb meaning to smuggle in a bootleg (or two). The meaning eventually dissolved into smuggling anything anyway and, when men began wearing tighter boots, to what it means today.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
We must admit it. Sometimes it just makes us feel better about ourselves if we wallow around in the misery of our sin for a while. We entertain thoughts like, "I can't come to God now, not after all I've done." OR "Maybe if I'm miserable lo...ng enough for my mistake, then God will forgive me & love me again."
Satan LOVES this stuff!!, because he knows it is just the wrong perspective that keeps us from growing in Christ!!
Swing the pendulum to the other extreme & you encounter the legalism & lovelessness that characterizes so many Christian lives. Either for fear of failure or in an attempt at outward righteousness, they construct rules stricter than God's own guidelines, building a facade of holiness that is devoid of God's true Spirit.
God's Word says differently! Throw off your shroud of morbid introspection & futile attempts at self-righteousness. We didn't earn God's salvation by our performance, & we won't achieve sanctification by it, either.
We begin by faith & we continue to walk in it with Christ for the rest of our lives.
Be gone sour faces! Get lost gloomy spirits! Victory is ours through our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of Him, we have no condemnation. We have nothing left but to rejoice in God our Savior! :-D
Satan LOVES this stuff!!, because he knows it is just the wrong perspective that keeps us from growing in Christ!!
Swing the pendulum to the other extreme & you encounter the legalism & lovelessness that characterizes so many Christian lives. Either for fear of failure or in an attempt at outward righteousness, they construct rules stricter than God's own guidelines, building a facade of holiness that is devoid of God's true Spirit.
God's Word says differently! Throw off your shroud of morbid introspection & futile attempts at self-righteousness. We didn't earn God's salvation by our performance, & we won't achieve sanctification by it, either.
We begin by faith & we continue to walk in it with Christ for the rest of our lives.
Be gone sour faces! Get lost gloomy spirits! Victory is ours through our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of Him, we have no condemnation. We have nothing left but to rejoice in God our Savior! :-D
Every life has different seasons, & in the interest of our sanity it is important that we recognize them.You need to take opportunities to 'spiritually' 'get away'. Rest in God. Grow in God. Set aside time to not only rest your physical bod...y, but your spirit as well. We all need it. To remember who you are, whose you are, & what your purpose is. Re-focused & refreshed, we are then able to face the day renewed in Christ's strength.
Jesus' rest is not an optimistic option. It is required for our souls to stay strong that we may fight the good fight all the way to the end. If you feel tired physically, emotionally, spiritually, then stop. For a moment, or longer. However long it takes, as Jesus often did, pull away from the throng to sit @ the Father's feet & receive from Him the love you need to continue. Take a nap. Put off laundry long enough for a simple walk. But take Jesus up on His offer. He hears your cry & welcomes you to come to Him for rest.
Jesus' rest is not an optimistic option. It is required for our souls to stay strong that we may fight the good fight all the way to the end. If you feel tired physically, emotionally, spiritually, then stop. For a moment, or longer. However long it takes, as Jesus often did, pull away from the throng to sit @ the Father's feet & receive from Him the love you need to continue. Take a nap. Put off laundry long enough for a simple walk. But take Jesus up on His offer. He hears your cry & welcomes you to come to Him for rest.
Recipe of the day
Snowflake Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon Spice Island® Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
ROYAL ICING:- 2 pounds confectioners' sugar
- 6 tablespoons meringue powder
- 3/4 cup warm water
- Sky blue gel food coloring
- White edible glitter and superfine sugar
Ribbon
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
- Divide dough into fourths. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion to 1/8-in. thickness. (Refrigerate other portions until ready to use.) Using a variety of sizes of floured snowflake cookie cutters, cut out snowflakes.
- Carefully place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using small decorating cutters, cut out desired shapes to create designs in some of the snowflakes. Use a toothpick to help remove the cutouts. With a plastic straw, poke a hole in the top of each small cookie.
- Bake medium and large snowflakes at 375° for 6-1/2 to 7 minutes and small snowflakes for 6 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.
- For royal icing, in a large bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder. Add warm water; beat on low speed for 1 minute. Beat on high for 4-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Tint half blue. Leave remaining icing white; cover and set aside.
- With blue icing and a round tip, outline half of the cookies; fill in centers with blue icing and let dry completely. With white icing and a round tip, outline each blue-colored cookie and create snowflake designs. Let dry completely.
- On the remaining cookies, repeat process using white icing on white frosted cookies. Thread a ribbon through the hole in each small snowflake and through the cutout in each medium and large snowflake. Yield: about 3 dozen.
Poem of the day
Lord, help us not respond in kind
To those who hate and turn from You;
Instead, help us to love and pray
That someday they'll accept what's true.--Sper
Joke of The Day
The Cow Gives Birth
A farmer was helping one of his cows to give birth when he noticed his young son watching wide-eyed from behind the fence. "Oh dear," thought the farmer, "I'm going to have to explain the birds and bees to him."
So when he had finished, he asked the boy: "Well, have you got any questions about what you've just seen?"
"Just one," gasped the boy. "How fast was that calf going when it hit the cow?"
Daily Devotinal
When you were in trouble, you called, and I saved you. I answered you with thunder. Psalm 81:7
God is as creative as he is relentless. The same hand that sent manna to Israel sent Uzzah to his death. The same hand that set the children free from Israel also sent them captive to Babylon. Both kind and stern. Tender and tough. Faithfully firm. Patiently urgent. Eagerly tolerant. Softly shouting. Gently thundering.
Word of the day
correption:
Part of Speech: Noun, massMeaning: Chastisement, upbraiding, reprehension, chewing out, calling onto the carpet. This word is rather old but it is very useful and it's time to bring it down from the attic.
Notes: Correption often follows corruption wherever it goes but this is no excuse for confusing these two words. Correption is the action noun of the verb corrept "to upbraid, chide." The adjective is correptory, as a correptory sermon for coming in late.
In Play: Hey, kids! If your parents are impressed with high-falutin' vocabulary, you might try this sometime: "Dad, couldn't you just dish out some firm correption and let me go my merry way instead of grounding me for a week?" (If dad's response is, "That word hasn't been used since 1837," don't be surprised, just refer him to today's Word.) Today's single word does the work of several long phrases like, "call on the carpet", "chew someone out", "give someone what for": "The boss gave me a bit of correption for missing work on Monday."
Word History: Today's Word is another from a Latin past participle, correptus "snatched away, blamed", from correpere "to snatch away, blame". This verb is a combination of com- "with", used here just as an intensifier of rapere "to snatch a way, grab". I think the meaning of today's Word comes from the image of grabbing someone by the scruff of their neck and giving them what for. But the root of rapere is also the source of English rapid, since the original Latin word implied grabbing something and absconding with it.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Recipe of the day
Warm Christmas Punch Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bottle (32 ounces) cranberry juice
- 1 can (32 ounces) pineapple juice
- 1/3 cup red-hot candies
- 1 cinnamon stick (3-1/2 inches)
- Additional cinnamon sticks, optional
Directions
- In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine juices, red-hots and cinnamon stick. Cook on low for 2-5 hours. Discard cinnamon stick before serving. Use additional cinnamon sticks as stirrers if desired. Yield: 2 quarts.
Daily Devotinal
No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. I Corinthians 2:9
Anything you imagine is inadequate. Anything anyone imagines is inadequate. No one has come close. No one. Think of all the songs about heaven. All the artists’ portrayals. All the lessons preached, poems written, and chapters drafted.
When it comes to describing heaven, we are all happy failures.
Anything you imagine is inadequate. Anything anyone imagines is inadequate. No one has come close. No one. Think of all the songs about heaven. All the artists’ portrayals. All the lessons preached, poems written, and chapters drafted.
When it comes to describing heaven, we are all happy failures.
Word of the day
Trollop:
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. A slovenly, messy, unkempt woman. 2. A woman of loose moral character.
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. A slovenly, messy, unkempt woman. 2. A woman of loose moral character.
Notes: It might be hard to call today's Word a 'good' word but it is interesting in that it represents a large pool of terms for women of loose morals, including harlot, strumpet, tart, tramp, slut, floozy, to mention just the mentionables. The list of words referring to males of loose morals is much smaller, e.g. philanderer, womanizer, gigolo, lady's man, and less negative—in fact, lady's man is all but positive. While we cannot change attitudes by changing vocabulary, our vocabulary does, in fact, provide compelling evidence of our attitudes over the course of time.
In Play: This word today is used mostly as an insult for someone we dislike (or secretly envy): "That trollop, Gladys Boise, has been seeing the boss a lot lately; I'll bet she gets a promotion soon." Even though most of us avoid trollops, others admit to the enjoyment of curling up in bed with a good Trollope now and then (Barchester Towers is my favorite).
Word History: Today's rather shady word is based on the verb troll, which originally meant "to ramble, to wander about with no particular destination". This word was borrowed from French, which borrowed it from an ancestor of German trollen "to toddle". The group [op] was then added to trol- by analogy with words like gallop and wallop, since [op] is not a suffix in English.
Poem of the day
Deceptions,twist,and outright lies
Define the words of fools;
But those who follow God's Word show
A life where wisdom rules.--Sper
Define the words of fools;
But those who follow God's Word show
A life where wisdom rules.--Sper
Joke of The Day
The Long Eared Donkey
A farmer kept a donkey in a stable, but the donkey's ears were so long that they repeatedly hit the top of the door, causing the animal to kick out dangerously. So the farmer decided to raise the height of the door frame.
He spent all day toiling away with his hacksaw. Seeing that he was struggling to complete the task, his neighbour suggested: "Instead of lifting the door frame, wouldn't it be easier if you simply dug out the ground in the doorway and made it deeper?"
"Don't be an idiot," said the farmer. "It's the donkey's ears that are too long, not his legs!"
Sermon of the Week
Why Is Jesus Hidden? And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him (Luke 24:15-16). Our hearts are often troubled, and we do not understand why the Lord seems to hide His face. How little do we realize that often Jesus is communing with us. How seldom do we realize that in all our trials that Jesus Himself draws near and becomes part of our company, but we cannot see Him. We read in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Sometimes our eyes are closed, and we do not realize that Jesus is standing at the door knocking.He walks with us and talks with us, but we do not realize it is Jesus. The events of our text took place at a time of perplexity and trouble. The Saviour had been slain and taken away from His disciples. The women had come to the disciples and told them things that were beyond belief. They said He had been raised from the dead and that they had seen Him. We read in Luke 24:11: “And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.” Two men were walking to Emmaus, and Jesus joined their company, and said to them in verse 17: “And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?” Continuing in verse 18 we read: “And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass therein these days?” While we are walking in perplexing circumstances, the Lord Jesus Christ is walking with us and communing with us. In these circumstances, He reveals Himself and brings to pass His will even though it is hidden to our eyes, even though we do not see and understand. I want you to see in one instance why the Lord Jesus hides Himself. We read in Luke 22:31: “And the Lord said, Simon Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” Peter had a lesson to learn. The Apostle Peter was so secure in himself. He had come to where he was such a great Christian within himself. In this perplexing circumstance, we must not overlook that the Lord Jesus Christ said in verse 32: “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” Did Peter’s faith fail? Certainly, but the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ in Peter did not fail. We have so much faith in us, we have so much faith in what we can do, but the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ did not fail. When Peter was being sifted, the Lord left him over to the point where he was cursing and swearing and denying that he ever knew Him. This was the man who was so strong in himself and said: Though all men should forsake you, yet will not I. We need to understand the difference between our faith and our human reasoning. Peter used human reasoning, and he thought it was faith, but this was sifted out in the sieve of Satan. As we are sifted and the Lord is hiding His face, He is sorting out all that is of ourselves. FOR OUR FIRST POINT, we want to speak about a hidden Jesus. FOR OUR SECOND POINT, we want to discuss why Jesus hides Himself. FOR OUR THIRD POINT, we want to talk about how Jesus may be found after He has hidden Himself. Peter had to learn to know himself, and so must we. As Jesus walked with these men, He explained to them out of the Scriptures how these things must surely be, but in the breaking of bread He revealed Himself. In Luke 9:23 we read, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” In the way of crucifying that old flesh of ours we see where the Lord Jesus has hidden Himself. We read about Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 32:31: “God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.” The Lord withdrew Himself from Hezekiah, so Hezekiah, a dear child of God, might know what was in his own heart. The Lord already knew what was in Hezekiah’s heart. We read in Luke 22:31, “And the Lord said, Simon Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” This was for the same lesson that the Lord was teaching Hezekiah, that Peter might learn what was in his own heart. This is why He had hidden Himself from Hezekiah and Peter. He hides Himself from you and me that we might know what is in our hearts, that we might know the pride of our hearts, that we might learn to see our own self-sufficiency. This must all be weeded out and sifted in the sieve. In Luke 22:53 we read how Jesus told the chief priests and captains of the temple, “But this is your hour, and the hour of darkness.” The Lord had left them over to an hour of darkness to fulfill the very counsel of God. They did not know what they were doing. When the Lord Jesus was hanging on the cross, He said: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). They were fulfilling the counsel of God. When Peter was reproving those who had crucified Christ, they replied in Acts 2:37, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” He had told them in verse 23: “Ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” the Lord of life and glory. The Lord had withdrawn Himself to bring about His own purpose. In Ecclesiastes 11:8 we read, “But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many.” The days of darkness are those in which the Lord has withheld Himself, those days in which He has hidden His face. He has not forsaken us, but He has withheld Himself from our eyes. Jesus had withdrawn his Spirit from Peter, and Peter was in darkness, and we read in Mark 14:71, “But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.” The Lord withdrew His restraining power and restraining grace. For three days and nights, Peter was in the bitterness of his soul. The Lord Jesus had turned and given him that look of love, and Peter had gone out and wept bitterly. His Jesus was in the grave, and Peter had no knowledge of what it was about. It was all hidden from his eyes. In Mark 16:10 we read: “And she went and told them that had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.” The disciples had no knowledge of what this was all about. Jesus was hidden from them. We read in Luke 24:11: “And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.” This was after the women came and told the disciples that He had risen as He had said He was going to. They just could not believe it. They could not understand it. The Lord Jesus had withheld their eyes from seeing. Now we read in verses 14 and 15: “And they talked together of all these things which had happened. While they communed together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them.” When you and I have riddles, problems and perplexing things happen to us, we come together and talk about it. We discuss these things and pray about these things. He began to unfold the Scriptures to them concerning Himself, but they did not realize it was Jesus they were talking to. They did not see the hand of God. They did not see the Lord Jesus Christ in their trial. They did not see Him even though He was walking with them and talking with them. How often is the Lord Jesus knocking at our door to gain our attention to something, and we are not listening? How often do we not behold Him? That word behold means now listen, take notice, understand. In Revelation 3:20 what was the Lord Jesus knocking on their door for them to understand? We read that in the previous verses. Verse 17 says: “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Their ignorance was their problem, and we are so often not cognizant of why the Lord Jesus is dealing with us. Their problem was complacency. They were too self-sufficient. They had come to the point where they were too capable of walking without Him. He says in verse 18: “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” When we start to see how naked we are before a holy and righteous God, then we start to understand that we need the clothing of that fine linen, which is the perfect robe of Christ’s righteousness. What does it mean to anoint your eyes with eyesalve? When the Lord Jesus Christ opened the eyes of the one born blind, He spit on the ground and took the dust and the spittle and made eyesalve and opened the eyes of the one born blind. Continuing in verse 19 we read, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” We have to have our eyes opened to see that Jesus is in these very trials, that He is doing these things to get us to focus our eyes on Him. The Lord may be hidden from our eyes while we are communing together and talking together. I want you to see though how the Lord is there. In Malachi 3:16 we read, “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and thought upon His name.” This is synonymous with the context of our text. While they communed and reasoned, Jesus drew near. The Lord bows down His ear, and He hears this conversation. He hears the inner thoughts and intents of our hearts. As our hearts cry out to Him, He hears these things, and a book of remembrance is written, while we talk together, and while we commune together, and while we discuss these perplexing circumstances we do not understand. Every one of those prayers are written and remembered before the throne, and in His good time, He answers them. He reveals Himself, but there are certain ways and means whereby He does so, and we want to notice that a hidden Jesus is still a praying Jesus. Jesus says in Luke 22:32: “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” While you are going through this sin, while this is all taking place and I have withdrawn myself, I am still praying for you. This is the Lord Jesus, our intercessor. Peter was so big and strong in himself, and this trial was to bring Peter as a little child before the Lord. It says in Matthew 18:3: “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” By nature we are self-sufficient and big within ourselves. We cannot enter the kingdom, we cannot serve the Lord, in a spirit of self-sufficiency. We cannot do this until we come to the point where our hearts are broken down as a little child. A little child sitting at the table has no concern about who is paying the taxes, the light bill or who paid for the groceries or where they came from. The child has childlike faith knowing that his father has provided. That is all they know. Jesus told Peter, “When you are converted,” in other words, when you have become like a little child, when you come to the point where you know how to depend on me. Peter was so self-sufficient he said that though all men would forsake Jesus he would not, but this same Peter cursed and swore and denied that he ever knew Him. Now we see who Peter is in himself. Now we see a Peter who becomes converted. Do you know what is strengthening for the brethren? It is when I can come to you and say: Well, I see the circumstances you are in. I am not a stranger to that. The Lord allowed me to stumble, and the Lord allowed me to fall, and the Lord allowed me to become a little child. When I became a little child, then I knew what it is to walk with faith in Him. I have no strength within myself. Now everything is, Lord, what will you have me to do, and to totally surrender myself to His will. In Mark 6:45-46 we read: “And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.” Again we see a hidden Jesus. In verse 48 we read, “And He saw them toiling and rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them.” The disciples thought they were going to be destroyed in the waves, but Jesus was in the mountain praying. They were toiling in their own strength, but Jesus was watching. Jesus was there in spirit. Jesus saw them and was praying for them. A hidden Jesus is still an instructing Jesus. We read in Luke 24:27, while He seems to have His face hidden from us: “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Even while He has hidden His face, He is bringing us through school. We have now entered the schools of Christ, and He is teaching us by these trials that He brings us through. For our second point, let’s talk about why Jesus is hidden. Jesus is hidden to teach us the way of the cross, to teach us to take up our cross daily and follow Him. He is teaching us what it means for everything of the flesh to be cut off. That old man of sin must be crucified. Have you ever studied Romans 6 to understand what it really means that we are crucified with Him and that we are raised with Him unto a newness of life? We partake of the Lord’s supper in remembrance of Christ’s death. When we think of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, what are we remembering? In that He died, He died unto sin. In that He lives, He lives to God. The wine signifies sanctification. To make wine, grape juice is put into a vessel, and it is left to settle out. The dregs are left in the bottle, and the wine is emptied from vessel to vessel. Each time this is done, the dregs are left behind, so this symbolizes the process of sanctification. When we serve the wine in the Lord’s supper, it is to teach us that when He died, He died unto sin. We must learn that death process, that way of the cross. Peter did not understand the way of the cross. We see in Matthew 16:21, “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” Then in verse 22 we read, “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” A few verses earlier, in verses 16 and 17, we read, “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” This was a revelation from God the Father. Peter was not an infidel. Peter was not a stranger to grace, but Peter did not understand the way of the cross. The Lord Jesus hid Himself from Peter to teach Him the way of the cross. When Peter rebuked Jesus in verse 22, he was reasoning with the flesh, and in verse 23 we read, “But Jesus turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Jesus is saying to Peter: That is not of faith. It is human reasoning. In Isaiah 55:8-9 we read: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” If the Lord loves us, He will not allow us to build ourselves an empire of self-complacency. He will not allow us to build ourselves a position where we have no need of Him. If the Lord loves us He will make us as little children totally dependent on Him. Jesus is hidden from our eyes through unbelief. Peter thought he had faith, but it was unbelief. It was human reasoning. Through our human reasoning and through our unbelief, we make it so Jesus withdraws Himself. In Luke 24:6 we read how the angel told the women at the grave, “He is not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee.” The Lord Jesus told them these things were going to happen, but they did not understand. Unbelief had so blinded their eyes. In verse 7 we read, “Saying the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” The angel told the women this at the grave, and the women went to the disciples, but “their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not” (Luke 24:11). That is unbelief, and through this unbelief, Jesus was hidden from their eyes. I want you to see verse 25, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” He was withdrawn from them because they were acting so foolishly. They did not believe what Jesus had told them, but now He unveils the Scriptures before their eyes to train them. These things were prophesied, these things I told you. These were the very things you were told. They were rebellious. They did not want to accept the truth. Do you understand sometimes why the Lord Jesus is withheld from us? So often we are filled with so much rebellion. Our hearts are still so rebellious to be able to unconditionally surrender to what He has already told us. That is what had been happening here. Next, let’s look at Jesus hidden through idleness and fullness of bread. See how the Lord withholds and withdraws Himself because of our sins. One of the most grievous sins is one that we least suspect. It is the sin of Sodom. Do you understand that the destruction of our nation today is the sin of Sodom? I am not saying sodomy. Sodomy was the judgment God pronounced upon Sodom because of their sin. Let me read to you about the sin of Sodom in Ezekiel 16:49: “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” How often you and I are guilty of the sin of Sodom. How much pride is there in our hearts? How much self-sufficiency? We can build ourselves an empire to the point where we do not need God. We cannot confess this to ourselves, but we are now looking through God’s glasses. We become self-sufficient, and that is what happened to Sodom. They had become so wealthy that they did not need God, and they became proud. They had lots of time to entertain. This is the sin of America—so much idleness, so much entertainment. You go out on the sabbath day, the day that is set aside for serving the Lord, and we see that it is now the greatest day for entertainment. They are stealing the Lord’s day for their own gratification. We see in America today the Lord leaving them over to themselves. They publicly defend sodomy as an acceptable way of life. That is the judgment of God that we read in Romans 1:25-28: “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” This is the judgment God sends for the sin of Sodom. In Ezekiel 16:50 we read, “And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.” We do not understand by nature how much of that haughty pride we have in ourselves. I went one time to preach in a Rescue Mission to a group of people as a captive audience who had to hear the preaching of the gospel before they could have a free meal. How could there be any pride in those people dressed in rags? What did they have to be proud of? Yet, when I talked to them afterward, they boasted of themselves and their families. There was such pride in those people, it would make your head swim. I thought to myself, What a glaring example of our human nature. What is it that we have to be proud of? Even man in his best estate is altogether vanity. In Revelation 3:17 we read, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Do you see that sin of Sodom? FOR OUR THIRD POINT, let’s talk about how Jesus may be found, and this is the important point. The sin of Sodom was, “Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” Jesus may be found by strengthening the hand of the poor and needy, by doing those things that Jesus did, by walking in the footsteps of our Saviour in the way of the cross, in the way of crucifying self and reaching out to do those things that are pleasing to the Lord. Jesus may be found by observing His day according to His will. When we do that which is pleasing to the Lord, then the Lord does that which is pleasing to us. He gives us that reward. Let me show you in Isaiah 58:6-7: “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?” The sin of Sodom was that they did not strengthen the poor and the needy. Continuing in verses 8 and 9 we read: “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity.” We find the hidden Jesus by doing the things He has commanded us to do. What more would you and I like in our prayer life than for us to call and hear the Lord respond and say, “Here I am.” We read in verses 10 to 12: “And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.” Jesus may be found by keeping the sabbath as we see in verses 13 and 14: “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” We find the hidden Jesus by delighting ourselves in the Lord and delighting in His day, that we delight ourselves in doing what is pleasing to Him. Does this mean that we can impose this on the ungodly? No. I want you to see what it says in Hebrews 4:9-10: “There remaineth therefore a rest [sabbath] to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” There is no rest for the wicked, and you and I have no right to try to impose on the ungodly one of the greatest privileges God has given His church. This day of rest is one of the greatest privileges God has given us, that we have a day when we can rest from all our labors, which is the emblem of eternal rest, a day we spend praising and glorifying God. Jesus may be found through submission and through obedience. I want you to see this in John 15:7: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Notice the word if. There is contingency with God. The Lord has His decrees that He has decreed from eternity, but as far as you and I walking in His blessed presence and having His nearness and having His love, it is contingent on our obedience. Has Jesus been hidden from our eyes? Maybe we have to examine our own hearts and see in what area we are walking in a way that displeases the Lord. Maybe we have not abode in Him. Maybe our hearts have been lifted up in the things of this life. Maybe our hearts have strayed away as lost sheep, and we should ask as David did in Psalm 119:176: “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.” I want you to see in John 14:23: “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” Jesus may be found through faith, and what is faith? It is the obedience of faith. It is the exercise of saving faith. We read in James 1:5-8: “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. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” We find the Lord through faith. It is by asking and believing. Are you going to say you are asking in faith while you ignore abiding in Him, while you are walking in your own way? Mark 11:22-24 says: “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Are our prayers not mingled with faith? Is this part of the reason why Jesus is hidden from our eyes? Jesus may be found through forgiveness. We read in Mark 11:25: “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” That word may is so powerful. That is saying that if you do not forgive, the Father in heaven may not forgive you. It would be against His own character to do so. As we read in verse 26, “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Turn with me to Colossian 3:12: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.” Do you understand what this is saying? This is talking about the Spirit of Christ. Do you want to find Jesus? You will find Him in the Spirit of Christ. Continuing in verses 13 and 14 we read: “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” Charity is to speak of your fellowman in the best possible light. If you and I want to be critical there is no human being we cannot take apart, but that is not charity. If I have something against a person, and think I am justified in doing him harm, I do not have charity. Psalm 50:20 says: “Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother’s son.” Three verses later we see how pleased the Lord is with praise: “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.” This is what the Lord really drove home to me. Instead of taking each other apart and being critical, we should be finding what is there in that person that we can praise him for. What is there in that person that he has done or what is there about him that I can use to edify him, to build him up? That is charity. Colossians 3:15-17 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” This is similar to what we read in John 15:7: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” The Apostle Paul goes on to say in Colossians 3:18 to 20: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” What a precious thing it is when we see the harmony that there is in the word of God, when we see what God is revealing to us as His will. If His word abides in us, our walk of life will demonstrate an understanding of His word. Jesus may be found in the way of repentance, in the way of turning, in the way of remorse over sin. We read in James 4:1-3: “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” We see so much contention in the world today. Homes are being split. Nations rise against each other. We see wars and fightings. It is all that human nature. It was such a privilege this past year when we had a drought, and the governor of Montana called for prayer, saying let this week be a week of prayer. The newspaper said that according to weather patterns it was going to be dry the rest of this year, next year and probably the third year. Before the week was over we had three inches of rain, and it turned into a wet year, and we have above average moisture. The weather people were put to shame by people turning to the Lord. God wants repentance, for us to acknowledge our iniquities, that we have transgressed. We read in Jeremiah 3:3: “Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain.” Continuing in verses 13 and 14 we read: “Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” Jesus may be found through prayer as we see in Luke 11:9: “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” There is a preciousness in all the ways where Jesus may be found.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Recipe of the day
Chocolate Snowballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon Spice Island® Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup baking cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Confectioners' sugar
Directions
- In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, milk and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Shape into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 7-8 minutes or until tops are crackled. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Roll in confectioners' sugar. Yield: 6 dozen.
Daily Devotinal
Demands knock on my door.
Burdens beckon me to answer.
The to-do list stretches for miles.
I whisper, "I feel overwhelmed." Burdens beckon me to answer.
The to-do list stretches for miles.
And in the stillness it seems I hear...
"Child, open your heart to Me
instead of the demands of the day.
Lay those burdens at My feet, not on your shoulders.
Let go of your list and dare to embrace My grace.
I do not require you to be overwhelmed.
I enable you to overcome.
And with Me, you always will."
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Joke of The Day
The Beautiful Horse
A man was driving down a country lane when he spotted the most beautiful horse he'd ever seen, standing in the middle of a field. He slammed on his bakes and stopped to have a quick look. "I must buy that horse," he said to himself and immediately went in search of the owner. Arriving at a nearby farmhouse, he knocked on the door.
"Are you the owner of that magnificent animal in the field back there?" he asked.
"Yes," replied the farmer.
"Then I simply must buy him from you."
"I can't sell him," said the farmer. "He doesn't look so good."
"What do you mean? He's the most beautiful horse I've seen in my life."
"Well, OK," conceded the farmer, "If you insist. Does a thousand dollars sound reasonable to you?"
"Absolutely," said the man, and he took the horse home on a trailer.
A few days later, the farmer heard another knock on his door. It was the man with the horse. "You ripped me off!" yelled the man. "That horse is as blind as a bat!"
"I tried to warn you," answered the farmer. "I told you he doesn't look so good."
Word of the day
contumely:
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. Arrogant rudeness, contemptuous offensiveness. 2. A contemptuous insult, a mortifying jibe, an intentionally offensive act or remark.
Notes: Today'sWord should be an adverb or adjective, with what seems to be a suffix, -ly, affixed to its end. Actually, that isn't a suffix but simply the coincidentally similar way in which this noun ends. However, the misperception has led many to omit the third syllable and (mis)pronounce the word as in the US pronunciation above. We should use all four syllables, however; all four make the word much more dramatic.
In Play: We cannot claim that this is a popular word any more, but it is a Word that we should fight to keep: "I was surprised at the contumely in her response to my comment that her new evening gown was 'nice'." Contumely is an attitude but it is also an expression of that attitude: "Contumelies, unfortunately, have become an integral part of the new TV 'reality' shows."
Word History: English borrowed this word from French, which is what is left of Latin as it was spoken in France. The Latin word was contumelia "abuse, insult, affront", made up of con "with" + tum- from tumere "to swell; become excited, violent". You are right if you hear the same root in borrowed English words like tumid "swollen, bulging" and tumor, another type of swelling. In English, a Germanic language, we find the root naming things thick or swollen, like thigh, thumb and that nice, swollen number, thousand, derived from the same original pre-Latin root.
Poem of the day
Twas the month before
Christmas*
*When all through
our land,*
*Not a Christian
was praying*
*Nor taking a
stand.*
*See the PC Police
had taken away,*
*The reason for
Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were
told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds
and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt
people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is
just a ' Holiday '.*
*Yet the shoppers
were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks
down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna,
an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was
changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers
promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell
books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were
hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the
word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and
Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear
the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive,
sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that
were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now
Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on
Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the
Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate
Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not
a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to
speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of
Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before
it started.*
*So as you
celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your
Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words
carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday !*
Please, all
Christians join together and
wish everyone you
meet during the
holidays
a
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Recipe of the day
Cuccidati Recipe
- 60 Servings
- Prep: 30 min. + chilling Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling
Ingredients
- 2 cups raisins
- 3/4 pound pitted dates
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 small navel oranges, peeled and quartered
- 1/3 pound dried figs
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup water
DOUGH:- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup 2% milk
- 2 teaspoons Spice Island® Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
GLAZE:- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons 2% milk
Directions
- Place the first seven ingredients in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough into four portions; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Roll out each portion between two sheets of waxed paper into a 16-in. x 6-in. rectangle. Spread 1 cup filling lengthwise down the center of each. Starting at a long side, fold dough over filling; fold the other side over the top. Pinch seams and edges to seal. Cut each rectangle diagonally into 1-in strips. Place seam side down on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
- Bake at 400° for 10-14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Combine confectioners' sugar and enough milk to achieve desired consistency; drizzle over cookies. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 5 dozen.
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