Let It Be Said Of Us....

Let It Be Said of Us
Words and Music by Steve Fry

Let it be said of us that the Lord was our passion,
That with gladness we bore every cross we were given;
That we fought the good fight, that we finished the course,
Knowing within us the power of the risen Lord

Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song.
By mercy made holy, by the Spirit made strong.
Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song
'Til the likeness of Jesus be through us made known.
Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song.

Let it be said of us: we were marked by forgiveness,
We were known by our love and delighted in meekness.
We were ruled by His peace, heeding unity's call,
Joined as one body that Christ would be seen by all.

Taming Our Tongues...

Picture with me the following scenario:

A large family was sitting around the table for breakfast one morning. As was customary, the father returned thanks, blessing God for the food. Immediately afterward, however, as was his bad habit, he begins to grumble about hard times, the poor quality of the food, the way it was cooked, and much more. His little daughter interrupted him and said, "Father, do you suppose God heard what you said a little while ago?"

"Certainly," replied the father with the confident air of an instructor.

"And did He hear what you said about the bacon and the coffee?"

"Of course," the father replied but not as confidently as before. And then his little girl asked him again, "Then, Father, which did God believe?"

Perhaps the above scenario describes what goes on in some Christian homes. We speak well of God in prayer and bless His name, only to lift our heads and complain about what we don't have. Or we begin to criticize and maybe even curse others.

By Susan Heck--*With the Master in the School of Tested Faith*. pg.213

Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.


Before we speak, let us ask ourselves the following:

*Is it kind?
*Is it necessary?
*Is it true?
*Is it gossip? (sharing private information with those who are not part of the solution)
*Am I defending my own opinion rather than listening to the individual?

~Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock in *Becoming a Woman Who Pleases God*

It is a Restless Evil...Word for Wednesday

James 3:5-12

So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Teach Me How To Pray, Mother...

Lord, teach us to pray!" Luke 11:1

A little child missed her mother at a certain time every day. The mother's habit was to slip away upstairs alone, and to be gone for some time. The child noticed that the mother was always gentler, quieter and sweeter after she came back. Her face had lost its weary look--and was shining! Her voice was gladder, more cheerful.

"Where do you go, mother," the child said thoughtfully, "when you leave us every day?"

"I go upstairs to my room," said the mother.

"Why do you go to your room?" continued the little questioner. "You always come back with your face shining. What makes it shine so?"

"I go to pray," replied the mother reverently.

The child was silent for a little while, and then she said softly: "Teach me how to pray, mother!"

"When you pray, say: Our Father . . ." Luke 11:2

That one word is the key to the whole mystery of prayer. When Jesus taught his disciples to speak to God, calling Him by that blessed name--He gave them the greatest of all lessons in prayer. When we can look into God's face and honestly say 'Father,' it is easy to pray. God loves to be called 'Father'. It opens His heart to hear all that we say--and to grant all that we ask.

Such power has the word 'father' spoken by a child, to open a human heart. Such power too, has the name 'Father' to find and open the heart of God! If we can sincerely say 'Father' when we come to the 'gate of prayer', we shall be sure to find entrance. If God is really our Father, we will no longer have any question as to whether we may pray to Him, or as to how to pray.

Some of us find life hard. It is full of cares and questions, of tasks and duties, of temptations and dangers. There are thorns and briers, among its roses. There are pitfalls in its sunniest paths. If we do not know how to pray--we can never get through the days. The privilege of prayer is always ours. The 'gate of prayer' is always open! Any moment we can look up and say 'Father', lay our need before the throne of mercy--and God will answer us as He desires!

J. R. Miller, "The Wider Life" 1908

May we be women who pray to Our Father.

Christmas Joy!

The true JOY of Christmas is Jesus Christ....let us all worship Him together.

Please go here and click to play. You will see a short movie expressing through beautiful pictures and Scripture that Jesus is our Christmas JOY! Praise Him!

Some Sweets for the Season

Caramel Chocolate Trifle

1 (9 ounce) devil's food cake mix
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup oil
2 (4 ounce) packages chocolate pudding, instant
12 ounces Cool Whip
12 ounces caramel ice cream topping
1 (7-8 ounce) English toffee bits or almond brickle chips

Directions

1)Prepare and bake cake according to directions for an 8 inch square baking pan.
2)Cool on a wire rack.
3)Prepare pudding according to pkg. directions.
4)Cut cake into 1 1/2 inch cubes.
5)Place 1/2 of the cubes in a 3 quart trifle bowl, or large glass serving bowl.
6)Lightly press down to fill gaps.
7)Top with 1/2 of the Cool Whip, pudding, caramel topping and toffee bits.
8)Repeat layers.
9)Cover and refrigerate.

Pam's Pecan Pie Trifle

Pecan pie (bake your favorite recipe & freeze)
1 1/2 c. whipping cream
1 - 8 oz. cream cheese
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 bottle of Smucker's chocolate fudge topping
1 bottle of Smucker's caramel topping
chopped pecans

Directions:

Cut your pecan pie into cubes and layer half in the bottom of trifle dish.
Beat 1 1/2 cup whipping cream until thick & add 8 oz. cream cheese and 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Pour half of this mixture over pecan pie cubes.
Pour 1/2 bottle of chocolate fudge topping over cream mixture.
Pour 1/2 bottle of caramel topping over chocolate fudge.
Repeat layers with the pecan pie cubes and remaining whipping cream mixture.
Pour the remaining chocolate fudge and caramel topping over whipping cream mixture.


Colossal Caramel Apple Trifle

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
6 cups cold milk
3 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 (12 ounce) jar caramel ice cream topping
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted
2 (21 ounce) cans apple pie filling
2 (16 ounce) containers frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using two greased 9-in. round baking pans. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. In a large bowl, whisk milk, pudding mixes and apple pie spice for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.
2. Cut one cake layer if necessary to fit evenly in an 8-qt. punch bowl. Poke holes in cake with a long wooden skewer; gradually pour a third of the caramel topping over cake. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans and spread with half of the pudding mixture. Spoon one can of pie filling over pudding; spread with one carton of whipped topping.
3. Top with remaining cake and repeat layers. Drizzle with remaining caramel topping and sprinkle with remaining pecans. Refrigerate until serving.



Double Chocolate Mocha Trifle

1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
1 3/4 cups cold milk
2 (3.3 ounce) packages instant white chocolate pudding mix
4 teaspoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons warm water
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered toffee bars, chopped

Directions

1. Prepare brownies according to package directions. Bake and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch cubes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk and pudding mix until mixture begins to thicken. Dissolve coffee granules in water and stir into pudding mixture. Fold in whipped topping.
3. In a glass serving bowl, layer one-third of brownie cubes, one-third of pudding mixture and one-third of candy. Repeat layering until all ingredients are used. Chill 30 minutes in refrigerator before serving.



Thank you, Diane Nichols, for sharing all of your wonderful recipes from the Fall Women's Conference! These look especially yummy!

Strawberry Sour Cream Jello Dessert

This sounds like a lovely and easy dish for the Christmas season.

Strawberry Sour Cream Jello Dessert

2 small pkg cherry jello
2 cups hot water
1 medium can crushed pineapple
1 pkg frozen strawberries, thawed
2 mashed bananas
1/2 pt sour cream
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix together jello and water. Let cool but not congealed. Add pineapple and juice, frozen strawberries, and bananas. Mix together. Pour half of the mixture into a flat dish and put into refrigerator to harden. Spread sour cream and pour other half of jello mixture on top. Return to refrigerator. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top.

Recipe from Diane Nichols