Miraculous Movements

A soul searching and possibly life defining book I read while away is called Miraculous Movements, written by Jerry Trousdale, with contributions by individuals who unfortunately need to be kept anonymous.

The personal stories recorded here tell of a God who is moved to compassion for every soul, using miraculous means to draw the lost to Himself. While many of us from the Western Christian world resort to fear, anger or rejection when it comes to those of extreme, radical faith, the testimonies in this book challenge us to demonstrate God's compassion and truth in order to see barriers broken, lives transformed and fear dispelled.

It is this belief that is giving many Christians the courage to live among the people who would deem them their enemy. Yet, as they seek to serve them, love them, pray for them and answer their questions, they see people who are desperately seeking the truth that no one has been willing to share with them. The word of God comes to have meaning, through those who do not judge them, but simply share the scriptures and live them. The amazing thing is to read stories of how, in the meantime, God has prepared many to recognize the truth when they hear it because they have been prepared through dreams and visions that come to make sense at the right time.

In many cases, what is happening is not unlike what happened to the apostle Paul in the Bible whom Jesus met on the road to Damascus. His plan to kill those who believed in Jesus changed course as he met Jesus himself. It's about discovery and changed lives, not teaching and knowledge. This is what is changing extreme radicals who persecuted Christians and bombed churches to active believers involved in helping their friends study the Bible.

In other cases, issues that are bringing people to faith in Jesus Christ include an unsatisfied void, no answers for the violence inside their world, feeling like one can't make personal choices or get answers to spiritual questions such as assurance of salvation. As these stories come to life, one moves beyond our small world, dominated by our paper headlines to that of a story God is writing, one that includes people of every race and nation.

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count,

 from every nation, tribe, people and language,

standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.

They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

And they cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."

Revelation 7:9, 10

 

Sweet Delights

 

When we picked up groceries for the week at the condo, we picked up

 just what we needed to get by for simple breakfasts and lunches.

I had seen brown sugar in the kitchen,

so I thought I was good to go with getting some quick oats.

However, when I tried scooping some out, it was hard as a rock.

Sometime, before I knew about google, I learned that if you put a piece of raw apple in with the hardened sugar it will soften. I thought, the more the merrier . . . but checking the container a few hours later, saw it was creating too much moisture so I removed all but one piece for the night.

The next morning it was perfectly easy to crumble up and use.

And, by the way, the next time you cook some oatmeal
 slice up an apple and brown it in a teaspoon of butter.
Top your oatmeal with cooked apples and a sprinkle of brown sugar.  So delicious!
Sorry, no picture.

A package of cinnamon swirl muffins made it into our cart. Go figure!
 Yet, sadly, after tasting them they ended up just sitting on the counter.
I decided that dried muffin slices should make a good French toast.
 There was no syrup. But we had brown sugar!
 After googling for a brown sugar syrup, I came upon this site.
 

It turned out very nicely.
Here's the recipe:
Bring half a cup of water to a boil . . .
add 1 cup of brown sugar and cook it until it is dissolved . . .
 add 1 Tbsp each of butter and rum, (shock, I know . . . long story)
Cook for another minute and you are done.

I could have licked the plate clean.
(The syrup keeps, refrigerated, but needs re-heating to melt the butter.)
 

 

Away but not Away

It was 35 years ago that we drove into Palm Springs for the first time, looking like some lost honeymooners . . . amongst a world of "old people" enjoying their retirement. This past week, although retirement is still somewhere in the future, we were the old people sitting by the pool and eating dinners out. Where has time gone? It's just funny to reminisce and wonder what happened to Wayne and Wanda or Bob and Loretta . . . who took us on like kids to look out for, so many years ago.

Who would have guessed how things would change in these three and a half decades? In the late seventies and into the eighties and even nineties, when we left on a vacation, we truly left everything. I remember in 1994 , not so long ago, when we went to Eastern Europe for a month and we thought it was quite impressive that we could send a fax home to my family.

Today, technology such as our iPhones and net book can be at our beck and call and make us appear like we are just next door. Our kids text random, short messages, emails come and go, calls come in assuming the boss is in his office,  I access my documents and work if I feel like it . . . all while away from home.

I know, some would say this is not a vacation. But we've had a most relaxing time anyways. To sit at the pool for a few hours a day is not something I take for granted. Sleeping in, shopping, reading and some nice meals out, have given us some much needed time together. We do not usually read the same books, but this time we happened to do so and it was good to talk about what we read and to be challenged together. I have much to process still as I write.

But for now, the bags are mostly packed again and tomorrow is another day. I will smile at the rain as I fill up the fridge and plan for the week. Grandkids will be happy to come over  again . . . a cookbook is starting to take shape . . . events need planning and Christmas is just around the corner. There's much to do and it will be tackled with renewed zest. I feel rested and happy about the reality of being home again.

Before and After Lighting

The chandelier we chose in 1979 . . .
being shown in it's best light here.

Even though I had became sentimentally attached to it over the years,

if that is possible,

the day came - I was done with it.

The difficult thing is,
how do you choose one, knowing from experience, how long we hang on?
We chose this one.
I had to chuckle when we got home and saw some similarities
I had not noticed in the store.

From Across the Miles

I thought I'd make mention today

 that snail mail is still alive and well in some parts of the country.

It may be a beautiful photo that I can hold in my hand

or some artwork tucked into an envelope.

I cropped out the addresses on this envelope
but you get the idea of what arrives in the mail.

I imagine that even the mailman must get some kind of pleasure in
delivering these priority messages.
This all started when Lacey got a hold of an envelope and
scribbled right on the address . . . so much so that I was surprised it got here.
After that she was told that she could color any part except for the address.
So this is how the envelopes arrive these days.

On their end the mailboxes are a short walk down the street
on the way to the park . . . and I noticed on our visit there
that she would be quick to point to a certain mailbox number as we passed by.
She knows that there may just be a brown paper package in there.
I love how her mom snaps a quick photo while walking home
from the mailbox

or while opening the envelope.
 This is how grand parenting takes place
when the miles separate us.

For the Road

The September issue of Style at Home has
 a fun idea on how to change up the look of a muffin.
To do this, I collected tomato paste cans . . .
sprayed the bottoms and lined them with parchment paper.
You can use any recipe you like. I will be posting these apple/cherry muffins next week on MGCC.
 

A fun package to send along for someone on the road.