Deuteronomy 8:3

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

Ovid Quote

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop.

Banana Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter. Mix in the mashed banana. Spread into the pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely, then top with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 - 3 oz packages cream cheese
2 tablespoons milk or cream
5 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Soften cheese. Blend in milk. Gradually stir in sugar. Add vanilla. Blend well.

Beware of the Doghouse

Comfort for the Contrite

CONTRITE-Literally, worn or bruised. Hence, brokenhearted for sin; deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God; humble; penitent; as a contrite sinner. ~Noah Webster 1828

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15

Andrew Wyeth 1917-2009

American painter Andrew Wyeth, son of artist N. C. Wyeth died January 16th at the age of 91. Christina's World is one of his most famous paintings. He's known for painting people and the surrounding areas of his home in Pennsylvania.

The woman crawling through the tawny grass was the artist's neighbor in Maine, who, crippled by polio, "was limited physically but by no means spiritually." Wyeth further explained, "The challenge to me was to do justice to her extraordinary conquest of a life which most people would consider hopeless." He recorded the arid landscape, rural house, and shacks with great detail, painting minute blades of grass, individual strands of hair, and nuances of light and shadow. In this style of painting, known as magic realism, everyday scenes are imbued with poetic mystery. ~ The Museum of Modern Art

Andrew Wyeth in his father's studio in Chadd's Ford, PA in 1997.

"little hammer"

On a summer day in 1392, a young boy hammered on the door of a small house in Deventer, in the north European lowlands. Would he be accepted into the religious community that lived here? He felt a passion for God. He did not want to go back home to the sweaty work of an apprentice blacksmith at his father's forge. What would he do if these Christian brothers said no?

As he waited for someone to answer, he couldn't have known that more than his personal future hung in the balance. The old prior who opened the wooden door looked down at the boy-dark, healthy-looking, shy, wearing clogs and rough-spun clothes and listened incredulously to his stammered explanation. He can only be twelve or thirteen. Why would a young boy want to pursue the toughness of a religious life?

Nonetheless, something in the boy's sincere and steady gaze, something in the intensity of his desire- "I want to seek God" -was very convincing. The door swung wider to let him enter...and soon the hearts of these Augustinian brothers also opened to receive among them this unlikely boy, whose name would echo through history and around the globe...known to us today as Thomas a Kempis, author of The Imitiation of Christ.

~from Come, Lord Jesus

Let this be thy whole endeavor, this thy prayer, this thy desire,--that thou mayest be stripped of all selfishness, and with entire simplicity follow Jesus only. ~Thomas a Kempis 1380-1471

orig. Thomas Haemerkken "little hammer"