Trust and Obey

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, but His smile quickly drives it away; Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil He doth richly repay; Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, but is blessed if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of His love until all on the altar we lay; For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows, are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet. Or we’ll walk by His side in the way. What He says we will do, where He sends we will go; Never fear, only trust and obey.

~ John H. Sammis, 1867

"Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession." Exodus 19:5

"O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You." Psalm 84:11-12

J. C. Ryle Quote

"A small leak will sink a great ship, and a small spark will kindle
a great fire and a little sin in like manner will ruin an immortal soul"

~ J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

"Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards."
Song of Solomon 2:15

The Quest is Over

Another aunt sent the recipe that she had for Chicken and Dumplings that is in Grandma's handwriting. I can't wait to try these and then of course-practice, practice, practice!

Grandma's Chicken and Dumplings

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking powder
5 T water
1/2 cup milk
3 T bacon fat
1 egg beatin

Roll out and cut, let dry for 20-25 mins.
Knead it on floured wax paper before rolling out.

Note: Grandma didn't use milk in a lot of her recipes. She substituted water.
She also used the egg shells to measure the water.

Chicken and Dumplings

Growing up, my mother's family spent many Sunday afternoons
eating dinner after church at Grandma's. The delicious meal that I
remember was the same each time: chicken and dumplings,
purple hull peas, & cornbread. For dessert: chocolate cake
with white icing one week, white cake with chocolate icing the next.

Grandma's been gone for a long time but memories of those
meals will never leave. The thing about it is that no one
can find her recipe. I have tried recipe after recipe but they have never
turned out like hers. But recently my aunt sent me the one that she
uses - and it is so close to Grandma's I'd like to share it with you.
I'm sure it would be more like hers if I practiced every Sunday for
years and years, like she did.

Aunt Bernice's Chicken and Dumplings

Boil chicken and let cool. I debone it.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening
1 egg, beaten
5 tablespoons cold water

Mix into soft dough and divide into two parts.
Roll out very thin and let dry for 15 to 25 minutes.
Cut into 2 inch squares or strips and drop into boiling
broth with chicken. Cook for 15 minutes or until done.

Hope they turn out well.

Martin Luther

"Tomorrow I plan to work, work, from early until late. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer."

~Martin Luther (1483-1546) A German monk, theologian, and church reformer.

Wartburg Castle- Eisenach, Germany where Martin Luther translated the New Testament from Greek into German while in exile during 1521.

The view from the corridor that leads to Luther's room.

Martin Luther's room where he translated the Bible.

The chapel where Luther worshipped during his stay at Wartburg.

A Mighty Fortress is Our God

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing; Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same, And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth: Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.
(This translation by Frederic Hedge, 1853)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther

October

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call,
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes' sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost--
For the grapes' sake along the wall.

~Robert Frost (1874-1963)

George MacDonald

"The universe would be to me no more than a pasteboard scene,
all surface and no deepness, on the stage, if I did not hope in God.
I will not say believe, for that is a big word, and it means so much
more than my low beginnings of confidence. But a little faith
may wake a great big hope, and I look for great things from him
whose perfection breathed me out that I might be a perfect thing one day.
The more we trust, the more reasonable we find it to trust."

~George MacDonald, a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister. (1824-1905)

A quote from C.S. Lewis on MacDonald:

"I have never concealed the fact that I regarded him as my master;
indeed I fancy I have never written a book in which I did not quote him"

Laura Ingalls Wilder

ocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri is a great place to take your kids, especially if they have read the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. There is a museum full of interesting items telling about the years of Almanzo and Laura's life, along with a section dedicated to their daughter Rose. A tour is also available to see the house that took Almanzo 15 years to build. Laura was only 4 foot 11 and it's interesting to see her kitchen that he custom built just for her. Right beside the farmhouse and museum is a nice bookstore to visit. While there, I picked up a copy of Bible references, in Laura's handwriting, that she kept in her Bible.

In facing a crisis read 46 Psalm

When discouraged read 23 & 24 Psalm

Lonely or fearful read 29 Psalm

Planning budget read St. Luke chapter 19

To live successfully with others read Romans chapter 12

Sick or in pain read 91 Psalm

When you travel carry with you 121 Psalm

When very weary read Matthew 11, 28 & 30 Romans 8, 31-39

When things are going from bad to worse 2 Timothy

When friends go back on you hold to 1 Corinthians 13

For inward peace the 14th chapter of St. John

To avoid misfortune Matthew 7, 24-27

For record of what trust in God can do Hebrews 11

If you are having to put up a fight-the end of Ephesians

When you have sinned read 1 John 3, 1-21

And make Psalm 57 your prayer

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home

George Herbert Quote

hou hast given me so much, give me one thing more- a grateful heart. ~George Herbert (1593-1633)

Sissi

We watched this movie for the first time with friends in Germany and we loved it. Since we are not fluent in German it was work to watch but we enjoyed it. We recently rented it from Netflix - complete with English subtitles. It was exciting to fully understand the whole story. The movie tells about the early years of Princess Sissi of Austria during the 19th century. During one scene in which her dad takes her hunting, he tells her-

" Always remember my child, if you're ever worried or upset, go through the woods with open eyes. And in every tree, in every shrub, in every creature and every flower, the Almighty God will reveal himself to you, and give you solace and strength."

This is a great family movie. We are looking forward to watching the sequels, but knowing what our friends told us and from reading the article on Wikipedia, Sissi's later years were not as " fun and happy."

Autumn Pumpkin Muffins

A sweet friend made these for my family a couple of years ago and they replaced my standard pumpkin muffin recipe. They even made it to the menu of a Surprise Breakfast for Mother's Day this year - so everyone knows they're my favorite!

Autumn Pumpkin Muffins
(makes 18 muffins)

3 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup oil
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup walnuts
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line 18 muffin tin openings. Combine dry ingredients; set aside. In separate bowl, blend together pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Add dry ingredients. Stir in walnuts and raisins. Pour batter into tin and bake 20-23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

Orange Glaze

1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
6 teaspoons orange juice
Additional chopped walnuts

Combine all glaze ingredients except nuts and spoon over cooled muffins. Sprinkle with additional nuts before glaze hardens.

Note: The muffins are also great without the raisins and walnuts.

A New Favorite

ith a few minutes to spare I went into a book store and quickly glanced through the children's section. I found a book that I had never seen before. The bright colors of lime green and hot pink grabbed my attention. I was familiar with the author so I picked it up and scanned through it. It looked good, so I went and bought it. Later that evening I read it - and now it happens to be one of my favorite children's book. Why? Because it's one of those that we as adults can learn from.

The title of it is "The Quarreling Book" by Charlotte Zolotow. It starts out like this, "It was a rainy gray morning, and Mr. James forgot to kiss Mrs. James good-bye when he left for the office." Doesn't that grab your attention? It shows that if we respond wrongly to someone who offends us we might just spoil the day for everyone else. The illustrations by Arnold Lobel are also great. This book makes me think of the quote by Octavius Winslow which I posted earlier, "One unhappy temper, one unbending will, one unloving unsympathetic heart, may becloud and embitter the sunniest and sweetest home on earth. Everyone here enjoyed it and I think you will like it too.

If Thou But Suffer

f thou but suffer God to guide thee, and hope in him through all thy ways, he'll give thee strength, whate'er betide thee, and bear thee through the evil days: Who trusts in God's unchanging love builds on the Rock that naught can move.

What can these anxious cares avail thee, these neverceasing moans and sighs? What can it help, if thou bewail thee o'er each dark moment as it flies? Our cross and trails do but press the heavier for our bitterness.

Only be still, and wait his leisure in cheerful hope, with heart content to take whate'er thy Father's pleasure and alldiscerning love hath sent; nor doubt our inmost wants are known to him who chose us for his own.

All are alike before the Highest; 'tis easy to our God, we know, to raise thee up though low thou liest, to make the rich man poor and low; true wonders still by him are wrought who setteth up and brings to naught.

Sing, pray, and keep his ways unswerving, so do thine own part faithfully, and trust his word- though undeserving, thou yet shalt find it true for thee; God never yet forsook at need the soul that trusted him indeed.

~George Neumark, 1641

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22

Courage

ay we always be strong and courageous

in our character and in our actions.

Dueteronomy 31:6

"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be

afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that

doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

From Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

Courageous- Brave; bold; daring; intrepid;

hardy to encounter difficulties and dangers;

adventurous; enterprising.

Courage does not always roar. Sometimes

it is the quiet voice at the end of the day, saying,

"I will try again tomorrow." ~unknown