How "We" Came to Be...

I love how Google photos shows me memories each day from the same day in years gone by. Wow, the things we did, the places we went, the moments we experienced that I would forget if I didn't have a reminder... This picture from last year of Lamar and I at the farewell party of a dear friend made me glow with warm memories of that day. Upon a second glance at this picture today, tho, I saw the baseball glove in Lamar's hand and my mind went all the 'way back to 1989 or 1990 when I was a girl of 13 in the 7th grade. I was a newbie to the high school room that year, and felt a little awkward inside, altho I hid that very well behind the protective veneer or confident superiority. But I did feel very awkward around all the upper graders in that room. Especially when we went out to play softball at recess time. Until a certain gentlemanly gesture melted that scared feeling and ultimately changed my life to date.

Mr. Lamar was in the 9th grade and well liked by many and had already turned the heads of a few of the girls. Why he chose me that day, I don't know, but in my memory, I can still see him shyly handing me his dark red baseball glove, offering it to me to use when his team was up to bat. And that is how our 'love story' began. To this day, that memory serves to remind me how this man of mine has always protected me and cared for me well. He has most always been the steady one in our relationship, holding me up through many a day of grief as I walked through deep heart pain. He has been the one person in my life that has provided continuous safety as I stood on wobbly feet as a newborn Christian five years into our marriage and then stepped aside as I learned to fly, letting me find my sure footing in Jesus.

My heart weeps as I think of how incredibly blessed I have been. I do not deserve such a gift, but I certainly receive it with thanksgiving and gratitude to the One who gave it, even tho I started out in this 'love story' backwards, with me at the center instead of Jesus.

Tho my husband is a man and certainly has his faults like any other man in this world, I am so happy to do life with him and I bless him in whatever way I can for rescuing me and for all the 'red baseball glove moments' he has gifted me with over the years through his quiet selfless acts of service to me and his family.

Lessons from Tea Cups...

Recently, my daughters brainstormed into being a ladies' luncheon for the mothers and daughters at our little church. They asked me to share a some tea cup-related inspiration with everyone so I pondered a few weeks, and after asking the Lord, and some friends, I came up with the following:

Tea cups come in varied sizes, shapes, and with different marking or none at all. Some are exquisitely beautiful, while others are simply elegant. They come from different parts of the world and make their abode in our cabinets sometimes from far away.  But they all are created with a common purpose in mind: to hold something, whether it is tea, coffee, hot cocoa, little flower bouquets, floating candles, or potpourri.

So it is with people. We are all created by God. Some are tall, some are short. There are thick ones and thin ones. There are different skin tones and nationalities. There are different personalities. And we come from the four corners of the earth. But in all our differences, the Master Potter has created us all with one specific purpose in mind: To known Him and make Him known/ to love Him and others. No matter where we go in life, or where we've come from, always this is the single most important purpose, the Purpose of all purposes that He has in mind for us.

As we go through our lives, may we always remember the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:31:

One of my friends sent me the following story when she heard that

I was giving a talk on tea cups at a ladies' luncheon. I was so blessed by it:

The Tea Cup

There was a couple who used to go England to shop in the beautiful store. This was their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially tea-cups. They said,”May we see that? We’ve never seen one quite so beautiful.”

As the lady handed it to them,suddenly the tea-cup spoke, “You don’t understand.” It said, “I have not always been a tea-cup.There was a time when I was red clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, “Let me alone,” but he only smiled, “Not yet!!”
“Then I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. ‘Stop it !! I’m getting dizzy!’ I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, ‘Not yet.’
Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook hid head, ‘Not yet’.
“Finally, the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. ‘Stop it, Stop it!!’ I cried. He only nodded, ‘Not yet!’.
Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf.
An hour later he handed me a mirror and said ‘Look at yourself.’ And I did. I said, ‘That’s not me; that couldn’t be me. It’s beautiful. I’m beautiful.’

“I want you to remember, then,’ he said, ‘I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I just had left you alone, you’d have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurts and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn’t done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any colour in your life, and if I hadn’t put you back in that second oven, you wouldn’t survive for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you.” God knows what He’s doing [ for all of us ]. He is the potter, and we are His clay. He will mould us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect will.
– Submitted by Cathy Pinto

What a beautiful picture of the Potter and the clay.

And what reality it is many times as we go thru

the moulding and firing process...

we kick and scream until we figure out that 

He knows what He's doing and we yield to

letting Him produce in us the peaceable fruits of righteousness.

We enjoyed our day with the ladies.

There was pink. There were tea cups. There were white skirts.

And sheer lacey cloths. Candles. Tulips and icicle lights.

It was lovely.

(happy sigh)

I'm glad my daughters thot of this and

helped to get it accomplished.

Community...Again..

The chalkboard in the front hall of my old farmhouse looks like this

right now, a silent testament to the fact that community has

happened alot at our house lately.

I love having people at my house.

Sure it get gets messy sometimes

and requires alot of prep work usually,

but it really blesses me to provide 

a place for people to fellowship

and be warm, happy and comfortable.

And when they leave,

and I see their doodles on my chalkboard

likely spurred on by the one before them

who tried their hand at writing,

I smile...

and I thank God for the opportunity

to have blessed and been blessed.

I have had many opportunities in the

past  4 weeks to open my home

to guests. I'm glad for the help I 

was given in preparing, and in serving,

and I carry many memories

on my heart of laughter, tears,

conversation, and the joy

of seeing people enjoying 

themselves while gathering

together in my home.

Thought the pictures could give 

you a little taste of what has

been happening at 

my house lately.

And why I've been quiet on 

this blog!

Please do come see us! We will be happy to

have you in our home!

"Lazy" Sushi...and a Cookbook Announcement...

I'm excited to share that I have begun a project that, up until now, has been only in my dreams. Since I have discovered the joy and the benefits of eating plant-focused meals, I have dreamed of sharing my recipes with my people. My daughters keep asking me for recipes and, since I do not cook from recipes, this has been a 'back burner' (no pun intended!) project that, thanks to Dr. Scott Stoll and his lovely wife, Kristen (whom I had the privilege to meet in PA 2 weeks ago!), has become more of a reality than ever. They have asked me to help them to write a cook book that is plant-focused, specifically targeting PA Dutch flavors. Since I have had experience in that department, having had seven years of reworking heirloom recipes to bless my husband who likes his cultural flavors, I am excited to be getting to share the finished versions with the general public!

It's a daring adventure for me, tho. I confess that the Lord needs to continually flood my soul with peace about this because sometimes I face opposition. You see, we Dutch people (and I suspect every other culture as well!) don't want people messing with our comfort zones. We like what we like and we don't want someone coming in and changing it. But...after 7 years (so far) of trial and error, with a bit of success sprinkled in to keep me filled with the courage to move forward, I have come up with recipes that my family likes. I think our family's taste buds have adapted over the years to not eating much dairy, sugar, salt, oil and meat but even my staunchly Dutch friends who eat lots of those ingredients seem to enjoy sticking their feet under my table and eating the dishes I prepare for them. My family and friends have been (mostly) willing and gracious taste-testers.

Veggie Sushi Rice Balls

It is my hope that in doing this cookbook, I can show my friends and family and
people in my culture just how fun, filling and varied it can be to eat a plant-focused diet. I hope to share my story of what it has benefited me in health restored and in dollars and cents. I would like to share hope with my readers that most of our American diseases can reversed and prevented by eating plants as primary food and animal as secondary/flavor foods AND that you don't really need to give up every cultural taste to do it.

Dr Stoll and his wife prayed about many things with me before we parted ways, but one thing in particular stands out as I write: that I would have TIME to write. :-) That is a good thing to ask God for because it seems He always keeps my calendar full of serving opportunities. I'm looking forward to time this winter to write.

Today, I was inspired by this recipe and so I made my version of it because I love veggie sushi, but I don't like the work that goes into making it! I drizzled it with Sesame Garlic Sauce from my favorite local grocery store, Wegmans, instead of the sauce in the recipe.

I ate it as my breakfast, part of a 10 day 'veggies for breakfast' challenge I am participating in on Face book. I'm planning to eat some raw and some cooked veggies for my 10 days of breakfasts. Yesterday, on day 1, I had steamed broccoli topped with avocado and salsa, a similar version to what I threw together recently at a Chili's restaurant:

I would never have thought of pairing those things together, but 'desperate times call for desperate measures' and I needed a plate of good-for-me food that day. I am used to ordering from the sides these days, because I do not eat meat much in restaurants and little dairy at all, and most entrees on a menu include one and often both of these items. It was fairly easy, actually, to put this plate together and now I can recreate it at home!

Here's to thanking God for the joy of eating plants, and here's to hoping I have many more people joining me in discovering the blessing in this ancient way of eating. Feel free to join my 'veggies for breakfast' challenge. This is day 2 and we plan to go thru 10 mornings. If you do, I'd love if you could drop me a line in the comments, and even a picture of your creations, if you care to.

Of Girls Camp and Prayer Partners...

I was asked by a friend to share my notes 

from a recent
Friday evening's prayer
and sharing time at the girls' camp out
at my house.

 We did a prayer partner exchange
 and with it I gave some 

encouragement from
the Word on  how to 

share/care/pray 

for each other.

I thought I would share
my brief devotional here
on the blog.

The fathers and sons go on an
annual local 

camping outing  together
and the girls, 

feeling slightly left out, 

were invited to our house 

this year to keep me 

and my daughters company 

while the men were away.

We had a good time together,
with much giggling as this

 WAS a girl party, after all!

There were pancake and/or turkey/cheese mountain pies for breakfast the next morning, complete with a brisk autumn breeze with a slight nip in it to remind us that summer is ending and autumn is here.

There was much giggling on the trampoline, and singing Robin Mark songs on the glider swing after midnite,

and sleeping in the open air on the trampoline. (I hope no one else is sick like my daughter is today!)

We made personal pizzas for Friday supper, and had the leftover ice cream from the ice cream social our family hosted a few weeks ago, along with some toppings for that.

After supper, there were games, and more giggling and telling stories as only girls can do. Then we sat on the back porch, the light from the wall encircling us while darkness shrouded the rest of the world.

In the past, we have done prayer partner exchanges at such functions, keeping the partner for three months. I like having this because I think it helps us in our church to know each other in a different way, and if we apply ourselves diligently in service for the one we are paired with, this can be a purposeful way for us to love and bless this one in special ways for a few months, to let them know how much they are loved. I decided to share a devotional on prayer and sharing. Following is an essence of what I said and, as I really didn't have notes besides Scripture references written down, I'm going to try to write down something similar to what I shared:

1 Thes. 5:25

(Scripture is clear that it is 

important to pray for each other)

2 Thes. 1:11, 12

(the main aim of our prayers for each other

should be because we desire that our lives

will fulfill the purpose for which we are created:

to know Him and make Him known)

2 Thes. 3: 1, 2

(we pray for each other

because there is an enemy that is

seeking to destroy,

and who wants to prevent us

from spreading God's fame 

to our world)

James 5:13-16

(we pray for each other when we are sick.

we also confess our needs/faults before each other

at times, and ask for prayer for them. It can be scary to

share our hearts with each other, and certainly we should 

only be doing this after we have bared our hearts before God

and shared mostly with Him, but it is important to 

share with each other because it keeps us humble before

one another, it gives us opportunities to care for each other,

and it draw our hearts together in Him when we share.)

Eph. 5:15-21

(being prayer partners is not only praying for each other,

but it is also a blessed opportunity to share with each 

other using Scripture and godly songs to encourage

one another and lift our hearts to God.)

1 Jn. 3: 14-18

(showing love to each other is the best 

way to show that we truly love God.

Being a prayer partner and being honest with

each other gives us the opportunity to grow

closer to someone, and to learn to know them

in a way that maybe we wouldn't otherwise.

You might find ways of personally showing

your prayer partner your love and care by

sending them a note, or giving them a small gift

that you know they will enjoy, etc).

We ended with a prayer.

I was very blessed. I certainly love 'my girls'

and hope that they will carry these memories 

and the things we teach with them for life.

Love and blessings,

Marcia

PS
I came across this prayer this morning in my time in the Word. What a privilege to carry this prayer on my heart for my loved ones:

Currently...(1)

I am watching:

The Widowmaker (a documentary about heart disease and interesting, while not helpful in teaching viewers how to prevent the disease by diet)

All That Jesus Taught, part 54 by Zac Poonen on Youtube

Little House on the Prairie with the family for old time's sake

I am working on:
wrapping up my big Back-to-Eden garden prep for next summer
mulching my little kitchen garden (turning it over to Back-to-Eden as well)
watering and tending my little fall veggie garden
getting my wardrobe in order for fall/winter

I am reading:
Love Does by Bob Goff (good stuff!)
Little House in the Big Woods to the family several evenings a week (what fun to read wintry stories on the front porch at the end of summer!)

I am really despising:
false nutritional teaching flooding social media and life these days (we'll do anything to keep our Standard American Diet!)

pantry moths that threaten to eat me out of house and home! I think we have the upper hand on them currently!

the brokenness of this world (Lord, I'm willing but the brokenness makes me stagger sometimes!)

I am looking forward to:
an ice cream social we are hosting on Saturday, Lord willing. Should be fun with lots of outdoor games, mountain pies, and an ice cream buffet (we're sanctifying it with lots of fresh veggies and fruit and trying to keep the rest of the food as healthy as we can as well!). We are having loads of fun prepping for this social to be held on our lawns.

autumn's color and cooler temps

I am learning about:
Back-to-Eden gardening
Aspberger's Syndrome
being the parent to one newly turned adult

I am remembering:
my Uncle John with a joyful heart that he left a sterling testimony of loving Jesus before he passed on to eternity a year and a half ago

I am thankful:
for a husband who cares more about people than he does about his reputation or his personal life, and is willing to be late for supper if it means giving a young friend some premarital advice that will hopefully help him on down thru the years of marriage if God tarries

for the many jars of tomatoes and cucumbers lining the shelves and waiting in boxes for a busy mama friend we did some canning for besides our own stuff

for energy and good health. A year ago, I was really struggling with PCOS depression and low energy from a stressful summer. A year later, I am well and so very thankful, and seem to be almost completely healed from PCOS, thanks to apple cider vinegar, a clean diet and learning how to relate better to stress that I cannot avoid (all God's gifts to answer my prayers for healing)

I hope to: go biking and hiking more yet this fall before the snows fly

I am loving:
watching my daughters each enthusiastically  making their way through a long list of books to read, books that both feed their souls as well as broaden their horizons. How wonderful to have such a blessing available!

my container gardens that I had so much fun filling earlier in the season. Most of them have outdone themselves in blooming profusely, bringing many happy moments to my heart as I see them daily.

the answers that God is giving in response to desperate cries for help in some situations we were facing. He truly gives wisdom and is a refuge to those who come to Him for help and rescue.

Now it's your turn! I'd love to see your answers in my comments, if you care to take the time to contribute. Just put the headings there with your own answers, if you wish to participate. Looking forward to hearing from you!