Sufficient grace...

Memory verse for July 1...

"But he said to me,
'My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness.'
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses,
so that Christ's power may rest on me."

2 Cor. 12:9

...inexpressible and glorious joy...

"Though you have not seen him,
you love him;
and even though you do not see him now,
you believe in him and are filled
with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
for you are receiving the goal of your faith,
the salvation of your souls."

I Peter 1:8-9

Memory verses for June...more to come later, but for now, savor that love and belief in Him fill us with an "inexpressible and glorious joy..."

The Amazing Artichoke Adventure...

Okay, brace yourself. I'm about to attempt a cooking post. Well, it's kind of a cooking post, but really more of a construction post. One of my family's favorite treats is stuffed artichokes. My dad's mom taught my mom how to make them, and I've been wanting to learn for years. So we scheduled an artichoke extravaganza recently and I took many, many pictures to commemorate this rite of family passage! This is basically artichokes stuffed with a cheesy, crabby, bread-crumby combo of goodness. Here goes:

We begin with...the artichoke. Mom usually tries to snap them up when they're on sale. We stuffed 10!


Spread some newspaper out to work on (makes clean-up easier) and take some scissors and carefully snip the pointy, thorny edges off of each leaf...like so:





Isn't it pretty already? Okay, then you carefully cut off the stem (so it will sit upright) and cut off the very tip-top (where it's hard to individually snip the thorns).




Put them in a pot of boiling, salted water for 30 minutes, remove carefully, turning upside down to drain, then allow them to cool. (We boiled four at a time.)




While they are cooling, prepare the "stuffing." Here is the cast of characters:

And a pound of crab meat (Mom uses white backfin crab meat. And mom knows best!) Drain it and flake it with your hands, feeling for any random bits of shell.

Okay, this is where it gets a little...um...imprecise. My mom is one of those cooks who instinctively knows when to add and when to stop. So these are approximate measurements which should make enough stuffing for 4-5 artichokes.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cans of bread crumbs...

1 1/2 cups shredded Romano cheese...(Mom substituted a combo of Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheeses)

1 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with 2 tsp. garlic salt...


Add the crab...
Side note-this colander was a wedding gift to my parents from my dad's grandmother - almost 50 years ago!!!

Another side note...this is my mom's recipe box. I may hijack it!



Add a GENEROUS amount of olive oil. (Seriously, have plenty on hand). Glug it around, stir to combine until it looks about right.


Taste and see if the seasonings seem right. Then, just grab some and start stuffing it into each individual leaf. (FYI - any time you see beautifully manicured red fingernails - they belong to my gorgeous Mom. I've never known her NOT to have beautiful hands - and I've never known her to hesitate to use those beautiful hands to prepare wonderful food for her family!)


We worked on individual sheets of foil so that when we were done we could wrap it up for storing. Uh, for the record, there is a distinct possibility that, in my enthusiasm, I might have overstuffed this one:

Drizzle some olive oil over the top of the completed artichoke...(Mom's motto: If a little olive oil is good, a lot is better!)


Bring the foil up and around and wrap tightly! Ready for the freezer!


When you're ready to eat one, pull it out to thaw, then put it in a pan with about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom and bake at 350 degrees for an hour...(we decided to eat one right then, so it didn't take as long to cook!)

I meant to take a picture of it right out of the oven, but I, uh, got a little carried away. So here's how a half-eaten one looks...(I promise, it's delicious!)


For the uninitiated, you eat these by pulling off a stuffed leaf (starting at the bottom) then rake the stuffing and the soft flesh from the top of the leaf with your teeth...here's what the pile of eaten leaves look like...


When you get down close to the center, it looks like this...


Pull the leafy part away from the base part and there is this little spiky, hairy center...


Carefully scrape the little spiky part off and you're left with...an artichoke heart. I wonder who first thought it would be worth all the work to get to the heart? Anyway, mix up a little oil and vinegar (yes, more oil), chop up the heart, swirl it around and enjoy!





So after a couple of hours of fun in the kitchen, THIS is what I had to show for it!


This really isn't difficult and it is so, SO good. We'll have one as an appetizer (two if there's a crowd) and enjoy every bite! Don't be intimidated - you can do it!

Laughing at the days to come...

Scripture memory for the last half of April:

"She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come."
- Proverbs 31:25

Proverbs 31 describes a woman who is capable, intelligent and virtuous - and the highest praise is reserved for her spiritual life. As women, we can bog down in expectations - those imposed on us by society or even the church. Just reading Proverbs 31 can leave us feeling inadequate - or exhausted! But the ultimate truth of the passage is that the woman's spiritual and practical devotion to God permeated every area and relationship of her life.

I couldn't resist verse 25 when choosing a verse to memorize.
"Clothed with strength and dignity..." We don't get dressed accidentally (although my choices may cause people to wonder at times!) We choose every day what we are going to "put on." Strength is defined as the quality or state of being strong; the capacity to withstand great force or pressure; having the emotional and mental qualities necessary to deal with events or circumstances that are distressing or difficult. Dignity is defined as worthy of honor and respect. Choosing to put these on allows us to "laugh at the days to come."

As the Amplified Bible says:

"Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]!

Naturally, I love the beauty of "laughing at the days to come." What security! I want to be THAT woman!

Something far more interior...

For the first two weeks of April, I've chosen a verse in The Message translation of the Bible. I love the reminder that it's really not about me - what I do, religious or otherwise - it's about grace.

"For in Christ,
neither our most conscientious religion
nor disregard of religion amounts to anything.
What matters is something far more interior:
faith expressed in love."
Galatians 5:6 - The Message

The beginning of Chapter 5 in Galatians kicks off a theme of freedom ("It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!") and Paul goes on to explain the danger of depending on "law" rather than "grace." In The Bible Exposition Commentary, Warren Wiersbe explains it this way:

Living under grace means we "no longer rely on the external force of the Law to keep us in God's will, because we have the internal leading of the Holy Spirit of God. Christ died to set us free, not to make us slaves."

He goes on to say, " To live by grace means to depend on God's abundant supply of every need. To live by Law means to depend on my own strength, my own efforts to keep the letter of the Law and be left to get by without God's supply."

Why would we choose to be enslaved to a legalistic list of do's and don'ts, (represented in other translations of this verse as "circumcision or uncircumcision"). Yet we often do. We rush around trying to be "good enough" to earn God's love, when He has already lavished it on us. We're so focused on achievement that it's hard to readjust to the radical concept of grace - unmerited favor, freely given.

We are called to a life of grace that comes from an interior relationship that produces faith which is "activated and energized and expressed and working through love." (Amplified Bible) So, yes, we are called to act, but compelled by Christ's love, not law.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then,
and do not let yourselves be burdened again
by a yoke of slavery."
Galatians 5:1

Let's live free.

He will quiet you with His love...

The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

This, to me, is one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible. There is assurance in every word...

He is the LORD.
Your God.
He is with you.
He is mighty.
Mighty to save.
He takes delight in you.
Great delight.
He will quiet you.
With His love.
He rejoices over you.
With singing.

This was one of many verses we read during our Bible study this week (Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God - I cannot recommend it highly enough!) and it's one I've loved for years but never fully committed to memory. So that's my plan for the next two weeks. To meditate, internalize, memorize - LIVE this verse. What a beautiful God!

I love words and reading different translations of the Bible always gives interesting insight into a particular verse. I especially loved the Amplified Bible translation of this verse, which goes deeper into the "quieting" of God.

"He will rest [in silent satisfaction]
and in His love He will be silent
and make no mention
[of past sins, or even recall them]."

So much of the time, it is my churning mind, worrying, rehashing or recalling past offenses or sins, that desperately needs quieting. What a beautiful, comforting picture of God's loving care and forgiveness. The Amplified Bible translation goes on to say,

"He will exult over you with singing."

"Rejoice" is defined as feeling and showing great joy and delight. The definition of "exult" goes a step further - it implies elation and celebration as the result of success! God is exulting, rejoicing over us with singing, because He knows the ultimate outcome of our lives - and He sees success in our future. Granted, this is not success by the world's standards, but success by His definition and on His terms. He is faithful. He is good. He is love. And He can be trusted with our lives! Live in this assurance!

My portion forever...

I did actually start this post on March 1, but never got around to finishing it and now, all of the sudden, it's March 4!

Time. It's getting away from me.

I've already been working on these verses, which fall into the category of "Lord, make it so" verses. Kind of like the "instructed tongue" from last month -- I'm not there, but hoping to get there. Anyone know what I mean?

Anyway, here are the verses I'm working on:

"Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever."

Psalm 73:24-25

I'm not sure what exactly drew me to this passage at this time - except a tug to focus on God and God alone. Not His will, not what He can do for me or my family, not even what I can do for Him. I want to seek HIM.

My flesh and my heart my fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. I love how The Message puts this part: "When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, God is rock-firm and faithful." Yep. Good stuff.

I'm a word girl, and the word "portion" intrigues me. The dictionary defines it as a part of a whole; a piece of something. But the Biblical use has a deeper meaning. The Levites - the tribe set aside as priests and temple servants of the God Most High - were not given territory like the other tribes. The Lord was their "portion." They were to rely on Him and He was enough.

Lord, make it so in my life.

(I love the worship song that includes this verse...you can hear it here.)