Arms open and outstretched...

I'm having kind of a bumpy fall, so far. I feel a little off-balance for some reason...nostalgic, fragile, emotional. Some of that is probably the inevitable let-down after the crazy rush and push of a harvest season. Some of it may be due to the intense season of study in which I've immersed myself -- the highs and lows that come with some authentic spiritual revelation. This is also "back-to-school" time, which means something completely different when your "children" are now "adults." My baby turned 20 last week. My baby! How did this happen?

So I'm trying to find balance. My natural inclination is to straighten up, shake it off, slap a smile on my face and soldier on. (Any other firstborns out there?) But lately, I've been giving myself permission to experience whatever season I find myself in. Not that I plan to wallow in melancholy, but I'm not going to deny it either. When irrepressible joy bubbles up (as it always does) I'm not going to squelch it - I'm going to revel in it. I don't want to miss the lessons of each season.

I read a passage in The Message translation the other day that tied together a lot of things I've experienced in recent weeks so I've chosen to memorize it - Jude 1:20-21a.

"But you, dear friends,
carefully build yourselves up
in this most holy faith
by praying in the Holy Spirit,
staying right at the center of God's love,
keeping your arms open and outstretched,
ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ."

Carefully build yourself up in the faith - by praying, staying in the center of God's love. I love the picture of "arms open and outstretched" -- ready to receive mercy, but also to dispense it.

I pray for God's blessing and mercy on you -- as you fully experience this season of life.

Do you not know?

This is a very familiar passage, but one I've never fully committed to memory. When I was running, I did recite verse 31 repeatedly to myself when I felt "faint!"

Last night, almost three weeks into a pretty grueling corn harvest season (temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, lethal dust, relentless monotony, late nights) I was feeling particularly weary and discouraged. I turned to Isaiah 40 for comfort - and found it. So I'm memorizing this passage for the last two weeks of August:

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31

I love the reminder that we cannot fathom God's wisdom - it's "unsearchable" as the ESV translation states. He is God. I am not. What a relief! And HE chooses, because of who He is, to renew our strength, to increase our power, to keep us from growing weary and faint...when we hope in Him.

Thank you, Lord!

Overflowing with hope...

May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

This is my memory verse for the first part of August (I forgot to post my verse from the end of July...I used a portion of Ezekiel 40:4 as camp preparation - "...look with your eyes and hear with your ears and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why I brought you here..." Good one, huh?)

Anyway, I was looking around for an inspirational word tonight - something that would soothe my weary soul and something that I could share with others needing a word of encouragement. This verse seems to indicate that very thing by saying that, as we trust in Him, and He fills us with ALL joy and peace, we may overflow with hope. Overflow implies spilling out or bubbling over, impacting others with the joy, peace and hope we have through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hope. It's a precious thing. Spending a week with over 500 teenagers and almost 200 adults at Cross Camp made me realize it can also be an elusive thing. There was joy, brokenness, surrender, worship...we made much of Jesus all week long. There were also painful stories of lives and homes where hope is lost. These stories have pressed on me in the days since camp ended.

My heart is full...praying for some precious teenagers just trying to live out their faith with some integrity in some difficult situations; while also see-sawing between overwhelming gratitude and a twinge of guilt over how blessed my life has been.

The God of Hope. May He fill us all with all joy and peace as we trust in Him. And may we be faithful to share that blessed hope with others.

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!