Friday, July 27, 2018

And The Angels were Silent


This is another book by an author who has often brought me hope, encouragement, and a greater knowledge of the Bible: AND THE ANGELS WERE SILENT by Max Lucado.

The last week of Jesus’s life. He knew what was ahead, and he dreaded it. But he kept his focus on those who needed him. He continued to show and teach crucial points.

In Matthew 20 he taught about the land owner who was generous with the workers who stood around all day and no one hired them. Just as God is generous with those of us who no one wants.

Two brave men, blind beggars, kept calling to Jesus to help them, even though the crowd tried to silence them. Jesus took the time to stop and treat them with compassion.

Jesus knew what was going to happen to him at the end of this week, but he continued rigorously meeting our needs. In Matthew 23 he spoke harshly against the teachers of the law and the Pharisees who made salvation so hard for people to obtain.

In Matthew 24, he encouraged his disciples, and us, saying those who hold on to God through horrible sorrows and troubles will be saved.

And John 17 shows us that Jesus thought of believers who are alive today, and prayed for us, on his last night as he walked to the garden.

John 17: 20-21: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

At the end of the book is a section which an individual, or a study group, can use for discussion and Bible study. I often don’t pay attention to these question sections at the end of books. But this one impressed me, with thoughtful questions and an in-depth Scripture listing.

Friday, July 20, 2018

Psalm 119:41-48, Waw


ו Waw
May your unfailing love come to me, Lord,
    your salvation, according to your promise;
then I can answer anyone who taunts me,
    for I trust in your word.
Never take your word of truth from my mouth,
    for I have put my hope in your laws.
I will always obey your law,
    for ever and ever.
I will walk about in freedom,
    for I have sought out your precepts.
I will speak of your statutes before kings
    and will not be put to shame,
for I delight in your commands
    because I love them.
I reach out for your commands, which I love,
    that I may meditate on your decrees.

I am so grateful for the gift of love for the bible that was given to me when I was in college.

Such priceless, beautiful words that come from this passage:

Delight

Salvation

Truth

Promise

Unfailing love

Freedom

Hope

Thank you, Father, for your ever-springing gifts.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Helpful Hints From Kathy's Kitchen


The first time I cooked was when I moved into a houseful of girls in college. After much help, a lot of frustration, and a few tears, I learned to love cooking.

It wasn’t long before I was able to laugh with my friends over some of the mishaps I had. From time to time you could hear any of the girls in the house call out: “Helpful hint from Kathy’s kitchen.” Examples:  “For best results, remove fork from plate before closing microwave door … To save time when serving brownies, leave utensil in pan while brownies are baking … For cleaner kitchen, turn off mixer before lifting it from cake batter … When baking hamburgers, use deeper pan than cookie sheet, unless, of course, you prefer to have grease running out of oven onto kitchen floor …” And so on.

Thirty-five years later, after many hours and experiences with cooking, I decided to start up Kathy’s Kitchen again. This time, I’ll share some of my favorite recipes, as well as some others have shared with me.

And you never know when a new helpful hint might also appear.

Please send me any recipe, or special hint, you’d like to be distributed by Kathy’s Kitchen.

This first recipe is from the kitchen of my mother, Lila Mae Brinkmann. One of my favorites when I was growing up.

BOSTON BROWN BREAD

Boil two cups water; Add two cups raisins, two heaping teaspoons baking soda and two heaping tablespoons margarine.  Let this mixture soak for four or five hours.  Then add two teaspoons cinnamon, three cups flour, two cups sugar, and two eggs.  Mix and pour into two greased loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes.

Variation: My mom always made several round loaves out of these, pouring the batter into 16-ounce vegetable cans. They were such cute little loaves.

This method never worked well for me. Helpful hint: “To save time cutting bread, after baking, simply dump loaf out of can onto serving plate. It will fall into several edible pieces.”

Friday, July 6, 2018

Share My Hope


This week was the celebration of the birth of our country. I do thank God for the privileges and benefits of living in the United States.

Recently, though, I was talking with someone very special to me about how scary life is right now, not only in other parts of the world, but also right here in our own country.

Harsh disagreement, uncertainty about the future, and the heartbreaking, senseless killing. It reminded me of a line from an old song: “This world is not my home.”

This world is not our hope.

Yes, God wants us to work hard, to be faithful citizens and loving neighbors. But ultimately, for those of us who claim faith in Jesus, this world is not our hope. We need to remember this when times are hard, and even more importantly, we need to share our hope with those around us.

The time we have on earth is less than a speck of dust compared with the eternity we have with God, and that eternity starts right now.

God gives us people, events, places, work, and possessions which are beautiful and which we can and should enjoy. But, in the broken world we live in, there are also always horrible things happening around us, sometimes to us.

In Heaven, we will have no more horror. No more crying, no sorrow, no pain and suffering. More wonder than we can possibly imagine. (Revelation 21)

But the greatest part of my faith is what starts right now, what God promises even during the ugliness that happens in this world. He is my loving Father.

He is with me right now. He is holding me, and comforting me, and guiding me. I am never alone, no matter what happens. I want to share this hope with everybody around me.

As God’s children, we are not only given this hope, we are given the right to ask for it.

The Lord will work out his plans for my life— for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me. Psalm 138:8

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; Psalm 103:13

Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Psalms 68:19