Everything

Even though this came out while I was in college, this song still rings true of who I am as much today as it did ten years ago.  Thought I would share with you!

Recipe Monday: Mini Chocolate Lava Cakes - Attempt #1

Monday nights are cell group nights for our church's 11th and 12th grade students who are wanting "more" than just Wednesday night, which I have really enjoy.  Mostly for the time and more laid back/less intimating environment for relationships to grow, but it has also got me baking again.  Jonathan can attest to the fact that I am NOT a baker, but more a cook, yet it has been a treat putting the proverbial baker's cap back on.  Homemade chocolate chip cookies, chocolate fondue, snickerdoodles...  they may not always look pretty, but it normally tastes pretty good!

So today I tried mini chocolate lava cakes; one of our ladies asked for chocolate fondue or something to dip in.  I've been to a couple Pampered Chef parties lately that have served their Chocolate Lava Cakes made in the microwave with the rice cooker, but I don't have the rice cooker or a big enough microwave for that.  So what to do next?

Google.  Of course!

Google then lead me to a box of Duncan Hines' Dark Chocolate Cake Mix, Milk Chocolate Frosting, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and half a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

The first step was melt the condensed milk and chocolate chips together on low, then set aside while mixing the cake batter per the directions.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour the muffin tins or ramekins (I like the baker's spray, which has the flour already added in).

Fill each muffin tin half the way, then add a large dollop (about two tablespoons) of the melted chocolate into the batter.

Once you've put in the chocolate filler, put more batter on top, until the tins are about 2/3 - 3/4 way full.

Bake for 20 - 22 minutes, and they will come out looking something like this:

It's okay for the tops to be cracked; remember, you will be inverting this once they have cooled for about fifteen minutes or so.  If you aren't going to be serving them right away, simply cover with foil to keep the heat in; these slid out better warm.  I do recommend dipping a butter knife in hot water and running it around the rim of each cake before inverting them.

Once inverting, melt the milk chocolate frosting for about thirty seconds in the microwave, then pour over each cake.  Dust with powder sugar and viola!  Individual mini chocolate lava cakes!  Great with ice cream!

So they don't look that pretty (I let the frosting cool a bit before I glazed them; note to self, don't do that as it clumps), and the last batch stuck like crazy!  Not sure why... the first half dozen popped right out without any issue (see far left; they are the prettier ones).  Anyway, here is what lava cakes look like after being attacked by high-schoolers:

So for my first attempt, they tasted awesome; I just have to work on appearance a little bit!  And I love that they are perfectly portioned... they are very rich but one is just perfect.  It's an easy way to fulfill the chocolate craving without the expensive bakery price.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 16

Today, I want to say that I am thankful for the Word of God.  Now, that may sound corny, I know.  However, it is not fake.  I have long learned that a person, myself included, cannot and will not build a deep relationship with Jesus without it.  Sadly, many have used it and twisted it to their own ends and gains.  However, I know God, and I know the power of His word first hand; His truths always lead to freedom.

But I am getting on a soapbox - so sorry!  As much as I love and treasure my education, it has been a struggle since to view the Bible as something other than a textbook.  Don't get me wrong; I value the ability to be able to go through a passage and analyze it properly, to be able to go back to the original languages, to see God's word in a new depth.  It's like watching a show on a tiny black-and-white television, then going to a full-screen high-def color set. 

Yet beyond the hermeneutics, after the linguistic analysis, it is alive.  Inspired.  God-breathed.  Touches the heart, the soul, the mind in a way that is beyond explanation or understanding.  And for those who don't have that metaphysical personal relationship with Jesus will never have that.  To them it is just a book.  One that is to revieved, respected, and obeyed, perhaps, but not alive.

********

Grampa took Mary Ellen inside away from the crowd.  "Now, child, I am going to show you what my father showed me, and his father before him," he said quietly.

     He spooned the honey onto the cover of one of her books.  "Taste," he said, almost in a whisper.

     Mary Ellen savored the honey on her book.

     "There is such sweetness inside of that book too!" he said thoughtfully.  "Such things... adventure, knowledge and wisdom.  But these things do not come easily.  You have to pursue them.  Just like we ran after the bees to find their tree, so you must also chase these things through the pages of a book!".
   - excerpt from The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco

This book is one of Emily's schoolbooks this year and I absolutely love it, nor does she tire of reading it over and over!  In a nutshell, the plot of the story is thus:  the main character, Mary Ellen, is tired of reading and wants to do something "fun", so her grandfather takes her on a wild goose chase following honey bees back to their tree.  They encounter new friends, learn lessons, and in the end, the analogy of the sweetness of knowledge and learning.

Is God's Word sweet to you?

Or is one of several versions of books gathering dust of your shelf?

Is it alive and breathing and warm and vibrant?

What are you pursing?

"There is such sweetness inside of that book... but such things do not come easily.  You have to pursue them."

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 15

Today I am thankful that after two days, my husband is home. 

Short and sweet, I know, but I missed my man.

"This is my beloved and this is my friend..." 

Song of Solomon 5:16b

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 14

Today I am thankful God creating us with responsive bodies.  As many of you know, I am training for my *gulp* first every 5K, which is coming up in a little over a month.  I'm trying not to freak out about it; I have a tendency to psych myself out over such things.

In light of what I've been doing physically with regards to my exercise, I am amazed at how God made our bodies.  This summer I could hardly jog a minute and a half without side cramps and shin splints; now it is nothing to go out and jog a mile after dinner.  Yet when I miss a day or two, oh my... my body knows it.  A normally easy run becomes labored, my shins get sore, my sides ache.  But when disciplined, my body responds.  Jogs are longer, recovery times are shorter... everything is in tune.  Some may not understand, but I was having a profound moment last time I was out pounding the pavement...

30 Days of Thankfulness: Days 12 - 13

Jonathan, the kids, and I have spent the last three days giving the infant room at church its own version of Extreme Makeover.  Old-fashioned dark blue dancing country bears have turned into an open, whimsical color scheme with a stripped wall that reminds me of rainbow sherbert.  Today, I am thankful for God's gift of creativity.

However, that was not the original plan!  We were going to simply paint each wall a different color.  The nursery teachers had given us some paint samples and color ideas which we really liked, and we when went to buy paint, we got to talking.  Our biggest struggle was trying to find out what to do with the large, main wall.  Mural?  Border?  If you know Jonathan and I, when we get talking and planning, creative things can come to life!  What started out as a simple repaint turned into three days of design!  We still aren't totally done; I need to paint the doors and trim, but it turned out really good (in my opinion, at least!).

30 Days of Thankfulness: Days 9 - 11

Due to a very time consuming painting project and an under-the-weather three-year old, I've gotten behind on my thankfulness blogging for this month.  As it is already creeping onto 1 AM, I will keep it short:

Day 9:  I'm thankful for the awesome ladies in my small group
Day 10:  I am thankful for Pizza delivery in our area (such a treat!) on nights when we are preoccupied and makes for a quick and easy dinner for my family.
Day 11:  So thankful for friends to fellowship and share burdens with, as well as a hot water heater!  Loved taking a quick soak in the tub!

More to come tomorrow!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 8

There are few people in life that love you, one hundred percent.  We may not always get along; we see each other on our bad hair days, had to share everything growing up from bedrooms to bathrooms to cars.  They can tell you the truth, even when it is tough, but when push comes to shove, they are your brothers and sisters forever, and I love mine dearly.  Today I am thankful for all five of mine:  Cicilia, Melissa, Nathan, Becky, and Timothy.

At Nathan's Wedding, 2005

Our wedding, 2006

January 2010

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 7

Since I am very tired this evening, I will keep it short tonight, but all in all, I am thankful for fellowship.  By definition, fellowship is "a group of people meeting to pursue a shared interest or aim".  So it doesn't matter if it is a gathering of students at our house, like tonight, or a small group of women doing a Bible study, or hanging out with friends for coffee, or even being my 2's & 3's for Sunday School.  All of the above is fellowship, and I thank God everyday for the people he has put into my life who provide that, be it friends or family, young or young-at-heart, new or old.  I am very blessed indeed!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 6

One of my greatest joys during the week is teaching the 2's & 3's class on Sunday morning.  I haven't regularly taught that age group since my post-college days.  I love how our curriculum is set up; we have a theme every month, with a verse and one or two stories that build on each other every week.  November is "God Provides for Me", which our verse being Philippians 4:19, and our story was of Jesus miraculously feeding five thousand people with a mere five loaves of bread and two fish.  Sometimes we skim over this story, but it such a great story of a child's faith and God's provision, even for those who doubt!

So in light of that, I am thankful that God provides for me.  I will be honest, there are days I fuss and stress and greatly feel the strain of the small salary that Jonathan receives, but then God checks my heart.  Do I want some new jeans and a fun pair of dress shoes to go with them?  Yes.  Do I need them?  No.  Yet God provides for me.  For example, last month a friend passed on a pair of nearly new jeans that didn't fit her well, that fit me perfectly.  Now I am just praying for the shoes in my size!  :-)  We are blessed; the kids overflow with clothes, so much so I get to enjoy passing them on to others who need them.  Do I want a mani/pedi?  Absolutely!  Yet it when it comes to getting my nails done or buying diapers for the month for Ethan, we get diapers, and we have never run out over this last year.  Do we go hungry?  No.  I've learned to feed our family on $300 a month; that is more than most families in third world countries make in a year.  We don't eat out very often, and that's okay.  But taking in the fact that every five seconds a child dies from hunger-related causes, we are blessed.  If you take a look at Jonathan and I, we are excellent examples that we get more than enough calories!  Are our meals more simple now?  Oh yes!  Convenience foods are a treat nowadays, and though our meals are simple, they are more wholesome and nutritious than what we used to eat.  When we are good stewards with what God gives us, there is always enough in each paycheck to cover our family's necessities.

I guess with all that, what I am trying to say, is that even though we are fiscally poor by pretty much every standard out there in our culture, we are oh so very rich.  God does supply all of our needs.  Not our wants, but our needs (my husband does think a new smart phone is a need... we are trying to see eye-to-eye on that one!).  We have a roof over our head, clothes on our back, food in our cupboards, and transportation in our driveway.  Blessed, blessed indeed!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 5

Today I want to celebrate my little man, Baby Ethan.  Though he isn't so little.  Nor is he much of a baby anymore.  I cannot believe he is going to be one in a mere couple of weeks!

I am so truly blessed by him; he is our little miracle baby.  We were scared he wouldn't make it to twenty weeks during my pregnancy because I was losing placenta while he was still in utero, and ended up on bed rest for about six weeks during the summer of 2010.  But he decided to needed to wait it out!   Four days before Thanksgiving last year, we were induced and six hours later, a nearly 10-pound Ethan Raymond Matthew entered the world, and fell right into our hearts. 

We had an emotional up and down first few days, weeks, and months, in and out the hospital for his jaundice caused by our blood type incompatibility, and did we ever worry about his "funnel chest" (which thankfully has all but completely corrected itself on his own).  He had trouble regaining his birth weight, which we soon found was due to an intestinal problem, so at six weeks he had an outpatient procedure to correct it.  After that, he found room in his tummy again and very quickly regained his birth weight!  Even though we nursed, he developed his first ear infection at three weeks old, and had six more before he had tubes put into his ears at the age of five months.  Every cold turned into bronchitis.  Croup.  Lazy eye.  Borderline pneumonia.  Egg allergies.  Night terrors.  Completely addicted to his pacifier.  Totally laid back and happy to be dependent on me forever.  Raising Ethan has been a night-and-day difference from Emily, who had her first sick visit at eighteen months and still is an I'm-going-to-do-it-myself-by-myself ball of energy.

Yet even with his struggles, he is a joy.  His smile is his own internal sun that lights up his crib the moment I walk into his room.  His giggles make you laugh out loud.  Cuddles with him warm my heart.  His claps and "yays" of joy when he masters a toy or skill or plays with Emily make me count every day with him a joy.  God, forgive me for the moments when I have just wanted to rush him into being more self-sufficient and not taken the time to enjoy him for the treasure that God has made him to be.

Mommy loves you, little man!

Happy Birth-day!

Thinking and pondering...

Emily (2 1/2 yrs) & Ethan (3 weeks)

Playtime!

All ready for Puggles class!

Moving around!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 4

In light of the fact that it is chilly today, I am thankful for my home.  Walls that keep out the wind, a solid roof to shield the rain, and soft carpet under my feet.

God completely blessed us when we moved to Guyton into a type of house that we didn't have any expectations of living in for another few more years!

Yet more than just the house, it is our home.

It is here that my children play, and eat, and dream, and even more, thrive.  Here my husband rests (most evenings!), I am privileged to assist both families find quality caregivers and provide employment for others during these economic times.  However, this house drew us to turn it into a home where we could serve and minister both within our new church home and our community.

It is five months today since this house became our home and our dreams for it are coming true.  We are praying for many, many, many more months here with our home being filled with the love of Christ, laughter, prayer, friends, students, sweet fellowship, more children, new agency clients, great food, and so much more!

"Choose this day whom you will serve... as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Joshua 24:15

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 3

Today I am thankful for my firstborn child, Emily.  After days like today, when she has been whiny and fussy and argumentative, I feel like I have to remind myself that!  Yet my heart melts at her sweetness, when I come home from Bible study to find her waiting up for me in her bed, telling me that "her eyes can't close" without Mommy to pray with her and sing her a lullaby.  She will always be my little girl...

I love you, Baby Noodle!

 

 

First moments together, June 18, 2008

Mommy & Emily, Oconee Station Falls, April 2010

Praying before bed, Fall 2010

Emily & Savannah, July 2011

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 2

CCC Children Ministry Appreciation Dinner, Christmas 2005

It is very fitting that Day 2 of my 30 Days of Thankfulness challenge happens to be the six year anniversary of Jonathan and I's first date.

Today, I am overwhelmingly thankful for Jonathan.

I truly love this man.  His heart for God, his passion for ministry, his desire for reaching the next generation for Christ stole my heart from square one.  Our post-college first conversation was over Andy Stanley's book The Next Generation Leader.  But I am getting ahead of myself... let me back up a bit.

I originally met this man in college; our social circles overlapped due to our friends, though we did not hang out with each other.  He hung out in the student center; I was conjugating Greek and Hebrew verbs in the library.  He was in pastoral studies program and I swore I was not going to go anywhere near them or the youth ministry guys.  But fast forward a couple of years later:  Jonathan was serving as a Youth & Associate Pastor for a Baptist church outside of Columbia, and I was working as the Children's Director for Columbia Crossroads Church while struggling to adjust with the changes of my future with Wycliffe Bible Translators and putting my masters work at Trinity Western Seminary in Vancouver, BC, on hold.  I did not know where God was going to put me next, but I did not expect a man to enter the picture at that time.

But he did.

And I am truly thankful for him.  It has been a joy (most of the time!) to do ministry together with him, from a church plant we helped with in Tennessee just a few short months after our wedding, to working with needy children and youth in the upstate of South Carolina, to where we are now in the Coastal Georgia region.  From our first phone call (that lasted five hours) to following Wednesday night six years ago where we met at Cool Beans Coffee Company after our respective church responsibilities were done, I knew from his warm smile and huge bear hug that this was the man God had intended for me to be my husband, the man who I had saved myself for, to love with my whole being.  Not saying we haven't had our trying times, but we are stronger today than we have ever been.  He is my love, the father of my wonderful children, and a man whom God has great things in store for.

I love you, Jonathan.  Thank you for these past six years and I am looking forward to every additional day that God gives us together.

30 Days of Thankfulness

In light of the fact that this month is Thanksgiving, I am once again joining in the 30 Days of Thankfulness challenge.  Think about joining me!  I find when I dwell on the gifts I am given, and the people love, I am content.  There is joy and peace to be found in those with a thankful heart.




30 Days of Thankfulness:  Day #1

First and foremost, I am thankful to Jesus.  He has wooed me, pursued me, soothed my heart, and drawn me to Him since I was a young girl who did not know how to grieve the loss of her mother.  My name, Debra Elizabeth, means "one who seeks the grace of God", and no matter what I've done, or how angry I've been, or how I have questioned God and my faith during times of trials, He is there.  Steadfast.  Never-changing.  Alpha and Omega.  My almighty, awesome, sweet Savior.  He is as real to me today as He was eighteen years ago when He captured my heart. 

Thank you, dear Jesus, for never letting me go, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Jeremiah 29:11 - 14:  "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity."