Author Archives: Ellen

Remember Christ, Our Savior ~ Hymn

 

Remember Christ, Our Savior

Remember Christ, our Savior
Who paid the debts you owed
To God the heavenly Father
And to you mercy showed.
When others sin against you
Be ready to forgive.
Since you have been forgiven
With them in peace now live.

Go first to find your brother,
Your sister or your friend.
Do not reveal to others
The hurt you need to mend.
Confront in humble spirit
The one whose sin caused pain
That he might seek forgiveness
And you a friend regain.

When bitter anger tempts you
To nurse your broken heart
With brooding thoughts of hatred
And vows of vengeance start.
Pray to the Lord of Pardon
For power to release
Each selfish act against you
That rage might in you cease.

O Father, Son, and Spirit,
O Patient Trinity,
Who lifts from us sin’s burden
And from its debt sets free.
Grant us the will to pardon
All those who us offend
That we might enter heaven
With them when ages end.

Samuel S. Wesley
(1810–1876)

Words: Ro­bert E. Smith, 1990. First pub­lished in the Lu­ther­an Di­gest, 1991.

REMEMBER CHRIST, OUR SAVIOR
© 1990 Robert E. Smith
These lyr­ics may be free­ly co­pied, dis­trib­ut­ed, used or per­formed for non-com­mer­cial pur­pos­es, pro­vid­ed this no­tice re­mains at­tached. All oth­er rights are re­served.

Choose Joy!

Photo Credit: Auntie Lolo!

Note to self; Don’t grumble or murmur. The Holy Spirit has been working on my heart and mind through God’s Word about that habit of complaining. In my daily readings in reading the Bible through in a year we are in Exodus reading about the Children of Israel and how Moses had to deal with Pharaoh. I’ll share the last paragraph for February 19th in Allistair Begg’s new devotional called Truth For Life. Guilty as charged! If you are a Believer you’ll understand…

“We have faith in Christ, we’ve been set free from slavery to sin- even our complaining! We’ve been liberated by a sacrifice: the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross. And we too have set out on a journey, not to Canaan but to Heaven. In light of that, God has given us both wonderful promises and necessary warnings. Do not presume upon His provision or grumble about the route He leads you on, but instead be filled with gratitude for all He has provided materially and spiritually. The cross lies behind you, heaven lies before you, and the Spirit dwells within you. There is not need, or excuse for grumbling.”

Asking forgiveness and for the help I need to identify, recognize when I’m slipping into murmuring. Read that word out loud and listen to your speech and see if it sounds similar. Ouch. Mur…mur…ing…

Hope this helps you like it has helped me. Looking forward to what lies ahead!

Happy Saturday.

We are getting ready for breakfast for seven of our family that will be together on this side of the mountains until Monday. Uncle Joshie, Auntie Lolo, Jamie, Addy, JJ, me and Dear will enjoy Dear’s labor of love, Swedish Pancakes. Adding some little smokies and sliced oranges to the breakfast table!

My Latest Jigsaw Puzzle

This is another tough one but a good challenge.

Little by little, inch by inch…

I retreat to the living room away from the TV and turn on some worship CD’s on low and plug away at the challenge of this puzzle. The scene is perfect for this time of year and what I can see outside our windows.

On Thursday evening we had our daughters-in-law and the grands over. We enjoyed dinner together. We tried a new recipe for a pork loin that was cooked on a bed of sauerkraut, apples and brown sugar. Yummy. I didn’t take any photos of the meal. Auntie Lolo is visiting. I’ll be sharing lots of her great photos.

Happy Friday everyone.

Truth for Today # 7

Thursday February 17th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during the week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth this year!

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16-18

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Romans 10:8-10, 13

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”.

1 John 3:1

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

John 10:27-28

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

From Vera

Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

From Patricia

Psalm 100:1–5 (ESV): 100 A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS.

1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

‭From Sara

Psalm 34:8

Oh taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who hopes in Him. 

From Karen

Psalm 100:5

For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut…

…sometimes you don’t! I usually choose Almond Joy over Mounds!

It’s time for a nutty Hodgepodge. Thank you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond for the questions!

1. February 16th is National Almond day…are you a fan? If so what’s your favorite food item or recipe that contains almonds? 

I am a fan of almonds and love the crunch and interest they add to a dish.

Favorite savory dish would be rice pilaf with butter sauteed raisins and slivered almonds.

On the sweet side of things Haagen Daz Vanilla Swiss Almond ice cream.

2. Something you are currently ‘nuts’ about? 

I think I’ll always be ‘nuts’ about these two…

3. Something currently driving you ‘nuts’? 

Okay…you asked and I’ll be truthful. It drives me nuts to see children in masks. Unmask our children! Stop the madness!

4. Something you recently bought for ‘peanuts’? 

Greeting cards at the Dollar store, which by the way is not the dollar store anymore but the $1.25 store! They still do sell some of their cards at two for a dollar. It’s hard for me to purchase a $4.95 card that will probably get thrown in the trash after opened and read.

5. Share a favorite quote uttered by any U.S. President ( if you’re not an American, a quote made by the leader of your own country). 

Since we used to celebrate Lincoln’s (12th of February) and Washington’s (22nd of February) with a day off for each of these birthdays way back when I was in school I found a quote I can stand behind from each of these Presidents.

If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. 

~George Washington

So my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.

~Abraham Lincoln

The photo at the top of my post is a collage from the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. The statue of George Washington gets such great light reflection from the stained glass window during certain times of the day. I was happy to be able to capture it when we were there in May of 2011.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

On Valentine’s Day we received about 3 more inches of snow. The forecasters underestimated the amount by 2-1/2 inches, so it was a surprise to see the large fluffy flakes keep falling, and falling until we accumulated three or more inches.

Happy Day to all of you!

Stepping Back 100 Years!

We have some very talented people at our church who can transform a gym into a great themed venue. Others come up with a menu and cook and serve a nice dinner with dessert to 90 of us. The cast of the murder mystery did a great job, too. We had to find out who killed Chuckles and how they did it. There were several puzzles to solve to get more clues. One table of 8 got all the answers correct and won gift cards to small businesses in our town.

At ‘Carossino’s’ in ‘Chicago’ we enjoyed Cherry Spritzers, a plated salad, cheesy bread, stuffed shells, meatballs with sauce and a lovely triple dessert.

To get into Carossino’s for the evening we walked through a back alley (a transformed hallway in our church) through a phone booth with a false door. We knocked on the false door and were ready with our password to gain entrance.

Photo fail…I forgot to get a photo of the back alley and phone booth!! If photos from our church get posted I’ll ‘borrow’ some to add to this post. Many of the 90 of us were dressed for the 1920’s era.

By the way, it was Blondie who killed Chuckles.

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

He Took My Feet From the Miry Clay ~ Hymn

He Took My Feet From the Miry Clay

He took my feet
from the miry clay,
Yes, He did! Yes, He did!
And placed them
on the rock to stay,
Yes, He did! Yes, He did!

I can tell the world about this,
I can tell the nations I’m blest,
Tell them that
Jesus made me whole,
And He brought joy, joy to my soul!

O my Lord did just what He said,
Yes, He did! Yes, He did!
He healed the sick
and He raised the dead,
Yes, He did! Yes, He did!

I can tell the world about this,
I can tell the nations I’m blest,
Tell them that
Jesus made me whole,
And He brought joy, joy to my soul!

O Jesus washed my sins away,
Yes, He did! Yes, He did!
And made me happy all the day,
Yes, He did! Yes, He did!

I can tell the world about this,
I can tell the nations I’m blest,
Tell them that
Jesus made me whole,
And He brought joy, joy to my soul!

He died on the cross
to save my soul,
Yes, He did! Yes, He did!
He ransomed me
and made me whole,
Yes, He did! Yes, He did!

I can tell the world about this,
I can tell the nations I’m blest,
Tell them that
Jesus made me whole,
And He brought joy, joy to my soul!

Egg Drop Soup

I made this simple soup that many Chinese Restaurants serve. Several recipes were very similar online so I really don’t know who to credit this recipe to. Our local restaurants call this soup Egg Flower Soup and another name is Egg Drop Soup.

Ingredients:

4 cups prepared chicken broth
2 Tablespoons chicken stock reserved from the 4 cups
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 eggs lightly beaten
2 green onions chopped
Salt and white pepper to taste

Make a slurry of the 2 Tablespoons broth and 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, set aside.
Pour the remaining broth into a medium sized pot.
Add the soy sauce and grated ginger to the broth.
Bring the broth to a boil.
Add the slurry slowly and stir to incorporate it all until the broth thickens for at least 2 minutes.
While the broth is boiling and the slurry thickens the broth add the beaten eggs slowly in a stream while stirring the broth in one direction.
Keep stirring and adding the egg as it becomes feathery in the broth.
After the beaten eggs are added turn off the heat.
Taste and see if you need added salt or white pepper.
Add the chopped green onions and serve.
Serves 4 people.

This was a fun soup to make.

Hope you all have a good Friday. We are going to a special Valentine early celebration at our church this evening. We will be solving a murder mystery all decked out in Roaring 20’s attire. Depending on the angles of the photos of me and Dear and if they show my good side I will be sharing photos from our evening. Vanity, vanity…

Truth for Today #6

Thursday February 10th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during the week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth this year!

Colossians 1:9-14

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 

From Patricia:

1Kings 18:36-39

At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

From our granddaughter Addy. Cubby’s memory verse for the week at Awana last night that she recited to us…

Exodus 15:2 (NKJV)

The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;

And this is the rest of the verse:

He is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

Enjoy the Little Things Hodgepodge!

It’s time for Wednesday Hodgepodge with Jo From This Side of the Pond.

1. Besides the predictable name-rank-serial number, what’s something you know by heart?

Birthdays. For some reason birth dates stick in my brain. I still remember some of my high school friend’s birthdays.

2. Something recently that had you tickled pink?

These two serving tea.

3. How do you define the word romantic, and are you one? 

I’m more down to earth, not a romantic.

4. Finish this verse with your own original thought….’Roses are red, violets are blue…

I asked Dear to finish this one for me. He said…

Roses are red, violets are blue, false doctrine teachers aren’t anything new. 

We’re studying 2 Timothy right now and avoiding false teachers and false doctrine has been a theme…

5. Five little things you are loving right now? 

A day free of scheduled activities, our forced air heater, my desk in our study, sunflower seeds, a good bowl of soup.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

If there is any romantic in me it finds it’s way out when I cook and set a table for my loved ones.