1. Starts with “A.”
Aebleskiver (recipe here)
2. A Favorite.
Addy and her uncle Andrew. (Adorable)
Real Christianity (A Paraphrase in Modern English of A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians in the Higher and Middle Classes in This Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity. Published in 1797. by William Wilberforce, Esq. Member of Parliament for the County of York – Revised and Updated by Dr. Bob Beltz (Regal From Gospel Light, Ventura, Ca., USA)
In 1797 long descriptive titles for books were in vogue. I’m amazed how up to date the issues of Wilberforce’s day are. I’m posting the following from the book. I’m finding it’s one of those books where I want to share every other paragraph! The following is from the first chapter titled, The State of Contemporary Christianity (Cultural Christianity, What the Bible Says, the Problem of Ignorance)
“Understanding Christianity is not something that comes without effort. Almost every example in the natural world teaches us this principle. The very way we must exert effort to enjoy all the good things God has provided illustrates this lesson. No one expects to reach the heights of success in education, the arts, finance or athletics without a great deal of hard work and perseverance. We often use the expression “You have to really want it!” Growing in our faith requires the same. Christianity is based on a revelation from God that is filled with information that the natural mind could never have imagined. The wealth of this knowledge will never be mastered without diligent effort.
Carefully studying the Bible will reveal to us our own ignorance of these things. It will challenge us to reject a superficial understanding of Christianity and impress on us that it is imperative not to simply be religious or moral, but also to master the Bible intellectually, integrate its principles into our lives morally, and put into action what we have learned practically.
The Bible is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity. It tells us of the greatest gift that men and women have longed for through-out the ages and of which the prophets spoke about for centuries. When Jesus finally came, His arrival was hailed by the angelic host with the exclamation, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). How can you measure the value of the good news of Christ? It is spoken of in the Bible as light in the darkness, freedom from slavery and life from death. Look at how much the Early Church valued the message. They received it with great joy and overflowing gratitude.
Surely all these things should help us come to terms with the inexpressible value of true faith. The greatest gift of God is often either rejected outright or treated as if it is of little worth. But if we really began to study the Bible, we would be impressed with the proper value of the gift.”
We wrapped Addy’s gift with a plastic table cloth. She noticed something different in the family room.
Baba and Gramps bought Addy a pony and Laura captured Addy’s curiosity about what was under the wrapping.
Uncle Josh and Auntie Laura bought Addy a mini trampoline.
Mommy and Daddy bought Addy a four wheeler and a helmet! It is good to learn country skills early.
On Wednesday the 2nd of January I worked on packing up Christmas and re-organizing our storage area. Things look so bare now. I wonder if Addy will notice all the bling put away? We are being warned of some new winter weather coming in the wee hours tomorrow morning. I’ve been patting myself on the back for getting out there and driving on the winter roads here. Hope 2019 is starting out well for you!
This is a recipe and method I posted on Mennonite Girls Can Cook a while back and I wanted to have the post here on my personal blog, too. Just recently, on the Great British Baking Show these were a technical challenge for the bakers.
We first enjoyed these novel pancake balls when we visited the picturesque Danish village of Solvang, California. My husband bought his own pan to make them at home before we were married. We still have that pan.
The next time we make them we will experiment with our own flour mix instead of using Bisquick but for now here is the Bisquick recipe. We are also going to try putting in an apple filling which is a little trickier next time, too.
Ingredients:
Notes: You can try turning them with a chopstick or wooden skewer if the fork or spatula don’t work for you. Next time we thought it would be nice to add a little vanilla and or sugar to the batter.
Ring out wild bells to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,…
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, ‘In Memoriam’ A.H.H..(1833)
Happy 2019 everyone!
Our Western Washington kids arrived on Christmas morning just before 11:00 a.m. I was watching expectantly at the living room window. They flew into the Spokane airport and rented their bright sleigh for the drive north to our house.
Our Eastern Washington kids arrived after Addy’s nap, about 3:30. We opened stocking gifts and then got ready for our dinner.
Prime Rib off the Traegar this year and it was delicious. It was nice to have the oven free for our side dishes, roasted vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and creamed corn.
On Boxing day we all gathered again for another batch of Dear’s Swedish Pancakes.
After our breakfast we played some games until it was time for Addy to go home for her nap. We gathered in the afternoon at Dan and Jamie’s for fun in the snow and for dinner. I’ve posted already about our fun in the snow.
Thank you, Vee, for suggesting PhotoScape for a collage making program. I went a little overboard but had fun.
I’ll wait and see if Angie has a link-up for Mosaic Monday or maybe I missed the fact that we are taking this Monday off.
Happy last day of 2018 everyone. What a year it was. I’ll put my New Year greeting up tomorrow but for now I’ll consider 2018 and all that God has guided us through.
Here’s the first paragraph and following sentence from a daily reading by Spurgeon for December 31st:
From day to day and from year to year my faith believes in the wisdom and love of God, and I know that I shall not believe in vain. No good word of his has ever failed, and I am sure that none shall ever fall to the ground. I put myself into his hand for guidance….
A fair warning. This will be a photo overload post.
Welcome to our Country Christmas Bungalow.
We decked the halls…
The Sunday before Christmas we had an open house and our Daughter-in-law’s family helped us start off our Christmas celebrations.
My next post will be a photo overload of Christmas day when our kids from the West arrived for our 2018 family Christmas!
Still Whiter Than Snow
What can be whiter than beautiful snow,
Coming from Heaven to earth below,
Pure and so white as it falleth light
Over this broad world of sin and of woe?
Refrain
Yes, there is something still whiter;
Hearken ye weary, and know!
Tho’ your sins be as scarlet red,
They shall be whiter than snow.
Jesus has died, and now all men may know
That His rich blood for the world did flow;
Saved we may be, and from sin set free,
Washed and made whiter than beautiful snow.
Refrain
Beautiful souls of His saints here below,
What but His blood could have made them so?
All who believe shall His grace receive,
And be made purer than Heaven-born snow.
Refrain
Come to this Savior! He surely doth know
All of your sorrow and sin and woe,
And when you sigh He will hear your cry,
Wash you more white than the beautiful snow.
Refrain
Words: Miriam Stabler.
On Boxing Day we all gathered at Dan and Jamie’s after breakfast for some fun in the snow and dinner. When Addy woke up from her nap we headed down the driveway for some sledding on the steeper section of the 1 mile driveway.
The sled picked up some nice speed going down and the climb back up was manageable.
Couples decided to give it a try, too.
Laura even managed a selfie zooming downhill with the snow flying in her face.
Addy didn’t think it was time to go inside and half way to the garage she noticed Auntie Katie still on the sled and high tailed it to her.
One last ride into the house.
Another great family memory in the books!
The Western kids left Friday morning for their drive to Spokane Airport for their flight home. It was a quiet afternoon here at our Country Bungalow. Dear made a trip to the dump. Two months of trash disposal cost us $10. Today we woke up to a fresh snowfall. It looks like we have about six inches.
I’ll be staying put today enjoying some down time. How about you?
A prayer of George Whitefield:
“Yeah that we shall see the great Head of the Church once more . . . raise up unto Himself certain young men whom He may use in this glorious employ. And what manner of men will they be? Men mighty in the Scriptures, their lives dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty and holiness of God, and their minds and hearts aglow with the great truths of the doctrines of grace. They will be men who have learned what it is to die to self, to human aims and personal ambitions; men who are willing to be ‘fools for Christ’s sake’, who will bear reproach and falsehood, who will labor and suffer, and whose supreme desire will be, not to gain earth’s accolades, but to win the Master’s approbation when they appear before His awesome judgment seat. They will be men who will preach with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes, and upon whose ministries God will grant an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit, and who will witness ‘signs and wonders following’ in the transformation of multitudes of human lives.”
Since we are just a few days away from 2019 I’m posting these questions that Georg Whitefield used to evaluate himself. Who is George Whitefield?
George Whitefield was probably the most famous religious figure of the eighteenth century. Newspapers called him the “marvel of the age.” Whitefield was a preacher capable of commanding thousands on two continents through the sheer power of his oratory. In his lifetime, he preached at least 18,000 times to perhaps 10 million hearers. You can read more about him here.
George Whitefield’s Diary:
Questions used to evaluate himself every day (assigning a rating from 1 to 9)
Have I –
1. Been fervent [had warmth of feeling] in private prayer?…
2. Used stated hours of prayer [morning, noon, and evening]?
3. Used [spontaneous prayer to God] every hour?
4. After or before every deliberate conversation or action, considered how it might tend to God’s glory?
5. After any pleasure, immediately given thanks [to God]?
6. Planned business for the day?
7. Been simple [avoided luxury and ostentation] and recollected [stayed aware of God’s presence] in everything?
8. Been zealous in undertaking and active in doing what good I could?
9. Been [humble], cheerful, affable in everything I said or did?
10. Been proud, vain, unchaste or enviable of others [in my thoughts]?
11. Recollected in eating and drinking? Thankful? Temperate [disciplined] in sleep?
12. Taken time for giving thanks according to [William] Law’s rules?
13. Been diligent in studies?
14. Thought or spoken unkindly of anyone?
15. Confessed all sins?
HT: Timothy Keller
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 