Only a Sinner ~ Hymn

 

Only a Sinner

Naught have I gotten but what I received;
Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed;
Boasting excluded, pride I abase;
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!

Refrain

Only a sinner, saved by grace!
Only a sinner, saved by grace!
This is my story, to God be the glory—
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!

Once I was foolish, and sin ruled my heart,
Causing my footsteps from God to depart;
Jesus hath found me, happy my case;
I now am a sinner, saved by grace!

Refrain

Tears unavailing, no merit had I;
Mercy had saved me, or else I must die;
Sin had alarmed me fearing God’s face;
But now I’m a sinner saved by grace!

Refrain

Suffer a sinner whose heart overflows,
Loving his Savior to tell what he knows;
Once more to tell it would I embrace—
I’m only a sinner saved by grace!

Refrain

Words: James A. Gray, 1905.

Spring Views on Highway 2

All of these scenes from the road were in Lincoln County. Right after the little town of Almira we moved into Grant County for a few miles.

Any Father’s Day weekend plans? We still haven’t nailed it down here. We are having some warm weather with humidity, just in time for the official start of summer. Still thankful for our air conditioning. Summer Solstice is at 5:44 PM EDT.

On the Road ~ Lincoln County

On our drive to the Coast last Friday our first stop along the road was in the town of Creston which is in Lincoln County. We started in Stevens County crossing south into Spokane County and then headed east through Lincoln, Douglas, Chelan ending up in Snohomish County. We were happy to avoid King County. On our way home we altered our route starting in Snohomish county to Chelan the southern tip of Douglas, then through Grant, Lincoln, Spokane and Stevens County.

Along highway 2 in Creston we stopped at the Roadside Prayer Chapel.

I signed the visitor book.

Right next door to the chapel we saw buffalo grazing.

Here’s an article I found written about the chapel in the Spokesman Review from Spokane, Washington in 2008.

Deb Copenhaver is a legendary rodeo rider. Born and raised in Wilbur, Wash., his riding career took him to famous rodeos in Cheyenne, Calgary, Fort Worth and many other places during rodeo’s golden age of the 1950s.

In 1999, his lifelong achievement won him a spot in the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame.

But Copenhaver’s faith is as important to him as his rodeo accolades, and it was to celebrate the former that he built a tiny roadside chapel on his ranch property just off U.S. Route 2 Highway 2 near Creston, Wash.

“God gave me a vision, gee, it’s been 10 years ago,” said Copenhaver, 83. “I always had that in the back of my mind. Then piece by piece God started putting it together.”

Copenhaver used cedar poles from a Bonneville Power Administration transmission line, obtained when BPA replaced them with steel towers.

The small log structure is reminiscent of a one-room schoolhouse, with its plank floors and rows of handmade benches – look carefully and you can still find a little sawdust in the corners.

A beautiful mosaic captures the light in a tall window over the rustic wooden cross on the back wall.

Where the altar would be sits a bookstand with a guestbook. Travelers from as far away as Whitefish, Mont., have signed their names.

He dedicated it in September during an annual Christian cowboy camp at his place.

“It’s just there for people to stop by,” Copenhaver said. “Everyone is welcome to come and lay your burdens at the altar and be refreshed.”

Hope you all have a great last full day of Spring and that you can lay your burdens down and be refreshed!

Nutty Cardamom Bundt Cake

Nutty Cardamom Bundt Cake with a Salted Brown Sugar Bourbon Glaze

Ingredients

For the Nutty Cardamom Bundt Cake:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 2 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk full fat or lowfat
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

For the Salted Brown Sugar Bourbon Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

For the Top:

  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • Coarse Sea Salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 12-15 cup capacity bundt pan with baking spray and set aside. Mix the flour, cardamom, Fine Sea Salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Turn the mixer on low and add in the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Scrape the bowl and slowly add in the flour mixture. Scrape the bowl once again and mix in the chopped pecans.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 60-70 minutes. Do not open the oven to test the cake until at least 55 minutes have passed, or the cake may deflate. Test the cake by inserting a wooden skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven and cool. Wait at least 20 minutes before flipping it out of the pan onto a wire cooling rack.

For the Salted Brown Sugar Bourbon Glaze:

  • Place the brown sugar, butter, bourbon, vanilla, and Fine Sea Salt in a skillet. Set over medium heat and whisk until the brown sugar fully dissolves. Then remove from heat and whisk in the cream and powdered sugar. Whisk until completely smooth.
  • Place the cooling rack and cake on a piece of wax paper. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, allowing it to run down all the sides. Sprinkle the nuts over the top of the cake. Once the glaze is almost completely dry, sprinkle the top with Coarse Sea Salt to taste.

Our daughter in law found the recipe here.

It was delicious and we would make it again.

People Get Ready Hodgepodge

1. Saturday marks the first official day of summer! Whoohoo! Your favorite thing about the season?

Summer visitors. The photos below were taken in our front yard when we had summer visitors camping out last August. 

2. Love it!, labor of love, not for love or money, no love lost, love handles, love does, love-hate relationship, misery loves company, tough love, love will find a way…pick one and tell us how it applies to your life right now.

I’ll pick LOVE-IT. Love it when family visits. Love it when we can visit our family. Love it when I spend time with the grandchildren and see all their new skills. Love it when our freedoms come back to us. Love it when all the birds flit about in our back yard. Love it when the Truth is spoken and it is louder than evil. 

3. What’s one thing currently causing you to seethe?

When people call evil good and good evil. 

Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter!

Isaiah 5:20 (ESV)

One thing currently making you smile?

See #2

4. Of the following to-dos found on a summer checklist (here) which three would definitely make your personal list of summer want-to-dos?

roast marshmallows over a fire, go berry or peach picking, dangle your feet off the end of a dock, sit on a porch swing, watch the sunset from a beach, nap in a hammock, go barefoot in the grass, collect seashells, play tennis, go fishing, build a sandcastle, catch fireflies, eat a soft serve ice cream cone, make a pitcher of Sangria, swim in a lake, stargaze, ride a bike, paddle a canoe or kayak, make a summer road trip, throw a frisbee

  1. Take a summer road trip. 2. Make a pitcher of Sangria. 3. Paddle a canoe or kayak (although it is getting more and more difficult to get into or out of)

    Do you make an actual list? NO

5. Thursday is National Splurge Day. What might you splurge on in order to celebrate?

Well, since Thursday will be mow the 4 acres day I will celebrate by listening to at least 3 good sermons since that’s how long it takes for me to mow. Maybe to keep the theme going we’ll go out to eat in one of the local restaurants that have re-opened.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

A summary of a good sermon in 5 sentences:

“You can’t change a fallen world. We come and go and are forgotten. The only one who can change the world is God. MY story is not THE story. We need to fear God and keep His commandments.”

By the Fear of the Lord men depart from evil. Proverbs 16:6

Thank you to Joyce for coming up with the questions for the Hodgepodge.

Coast Family Reunited

What a treat to enjoy time at Josh and Laura’s home on the west side of the Cascades. It had been 6 months since we visited on the “Coast”.

My sister and her husband joined us on Saturday afternoon for a meal and early Father’s Day celebration for Dear.

We had good walks, good talks, watched an online church service together, ate a lot of good food and played cards. Josh and Dear enjoyed shopping at Cabella’s and another favorite store of theirs. The Girls were able to shop at Business Costco and Hobby Lobby.

Laura found the recipe for this cake and she and Katie baked it on Saturday. Cake recipe coming later this week.

Our kids on the East Side sent us a photo from their walk, too.

We made it home safe and sound from the Coast on Monday taking a new route home. I’ll be catching up with blogs soon. Lots of scenes from the road to share. Hope you are all well.

Road Tripping

Be back soon to visiting your blogs. Enjoying quality time with our family on the west side of the Cascade Mountain Range. This side of the mountains is still in Stage Two of the COVID-19 re-entry guidelines. Our town in the northeastern corner of Washington State is in Stage 3. Uploading photos has been so wonderful here in broadband dream land. See you soon!

Photo taken somewhere along highway two in Central Washington heading east towards the Cascade Mountain Range.

Grace Greater Than Our Sin ~ Hymn

SeaJack #4 014

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Refrain

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Refrain

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.

Refrain

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

Refrain

Words: Julia H. Johnston, 1911.

Peonies

This bush is a white Peony. It’s the largest of our Peonies.

These Peony bushes above are the ones we will need to transplant. The one on the left is a pink Peony. All the others are the deep red ones. The deep red ones bloom first.

By the time we return to our home these white Peonies will be bursting forth in all their glory.

We are sojourning with our Coast Kids for a few days where I can upload as many photos as I want. I’m in uploading heaven.

We have already enjoyed hugs from our daughter and her husband who we hadn’t seen since Christmas. It is good to be together. Our oldest son and DIL are hosting us and we were with them last on Mother’s Day weekend. It was clear sailing all the way to the Steven’s Pass in the Cascade Mountain range where we finally encountered rain.

More from our road trip coming soon.

Hope you are all enjoying a good weekend.

A Decade Ago…

Since I’m in that part of the month when our broadband isn’t strong enough to upload photos, I found these photos I took at the Seattle Japanese Garden in 2010. A decade ago when it was safe to travel all about the Seattle area. The area of Seattle on Capitol Hill that has been taken over by Antifa is a short distance from the Arboretum and the Japanese Gardens. I’m praying that there will be law and order again. In the meantime we wait and pray.

These quotes popped up in my Facebook Feed from years past…

Salvation is not a reward for the righteous but a gift to the guilty. -Steven Lawson (7 years ago)

Convicting thought from Jonathan Alexander during Sunday’s sermon...Am I educated in God’s Word beyond my obedience? Be a doer, not a poser! (6 years ago)

“You don’t have to be dead to move toward the light!”
I’ll add this verse to go with it…Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (3 years ago)

“You can get glad in the same shoes you get mad in.” (3 years ago)

And 1 year ago…
A little of this world will satisfy one who is strong in grace,
much will not satisfy one who is weak in grace,
nothing will satisfy one who is void of grace.
~Thomas Brooks

Have a great weekend everyone!