Gleanings of Wheat

Yes, I realize that I'm roughly 3 months ahead of things on this one, but I can't help it. I've been thinking about the Exodus (reading the book of Exodus will do that to you), Jewish traditions in keeping the Passover, and just how amazingly Christ is shown in all of this. I am also acutely aware that someone out there has surely said what I'm thinking far more clearly, and far more eloquently than I ever could but bare with me anyway if you would. Chapter 11 is the pronouncement of the final plague on Egypt - the death of the first born. I can't imagine how frightening this must have been for the Egyptians, they'd seen God preform great judgments before and some even cried out for Pharaoh to release the Israelites (10:7) and now the call comes that the first born of everything will die. Man, woman, child, animal. Those that would gain the family blessing & be heir, those that would be responsible for leading and carrying on tradition, the one that would n...

When I was in a AoG church, and even for a couple years after I left I struggled a lot with the supremacy of God, specifically in regards to salvation. I used to think that God held out this invitation and that it was up to me to accept or reject that invitation. That the only way someone's heart was hardened towards God was if they hardened it themselves. I'm currently reading my way through Exodus, and what has stuck out quite a bit is God's supremacy in the state of Pharaoh's heart. On eight separate occasions of the first 14 chapters it specifically says that the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, at other times the text simply says that his heart was hardened. Lest someone come along and insist that this hardening on God's part was figurative, suggesting the writer of Exodus didn't have language to convey that the Pharaoh had hardened his own heart, let me also point out that in three verses it says that very thing. The Pharaoh hardened his own heart AND t...

I found a recipe for baked donuts a few days ago and tried it out. I was disappointed at first because they taste nothing like Dunkin Donuts, but once I got past that I realized that these biscuit/ cake/ treats are actually pretty good! 1/3 c. butter 1/2 c. sugar 1 egg, beaten 1 1/2 c. flour 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 c. milk Cream butter and sugar; add beaten egg and mix well. Mix in dry ingredients and milk. Fill greased muffin tins 1/2 full. Bake 350 degrees, 20-30 minutes. Dip donuts in: 1/2 cup melted butter Then roll in mixture of: 1 cup sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon

Joyful Afflictions But the more they afflicted them,the more they multiplied and grew...(Exodus 1:12) The Israelites are under the great oppression of the Egyptians and are fruitful, the Egyptians see the threat that could be posed by this mighty nation and seeks to crush their spirit, subdue their desires, and destroy their sons in order that the Israelites might never rise up against Egypt. And despite their best efforts the Israelites just keep going. They are crushed, yet not destroyed. In fact they just keep growing. There is no mention of the Israelites actually trying to rise up and escape their circumstances, rather we see them crying out to God (vs 2:23). And so it is for the Christian. It is in times of affliction, in times of great distress that we find ourselves growing. And this growth is not done in our own efforts, but in submitting to the will of God for us at that moment. Though we long for deliverance, though we often wish we were not going through such times, it is a...

Last night at roughly 9:10 marked the 5th anniversary of my water breaking. I was sitting in the movies seeing The Ring and towards the climax of the movie there is a scene where a bookshelf full of glass & water gets knocked over and the water spreads across the apartment floor. I think you can see where I'm going with this. In that moment my water broke. It was cold (not as cold as today) out and snowing and we had to drive across town with a very nervous daddy. It was a fairly long night, involving lots of yelling (daddy kept stepping on my IV line) and pushing before the doctor eventually showed up and announced I was going to deliver via c-section. At 5:46 this morning William turned five. Happy birthday, baby.

According to Kim's estimations it is as cold in Canada as it has been here in Chicagoland. WHY?! Why can't it be a tinsy bit more warm here?? I'm from Florida people, I don't do cold.

For Christmas a friend of mine got me a contaner of Giada De Laurentis spices, this is the first time I've used it. Very nice blend. 2 chicken breasts 1 c white wine 3 cloves garlic, crushed 2 pinches of Giada De Laurentis Tuscan Herb mix boxed spaghetti your favorite spaghetti sauce - I used hunts spaghetti sauce w/ garlic and herb In a large skillet place the chicken, wine, garlic, and sprinkle Giada's herbs on top. Cook covered over low heat for 1 hour, flip the chicken after 30 minutes. Cook spaghetti sauce and spaghetti as directed. Place spaghetti on plate, chicken on top of that, and top with sauce.