Better than a New Year

Happy New Year! Speaking of "new," there's a promise in the Bible, and we don't even have to wait for a "new year" to claim it! Lamentations 3:21-23.

This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.

Pause! Stop reading! Think.

Did you hear what you just read? Oftentimes, we read through Scripture but fail to actually grasp what it is saying! This I recall to my mind. In other words, when I remember this. When I recollect this. When I dwell upon this. I have hope!  

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, 
Because His compassions fail not.

This is what we can recall in order to have hope!  His mercies.  His compassions.  Dictionary.com defines "compassion" as "a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering." And yet, they do not fail.  How many times have people failed us? What a picture of God! What a wondrous remembrance, especially when tempted to be discouraged. 

They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness. 

Those mercies?  Those compassions? They are new every morning. 

We may be daily learning more of our heavenly Father, gaining a fresh experience of His grace; then we shall desire to speak of His love; and as we do this, our own hearts will be warmed and encouraged. If we thought and talked more of Jesus, and less of self, we should have far more of His presence (SC 101.3). 

So, not only is today a new year, it is a new day.  It is a new day to gain "a fresh experience of His grace."  It is a new day to recall His goodness towards us.  His mercies, which keep us alive.  His compassions, for "He remembers that we are dust."  It is a new day to have hope.  And you know what?  Tomorrow is a new day, too.  And tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.

This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
Through the LORD'S Mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

Excelsior

I've wanted to take a picture of this avenue sign for forever.  Once I was on my way by and I had my camera with me and thought, Perfect! I'll take a picture of it now!  But a lady was in her front yard right next to the sign letting her dog go to the bathroom.  I drove by and turned around, but she was still there.  So a couple evenings ago on my way by I snatched a picture with my phone.  I thought today would be an appropriate day to publish it.

Happy birthday, Excelsior!!

Seven Secrets

Christy has inspired me to share the joys of the delicious food that I have been experiencing.  (Though my pictures will not be as nice as hers as they were taken from my cell phone).  I have come across the most amazing cookbook.  Everything I have made from it has been stellar.  And vegan.  And oil-less.  I am in love.  It's called "Seven Secrets Cookbook".  If you don't have it, you need it!  So here are some pictures and my reviews of the recipes.

This is the first recipe I tried.  "Basic Cream Sauce," made with cashews, over brown rice, asparagus, mushrooms, and red peppers:

Wow.  Who would have thought that cream sauce made from cashews would taste so good?  I have made this sauce many times since.

Biscuits and gravy.  The above cashew cream sauce with "Veggie Cutlets" over biscuits, made from "Cobbler Crust" (not sweet):

 I believe "party in my mouth" were the words I texted to Lorrie when I was eating this!

Here are the "Veggie Cutlets" after they were baked.  They are very versatile, as you can imagine!  (The main ingredient is garbanzos!)" 

They freeze very well, to be pulled out at a moment's notice!

Here is one pizza I made with "Simple Cheese Sauce" swirled with tomato sauce, with mushrooms and marinated artichokes on top:

Another pizza with the "Cobbler Crust," with the addition of garlic and oregano in the crust.  This time the cheese sauce is the sauce from "Macaroni and Cheese," swirled with tomato sauce and garnished with mushrooms, garlic, pine nuts, tomato (yes, those are real pieces of tomato :), and oregano:

(This is a picture before I baked it, I was so excited to eat it that there was no time or thought for a picture!)

"Macaroni and Cheese" over whole grain rotini.  This is the best vegan macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted.  It uses coconut milk, which I think gives it the bitey, cheddary flavor:

Creamy.  Delicious. A winner.

"Cream Cheese Spread," spread on the toast.  It also uses coconut milk and raw cashews.  It's also very good spread on crackers and Triscuits.  The scrambled tofu with mushrooms, tomato, and red bell pepper is not from the "Seven Secrets Cookbook," but was very tasty as well.  And that is a Macoun apple, my favorite variety:

"Almond-Olive Spread."  It's not as creamy as I would have liked, as I made a 1/4 recipe, and nuts don't blend as well when there's not very many.  I think at least a 1/2 cup of nuts when blending is good: 

This is not from the "Seven Secrets Cookbook" either, but it deserves an honorable mention.  I love watermelon, and I love summer!

So here's some cuisine that I've been enjoying.  I only wish YOU were here to share with me!

Fix it, Dad!

I am a believer that anything can be fixed. Maybe this is naïve. But no matter if it's the car, the toilet, or a strained relationship, it can be fixed. I suppose this comes from my Dad--his job is to fix things. If he can't fix it, well then no one can. My innate drive to fix things caused a humorous story. My freshman year in the dorm at Southern, I was cleaning the bathroom floor. I had a bucket, a rag, and a toothbrush. I went to dump the dirty water down the toilet, forgetting that the toothbrush was at the bottom. Thus, the toothbrush was now down the toilet. I was not reaching in there to fetch it, so for some inexplicable reason I flushed the toilet. Down went the toothbrush, up came the water, clogged became the toilet. I gasped. I called my dad. "DAD I flushed a toothbrush down the toilet and now the toilet is clogged! How do I get it out???" Uproarious laughter ensued. "It's not funny." More laughter. "You'll just have to fill out a report for maintenance." I was stubborn, "Noooo I can't do that! That's soo embarrassing! Please just tell me how to take apart the toilet so I can fix it myself." I ended up filling out a report and the man came with his snake to unclog the toilet, though I don't think he ever found out the reason for the clogged toilet.

When something broke I would take it to my dad. "Fix it!" But there were some occasions that it couldn't be fixed. He would tell me "This is the kind of plastic that doesn't glue or tape." I couldn't understand it! How could Duck tape or even Goop not fix it? I was again reminded of this my last year at Southern. A rubber scraper of mine had broken and I got out the "Welder" glue to glue it back together. I applied the smelly glue to the handle and squeezed it together. The next day, expecting it to be fully recovered, I found it tacky still, the plastic didn't adhere together. Hmmm...I'll just put more glue on it. The next day I found that it still hadn't worked. Ohhh! this must be the plastic that doesn't glue! I smiled to myself and rolled my eyes as memories of un-fixable, broken toys were brought to mind.  It made sense.

Just like I take things to my earthly dad to fix, I take things to my Heavenly Father to fix.  "Fix it!  You have to!"  Then I suggest ways for Him to fix it.  "See, just do this, and this and this...There!"  But sometimes He doesn't fix it in the way I want Him to.  Sometimes I don't understand how the parts of life just don't glue together the way I want them to.

I surrender.  So here, God, please fix this the way You want to. And help me to be willing to accept it.  

RSVP :)

What do you, dear readers, think the following statement from The Great Controversy means?  Thoughts welcomed in the "comments" section.

"The message will be carried not so much by argument as by the deep conviction of the Spirit of God. The arguments have been presented. The seed has been sown, and now it will spring up and bear fruit. The publications distributed by missionary workers have exerted their influence, yet many whose minds were impressed have been prevented from fully comprehending the truth or from yielding obedience. Now the rays of light penetrate everywhere, the truth is seen in its clearness, and the honest children of God sever the bands which have held them. Family connections, church relations, are powerless to stay them now. Truth is more precious than all besides. Notwithstanding the agencies combined against the truth, a large number take their stand upon the Lord's side."  {GC 612.2} 

His servants in like manner must go forth to sow.  When called to become a sower of the seed of truth, Abraham was bidden, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land I will show thee."  Gen. 12:1.  "And he went out, not knowing whither he went."  Heb. 11:8.  So to the apostle Paul, praying in the temple at Jerusalem, came the message from God,  "Depart; for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles."  Acts 22:21.


So those who are called to unite with Christ must leave all, in order to follow Him.  Old associations must be broken up, plans of life relinquished, earthly hopes surrendered.  In toil and tears, in solitude, and through sacrifice, must the seed be sown.

COL 36, 37

Provision

"Watch out for the nettles!" he told me as I went out to pick black raspberries.  As I happened upon the overgrown patch where the berries were, I noticed the nettles.  But I also noticed the touch-me-not.  Touch-me-not is a green plant with orange flowers.  When it forms seed pods, they become more bulging the more mature they get.  When touched, they burst open sending the seeds soaring through the air.  Another use for touch-me-not is for bug bites, poison ivy, and of course, nettles.  When the leaves and stalk are smashed up, one can smear it on the affected area and it works as a natural anti-itch.  We used to smear it on ourselves as kids on mosquito bites when tramping through the woods by the river.  What struck me about the above situation, however, was how there was touch-me-not growing right next to the nettles.  The cure for the ailment was very near.  It reminds me of how God makes provision for us.  He's the touch-me-not to our nettles. 

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."