Verses For Today

   
Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
 neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour 
of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield
 no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, 
and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy 
in the God of my salvation. 
Habakkuk 3:17-18

  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Philippians 4:4

I have been very busy lately, and probably will be for the next few coming weeks,
 so just wanted to let everyone out there know that I might not be able to post very often on 
here for awhile. Hope y'all will check back soon, though! :)  

The Anvil of God's Word

I've read this poem several times before, and a lot of you out 

there might have also read it before also, but I always like reading good 

poems over again myself, so I thought I'd go ahead and share it here. :) 

 

“The Word of our God shall stand forever." Isa. 40:8

 

Last eve I paused beside the blacksmith's door,
   And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then looking in, I saw upon the floor,
   Old hammers worn with beating years of time.

"How many anvils have you had," said I,
   "To wear and batter all these hammers so?"
"Just one," said he, and then with twinkling eye,
   "The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."

"And so," I thought, "The Anvil of God's Word
   For ages skeptic blows have beat upon,
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
   The Anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone."
                        —John Clifford

His Eye is On The Sparrow

 A couple months back, while waiting in an airport during a long layover, my sister and I noticed these cute little sparrows flying around inside the terminal, chirping and eating crumbs here and there. I don't know how they managed to get inside the airport, but they certainly helped keep me from being bored during the long wait! :) As I watched them, it brought my mind to the verses in God's Word that talk about the sparrows, and I couldn't help but once again thank Him for His care over me, and for sending some of His little creatures as reminders!

  But even the very hairs of your head are all 

numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more 

value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home,

When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He:

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. 

 

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain: 

I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,

For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

 

by Civilla D. Martin, 1905

 

  Matthew 6:26   Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

The Finished Work

 
Upon a life I did not live,

Upon a death I did not die, 

Another's life, Another's death,

I stake my whole eternity. 

 Author unknown

"In the hour of death there is nothing to rest upon

   but the blood of Christ, which was shed for us. "
  
 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: 
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, 
who loved me, and gave himself for me.  
Galatians 2:20 

Quote for Today

 

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the 

beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. 

--George Mueller

Favorite Pumpkin Muffins

This recipe is a favorite at our house, and are so easy to make! The muffins are moist, and taste great plain (my favorite way to eat them), or if you like, they are also yummy with the cream cheese frosting spread over them after they've cooled.

Favorite Pumpkin Muffins

DRY INGREDIENTS:
 3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

WET INGREDIENTS:
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water or milk
1 16 oz. can of pumpkin 

 Combine dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Add together, and stir just until moist (the batter will be a little lumpy). Fill muffin tins about 2/3 the way full, and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. YIELD: about 2 dozen muffins

 FROSTING: (optional)
1 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. milk
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese

Cream butter and sugar together, then add the milk and cream cheese. Beat on medium speed until smooth. 
Enjoy! :)

Faith

 

"When God gives a promise, He always tries our faith. Just as the roots of

 trees take firmer hold when they are contending with the wind, so faith takes

 a firmer hold when it struggles with adverse appearances."
- Robert Murray McCheyne 

 That the trial of your faith, being much more 

precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be 

tried with fire, might be found unto praise and 

honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

-1 Peter 1:7

July 4th

 

  We have so much to be thankful for, don't we? Right now, I am thanking God for:

1. His mercy and long-suffering
2. The liberty which He has allowed us to enjoy in this country
3. My home and family

And so, so much more!

Proverbs 14:34

Righteousness exalteth a nation: 

but sin is a reproach to any people.

Proverbs 14:34

An Abundance of Apples

 After noticing that we had lots of apples that needed used, I decided

 to try some new recipes to use up some of them.

 The first recipe I tried was "Apple Baked Chicken". It wasn't 

exactly what I would call my favorite, but I thought the flavor was 

pretty good overall. I would probably use a more sour apple (and fewer

of them) if I ever made something like this again.

I also made some "Apple Peanut Butter Cookies" (sorry, 

I don't have a picture of those), and then thought I'd make 

an old tried and true one--Apple Crisp. :)

Here's a yummy recipe to try:

Crumbly Apple Crisp

FILLING:

8 cups sliced, peeled tart apples

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

TOPPING:
(Crumbled)

1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

4 Tbsp. cold butter

 CRUST:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup butter

1/2 cup ice water or less

1/2 cup sugar

Bake at 350 in two 8x8 pans (or one 9x13" pan) for 35 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden. Enjoy! :)

Discerning God's Will

These three things, the Word of God, the inward impression, 

and the open door, should be present in every clear indication

of the will of God. If any one of them is missing it
 indicates that the will of God is not yet clear. 

-William Evans

A Project

I started crocheting this tablecloth quite some time ago,

 and have been slowly working on it when I find the time

 (mostly during the winter months).

I've always liked old-fashioned type things, and thought it would 

be kind of neat to try making a tablecloth, but I'll have to admit that 

I've wondered at times if I made a big mistake after starting on it after seeing just how much work it involves. :) I'm about 1/3 the way done with it now, and hopefully can get it finished

before too much more time goes by. :)