In the meantime

For some reason, this Describe Him post has not come together very easily.  I've started it...and then a paragraph later, gotten stuck staring at the screen.  So I let it sit for a few weeks, and when I try it again, I only get stuck again.  arrrg. But now we're hardly a week away from celebrating Christmas, and what better describes God as Near than the very thing we celebrate at Christmas?  In one of the most miraculous events in history, Almighty God became flesh--a baby born of a virgin.  God became a human and dwelt among us.  Christ was a man, died on the cross, and rose again: all of it was God's initiative so that we might be reconciled with Him.  Being reconciled with Him means we now stand clothed in Christ's righteousness so that we can now draw near to Him.  Because He came near to us.  This song, The Unbelievable , says it better than I can. Christmas is the time to celebrate the birth of Emmanuel, God with ...

With 2016 almost here,  the New Year provides an opportunity to start new goals for our Bible reading/study routine. Maybe you already have something in mind that you're planning on doing.  That’s great!  However, if you don’t, here are some suggestions: 1. Chronological Reading Plan:       This is the kind of plan I've been using this year and I’ve really enjoyed it (I am dreadfully behind though…)  Reading all of the events of the life of David side-by-side, along with various Psalms mixed in, has made things fit together a lot better in my mind!  Or reading the Major Prophets and all the pronouncements of judgment that are being made makes a lot more sense when they are  side-by-side with events going on in Kings and Chronicles.       The Chronological approach is really helpful in getting a mental grasp on how all the historical events, the Old Testament prophecies, poetic liter...

I’ll be honest: I don’t ever remember Grandma making this…but that’s because I only remember celebrating Christmas with her one time—back in 1996—and I was only 7 years old  (because chese balls and who made them are not very important to 7-year-olds....)   Ahh, that Christmas in ‘96 stands out in my mind…hanging with my cousins {playing Mario and Donkey Kong} , aunts and uncles and grandmas being around, going ice skating, snow, a real Christmas tree {I think that was the first and maybe even the only time we had a real tree} … Yes, that is one of my favorite Christmases. Anyway,  we’ve made this cheese ball recipe practically every year… I’ve tried other cheese balls, but this one always is still the winner!  I think it is the pineapple in it that makes it unique.  I think you’ll agree once you also try it.   Grandma Lehrman’s Christmas Cheese Ball 2 – 8oz. packages cream cheese 1 c. cooked pineapple, drained and squeezed dry (I usuall...

"If we want to live less stressful lives, we must learn to live with a single agenda: God's agenda....  We tend to live under two agendas: ours and God's, and that tension between them sets up stress...."   [emphasis mine] ~From Trusting God,  by Jerry Bridges, pg. 72

Thanksgiving is over and the season for celebrating Christmas is here!  Although I know Christmas isn’t so much about what we do as it is about Who we celebrate , you can’t deny that all of the sights, smells, and traditions have become a part of how we celebrate Christ’s birth.     Over the next few weeks, I’d like to share several more special recipes that, around here, are only for Christmas .  Last year I shared my family’s all-time favorite recipes for Peppernuts  and Home-made Summer Sausage  ( If you’ve never tried homemade summer sausage, you don’t know what you’re missing out on! I grew up on this stuff, and it has kind of {really} spoiled me.) This year I’ll try to post the recipes for Almond Toast,   Grandma Lehrman’s Christmas Cheese Ball ( it’s the best cheese ball I’ve ever had!)and Homemade Zippy Mustard to go with the Summer Sausage (which makes the summer sausage burst w...

 It is easy to give thanks for those good,  often-taken-for-granted things in life: a warm house, family and friends, yummy coffee.  But what about when life gets rough and we have a hard time even noticing those simple things to be grateful for? What about those times when we feel suffocated because of the weight of the burden we’re carrying?  Or when life seems terribly unfair…and we feel like we’ve received the short end of the deal? Or when we want to cry a loud “Why Lord???” and hear a comforting answer that will make everything better again. Can we thank God for those things too?  Can we thank Him in the good times and in the hard? The Bible tells us to.  “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thess. 5:18) I think God is pleased when we are intentionally thankful for the good things in life. After all, it is His will that we be...

 Evil has always been present in this world, but sometimes it is easy to forget about it when it isn't directly affecting us personally.  In light of current events, I find myself selfishly fearing for what might be in store for us....   It's a scary world we live in (although I guess people have been saying that for years, I'm sure...there's really nothing new.) Anyway, I guess God knows my heart and the fears that have filled my mind over the past few days:  He caused me to read a verse today that helped give peace and re-adjust my heart and mind: " Behold, Thou hast made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Thy sight, Surely every man at his best is a mere breath . [Selah.]"   and again " Surely every man is a mere breath ." (Psalm 39:5, 11)  We will all die.  Once to every man, there is an appointed time to die.   Death has a way of conquering even the most powerful, rich, healthy, and invincible--even those who...

“…just as we must learn to obey God one choice at a time, we must also learn to trust God one circumstance at a time .  Trusting God is not a matter of my feelings but of my will .  I never feel like trusting God when adversity strikes, but I can choose to do so even when I don’t feel like it .  The act of the will , though, must be based on belief, and belief must be based on truth .”   ( Trusting God , by Jerry Bridges, pg. 52.) (I’m slowly making my way through this book.  One person recently highly recommended I read it; he described it as "a dissertation on the sovereignty of God."  I'm only a couple chapters into the book, and already I can tell that he’s right. If you ever struggle with asking “why?” when it comes to those hard things in life, you need to read this book.)

Who am I to question God’s ways?  Yes, God is good.  Yes, He is sovereign.  Yes, I can trust Him.   I don’t say  all that lightly.  When the circumstances of life *seem* to contradict some of these most foundational aspects of God’s character, that is when we struggle to turn those Sunday school answers into real heart-knowledge and a deep-seated conviction and experience of their REALITY and IMPACT on our lives! The struggle  between head knowledge and feelings is real, oh so real…   These foundational truths of God’s goodness, sovereignty, and trustworthiness give strength in time of greatest need…when our faith is so weak and feeble…when we, like Peter, can only see the waves crashing in around us in the middle of the storm.  When we can do nothing but cry out “Lord, help me in my unbelief of Your goodness towards Your children, because right now, I can’t seem to see past the here and now, even though I know You’ve prom...

Thanksgiving is just around the corner!  I absolutely love this time of year--the  fall colors, the just-right-kind-of-weather-for-a-hoodie, the yumminess of pies...oh yeah! (Which reminds me--I have a bunch of granny smith apples that need made into a pie or crisp!) Anyway, with Thanksgiving coming up, I decided to challenge myself: find at least two things to be thankful for each day of this month.  It's been super great! Forcing myself to be intentional about gratefulness has made me notice the simple things in life:  Like on Monday this week when Isaac had an extra hour before work this work, so he made breakfast (which he rarely does!) Or the truckload of free firewood from a co-worker.  Or the blessing of gathering with a body of believers to worship God through music and the preaching of the Word.  Or the unusually nice fall weather we're having right now, even though it is November and we're in SD! While we're talking about Thanksgiving and be...

Here's a new melody to  He Giveth More Grace.   May it cause you to rejoice in the One who is our strength and who gives grace for each new day!

If you haven’t already read this book, you need to!  It is super straightforward and simple, but it has dramatically affected my approach to prayer! And I am thankful. Basically, the author hones in on the advantages of using the Bible as the guide for prayers.  Prayer really doesn’t have to be super complicated, you know.  But we like to make it complicated, don’t we?  We have acrostics to remind us of different aspects of prayer; we have slips of paper with lists and charts to organize categories of prayer requests for each day of the week and/or month; and if nothing seems to really “work” for us, we scrap the suggested methods and just pray as we feel like praying.  None of these things are wrong, but when all is said and done, we usually end with a rather sporadic prayer life. Which is really a shame [after all, we're talking about ...

Have I mentioned how encouraging the book of Psalms has been to me lately? “Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplication.  The LORD is my strength and my shield , my heart trusts in Him and I am helped;  Therefore my heart exults , and with my song I shall thank Him. / The LORD is their strength, and He is a saving defense to His anointed. / Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance; Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.  (Psalm 28:6-9) “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. / Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.  (Psalm 27:13-14 ) “His work is honourable and glorious: and His righteousness endureth forever. / He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.  ( Psalm 111:3-4) “Make me to know Thy ways...

October 15 was Pregnancy and  Infant Loss Awareness Day.  I don’t really have much of anything eloquent or profound to say in light of it, as on one hand, dozens of emotions  are forever crowding my mind, making it hard to even know where to start. On the other hand, I feel empty and dried up, with no more emotions to be had…. Anyway, I do want to share something someone else has already said that is way better than anything I could ever say.  Here’s for you moms out there who know the pain and sorrow of losing a child: Be encouraged--it is only a temporary pain, even if it lasts a lifetime. We have a much greater hope and glory to look forward to!  “Every heart knows its own bitterness, and every heart has bitterness to know.  Sin must bring sorrow—tears are the inheritance of earth’s children;  but in the city to which we are going ‘God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,...

Ok, I've only been married just over 2 years now, so I definitely am not the one to be dishing out advice on marriage. Aaaaand I definitely do not have this marriage thing all figured out either.  But...I really do appreciate the point Melissa drives home in her article on  the inner workings of becoming one flesh. Hope you are encouraged as well!

This post originally started as a simple look at God’s mercy.  But I didn’t get too far before  coming across passages on the mercy seat...which is why this Describe Him post has morphed into a a closer look at God’s mercy, in light of the mercy seat.   What was it? Exodus 25 gives a good description of the physical piece of furniture in the Tabernacle called the mercy seat : - There were cherubims on either side of the seat. (vs. 18-19) - The cherubims’ wings covered the seat. (vs. 20) - The seat itself was located above the ark of the covenant. (vs. 21) - The testimony [of all God’s instructions] was beneath the seat (25:21-22, 30:6) - It was located in the most holy place. (26:34) From these descriptions, the mercy seat doesn’t sound all that scary.  It was simply a piece of furniture. One more crucial tidbit: The mercy seat was God’s meeting place. (Lev. 16:2,13, Num. 7:89.)  God spoke from the mercy seat.  For this reason...

This world isn’t the way it was originally created to be. In the beginning, it was perfect—exactly how God designed it to be.  But then the Fall happened and Adam blessed us with the curse of sin.  We now live in a sin-cursed world, with every aspect of our lives marked by the effects of sin in some way or another. “… for we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now…”        Because of sin, life is full of groaning: Pain, sadness, tears, disappointments, sickness, death…the list of very real groaning due to sin could go on.  And when pain and sadness, suffering and tears, sickness and death make their way into our lives in big ways, it is easy to get bogged down with these things because it is what we see and feel and experience and live.  They are our life.  These groanings--these horrible consequences due to sin's curse--...

I don't question the doctrines of God.  I believe in the saving power of the Gospel.  Those are biggies.   But what about other areas of living a godly life--do I act upon what He has told us in His Word to be true when it comes to victory over sin?  I appreciate Challies' article  Where is God Asking You to Take Him at His Word?

10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman has become one of my favorite songs.  Was blessed by this devotional by Desiring God  that goes along with the song.  "We may have ten thousand reasons to praise him in the best times, but this one reason can suffice in the worst times: He is God . And no matter what else we lose, nothing can separate us from him."

A few weeks ago we went to Mongolian Grill with some friends.  I'm not a huge fan of stir-fry stuff, but when you have a whole smorgasbord of meats, vegetables, and sauces to pile onto your dish to then be fried in front of you, this stuff is pretty tasty! Our garden is doing quite well these days--we've harvested a handful of deliciously red tomatoes, savored cilantro in everything that we can add it to, laughed about our "English Zucchini" (according to Isaac) actually being cucumber, identified a handful of watermelons (or are there also some cantaloupes in that mess of vines?) that have set on, and picked a handful of sugar peas almost every day. With all that said, I'm needing to use the peas that are starting to add up... Annnnd that's when Mongolian Grill gave me an idea: why not google "Mongolian Grill sauce recipes"??  And guess what? I found a website with a ginormous list of recipes for Asian sauces that look similar to the dozen or...

Jessalyn Hutto has been through two miscarriages.  She understands the pain.  She has also learned where to find true comfort. Her article on knowing God  outlines some docrintal truths about God that give comfort and strength when life hits you hard and you don't know where to turn.  Be encouraged and delight in His goodness!

This is a {cheater} recipe for the meal my good friend Christiana and I made for our senior meal at Cornerstone Bible Institute.  This meal was what made Isaac say {in his mind} “I’m going to marry this girl!” {Well, not in so many words, but he sure did like it!} Because I made the original meal close to 4 years ago and haven’t made it since, the recipe got lost somewhere in all my computer files.  But…I remember the gist of how the recipe went, so here’s what I came up with the other day as an imitation to that original killer, spicy hot recipe that burned all the way down to the stomach, but oh, was it ever good! - Chipotle Chicken : 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips 1 egg 1/4 - 1/2 cup milk 2-3 teaspoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (if you happen to get chunks of pepper, just make sure it is finely chopped! Mix together in a shallow dish.  Set aside. 1-2 c. flour Salt and pepper Paprika (optional) thyme/parsley/oregano (...

“God is love.” We hear this phrase so much that we almost overlook it and/or take it for granted.  In this Describe Him post, can I remind our proud hearts of what an incredible thing it really is that God is love?     “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) This is a statement about the greatest demonstration of love one could ever do: dying for someone that is your friend, someone for whom you care for A LOT. And God’s demonstration of love for us went above and beyond anything anyone has ever done: we weren’t His friends.  We weren’t even just “acquaintances,” if you want to call it that.  We were actively GOD’S ENEMIES.  Yet Christ died for me—His enemy. This act of love is the very core of the Gospel: “ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  We did nothing to deserve His love.  In fact, beca...

Right now, Christ is not physically reigning as King here on earth.  But one day He will be King for all eternity, sitting on David’s throne.  Here’s why we know He will: In 2 Samuel 7:12-13 God makes a covenant with David and says that David’s seed will forever be on his throne. Psalm 89:34-37 records God declaring that His covenant with David cannot be broken.  This covenant will be fulfilled and will stand forever.  As I was thinking about the Davidic Covenant, I couldn’t help but wonder how we know for certain that this is ultimately fulfilled in Christ.  So I did some digging and here’s what I found:  Isaiah 9:6-7 prophesies that One would come who would be The mighty God and whose “ government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David… ”  Then in Luke 1:30-33 it gets even more specific: The angel tells Mary that her son would be named Jesus and that God would “ give unto Him the throne of his father Davi...

Ok, I just ran across a link on Pinterest that has Mexican recipes galore!  Wow...they look so yummy!  Here's the link: http://menumanaged.blogspot.com/search/label/Mexican .

My personality does not default to being a meticulous housekeeper.  In fact, I only do laundry because I have to have clothes to wear, and dishes only get done because the counter gets full.  Our table collects clutter like a magnet and usually only gets totally cleared off when we know we’re having company.   And then when we do have company, I go into a cleaning frenzy.  (Amazing how much can get done when you find out you’re having company in 1/2 hour!) Since getting married, I’ve been learning about the importance of hospitality.  I used to equate “hospitality” with “a full-spread meal, perfectly cleaned house, and a pinterest-worthy bedroom and bathroom.”  My father-in-law once said “ in your marriage and in your ministry, you’ve got to show hospitality.  It is in the home where you get to know people and they get to know you.”   It really is true and has been a challenge to me! Thanks, Pa! The Bible has a lot to say about hospi...

I like coffee.  But I’m not a connoisseur, so here’s my disclaimer for this post about a coffee drink I like to make:  I don’t think I’ve ever bought coffee beans, I don’t own a coffee bean grinder or any kind of french press or drip thingys, and rarely do I even buy fancy-flavored coffee grounds (so I’m really not too picky about my coffee.)   If you are a connoisseur,  you’ll probably puke if you read too much further in this post, so you should quit reading right now before you start thinking “How in the world can she even call that ‘coffee’?!?” (If you aren’t already thinking that!)  I do realize I’m probably greatly outnumbered and in an incredibly small minority of the earth’s population.  But I really don’t care. Anyway, for those of you who aren’t picky about your coffee, here’s a recipe from Taste of Home’s June/July 2014 issue.  I’ve enjoyed making this drink during hot summer days when I want some coffee but also want somet...

The Psalms have become a precious source of specific encouragement.  I thought I’d take a minute to personally “respond” to particular passages that jumped out at me.  It is incredible how the Psalms keep driving me back to focusing on God, His Character, and His Word, no matter what may be going on around me.    ( BOLD is Scripture/ italics is my “response.”) Thou hast put gladness in my heart , [ joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit and the product of abiding in Him. Yes, He is the only source of true joy and gladness and He wants ME to have it!] more than when their grain and new wine abound [and a good crop gives reason for a lot of rejoicing!]   (Ps. 4:7) But I have trusted in Thy lovingkindness [ trusting in the Lord isn’t just a placement of trust in something ambiguous.  God has revealed His character, and among other things, I have the lovingkindness of God to trust in!] M y heart shall rejoice in thy salvation [S alvati...

Because we knew we wouldn’t be travelling a lot this summer, we decided to do a little gardening.  Most of our plants are still pretty small (our garden kind of got a late start) but it has been such fun to go out each day and see how much everything has grown!  If everything grows and produces well, we’re going to have a lot of fresh veggies and fruit to use up, as we planted  lettuce, cilantro, cucumbers, squash, sugar peas, tomatoes, green peppers, watermelon, canteloupe, zucchini, and arugula. I know the squash and zucchini will grow like they’re on steroids. Duh. (And Isaac broke the #1 zucchini rule: never plant more than 1 seed.  Yep, he planted a whole row of zucchini.  Help!!)  If you have some killer ways to fix zucchini & summer squash, please send them this way!  What I’m really hoping for is a good crop of tomatoes and green peppers.  Mmmm…  Because they’re so pricey in the...

Journaling has been a part of my life for quite a while now.  I’ve never been one to sit down and journal every day, but I do enjoy recording encouragement from the Word, music, and books, as well as things in my life that God is using to teach me. I started my last journal in 2011 and it was only last week that I finally filled all of the pages (so you can tell how often I actually write in it!)  With that one filled, I needed to get a new one…which gave me the idea of making my own!  A friend made one recently and it looked pretty cool, so I looked up DIY Journals online and got a few directions on how to do it. Here’s the finished product: And the back of it: From this angle, you can see a little more of the binding.  It uses a special stitch—called the coptic stitch--to keep it all together.  I found a youtube video on how to do it and it’s pretty straightforward.  With this stitch, the boo...

While I don't think there is a specific declaration in the Bible stating that God is joy, I believe joy is intricately wrapped up in God's character and our relationship with Him: He is the source of any joy.  He is the source of  our  joy.  In fact, Galatians 5:22 states that part of the fruit of the Spirit (who is God) is producing joy in the believer. There are several verses that specifically mention the author's desire that the reader would have "full joy":  John 15,   in Christ's incredible teaching about the Vine and the branches and the relationship of the believer abiding in Christ, He says that " these things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full ."  (John 15:11)  The joy He gives is directly tied to our abiding in Him and obeying His commandments out of love for Him!  He wants us to do these things because it produces joy--full joy! 1 John 1:4  declares that "these things...

Imagine a God who changes: At one point, He may have shown love to mankind. But not necessarily anymore.  Perhaps He decided to go back on His declaration of love for the world.  He made the promise of a coming Savior and eventually, a ruling King.  But maybe He conceived of a better plan for sin’s problem.  Maybe that solution would be to demolish all of humanity and start over with a perfect race, sparing His only Son from receiving the punishment for the sins of the whole world.  I mean, maybe He’s changed His mind on providing a means of salvation for us.  If God  changes from time to time, His Word is utterly irrelevant to us, for it was written years ago, and anything it tells us about God is probably already out of date.   Thankfully though, God is immutable: God doesn’t change.   He has declared Himself to be “the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8.) He is the God “that cannot lie” (Titus 1:2.) Because ...

Here is part two of When God Gives and Takes .  (Read part one here .) ************* I think of that passage in Corinthians about God being the God of comfort and His comfort then being the avenue for us to then comfort others.  In the days soon after our miscarriage, I clung to this statement of incredible truth about God.  He said He would comfort.  I can trust Him to do it here. Now. In the days to come.  In some way, in some very real, tangible way, He will give comfort to my aching soul in this time of need.  And He did comfort and continues to comfort.   Day by day, moment by moment, at each moment of great need, His comfort has come in many ways…His Word, prayer, my husband, friends and family, songs…the list could go on.  Being comforted with God’s comfort doesn’t mean the pain goes away or that tears instantly dry up.  It doesn’t mean all questions have been answered.   But in some strange way, pain and ensuing comfort...

 When it comes to the difficulties and struggles in life, I’m not necessarily one to wear my heart on my sleeve or spill all my guts for the world to read, but this post is the first of two posts talking about our pregnancy, miscarriage, and how God is bringing us--me--through it.  In a way, there’s been healing in writing it down, so maybe I’m writing more for my sake than for any of you readers.  In it all, blessed be the name of the Lord.  **************** It’s been over 3 months now.  Sometimes I think I’m over the grief, tears, and emptiness… and then all the emotions come rushing back, as if it all just happened yesterday…. Our two little ones:  precious gifts from God for just a few weeks.   They were so tiny and under-developed, yet created in His image and beloved, fearfully and wonderfully made.  Who would have thought that someone so small--someone we never  even got to meet--would claim our hearts and love so fast?  Who ...

Ok, I know summer is just starting, but if you’re starting to look for ways to use up cucumbers, I have a recipe you gotta try.  It looks like an incredibly healthy dish and a prime candidate for a “ladies’ get-together,” but just wait and see.  You may be surprised! The Ingredients: 3/4 to 1 whole cucumber 4 oz. cream cheese 2-3 Tablespoons minced onion Seasoned salt to taste The Process: Peel the cucumber.  Grate the cucumber into a medium-sized bowl (or a food-processor if you have one.) Drain off as much liquid as you can.  Mince the onion (if you cry, just remind yourself that it’s worth it!) Cut about 4 ounces of softened cream cheese into 1/2-inch chunks. Combine and mix onions, cream cheese, and seasoned salt with grated cucumbers.  Use whatever utensil you need to use in order to get the cream cheese blended together with the other ingredients – just a spoon won’t do the trick.  (I just use a fork, but a pastry blender might also work. A food...