endure

monday we got the keys to our new apartment and began moving stuff over. my brother's bff came all the way from blythe to help us move. what a good friend and fine gent! so by 1 am monday night our old apartment was empty of all the big things: beds, couch, coffee table, table, chairs, book shelves and desks. however, there were still many little things, many little things, and some not so little, to be moved. so i spent the rest of the week packing, moving and cleaning, and unpacking. in all of this i had various thoughts, lots of time to pray, and sing.

thoughts like:
"i haven't been this sore since hiking for four days in russia."
"i haven't been this bruised, ever."
"ice water has never tasted so good."
"i love country music." (i like it much more in the summer!)
"i'm really thankful for the new apartment."
"i never want to move again."
"who can i give this to?"

some of my prayers were about:

the fires in colorado-my heart was also pretty distracted by the fires in colorado and thinking about my navigator friends there. praying that God would do great and mighty things in them and through them during this time, that the navs and the other believers there would be light in the darkness, real and hopeful.

estonia, russia, west asia, holland, china, maldives-the nations are also pretty pressing this time of year, as many of my nav friends and friends from church are away on mission trips. God is God of all the earth! what a great thing to know. all peoples, nations, tribes and tongues are known to Him.

asu-we moved to be closer to asu. praying big things and excited to see what God has in store. praying for generations and laborers. praying for funding to be there. so thankful for the staff team there, so excited to labor with them!

yesterday while we were taking our last full load, there were police all over, outside of our old apartment. they were looking for one of my neighbors. it turns out that he had hit an eleven year old on a bicycle and the boy died. some of our fifth graders turned eleven this year; it just broke my heart. praying for the boy's family and praying for my neighbor.


---


i have been camping in Hebrews 11 and 12 for the last few weeks, maybe even months (actually it may be years! it's a favorite!). last night i took a dry erase marker and i wrote 12:3 on my mirror. God was reminding me to consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that i will not grow weary and lose heart. i pray i won't grow weary. i pray i won't lose heart. endurance and perseverance seem to be the theme of verses God keeps bringing before me. i wrote endure in cursive, as though to match the phonogram with its meaning. this is a season. i don't know how long it will be, i'm hoping it is short. seasons change, and hallelujah, our great, good and beautiful God does not! 


Isaiah 50:7- "Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame."

Jesus, thank You so much for coming in the flesh to pay for my sins, for my bad attitudes, for my griping, for my pride, for my reluctance and fear. thank you for ever being with me and for encouraging me through Your Word and Spirit. how thankful i am for Your words that i have hidden in my heart and for the way that You sweetly call them to my mind. thank You for giving us joy and peace and hope. thank You for being able to work in all things for Your glory. thank You for cups of cool water from kind people, and for my helpful neighbors. thank You for luke. please grow him more and more into Your likeness. Lord, bless this apartment. may all who enter it be refreshed by You. thank You for music and putting it in us to enjoy such a gift!




i leave you with a song. it was hard to pick just one. this was one of my favorites when i was six years old. i still love it and the 90's fashions are pretty laughable. Trisha Yearwood's "She's In Love With The Boy"

The bride is beautiful because the groom deems her to be so.

"...But I am talking about Christ and the church..."

Apple butter from my parent's kitchen

Since I went away to college, the gadgets and gizmos in my parent's kitchen seem to have multiplied and improved significantly. It makes coming home all the more fun. At the start of the new year my parents began eating vegan, mostly for health reasons, they have since reintroduced dairy and eggs into their diet. To enhance the ease of their vegetarian lifestyle they purchased a Vitamix blender. This thing is pretty amazing. Today I used the Vitamix blender to help me make apple butter. Instead of peeling the apples, which is laborious, sticky and time consuming, I just chopped them and blended them, peel and all. At my apartment I have a food processor, so I'm guessing I could have just used that, but this mixer had those apples looking like apple sauce in a matter of seconds. I don't think my food processor would have the same affect. 

Here is the apple butter recipe from today. I like clove a bit more than most; I also think Clove would be a good dog name.

All Day Apple Butter (adapted from allrecipes.com)

12 cups, of whole apple sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 cups of sugar (you can add a bit more depending on the sweetness of your apples)

2 tablespoons of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of clove

Prepare apples. (If you don't have a blender/food processor, you can peel, core and dice the apples the old fashion way.) Combine apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and clove in a crock pot. Cook on high heat for about one hour. Reduce the heat and continue to cook it for 9-11 hours. You can freeze it, can it, or store it in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

pretty exciting

Sometimes we come up with horrible, worst case scenarios in our brains. I do this often enough.  I play the "What if?" game. I find some relief in the fact that these scenarios aren't true, but I find more joy, hope and peace in knowing that even if they were true, God and His eternal plan are far greater. The gospel is true and the promise of glory awaits us. He can use all things for His glory! Yes, even on the worst days (which today was definitely not!), we are one day closer to glory! And on the good days, the best is yet to come for those of us who are bound for glory. Pretty exciting...


Also, I'm pretty sure Mr. Rogers will be with us there. 

DNA love

The gospel is amazing. 

I love seeing the transforming power of God come to life as we grow in our knowledge of   who God is and what He has made us to be.

It is a wonderful joy! 

I'm so thankful for these women and our time spent together this year in our DNA group. 

I'm excited to see how the Lord continues to work our lives for His glory! 

Cream Cheese - Greek Yogurt Frosting

I made a summery, blueberry lemon cake; however, the lemon did not have a very distinct flavor. It was still delectable. It needed a frosting, but I didn't want it to be overwhelmingly sweet. I had Greek yogurt in my refrigerator and figured it could be used to make frosting. It worked out really well, so well that I will share it. 

The finished product!

Cream Cheese - Greek Yogurt Frosting

-1 8 oz. package of reduced fat cream cheese 

-1 cup of plain non-fat Greek yogurt

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-2 cups of sifted powdered sugar

Directions: Whip the cream cheese. Add the yogurt and vanilla, mixing to an even consistency. Lastly, add the sifted powdered sugar. 

Note: I used the frosting immediately after making it, however, it was a bit runny. I think that chilling the frosting for an hour in the refrigerator would help it to have a thicker consistency. While the frosting was runny, it stayed on the cake. It mostly ran out from between the stacked layers.

Also, this seems to be my most popular post, and as sweet a frosting made with Greek yogurt is, the love of Christ is sweeter still. And I hope you know that love!

not by sight

"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

I think of my Savior's words on the cross, and I know I'm so desperate for His forgiveness. I'm so thankful I have it.

Today, I was utterly irritated at the fact that I have received compliments about my faith, strength, courage. Lord, can't You call me to something less?

Oh how quickly that rose from my heart. Why would I want less? Just because my human eyes can't see what is ahead or how everything will work out.

O Lord, I want to be a woman who values faith, for you value it; You are pleased with us as we live in faith and You are the Author of it. I want to value the influence You have given me. Thank You for being a good Father and giving perfect gifts even if they come in unexpected packages. Thank You for DNA nights, conversations with Michael, prayer, summer nights in the desert, happy songs at the grocery store, a clean apartment (down to the sheets!), friends all over the world, flowers, and Your promises! Thank You for responsibilities. I believe, help my unbelief.


Fifteen years ago today, my family moved to Blythe--a perfect gift, in a very odd package. Thanks for the reminder, Lord!

"The One who calls You is faithful, and He will do it." -1 Thessalonians 5:24