Sunday Sermon: The Cost of Obedience

“If we obey God, it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the pain begins. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything—it is a delight. But to those who do not love Him, our obedience does cost a great deal. If we obey God, it will mean that other people’s plans are upset. They will ridicule us as if to say, ‘You call this Christianity?’ We could prevent the suffering, but not if we are obedient to God. We must let the cost be paid.”

--Oswald Chambers, “My Utmost for His Highest”

(posted by Betsy)

Recipe--Macaroni and Cheese (not from a box! :-))

One of our favorite stand-by recipes is my Grandma’s homemade macaroni and cheese. It’s easy to throw together, it’s filling, and we LOVE it! We like to serve it with peas, or other green vegetables like salad. We hope you like it as much as we do!

Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

1 cup milk

1 TBS cornstarch

1 cup dry macaroni noodles

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 TBS butter

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Pour milk into large saucepan. Dissolve flour or cornstarch in a little water and add to milk. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Cook at low to medium heat, stirring occasionally until mixture is bubbling steadily. Stir again; let boil until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until thickened. Serves 2-3.*Note:*We triple, and sometimes even quadruple this recipe to feed our family.

Favorite Scripture Passages

The Bible is a very treasured book to our family. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” We believe it is important to spend time daily in the word of God, and these are some of our favorite passages:

Mark—As a husband and father, there are so many excellent verses. Probably one of my favorites is 1 Corinthians 10:13 (“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”)  Another favorite from a family perspective is Joshua 24:15b (“But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”).

Betsy—I love many of the Psalms and Proverbs, and so many other verses, that it’s very hard to pick favorites. Three that I find very comforting are: Psalm 119:105. (“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I will confirm it, that I will keep Thy righteous ordinances.”); Phil 4:6-7 (“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”); and 2 Tim 3:16-17 (“All Scripture is inspired by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”)

Bianca—I have so many favorite passages, it’s hard to choose! Three of my “life verses” are Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”), Ephesians 2:10 (“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”), and John 10:10b, (“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”). Because I’m a runner, I also appreciate passages like Isaiah 40:29-31, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, and 1 Timothy 4:8.

Ben—In the hopes of being a Pastor someday, I like 1 Peter 5:2: “Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve.” And I also like the verse Philippians 4:13 which says, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

Rubia—My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13 (“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”) I also like Isaiah 40:31 (“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”)

Roma—Some of my favorite Bible verses are John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”), Philippians 4:13 (“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”), Jeremiah 29:11-12 (“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”), and Isaiah 40:31 (“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”)

Josiah—I like Proverbs 3:5-6 (“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make your paths straight.”) I also like Proverbs 18:24 (“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”)

What is your favorite passage or verse from the Bible? Leave us a comment!

Two New Things

Two new things I did this week:

1) Drove a car for the very first time while attending Driver’s Ed.

2) Became the official photographer for our church’s annual Vacation Bible School.

So if my posts are a bit short, it’s because I’m preoccupied with perfecting these two new things. And trying to make time to sleep, run, eat, and important things like that. J

Get Togethers with Friends

This past week we had get-togethers with two different families, one whom we had never met before (the Dads worked together and found that we have a lot of the same values such as homeschooling, dressing modestly, etc.); and a second with friends from worship dance. They were both lots of fun and I thought I’d share a few pictures with you from our time together:

The delicious spread of food during our get together with the H family.

Though there were 16 people total, we all sat around the same table, which was great!

The amazing meal of tacos over rice. What really topped it for me was the fresh cilantro. I think you could put cilantro on anything and I would fall head over heels in love with the dish. That’s how much I love cilantro!

After dinner we enjoyed building with legos, and playing board and card games together.

The Moms and older girls spent time chatting together.

We had another family over later in the week. Here, the girls enjoy posing together.

And posing again!

My friend B and I had fun shooting portraits of each other. Since we’re both photographers, we don’t get our picture taken very often, so we took each other’s pictures!

B did a great job capturing a few pictures of me, including this one which is my new picture on our “About Our Family” page.

Roma, posing by the garden fence.

Friends!

Some of the kids playing on the swingset and chatting. After this, we played 2 rounds of capture the flag, one of which was in the dark making it quite interesting! J

We had a wonderful time with these two families! We hope that we will be able to get together with them again in the near future!

Park Day and a Visit with Friends

Last Tuesday, we spent the day at the park! Our old homeschool group has park days every other week during the summer, and we enjoy visiting when we can,’ though it is quite a drive!

We enjoyed playing a game called “Monkey on the ground” with our friends who had also just spent the weekend with us. “Monkey on the ground” is like the Marco Polo game that is usually played in a pool, but it is played on a playground. One person closes their eyes and tries to tag others, and if they think someone is on the ground, they shout, “monkey on the ground” and that person is now “it.”

Sometimes the game involved hanging on tightly to a ladder while dodging the person trying to tag you from above.

While we played, the Moms talked. Just as a note, there were lots of people there, but most of them had already left during the time I took these pictures.

After our time at the park, we visited some dear friends whom we haven’t seen in several months. We enjoyed sitting out on their porch visiting.

The kids enjoyed playing games on the front lawn.

The game became rather intense after awhile. Photo credit goes to our friend Amy.

We sipped iced tea. . .

. . .sampled peach and blueberry fool. . .

. . .and ate banana chocolate chip coffee cake. It was all very delicious, and provided good subjects for food photography! J

Roma holding our friend’s cousin. Doesn’t she have the chubbiest little cheeks? She must endure lots of cheek-pinching.

And that was our afternoon! It was so much fun visiting friends and we hope to go back sometime in the near future!

NEW! Recipes Page

I wanted to draw everybody’s attention to our brand new page located at the top of our blog, entitled “Recipes.” If you click on the link you will find an Index of all the recipes we have posted on our blog. They are organized by category (i.e. Breakfast, Drinks, Breads, Desserts, etc.) and sub-categorized alphabetically. Hopefully this will make it easier for you all to access a recipe without searching all over the blog. Here is what it looks like so far, and as a note, I will be updating it as frequently as I post new recipes:

Recipes

Here is an index of all the recipes we have featured on our blog. We hope that you enjoy trying them! Let us know how you like them.

Breakfast:

Blender Cornmeal Waffles

Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Muffins

Granola

Mains:

Baked Lentils with Cheese

Chicken Sandwich Filling

Lentil-Rice Casserole

Spaghetti Sauce

Yummy Casserole

Vegetables:

Baked Oven Spears

Tossed Spinach Salad

Soups:

Chicken Noodle Soup

Split Pea Soup

Sides:

Couscous with a Kick

Breads:

Cheddar Bread

Corn Bread

Quick Whole Wheat Bread

Whole Wheat Bread

Zucchini Pineapple Bread

Desserts:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Creamsicle Popcicles

Rhubarb Crunch

Snow Cream

Trail Bars

Triple Chocolate Cake (without frosting)

Jams, Jellies, and Preserves:

Violet Jelly

Dandelion Jelly

Drinks:

Iced Coffee

Orange Smoothie

Miscellaneous:

Barbeque Sauce

Cucumber Vinaigrette

Hummus

Sunday Praise

“From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same
the LORD'S name is to be praised.

The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high,

Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!”

-- Psalm 113:3-6

(posted by Betsy)

Recipe--Orange Smoothie

As I shared yesterday, it has been quite warm in our area for the past week. One of our favorite ways to beat the heat is with a good smoothie. This recipe for orange smoothie is one of our favorites because we almost always have the ingredients on hand, and it is very refreshing! Let us know if you get a chance to try it on this warm weekend!

Orange Smoothie

12 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate

2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar (we omit, or use two squirts of agave)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

24 ice cubes (2 cups)

Place all ingredients in blender; blend to desired consistency. Makes 3-4 large servings, or 6-8 small servings.

Favorite Ways to Beat the Heat

Considering the fact that nearly half of the country is under a heat dome, it seemed appropriate to share our favorite ways to beat the oppressive heat! In fact, yesterday (Thursday, July 21^st) our temperature forecast was several degrees higher than Florida and Mexico! Temperatures soared into the 90’s with humidity in the 40’s and 50’s, and the heat indexes reached 105°F at times. Needless to say, we wanted to stay cool!

Mark—My favorite way to beat the heat is to jump in a pool.

Betsy—Whenever possible, I love to jump in the lake and stay there for a long time! When the lake is not handy, I cool off with my version of iced coffee. Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour equal parts milk and coffee (left over from my breakfast pot).Sprinkle with cinnamon, and stir. Very refreshing! Last but not least, I find that a cool shower right before bedtime is an excellent way to beat the heat and end the day!

Bianca—I think the perfect way to beat the heat would be enjoying a day at the beach, sipping an ice cold soda or smoothie. Wait, I just did that this weekend! J I really love fruit smoothies, and I will be sharing one of our favorite recipes tomorrow, so stay tuned for a refreshing cooler for the weekend!

Ben—I like to jump into a 60-something degree pool or lake. Nice and refreshing!

Rubia—I like to drink smoothies when it gets hot. I really like Mom’s orange smoothies!

Roma—I like to get wet! I run in the sprinkler, play with the hose, jump in a pool, or jump in the lake.

Josiah—I like drinking ice, ice, ice-cold water. I also like lying down on the air conditioning vents in our floor. I go to our basement because it’s cooler down there than our upstairs floors.

Birthday Trip for Bianca, Part 2

After an amazing first day of my birthday trip, the second day kept getting better!

We slept in until 9:00 a.m., and enjoyed a breakfast of donuts, Michigan blueberries and cherries. It was quite good, and not a typical breakfast for our family! J

I was sitting out on the screened-in porch waiting for our home church service to start. I wondered why it was taking so long for everyone to get ready. A few cars were coming down the road, and our friend Mr. M said something about there being a lot of traffic. Our other dear friends, who have become like family to us, have a rather distinctive car. Next thing I knew, that model of car pulls up into the driveway!! I covered my mouth and kept saying, “Oh my goodness!” I was quite surprised!

We enjoyed showing the other M family around the cottage and the lake. That explains why we were waiting forever to start church: we were waiting for the other family to come!

All of the kids (minus one who is on a missions trip) down at the waterfront. We’ve become best friends over the years!

We took some family portraits before we started church. Here is our family trying not to flip the hammock. J

We all piled into the cottage living room for a worship service. We sang “Creation Calls” from a Brian Doerksen DVD, and then we watched a sermon by Louie Giglio called “Indescribable.” Both sent chills up my spine because we were surrounded by such amazing creation, and then to think of the God who created it all and how much He loves me! The song “Creation Calls” has a line in it that talks about feeling the “thundering breakers roar,” and that is the background noise we listened to the whole day! God is amazing!

After church, we cooked up our lunch. We grilled hot dogs, brats, hamburgers, and cheeseburgers.

Our picnic table out on the porch.

Then we had my birthday cake! I picked out a delicious strawberry shortcake. Mommy did a great job making it, and everybody really enjoyed it!

Next I opened my gifts. I’ll say one thing; I have enough books to last me for a couple of years now! J

Then it was time for water fun! Unfortunately, we were going to go out on the boat and jet ski and go tubing and water skiing, but the water was too choppy. Instead, we had fun playing on the sandbar and floating on the tubes. It was so wavy, that it felt like we were tubing, but we weren’t behind a boat!

Everybody came out and enjoyed the cold water, including the parents! At one point, we fit all 7 girls and moms on one tube at the same time! The boys had their own tube because they were rougher and kept pushing each other off.

I just had to end with a sunset picture from the day before. This was taken just after the sun sank below the horizon.

Following an afternoon full of playing in the water, we enjoyed a light dinner of cold cut sandwiches and leftovers from lunch. Sadly, all good things have to come to an end sometime. We had to pack up and leave for the trip home. BUT, we had an amazing time admiring God’s creation, enjoying fellowship with friends, and celebrating my birthday. I will remember this birthday trip for the rest of my life, as one of the most special ones I’ve ever had!