The Perfect Church

The Perfect Church


If you should find the perfect church
Without one fault or smear,
For goodness sake! Don't join that church;
You'd spoil the atmosphere.

If you should find the perfect church
Where all anxieties cease
Then pass it by, lest joining it
You'd mar the masterpiece.

If you should find the perfect church
Then don't you ever dare,
To tread upon such holy ground;
You'd be a misfit there.

But since no perfect church exists
Made of imperfect men,
Then let's cease looking for that church
And love the church we're in.

Of course, it's not a perfect church,
That's simple to discern
But you and I and all of us
Could cause the tide to turn.

What fools we are to flee our post
In that unfruitful search
To find at last where problems loom
God proudly builds His church.

So let's keep working in our church
Until the resurrection.
And then we each will join that church
Without an imperfection.

[ Mavis Williams -- from Aiken Drum ]

Work-Train-Pray

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 KJV

"But I'm going to say to you, won't you pray for your children that they may be different?"
William Booth

I am so burdened for our young people...

The worldly doctrines are strangling the hearts and minds of this next generation of believers.

It's a BIG deal!

Having six children of my own, it has burdened me with examining my own walk with The Lord.

How many compromises have I made?

It makes a difference!

How has my own spiritual laziness, "acceptance" and failure to confront the unholy walk of other Christians affected my children's inner world view?

It makes a difference!

It's a BIG deal!

Will they be victims of this all-out assault from the wicked one to compromise the principles that we have tried to teach them from an infant?

Oh, how MY heart needs a revival!

How can I expect my children to be any more spiritual than I am?

The truth is, there is a great chance that they may even come in below where I am...

THAT is a very sobering thought!

I must run to The Savior and take a REAL LOOK at where I am and where HE desires me to be.

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13, 14 KJV

...and by God's Grace, By this time next year, I will be CLOSER to The Mark.

I am sure that the following account should encourage others as it has me...TRY TEARS!

IndependentBaptist.com
William Booth - "Try Tears"

On April 9,1865, Lee met Grant in the parlor of a private home at Appomattox Court House. He surrendered his army and brought an end to four long years of death and devastation called the Civil War. In the same year a 36 year old Englishman by the name of William Booth declared war on the powers of darkness by founding the Salvation Army.

One of the most effective weapons in General Booth's arsenal was fervent prayer. It was not unusual for Booth to hold "an all night of prayer" when he came to preach the Word of God. People would flood the altars every where he went. "The power of God was wonderfully manifest in the meetings . . . people were frequently, struck down, overwhelmed with a sense of
the presence and power of God."

The Salvation Army's success at freeing the captives was uncanny, especially when one considers those who it strived to reach. General Booth's battle cry was "Go for souls and go for the worst." The worst of sinners were saved, saloons were closed and entire cities were shaken.

Booth's success attracted not only supporters but also enemies. Those who served in the Army were pelted with hot coals, sprayed with tar and burning sulfur, beat, stoned and even kicked to death in the streets. The Salvation Army resisted their enemies with a cheerful "God bless you", and a prayer. General Booth, himself was often in the thick of it. When spit on during the Midlands tour, Booth encouraged his fellow soldiers, "Don't rub it off - it's a medal!"

Night after night Booth would come home bleeding and bruised after being attacked for preaching in the slums of England. After such nights of testing he would take his wife's hand and say, "Kate, let me pray with you." After praying with Catherine he would rise from his knees armed with fresh courage and hope. Booth needed all the valor his wife Catherine could inspire
in him. She encouraged him, "if we get tired we had better go and be done with, anything is better than a dead church." Despite the grinding pressures of the ministry the Booths had a happily united family. The General had nine children and loved to play and romp with them, especially in their favorite game of "Fox and Geese."

Once while traveling, General Booth's car was detained. He took advantage of the opportunity and exhorted some idle factory workers. He said, "some of you men never pray, you gave up praying long ago. But I'm going to say to you, won't you pray for your children that they may be different?" Within minutes 700 men knelt in silent prayer.

At another time, two Salvation Army officers set out to found a new work, only to meet with failure and opposition. Frustrated and tired they appealed to the General to close the rescue mission. General Booth sent back a telegram with two words on it, "TRY TEARS." They followed his advice and they witnessed a mighty revival.

During the course of William Booths ministry he traveled 5,000,000 miles and preached 60,000 sermons. God help us in this desperate and distracted day in which we live to heed the General's advice. "Work as if everything depended upon your work, and pray as if everything depended upon your prayer."

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 KJV

And the Winner Is...

In our family's quest for the perfect waffle recipe, we have a winner! These are SO SIMPLE with an amazing Belgian Waffle texture and taste.

Usually, the recipes for Belgian Waffles are more complicated with yeast, proofing time or an overnight, sourdough flavor.

These are a "make-just-before-cooking" recipe but have a light, crispy texture and an egg-like, fluffy consistency. These are, without a doubt, the BEST Belgian Waffle recipe we have ever tried. The search is OVER! :)

Saturday Morning Waffles
4 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
3-1/2 cups milk
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.
Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

Makes 12 Serving.

Little Bites are Just Right!

This morning, my highly talented, self-motivated daughter blessed us with a little breakfast creation of her own...Mini Pancake & Sausage Bites.

They were super amazing!

Pancake Batter + Browned Sausage Links + Mini-Muffin Pan = Some yummy bites of hot goodness first thing in the morning. (Especially when dunked into warm maple syrup- Oh, my!)

Needless to say, these will surely go onto our breakfast menu in the very near future!

We also figured out that they will freeze well...that is if you HIDE THE LEFTOVERS! Everyone kept stopping by the platter, dunking a bite or two and walking away...until, the plate was EMPTY. ;)

Aunt Jemima in the Kitchen

I was blessed with two amazing additions to my kitchen...the first was from my sweet husband- a new 7 Qt Professional KitchenAid Mixer in a gorgeous red.

The second came from a dear family that the girls and I clean for- a Double Belgium Waffle Maker.

Both of these things are quite wonderful! You see, I have secretly longed for, wanted and wished for each of these things for well over a year.

 Each time I would go to a store that sold them, I would stop by the display, touch them, play with them and imagine how nice it would be to actually own them ONE DAY.

Now, before your mouth drops in appalling disgust at my ungodly dissatisfaction with the abundance that God had already provided, please note that it wasn't that I wasn't happy with what I had, I just thought that these would be nice to have, seeing that we do so much baking and with a large family, I had long maxed out my small mixer.

Plus, I don't find my true joy and happiness in "things" -my husband and I have had this discussion many times when he was trying to find out something that he could buy me. I live contented. I feel so blessed, that honestly, I cannot wish for more!

...BUT there are things that may make life a bit easier, convenient and would be very helpful.

Having said all of this, you can imagine that I was pretty excited to break out the beautiful red Professional KitchenAid Mixer ***did I mention that it's a beautiful red? ;) and the new Belgium Waffle Maker.

I searched for a wonderful recipe...one that I could put together the night before, seeing that I would have to start cooking pretty early if I wanted to give everyone a chance to eat piping hot, fresh waffles before heading out the door.





I decided to triple the recipe so that we would have enough to eat for breakfast as well as enough to freeze. My plan is to make fresh waffles every Tuesday, freeze some and then on more stressful mornings, be able to pop our homemade waffles in the oven or toaster without having store-bought frozen waffles or cereal.

                       So far, so good. I have a nice bag full of waffles for "grab and go" mornings. :)

Ready for the freezer, seperated by paper plates.

My only complaint is that the recipe tastes a little like a sour-dough version. (which is fine BUT my husband walked into the kitchen and asked if they were fermented!)

So, I think I'll search for another recipe for next week. :)



All in all, my first week of trying to get back on track after the Holidays and sickness has been wonderfully productive...which makes for a well-managed home and ONE HAPPY MAMA!

For me to live...

Philippians 1:21
For me to live is Christ.

The believer did not always live to Christ. He began to do so when God the Holy Spirit convinced him of sin, and when by grace he was brought to see the dying Saviour making a propitiation for his guilt. From the moment of the new and celestial birth the man begins to live to Christ. Jesus is to believers the one pearl of great price, for whom we are willing to part with all that we have. He has so completely won our love, that it beats alone for Him; to His glory we would live, and in defence of His gospel we would die; He is the pattern of our life, and the model after which we would sculpture our character. Paul's words mean more than most men think; they imply that the aim and end of his life was Christ-nay, his life itself was Jesus. In the words of an ancient saint, he did eat, and drink, and sleep eternal life. Jesus was his very breath, the soul of his soul, the heart of his heart, the life of his life. Can you say, as a professing Christian, that you live up to this idea? Can you honestly say that for you to live is Christ? Your business-are you doing it for Christ? Is it not done for self-aggrandizement and for family advantage? Do you ask, "Is that a mean reason?" For the Christian it is. He professes to live for Christ; how can he live for another object without committing a spiritual adultery? Many there are who carry out this principle in some measure; but who is there that dare say that he hath lived wholly for Christ as the apostle did? Yet,this alone is the true life of a Christian-its source, its sustenance, its fashion, its end, all gathered up in one word-Christ Jesus. Lord, accept me; I here present myself, praying to live only in Thee and to Thee. Let me be as the bullock which stands between the plough and the altar, to work or to be sacrificed; and let my motto be, "Ready for either."

(Taken from Morning and Evening by C.H. Spurgeon January 7th, Morning)

Yes, there's an app for that!!

Yes, there's an app for that!! :) Each year, at the top spot of my New Year's Resolutions is to memorize more Scripture. I've actually found an app to assist me this year! If you prefer the "old fashioned way" that's great (whatever floats your spiritual boat) but I'm a huge fan of technology being used for good (especially when it comes to my life). So, if you're like me, here's a little FYI. :)


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bible-memory-verses/id350185614?mt=8