To God be all the Glory

All glory, laud and honor to Thee, Redeemer King!

Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

In the Beauty of the Lilies...

Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Luke 12:27

In the beauty of the Lilies
We can see the love of God.
They without a conscious effort,
Rise supreme above the sod,
Clothed in tents of radiant glory,
Each a message of creation,
Each a emblem of His love.

O ye souls that doubt and falter,
here is truth sublime that lives
In the flowers kissed by heaven,
Proving love divine He gives.
Are ye not of much more value
Than the lilies of the field?
Ye, believe, and faith returneth
More than wishful hope can yield.

Charles L.H. Wagner

Favorite Recipe: Scotch Teas

My sisters found this recipe in one of my cookbooks and decided to give it a try, it's now become one of our favorites.

Scotch Teas

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

Combine the butter and sugar in a medium size sauce pan; cook until butter is melted. Stir in remaining ingredients; mix well. pour into greased 8x8x2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool; cut into bars. Makes 2 dozen.

Mystery Egg

We found this huge egg in our driveway a few days ago. It is about 3 1/2 inches long, quite a bit larger then a chicken egg as can be seen in the picture for comparison. I thought it I would post the picture and ask if anyone might know what kind of egg it is? :) There was no nest in the tree above where we found it so we are assuming that one of our dogs carried it to the driveway which probable means it is from a ground nesting bird.

Contentment

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6

"Another beauty which God puts on the meek is contentment. They that are of a quiet and gentle spirit, through the grace of God, are satisfied with their lot. They thank God for little. They are of the mind of the godly woman who ate the crust of bread and drank a little water and said, 'What? All this, and Jesus Christ, too?' There is a great charm about contentment, while envy and greed are ugly things in the eyes of those who have anything like spiritual perception. So meekness, through bringing contentment, beautifies us."

-Charles Spurgeon

Herb Showcase: Oregano

Oregano is another one of my favorite herbs. :) It's so good in homemade tomato sauce that is to be used for pizza or spaghetti it's also good sprinkled over noodles with butter and a few other herbs. Does anyone have a favorite recipe that uses Oregano? I love trying out new recipes that use herbs! :) I found this herb and spice mixture that can be used on many different dishes, (below) and thought I would share it. :)

Oregano-Photo from Wikipedia

Oregano is a perennial herb, growing to 20-80 cm tall, with opposite leaves 1-4 cm long. The flowers are purple, 3-4 mm long, produced in erect spikes. The dried leaves of the Oregano plant are used in cooking, the dried herb is often more flavorful than the fresh. Oregano is often used in tomato sauces, fried vegetables and grilled meat. Together with basil, it contributes much to the distinctive character of many Italian dishes. -Wikipedia

Oregano Spice Mixture

1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1-1/2 tsp. onion powder
1-1/4 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. celery seed
1-1/2 tsp. white pepper
1-1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. dried lemon peel
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Whisk together garlic powder, thyme leaves, oregano, onion powder, paprika, celery seed, white pepper, dry mustard, lemon peel, and black pepper in a small bowl until well-combined. Put the mixture in a pretty clear shaker, and it makes a great kitchen gift as well.

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so." Genesis 1:11

Keep Your Eye on the Sky!

After my sister heard that there was going to be a meteor shower (the Eta Aquaids) this morning May 5, 2008 we decided to get up at 4:30 A.M. and see if we could see any "falling stars" as they are commonly called. :) I've heard that this particular meteor shower occurs annually as the Earth is crossing through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet. We were rewarded by a spectacular show of meteors. We were able to see from around 15-25 in a hour and a half. It was amazing! :) Having never seen a meteor shower before, it was a neat experience, and besides that the stars were beautiful and bright!! :) The heavens truly do declare the glory of God! The meteor shower will also be visible on Tuesday May 6th before dawn, though I believe last night was the peak night.

A meteor (possibly 2) and Milky way, Photo from Wikipedia

A meteor shower, some of which are known as a "meteor storm" or "meteor outburst", is a celestial event where a group of meteors are observed to radiate from one point in the sky. These meteors are small fragments of cosmic debris entering Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speed. They vaporize due to friction with the air, leaving a streak of light that very quickly disappears. For bodies with a size scale larger than the atmospheric mean free path (10 cm to several metres) this visible light is due to the heat produced by the ram pressure (not friction, as is commonly assumed) of atmospheric entry. Most of the small fragments of cosmic debris are smaller than a grain of sand, so almost all fragments disintegrate and never hit the earth's surface. Fragments which do contact Earth's surface are called meteorites. -Taken from Wikipedia

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalm 19:1