ThanksLiving

"So what I got from your sermon is you're asking for money," someone said to me recently. Well, yes and no - my annual stewardship sermon this year was about money, but also our time and our abilities, and most of all about being thankful as the starting point for giving and good stewardship.

At one point, I quoted from Rick Warren who suggested that not only should we give money, but also the first part of our week to worship and the first part of our social time to fellowship with other Christians.  At the time, I said we might not agree with every detail of the quote--after all, there are many Christians who worship at some time other than the first part of the week--but I hoped it would challenge us to think.  In response, I received an email asking "wasn't it a big priority for Jesus to spend time with people on the edges, people not in the inner fellowship circles, people like Zaccheus and the Samaritan woman at the well?"  That's important for us to remember too.

For those who expressed interest in the George Herbert quote, here's the first and last part of the poem that I read as part of my sermon:

Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more - a grateful heart.
Not thankful when it pleases me,
As if thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart,
whose pulse may be thy praise.
 

The entire poem is available at http://www.ccel.org/h/herbert/temple/Gratefulnesse.html
 

Jun 19, 2010 at 7:34 AM

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Two recipes--one for supper, one for marriage

I was very glad to take part in Emmanuel's bridal tea a couple of weeks ago--thank you to Lara, to the rest of the planning committee, and all who attended for the good food and conversation!

I started my brief devotional with a story about making dinner for the first time in 9 days since we had been away on vacation, and after the first few bites, my husband said, "This is so good--it's better than anything we ate at a restaurant!"  Here's the recipe that I made:

Apricot-Glazed Chicken

Remove skin from 6 chicken thighs, and place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix together: 1/3 cup apricot preserves,
2 tsp Dijon mustard, 5 drops hot-pepper sauce. Spoon the mixture over chicken. Bake in a pre-heated 425 deg F oven for 20 minutes, baste, and bake for another 20 minutes, or until done. Good served with rice and steamed broccoli.
 

Another recipe I shared at the bridal tea was this recipe for a happy marriage that I had come across on the 'net: 

Recipe for a Happy Marriage
Take one happy man and one happy woman - and separate them from their parents.
Add the following ingredients in generous proportions:
Love
Respect
Commitment
Acceptance
Communication
Patience
Kindness
Gentleness
Self-control
Hope
Truth
Mix together, then thoroughly sift in daily life.
Strain out jealousy, arrogance, selfishness, provocation and accounting of wrongs.
Bake in the trials and tribulations of life for 50 years.
Celebrate when golden. 

Jun 17, 2010 at 9:18 PM

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