Chocolate Cake

I began learning how to cook in Junior High school.  My mom always let me help in the kitchen and gradually allowed me to be in charge of certain dishes.  Believe me there was plenty of things that my family tolerated as I learned how to cook. During the summer when I had lots of time on my hands, I decided that I would bake a cake and share it with all of friends.

The chocolate cake mix was poured into the bowl then the eggs, water and oil were mixed in. After a few strokes the batter was poured into the prepared pan and then into the preheated oven to bake. Soon the house was filled with the sweet aroma of chocolate cake.  I was so proud of myself! 

After cooling, the cake was slathered carefully with chocolate frosting.  “My friends are going to be so impressed”, I thought proudly to myself. That afternoon I invited Kevin (now my husband) and several friends to enjoy the delicious cake. 

As Kevin took a big heaping bite of the cake it was clear that something was wrong. His surprised face, including puckered lips told it all so well!

The batter that I so carefully mixed together had not been stirred enough.  Throughout the cake were many chunks of dry cake mix!

My inexperience caused me not to know how to properly make a cake!

Inexperience can do that very thing to us spiritually.

• ·      The less we know about the promises of God can effect how much we trust Him. I Peter 2:1-2
• ·       The less experience we have with the presence of God can effect our worship and prayer. James 4:8
• ·       The less we have sacrificed for the kingdom of God can effect how tightly we hold onto our possessions. Psalm 24:1
• ·       The less experience we have in community with other believers can effect our sense of belonging and serving in a body. Acts 4:32

Where do you need more experience spiritually?

Father, help me to recognize where I need to grow spiritually. I do not want to be a child in regards to my faith in you. Reveal to me how you want me to grow. Thank you for stirring my faith into action.

I feel a sting coming on!

Ouch! What the heck was that? I frantically asked my husband as we were cycling South down the Rockford trail.

The day had started out at Ann St and we were headed to Rockford about 12 miles North. The air was crisp and we both were excited to accomplish this new cycling record for ourselves. Off we went and the trail was nice, smooth and not crowded. Everywhere we looked there were trees and greenery with the river streaming past us in the distance. What a beautiful day! On our way to Rockford we talked about how some of the trees and landscapes reminded us of Big Bear, Ca. It was breathtaking. I almost forgot that I was getting tired.

Before we knew it we were in Rockford and had our lunch sitting at a table by the Rogue River. Soon it was time to head back down the trail that we came up on. I was excited because some of it was downhill! My legs felt a little stiff at first and I wondered when they would warm up. Kevin and I started playing a game of jump frog. One of us would speed up and then the other person would try to catch up and ride in front etc. This was a great way to keep our energy and laughter up.

Then I felt a sting! Ouch! What the heck was that? I frantically asked my husband!

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Somehow, through my tight black cycling shorts a bee had stung me. I really have no idea how or why this happened. I was doing my best to keep up with Kevin and was having fun when out of nowhere this pain began. I felt that sting for the rest of the ride back to our car and well into the night! 


After we got home that afternoon and I had taken my shoes off, I went out to check our mail. On my way back to the house I felt something vaguely familiar, a hot stinging sensation IN MY FOOT! That's right, two bee stings in one day. Do they like sweaty bodies? Honestly. I can't remember the last time that I was stung by a bee.


Whenever things happen more than once, I think, Is God trying to get my attention?


I am not sure, but I did have a thought about these two stinging events.

• Our words have the power to bless and to curse.
• Our actions have the power to show mercy or contempt.
• Our lives have the potential to Glorify God or dishonor Him.

Like the bee sting we have the ability to place a seed in others lives that will stay with them and as God blesses it, it may grow.


What are you leaving in others?
Will it Glorify Jesus?

Father,

Thanks for gentle and stinging reminders that it is all about YOU! Teach me how to be a worker that is purposefully looking at the harvest. Show me how and who to love in your name. Oh that I may be a sweet aroma to you.

Jann

Joy in the victories!

I went for a bike ride tonight. The sun was going down and the temperature had dipped a bit. It felt great to be outside and riding. Then I saw IT! The hill that seemed to go on forever. I knew that it was going to take work and persistence to get to the top. I began to peddle harder to get the momentum that I needed and then I realized that I would not make it at the intensity level that I was tackling it at. I changed gears and it was better. That lasted for a little while and then I needed to gear down again and again until I was able to keep moving without hyperventilating. Just in the nick of time I saw a driveway of a business that had a long flat entrance. It was my oasis in the midst of the never ending mountain! I peddled into this driveway and got my second wind! As I reentered the mountainous road I was more determined than ever to make it to the top. I had speed and oxygen on my side and eventually I made it to the top.

Now I know that you are laughing at me and that's okay because I am proud that I did not give up! I am proud that I did not fall over! When I got to the top I screamed, "Yes, I did it!" I was glad that No one heard me! I enjoyed the victory all the way down the hill.

Little victories are crucial to making big ones.

That is why I think that Scripture tells us to be faithful in little things.

His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Matthew 25:21

Little by little, victory by victory we become more and more into the image of Jesus!

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

What little victory can you be thankful for today?

How is God transforming you?

Where do you need a second wind?

Father,

Thank you for using the ride today to remind me of the little victories. It is only through your power and strength that we can have victory over sin. I give you all the Glory and Honor that is due your name. May I be transformed into ReFlecting you more and more through these little victories.

Jann

Yesterday I had the pleasure of doing one of my favorite things. Teach from the Word with my husband. I don't know when we discovered that doing this together was such an invigorating activity but we absolutely delight in it! We have been in ministry together for 30 years. It is hard to believe but it is true.



Kevin and I became Christians in High school and had an amazing experience being part of a ministry that reached out to 1000+ students on a weekly basis. Later we found ourselves working together to teach and lead these students. It was in the basement of the youth center one night when I saw God working through Kevin and thought. "He is so attractive!" I was falling in love with the man who was loving God. We would lead meetings together, talk through bible passages, critique each others messages and spur one another on. Through the years this has repeated itself in many ways and in various environments.



I guess each time we teach together I am reminded of
the early days of our relationship.


Scripture says that

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. Ecc.4:9

It also says that

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:24

I truly think that for my husband and I, we are a balance of many gifts and that when we use our gifts together it is a good thing. We feel blessed and hopefully those who have heard us together feel this way.

Father,

I am grateful for the gift of a spouse who loves you and seeks after you. Thank you for continuing to work in his life for your great pleasure. I praise you for giving us opportunities to serve you together. My heart is filled with joy as I think about all that happened yesterday. It would be okay with me if we had more times like that. May your name be lifted high through our lives.

Jann

Stones of Forgiveness

Last night I partook of a wonderful experience with women in prayer.
Set up all around the room were prayer centers. There are many great ideas at a website http://www.creativeprayer.com/index.php?blog=1. I am grateful that they had so many experiences listed and ready to try out. We had 8 stations each one with a focus, verse, picture, object or task.

One of the stations focused on forgiveness. At this table were smooth flat stones and washable markers. As we prayed if a person came to mind that we needed to forgive we were instructed to write their initials on the stone and then asked to offer a prayer of blessing for them.

As I held onto the stone in my hands,I realizedhow powerless I am to forgive anyone. Only through Christ can I even attempt to forgive. Only through His blood and forgiveness in my life, do I know how to forgive and to receive forgiveness.

The next step was to wash the stone in water and watch the name drip away. This was very significant for me. I have been holding onto this for way to long. God does not remember my sins, should I hold onto the sins of others? It felt good to release this and ask blessing for this person.

Holding onto unforgiveness takes up space that God wants to have in our hearts. I wonder how much space I have been wasting? If I truly want to be filled to overflowing with the Spirit then There has to be room for Him.


I have a suspicion that I may need to use some more stones! :)

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mark 11:25

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13


Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times Matthew 18:21-22

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Romans 12:14

Father,

How many times have you forgiven me? I am grateful and humbled by your mercy and grace. You have also blessed me beyond belief. I stand before you as one who has experieinced your love and peace and yet struggle to let go of old hurts, dissappointments and forgive. Outwardly I may appear as one who is upright, but you oh Lord know the condition of those places in my heart. As I hold these stone in front of you, may I be as Abraham and offer them to you as an altar of praise. Bless these dear ones of yours and remove from me the stain of unforgiveness. I am humbled by you longsuffering and crave to know you more.

Jann

Advice.....

Image by koalazymonkey via Flickr

A friend asked me yesterday what advice I would give to someone who was 20 years younger. After I was insulted to think that anyone would be 20 years younger I really liked the question.

What are the important things that I would tell someone?

The following are the first things that came to mind. Some have a spiritual reference and others well, they are lessons that I learned along the way.

• Follow hard after God. Make Him first. "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." John 12:26
• Develop your prayer life. Learn to Abide in Christ. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.'"John 15:5
• Pray without ceasing. Pray for and with others.
• Do what God tells you to do the first time! "My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words." Proverbs 4:20
• Ask God for Directions. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. " Psalm 32:8
• Enjoy your health. Take good care of your body. I Corinthians 6:19
• Develop your gifts. If you don't know what they are, find out and ask God if you can begin to use them. I Corinthians 12
• Passionately serve in the church and in the community.
• Remember that ministry is a lifestyle. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. I Peter 4:11
• Say you are sorry. Make the decision to not do it again. "Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again." Job 34:32
• Go on Mission trips. Romans 10:14-15
• Find a mentor. Someone who will listen and challenge you.
• Be a mentor. Pass on the the things God has taught you.
• Commit to a small group. Hebrews 10:24
• Enjoy your parents. Have fun together. I Timothy 5:4
• Go to school- Don't wait.
• Don't worry about the small stuff. Give it to God and move on. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. "Psalm 139:23
• Learn to read and apply God's word daily. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." 2Timothy 3:16
• Watch older Christian couples. How they relate to each other, parent their children and serve.. You can learn alot!
• Say thank you. "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 3:15

These challenge me even today. I wonder what I would be like if had started all of these twenty years ago? Still, I praise God that he has taught me the importance of this list and more.

What would be on your list?

Father,

I am humbled by your reminders of trusting you each day. thank you for always teaching, always guiding, always loving. Forgive me for being such a slow learner. I pray that the next 20 years will be spent serving and abiding in you. Help me to reflect you today.

Jann

Our dog got skunked!

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Spunky our energetic Chow and Australian shepherd mix was sprayed by a skunk last night.

Now before you feel too bad for her know that this has happened before.

The first time,we were unaware of her adventure with a skunk and she came running into the house trying to find some relief from the horrible smell and taste of skunk. As we watched the skunk vapor rise from our walkout basement to the main floor of our home we knew that this was going to be trouble. All Spunky knew was that she needed to rub herself on anything that she could. Furniture, carpet, beds and me. Everything and everyone smelled of this skunk. Even the closets that were undisturbed reeked of skunk for months. We did the typical wash the dog activity and even found a recipe of liquid soap, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide that gave her and us some relief. After this episode we thought that she would leave the little black and white creature alone.

That's what we thought until last night!

At 9:45pm we smelled that defining fragrance and looked out into the backyard to find Spunky rolling in the grass trying desperately to rid herself of Skunk. We having learned from the last time, did not let her in the house and completed the washing cycle outside.

Why didn't she remember the last time? Or did she remember and choose to go after it anyway? Did she know what the consequences could be and take a gamble?

I can be so similar to this. I know what can happen if I give in to a bad habit or sin. Over and over again I repeat the same thing. I don't always think through my actions before I do them or learn from my mistakes. I often have to live with the Skunk smell of my actions.

How about you? Have you been skunked recently? Have your choices resulted in some difficult consequences?

Praise God that he is able to set us free from ourselves!

God's word says that Christ would make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:26-27

All we need to do is to draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22

Father,

Cleanse me from my sin and I shall be clean. Purify me from all of my skunky smells and wash me. Cause me to remember the consequences of my actions so that I don't repeat them. Thank you for loving and forgiving this often forgetful child.

Jann

The bike ride

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

We went for a bike ride today. Kent Trails has some beautiful spots and it always takes my mind away from the energy that is required to do complete a 10 mile ride. Today as we were riding I was fully aware of the beauty of the trees. Yes they were green and lush and smelled fresh and sweet, but there was more than that. They reminded me of worship. The trees were standing and stretching to the heavens and yet they were bent and touching together as if they were bowing in reverence. I think I heard them singing,

" I stand, I stand in awe of you"

It was a majestic picture of what we as believers have the privilege of doing.

Jesus gave us full access to the Father. We can have complete confidence that we may approach the throne of grace. Don't miss this important invitation. We can go before GOD himself. We can be confident because of Jesus and all that he has done for us;

• No matter what we have done
• No matter when we became a Christian
• No matter what.

The keys have been given to us and an invitation has been given. "Come".

When will you enter into the throne room?

Father,

Thank you for using nature today to remind me of yourself. I am in awe not only of your creation but more importantly of how you woo us to yourself. Help me to enter into your rest and into your presence as I long to worship you. Thank you Jesus for giving us the ability to enter in confidence because of your sacrifice and love. Lord I come and bow before you now.

Jann

Knowledge or Wisdom?

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

Often I want to know what is going to happen. Just give me a glimpse and I will feel more secure. God in His infinite wisdom knows this is not true. I still will want more and more so that I can control the outcome. What I am asking for is knowledge. Knowledge about situations, people and trials.

A good friend of mine once told me to just lift my hands into the air and confess-"God is bigger than I am stupid". It has become my mantra. :)

In James we are told to ask for wisdom. Wisdom is very different than knowledge.

I heard it explained this way;

• Knowledge is the ability to take things apart,
• Wisdom is the ability to put things together.

I want to examine every detail of things when I have the knowledge about them. God instead wants to give us wisdom to know how to make sense of things that happen. When we are in the midst of a trial we can ask for wisdom to put all of the pieces together.

Several years ago in the midst of a long and painful trial, I kept asking God to show me what was to come of all of it. I would plead with Him to help me understand his plan. I wanted knowledge! It wasn't until I began to ask for His wisdom to stand up under the trials, that I began to see clearly and have peace.

If you are having trouble seeing things clearly, ask God who gives generously. He will give you wisdom to look at your trials differently. Remember that James tells us to consider trials with joy. We can do that when we have asked and been given wisdom to persevere.

Father,

I like knowing things! I admit it. I have issues with control. Thank you for not holding that against me. I praise you for offering your wisdom to us. May I receive your wisdom today as I serve you. Help me to ReFlect your joy as I put my trust in your plan, in your knowledge in your control.

Jann

Thank you Father

God is a father to the fatherless. Psalm 68:5

I learned so many things from my earthly father. He taught me to be kind to others, to help those in need, to give freely of your time. He was a hard and diligent worker. He always made people feel comfortable and he smiled all the time. These are some valuable things that I learned from him. I did not learn godly things however. He was not a man that followed God. I am not exactly sure why, but he did not teach me about Jesus or how to follow him. This was probably because he does not know Jesus. I will always be thankful that he is in my life and that I have good memories of times with him and I continue to pray that someday he might embrace the God the father. (Abba Avinu) Romans 8:15

Praise God that He knew I needed Godly men in my life to be examples of Fathers who love Jesus. When I became a Christian in High School, the youth pastor, Dan Webster was giving a message about God the father. Even then God knew what I needed and thus began the journey of my life. Through the next couple of years I learned through Dan's leadership what it meant to allow God the father, to love and lead me. Thank you Dan for the impact you had in my life.

In early college, Jon Byron became the next Godly man that God used to shape my image of God the father. Jon and his wife Francie lovingly showed me how a couple who loves the Lord raises a family to love Jesus and how a christian couple can glorify God. They continue to be a Godly examples for me.

Through the years I have had the pleasure of being a part of amazing fellowships where Godly men have stood in the gap to show me Godly fathers. Thank you.

Lastly I want to praise God for my husband Kevin. God has used him mightily in my life to show me the Father's love. He is an example in all of his caring ways towards our girls and continues to bless our lives with his gentle and loving leadership.

God is the father to the fatherless. We might not always have been in Christian families. We might not all have had loving fathers or any father at all. There are some who lost there fathers early or who still mourn their loss. We are not fatherless.

Abba- Thank you for choosing me and for giving me godly men to teach and love me. You are the great provider. You are an amazing daddy. Bless all who hunger and thirst after you that they might be satisfied. Happy Fathers day!

Your daughter,

Jann