Luke 1:18-20

 " ...And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. " Luke 1:18-20

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 After years of waiting and praying for a child and as old age steals on, Zacharias and Elisabeth lost hope of receiving a child. Then the time came - in an unexpected way! Old Zacharias is in disbelief, shocked out of his skin. His prayers have been answered! Oh, wait a minute...Gabriel? Elisabeth and I are the age of most grandparents. This sounds impossible! 

 While the results of Zacharias's disbelief were serious, there is a bit of humor in this. I don't say this in a disrespectful way though. Put it in today's terms: we pray, forget as time goes by, then God finally answers our prayer when we least expect it... and we freak out. ' Wow! He really was listening! '  I'm sure God does get a chuckle or two out of some of our reactions to His blessings and answered prayers. Just be careful not to cross that fine line and earn His displeasure along with His answer. 

" There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. " Luke 1:5-7

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 There are those who believe that what happens to us in this life are the result of our good or bad behavior. There are indeed consequences to both, but not all that happens to us ( especially those who are Christians ) is because of our sin or our good deeds. There are things that are justly the will of God and a part of His plan for a purpose. 

 Look at Zacharias and Elisabeth. It says they were both righteous in the sight of God. They followed the law to a tee. Yet, they had no child. Something that was greatly desired of Elisabeth and cherished among women. Year after year had passed until they became past the age of bearing. It was not as punishment for a misdeed, a horrific hidden sin. They walked perfect before the Lord, remember? No, it was simply part of God's blueprint for their lives. Every person, every event, had been timed down to the minute when and how it was all supposed to finally come together.

 God still works that way today. We may have unexplainable happenings in our lives - a sudden death, foreclosure, the loss of a good job, a project that keeps dragging out longer and longer. Don't worry. Stay in prayer, stay firm in the faith. God doesn't have to answer to us. He doesn't have to give us a play-by-play. His only request is that we simply trust in what He is doing. Part of his job is giving beauty for ashes; taking the broken, confusing pieces and making sense of it all. 

Old Testament Prophecy

" For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  ' Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel." 

Isaiah 9: 6-8

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I know I seem to really be focusing on Isaiah, but there is so much wisdom and prophecy contained within. The foretelling of the birth and life of both John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus are written within this book. These verses are so encouraging. They remind us of some of the attributes of God, as well as His purpose. He is all this and more! He is everything. Let's give the Lord praise this season for all He is and all He does. May we bind in out hearts the attribute of God that we are in need of. He is Father to the fatherless; Counseller to those that seek guidance; Peace to those who are in turmoil. 

Miracles of Christmas

" Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. And Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. " Isaiah 60:1 & 3

" Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; to them who have no power He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young man shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. " Isaiah 40: 29-31

 What glorious verses! I find the first verse so fitting for this time of year. The latter as well, for the holidays can be quite consuming of our energy. I draw strength from Isaiah 40 and can see many times in my life when God gave me strength beyond what I had. Last night was one of those times. My cat, who is quite old, was acting really strange last last night. I noticed that in the space of just a few minutes, she had frequented her catbox numerous times. As time passed, these trips became more and more frequent in less and less time. She'd hardly leave before she was back in again. We grew quite concerned, especially after checking her box and not seeing any difference despite how much she had been in there. I looked up her symptoms and there were two choices: a kitty UTI/bladder infection, or a blockage. The first can be easily treated at home and goes away with usually no complications in a few day's time. The second can be fatal if not treated immediately. The main sign of a blockage is kitty not passing a decent amount of urine in 12 hours.
 By this time we had started praying and treating her. She was beginning to bleed some. My worry mounted. It was late, so we made sure she had a contained area. Missy had other plans. She wanted me. So I put a protector on my bed and we settled in. I was too worried to sleep much, dozing with the light on and getting her out every hour to eat or use the litterbox. She passed a bit of bloody matter. In the morning she was perky and seemed to be doing fine! I am so thankful God cares about even the little animals. I believe the stuff she passed was what was causing the issue and could have been a blockage, but God performed a miracle so she didn't need surgery.

Joy of the Season

" Then Ezra told them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet drink, and send the portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold. " Nehemiah 8:10 (amplified)

" Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased. " Luke 2:15 (amplified)

 These verses are from some little devotionals I've been using that are specific for this time of year. They are so uplifting! The verse from Nehemiah reminds me that there is so much more to Jesus' birth than just what is outlined in the Gospels. Though much is said about the joy of the season, I fear we sometimes hardly stand back and search out what that truly means. It seems plainly defined in the above mentioned verse. What drew me is the part about giving to him that has nothing prepared. Sure, we stick our shopping change in the bell-ringer's bucket. Gives us a good feeling, right? Giving is so much more than that. Be creative and relish in what you can do for those that have not this year. Most of all, we should have joy this time of year ( and all year! ) simply for what God does for us daily: gives us strength. It may be physical strength. It may be spiritual strength. It may be emotional strength. Nevertheless, it is strength. God is our stronghold we can run to in times of need. THAT is something to be joyful about. There is a Friend that is closer than a brother. :)

 Let us also give glory to God! Living in peace and having peace is something not very many people enjoy today. I think of the families of the ones killed in the school shooting in Connecticut today. There is little doubt those there are not feeling much peace after such a horrific event. My heartfelt prayers go out to them and all who have recently lost a loved one by whatever circumstance. It is not easy to lose a loved one at this time of year when the majority of society is celebrating. I've been there. Yet, we should give glory to God, giver of every good and perfect gift. When the Lord is pleased with our lives, He promises peace to us. May we seek to follow the Lord with all fervency so that peace will abound in our lives.

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Baked Persimmon " Pudding "

( Gluten, Sugar, & Dairy Free )

2 Fuyu persimmons, orange & soft to touch

1 cup almond milk ( or milk of choice )

2 eggs

1 1/2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon rum flavoring

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1/2 cup sweet white sorghum flour

1/4 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

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Preheat oven to 350.

Remove stem and pits from the persimmons.

Puree in blender.

Add in other liquids.

Blend until smooth.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

Pour in wet ingredients.

Stir well.

Pour in a greased 9x9 or similar sized pan.

Place in a pan that is larger.

Fill larger pan with water up to pudding line.

Bake until golden, with cracks, and pulling away from edge.

Serve!

( Tastes good with Eggnog and/or Whipped Cream. )

Winter Reflections

 I know it has been quite awhile since I have posted, and I am so very sorry! There just doesn't seem to be enough time in a day anymore. Not that I've been doing all that much. Haha. Just life, ya know? :D Anyway, the holiday season has been upon us for some time now and is beginning to climax. We've got the nativity up, candles, and a decoration by our front door. Christmas cards are on their way to family and friends. I hope to get our traditional gingerbread house kit on our trip to Costco this weekend. ( We don't eat it, but it's for old times sake, right? :D ) There are still gifts to be bought, goodies to make, and Christmas stories to read.    
 However, I don't want to forget about the greatest Christmas story of them all. It is one that is much more than just a Christmas story, for it is true. It is what Christmas is all about. The Christ child. God coming in flesh to live and die for us. The beginning of salvation, a babe being born of a virgin to live a sinless life and become the sin sacrifice. How amazing is that? So although there is much to enjoy about this time of year, let us not get lost in the wonder of lights and gifts and that good feeling that comes with the season, but in the wonder of creation and God and new life. May we bask in the humble part of Christmas. God gave himself to us, so let us give ourselves back.
 I want to try and put up a verse that has drawn my attention or a thought that has come to me every day until Christmas. I'm a day late in starting my little " 12 Days of Christmas " project, but it's not exactly about keeping to a schedule. It's about remembering what this time of year is really about.

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He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces...

 We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Isaiah 25:8,9 & 26:3

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Homemade Old-Fashioned Eggnog

( the healthy way ;D )

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon rum flavoring

1 teaspoon nutmeg

6-8 packets Truvia

1-2 teaspoons psyllium seed powder

Put all but last ingredients in a blender at low speed.

While running, add psyllium.

Serve!

 It may seem strange to see me not cook the eggnog and to have ingredients like Truvia and psyllium, but that is the way I've learned it best. I have certainly seen eggnog recipes that did not heat it. Truvia is a sugar-free sweetener that does the job perfect. I find it in the baking section in just about any grocery store. The psyllium can be most likely found in the health food section of say, Fred Meyer. I put this in to thicken it instead of all those other thickeners you will find in store bought nog. It sets up within minutes, although it seems thin at first. Don't be tempted to add more! You will have eggnog pudding instead. 

Sweet Taste of Success :)

 Am I ever happy! Today I woke up with the distinct craving for gingerbread men. :D I looked through my list of healthy blogs I follow, hoping to find something that met my criteria for a perfect gingerbread man. I found what I was looking for on my first try. They looked like they were not crunchy and they looked normal. I think I hear chuckling. :D I'm with ya! Since I do gluten free as much as I can - as well as sugar free - this gets me excited. :D If it's healthy and it still looks and tastes like the real deal, it goes on the A list.
 So I ate gingerbread men ( and snowmen, hahaha ) for breakfast. Bliss! ( ok, it was actually almost lunch time by then :P ) Tonight I made the rest of the dough. ( thought it might be a good idea to have it refrigerate like it is supposed to, although there was no problem rolling 'em out not having done that ) I had another craving. Icing. But how is one to make icing when there is no powdered sugar in the house? Don't ask me how I dreamed this one up, but BINGO! I made delicious sugar-free icing. YES!!! You read that right! :D And it involved no cream cheese, ucky, unhealthy boxes of sugar free pudding/jello mix or ucky, unhealthy sugar free sweeteners like splenda. So how did I create this golden wonder? Let me tell you:


I took a couple TBS worth of room temp. butter and put in in a bowl. Then I added maybe a TBS or less of agave syrup ( honey would work too ) and whisked it until it was creamy. Then I added 3 packets of truvia ( gotta be the best stuff ever! ). Then I added maybe 3-4 TBS ( give or take ) of tapioca starch/flour and whisked it some more. VOILA!!! It looked like icing/frosting...dip a finger in...it tasted like it too!!! :D I then scooped it up and plopped it in a ziploc, cut a bit of the corner off and frosted away. :) :) :)

So the idea here is to make it like you like it. Make it sweeter with more truvia. Make it stiffer with more starch. Dye it. Have fun with your guiltless yumminess!

OH! I almost forgot! I got my gingerbread men recipe from Ginger Lemon Girl's blog. :) The only changes I made to her recipe is I used 1 generous TBS of powdered ginger and 1/2 cup of coconut sugar plus 4 packets of truvia in place of the 3/4 c brown sugar.