Come, Buy, Eat

I know that many of you will still be full after Thanksgiving - and not inclined to think of food right now. However, I was reminded of this wonderful verse in Isaiah 55:1

"Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money,

Come, buy and eat. 

Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price

Take note that the word "come" is mentioned 3 times - we who are thirsty for God must come to Him and keep on coming! We need to:

• Come: If you are hungry, you will remain so if you just stay in your house. Even if you live next door to a supermarket, you will die of hunger unless you get up and go to the store.

• Buy: Once you get to the store, you will still die of hunger unless you buy the food that is available. Might I remind you that the food and drink we seek is free - it is "without money and without price."

• Eat: Once again, the food you buy will do you no good unless you eat it. Our Father has laid a banqueting table for us, and we need to eat of His wonderful supply. It is interesting to see that He calls us to eat. The invitation is to the thirsty, and only 3 drinks are offered in this chapter - water wine and milk.

May I suggest that His drinks are the full nourishment for any hungry or thirsty soul -

Water - for the spirit of man. He refreshes us with the water of the Word

Wine - for the soul of man. Wine changes your perspective and calms your soul

Milk - for the body. Milk is the perfect food and nourishment for all, from babies to the elderly. Milk strengths us to our bones!



Once again, we are presented with God's supernatural supply in this verse. Have you noticed how often the Lord talks to us about food. This is one of my favorites. The price has been paid for us to have all we need to live and flourish.

Pavlova

I made this one - it has chocolate shavings

So many people want the recipe for Pavlova once they have tasted it. So...here is an easy recipe for this New Zealand dessert. So long as you acknowledge that Pavlova was invented in New Zealand (NOT Australia!) we will remain friends forever.


Pavlova Recipe

Ingredients:

4 egg whites (use 5 eggs if they are small) 

1 cup of sugar 

2 Tablespoons cornstarch 

1 tspoon white vinegar

1 tspoon vanilla 

3/4 Pint of heavy whipping cream. You may need a little more - see below. You should probably sweeten the cream how you like it with a little vanilla essence, sugar (or powdered sugar). 

Any amount of:

Strawberries

Kiwifruit

Blueberries

(Any other colorful berries that you like)

Shavings of chocolate if you love chocolate (who doesn't?)

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 250 F or 110 C

2. Prepare the oven tray (flat surface) by covering with aluminum foil (or a baking mat) and spray with a cooking spray (Pam). 

3. Beat the egg whites until stiff/dry. Make sure that you have no trace of yolk in the whites - Pavlova will not work with even the smallest amount of yolk mixed in. Room temperature eggs are easier to beat.

4. Slowly pour in the sugar while you continue beating. Keep beating until the sugar is dissolved. You can feel or taste the grains of sugar if they are not dissolved.

5. Slowly mix in cornstarch, vanilla, and vinegar (it is the vinegar that makes the Pavlova soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside).

6. Pile the stiff mixture onto the foil and form into the shape you want to see in the end. (See the picture to the right) Once in the oven, the Pavlova will expand and then shrink down a little. The best shape is a round, 4 inch high cake-like shape. Use your spatula to form the mixture into this shape.

7. Place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, then turn off the oven. Under no circumstances should you open the oven and take a peak!!! The Pavlova will collapse!

8.  Leave the Pavlova in the oven until it is cool.

9. Once cool, carefully remove the foil from the bottom of the Pavlova and place it on a flat plate. Cover with cream (any cracks can be covered and no one will know!) You can either put the cream on the top, or if you have cracking, feel free to cover the whole thing with cream (you might need a little extra cream if you are covering the whole thing.)

10. Now you are ready to decorate the Pavlova with your fruit. Sprinkle chocolate if you like, or just keep to the fruit.

This Pavlova was made using a spring-form pan lined with parchment paper. Mine never end up this perfectly and high...but I bet it is fabulous. It looks like this one was made with 6 egg whites. The cream has also been piped onto the top

Now check out this one with raspberry and chocolate swirls. Yum! This chef was unconcerned about the cracks - it tastes so good that it really doesn't matter:

My Pavs usually look something like this:

...someone here has gone all out!

The best thing is to let your creative skills shine. The Pav. is a very light dessert and tastes so good - Don't hold back on your decorating.

Here is a side view of the typical thickness of your finished Pav.


Now you are officially an honorary New Zealander, and can refer to your Pavlova as a "Pav" just like the best of all Kiwis.

Voila! The Pavlova - named after Anna Pavlova - a Russian ballet dancer who visited New Zealand and Australia in the 1920's.

It is VERY important for you to know that Pavlova was invented in New Zealand and NOT Australia. Wars have been known to start over lesser things!!


Here is my High Altitude recipe: Pavlova - High Altitude

Thanksgiving 2012

We know that there is so much in the Old Testament about giving thanks to God. The New Testament however, is filled with calls to give thanks to God. Here are a few thoughts on our continual sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving that is due to Him:

With Jesus' help,

let us continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God

by proclaiming the glory of his name.

Heb. 13:15 (NLT)

We give thanks to God for the fellowship of the table – Matt. 15:36; 26:27; 1Cor. 11:24

We give thanks to God when He heals us – Luke 17:16

We give thanks to God who gives us victory through Christ – 1Cor. 15:57

We give thanks to God for causing us to triumph – 2Cor. 2:14

We give thanks to God for blessing and prospering us – 2Cor. 9:11

We give thanks to God for the indescribable gift of Christ – 2Cor. 9:15

We give thanks to God for one another – Eph. 1:16; Phil. 1:3

We give thanks to God for all things – Eph. 5:20

We give thanks to God as we pray – Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2

We give thanks to God for the inheritance He has given us – Col. 1:12

We give thanks to God for our faith – Col. 2:7

We give thanks to God for everything – 1Thess. 5:16; 18

We give thanks to His name – Heb. 13:15

We give thanks to God forever – Rev. 7:11-12

Family days like Thanksgiving can be difficult for some. I urge you to rest in the Lord and be thankful to Him as you let Him know the fears and difficulties that face you today.

Don't fret or worry.

Instead of worrying, pray.

Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers,

letting God know your concerns.

Phil. 4:6 (Message)

It's not happy people who are thankful -
it is thankful people who are happy
- Ann Voskamp -

Happy Thanksgiving to all

Humility

True humility is one of the greatest foundations of our faith - it is something that we must look for in our hearts as long as we live. We never "arrive" at humility - it is a life-long quest. If we want to be like Jesus, we will seek this great virtue with all our hearts.

He who merits praise he never receives

is better off than he who receives praise he never merits

(Anon)

One of the marks of the Church must be true humility. We are to be like Jesus who humbled Himself and was obedient even to death (Phil. 2:8). Just think, the Lord of the universe lived among us as a man. He modeled the most heavenly form of leadership: the humility of servanthood, and He calls us to the same.

Humility doesn't just appear in our hearts - it is something we have to do ourselves. He calls us to humble ourselves: 

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor (also 1Pet. 5:6)

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man;

true nobility is being superior to your former self

- Ernest Hemingway -

Humility is not thinking less of yourself;
but thinking of yourself less
- C.S. Lewis - 

He stands erect by bending over the fallen.

He rises by lifting others

- Robert G. Ingersoll -

If you plan to build a tall house of virtues,

you must first lay deep foundations of humility

- Augustine -

Humility is the mother of giants.

One sees great things from the valley,

only small things from the peak

- G.K. Chesterton -

Under His Wings

Our Father delights in taking us higher on His wings - or hiding us under His wings. Here are some verses to meditate on: 

God - The Father - lifts us on the mother eagle's wings: Exodus 19:4 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself

He lifts us up in the days where we are in the wilderness and cannot find our way. He gives us strength to go on - running and not getting weary, walking and not fainting (Is. 40:31)

God - The Son - gathers us and protects us like a mother hen: Matt. 23:37 How often I've ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn't let me (Message)

Hens are not as majestic as eagles, but they love their babies and protect them all - there is always room for one more! He keeps us as the apple of His eye - the ones who are protected at all costs

God - The Holy Spirit broods over the earth like a Dove and brings forth life: Gen. 1:2 Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss
Matt. 3:16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him (ESV)

So...the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are expressed among us as a female bird. This is an expression of His Father and Mother heart to us. He protects, hides, feed, heals and comforts us under His wings. We can run to this place of His favor at any time and can find Him faithful to deliver us from all fear and harm.

This is the place where we can hear his song over us, and where we can find our own song once again: Psalm 63:7 (NLT) I think how much you have helped me; I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings.

Come - run quickly to this place of prayer - the secret place of His presence. Take note - this is a place to dwell - to remain and abide: Ps. 91:1-4  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.

He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

(NLT) v4 He will shield you with his wings. He will shelter you with his feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Look at these babies - they don't have a care in the world as they are protected under the wings of their mothers and fathers. They are the objects of total devotion!

God uses every means He can to reveal the depths of His love for us. These birds are simply one picture of His overwhelming grace. He has placed an example of His love in these beautiful creatures who love so completely.

More on God's wings: HERE