Amish Friendship Bread

Today was my day to bake. On Wednesdays, I make the desserts for FBC Cafe. Today I made chocolate chip cookies. My friend Michele Green gave me a starter for Amish Friendship Bread, so I decided to go ahead and bake that, as well. This recipe requires some persistence, because each day for ten days there is something that must be done to the starter to prepare it for its final end product, bread batter. In the process of making the batter, you have to divide a portion of it to make starters for other friends, hence the name.



The idea is intriguing: Before you make the bread, you set aside a portion for someone else. Sound familiar? It is like giving a portion of what we've received to the Lord. The beauty of this bread, and how it further illustrates giving to the Lord (or tithing) is that you start with a small portion of what you've been given and this small portion multiplies and benefits others. What Michele gave me benefits me and my family, and three other families that I will give starters to. We give a portion of what God has given to us, and others receive the benefit of this. Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."



I certainly welcome God's outpouring. To receive it, though, I have to give generously. I could keep all of my Friendship Bread starters for myself, and I would have more bread than I need. But, I don't want to hoard the blessing. I want to pass it along. I would much rather be a conduit of God's blessings than a hoarder of blessings only for myself. It is truly better to give than to receive.

I hope that you'll allow God to use you to bless others. Who wants a slice of Friendship Bread?

Blessings and peace to you,

Jennifer

Newsletter coming soon!

I had the privilege of working on articles for our upcoming newsletter last night. I am so excited by the prospect of our women's ministry having a presence on the world wide web and with having a newsletter to keep everyone informed as to what is going on! I have to say, I feel that this whole media thing is challenging to me, but I feel that it is going to be a good thing for me--to be challenged, I mean. If you check out my profile, you'll notice that I am following several other blogs. What is difficult is figuring out all the gadgets and gizmos that go with this whole thing. I enjoy reading the posts of all the creative ladies out there, and am so impressed with what they are producing with their blogs and websites.

Stay tuned to see what is coming up!

Blessings and peace,

Jennifer

Ladies' Night Out

Our next Ladies' Night Out will be Thursday, May 14 at 5:30-9:00 (come and go) at Valencia Day Spa. Valencia Day Spa is located at 7600 Stonebrook Pkwy, Suite 200 in Frisco, Texas. The cost will be $60 for a 30 minute facial and 30 minute massage, which is an excellent price. This would make a nice Mother's Day gift or treat! Please let me know if you plan to come.

Blessings and peace,

Jennifer

Our High and Holy Calling

Do you view your work as a high and holy calling? You should! No matter what the roles are that you are called to fill, your work should be viewed as sacred--as set apart for God. Oftentimes, the work that women do is de-valued by the world. For example, the work that is traditionally filled by women tends to be paid poorly. Some examples of this would be child care, domestic work, or education. Surely, these jobs are highly valued, for they are the backbone of our society! Perhaps they are not valued by the world, but they are certainly valued by God.

God values the contributions of women because He has created them with dignity and purpose. Genesis 1:27 declares that God created men and women in His own image. Nothing is created without purpose, thus, God has created each and every one of us with purpose. Ultimately, we are all created for God's glory. If I am given the tasks of being a wife and mother, then I am to set about glorifying God in these tasks. For me personally, I am setting out to be the type of wife and mother described in Proverbs 31:10-31, a woman who brings her husband good and not harm, who works hard, and who manages her household affairs well. I hope that my children will declare to others that I am blessed, just as God's Word says in Proverbs 31:28.

Be blessed in your work today, and remember to give glory to God in all that you do.

Blessings and peace to you,

Jennifer

New Ladies' Bible Study on Sunday Mornings at 9:00 am

Beginning the first Sunday in May, the 9 AM women's Bible Study group will begin to examine topics pertaining to the Bible and Science including;

The Big Bang Theory, Darwinism, Creationism, Intelligent Design, and Dinosaurs. All from a Biblical World View. We will learn how to defend our faith from those who use certain scientific 'Theories' to deny the deity of Christ. Also, we will see how the ultimate creator, and fine scientist, our Lord wrote scientific facts into the Bible... and some of these are just being proved by modern science! For example, until the time of Christopher Columbus, most people assumed the Earth was flat... well the Bible states in Isaiah 40:22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
cool!!!

Any way, please feel free to join us in this interesting study. I (Bethan) will be leading it, and I am an Earth Scientist by trade... so this has been a very exciting, interesting, and challenging study to put together.

Bethan

True Woman Manifesto

Today was an interesting day. Wednesdays are my one day to get errands run and doctors appointments managed without the children. On my way to an appointment, I had the opportunity to listen to the radio program "Revive Our Hearts" with Nancy Lee DeMoss and Holly Elliff. They were discussing how the role of mothers has been devalued in our society, progressively and due to the feminist movement. What really got me hooked was something that Ms. Elliff related:

"Ann Crittendon says this. She was a feminist author/publicist who decided to have children. She said the first thing that surprised her was how creative she had to be, what a huge task it was, and how demanding it was. This was a woman who had spent her life in the secular world, in the workforce, and she was appalled at what was required of her to be a mother to her kids. She says:
'The second surprise came when I realized how little my former world seemed to understand or care about the complex reality I was discovering. The dominant culture of which I had been part considered child rearing unskilled labor if it considered child rearing at all. No one was stating the obvious.
If human abilities are the ultimate fount of economic progress, as many economists now agree, and if those abilities are nurtured or stunted in the early years, then mothers and other caregivers of the young are the most important producers in the economy. They do have literally the most important job in the world.' "(emphasis added)

As a stay-home mom and part-time mother's day out teacher, I can tell you that mothering is important and that children are valuable. Certainly, I believe that God is the Giver and Sustainer of life; therefore, if He entrusts my children's lives to me, He values my service as a mother. How grateful I am that God gives me the opportunity to be a parent. I do not take this for granted--ever. It is humbling, also, to realize that God has entrusted me with children and expects me to serve them, just as though I am serving Him!

I sought out the radio program on the internet when I got home. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Ms. De Moss has also begun a True Woman Movement, designed to counter the feminist, anti-God movement. I also signed the True Woman Manifesto, and encourage you to do the same. Go to www.truewoman.com or www.reviveourhearts.com for more information. You can listen to the "Revive Our Hearts" Program and listen to some of the messages from the 2008 True Woman Conference.

Blessings and joy,

Jennifer

Show Me You Love Me, Lord

On Monday, I asked God to show me that He loved me. On Tuesday, I felt His love. It covered me in a warm embrace and I have sensed it everyday this week since. I felt God's love on Tuesday in the smiles and laughter of the little children that I teach at MDO. In a busy, busy week, God has showered me with affection through the blessings of fellowship with others, through unexpected blessings, through mercy and provision, and through the opportunity to serve Him. Yes, I did say that God showed me His love through my service to Him.

I am constantly in awe that the Creator of the Universe would allow me, an imperfect, hot-tempered gal, to serve Him. God knows what I struggle with. He knows when I am disobedient and hard-headed and, yet, He loves me still. And, He allows me to represent Him in service when I have no right to. He lets me love on little children and minister to parents. He lets me be a shoulder for a hurting woman to cry on. He lets me read His Word with understanding, and then He lets me--Me!--teach His Word to others. Best of all, He lets me serve Him moment by moment as a stay-home Mom.

And, as if this were not enough, the Most High God gives me so much: Four beautiful, healthy children. A husband who loves and supports me and who does an excellent imitation of Grover from Sesame Street. Great parents. A pretty cool brother, who happens to be married to the sweetest lady. Nephews and a niece. Friends--oh, my goodness--such wonderful friends! God has blessed me with health and talent, and a love for others that can only come from Him. There is no way that I am capable of loving people the way that I do without Him. I could write a book about all of the things that I am thankful for. Suffice it to say, that God is far better to me than I deserve. Thank you, Lord.

Driving home from Rocket Car Challenge at church this evening, I felt God's love again. It had been a great day, and the sun was shining gloriously. Every person I passed smiled at me as I drove the streets on the way home. That in itself is a rare thing. I knew that those smiles were from God!

Blessings and peace to you,

Jennifer

Psalm 147:1: "Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!"