Sunday Scripture

 

After a break for Easter Sunday, we're back to our regularly scheduled Sunday programming!  As regular readers know, I am using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus for Sunday Scripture posts. This book is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of April 7, but I will be working ahead of you readers.  So here goes!

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is further on in each week's section. But since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this week-at-a-glance checklist first.  [Maybe you would like to use this same checklist if you are following along with us.]

This checklist offers us four points;  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

This last point is one that I need to pay special attention to every week.  I think it would be so helpful.  For this week, my top three priorities are:

1) Ministry at my volunteer job -- preparing food and meals for a work crew; some laundry and cleaning there as well

2) Ministry to our church family -- cleaning the church, making signup sheet for Easter breakfast

3) Ministry to blog readers.

🌿 The first actual prompt for each week is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to journal about our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday, breaking it down into the suggested categories:

Fears: No real fears going into this week.

Joys: Looking forward to serving others with good food, to getting together with good friends on Tuesday and also o our Ladies of Grace meeting on Saturday.

Worries: I make a point of trying not to worry and so far don't have worries about this week.

Desires: That all that's said and done this week would bring glory to God.  That His people would be encouraged and blessed through our ministry.

Stressors: Looking back, I had a few concerns going into the week, but God took care of them before I got there.  And there was a stressor I didn't expect, involving small children in my workspace, but that was relatively short-lived.

🌿 The next prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ... fully aware of the challenges of this week, some of which I didn't learn about until a couple of days in.  But You are omniscient and know all about the challenges and stressors.  You are also omnipotent and are more than able to strengthen me, uphold me, and give me wisdom for everything I face.

* Lord, I feel ... a little bit discombobulated going into this day [Wednesday when I wrote this].  Not just sure why ... maybe due to a digestive upset from yesterday.  I slept well and am so thankful for that.

* Lord, help me with ... all of the challenges that I face this week ... dealing with little kids here in the Inn, just not my favorite.  Help me with wisdom that I need in encouraging friends here and my spiritual daughters as well, getting a Scripture post written, and "just everything" as one of my daughters used to say,

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when I fall into self-loathing, think or act before speaking, times when I stress about a situation rather than trusting You to work it out.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.  I listed a young couple with a new baby, an older friend in a challenging situation, a friend who is traveling internationally this week, and a seriously ill friend and her husband..

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, John 15:5, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]. I had actually studied John 15:5 back in 2022, so I will simply copy and paste,

S= "I am the vine, ye are the branches.  He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing."  (John 15:5)

O=  Jesus said that He was the vine and that His disciples were the branches.  We know from nature that the branches draw life and nourishment from the vine.  If their connection to the vine is broken in some way, they wither and die.  

If we abide in Jesus, and He abides in us, we will bring forth much fruit.  Bible scholar C.I. Scofield explains: "To abide in Christ is, on the one hand, to have no known sin unjudged and unconfessed, no interest into which He is not brought, no life which He cannot share.  On the other hand, the abiding one takes all burdens to Him, and draws all wisdom, life, and strength from Him."  He adds that this also means "that nothing is allowed in the life which separates from Him."

Jesus said that when we abide in Him and He in us, we will bring forth "much fruit".  Two cross-references are given for the word "fruit":

GALATIANS 5:22-23 -- "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law."

COLOSSIANS 3:12-17 -- "Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering,
"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
"And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.  
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful.  
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
"And whatever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him."

What wonderful fruit comes from abiding in Christ!

Then in John 15:5 Jesus adds, "For without Me ye can do nothing."  Several cross-references are given for "nothing":

2 CORINTHIANS 3:5 -- "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God."

PHILIPPIANS 4:13 -- "I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me."

A=  Lots to apply here.  I like what Scofield said about abiding in Christ meaning we have no known sin unjudged and unconfessed -- keeping short accounts with Him, in other words -- and that we should have no interest into which Jesus cannot be brought and no life which He cannot share.  And then there is the blessing whereby the abiding one can take all their burdens to Him and can draw all wisdom, life, and strength from Him.

And so, when this abiding is a reality in our lives, we bring forth much fruit.  Wonderful, amazing, supernatural fruit like love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, temperance, meekness, wisdom, forgiveness, and much, much more!

With Jesus, our lives can produce all of this and more.  Without Jesus, we can do nothing.  Our sufficiency is of Him, not ourselves, and we can do all things through Him as He strengthens us.

P= "Lord, again I am so thankful for Your Word and for all that it teaches us.  This verse in John 15 is surely one of the most precious statements in the Bible -- yet there are many more that fit that description.  I am thankful that when I abide in You and You in me, I will bring forth amazing, wonderful fruit -- fruit that will bless my own life, encourage others, and bring glory to You.  I pray that You will help me to abide in you daily, knowing that without You, I can do nothing.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

We were also to take a few minutes to answer three questions as we meditate on John 15:5.

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

He is the Vine.  Those who abide in Him are enabled to produce much fruit.

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.

I am a branch.  If I abide in Christ and allow Him to abide in me, I will bring forth. much fruit.

* Throughout the week, consider how this verse should affect the way you live.

To abide in the Vine I must be getting my strength from the Lord.  I must be in His Word and in prayer, so that our communication will be two-way.

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to you over the past week and list five things we are thankful for.  [If you are following along with us, be sure to make your own list of five things!]. Here is my list:

1) Getting to spend time with my young friend R. and her little ones

2) Getting to have our friend Jennifer and her children over for a meal and fellowship.

3) Getting to spend Sunday night at our cottage in the woods.

4) God's help in planning for ministry at TWNE.

5) God's provision of sufficient energy to clean the church on Saturday afternoon following a busy week.

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on REST. We were to think about what observing a Sabbath rest looks like, and to make a plan to intentionally rest this week.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

   My plan is for a relaxing evening on Saturday, and most likely a Sunday afternoon nap.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

Anything good I do is because I am connected to the Lord.

We can take this into the coming week and be so thankful for it!

Sunday Scripture for Easter 2025

 

Years ago (2014) I did a "Why Easter Matters" study from Good Morning Girls and have written only a few posts from that study -- one in 2014 , two in 2022, and one in 2024.  Since today is Easter Sunday, and since it really does matter tremendously to us, I felt it was important to take a break from our regular Sunday Scripture posts and share more of my study with you.  The Scripture passage to be SOAPed today is Romans 6:8 and 14, but for clarity I will also include verse 11-13.  It is from the third week of the Easter study.  The week is titled "Why the Resurrection Matters".

S= "Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him;

"Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

"Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in its lusts.

"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

"For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace."  (Romans 6:8, 11-14)

O= "If" in verse 8 " introduces a first class conditional statement which assumes the following is true and can be translated 'since' or 'in view of the fact that' (we have died with Christ)."

Wuest translates verse 8:" Now, in view of the fact that we died once for all with Christ, we believe that we shall also live by means of Him,".

John MacArthur writes: "The assurance that we shall also live with Him obviously applies to the believer’s ultimate and eternal presence with Christ in heaven. But the context, which focuses on holy living, strongly suggests that Paul is here speaking primarily about our living with Him in righteousness in this present life. In Greek, as in English, future tenses often carry the idea of certainty."

C.I. Scofield comments that we can be delivered from the power of indwelling sin: 

1) by union with Christ in death and resurrection; 

2) by counting oneself dead to the old life, and 

3) by yielding the new life to God.

In the Amplified Bible, verse 14 reads, "For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God's favor and mercy]"

We see here in verse 14 that sin need not have dominion over us, because we are not under the law, but under grace.

Charles Spurgeon writes in Faith's Checkbook: "Sin will reign if it can (READ THAT SENTENCE AGAIN!): it cannot be satisfied with any place below the throne of the heart. We sometimes fear that it will conquer us, and then we cry unto the Lord, 'Let not any iniquity have dominion over me. This is His comforting answer: 'Sin shall not have dominion over you. ' It may assail you and even wound you, but it shall never establish sovereignty over you. If we were under the law, our sin would gather strength and hold us under its power; for it is the punishment of sin that a man comes under the power of sin. "

" Grace is promised to us by which we are restored from our wanderings, cleansed from our impurities, and set free from the chains of habit ...  since we are the Lord's free men, we take courage to fight with our corruptions and temptations, being assured that sin shall never bring us under its sway again. God Himself giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

"Having by grace brought the Christian into the highest conceivable position, God ceaselessly works through grace to impart and perfect in him corresponding graces." -- Scofield

A= I need to consider myself as dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ.  I need to yield my new life to God as one who is alive from the dead (verses 11 and 13).  As God's new creation, I must not allow sin to have dominion or power over me.  I want to serve God, not sin.

I like what Spurgeon said: sin may assail me, it may even wound me, but as a believer it can never establish sovereignty over me.  Since I am no longer under the power of sin, I can take courage as he suggests, and fight against it with the assurance that it can never bring me fully under its sway again.  What a thing to celebrate on this Resurrection Day!

P= "Lord, I thank You for these powerful verses.  Help me to remember that You have made me alive in Christ -- and thus, I must see myself as dead to sin.  Help me to yield my life to You daily for Your use.  Help me to remember that sin need no longer have dominion over me, and that I am to serve You and not sin.  I praise You for all that You have done for me, and all that You will do, In Jesus' name, Amen."

Today, Mr. T and I would like to wish all of our friends a blessed and meaning-filled  day of celebrating Christ's resurrection.  "He is risen, as He said"!  (Matthew 28:7) 

Our Resurrection Day celebration will begin with a meaningful outdoor service and a bountiful breakfast with our church family.  

Later, we will enjoy a celebratory Easter dinner with our local daughter and her family.  We hope that all of you will have as lovely a day and that you will spend time pondering on what Christ's resurrection means for you personally.

Happy Easter!

Sunday Scripture

 

As I explained several weeks ago, I'm making some changes to  my Sunday Scripture posts ... stepping away from the study of Psalms for awhile.  This is something God has placed on my heart to do, and I hope others are finding it as helpful as I am.

I am using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus, which is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of March 31, but I will be working ahead of you readers.  So here goes!

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is further on in each week's section. But since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this week-at-a-glance checklist first.  [Maybe you would like to use this same checklist if you are following along with us.]

This checklist offers us four points;  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

This last point is one that I need to pay special attention to every week.  I think it would be so helpful.  For this week, my top three priorities are:

1) Comprehensive planning for ministry meals to be served next week.

2) Getting together with Jennifer and children.

3) Getting laundry caught up so we have clean clothes to pack for next week.

🌿 The first actual prompt for each week is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to journal about our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday, breaking it down into the suggested categories:

Fears: As I look over the week I don't see any fears -- unless maybe it's the "healthy" fear of missing something God has for me to do.

Joys: Joys of spending time with people I love.  Also the joy of spending time at home this week, and praying I can use that time wisely.

Worries: I make a point of trying not to worry and so far don't have worries about this week.

Desires: My main desire for this week is to live it well, for God's glory, and to use every moment as wisely as possible.

Stressors: Time constraints (trying to use every moment wisely, as mentioned above), and I guess also just the limitations and challenges of aging.

🌿 The next prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ... so good to give me another day to live for You and to serve You and Your people!  You are so wise to know what we need and so faithful to provide it.  You are so kind to allow us to serve You and even to equip us for doing so.

* Lord, I feel ... slightly overwhelmed, a little sad -- one dear old friend has been placed on hospice care, and another is in the hospital, very weak and frail.  There are also times when I feel a little bit "pushed" by my very helpful hubby.  I always feel inadequate for what I have to do, which in many ways is probably a good thing.

* Lord, help me with ... using my time wisely throughout this busy week.  Help me to be wise in my choices in all areas of life and consistent with my health goals.

* Lord, forgive me for ... times when I make poor choices especially in the areas of health.  Times when I become impatient with my husband as I really struggle with his hearing loss.

Make a note of four or five people you are praying for.  I listed two young couples (each with a new baby), a friend recovering from a major surgery, and a seriously ill friend and her husband, and friends whose young adult son has just died.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, Psalm 119:114, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]

S= "Thou art my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Thy Word." (Psalm 119:114)

O= The verse is pretty straightforward; the psalmist tells God:

• You are my hiding place.

• You are my shield.

• I hope in Your Word.

Cross-references for "hiding place" --  "Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance."  (Psalm 32:7)

"He who dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."  (Psalm 91:1)

Cross-reference for "shield" -- "But Thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head."  (Psalm 3:3)

Cross-reference for "hope" -- "They that fear Thee will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in Thy word."  (Psalm 119:74)

Charles Spurgeon wrote that this verse "testifies to that which the writer knew of his own personal knowledge; he could not fight with his own thoughts, or escape from them, till he flew to his God, and then he found deliverance. ... When we are beset by very spiritual assaults, such as those which arise out of vain thoughts, we shall do well to fly distinctly to the person of our Lord, and to cast ourselves upon His real presence.  Happy is he who can truly say to the triune God, 'Thou art my hiding place'."

Concerning the thought of God as the believer's shield, Thomas Manton (quoted by Spurgeon in The Treasury of David) wrote:"The excellency and properties of a shield lie in these things: 1) In the largeness and breadth of it, in that it hides and covers the person that weareth it from all darts that are flung at him, so as they cannot reach him (Ps.5:12); 2) The excellence of a shield lies in that it is hard and impenetrable.  So this answers to the invincible power of God's providence, by which He can break the assaults of all enemies: and such a shield is God to His people (Ps.144:2).  3) Shall I add one thing more?  Stone and darts flung upon a hard shield are beaten back upon him that flings them; so God beats back the evil upon His enemies and the enemies of His people (Psalm 59:11)." 

  I highly recommend you look up the verses in Psalms that Manton references here.  I think it will be very encouraging to  you!

 A= To help with my application for this verse, I did the assignments suggested in Fix Your Focus for Psalm 119:114.

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

He is the believer's hiding place.  He is the believer's shield.  He is the living Word and has given us His written Word which we can rest our hope upon.  

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.

I am in need of a hiding place, a refuge from the storms of life.  I'm in need of God's protection.  I'm in need of hope and I can find it in God's Word.

* Throughout the week, consider how these verses should affect the way you live.

In a hostile world it's such a blessing to have the the eternal God as my refuge.  Knowing that He is my shield is a comfort and enables me to walk confidently in Him.  I must get to know God's Word well so that I can inevitably find hope in it.  There is so much involved in our hope, to the least of which is the fact that it is a surety.  I must be reading and studying in God's Word every day,

P= Lord, I am so thankful that You are my hiding place.  There have been times in my life when I have felt threatened and it has been a huge blessing and comfort to know that I could take refuge in You.  Fiery darts, both from Satan and in the words and attitudes of others, were deflected by You as my shield.  I praise and thank you so much for these truths and that You allowed me to experience them in very real ways in situations that were incredibly hard.  I thank You for the hope and surety of Your Word and that I am blessed to own multiple copies of the Bible in my own language.  I don't take this lightly.  I pray that You will help me as I read and study Your Word daily, and I thank You for the privilege of doing so, in Jesus' name, Amen."

🌿 GRATITUDE is the next prompt.  We were to reflect on the way God has shown His faithfulness to you over the past week and list five things we are thankful for.  [If you are following along with us, be sure to make your own list of five things!]. Here is my list:

1) Another run of maple sap allowing for the production of more syrup for our family's use.

2) The fun of getting to watch grandchildren collect the sap from our trees during a snowstorm.

3) A day and a half at my volunteer job -- and the exact right amount of time and energy to do the tasks I needed to.

4) Safe travel to church on Sunday when the roads were iffy and most people stayed home.

5) God's provision of some clothing items and sneakers that I needed, via thrift store and good sales.

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next prompt, and this week there's an emphasis on SERVING. We were to think about spiritual resources that we have available to us (time, finances, prayer, etc.) and to consider how we could serve someone in need this week.  [And again, if you are following along, please think about this for yourself.]

    I spent time on Monday with my young friend R. who has asked for help with her spiritual growth.  Working through and discussing Fix Your Focus is part of how we are doing this.  My hubby used his time and energy to divert her toddler.

On Tuesday we served our friend Jennifer and her little boys with a breakfast snack at our home after an appointment.  I believe setting a welcoming table and carefully planning the food can be a special ministry to others -- although impromptu hospitality is serving too and can be every bit as delightful.

We also served a young family with a newborn by providing a meal, and will serve our church family as we clean the church.

🌿 Lastly is a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION: 

All my hope is in the Lord.  He faithfully keeps His Word.

We can all take this into the coming week and be so thankful for it!

Well seasoned Hodgepodge

 

Making time from my volunteer duties  to join in with Joyce and the gang for the Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond. Joyce writes the questions, bloggers provide the answers! Here we go ...

1. What's a lesson you've learned from a mistake? 

Oh, many,  many lessons learned from many mistakes!  Probably one of the biggest is not to delegate important tasks unless I'm 100% sure the person is ready for that responsibility.  Having to redo things, apologize for the way things were done,  or to undo damage done by others handling a task irresponsibly has taught me that.

2. Do you salt food while you're cooking or let diners add their own?  What's a food you think must be salted? Do you like pepper?

 I usually use the amount of salt that a recipe calls for -- and I've found that some recipes omit salt when really, a little bit should be added.  Sometimes brownie recipes or other chocolate recipes don't call for salt, but I think 1/4 teaspoon or so is usually necessary.

We don't ordinarily keep salt and pepper on our table, but I try to remember to put it out when we have guests.  

A food I think must be salted -- fries, chips for sure.  Some veggies.  Eggs need both salt and pepper, in my book.  

Yes, I love pepper.

3. What was the last gathering you attended and what did you do there? 

Does church count as a gathering?  If so, then last Sunday and I spent time worshiping God in community with others and learning from His Word.  If it doesn't count, then I guess the last gathering might have been our March Ladies of Grace meeting.  We chatted, visited, enjoyed coffee, tea, and some amazing maple blueberry scones, had a devotional discussion, shared prayer requests and prayed together.

4. Your favorite shade of purple? What's your favorite purple flower? 

My favorite shade of purple is probably tending toward a dark lavender.  My favorite purple flower is the humble spring violet.  One of the sweetest things about the violet, to me, is that it will bloom beautifully even in the most surprising, inhospitable places like the edge of a gravel road.  A perfect illustration of blooming where one is planted.

5. Share a favorite spring travel memory. 

A visit to south central Idaho one April.  It was different, so different from New England or even from other parts of Idaho.  Springs gushing out of hillsides, brown pelicans floating down a river, flowering trees in spring bloom.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We had a wonderful time with friends yesterday on our way here to our volunteer jobs.  We met up with them and did some thrift shopping, then visited a vintage home goods store/antique mall.  They then treated us to lunch before we headed out for our time here.  What a blessing it is to have good friends who encourage us in the Lord every time we are together!

For National Coffee Cake Day ...

 

Photo is from Faithfully Gluten Free

 
Yes, who knew?  Yesterday, April 7, was apparently National Coffee Cake Day!   

It's a neat fact to know because we love coffeecake in this house and would be happy for a reason to celebrate. 

One practice I've been developing in recent years is the technique of turning muffin recipes into coffee cakes.  Muffins are great and we do enjoy them, but as I age I am finding it more and more trouble to spoon batter into tins or paper muffin cups.  Inevitably there are spills on the rims of the tins which need to be wiped off or they will burn.  

So I've begun working on ways to adapt muffins to coffeecakes.  Sometimes it can be done with no changes at all to the recipe proportions; other times the quantities need to be increased or at least tweaked a bit.

Years ago in Nevada we greatly enjoyed some maple apple muffins we trted at a favorite coffee shop,  We learned that these muffins were not baked in-house, but had been purchased at Costco,  One year we even bought a dozen to take home with us and a plastic box to carry them in so they could be safely stashed under the seat in the airplane.

After a bit of searching I found a muffin recipe on AllRecipes.com that tasted very much like our old favorite, and I baked them fairly often.  

Recently I got to wondering if I could turn this maple apple muffin recipe into a coffeecake.  My hubby, fast becoming the resident baker, was game to try.  This is what we ended up with:

Maple Drizzled Apple Coffeecake

1 3/4 cups flour (a bit more if you think it needs it)

1 1/3 cup quick oats

1 cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder 

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup melted butter

1/3 cup maple syrup 

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 1/2 cups chopped peeled apples 

Chopped pecans if desired

Glaze:

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

2 1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup 

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  In a small bowl, mix milk, butter, syrup, and eggs; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fold in apples.  Spread batter in a greased 13 x 9 pan; sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.  Bake at 375º for 45 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack.  When completely cooled, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle over the coffee cake.

We did add the additional 1/4 cup flour as we thought it needed it.  However, the coffee cake was a bit crumbly, so maybe another time we would add only 2 additional tablespoons.

The coffeecake might not be quite as yummy as the original muffins, but it is tasty and we have even brought it along for coffee breaks this week for the volunteer work crew!

So Happy National Coffee Cake Day to you all!  If you'd like to celebrate, even a day or two late, this just might be your recipe.

Sunday Scripture

 

As I explained a couple of weeks ago, I'm shifting gears on my Sunday Scripture posts ... stepping away from the study of Psalms for awhile.  This is something God has placed on my heart to do, and I anticipate it being helpful to many of you, as well as to me.

I am using the Daily Grace Co. book Fix Your Focus, which is really not a Bible study as such, but more of a guide to help you fix your focus on God, His Word, prayer, gratitude, and spiritual growth, every week for 52 weeks.  I encourage you to follow along with us as we journal, look at Scripture, pray, and face the challenges of our weeks with our focus on Him.

This week's lesson was actually done by me the week of March 24, but I am staying ahead of you readers.  So here goes!

🌿 The first prompt is JOURNAL.  We are encouraged to take a few minutes to journal about our fears, joys, worries, desires and stressors concerning the week ahead.  [If you are following along with us, take a moment in a journal or notebook to do just that.]. Here's what I wrote on Monday:

"I'm really tired today.  Last week, Monday through Sunday, was one of the most intense weeks of ministry I can remember.  Yesterday after church there were many things I had hoped to tackle, but I ended up taking a nap instead. 

"It looks like a somewhat busy week ahead, but less so than last week.  Today, though, I feel exhausted.  I think it has to do with working very hard at my volunteer job last week, then hurrying home to clean the church on Saturday and then a super busy Sunday.

The plan had been for us to return to the Inn for Tuesday and Wednesday, possibly into Thursday.  Mr. T would be building and painting, I would be cleaning.  I feel so terrible today that I know I won't be going on Tuesday.  I am sad about this, but it can't be helped."

🌿 The second prompt is PRAYER. It was suggested that we use several prayer prompts to have a conversation with God about the week ahead.  [You can do the same.  Use the very same prompts for your own prayer.]

* Lord, You are ...  aware of how I feel and what needs to be done this week.  You not only know all about it, but you're in full control of every circumstance.  You are able to work in and through these difficulties.

* Lord, I feel ... disappointed that I likely won't be able to go along and work tomorrow.  I feel, actually, physically miserable.

* Lord, help me with ... these physical issues.  I know You are able to bring healing to them.  Help me also to see Your sovereign hand over my circumstances.

* Lord, forgive me for ...times when my attitudes are not pleasing to you.  And for times when my faith is small and I don't take Your sovereignty into account.  

* Here we were also to make a note of 4 to 5 people we are praying for.  I listed two young couples, a housing need for one of them,  a grieving mom, and a friend who just had surgery.

🌿 The next section in this helpful guide is SCRIPTURE MEDITATION.  I chose to first meditate on this week's Scripture, 1 Peter 5:6-7, using the SOAP method, and then answered several suggested questions.   [You can use your own preferred method to meditate on this verse, and answer the questions below for yourself.]

S= "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 

'Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you."  (1 Peter 5:6-7)

O= Verses 1-9 of 1 Peter 5 are titled by C.I. Scofield, "Christian Service in the Light of the Coming of the Lord."

 I am interested in that "therefore". (Whenever we see this word, it's a good idea to stop and ask ourselves what it is "there for".  After awhile, this question springs to mind almost automatically.)   In this case, it must allude back to verse 5, just before it: 

"In like manner ye younger submit yourselves unto the elder.  Yea, every one of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."  (1 Peter 5:5)

So in light of the fact that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble, we are to humble ourselves under His mighty hand!

If we look at that word "resisteth" we learn that it is the Greek ANTITASSO -- a military term meaning] "to range in battle against" which pictures an army arrayed against enemy forces. This word is in the present tense which signifies that this is God's continual attitude toward the proud.

One writer said, "This fact alone should be enough to cause us to run for cover from the sin of pride!"

Cross-references for "humble yourselves" (v.6) -- "For thus saith the high and lofty One who inhabiteth eternity, whose. name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isaiah 57:15)

Spurgeon wrote, "he that humbles himself under the hand of God shall not fail to be enriched, uplifted, sustained, and comforted by the ever-gracious One. It is a habit of Jehovah to cast down the proud and lift up the lowly."

"But He giveth more grace.  Wherefore He said, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."  (James 4:6)

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up."  (James 4:10)

In the phrase "that He may exalt you in due time" Peter is giving us the end result of humbling oneself before God: that He may exalt, or lift up the humble one in His time.     Someone has written that God "will cause us to rise spiritually and we will placed on a higher spiritual plane when we humble ourselves before Him".    

In the Amplified Bible, verse 7 reads: "Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully."

Cross-references for "casting all your care upon Him" (v.7) -- "Commit thy way unto the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."  (Psalm 37:5)

"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."  (Psalm 55:22)

"Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.  Is not the life more than food, and the body than raiment?"  (Matthew 6:25)

"But I am poor and needy, yet the LORD thinketh upon me.  Thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God."  (Psalm 40:17)

The Amplified Bible reads, "Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. "

"He careth for you."  This is why we can cast all of our burdens and anxieties upon the Lord -- because He cares for us!  "Cares" is the Greek verb MELO which means to be interested in, to show watchful care and affection or to show concern for.   It is in the present tense which indicates that God cares for us continually.

A= To help with my application for this verse, I did the assignments suggested in Fix Your Focus for 1 Peter 5:6-7.

* Reflect on what this verse tells you about who God is.

His hand is mighty.  He wants me to humble myself under His mighty hand.  He will exalt humble believers in His timing. He cares for me.

* Think about what this verse tells you about who you are.  

I am in need of humility..  I will be exalted by God in His time.  I am cared for by God.

* Throughout this week, consider how this verse should affect the way you live.

I am to live life in humble submission to God and toward His Word.  Because God cares for me, I am to cast all of my care on Him.

F.B. Meyer wrote, "Let us trust Him. Tongue cannot tell the completeness, the delicacy, the tender thoughtfulness of the care that will gather and shelter us,"

P= "Lord, I am so thankful that You care for me  so tenderly and that I can unhesitatingly cast every bit of my care and anxiety on You.  I pray that You will help me to live each moment of life in humble submission to You.  I thank You for providing the health and strength to serveYou this week.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

🌿 The next prompt is for GRATITUDE.  We were encouraged to reflect on the ways God has shown His faithfulness to us over the last week, and then to list 5 things we are thankful for.  So, you who are reading along, do the same!

Here is my list:

* God allowing me some time at home this week.

* God arranging time for me to rest.  

* God's healing hand for a physical issue.

* Phone chats with my two spiritual daughters and one of my actual daughters.

* Strength to accomplish the tasks on my plate this week at my volunteer job.

🌿 SPIRITUAL GROWTH is the next thing to consider.  As I mentioned earlier, there are four different aspects of this that we will be rotating through.  The one for this week is FELLOWSHIP.

For this prompt, we were encouraged to plan a time of fellowship with friends this week.  Back at the beginning when each spiritual growth aspect was discussed, we were reminded that fellowship could look like meeting up for coffee, a dinner shared in your home, or a phone call with a friend.  [If you are one of my Sunday Scripture readers, please consider this challenge for yourself!]. Here is my plan:

My fellowship this week was mostly by phone.  But I have made plans for a time of fellowship with a friend this Tuesday and another set of friends the following Tuesday.

🌿 WEEK-AT-A-GLANCE CHECKLIST is next.  It offers us four points.  

* To make a plan for reading our Bibles and praying.

* To add any upcoming events to our calendars.

* To jot down a to-do list of tasks that must be completed this week.

* To make a note of our top three priorities for this week.

My top three priorities for this week: 

• Ministry to church family (cleaning church, discipleship)

• Ministry at TWNE (cleaning; work on general store labeling/pricing; working ahead on meals for April)

• Ministry to blog readers

Since I am working on Fix Your Focus all week long, I find it works best for me to do this week-at-a-glance checklist first.

Lastly is 🌿 a GOSPEL-CENTERED AFFIRMATION to take with us through the week.  This week it was: "I humbly yield my plans to God's will."  Short and easy to remember -- but not so easy to do!

And there is our fourth Sunday Scripture using Fix Your Focus.  I hope all of my readers are finding this an encouragement!

Some goals for April

 

How did it get to be April already?  Chatting with my Nevada daughter yesterday as a multitude of red-winged blackbirds vocalized in her neighborhood, we marveled that the year 2025 is already 1/4 over.  Yet we lived each day!  And now it's time to set from goals for the new month:

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week
* Get together with my friend Jennifer and her children
* Continue meeting with my young friend R. for discipleship
* Possibly have some of our younger friends over for a meal and fellowship
* Post in this blog as often as possible 
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones
* Continue reading through the One-Year Chronological Bible
*  Continue with the book Fix Your Focus for my Sunday Scripture series
* Continue studying and preparing for my ladies' Sunday School class -- to start in a few weeks
* Continue through the wonderful Daily Grace Co. study of Habakkuk, Even If (this is intended to be a 3-week study; it has taken me months since I only work on it on Saturdays)
* Continue the 40-day devotional The 40-Day Feast, which I will finish this month
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Get together with dear friends for lunch and a bit of shopping next week
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Fine-tune menus and continue with food preparation for a ministry opportunity next week
* Enjoy an Easter breakfast and services with our church family
* Celebrate 3 birthdays with our local loved ones
* Plan, prepare and enjoy an Easter dinner with family
* Attend a fundraising banquet for our local pregnancy center
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating
* Get back to memorizing the book of James
* Continue to help a widowed friend with the challenges of life in general
* Get to bed by 8:30 each night we are at home
* Drink enough water each day
* Continue with the habit of getting outdoors for the morning light
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week

HEALTHY HABITS FOR APRIL:  Drink more water/get more sleep/exercise daily/intermittent fasting/limit carbs/get morning light

And that is more than enough to keep me out of trouble this month!