Tasty Bites: Cream Cheese Caramel Apple Dip

By Beth V

I was asked to provide refreshments recently for our women’s Bible study group. I was feeling all fall-ish and went on a hunt for some fall-oriented recipes. I found this delicious caramel apple dip at the Whimsy Love blog. The author hosts a monthly craft night where she also provides a spread of delicious goodies. She creates all sorts of fun and whimsical recipes and craft ideas as well as inspiration on displaying the yummy goodies. Check it out sometime.

This delicious recipe starts with four simple ingredients: cream cheese, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla. That’s it! The dip turns out very caramel-y and is a perfect companion for crispy fall apples.

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God Says... "He is able to bless you abundantly."

By Peter Pollock

I say I have faith that God will provide, but only when it’s easy.

Somehow, Ginny has managed to pick the topics which are by far the most personal and hardest for me to write on

The text that Ginny suggested I use is 2 Corinthians 9:8:

"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

Now, to me, that verse has always spoken about material needs. God will give us all the money and all the materials we need to do whatever it is he calls us to do.

That’s AWESOME – and I totally believe it, with all my heart.

Ginny pointing me to this verse though and suggesting that I write about us saying “I'm not able” and God replying “I AM able” has made me see this verse in a new light.

If God is able to bless us abundantly in all things… then he must be able to bless us abundantly in ALL things, not just material things.

In other words, God is saying I can give YOU the tools YOU need physically, emotionally and mentally to do what I’ve called you to do.

WHOA!

There’s a part of me that can believe that but at the same time, it’s so much harder to trust God for.

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This is My Father's World

By Pat

From the time we are born until the time we die, at some point or another, we all have the "that's mine" mentality. Just watch children playing, and count how many times you hear the term "that's mine" either said, yelled or cried. We intervene. We tell they have to share; we remind them that's what God would want them to do. But do we sometimes need that same reminder?

In the Old Testament, the people fought constantly over their land, their countries. "It's mine!" Territories were guarded closely, and those who attempted to encroach upon another group's territory often found themselves asked to leave-and not so politely, either. Seems like things haven't really changed all that much, have they?

I intensely dislike, when navigating through an automated phone system, having to press a certain number to continue in English. Sheesh! It's America! Of course I want to continue in English. After all, that's the language spoken in MY country, isn't it? I have sometimes become resentful of small communities within larger communities where certain ethnic groups reside, sometimes clinging to the customs of their home countries, and this admission does not make me proud. And I know that I am not alone. But who do I think I am, proclaiming this to be MY country? Isn't it really God's WORLD? Yes. Is it.

And so I have been praying for God to change me, change my perspective and way of thinking and of the way I view other people. We are a world of many cultures, many languages, many races and many customs, but only one God; the God who created them all. We are all brothers and sisters living in one world created by the Master. Any walls or barriers that exist have been erected by us, not by God, and in order to live in harmony with one another, we must knock down these mental barriers. The Old Testament days are gone...we must share. I try now to see people not as any one ethnicity, but rather as simply God's children, and my country as God's world. It's NOT mine!

"Then Peter began to speak: 'I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right."  (Acts 10: 34)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

One Word At A Time: Quilt

By Ginny (MAD21)

A long time ago while visiting a friend at her house, I saw a really interesting and pretty quilt she had hanging in her room. It wasn't just any kind of quilt where all the colors matched perfectly, although somehow everything still looked beautiful together. It was obvious someone had spent a lot of time creating it. But there was something that seemed different. I couldn't figure out what it was, so I asked my friend where it came from.

It turns out that quilt was a story, Her Story. My friend explained that it was a quilt her mother had made for her. Every single piece of fabric came from a favorite item of clothing she had worn when she was a baby and young child. Somewhere in the midst of our conversation, her mother came into the room. She grinned, and joined our conversation. She began telling me about all the different pieces of fabric... and the memories that went along with them. I remember there were pieces from the outfit my friend had worn home from the hospital when she was born, pajamas, fancy dresses, and parts of t-shirts from places they liked to visit, among others. There were a few that had stains on them, but they were part of the quilt's design, too. They were part of the memories as much as any other part of the quilt. It was so beautifully made.

Many pieces part of one whole.

It's a fairly easy analogy to compare our lives to a quilt, I believe. We have many, many individual experiences, but they are all still part of one whole. As I've gotten older, I have found myself thinking of experiences I've had in my life and feeling like I had lived it in another lifetime. Things like running into an old friend or co-worker you haven't seen in years, or visiting places from your childhood. So many things have happened, so much time has passed.

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God Says... "I forgive you."

By Nick (My Experience As...)

So often we say we believe one thing, but live another.  It’s easy to see in the “party Friday and Saturday but show up to church Sunday” Christians. I mean, come on, we have a great acronym for them, pfasbsutcs. So memorable isn’t it. We see it in some big ways in our own life.  We say “reading the Bible and praying is important” but spend more time on Facebook than we do in the Book.  I could go on and on, but instead of focusing on all that stuff, lets dig a little deeper.

I think we all struggle with living our belief that God is the biggest of the big.  I mean, God is infinite, He is omnipotent, He is eternal, and there are literally no limits on Him.  When, I was 16 we went on a trip to Montana.  Back then they didn’t have speed limits, but there were limits.  The sign said “safe and reasonable” but the police would pull you over and give you a reckless driving ticket if you went too fast.  I had in my mind “no limits” and got kind of excited.  Time to find out what this Dodge Caravan with a family of four and a ton of luggage can do. Then my dad explained the whole reckless driving thing and I ran into the limit.

I think we are looking for God’s limits. Can he really heal this disease?  Can He actually reach my lost loved one? Is my sin too big for God?

That’s the big one.  Right now you are thinking of that sin.  Maybe it is some past thing, maybe it is this ongoing struggle, but you remember, and you feel guilty.  The truth is, I know I am.

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