A Beautiful Sabbath

This sunny morning I had the blessing of sitting down with my crochet project and listen to the audio Scriptures... It was such a sweet time as I heard how Jesus prayed to His Father in heaven with love and humbleness, awaiting what was at hand!

John 17:1-5 "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee:

As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him.

And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.

I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do.

And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was."

I also took pictures in the beautiful weather of the afternoon... :)

        

Zoé the yorkie, ironically looking up at I-don't-know-what. ;)

So much hair! She always runs when she hears us say "Squirel!"

Our flowers are beginning to bloom! Tulips of unknown colors are on their way, but does anybody know what this pretty blossom is?

Just as I was heading back home, I thought to myself "I sure wish I would have taken a picture of something rare!" when I suddenly heard small paws crunching on the dead leaves- a chipmunk! Jesus is SO good, and He does care even about the little things! He knew my seeing this little guy (noticed his full mouth?) would bless me and gladden my heart. Thank You Father!!!

John 17:21-26 "That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.

And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one:

I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.

Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world.

O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee: but I have known Thee, and these have known that Thou hast sent Me.

And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

I pray that you all have a wonderful Resurrection Day tomorrow! 

Numbers 6:24-6 

"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."

In all sisterly love,

He Is Not Here... For He is Risen!

Jesus revealing Himself to Mary Magdalene
as said in Mark 16:9

Matthew 28:1-6 

"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

For almost 3 whole days our Lord was dead. On Friday before the weekly Sabbath they rolled the stone upon the grave door, thinking rocks and guards could keep the Son of God out of sight... Surely He would fail to reveal Himself to His disciples as He had said. They thought of Him as a liar and blasphemer, remember? That's why they crucified Him. They denied God Himself, even though they appeared to be following what they thought as true and righteous. But no, God could not let these fools do away with His promised Messiah, the One He had revealed to His people and prophets long ago... The accusation, the abuse, the shame, the final death blow... These could not defeat Jesus, the very Son of Man! He endured the painful suffering and then He opened His eyes and walked out of the grave just for us, so we could live forever with Him and our Father!

John 11:25 "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"

John 6:40 "And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

The once ugly, murderous cross now turns into a beautiful emblem of life and salvation! Jesus Christ forever defeated Satan, death, and everything that could keep us from His love and eternal life!

1 Peter 3:18" For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:"

Lord, no imagination could think of the suffering You went through, nor words say how our hearts are so abundantly grateful.. Thank You, thank You, THANK YOU!!!

I truly hope that you all have a joyful weekend celebrating the gift of eternal life in Jesus and remembering the final days where He would walk on this earth until His awaited return!

In all sisterly love,

Recipe: Kheema - Indian Ground Beef with Peas

"Visit is coming tomorrow morning!" Mom rushes to pick up clutter, wipe the counters, sweep the kitchen floor, freshen up the bathrooms, ... 6 o' clock arrives and 4 hungry, tired people are scrambling to get things done, so I pick up the cast iron skillet and cook up a *really* easy and oh-so-delectable supper! ;) And no, I'm not bragging! The family told me to say that. :D 

If you like the curried taste of butter chicken, you will LOVE this beef dish. Unfortunately, we didn't have ground beef, so instead I used ground turkey (even chicken would work), and it made the dish soft and tender!

Serves 4-6 people (recipe altered from FoodNetwork.com)

Ingredients...

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon garam masala, cumin, and ginger

3 teaspoons cayenne (optional)

2 pounds ground beef or turkey

2-3 medium tomatoes, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 cup frozen peas

4 teaspoons malt vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus a few extra leaves for garnish (or 1-2 tablespoons cilantro paste)

4 chapatis or pitas (or rice)

Directions...

In a large skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for another minute. Stir in the coriander, paprika, garam masala, cumin and cayenne, if using and cook for 1 minute.

Add the beef, breaking up lumps with a spoon, and saute until the meat is no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, 1-2 cups of water and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the peas. Stir well and simmer, partially covered, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the vinegar and chopped cilantro. Garnish with torn cilantro leaves and serve with warm chapatis, pita bread, or rice.

Now don't be afraid of the amount of spices in this! If you set yourself next to your spice rack with a bowl and teaspoon, it will go very quickly! Just don't inhale the cayenne pepper... ;) Next time I will include a picture of my finale dish, but the peas in this one turned out a pale, brownish green because I was desperately waiting for the brown rice to cook and thus made the meat mixture cook a little too long. But the taste was SO good! I cannot wait for leftovers. :)

Bon appétit!

In all sisterly love,