Friday, April 02, 2010

A Man of Sorrows

OK, I thought this was worth blogging about... A friend posted this Mark Driscoll sermon "Christ on the Cross," on FB and I thought I'd also share it. (You can directly listen to it by clicking on it.) Also, here's a favorite verse about our Savior's deep love for us. Have a blessed and joyous Easter celebrating our King's conquering of death and resurrection!

Isaiah 53

1Who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2He grew up before him like a tender shoot,

and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.


3He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

Like one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4Surely he took up our infirmities

and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered him stricken by God,

smitten by him, and afflicted.

5But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

and by his wounds we are healed.


6We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to his own way;

and the LORD has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

7He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.


8By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

And who can speak of his descendants?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

for the transgression of my people he was stricken.


9He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

and with the rich in his death,

though he had done no violence,

nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.


11After the suffering of his soul,

he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied;

by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,

and he will bear their iniquities.


12Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,

and he will divide the spoils with the strong,

because he poured out his life unto death,

and was numbered with the transgressors.

For he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Everything's Sacred

I keep thinking I'm going to quit blogging. There's way too many pictures I haven't posted, thoughts I haven't shared, and recipes I'd love to give you-but so not enough time in my day to justify doing it!! Well, here's a quick little post for for now...I found my Caedmon's Call Overdressed CD in my car the other day. Popped it in this morning (denying Blaise's undying request for "Raffi please!" :) and was reminded how much I enjoy it! This song is especially meaningful and encouraged me today:

Sacred

Words and Music by Randall Goodgame and Andrew Osenga
(c) 2007 House of Mirrors Music (ASCAP) admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc. / 2007 Mighty Molecule Music. (ASCAP) admin by Music Services


this house is a good mess
it’s the proof of life
no way would I trade jobs
but it don’t pay overtime

I’ll get to the laundry
I don’t know when
I’m saying a prayer tonight
cause tomorrow it starts again

could it be that everything is sacred?
and all this time
everything I’ve dreamed of
has been right before my eyes

the children are sleeping
but they’re running through my mind
the sun makes them happy
and the music makes them unwind

my cup runneth over
and I worry about the stain
teach me to run to You
like they run to me for every little thing

when I forget to drink from you
I can feel the banks harden
Lord, make me like a stream
to feed the garden

wake up, little sleeper
the Lord, God Almighty
made your Mama keeper
so rise and shine,rise and shine
rise and shine cause

everything is sacred
and all this time
everything I’ve dreamed of
has been right before my eyes


Thursday, February 18, 2010

Lasagna Soup!

I love love love lasagna so I was ecstatic to discover this incredible lasagna soup recipe! It really is oh- so- tasty and I'm sure you'll love it too! (If you actually make it that is :) I found the mini lasagna noodles (aka mafalda noodles) at our local Schnucks on the Hill in the Italian section. (I did not, however, find them in whole wheat! Maybe Becky or Antonia could make me some?!;)

Lasagna Soup

Ingredients

1 lb bulk Italian sausage

2 cups onions, chopped

1 cup carrot, diced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

4 cups chicken broth

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, chopped 


1 (10 3/4 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup mafalda pasta or campenelle pasta

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1 cup provolone cheese or fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded (for garnish)

4 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh basil (for garnish)

Directions

1.
Brown sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots; saute 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and garlic, and saute another 3 minutes.

2.
Add broth, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce, and bring to a boil. Drop in pasta and simmer until cooked, about 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted.

3.
Place 1/4 cup cheese into serving bowls and pour soup on top. Garnish with Parmesan and basil.

From my Cusine at Home Splendid Soups & Spectacular Sides magazine/also found on recipezarr.com

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The last time (and first time!) I made this soup was on David's Birthday. Since I haven't shared any pics from November or December, here's a couple from the big 2-8 celebration!

We had a small little celebration for the birthday boy this year. (The poor guy always gets overlooked with the "big" holiday and all.) I now realize why I don't usually have a party though-whew! It was a little hectic trying to pull everything off. (Thankfully it was on a Wednesday and my wonderful mother helped me out a ton!! )

Daddy with his ever favorite mint oreo ice cream cake!

Celebrating at g'mas!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sing His Love
by Caedmon's Call

Father, long before creation
Thou hadst chosen us in love
And that love so deep, so moving
Draws us close to Christ above
Still it keeps us, still it keeps us
Firmly fixed in Christ alone

Chorus:
And the world will sing His love
Yes, the world will sign His love
And we'll all join hands
Every woman, every man
And sing His love
We'll sing His love

Though the world may change its fashion
Yet our God is ever the same
His compassion and His covenant
Through all ages will remain

God's own children, God's own children
Must forever praise His name

God so love us, God so loved us
That His only Son He game

God's compassion is my story
It is my boasting all the day

Mercy free and never failing
Moves my will, directs my way






Super Easy Valentine Craft

The Zoo's Imagination Station had these fun crayon's at their art table-it took me back to my childhood! All you do is collect your old crayons, peel off the paper, break them up into small pieces and place them in sprayed mini tins (I used heart shaped ones). Bake them at 250 for about 15 minutes, until the wax melts, then remove and let them cool and harden in the pan. To get them out of the pan, I stuck the tin in the freezer for about 10 min then popped them out. Perfect for a toddler's chubby little hand. ;) You can read on official "recipe" on Family Fun's website.