The Light in My Window

The Light in My Window

Monday, July 28, 2014

Wedding advice

Happy Monday! Once again I have been absent from the blog for a few days because we have been away, completing the cleaning out and sale of my mother-in-law's home. I am praising the Lord this morning that all went well and that difficult task is now behind us.

A couple weeks ago, we had a wedding in our church. The bride was the daughter of one of the missionary families that our church supports, and I asked their permission to share a couple pictures of some nice and unusual ideas from their wedding and reception.

The first picture was the aisle runner. They made a pattern using flower petals, and the aisle was lined by candles (battery operated for safety). It was an evening wedding, so the overall effect was lovely.

The second picture was the one I want to write about today. At the reception they had an "advice wall" where guests could take a card and write a scripture verse or words of advice to the newlyweds and hang it in the place provided. I thought this was a great idea to encourage the newly married couple in their marriage.  Today I would like to share my "wedding advice", which applies to any wife, not just a bride. As one who is about to celebrate 39 years of marriage next month, I wish I had known some of these things when I got married!

1. Determine to pray more words over your marriage than you speak about your marriage. Prayerfully seek some Scriptures that you will pray for your marriage, write them down, and pray them often. Some good examples are Eph. 4:29 and 32, Phil. 2:3-4, James 1:19, and Proverbs 31:12. Pray often for your husband - no one can pray for him as you can! You know his strengths, weaknesses, struggles, obligations, and needs more than anyone else.

2. Remember that God has given us the ability to influence our husbands and our homes, whether it be positive or negative. Speak with kindness and encouragement to your husband. 1 Thess. 5:11 says "wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another." He needs your positive, uplifting words!

3. Lasting love doesn't happen by accident - it takes commitment, compassion, and sacrifice. It means looking at your husband, not through him. It means extending grace sometimes - just as God extends His grace toward you!

Hoping you will meditate on these words today as you ENJOY your marriage relationship!

Blessings, 
Kathi

Friday, July 18, 2014

In my Kitchen: Muffin Mania

I have really been enjoying the cooler and less humid weather the past couple of days. It put me in a baking mood, so I enjoyed baking up a couple of batches of muffins for the freezer. I always keep all my muffins in zip-lock bags in my freezer, and I can just take out as many as I need and put them in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and...voila! Warm, homemade muffins. It is always great for trips and for unexpected company to have a supply in the freezer.

The first recipe is for Banana-Oatmeal muffins. This is a recipe I got from my sister-in-law who is a fantastic cook, and also is a missionary in the south pacific so she knows her banana recipes!


Banana-Oatmeal Muffins
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (about 3 medium) mashed bananas
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 T. milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup chopped nuts, optional

In large mixer bowl combine 1 cup of the flour and the sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt. Add mashed banana, shortening and margarine or butter, and milk. Beat with mixer until well-blended. Add eggs, oats, and remaining flour, beat until blended. Stir in nuts. You can also stir in some chocolate chips if you like! Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 for about 18 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pan and then on racks.

The other recipe is one of my favorites: Cappuccino Muffins. They are YUMMY if you like coffee! This recipe is originally from Taste of Home.


Cappuccino Muffins
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup milk
2 T. instant coffee granules (note: I dislike instant coffee, but I keep a small jar on hand for baking!)
1 stick margarine or butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (Mini work best but you can use regular and it will be just fine!)

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside. Warm milk in the microwave for about a minute in a large glass measuring cup or bowl. Stir in coffee granules until dissolved. Add melted margarine or butter, beaten egg and vanilla to coffee/milk mixture and blend well. Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased muffin cups and bake at 375 for 17-19 minutes. Cool on racks. Taste best warmed!

Hope you enjoyed this time in my kitchen!
Kathi




Tuesday, July 15, 2014

The End of an Era

I know you are wondering where I have been. Well, when I sat down to post on Saturday, I discovered our computer was dead. As in the hard drive went out. So I have been without my computer. And I know what else you are thinking...where are all of these recipes and decorating ideas I talked about? I promise, they are coming. I already have ideas and pictures ready. But today, I want to talk about something different. It's the end of an era.


Sunday night we drove for several hours, slept for a few hours, and spent the entire day yesterday in sweltering heat and humidity with no air conditioning sorting and emptying my husband's childhood home in preparation for it's closing and sale next week. I was prepared for the sweat and the hard work. What I was not prepared for was the memories.


Tears and laughter freely flowed throughout the day as item after item brought a memory. "Look what I found! Do you remember the time..." "I remember the day dad got this..." "It was my job to clean this as a kid..." This house is so much more than a house. It is where my husband and I dated, and where our wedding rehearsal dinner was held. It's where the roses for our wedding came from, and where I lost my engagement ring in the back yard (it was found!). It's where we brought our babies after they were born and where they grew up, and where we took pictures of them in the same tree in the back yard every summer of their childhood. It's where they brought their spouses to meet grandma. It's where my daughter, now married and the mother of three, and I learned to bake pies, watching and helping my mother-in-law. It is the home of countless games of croquet, Parcheesi, and marbles; huge family Christmas dinners, and 4th of July picnics so we could watch the fireworks and have water hose fights among the siblings. It's where our kids played hide and seek, caught fireflies in jars, and built towers with egg cartons; and where our grandkids played with glow sticks in the dark in the basement. It's where we gathered after my husband's father died. It's where we came home to.


Last night, after it was all done, we gathered in a restaurant for a meal. Because that's all there was. And my brother-in-law looked at me and said, "It's true. Life really is a vapor, just like God said." James 4:14 says, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." It's times like these that we realize anew what is most important - it's not about material things, but our personal relationship with God that matters. Because sooner or later, we are all going to come to the end of an era. Or the end of a life. And if you don't know Christ as your Savior and have a real relationship with God, then you truly do have nothing.


With a grateful heart,
Kathi

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Too busy to Pray?

Do you ever have a day when you feel like you are just too busy to spend time with the Lord? I do...often! Take today, for instance. My husband was up before dawn to catch a train to another city to help one of our church staff members who just had surgery there. My schedule for the day included filling in at the church office all day, a counseling appointment, and a wedding rehearsal in the evening. It was one of those mornings when I knew I was going to be juggling all kinds of things. And in times past, I would have thought I was way too busy to take the time to read my Bible and pray. But do you know what I have learned? It is precisely those days when I most need to spend time with God! I can't afford NOT to!


In Mark chapter 1, there is a story about Jesus that really spoke to me about this. Beginning in verse 21, Jesus was having a very busy day. He preached and taught in the synagogue, healed a man with an unclean spirit, and even when He went to the home of Simon Peter and Andrew where He was spending the night, He healed the sick mother-in-law of Simon Peter. I love verses 32 and 33 - "and at evening when the sun did set, they brought unto Him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door." Do you ever feel like the whole city is gathered at your door - like everyone wants a piece of you?


So how did Jesus manage to handle all these demands, this busy life and pressure? The answer is in verse 35: "and in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out and departed unto a solitary place, and there prayed." Jesus set the example. If He, being the Son of God, needed to step back and spend time alone with his Heavenly Father, how much more do we, being the weak human beings that we are! When we approach a busy day without taking time for God, it is like we are saying "I don't need you today, God. I can handle it!" And we proceed to do just that - and fail miserably!


So, my dear friend, the next time you are tempted to skip the Bible reading and prayer because you are too busy, make a different choice. That is where we find our strength, our peace, and our joy.


With a joyful heart,
Kathi

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

From My Heart and Home To Yours

What is the significance of "the light in my window"?  I'll begin by telling you a little about myself. I am first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ, having committed my life to Christ at a very young age. I am also married to a pastor. We are celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary next month, but we have only been in the ministry for the last 19 years - my husband was a businessman for the first 15 years of our marriage, so I did not marry a pastor! I have been a pastor's wife long enough now to have had lots of experiences and yet still feel like I have a long way to go! My greatest desire is to help my husband fulfill his calling and to be used of God in the lives of girls and women of all ages. As one of the "older women" (Titus 2), it is my responsibility as well as my joy to teach younger women and girls what it means to be a godly woman. It has to begin in my own life, through the precious time I spend with God and His Word. So this blog will sometimes - probably often - be for the purpose of sharing what the Lord is doing in my life, in the hope of encouraging others.

Another passion of mine is family. Besides my wonderful husband, I have three grown and married children, and seven grandchildren, all under the age of 6! "Controlled chaos" comes to mind! How I cherish the times that we are able to spend with them! The family that God has given us is my greatest blessing, and you can be sure that there will be plenty of pictures and grandchildren stories!

I also have a heart for home - I am happiest when I am at home! I love to spend time in my kitchen cooking and baking, and I love to create, decorate, organize, entertain, and even clean! So I am looking forward to sharing recipes, and decorating and entertaining ideas that I enjoy and can pass along. Sometimes I might have an organizing or shopping tip that I have learned. Other "loves" are my morning coffee (dark roast and black!), music, good books, and scrapbooking and card-making.

So the "light in my window" means that I will be giving you a close-up peek into the window of my home...and an insight into the light of my life, which is having a close and personal relationship with my God.

Til next time,
Kathi