God's Plans

Good morning! First of all, I need to begin by saying this: I never planned to go this long between blog posts. I apologize that I have been absent from my blog lately. But I also never planned most of things that have made up my life these past two weeks. I didn't plan to fall and twist my knee going apple-picking. I never planned to be driving down the road one Monday morning and have a tree branch fall on my car, doing $800 worth of damage. I certainly never planned for my 4 year old grandson to be admitted to the hospital the same day - the same HOUR - his dad, our son, was boarding a plane for Africa.  I didn't plan to drive from northern Virginia to Pennsylvania by myself, in our son's vehicle, to help care for my granddaughters while my grandson was in the hospital. And I DEFINITELY never planned to be knocked down by a severe sinus infection, bronchial infection, and some sort of flu virus the same day I arrived home from said trip, from which I am still recovering. I have not been that sick for a long time and hope not to be again anytime soon, thank you very much!

Yes, every single one of these things really did happen to me the past two weeks. But even though none of these things were in my plans, they were in God's plan for me. That is what kept coming back to me over and over again. In our Ladies Bible Study at church, I have been teaching the class "Not by Chance", which is based on an excellent book by Layton Talbert. After almost 20 years of teaching ladies, I have learned to count on this: God never fails to be working in my life and teaching me the same truths that I am teaching my ladies. And that, my friend, is a scary thing. So scary that sometimes I am tempted to give up teaching or at least change the topic that we are studying. God wants to make sure that I really believe what I am teaching. And it's scary because He brings it home to me and tests me in some very hard ways.

And so it was during these trials that I remembered one particular truth that I have taught, and that I am still learning: In times of doubt or fear, rehearse the promises of God, rest in the provision of God, and rejoice in the plan of God. In short, God is in control.

Rehearse the promises of God - this is why it is so important to be in the Word of God. Because if you are not, how are you going to be able to call up God's promises when you need them? Verses like Isaiah 41:10 - "Fear not, for I am with you. Be not afraid, because I am YOUR God.  I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness." And so many more.

Rest in the provision of God - I could write a book about this. In fact, soon I hope to be able to write about an amazing story of God's providence. God's providence - His ability to see and to act before hand - is rooted in the doctrine of God's sovereignty. God knows all and is in control over every aspect of His creation. Nothing is an accident that extends beyond God's control. It was God's hand of provision that the incident with the tree branch did not cause me to have an accident. It was God's provision that I was already at the airport, having taken my brother who was traveling with our son to Africa, and was planning on helping my daughter-in-law drive home so I was in the right place at the right time. It was God's hand of provision that I was not sick the week I was needed to care for the children. If we are confident in God's provision, we can trust His ways and His timing.

And - best of all - rejoice in the plan of God. His plans, while not ours, are far greater. Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans that I have for you, saith the Lord. Plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope." (NASB). Isaiah 55:8-9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways."

Every day we may wake up with a plan for our day. Sometimes the day goes as we planned. Sometimes, according to God's wise providence, it is very different than what we planned. But what we may view as "Plan B" is actually "Plan A" to God - He had it planned for us all along. The question is, can we be content and trust Him with that?

Thoughtfully,
Kathi

Mountains and apples

Good morning! I hope you are enjoying all the wonderful things that fall has to offer. Thanks to the kindness of some special people, we were blessed to be able to go away last week for a long weekend in the North Carolina mountains. After many years of spending all of our vacation time taking kids to college, visiting our kids when we lived a long distance away from them, and then helping with new babies, moves, and various things, we have not had any time to go anywhere special alone in a very long time. Now don't get me wrong, we LOVE our kids and our grandkids, and we are extremely grateful for every single opportunity God has given us to see them and help them. But I must say that a few days away from the busyness and demands of the ministry, just the two of us, was exactly what we needed. We spent time driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping wherever we wanted, and enjoying the gorgeous mountain scenery. We hiked and picnicked and browsed in shops and talked. And were reminded all over again of how happy we are that God brought us together and has given us 39 years together!

   
When I'm thinking about fall, one of the special treats that I look forward to every year is fresh-picked apples! We don't have apple orchards here in our area, and I miss that. But a few weeks ago I was able to pick some Golden Delicious apples with my daughter and little granddaughters while visiting them. It is always such fun to get out in the orchard and fill your bag with apples right off the tree. I think one of my granddaughters would have eaten them as fast as we picked them, if we had let her!

I have a lot of yummy apple recipes, but today I thought I would share with you one of my breakfast favorites - Baked Oatmeal with apples. I have made this recipe for many years and given it out many times. I could seriously eat all of it myself (not at one sitting!) It is so easy, delicious, and makes the house smell wonderful. When my youngest son was still at home, I could guarantee he would be up in time for school if I made baked oatmeal!

Baked Oatmeal with apples
3 apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1/2 c. oil
1 scant cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick or regular oats (not instant! I use quick oats, but you can use either or half of each)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Place sliced apples in bottom of a sprayed 9x13 pan (you can make this without the apples, by the way, but they add a lot to it.)
Stir together remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour over the apples. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Makes 8 servings.
This picture is half the recipe, which is what I usually make now that there are just the 2 of us at home. It is made in a square baking pan.

Just want to leave you with a verse: "Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." Psalm 103:1-2

Joyfully,
Kathi