Prune and Fig Cake

There is a biological urge to bake more as the weather turns colder. I know this. We crave the flavor of ginger and cinnamon, of apples baking and pumpkin lattes.

I came up with a batch of REALLY GOOD molasses cookies a few weeks back. I think they were the best cookies I'd ever made. EVER. The molasses was organic, and so were the eggs. I used butter and sugar and flour and spices---and the cookies were memorable. The recipe was on the back of the organic molasses bottle.

Today I was making a cake. I decided to use the recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook, "Spicy Prune Cake."  But a quick look in the fridge revealed some dried figs that needed to be used up, so I threw those in with the prunes.

I remembered how good a little cocoa can be with dried fruits, so I put in 1/4 cup of cocoa too, along with the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Ed had made some ginger candy that also needed to be transformed. I heated it up, back to sugar stage, and whipped that into the mixture too.

Wow. It's fruity, chocolatey, spicey, and moist.  I frosted it with cream cheese frosting. It looks like something from the early 1900's. Do history books ever make you long for a long lost treat?

This cake will certainly be history, never to be duplicated, again. (But we'll enjoy it while it lasts!)

Little Organ Annie

A few weeks back we read "Li'l Orphan Annie" out loud. You know, the one about the goblins getting you if you don't watch out?

Around here there are no goblins, but there's at least one troll, as you probably know. So watch out.

Yesterday we experienced a little organ playing with a trip to Annie's Parlor in Dinkytown afterward. It was just my husband, and Ed, and I.

St. Mark's Cathedral in Minneapolis just refurbished/rebuilt their organ. It is playing in the sanctuary with clear warmth and new technology, apparently a huge improvement on the old instrument.

It was open console yesterday, and we (of course) put it on our calendar to see the demonstration and hope for a chance to touch the thing.

Ed got his chance. He played Bach, and we loved it.

He's building quite a resume of wonderful organs he's been able to play! I'm extremely happy for him. 

Thanks again to Michael Barone (Pipedreams) for assuming the role of registrant extraordinaire! (He helped Ed with the stops, voicing the organ). It's nice having help from the world's foremost organ aficionado.

My wonderful husband turns half a century this week. We celebrated with friends at church yesterday. His cake from Costco said "over the hill." He's not. But it's sort of fun to tease. Someone guessed he was in his early 30's a week or so ago, so he's very well preserved. (It must be something about being married to me, right? Trolls have their purpose!)

Monsters seem to be everywhere right now---this season of Reformation Day (ha). The freak storm "Sandy" rages inland.  Thankful for God's sovereign will, and our trust in Him. May we choose righteousness this week.

This week holds many events. Even more than usual around Corgi Hollows. May God bless you and keep you, and sustain us all.

My Son's Choir :)

All My Heart

Living Water

Jesus has a story about when He was in Samaria.  He came to a well and asked a woman for a drink. She said, "How does a Jew speak with a Samaritan woman?"

Jesus told her she should have asked Him for a drink, and He could give her "Living Water, " that she would NEVER THIRST AGAIN!

Living water is the water that quenches all spiritual thirst.

Read the story again soon, please. It is so beautiful. I just gave the unauthorized summary.

As this was shared as a devotional at our Good News Club organization meeting on Monday I was deeply touched.

Maybe it's the elections, maybe it's the issues at stake, maybe it's just the age we are in, but this story gave me a whole new understanding of Christ's satisfying love.

When you find Christ you will never need to search for any other spiritual necessity in your life. You will grow in Christ, but you will never search for any truth outside of Him. You are satisfied.

Water is essential to our existence. Christ is essential to our spirituality. When we find Him we are eternally satisfied.

You need not search for any other type of faith: Hinduism, Buddhism, Marianism, Islam, Spiritism, the Occult, Paganism, Atheism.

Don't even go there! They cannot satisfy!

You will be satisfied, wholly and perfectly, as you pursue Christ.

He does have all the answers, and He does not disappoint.

Ask Him for Living Water. Believe in Him. You will never thirst again.

God of the Parking Space

A few years back I read a book that scoffed at the idea of God being interested in such trivial things as available parking spaces, or any such mundane daily agenda matters.

My own reaction to this was little more than scoffing, I must admit. (Sorry)

I believe God lets us decide many things, but He also listens to our prayers and pleas, and directs our days in His infinite manner.

When I pray for a gap in the traffic as I merge, when I wend my way into the crowded city, searching for a convenient place to stash my car (which is large because of my five children), and shop for a specific item I pray. I pray and pray and pray.

I really think God cares.  I know He does. If He knows the number of hairs on my head and cares about the beasts of the field, does He not care about my day? My safety? My time?

I just live in perpetual gratefulness that He cares.

Last week my son parked within five feet of a driveway. He returned to his car to find it missing. It had been towed.

This is no small thing. An impounded car, downtown Minneapolis, a student who needs transportation at unheard of hours...4:30 am, 12:00 am...fees, and frustrations---even some fear thrown in: All are matters that my Lord and God CARES ABOUT.

Trivial, yes. World affairs are totally His domain, but so are mine, and He is so Great that He can handle it all---the bees in the hive, the blades of grass in the field, the upcoming election, the galaxies in the Universe, and MY PARKING SPACE.

The car is redeemed. My son was in Washington DC over the weekend to run the Army Ten Miler. He came in very well. In a crowd of 30,100 he was in the top 600 finishers. He ran ten miles in just over 1 hour.

He comes home tomorrow back to the grind of his junior year at the U.

And the Lord cares about all of this. Intimately. This I know and believe. Thank you, Lord!

Minnesota Vote, Taking a Stand

Why I am voting "Yes- Marriage is one man and one woman" at the upcoming election: 1. I am a true Christian, and I base my beliefs on the Bible. The Bible has strong statements concerning marriage. No argument here (You may 'interpret' however you like, but the words stand). Believe or not. True believers follow Christ, not men. 2. I value free speech. You can say all you like about anything, inc

luding sin, right now. Discrimination is about to reverse, and free speech will be costly if we legalize homosexuality. It has already cost millions in countries where it was made legal. Say something against homosexuality or refuse access to a homosexual for personal reasons and be fined or lose your job. This is discrimination against true Christians. 3. I want to decide about the definition of marriage, not some court of justice made up of lawyers. I want the definition to hold, even as it has held all over the world, including places that have NO GOD to guide. Marriage is always one man, one woman. No court or modern society can change what always has been. 4. Marriage as it stands is difficult enough already. Divorce, polygamy, race restriction, adultery, fornication are all abuses of marriage. Enough already. Keep it simple, please. (Canadian courts are overwhelmed with divorce settlements among homosexuals right now, too. A costly side effect of legalizing perversion.) 5. Children NEED male and female role models, and who can dispute the effectiveness of a family to raise children? No one. Exceptions do not prove a rule, in fact statistics prove this effectiveness over and over.
Those of us who believe the Bible will never give up on it. It is the power of salvation to all who believe. BELIEVE!

Feline Felicity

Last spring, when Predicate joined our menagerie, there was a cat war almost daily. I remember saying I'd let you know if things changed.

I think there was a significant development that occurred this week. Kiwi sleeps on our bed at night. Kiwi has always slept on our bed, since he came to be with us 6 years ago. His black presence is felt at the foot of the bed.

Predicate indicated that she would have preferred joining the slumber party on occasion, but was decisively repulsed by Master Kiwi.

Until now. My husband was out of town last week, touring a coal mine up in North Dakota. Predicate ventured boldly onto his side of the bed while I was reading. She settled down, about 6 inches from Kiwi, and curled up for the night.

Yes. The milestone of acceptance was achieved.

Maybe we CAN all get along!

I know, politics can divide, and it has. So has religion, philosophy, sports and art. We humans are always picking sides. I like coke, she likes root beer...

I like politics, others like reality TV.

I like the Minnesota Twins. I'm not a New York Yankees fan.

These are trivial, but divisions exist, and they have since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden.

Choosing our eternal destiny is the bedrock of our lives, and this is anything but trivial.  How we live our lives each day, full of choices and divisions, affects our existence in ways we can't count! We aren't simply victims of circumstance. We do have the capacity to choose right or wrong.

Nature takes its course, but for most of us there are clear paths to choose from. Which way?

Jesus said the way was narrow and few would find it. He told us to enter by the strait gate. The implication of this is that it is hard to find!

Once you hear the gospel you have a choice to respond in repentance, inviting Christ to be Lord and Savior  of your heart and life. Your way will be clear before you. You will choose life!

For now we must continue to wait, to learn, to love, to serve, to grow, and teach. To strive for truth, to help others to find truth.

And to get along with each other lovingly, like Predicate and Kiwi.