Fear - New Testament

 
Matthew 8:25-26
The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Matthew 10:26
(from Jesus) So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.

Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 10:29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 14:26-27
When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Matthew 17:5-7
(the transfiguration) A bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”

Revelation 1:17-18
Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."

Food Creations

My produce deliveries have led me to get creative with my cooking. I love to get my delivery and start searching pinterest for recipes. The latest:

Tomatoes and Parmesan

Bierocks

When I knew I was getting cabbage I was really stumped.  A pinterest search found these.  I used this bread recipe for the dough, and they turned out great! (although I think I had too much cabbage to use)

Muffins made with Concord Grapes

I'm not brave enough to make jam/jelly and I don't know what else you do with concord grapes (you certainly don't just eat them b/c they're gross!).  This recipe turned out fabulous and would be great with any kind of fruit!

Carter Mountain

On Friday, I went with a friend for the first fall trip up to Carter Mountain to pick apples. As always, it was a fun day.

"Do not be afraid"

 
I read last week in Heaven Without Her that the Bible has 365 exhortations not to be afraid. Today I'm listing 7 (one for every day this next week):

Genesis 15:1

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

“Do not be afraid, Abram.
    I am your shield,
    your very great reward.” 

Genesis 21:17-18
God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.  Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

Genesis 26:24
(to Isaac) That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

Genesis 46:3-4
(to Jacob) “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

Exodus 14:13-14
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never seeagain. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Numbers 14:9
(from Joshua and Caleb) Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lordis with us. Do not be afraid of them.

Deuteronomy 1:17
(from Moses) Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God.

Inspirational Reading/Apologetics

I finished reading Heaven Without Her which I had been loaned by a member of my Life Group. I really enjoyed reading this book which is basically apologetics (why the Bible/Christianity is true) written in the form of a memoir.  In some ways, I think that God knew this book was something I needed as I need to trust Him and that what He says is true.  The proof is really there, I just have to trust the parts that can't be proven based on the fact that the rest is irrefutable.

River Days

I love where I live. This beautiful scene is basically in my backyard and I get to walk my dog this way on a daily basis.  I am so blessed!

(You can't quite see them in this image, but the geese are headed south for the winter and are quite entertaining to watch.)

Weekly food update

I was inspired by my homemade pizza date during the opening day of college football season (and I had leftover sauce to use). I chose to make this pizza from Kroger dough mix, Trader Joe's sauce, pepperoni, snack peppers from my produce delivery, and onions and cheese.  I think I like the Trader Joe's dough we used the prior weekend better.





With the rest of my produce delivery (including corn, potatoes, and onions), I was inspired to make a potato and corn chowder.  I modified this recipe (I left out the celery) and cooked it up Sunday afternoon while I was napping for work. It made a LOT of soup, so I froze some of it hoping it will be good in another week and I won't have to overload on soup.

  

 A large zucchini also made it's way to  my house via my produce delivery.  I found a recipe on pinterest for zucchini cakes and decided to try them. I ate them with more of that Trader Joe's pizza sauce. I can't say I was impressed enough with them to make them again, but they were worth a try.

Favorites

Favorite person: Jesus

Favorite team: Hokies!(particularly the defense)

Favorite foods: Trader Joe's pita chips and garlic hummus

Favorite season: summer - so sad it's ending!

Favorite dog:

Breakfast for Dinner

I bought a 10 lb bag of russet potatoes so that I could feed my Life Group last week (I figured a potato bar would be easy enough for a group of 12).  Since I didn't have great plans for dinner that night (and I had a pint of blueberries in the fridge that I had been wanting to turn into muffins) I decided on making breakfast foods.

I found this great tutorial on making hash browns.

And a friend had sent me this recipe for blueberry muffins years ago that I finally decided to try.

• 
  

  Blueberry Muffins 3 cups minus 2 Tbsp flour 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp baking powder heavy pinch of salt 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 egg 1 generous cup plain yogurt (not low- or non-fat) 2 cups fresh blueberries 1 tsp vanilla extract

  Place blueberries in a colander and rinse them well. I then go through and pick off any of the little stems still intact. (side note: I bought the most beautiful blueberries at the grocery today, but there were just a few little stems. I know picking blueberries is tedious, so I'll give those blueberry pickers a break.) Set aside and let any excess water drip out.

  In large bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

  In another bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, vanilla, egg, and yogurt. Fold into the dry ingredients and stir just until comes together. Be careful not to overmix. Add the blueberries and carefully fold until evenly distributed. Be careful not to smash any of the blueberries. I hate when there are blue stained patches in my muffins.

  Spoon mixture into greased muffin pans. Sprinkle the tops with brown or turbinado sugar, if you want. Bake 20-25 minutes at 385 degrees. Makes 2 dozen.

  
  

  

Add some eggs scrambled with cheese and I had a delicious, filling meal!

Shopping

I'm a terrible shopper because I usually come away with the experience wanting things but feeling like they're too expensive, or buying things and feeling guilty for having spent money on something I don't really need.  But with labor day sales, I headed out.

I originally wanted these lanterns for my porch, but of course they were from early summer and no longer available.

What I found instead was some TOMS look-alikes from Sears (for $9.99).

And a maxi-dress from Charlotte Russe (which I didn't know we now had in Charlottesville).

I had been wanting both of these items since the start of the summer, so that is the only way I could justify their purchase.  Now, no more shopping for the remainder of September!

Fall reading

I am keeping the fall reading list short in case other things come up (and as there is always Hokie football to capture my attention).  I also need to read through some of the magazines I have lying around the house so that I can finally get rid of them without guilt.

1. Heaven Without Her by Kitty Foth-Regner
This book was given to me after leaving Life Group last week. I had mentioned something about not being a fan of feminism and it triggered the host to hand me this book. I feel obligated to read it so I can return it ASAP. I'm not sure it is one I would have picked up on my own.
2. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
I bought this one at the library booksale this spring.  It has been recommended to me by many friends so I am anxious to read it. I hope it continues to motivate me to do something to help others in poverty.
3. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
This one came from Mom & Dad's. I think they got it for Christmas. I LOVED Pillars of the Earth (I couldn't put it down and the story stayed with me when I wasn't reading) so I am excited to see if I like more of Ken Follett's books.
4. The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
This one looks like a quick read (in case I'm getting behind by the end of the fall months). I picked it up at the spring book sale too. 

The last of the summer books

Bell Canto

by Ann Patchett

I have heard that people LOVED this book. Then a friend of mine said she never got into it and never finished it. I felt like I finally became interested in the characters about halfway through the book and then then ending was abrupt and anticlimactic (after being heavily foreshadowed). The last chapter was the most surprising, but the reader is left without much in-depth explanation of the feelings and thoughts of the characters after having spent most of the book in their heads.  The book does a great job of character development, but lacks much in the way of action.  I can't say I loved it or hated it, it's just another book to check off the list as read.

Beauty

I've been craving beauty in my home and in my life and I stumbled upon these flowers on a walk with Hokie. I just had to bring them home!

The latest in food

It's hard to be cooking for one again. While Michael was here in July, I was on target planning and making meals.  Now, that's fallen to the wayside a bit as I found some of the same foods would last me a week and by the end of that week I'd rather vomit than eat the same meal again...

I did buy a pound of hamburger meat to make stuffed peppers.  There is a great recipe "for two" that I can stretch out with sides to make 4 meals.

I then experimented with making burgers on my George Foreman grill. They turned out pretty well, except that I didn't have any onion or cheese.  Freezing the buns worked out really well too.  They thaw quickly and I've eaten them with tuna salad, too.

I also bought a watermelon as I had seen a recipe for watermelon water and I was anxious to try it.  It's pretty delicious and needs no sweeteners for a refreshing drink.

One watermelon makes lots of pretty watermelon compost.