I’m taking a brief moment this morning to give my shout out of approval to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an open letter to him.

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,

In a day when nations are running to bow to the President of the United States of America, when queens are going “gaga” over the Obama family, I want to encourage you, Prime Minister Sir, to stay strong in your stance to keep Israel a Sovereign nation. 

 Americans will stand with Israel, even when our government may make other noises! The conservatives and the evangelicals will stand with Israel because we know that G-d stands with Israel!  We will stand with Israel because we know that when we do not, then we fall out of G-d’s favor. We will stand with Israel because we love Israel.

We will also stand with Israel because we know the teaching about King David and how he “stole” one little ewe lamb, and the pronouncement that King David inadvertently made against himself because of it. Israel is like the one little ewe lamb. There are over 22 Arab nations which could receive ALL of the people who call themselves “Palestinians”, yet they want the one JEWISH nation to give up what little land and sovereignty they hold.

They will come offering many peace treaties and many promises, yet do not forget the many more which they have broken. There is no “change” for them, because they do not repent of the evil in their hearts, and the greed and lust that they have to take Israel — not even as a prize, but in order to destroy the gemstone on the hill!

Those who stand for a divided Jerusalem stand against Israel!  They know that a house divided can not stand!

Prime Minister, you stand as a guard at the doors of history. If you drop your post and give into pressure, it will be a disaster for Jewish people, not only in Jerusalem, but around the world!  It will also be a disaster for Christians around the world!

Please, Sir, so many of us rejoiced when you won the election because we saw the hope of Israel resting upon your shoulders. You MUST stand strong.

As an American, I beg of you to not let the US Embassy return to Jerusalem! They are not coming there to support you, but to rule you, to usurp Israel’s authority to be a sovereign nation!  Do not forget the day when they left Jerusalem and refused to support Israel by keeping an embassy there. However, Christians from around the world came to Jerusalem and built an embassy there to show their support for Jerusalem, for Israel, and for Jewish people everywhere.

If President Obama gets his way, he will rule Jerusalem and therefore, he will rule Israel, and thus, he WILL rule the world.

Stay strong, Prime Minister Netanyahu. You have the hope of Israel resting on your shoulders at this point in Israel’s history. What you do will decide the fate of not only Israel, not only Jerusalem, but of the world.

We are praying for you – for wisdom, for strength, for courage, and for protection.

Blessings to you and to your family,

But especially, blessings to the Nation of Israel.. the Light which sits on the Hill.. a beacon of hope for Jews and Christians everywhere.

Susan Leipsner

It seems like I have over-night guest quite often. Most often, it is friends. But, on occasion, it is someone coming for a ministry meeting.  Whoever it is, I want them to feel welcomed and to have a brief escape from the crazy world we live in.  Our home is a place of peace and it seems like it draws people here. We are nestled in the Pisgah National Forest, and there is nothing around most of the year except nature and “us”.  The mountain laurel is about ready to bloom, but first the mountain ivy will break forth in pink and white blossoms that look like huge balls of fluffy cotton or snow.  Tomatoes are growing beside a row of peppers in my little raised garden beds.  I’ve just planted a new flower garden, and one of our dogs decided to undo part of my work.  I found a tattered, but salvageable plant laying beside of the deep hole he had dug up.Where was “he” when I needed that hole dug to plant the flower to start with!  I planted some more flowers and replanted the one that had been removed by my furry critter. If I had a sign in front of my home, or in my gardens, it would say, “Peace Grows Here”. It surely does.

Tuesday I had a friend in from out of town and we spent the day sharing our stories and talking about how wonderful our Abba is. For some of you, that might sound down right boring, but you don’t know my friend — and you might not know my heavenly Father! Nothing is every boring where G-d is concerned. If you turn your life over to Him, it suddenly gets brighter, and more exciting. I’m always waiting with anticipation to see what He is going to do next. Well,  I knew my friend would be leaving early on Wednesday and I didn’t want to spend all morning cooking.  I decided to make my favorite quiche. It’s so delicious and yummy– just like sharing about G-d with a friend.

If you can’t make over to my side of the mountain, at least enjoy a piece of this Yummy, Delicious Quiche!  And, like everything I enjoy making, it’s so very easy!  When you take it from the oven, lightly browned and smelling like a piece of paradise, you will be so pleased with your culinary abilities!

Heavenly Quiche

1 Refrigerator pie crust, unroll over your deep-dish pie pan or oven-proof pie plate, bring to room temperature, fit snuggly into dish and then crimp the edges.

5 Eggs

1 cup of cooked spinach. I use the freezer kind, then just microwave it until it is thawed completely. Drain all of the water out, then give it a very hard squeeze, then squeeze it with several paper towels folded together. You do not want any water left in it.

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

1 (preferably Vidalia) onion, chopped and sauteed’ in olive oil, drained

2 cups of half-half or whole milk or heavy cream

4 or 5 slices of tomato, slice and then pat very dry with paper towels (otherwise you will get a “soggy bottom”)

1/2 cup sliced or chopped mushrooms, sauteed.

Salt, pepper to taste

1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1/4 tsp paprika (optional)

Options:  1/4 bacon, fried and crumbled– drain well and then blot with a paper towel

Handful of small shrimp (I buy the ready-to-eat kind), shelled and cooked

1/4 cup chopped red, yellow, green pepper

1/2 cup chopped broccoli- steamed

1/4 cup chopped ham

1/4 cup feta cheese in addition to cheddar or in place of cheddar

Note: You can make this low fat by using low fat or fat free cheese and low fat or fat free half-half or milk. You can also use egg substitute such as Egg Beaters©.

Prepare:

Preheat oven to 375.  Break 1 egg, and separate the white from the yellow.  Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the egg white over the edges and sides of the pie crust.  Save the yolk and remaining white for the quiche. Sprinkle 1/4 of the shredded cheese over the bottom of the prepared pie crust.

Break the other four eggs into large bowl and add the remains of the above egg, beat lightly to break yokes. Pour in two cups fresh cream or milk. Stir in bacon, shrimp, or chopped ham (optional). Set aside 1/4 of remaining cheddar cheese. Mix rest of cheddar into egg-milk mixture.  Stir in spinach or broccoli. Stir in sauteed’ onions and mushrooms. Add salt and pepper according to your own preference. Add nutmeg. Mix gently. Pour into pie crust.  Sprinkle with Paprika. Gently lay tomato slices in a circle on the top. They will sink, but will rise up as the quiche cooks.  Now sprinkle remaining cheddar (which was set aside earlier) on top of the tomatoes/egg mixture.  Bake approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on your oven and depth of pie dish. When it springs to the touch, is slightly browned and a pick inserted into the middle comes out clean, you know it is done!  If the crust edges brown too quickly, cover them with foil strips, but not the quiche mixture.  Remove from oven and let set about 10 minutes. Slice, serve, and enjoy.  In the last ten minutes you can also add a few sprigs of  parsley to the top.  Enjoy!

I trust in Thy word.  Psalm 119:42

Have you ever prayed and asked God to give you courage, and then all of a sudden you realize that your life has been impacted by so many circumstances that require courage?  Perhaps it was not courage you prayed for, but strength in certain situations, and all of a sudden your strength was being challenged on a regular basis.  Or, maybe it was perseverance, and you found that you were having to persevere through one situation or circumstance after another. Maybe you have asked God to give you a spirit of kindness, an attitude of kindness — and you have encountered people time after time who made you want to be anything but kind!

When my children were little, I would pray continually and sincerely, that God would give me patience.  Soon after I started for praying for God to give me patience, I found that I was surrounded by “opportunities” in which practicing patience was required.  For example, my spouse’s career required that I quit college. We moved to a new town with our children one week before Christmas! Everything was packed and loaded by moving men. I didn’t have a clue where anything was, except that it was being stored on a moving truck.  We moved into a small hotel room, and the kids and I spent the next week trying to figure out how we fit into this picture.  At first, the children thought it was a fun adventure. But then, after so many re-runs on the limited hotel television and rainy weather, we were ready to move out of the hotel and into a box! 

Then the challenge went from worse to worser, as my grandson says!  The remodeling work being done on our new home was not yet finished.  The company wanted us to move out of the hotel,  so we rented a very small, very old mobile home from an older couple who lived in a nice house next door.   Christmas eve came and we moved into the tiny mobile home. I found one Christmas tree left over at a lot in town, and the man gave it to me for free.  Our lovely Christmas ornaments were packed somewhere on a truck that was in a place that only the moving company and God knew of!  I searched department stores for wrapping paper, and there was none left.  So, I wrapped the few presents I had been able to purchase for the children while they were with me — in comic newspapers.  I tied them with strips of wide ribbon I had purchased in the sewing department and placed them beneath the tree.  Christmas came and went, and we made it through with a few hidden tears on my part.

I drove by our new home daily and reminded myself that this “home-in-a-box” was temporary, and I learned that I could do anything for a short time.  But, days turned into weeks and a major blizzard hit the state.  December’s move-in date turned into January, and January turned into February.  We had two bedrooms smaller than most modern master baths, and a combined family of five children.   Daily I prayed, “Lord, Father, please give me patience, especially with the children and with this situation.”

I think that my sense of adventure helped some.  I would make a point to take the kids to explore our new community. We made long afternoons pass by at the library.  Lent came and we learned a new lesson in patience as it was our habit to give up television during Lent — except for Sundays.  Long winter evenings were passed sitting together on the small sofa, library books piled high — and we read more than 30 books a week.  Board games were abundant in our living room, and we found a renewed interest in puzzles.

Februrary turned into March, and we waited and anticipated. Then the March rains and ice storms came. The people  we were acquiring our home from had chosen a white carpet for the living room. We didn’t dare move in until the rains and the storms  passed and drier weather allowed the recently landscaped front lawn to turn to something other than a mire of mud.  As the days grew longerand spring came, I found that my patience had grown.   I learned a valuable lesson that year– be careful of what you ask God for!  God does answer prayers,  but His ways are not our ways.  While I wanted an instant injection of patience, my heavenly Abba knew that just like wheat, patience only grows with a little rain and a whole lotta of dirt and sunshine!

Eventually, after what seemed like years — we had the “go ahead” to move into our new home.  The moving truck arrived with out belongings which had been packed away so many months before hand.  In the big bedroom with the large bay windows that night, I realized that I missed the little home over the hill where we had so snuggly spent the past few months.  We had a new home, and our belongings had been returned to us. It was a lot like Christmas!  But, something more had come and that was patience, not only patience with the children, but patience with God’s timing and with life.

Psalm 119:42 says, “I will trust in Thy word.”  The original Hebrew word used in this passage is    בּטח    bâṭach,   which is pronounced baw-takh’ .  It can mean,  to “hide in” or to “take refuge in” or to “place one’s hope in” — to have faith in and in this case, David is saying that he is placing his faith in – he is taking refuge in – he is “hiding” in God’s word. 

Our world tells us that we need to trust ourselves, trust our instincts, trust our feelings, trust our intuition.  If I could tell you how many times I’ve trusted my feelings only to find that what I was feeling was not anywhere in the ballpark of what I should been doing!  I’ve made so many bad decisions and bad choices because I trusted my “instinct” or because I trusted my “intuition ” instead of trusting in God’s Word!  

When everything said I was husbandless, God’s Word said,

“I am the advocate (husband) to the widow.” (Deut 10:18)

 When I felt that I had been plucked from the hand of God, God’s Word said,

“Rom 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  

  Php 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

“What father among you, if his son asks for bread, would give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, would give him a snake instead of the fish?” Luke 11:11. 

 If we, who are not holy would be gracious unto our sons and daughters, how much more so can we trust God to be gracious to us. He is Holy and Good and Trustworthy. Therefore, do not be afraid to ask with reverance and awe, and He will answer according to His riches and glory in heaven.

 Please remember: TEAM KENYA 2009 is still accepting applications for volunteers for our September 9-23, 2009 mission to Kenya.  We especially need people who have a heart to work with orphans and street kids in the areas of dance, music, and drama productions, along with playing games and interacting with these precious kids.

We can still use a few key people who can help build a church for a Maasai tribe in Namanga on the border of Tanzania and Kenya.  Please contact us or visit  http://www.lydiaministry.com/teamkenya2009.html

Thank you and God bless! 

you-raise-me-up-westlife1  Please enjoy one of my favorite songs, You Raise Me Up.

It seems sometimes that my mind wraps around something and  until I get into it, the tentacles just won’t let go. This time, it is the “Power of One”.  I mean, think about it, most of the world worships  “One God”–monotheism.  In all of the universe, there is only one planet that we know of which can sustain intricate life forms–that would be Earth. Earth’s solar system has but one sun, and without it we would cease to exist. We have only one moon which lights the night skies.  Then, I know this is a little touchy, but when you think about the human life form, we come from one egg which is attacked by multitudes of spermatozoa, yet only one is able to impregnate the egg!  We are born with one heart and when it quits beating — well, you know what happens!  We are given one brain to navigate this intricate thing called life — and we are given one life to live!  I mean, think of all the stars in the universe, the cells in the body, the ants on a hillside, — and yet, we get only one chance at this thing called life! Geeze, Louise.

Then, if you think about it without “one” you can’t get to the rest of the numbers. “One” begins everything.  Even stories often begin with a version of one–Once.  Once upon a time– One day-

It makes me think of the one time I made it to the county or state spelling bee — I can’t remember which.  I made it to the finals.  There was just me and this other kid (sorry, can’t remember the kid either). I CAN remember the ONE word that I MISSED. I can also remember that I could only miss one word– and that was the end of my spelling bee fame.  I think the word was quite fitting, if I do say so myself. I mean, if you are going to miss a word in a spelling BEE,  what better word to miss than “Pollen”– that would be “pollen, p-o-l-l-e-n, pollen”.  Yes, I do remember the ONE word that I missed.

Then, there was also the day I bought a lottery ticket. I don’t often buy lottery tickets, but N.C. had just gotten the lottery and I gave into temptation.  I picked my five numbers and waited. Life seemed to tick slowly by while I waited for the night when they would call out the numbers.  Yes, yes, those are my numbers—until it came to the ONE wrong number!  My multi-million dollar jackpot became something like a few dollars!  All because I missed ONE number.

That brings me to another ONE that I missed out on– I was on a long flight to Ghana, West Africa. I had already had a long layover in Minnesota.  I was flying into Amsterdam and the pilot came on the speakers to announce that we could not land. It was too foggy!  So, we circled and circled — I began to feel dizzy. Then the pilot’s voice came over the intercom and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I hate to tell you this but we are about out of fuel. We are going to have to divert our flight to…”  I can tell you this, if there is ONE thing you don’t want to hear your pilot say, it might just be “We are out of fuel…” 

We sat for about three hours on a hot tarmac in Belgium (I think it was Belgium–I couldn’t really tell because they wouldn’t let us off the plane!)  We finally reached Amsterdam right before my connecting flight departed. I was about ONE minute too late and it was the ONE flight to Ghana for that day. So, I can say that I spent ONE night in Amsterdam.

I guess I should include something about birth order. And,  Amy, if you read this you know you are my ONE middle child!  But, we all know that there can only be ONE “firstborn” child.  If you are not in the highly honored place of being the “ONE-born..oops, I mean “first-born” then maybe, like me, you are the One-last born (otherwise known as the “baby” of the family!)  If you are not the “ONE-Born” you know you will spend your life trying to keep up with the “ONE-born”.  The only solace there is that the ONE-born will become a senior citizen FIRST!

Christians, such as me, believe that the One God, haShem (the Name) who is the God with many Names — El Shaddi, Y-hweh, and many, many more — had one begotten Son, whose name is Yeshua (Jesus).  He is the One Messiah. He is the one path to eternal life, and the One Savior of all people whom He draws until himself through the power of the One Holy-Spirit and the ministry of the one true Gospel, which is found in the ONE  Holy Bible, and that all believers are part of the ONE body of Christ, the holy catholic (doesn’t mean Catholic–like with the Pope in Rome, but means “united”) church.

In the Jewish tradition, there is only ONE day of atonement, Yom Kippur!  There is only ONE place where the Holy Temple can be rebuilt (and therefore since 70 AD the Jewish people have lived without the presence of the Holy Temple). There is also only ONE land of the Jewish people,  eretz-Yisrael (the land of Israel). Not only this but Jews believe in “arevut”, the idea that all Jews are responsible for one another, because all Jews are like ONE person. If you read the words to the song “Kol Yisrael” you’ll see this example of “ONE”.  Part of it states,

“All Jews are responsible for each ONE.  All Jews are “brothers”.  ONE people with ONE heart.

ONE people , each pair is ONE. ONE people, as if they are ONE person.  Hear O’ Israel, ONE people!

Of course, there is also the “Shema”, a Jewish affirmation of faith in the ONE God, The first line of the Shema, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is ONE”.  The Shema is recited each morning and each evening by Jewish people (observant Jews, I should say.)

There’s just ONE other thing that I was thinking about this number ONE–

One day you and I will meet this One God, and He will look upon us to decide if we responded to His One Son, and if you and I will enter into His One Heavenly Presence- to spend the ONE ETERNITY with Him.  We will be required to give account for the One life He gave to us, and what we did with it.  We will have one opportunity to answer— 

 What will you say?

 If you have been feeling insignificant in this great big place we call life, just remember the power of ONE. It only takes ONE person to change the world, for better or worse.  Join TEAM KENYA 2009 and express your POWER OF ONE to make the world a better place!

Quick reminder:  TEAM KENYA 2009 is still taking applications and registrations for our September work trip to Kenya. Read below about this mission and the work we will do.  Contact us today for an application/registration packet.  Space is limited to just 15-20 individuals with a real desire to reach out and make a real change in our world.  And, while I’m thinking about ONE, there will only be ONE TEAM KENYA 2009!  Don’t miss your chance to be a part of it!  For more information visit www.lydiaministry.com

My post are going to take a decidedly different turn this morning from my usual gourmet and gab. In my “other life” I travel around the world trying to make a difference–and tasting a wide variety of world flavors. Yes, it takes quite a passion to lure me from my home nestled in the Pisgah National Forest, among the Blue Ridge Mountains. But, I do venture out and most often it is to places such as East and West Africa, India and the middle East.  So far, my travels have taken me to mud villages, refugee camps and the world’s largest slums!  There’s no glamour in it, and to see my trip photos (bad hair, no make-up, clothes meant for comfort and not fashion), well lets just say that “humbling” is the word of the day! 

Chief and Elders of Tribe

Last September (2008), my journey took me to Kenya.  I work with the poorest of the poor because it is their heart-cry that I hear (but who are truly the richest in spirit!)  While in Kenya, my host pastor, Bishop Omukhobero took me to meet a chief and the people of a Maasai tribe.  I shared some thoughts with them about why God would send a blonde-haired, white-skinned woman all the way across the great Atlantic Ocean to go out and meet with them. Those thoughts were simply this:  God loves them and He wants them to know that He loves them.  As it says in Malachi 1:1 and God said, “I have loved you from the beginning..” (my paraphrase).  (In other words, Jerry McGuire style, “You had me at hello!”)  That is what I believe God sent me there to tell them: He has loved them from the beginning, before they ever heard about him or knew of him, before they ever desired to build a church, God loved them.  Even before they were born, as they were yet in their mother’s wombs, the Bible says that God knew them. Before they ever jumped and danced and sang to worship and honor him, He loved them!  And, He will love them if they never build their church, never jump and dance and sing about His Glory again! 

The Maasai people have a tradition of selecting one male among every tribe who is the “scapegoat”. He carries the sins of the tribe on his shoulders. I explained to them that God loves them so much that He sent his very own Son to be their scapegoat, to carry the sins of the entire world on his shoulders.  I explained to them that they do not have to do anything to earn God’s love, it is freely given.  They do not have to do anything to earn His Son as their scapegoat, He has freely given Himself to be the one, all they have to do is accept Him into their hearts and their lives.  Afterward, about 16-20 people came forward to accept this gift of a scapegoat whose name is Yeshua (Jesus).  

Their elders had given land to build a church/school for their people (this was before I ever knew of them, it’s not to my credit or otherwise, that they gave the land.)  They’ve been waiting for someone to build this church/school and to dig a well for them.  I realized when I was there that I might be the person they had been waiting for.  I told them I wouldn’t make any promises but I would come home and see if I could raise enough funds to help them see their dreams become a reality.  Then, I came home and committed myself to this mission.  After all, they aren’t asking for St. Peter’s cathedral, they simply want a shelter in which to worship God and a place to teach their children, a school for their kids. They want water that the women don’t have to walk 7 kilometers to find, water that is clean and pure and doesn’t carry disease.  (The same things most of us desire, a place to worship God, a safe school for our kids, fresh and safe water to drink–a better quality of life by anyone’s standards.)

Susan Jokes around with Lion Killers

Sometimes I say to myself, “I’m only one person what can I do?”  Maybe you have said the same thing to your own self. It seems that there are a lot of problems in this world that I can’t solve. I can’t solve world hunger, or the problems between nations and religions. I can’t solve poverty and I can’t solve the political problems in Chicago or in D.C.  But, I figure that there are a few things I can do.  I can put shoes on the feet of children who run barefoot through filth and garbage–one pair at a time.  I can build one church/school building with the help of a few key people. I can put school books in the hands of children who have never seen one, let alone owned their own– one child at a time.  I can reach my hand out to one person who is sinking in despair, and draw them to a safer ground. Maybe with the right sponsor, I’ll even be able to dig a well for a tribe of people who have no fresh water! I figure,  if I can do this one person at a time, what could an entire team do?

In September 2009 I’ll be leading a team of 15-20 people on a journey of a lifetime.  Together, we will build a church/school for the Maasai tribe who has welcomed me as one of their own.  We will provide school books and materials for their children, educational posters for the new school, and teach them about health and hygiene and how to protect themselves against the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Another part of our team will be renovating a children’s center in Nairobi which serves children from the slums of both Mathare and Kibera, the world’s second and third largest slums in the world, where over 100,000 orphans struggle daily for life, and women with hearts of gold take them in to give them shelter and share their family’s own meager meals.  We’ll supply books and school supplies, take a few more pair of shoes for the kids (I took about 25-30 pair on my last trip there–most of which were donated by a local school teacher and a couple of her students here in my home town) andput them on those who need them.  We’ll host a Vacation Bible School with music and theatrical skits and games for 100-300 orphans and street kids, and help provide breakfast and lunch for them.  We’ll extend our hands and our hearts.  We’ll also have some time for a “safari” (which means journey) to Nairobi National Wildlife Reserves, the Rothschild Giraffe Center, the infamous Carnivores Restaraunt and the Butterfly Center.  We’ll travel into the bushlands between Kenya and Tanzania, and we will share a journey of a lifetime.  We will worship together and eat together and probably shed a few tears together.

Will it change the world? Yes!  For those who make this journey of a lifetime with TEAM KENYA 2009, their world will change!  For those whose lives we encounter, whose hands we reach out to, and whose hearts we touch, their world will change.  For the Maasai tribe who finally gets their dreams fulfilled of having a church and school, their world will change! Will the crisis in Iran and Afghanistan and the USA be effected, I can’t say that it will. But, if we change the world one person, one village, one orphanage, one child, one pair of feet, one hand reaching out, one heart reaching up, one church, one school at a time–then eventually the world will change.

Some Kids from Children's Center with Me

The cost:  basic trip is 16 days, departure is from an airport in N.C.  $2950.00 (most people spend more than that on a week at the beach!) and includes:

Airfare to and from airport of departure (In NC) to Nairobi Kenya; room in a very comfortable guest house in Nairobi and near the Maasai land for those building the church/school; breakfast and dinner/supper while in Kenya; ground transportation in Kenya; safari to Nairobi National Wildlife Reserve; Day at RothchildGiraffe Center; (for extended stay a day at the Butterfly Center where 1000’s of species can be found, some with wing spans in excess of 17 centimeters); Dinner and evening at the infamous Carnivores Restaurant; TEAM Kenya 2009 training event with meal and lodging in June; training manual and travel journal; TEAM KENYA 2009 T-shirt and hat– and the journey of a lifetime!

What is not included: Passport and Visa fees, health insurance, lunch (generally lunch can be purchased for less than $2.oo and a bag lunch is optional), meals in Airports, personal items, extra luggage fees, travel to and from departure airport in N.C., taxes and gratuities, beverages, cost of immunizations.

We are currently accepting applications for TEAM MEMBERS.  TEAM Kenya 2009 is hosted by Lydia Ministries International, a 501 (3) (c) non-profit organization and donations may be tax deductible.  If you would like to join us, please contact me today for an application and registration form.  You may contact me by leaving a comment. I’ll get it and send you an email Or, You can go to www.lydiaministry.com and there is contact information there.  DATES Team Members need to know:   Deposits and application deadline: May 15th.  June 6th: TEAM Kenya Training day (we are going to play games, meet your roommates (unless you are travelling with your spouse and will share a room), checking forms, passports and visas, immunization records, health forms, and share a meal or two together!  We’ll talk about what to pack (and what NOT to pack), cultural awareness issues, and our itinerary– questions and answers, etc.  and did I say, EAT!  September 7th: TEAM Kenya 2009 Team Leaders depart for Kenya.  September 9th: Team Kenya 2009 Team members depart for Kenya. September 22nd, Team Members depart from Kenya to return to states and should arrive in NC on the 23rd.  Extended Team stay will depart Kenya on September 28th.

Remember, our TEAM Member positions are quickly filling up!  We are seeking team members who have building skills, teaching skills, painting skills (can you paint a wall?),  work with a VBS setting with lots and lots of children:), carry blocks and stir mortar.  Also we are especially seeking someone with advanced Medical: ie a doctor or nurse willing to give two-three weeks for medical mission work (physicals, minor medical care, etc. for orphans and for Maasai tribe members and for several hundred impovershed pastors and their families, who can oversee the AIDS and Health/Hygiene training,  and who can provide any necessary emergency care for TEAM Kenya 2009 members (we hope you WON’T have anything to do in that situation!)– and who can also wield a hammer or paint brush (just kidding)!  Make no mistake, this is a work team, and we will all work together as a Team to complete all phases of the work,.  If you have a physical limitation don’t hesitate to contact me,  we will do everything within our power to help make this possible for you!

Please help us get the word out:  TEAM KENYA 2009!  Now that’s Change you can count on!  CHANGE your World! CHANGE their World! CHANGE Our World! 

If you can’t go on this journey with us, but would like to contribute, please contact me.  We need financial donations. 100% of every dime given to Lydia Ministries International goes to the work of the ministry. As Founder and Director, I do not receive a salary. All work is performed by volunteers.  If you can’t make a financial donation there are still many ways to donate:  school supplies, school text books, posters for the school and children’s center (think educational, medical, dental (showing the physiology of the human body), shoes, Sunday School literature, Bibles, uniforms for children (they wear school uniforms (we need about 200 school uniforms in an array of sizes for girls (skirts and dresses) and boys (shorts and slacks), over the counter medicines, sealed for their protection; toothbrushes and toothpaste. This is just a partial list. Please contact us.  Remember, Lydia Ministries International is a 501 (3) (c) non-profit organization.

Click here to listen Meg Hutchinson–Seeing Stars  While you are reading and cooking, please enjoy one of my favorite songs.

We all need to be comforted every now and then.  A child curls up on her mother’s lap and finds comfort from the “scaries” of the world; a lover clings to their “other’s” hand on life’s roller coaster ride; a friend weeps on another friends shoulder.  Comforting each other is a major part of relationships. 

When there’s a death in my community, the churches and neighbors gather around to comfort the families who are grieving. When my late husband died in 2005, the house was full of “comforters” and while I can’t tell you everyone who was there, I still carry their presence in my soul.  The comfort they gave to me then is still with me today.  When something takes me back in memory to that time, they are waiting there also to offer their comforting words and presence.

Only once in the New Testament  are we told that Jesus speaks and says, “Be of good comfort”, and that’s  in Matthew 9:22

Right now, Americans need to be comforted, we need to be reminded to “be of good cheer”.  Many are frightened about the future, and we have reason for concern.  However, we should not let fear rule us. Especially those of us who are Believers in the Son of God need to remember that there is one greater within us than the one who is in the world, and this One is the Holy Spirit. We also need to remember that “if God be for us, then who can be against us!”  I encourage you to “take comfort and be of good cheer”.

If you are like me, there are days when you need “comfort food”!  Of course, the best food to take comfort in is not the kind we eat, but the very Word of God!  However, if you need the kind that comforts the body, I’ve got just the thing!  Try my Tortellini and Shrimp Alfredo pasta dish.  I have to confess that I stole this one from my husband –well, I added my own little take on it(tomorrow, March 3rd, is the second anniversary of our first date and Friday we will have been married 19 months!  I’m so thankful that God blessed me with a “new” husband, and he is the best husband in the whole wide world–for me!) He’s also a great chef– and the cause of most of the pounds I’ve gained since we got married!

This recipe is quick (it takes less than 30 minutes, add a salad and some nice Texas toast or Ciabatta bread, with a little melted garlic butter brushed on and you’ve got dinner!) 

Tortellini and Shrimp Alfredo

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen 20-30 count per pound medium shrimp (make it easy and get the peeled, deveined, cooked shrimp–remember this is supposed to be comfort food!)

1 bag of Barilla’s Tortellini (spinach and cheese or whatever you prefer)

2-3 Tbls Olive Oil

2-3 cloves garlic or 1/2- 1 Tsp from a jar of fresh minced garlic

Fresh ground black pepper and fresh grated sea salt to taste

5-6 leaves of fresh basil (more or less to taste)

1 Jar of Tomato Alfredo sauce  (if you don’t like tomatoes then use just the plain Alfredo sauce)

Couple of ounces of fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)

a handful of fresh baby spinach  (washed, drained, dried) or 1/4 cup of thawed frozen spinach, drained and squeezed dry with paper towels

Putting it all together—

• Peel and devein your shrimp (or do like I do and buy the ones already prepared. I do remove the shell that’s left on the tails, but I try to keep the “tail meat” intact!) I use one bag of 20-30 ct. size shrimp– or whatever the grocer has on sale for that week. If the shimp are frozen I dump them into a pot of lightly salted boiling water for about 2 minutes. Drain and hold.
• Prepare package of Barilla Tortellini (you can also use the larger Tortelloni if you wish)– I like to get in some extra nutrients so I use the spinach and cheese stuffed)  or you can use the type of Tortellini that you find in the refrigerated section of your grocers.  Cook according to directions. Drain and hold.
• On medium heat, In a  deep saucepan or the bottom of a large dutch oven, (pre-heat your pan) then pour about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
• Saute 2 cloves of minced garlic. (I cheat and use the garlic that comes in a jar– I use about 1/2 teaspoon or more, I like garlic!)
• Add in some fresh chopped basil, about a 1/4 cup. Saute for about one or two minutes.  You can use more or less to your own taste. I like basil and grow it from spring til late fall in planter boxes on our deck railings and in my herb garden both! 
• Add in spinach. If you are using fresh spinach heat until nicely wilted.
• Pour in one jar of Tomato Alfredo sauce  and stir——-(or make your own from heavy cream and Parmesan cheese–it only takes a few minutes and is so much tastier, add a little tomatosauce and you have a nice homemade Tomato Alfredo sauce)
• I like to grate in some fresh Parmesan (you can never have to much Parmesan!), about a 1/4 cup or to taste! This is optional.
• Crank in some fresh ground black pepper to taste.
• Grind in some fresh  sea salt to taste.
• Simmer this over medium low heat until it is nice and hot.
• Next add your prepared shrimp and your prepared Tortellini pasta.  
• Simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes and it’s ready to eat. 

Ladel up a nice serving into a bowl or pretty dish.  Top with a bit of the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, give a little crank of black pepper, and toss on a leaf of fresh basil for garnish and you are ready to serve.

  Add your salad and your bread and dinner is served.  It actually took longer to type the recipe in than it does to prepare the dish! How comforting is that!  Be of Good Cheer my friends, be of good cheer!

The grandkids always ask for this dish when they come over to stay the night at their Nana’s and Poppy’s house. They love to dip their bread in the sauce, and our little Hannah Grace loves to eat the “shTrimp” most of all!  It’s deliciously yummy and capriciously easy!

The United States of America has started this New Year of 2009, or 5769 on the Hebrew Calendar, with a new “Commander-in-Chief” and many new leaders, including a new “leading lady” in the White House.  I guess it would be fair to say that there are two new leading ladies in the White House, the first I was thinking of is Michelle Obama, and the other of course, Hillary Clinton (again).  Only history will tell the tale of how this period of time will play out. 

Have you ever thought about what it takes to be a leader?  As a woman, I think about women in leadership positions very often.  Only a handful of people will know  what it is like to have a leadership position so grand as Barack H. Obama now knows, after all,  he is only the 44th President the USA has ever known! But, our world is made up of everyday heros and our lives are filled with people around us who exhibit great leadership skills and abilities every day.

More importantly, every day we are faced with opportunities to be leaders–in our homes, our jobs, our communities, or among friends and family and neighbors.  It seems that sometimes it’s one small act that turns out to be a great act in history.  For instance, in the Bible there was woman named Deborah.  She is first introduced as the wife of– You can read all about her in the Book of Judges, Chapter 4.  Verse 4 says,

“And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.”

 So very often, we are known by the roles we lead in life.  It’s easy to lose ourselves in these identities, to become “the wife of” or “the mother of”  or “the daughter of”.  Deborah though was a woman in her own right, a leader among her people.  Because of her willingness to be a woman of faith and leadership and action, we are still blessed to have the people of Israel with us today!

Here is what happened, in a nutshell. Deborah was a judge (and a prophetess). As a judge, she would sit in a “public” place and the people would bring their disputes before Deborah.  One day, as Deborah was sitting court, so to speak, she had a “word” from G-d. So, in obedience, she calls Barak. Yes, you read that correctly, she called up Barak.  She told him that G-d had commanded him to go and take ten thousand soldiers and to engage Sisera, leader of the army of the Caananite King Jabin in battle… and, G-d would deliver the victory into Barak’s hands. King Jabin and Sisera and his army had oppressed the Israelite people for twenty years and the people had prayed and cried out to G-d. Now G-d was going to answer their prayers.

The interesting thing is that Barak refused to go– unless Deborah would lead them!  Barak knew that Deborah was a woman of G-d. Can you imagine, here is this great leader, Barak, telling this little woman Deborah, a judge and prophetess, introduced though as the “wife of –” that he would go, and he would take the ten thousand soldiers, but only if she led them?  How amazing is that!  Can you imagine the line up? Here’s Deborah, then Barak, and then ten thousand soldiers marching into war against an enemy equipped with over 900 chariots and his entire army!  This is an enemy that had oppressed the people  of Israel for over twenty years–that’s some intimidation there! 

Of course, being the woman of faith that Deborah was, she agreed, but she gave Barak this stern warning, (my paraphrase): I will lead you, but before you go you will have to know that because of this, you will get no glory for the win, because G-d is going to give the victory over Sisera to a woman!  Well, if you stop here in the story, it seems that it will be Deborah getting the glory, the honor, for the victory. So, here though go into battle–Deborah leading Barak leading ten thousand soliders! 

 But then, there is another woman of valor, another woman of leadership, a woman named “Jael”.

The story continues in verses 17-24 telling us how Sisera flees after his armies have been defeated and have literally fallen on their swords!  And where would Sisera flee to?  A mountain?  A dry wadi (river bed)? A cave?  No! Sisera makes the mistake to flee to another man’s wife’s tent!  Here is yet another woman introduced as “the wife of–”  Jael is the wife of  a man named “Heber”.  To get on with the story, Sisera fled to the tent of Jael and begged for her to hide him. 

Now, it appears that Jael was “just” a woman at home, doing her wifely duties of housework, when this opportunity of leadership would fall upon her.  Jael told  Sisera to come on in, take his shoes off and crawl in the bed.  She gave him some water to drink, threw the blankets over him and quickly he went off to sleep, tired from the lost battles and ohhh so very  nice and comfy.  Now, there is no indication that Jael commited adultry or did anything such as this with Sisera. She was “hiding” Sisera from the army of Barak and from Deborah.  When Sisera went to sleep, Jael did an amazing thing, she took a nail or spike and drove it through his head!  The Bible actually says she drove it through his temples into the ground!  One word of caution to any husband who might stop by Deliciously Capricious and read this: be careful not to hide out in another man’s wife’s tent!  Ok, back to the story, when Jael heard Barak pursuing  Sisera she went out to meet him and told him to come in and she would show him the man he was seeking–of course, there was Sisera, dead as a nail!  I guess you could say that Jael really had him pegged!

We can also see now that G-d kept His word (as G-d always does) and He delivered Sisera’s defeat into the hands of a woman, Jael.  Even now, thousands of years later, Barak doesn’t get the glory or the honor for the defeat of Sisera!  The honor goes instead to a housewife who was home doing what housewives do when opportunity came knocking at her door.

Every day we are faced with opportunities to be leaders. We are dealt choices to make and choose.  Deborah was a woman of G-d who was a leader in every way, she was a woman of great faith and wisdom and courage. Jael was a housewife, at home  minding her own buisness.  Both women were used by G-d and because of their faith and their willingness to act out their faith, the children of Israel prospered, and Israel is  even today a great nation of people of G-d.  Now that is delicious!

A Taste of Something Delicious:  Another recipe to entice the family to eat their “little trees” and it is simply delicious!

Yummy Broccoli Salad

2-3 cups of fresh Broccoli florets, washed and chopped  lightly

1-2 tablespoons raisins ( I like to mix the red and golden varieties together in this recipe)

1-2 tablespoons of dried cranberries or “Craisins”

1/4 cup chopped carrot

1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (oh heck, use both!)

1-2 tablespoons mayo. or salad dressing (for even more healthy flavor try a Olive Oil based mayo!)

Toss the ingredients together, mix in mayo to your taste, and enjoy a Taste of Summer during these cold winter months!  With all of the crunch and the beta carotene from the broccoli and carrots, vitamins A and C, loads of folic acid and fiber you will fill great about eating this salad.  I have to mention those little red and gold raisins you throw in are full of little “blood cleaners” with lots of phytonutrients and antioxidants. They help to fight osteoporosis, macular degeneration and tooth decay (according to the folks at Oohoi.com).

Of course, if you need more encouragement to have this Yummy Broccoli Salad, the tannins in the cranberries have all sorts of healthy benefits, and most of us know that cranberries are great for the urinary tract!  If you choose a fat free mayo (better yet, one made of olive oil!) there is simply no reason not to have a healthy helping of this Yummy Broccoli Salad.  I love to serve this with a nice Hot Brown or a crisp hot panini!  Add a cup of delicious soup and it’s enough to make the cows come home on a snowy day.  I have to say it, it truly is “Deliciously Capricious!”

Have you ever thought about what it means to say that something is “good”?  We say  “this pie tastes good” or “that soup was good”.  We say, “My dog is a good dog” or “My son is a good son”. We might say, “My husband and I have a good marriage.” If we are blessed, we might say “We have a good life” and when someone dies we often say, “He was a good man” or “She was a good woman”.  But what is it that we really mean when we say that something or someone is good?

Do we really mean, “I like the way this pie tastes, the crust was not burned!” Or, do we mean to imply ”the soup had a consistency that was pleasing to me.”  Would it be more accurate to say, “the soup did not offend my taste buds.”  What do we really mean when we say, “This was a good man/woman.”  Do we mean that he or she was kind? Then why not just say that he was kind?  Do we mean that she gave to the poor or that she did not use four-letter words?  He didn’t kick the dog, or he always bought cookies from the Girl Scouts and popcorn from the Boy Scouts.  Then why not say that she was generous, that he was civic-minded or that she was not crude?  Is it simply just easier to use the word good? Do we do the word an injustice by using it in such a manner?

When a mother says her children have been good today does she mean that they did not hit each other, or that they did as they were told? Did they do their chores without complaint?  If so then why not say that they were kind to each other or that they were obedient?  Does a child understand when we say, “Be good in the grocery store and you’ll get a treat when we get home!”  Does that translate into “Don’t run around the store! Don’t beg for things I don’t intend to buy!  Don’t be loud and whatever you do, don’t embarrass me!”  It seems like that “being good” is a very ambiguous term as it used in modern English. Perhaps a better term more often would be “inocuous”. 

Speaking of modern English, according to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/good  the word, when used as an adjective has twenty different meanings!  It just goes to prove that “good” is difficult to describe or understand. Most often, it can only be understood in comparison to something that is “not good”.

good (gd)

adj. bet·ter (btr), best (bst)

And then, there is Gen 3:6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

Yet, we know that it was not good for the woman and the man to eat of this fruit, for it is this act of disobedience which brought the judgement of death against all of life.  This was the fruit of the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil.”  Before man had taken from the fruit of this tree he did not have responsiblity of his actions– he was not capable of knowing good and evil.  He only had to be obedient and live out eternity in blissful ignorance! He could have chosen to eat from the Tree of Life instead! Man and woman could run around naked in the garden, everthying bared before each other and G-d. There was no shame or guilt.  Everything was good! G-d had said it was! The only thing not good was to try to be like G-d–to try and discern that which was good and evil.

It is G-d alone who can pronounce that something is “good”.  Yet, even today, everyday, we try to discern good and evil–we try to play G-d. Tov is the Hebrew word for “good”. It is a judgement pronounced about something or someone’s worthy-ness or functionality.

In the New Testament, we read in Matt 19:17 “And he (Jesus) said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”

Jesus said this in response to a young man who came to him and said, “..Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”

I think Jesus was not saying that he himself was not good, but rather that truly He is G-d, Emmanuel–G-d with us– in the flesh.   I think he was also telling the young man, don’t try to be good–but keep the commandments.

As a child, my mother taught me to say this blessing before meals:

G-d is great. G-d is good.  Let us thank Him for this food. By His hands we all are fed. Give us Lord our daily bread. Amen.

(–Please enjoy this selection from my favorite music today! It’s Cold Play’s “Scientist”. My 16 year old grandson is so amazed that his 40 somethings “Nana” loves Cold Play as much as he does!)  Click here–> coldplay-the-scientist

Forrest Gump says something to the jist of “My Mama says life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.”  I would like to challenge Forrest’s mom because I say that life is like a bunch of broccoli!  You get what you get and you make out of it what you will.  My kids were never crazy about eating what they called “little trees”. Yes, broccoli looks somewhat like “little trees”.  It was up to me to take what we had, “little trees”, and make something yummy and delicious from it. This is what life is like… we get what we get and it’s up to us to make something out of it… which brings me to the New Year ahead.

I wish that I could tell you today that I have made my list of New Year’s resolutions already. Truthfully speaking, I have not. I’ve not really even thought about 2009 except for the many appointments and items that already fill my calendar and my to-do lists.  Sometime in 2008 I had to start my 2009 appointment book/calendar. I always feel like I’m going to the bank with a check written on someone else’s account when I do that… when I write an appointment on the calendar for a year that hasn’t yet even “become”.  It’s difficult to describe, but it seems like I’m tapping into something that is not yet mine.  But, we have to do that, we have to bank on tomorrow while living out today.  We have to plan for the future, even when it is not yet ours.  Yet, I like looking at all of those blank pages of the future, thinking that somehow they hold mysteries and adventures that will look much different than the ones of the past.

What I would really like to fill those pages with are days like:

January 10th:  Sail to Morocco, ride horseback across the desert–sleep in a Bedouin tent (of course, air conditioned–velvets and furs (imitation of course–save the Tigers!) skip the goat’s hair and scorpions!)

January 30th: Sail the seven seas with my swashbuckling husband–speak only to natives that don’t speak my language and who don’t have cell phones! 

February 1st:  Feed wild Giraffes in Africa from my open hand, ride an elephant in India –through Hyderabad or Mumbai, –

March: Sail the intercoastal waterways from Virginia to Florida and watch the dolphins all day. Enjoy the brisk but sunny winds–eat fresh, succulent prawns–roasted and buttered-while sunning on the deck of the yacht listening to my Cold Play collection.

Ok.. You get the point! I always hope for the adventurous and romantic of the day–while folding laundry and paying bills. I have to confess that I have been so blessed to travel many times to various countries on the continent of Africa and across the south of India, Canada, Germany, Holland and Israel–and from the east coast to the west coast, from the north to the southern most tip of the USA!  This world we live in, the places, people and cultures are so wonderful– the skies over head which encompass the heavenlies filled with things of wonder and awe- inspiring grandeur–all are waiting to be contemplated, admired, and explored.  It’s all Capriciously delicious and it’s good for you, too!

Here is something else that is delicious and good for you. This yummy broccoli bread has been a long-time favorite in our family. I made this for my children when they were very young–so that they could eat their little green trees without tears!  They loved it and now I make it for their children–my grandkids!  Top it with grated cheddar cheese or a nice dollop of sour cream, sprinkle it with some paprika for color…mmmm!  It’s yummy deliciousness is comfort and healthy all wrapped up in warmth! It’s simple, can be made with one bowl and one 8×8 baking pan! 

Broccoli Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 cake pan with cooking spray. My hubby gave me an early Christmas present of silicone baking pans. I wasn’t too sure about them to start with, but I have quickly come to love this flex pans!

In a medium bowl (1 quart size):

1 box of Jiffy brand corn muffin mix

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon sugar or Splenda

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup cottage cheese ( I use the fat free or 2%)

1/2 cup milk ( I used half n’ half today, but you can use skim, whole, 2 % or 4%)

1/4 tsp salt, optional

1 cup chopped broccoli (I use fresh broccoli when available, or frozen florets. I steam it until tender, drain any liquid away, press with paper towels to dry, then chop well. You can also use one small box of frozen chopped broccoli, microwave til tender and drained as above. I’ve just started using the Glad brand of microwave steaming bags and just LOVE them! I rinse them out and use them more than once–I don’t know if they recommend this, but I do it and have had great results with them–and you don’t add any water to steam your veggies so you get almost all of the vitamins.)

1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (here again you can use the lower fat varieties) (you can also use the mixed shredded cheeses (fiesta mix, cheddar mixes, pizza mix))

Pour Jiffy corn muffin mix into bowl, add the slightly beaten egg and mix.  Add 1 tsp sugar (or Splenda), 1 tblspof veg. oil and 1/2 cup of milk and the optional 1/4 tsp salt. Mix.  Add 1/2 cup cottage cheese and mix. Now gently stir in the 1/2 cup steamed chopped broccoli. Mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with shredded cheddar cheese or cheese mix. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35 minutes or until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan and a pick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean and top springs back when touched lightly.  This can be served hot from the pan, or cool on a rack. Cut into squares and serve.  Can also be topped with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled with paprika. Makes a nice appetizer when cut into very small squares and served with sour cream as above.

Now here’s a little added Deliciousness!

I had 1 cup of steamed broccoli left over from my above bread. I chopped this 1 cup of steamed broccoli florets lightly. I placed the broccoli in a small saucepan, added 2 cups of half-half, 1 tbls of fresh butter, abot1/4 teaspoon fresh ground sea salt  and about four twists from my pepper grinder, and brought to the point just before a boil. Do not let boil.  I ladled half of my broccoli soup into a rugged looking cobalt blue pottery bowl.  I topped it off withsome of the left over grated cheese from the broccoli bread recipe, cranked a few more twists from my pepper corn grinder and stuck it underneath the broil in the still hot oven. I quickly browned the grated cheese and now I’m going to have a square of this delightful bread with a bowl of soup for lunch. I have to say, I love hand-thrown pottery. I like to think that someone made this bowl with their own hands, literally!  What capricious thoughts did they think while the feel of the clay spun beneath their hands that day?

Hmmm!!! Now where was I,  oh, there is a tent made of fine white silken gauze, layers upon layers–platters of exotic fruits and cheeses, and the sounds of bedouin music drifting upon desert breezes…and there, upon the bed of handwoven carpets and soft fabric, is my love–my husband–waiting for me…