Raised From Dust

Earl Grey Chocolate Tea Cake

2012-02-25T06:31:00.000-08:00

I'm excited, today I get to have women's small group at my house. Last night I whipped this together, Earl Grey (yummm) chocolate tea Cake! I cut them up into small bites, large squares of cake can be intimidating. It's like biting into an earl grey heaven. I've also made Earl Grey Tea cookies, I should post that sometime too.

Here's the cake recipe:

6 Earl Grey tea bags or 2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey
1 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
4 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted & cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt
confectioners' sugar

Heat oven to 350° F. Coat an 8-cup fluted tube pan (or whatever you have on hand) with cooking spray.
Brew the tea in the water 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags or strain the leaves and set the brewed tea aside.
Using a mixer, beat the butter, eggs, and granulated sugar until fluffy. Blend in the chocolate. Beat in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, yogurt, and brewed tea. Pour into pan.
Bake 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.
Turn out of pan and cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
Notes:
Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 2- 1 minute increments

Vacation

2012-02-23T15:56:00.006-08:00

Ernie and are out and about, away from home. For a week. A week is a looong time we have come to find. But we are enjoying so much together time after his seven shifts of work in a row. What have we done so far you may ask?

-got setttled into a cozy little place we are staying and watched a couple movies

-went to a sweet little church on sunday morning, the pastor gave such a good sermon on Acts 8.

-visited Ernie's cousin who lives in a log cabin/house it was awesome...and ate some killer gyros.

-played lots of pool and im proud to say i won 5 out of 7.
-hiked about one and a half trails. Power to those super athletic and active pregnant ladies but i'm just not one of them at all.

- Ate frozen yogurt one night and homeade prickly pear ice cream a few days later.Pictures later. Goodnight!

Psalm 116:15

2012-01-30T19:33:00.000-08:00

When it's so painful to us, we can trust it's so precious to him. And they shall see him as he is.

It's the Chemo For Your Cancer

2012-01-30T08:58:00.000-08:00

Read Your Bible More and More

Above is a link that is a short blog entry on reading our Bible even when we don't feel like it.

Blue Yarn Love

2012-01-29T13:54:00.000-08:00

The start of a future blanket to be wrapped around our sweet little joy baby. I went down the yarn aisles with glee to pick out the perfect color, with Ernie by my side.

Coffee

2012-01-23T15:51:00.000-08:00

I love two things in the morning: walking into a clean kitchen and the smell of coffee.

Saturdays with Spurgeon- Simply Look

2012-01-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

I woke up early today...Ernie had to be somewhere by 6am, and it didn't take long for me to feel wide awake. These days each morning is so unpredictable, my body can be ready to go at 5:30, or needs extra sleep until 10. But today was a great day to begin early, I began my new goal of gradually making my way through all of Charles Haddon Spurgeon's sermans, with the first chapter of our volumes.

The first chapter was based off of Isaiah 45:22 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!

For I am God, and there is no other."

Spurgeon talked about 2 things: How God makes it clear to man that "I am God and there is no other", and "Simply Look to me, and be saved." The sermon title was Sovereignty and Salvation.

As I was reading I was reminded that I have fear of other leaders, religions, and idols who claim to be gods to other people and really have a grip on them. Sometimes it seems like their lies are so powerful, and their followers are many. But Spurgeon mentions God teaches that he is God alone to idols, empires, monarchs, wise men, and even the church of God.

Where can we find the "ancient gods of the heathen?" asks Spurgeon. "Where are those false deities before whom the multitudes of Nineveh prostrated themselves?....ask the moles...or the mounds beneath which they are buried...walketh through a museum -see them there as curiosities and smile to think that men would ever bow before such gods as these. Others such as the gods of Greece, Persia, or Rome. Are there any now that bow before these gods? No, they have lost their thrones. God teaches that he alone is God, and beside him, there is none else.

God teaches empires. Many empires claimed to be great, eternal cities. Spurgeon pointed out you could go to Babylon, covered in sand, it's sand of it's own ruins. Or go to the empty theaters of Rome and "hear a voice in the wild wind amid those ruins- "I am God and there is none else, oh city, thou didst call thyself eternal; I have made thee melt away like dew..."

God teaches Monarchs and Kings. Spurgeon uses Herod as an example here. Herod called himself a god, thought himself to be above man, yet he was eaten by worms. "Ah! Monarch! Thou thoughtest of being a god, and worms have eaten thee!"

God teaches the wise men of this world. "The wisdom of man will not see God...wise men have become fools. These men...who have devised systems of philosophy, saying they will last forever...wrote their sayings on enduring parchment...but once man is done gazing at one system, his eyes sparkle at another. Another century later, their words are wood, hay and stubble.

Once Spurgeon has shown us the many ways God has made himself to be God alone, he points to how God tells us to be saved. Spurgeon was using the King James, which says Look unto me and be saved (from his passage in Isaiah 45:22)...He explains how simple it is. Yet it is the most difficult thing for man to look to Jesus instead of looking to themselves to be right with God. Some say in their despair, they cannot see Jesus. Spurgeon says it doesn't require for you to see but only look! People think righteousness is what qualifies them to come to Jesus, Spurgeon says: "Sin is the only qualification for a man to come to Jesus...the more sin I have the more cause I have to hope for mercy...the more vile a man is, the more eagerly I invite them to believe in Jesus." "So if a sinner only looks to Jesus, he will save him; for Jesus in the dark is as good as Jesus in the light; and Jesus, when you cannot see him, is as good as Jesus when you can. It says only 'look!'"

Comparison and Jealous Are Ruthless Masters

2012-01-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

Below is a blog post from my friend Courtney, I struggle with this topic and really found her post helpful.

Thanking God for Grace in Others
It’s a vicious cycle. You see a woman who does something really well, let’s say cooking, and you initially admire her and praise her for her kitchen prowess. The admiration might turn into inquiring how she became so proficient at making meals for her family. Then a little voice begins speaking, “You can’t cook like that. Your dinners always turn out bland and uncreative. You are lucky if you don’t burn dinner. Stop trying, she is just better than you.” What was once admiration has now turned into discouraging comparison, and now you are just straight-up jealous.

It’s hard, isn’t it? There is always someone who is more creative, more organized, more physically fit, more kind, more whatever than us. If we let ourselves, we can easily spiral out of control with discontentment, jealousy, and discouragement over what we are not and what we wish we could be. And as the proverbial saying goes, the grass really is always greener on the other side. When we believe these lies of comparison we will never truly be satisfied, primarily because we are disobeying God’s word and allowing the sin of discontent to rule our lives.

One of the things I’ve done in the past when I’ve seen a character quality or evidence of grace I admire in someone is to thank God for that grace and ask for the same measure of grace in my own life. When I see a wife lovingly serve, respect, and submit to her husband, I’ve prayed that God would give me that same gracious spirit. When I see a marriage thrive in love and grace, I have asked God to be pleased to work that same outcome in my own marriage. When I’m tempted to wallow in self-pity when I see my life in comparison to hers, my mind is filled with thoughts like “why can’t I be ____?” “I wish I was ____.” Questions like this inevitably lead me to despair. I can’t make myself do anything. I can’t change my personality. I can’t change my sinful tendencies on my own. So instead of looking to the faithful giver of grace to change, I’m ruled by my longing for something different. God is the giver of all good things and the grace to change. Instead of sinfully comparing myself to everyone else, I should be thanking God for the gracious gifts he gives, and ask him for the same work in my own life. The truth is, it’s really hard to be jealous of someone when you are thanking God for them.

Peter faced this same tendency towards comparison (John 21:18-22). Instead of allowing Peter the indulgence of his sinful comparison to those around him, Jesus turned his statement on its head and told Peter to follow him, essentially saying that Peter’s inquiry about them didn’t matter. The same response is true for us. After thanking God for the evidence of his work in the life of another, we must then look to the giver of grace and follow him alone. A gaze set directly on Christ will not afford us the opportunity to look around and compare because we will be so captivated by the treasure that he alone is for us.

What I need is a reoriented mindset. Comparison and jealous are ruthless masters. They keep us believing that we are never good enough and that someone else always does it better. They probably do, but that’s not the point. The point is that it doesn’t matter. Christ has called us to himself and only asks that we follow him. “Don’t look at the people around you and despair over your life,” he says. “Follow me and me alone.”

We are prone to compare and we will probably fight this temptation until we see Jesus face to face. But until that day, I resolve to fight my own sinful temptation to compare and despair by thanking God for the gifts in the people around me and following Christ alone.

You can follow Courtney at: http://cdtarter.blogspot.com/

Coming Soon Each Saturday

2012-01-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

While Ernie and I were dating, he gave me 5 volumes of CH Spurgeon's sermons for our first Christmas together. I was blown away at such a cool gift, and we've spent a lot of time together reading those, as well as time by myself. A nice cup of coffee and a selection from one of these volumes makes a great morning. However, I've never read through all of them straight through, I just sporadically read them from time to time, picking out whatever section I want to read. So, I thought I'd pick out a couple days a week we're I read a sermon from these books, starting from the beginning until I reach the end of the 5th volume. I don't know how long this will take, maybe a year or two, but I think I'll love it.
So, as I read, I'll pick out a section from my week and I'll blog about it, calling it Saturdays With Spurgeon. Hopefully they will encourage you as much as they encourage me.

Introducing Judson

2012-01-02T22:57:00.000-08:00

Today was an exciting event. We went to go see if we were having a boy or girl. Well, Ernie and I are so proud to introduce you to our second little boy, Judson. He made sure we could tell who he was. His middle name is still up in the air, but it might be Brooks. The day began with Ernie coming home from a night shift, he was going to sleep until 12:30...which was already earlier than he should be getting up. But Ernie trotted out of the bedroom at 10am, apparently sleeping maybe an hour all morning, saying "I can't sleep I'm too exited." We soon ventured to the doctor's office, thankful to God as we watched our little boy move around on the screen. I'm so in love already.

Judson's name comes from a great Missionary to India in the early 1800s, Adoniram Judson. We've been encouraged by how he treasured Heaven more than this life, the lengths he went to reach a lost people and plead for them to know Christ, leaving the comforts of America. If you're looking to read a biography, there's a great one on his life called To The Golden Shore.

Thank you to our friends who decorated my house blue today:)

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us to trust God with this baby.

Christmas Dinner

2011-12-26T17:49:00.000-08:00

This year, half of our Christmas Day Extravaganza took place in our home. So much fun. Part of that job requires the joy of cooking a turkey. You should have seen Ernie and I as we stood over that hunk of raw meat. How do you do this?? I hate touching raw meat, it gives me the queezies. I wash my hands constantly, even if I know I have to touch it again I just keep washing them.

Above is the nasty that needed to come out.

So, knowing that it's got to taste good I looked up a rub online, I just picked the first one with 5 stars. I whipped it up into a bowl and as I dipped my hands into the seasonings, closed my eyes, winced, and rubbed it all over the turkey. I pre-heated the oven, hoping that was all I needed to do!

You'd think I would have a picture of the finished product, but I don't =(
But I can tell you it was amazing with my mother's gravy and my grandma's homemade noodles!! We just loved spending our entire day with friends and family, eating tons of food.

I also made some Peppermint Bark

Here are some slippers Ernie got me for Christmas:

And here's a little something we made for our parents to put on their tree, hope you had a wonderful Christmas:

Rainy Sunday

2011-12-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

Household Tricks You Learn as a Wife

2011-12-13T13:51:00.000-08:00

One fun thing about being a wife is learning along the way what works and what doesn't, in things like cleaning or cooking.

I've come across two helpful tips lately, one having to do with microfiber couches and another having to do with stainless steel cookware.

How to give your microfiber couches a good clean:

1. Vacuum first.
2. Spray rubbing alcohol on to the surface and rub with a clean soft sponge (white sponge)
3. Let the area dry completely
4. Scrub with a soft scrub brush in a circular motion to fluff the fabric back to looking great.

The technique sounds weird, but this is where I got it and they have before and after photos: http://chrisandrobinsnest.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-to-clean-microfiber-furniture.html

I know I'm trying it!

How to clean burns in stainless steel pots and pans:

1. Bring water and 1/4 cup white vinegar to a boil, about a half hour.
2. Empty contents out of the pan and pour in some Bartenders Friend powder and scrub with a sponge. If the burn is pretty bad I'd just repeat the process a couple times.

I burned a ton of rice in my stainless steel pot so I'm in the process of boiling the water, but the Bartender's Friend took the stains off the outside wonderfully!

The Birth of Christ

2011-12-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

He was born according to plan
A baby, yet held all things by His hand.
Fully God, fully man did Jesus arrive
in order to make dead hearts alive.
His purpose could not be stopped in the womb
nor could death keep Him inside the tomb.
He was born to suffer God's wrath in our place
that we could experience unending grace
So the manger begins God's perfect plan
to give His righteousness to sinful man.

.Happy Little Boys.

2011-12-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

We had a splendid visit on Monday from our friends Rabih and Alicia with their little boys Clayton and Silas. We went to one of the best Mexican restaurants in town, went to the park and had lots of fun playing with our youngest pup Rufus...who appreciated all the games of fetch from Clayton.
They brought a lot of fun to our weekend!!

Baby Number 2

2011-12-09T19:44:00.000-08:00

We will know the gender of this new little one on January 2nd. I love you so much little swimming baby.

Reason To Hope

2011-12-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

A season has come where I often weep
My eye wastes away with little sleep
I rage war against doubt and hopeless fears
My pillow is drenched with endless tears
But when a spear to the soul conveys my grief
O, the Almighty God brings sweet relief.

My little one has departed from me
and has joy that will last for eternity
Yet sorrow upon sorrow builds in my heart
for the years I must wait while we are a part
But my child sees Christ, and endless bliss
And I could never ask for more than this

So Lord we wait for your return.
And trust your promises are firm.
You know the grief of weighty loss
Your son bore sin and death on the cross
You tell me: “Remember! My Son conquered death!”
And so, never fear your baby’s last breath.

3 year anniversary

2011-12-09T17:47:00.001-08:00

(Written in July 2011)

Ernie and I took a trip to the beach this past week to celebrate 3 wonderful years of marriage. I know that, since the Lord promises to be working in us to look more like His son, Jesus, much has changed in me and my walk with the Lord in the last three years. I know that Ernie is a huge instrument God has used to make that happen, and is continuing to use every day. By the grace of God I can stand by a man who loves the Lord Jesus with all his heart, and desires the same for his wife and family. And I’m so proud that he’s Haddon’s daddy.

.Visiting Haddon.

2011-12-09T17:45:00.000-08:00

(Written on June 29, 2011)
On Monday I visited Haddon’s grave for the first time by myself. I wanted to go and really just think about his reality of heaven and rising again. I know that there are many, many parents who go to stand over their buried child and have absolutely no idea how to feel anything except hopelessness, or dread, maybe regret. You could tell from some engravings on the headstones that some parents where looking to other things for help and comfort: the virgin Mary, angels, their child they lost, all these things they looked to for strength. I prayed for them, and I was so thankful that I was able to know the good news of Jesus as I came to visit my child. As I walked to his grave, I was talking to God, whom I knew I had access to because of His Son who died but also rose from the dead. And with that same power, Haddon will soon rise. So, I walked in hope to his grave. Still sad, still grieving and missing him, but with full confidence and hope.
I also feel it is good for Christians to walk through cemeteries from time to time. As you walk through one, all you can think about is people who have left this life, their money, their possessions, and their families. You can’t bury anything with you to make it go with your soul into eternity. It’s a good reminder to see a headstone that states a beginning and and end date, knowing the time is coming for all of us. I walked passed some graves that held people who have died over 150 years ago. One hundred and fifty. You look around and wonder, who will rise and be in Glory forever with God, or who were the ones who rejected the Lord and will rise to judgment. God has given you a beginning date, and God has given you and end date. For Christians, it’s just a reminder that we are passing through this world, and heaven is our home, and it’s coming soon. It’s a reminder that no matter how much money we make, or don’t make, our outcome is still the same: we will pass away, and we will not take any of our hard earned (God-given) money, period. We will not take our wardrobe. We will not take our cars. We will not take our houses. When you walk through a cemetery, those things feel temporary, as they should. When I say it’s good for Christians, I mean it’s good for us because it reminds us of the only thing we can depend on; Jesus Christ and how he took the complete punishment for our sin, and absolutely promises to forgive those who believe. That’s all we have to hold onto that is lasting, our promise for eternal life. We look at graves and see that everything else fails, they aren’t not lasting and we cannot take them with us. It’s tempting to love something so much here, to the point where you feel you could never part with it, but you will. You will part with your possessions. And it’s good! Believers in Jesus are going to Heaven! We won’t need them or love them! God gives us money and possessions for reasons now on this earth, but it’s only for this time, he doesn’t give you something so you can love it more than Him. Walk through a cemetery sometime soon, it was good for me.
I read this in my quiet time this morning from 1 John, John is writing to Christians about their hope of being children of God:

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2

Goodness and Mercy in the shadow of death

2011-12-09T17:43:00.001-08:00

Coming across a promise of God that is stated in the Bible is very different for me now. I feel like I have to stick my circumstance into the verse and read it that way in order to process it. One caught me today in Psalm 23: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” The psalmist is so certain, surely, goodness and mercy will follow me. So, God’s goodness and mercy, it’s not just only there in the good days, but all your days. When I read that I rewind it for a second and say to myself, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, including the day Haddon died.” So, because all my days include a death of my firstborn, I’m glad the pslamist includes all my days and I’m glad he includes surely, telling us it’s not just a sentimental thought to use however you want. And as I sit here tonight, having some fears about getting back into our day to day routine (sometimes it’s just the normal days that are so difficult without Haddon), I can read about God’s goodness and mercy that are promised me tomorrow.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” is written after the psalmist writes “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” The goodness and mercy of God follow you, even through the valley of the shadow of death? I’ve seen the valley. God promises his goodness and mercy in the very shadow of death. When we sing in church, and any song includes a “valley”, like a trial or suffering, I have to fight back tears. There’s so much meaning behind singing of God bringing me through a valley now, because it’s real, it’s not a general valley. I remember a few days after Haddon went to be with Jesus and we had all our family in our house. I was doing fine, then heavy grief hit me like a train and I panicked. What do you do? People picked it up rather quickly I think that I wasn’t doing well and started to leave, and I went to my bed. I wept so hard, harder and even louder than I have in my whole life. So as I read about God’s goodness and mercy following me all the days of my life, I think about that day, my lowest day. God promises that even on that day there was goodness and mercy.
Practically, I wonder what God’s goodness and mercy look like to me. And how do they follow me everyday? There could be several things mentioned here. I feel like trusting that there is goodness and mercy following me every day, means I have to also be trusting the bigger picture. I think it means I have to remember God has given me salvation that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading made possible through Jesus, and that there is coming a day when Christ will return and the suffering I’m experiencing now will result in the praise of Him. That’s another promise found in 1 Peter chapter 1, and that’s what I think of when I read about goodness and mercy following me, leading up to his great return, and we get to see all trials and suffering bring glory to him, and seeing that suffering will also be no more. That’s another promise in Revelation 21.
So (as if I haven’t typed it enough times in this post) “surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life”, including the difficult days of getting back into routine tomorrow.

When He Returns, With Him I'll Rise

2011-12-09T17:40:00.000-08:00

I’ll have to admit, when Haddon’s grave marker came I didn’t feel ready to see it. Even though I wanted him to have one, it was difficult to see something that was going to remind me of his body, which is not where our hope lies, but our hope lies in his life now with Jesus. But I’m thankful it didn’t take me long to come to love looking at it and feeling so proud of his name that is printed in big letters. Also, our quote we decided to use on it will always remind us of what’s to come: Jesus Lives and So Shall I, When He Returns With Him I’ll Rise. I remember the first time I heard this song was very soon after Haddon passed, it was a sweet thing that the Lord brought to my ears in time of sorrow. Ernie and I both found this to be very fitting to add to his grave marker, in hopes that it will encourage others who come to the cemetery to visit their children’s graves. Ernie told me a few days ago that there is a new grave of a baby next to Haddon, and the service for this baby was just ending as he was walking up to visit Haddon’s grave. We especially hope that our words we placed on Haddon’s grave can be used by God to comfort them in their grief that has begun only days ago.

I thought I’d also bring up a fear I have, and how the Lord is growing me in it. I know at some point my memories with Haddon in the hospital will not be as detailed, and they won’t feel as if they were yesterday, sometimes that brings great fear. Usually, about once a week, as I’m trying to fall asleep, my mind goes back to the hospital and replays the nearly 5 days we were there as if I’m testing myself to see how much I’m remembering and what it is I’ve forgotten. I feel like I don’t really realize that’s what I’m doing until I’ve reached the end and I’ll think oh why do I do that? So, this is where I pray to have truthful thoughts that reflect God’s word. On this earth, my memory is affected by sin, which brings about forgetfulness or blurry memories, and a lot of precious things to me won’t always be crystal clear after time. This shows my need for Jesus, not only is my memory affected by sin, but everything is. Also, if I really think about why I’m so afraid to lose details about Haddon, what it comes down to is me fearing that it affects him somehow. His brothers and sisters will have memories with us and we will treasure those, so I don’t want to lose any short moments we had with Haddon and my heart frets. But this isn’t what God wants for us, when the things he gives us on earth are gone or begin to fade, he does not want us to fret or put our firm hope in them. My hope is not in detailed memories of Haddon, but that he is standing with Jesus, and we know that when those of us who belong to Jesus actually see him face to face, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).
The lyrics put on Haddon’s grave are only part of a whole song, and actually a whole album called Risen, that is so encouraging, so I wanted to post the entire song. In God’s providence, this album came out very close to when Haddon was born:

Tablet Cover

2011-12-09T09:15:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I received an early Christmas gift from Ernie! I know, it wasn’t even December yet. We marched into Barnes and Noble to purchase the Nook Tablet. YAY! It has been one amazing ~~productive~~ gadget. As I was waiting for the lady to hand me the box, I noticed the covers were expensive…and at the same time not all that great to me. A week or so later I was browsing some homemade covers people have thought of…also not too great. One was crocheted, looking like a sock. I thought, well you know I can half-way crochet so let’s try this, and add a flap with a button. SO here it is!

My cover! It’s made from this cool bundle of yarn ( I think made of jersey fabric) that my bro gave me from Anthropology with instructions to make this cool blanket pattern. After I lost the pattern on accident, and Daniel said he couldn’t get me another set of directions, I sadly put placed the yarn in my yarn basket and waited to use it another time. And I thankfully I put it to great use!