A Mellow Merry Christmas

 

We enjoyed our Christmas at home this year.  It's become more of a tradition.  The Fall is super busy, Les travels almost non-stop, so by the time Christmas rolls around we are ready to be at home.  Most of our gifts were on our Amazon wish lists, but they still felt like surprises!

 

 

Mine included shoes, a sweater, a coffee mug, a purse and a new coffee maker.  

 

Les got some new shoes, a jacket, a mug and a few other surprises.

 

This is a two sided "Food Decision Coin."  One side is Wife's choice and the other is Husband's choice.  If you're like us, you spend way too much time saying, "What do you want to eat?  I don't know, what do you want to eat?"  Hopefully this will help us with our decision making!

 

It was a beautiful, sunny day!

Merry Christmas!

 

Family Time

 

Sandwiched between two very busy church weekends, we made a quick trip to Fresno.  I got to see my entire immediate family with the exception of just one, my nephew Ryan.  The rest of us gathered at Kim and Rodney's for dinner.  The main attraction, of course, is our little darling ~ Bo!

Three generations ~ "great" Aunt Kathy, Bo, and Auntie Krysten

 

I didn't get a single picture of my brother, Rick, and his wife, Diana.  We enjoyed catching up.  They went to Ireland and Scotland in October, so we had a lot of traveling to talk about!  We stayed up way past all of our bedtimes, but enjoyed the time so much.

On Friday, Kim, Les and I went over to Lauren and Jordan's for some more time together.  These two were having quite the conversation:

It's so fun having a little one around again!

December at Victory Tabernacle

It has been a whirlwind month at church and I have very few pictures to show for it!  We kicked it off with our end of the year banquet on December 9th:

Our Sunday school department had their program on Sunday, December 10th and I didn't take a single picture.  We had our Toys for Tots service on Sunday, December 17th and I again didn't take any pictures.   Our music department had our recital that night.  Our youngest musician, at only two years old, was Zach Martinez.  He drummed along to "The Little Drummer Boy" and it was adorable!

 

Les and Jeremiah played a beautiful trumpet duet of "Down from His Glory:"

The flu has been making the rounds, so on Thursday I was asked to join the Youth Choir.  One of these days I'm going to be too old, but as long as I'm able I can't say no to singing!

We're winding down now, with only one service on Sunday, followed by "Family Week," a much needed time to rest and relax with our loved ones.

Thanksgiving 2023

Les and I traveled to Florida for the annual McElhaney family gathering.  Our niece, Leksi, drove down from Tennessee with Pops so we rented a house for the four of us.  I found a great house in Mexico Beach - three bedroom, two bath with full kitchen, living room, dining room and laundry.  It was cheaper than a single hotel room and turned out great!

 

The majority of the family rented RVs and stayed at Dead Lakes Park in Wewahitchka.  This has been a gathering place for our family for many, many, many years!

 

 

I couldn't resist running along the beach.  Mexico Beach sits at the border of the Central and Eastern time zones.  Mexico Beach is in Central, while neighboring Port St. Joe is in Eastern.

 

Just across the time zone line is Gulf County Veterans Memorial Park.  I ran to it on two mornings and Les and I walked to it another time.

 

There were a number of fishing trips.  

 

There was enough food to feed a small army.  But more importantly there was abundant love and laughter!

Still Here!

It's been over three weeks since my last post ~ we have been BUSY!!  We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving, came home and I decorated for Christmas, attended our end of the year banquet, enjoyed our Sunday School Christmas program, did a bunch of baking, went to Fresno for a visit with family, and participated in our music recital!  So not only have I been busy, I'm exhausted!! I plan to post about many of those events in the next few days.

Can you believe we are only two weeks away from 2024??

Thankful!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you are surrounded by those you love and eat delicious food today.  But most of all, take a few moments to give thanks.  I'm thankful to you, my readers.  I'm kept this blog alive for over 15 years and I appreciate all the comments and all of you who silently read.

Friday Foodie

 

Since our day in Dublin, Ireland I have been wanting to make a European style hot chocolate.  I've searched through dozens of recipes and there seem to be two very distinct types - French and Italian.  The base for French hot chocolate, or Chocolat Chaud, is milk, while Italian hot chocolate, or Cioccolato Caldo, uses cream and corn starch to thicken it.  All the Irish hot chocolate recipes include liquor and I know that's not what we had!

For my first attempt, I chose the French Chocolat Chaud.  What better recipe than one from the French Cooking Academy.

Chocolat Chaud

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of full cream milk (I used 2%)

1 or 2 cinnamon barks

A few drops of vanilla essence 

1 tbsp of pure cocoa powder 

1 pinch of sugar

1 pinch of salt

100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa) 

 

Directions:

Heat the milk in a saucepan on a medium to high heat, adding the cinnamon bark and vanilla essence at the beginning.  I had vanilla extract, so I Googled vanilla essence vs extract and found that extract is less processed and provides a stronger and more pure vanilla flavor when compared to essence.  When the boiling point is reached, reduce the heat to a minimum, stir and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid off.  You want to stir continually to keep the milk from scorching.

Turn off the heat and remove the cinnamon. Add a good tablespoon of cocoa powder and stir in. Filter the milk, wash the saucepan before returning the milk. Turn the heat back on.
Add a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt.  FYI - a pinch is somewhere between 1/8 and 1/16 of a teaspoon.  Also, I was completely out of sugar, so I used Stevia.

 

Add the chocolate pieces and stir in gently until the mix is smooth and silky.

The chocolate can then be served, but if a thicker mix is desired, keep cooking until the desired consistency is reached.  I let mine cook for about 10-15 minutes.  The longer it cooked, the darker it got.

 

I got this pan from Amazon for the express purpose of pouring hot chocolate!  It worked like a charm.

This was amazing!!  It wasn't overly sweet, but was extremely rich.  We could definitely taste the cinnamon.  We topped it with whipped cream.  It would have gotten two thumbs up, but Les wasn't going to put his mug down!

Give this a try sometime during this holiday season, you won't be sorry!

Queen of Sheba ~ Woman of the Week

I started studying Herodias last week and decided I needed a more positive story to balance out the previous week!  I decided to take a look at the Queen of Sheba.

 

Verses: 1 Kings 10:1-13

 

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

I couldn't find anything about the family of the Queen of Sheba.  There is no mention of parents, husband or children.  There is quite a bit of disagreement regarding where she was queen - Ethiopia, Egypt, Nigeria, and southern Arabia in modern day Yemen all claim her.

 

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her?

1 Kings 10:1 says, "And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions."  I think the important part of that verse is not the fame of Solomon, but the name of the Lord.

 

John Gill's Exposition of the Bible says, "His knowledge of the true God, the favor he was in with Him, the excellent wisdom he had received from Him, and what he had done for His honor and glory."

Expositions of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren put it this way, "The queen had heard the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, by which seems to be meant his reputation of being gifted with deep knowledge of the divine character as revealed to him. The questions which occupy earnest souls in all lands and ages were stirring in the heart of this woman-chief. The only way, in these old days, to learn the wisdom of the wise, was to go to them. So the streets of Jerusalem saw the strange sight of the long train which had come toiling up from Arabia, laden with its characteristic produce, gold and spices and precious stones, in the enumeration of which is reflected the wonder of the beholders at the unaccustomed procession. But better than all her wealth was the eager woman’s thirst for truth. Surely it is a very unworthy and unlikely explanation of her ‘hard questions’ and purpose to suppose that she came only for a duel of wit,-to pose Solomon with half-playful riddles. The journey was too toilsome, the gifts too large, the accent of conviction in her subsequent words too grave, for that. She was a seeker after truth, and probably after God, and had known the torture of the eternal questions which rise in the mind, and, once having risen, leave no rest till they are answered."

 

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

The Queen of Sheba is a beautiful example of being a hearer of the word and believing it.  She didn't come for an argument and she heard and saw for herself.

I Kings 10:4-10, "And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.  And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.  Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.  And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon."

It would be easy to focus on the outward trappings that she saw, but there was more to Solomon than just wealth.  More than once she says, "thy wisdom."  Her final conclusion was, "Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice."

 

Finally, in Matthew 12:42 Jesus speaks of the Queen of Sheba as He rebukes certain scribes and Pharisees: "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here." 

Friday Favorite

Thirty three years ago today Les and I went to Yosemite.  It was the second time we had visited this beautiful park.  We hiked until we found a special spot.  It was there that Les asked me to marry him and I very wisely said yes!

The next day...

Les is still my favorite person on the planet.  No regrets, just lots of love and adventure!

Drusilla and Bernice ~ Women of the Week

We don't have any recorded words of either of these women, but what I did find about them was quite interesting.

 

Verses:  Acts chapters 24-26

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

Their father was Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great.  King Agrippa was their brother.

 

Herod the Great is the one in Matthew chapter 2 who was visited by the wise men and when the wise men did not return to tell him where Jesus was, he had all the children under the age of two killed.

 

Herod Agrippa is named in Acts chapter 12.  "Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.  And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also." (vs. 1-3)  His life came to an end in that same chapter, "And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.  And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost."  (vs. 12-23)

 

Between Herod the Great and Herod Agrippa was Herod Antipas.  He was the Herod who had John the Baptist beheaded.  He was Herod Agrippa's uncle, great uncle to King Agrippa, Drusilla and Bernice.

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her?

The Bible does not record much about either woman, but commentaries (and Wikipedia) had a lot.

According to David Guzik's Enduring Word Commentary, "Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ: Felix wanted his wife to hear Paul’s testimony, either as a curiosity or so that she could advise him. After all, he claimed to have insufficient evidence for a decision.  Drusilla was reported to be of great beauty, and Felix seduced her away from her husband, enticing her to become his third wife. The lax morals of Felix and Drusilla help to explain the topics on which Paul spoke to them."

 

One common theme about Drusilla was that her son died in Pompeii when Mt. Vesuvius erupted.  Some even said that she died there.  Acts 24:27 says, "But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound."  "Felix' room" means Festus became governor instead of Felix.

The following chapter, we read about Bernice.  Acts 25:13 says, "And after certain days king Agrippa and Bernice came unto Caesarea to salute Festus."  All my life I had assumed that Bernice was the wife of king Agrippa.  Every commentary I read said that she was his sister.  Most also stated that the two of them had an incestuous relationship.  Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible says, "She had been married to Herod, king of Chalcis, her own uncle by her father’s side. After his death she proposed to Polemon, king of Pontus and part of Cilicia, that if he would become circumcised she would marry him. He complied, but she did not continue long with him. After she left him she returned to her brother Agrippa, with whom she lived in a manner such as to excite scandal. Josephus directly charges her with incest with her brother Agrippa."

 

Acts 25:23 says, "And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp."  Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible describes it best, "These children of Herod Agrippa made this pompous appearance in that very city where, a few years before, their father, for his Pride, was smitten of God, and eaten up by worms! How seldom do the living lay any of God’s judgments to heart!"

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Both women had the opportunity to hear the Apostle Paul first hand.  They could have chosen the way of truth.  In Drusilla's case, her husband trembled when he heard Paul, but said, "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee."  The convenient time never came for Felix and I have to assume it never came for Drusilla either.

Acts chapter 26 records Paul's words to Agrippa.  Verse 23 says, "That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles."  Agrippa responded to Paul with these well known words, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."  Verse 30 says, "And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them," so it is clear that she also heard Paul's words.  

If I've learned anything about women of the Bible, it's that they have had great influence in the lives of their husbands (or lovers as is the case with Bernice.)  If either of these sisters had been moved by Paul's words, I believe they would have spoken up or at least tried to persuade Felix and Agrippa in private.

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Pastor White preached an awesome message on Sunday morning.  His text was Proverbs 9:1, "Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars."  His title was "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom."  I was all ready to find those pillars in Proverbs, but he took us to the book of James instead.  James 3:17 says, "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."

Pastor White pointed out that James is considered the New Testament book of wisdom.  I reread it this week and there is so much there.  I won't try to recap his message, but I wanted to share from some of my favorite commentaries what these seven pillars mean:

 

Through the Bible Day by Day (F. B. Meyer):

Notice this exquisite string of qualities-like a thread of pearls-that characterize true wisdom: First, pure; then peaceable-this is God’s order, never peace at any price. First the holy heart, then the quiet and gentle one. Mercy and good works follow, “free from favoritism and insincerity”; and as the peace-loving soul goeth through the world, dropping the seeds of peace, those seeds produce harvests of righteousness. Those that in peace sow peace, shall reap a harvest of righteousness, the fruit of peace.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible:

Is first pure - Ἁγνη· Chaste, holy, and clean.

Peaceable - Ειρηνικη· Living in peace with others, and promoting peace among men.
 

Gentle - Επιεικης· Meek, modest, of an equal mind, taking every thing in good part, and putting the best construction upon all the actions of others.
 

Easy to be entreated - Ευπειθης· Not stubborn nor obstinate; of a yielding disposition in all indifferent things; obsequious, docile.
 

Full of mercy and good fruits - Ready to pass by a transgression, and to grant forgiveness to those who offend, and performing every possible act of kindness.  Each temper and disposition producing fruits suited to and descriptive of its nature.
 

Without partiality - Αδιακριτος· Without making a difference - rendering to every man his due; and being never swayed by self-interest, worldly honor, or the fear of man; knowing no man after the flesh. One of the Itala has it irreprehensible.
 

Without hypocrisy - Ανυποκριτος· Without dissimulation; without pretending to be what it is not; acting always in its own character; never working under a mask. Seeking nothing but God’s glory, and using no other means to attain it than those of his own prescribing.

John Gill's Exposition of the Bible:

first pure; it is pure in itself, it is free from everything that is earthly, carnal, or sensual, or devilish; it produces purity of heart, of life, and conversation; and is the means of keeping persons pure and chaste, and free from impure lusts, lusts of uncleanness, pride, envy, wrath, etc. which prevail in carnal and unregenerate men:

and then peaceable; it inclines and engages those who have it to live in peace with the saints, and even with all men; with those of their own household, with their neighbors, yea, with their enemies: 

 

it is also gentle; or makes men gentle, moderate, and humane, so as that they bear, and forbear; they bear with the infirmities of the weak; readily forgive injuries done them; do not rigidly exact what is their due, but recede from their just right for the sake of peace and love; and do not bear hard upon others for their failings, but cover them with the mantle of love:
 

easy to be intreated; or those who have it readily yield to the superior judgments and stronger reasonings of others; and are easily induced to hope and believe all things, and entertain a good opinion of men, and their conduct; and are far from being proud, arrogant, obstinate, and overbearing:
 

full of mercy and good fruits; of compassion and beneficence to the poor; feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the widows and fatherless in their affliction; and doing all other good works and duties, both with respect to God and man, as fruits of grace, and of the Spirit:
 

without partiality: to one another; or making a difference between them; showing no respect to persons; bestowing upon the poor and indigent, without any distinction: and
 

without hypocrisy; either with respect to God or man; not making show of that which they have not, or do not intend.

I know that I can't be any of these things without help from above.  James gives us the answer for that as well in James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

Women of the Week ~ Drusilla and Bernice

I'm jumping over to the New Testament this week and I'm also combining two women.  There is very little known about them, but they were sisters and their lives were tied together with the Apostle Paul.  These are two that I have never given much thought to, but my Women of the Bible book dropped some seeds that I want to follow.

Verses:  Acts chapters 24-26

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

What is she most known for?

Victories? Defeats?

How can I be like her?

How can I avoid being like her?

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Pharaoh's Daughter ~ Woman of the Week

After studying Jochebed last week, I started thinking about her relationship with Pharaoh's daughter.  We don't have any details, but I wonder if they chatted from time to time when Moses was a toddler.  They both loved him, but I wonder if their relationship was friendly or did jealousy get in the way?  The Bible is silent, so I'm left to wonder...

Verses:  Exodus 2

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

I went down a rabbit hole and didn't really find any answers!  The Bible doesn't give us a name for Pharaoh.   Pharaoh was a title and it isn't clear which Pharaoh was the father of this woman.  We also don't know her name. This article about Pharaohs is very interesting.  Near the end there is a section called "Why the Ambiguity About the Exodus Pharaoh?"  It says, "One obvious archaeological reason is the Egyptian practice of damnatio memoriae (“condemnation of memory”). This is the act of excising embarrassing acts, individuals and defeats from historical records. Ancient Egyptian leaders are known to be masters at eliminating their own history."

 

What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her?

Pharaoh's daughter comes along at the perfect moment.  Many commentaries said that she was married, but childless.  Barrenness in the Bible was often an act of God, so I wonder if that was the case here, too.  If she had a child of her own, would she have cared about the one in the river?

 

Exodus 2:4 is the bridge from Jochebed, the true mother of Moses, to the woman who would become the mother of Moses.  She was there to wash at the river when she spotted the ark.  Just an ordinary day, washing at the river, allowed God to use Pharaoh's daughter to educate the one God would use to lead his people out of bondage.

 

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Exodus 2:6 says, "And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children."

 

The Pulpit Commentary says, "Perhaps she suspected what she would find inside; but would it be a living or a dead child? This she could not know. She opened, and looked. It was a living babe, and it wept. At once her woman’s heart, heathen as she was, went out to the child — its tears reached the common humanity that lies below all differences of race and creed — and she pitied it. "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." This is one of the Hebrews’ children. Hebrew characteristics were perhaps stamped even upon the infant visage. Or she formed her conclusion merely from the circumstances. No Egyptian woman had any need to expose her child, or would be likely to do so; but it was just what a Hebrew mother, under the cruel circumstances of the time, might have felt herself forced to do. So she drew her conclusion, rapidly and decidedly, as is the way of woman."

It seems almost immediately that Miriam approached with the offer to find a nurse for the baby.  Jochebed must have coached Miriam before setting Moses in the water.  Again, God provided a way for Moses to return to his parents for a time.  But his time as the son of Pharaoh's daughter was also important.  He received training that would be needed.  Matthew Henry's Commentary says, "Those whom God designs for great services he find out ways to qualify and prepare beforehand. Moses, by having his education in a court, is the fitter to be a prince and king in Jeshurun; by having his education in a learned court (for such the Egyptian then was) is the fitter to be an historian; and by having his education in the court of Egypt is the fitter to be employed, in the name of God, as an ambassador to that court."

We don't read anything else about either of these mothers.  I'm still left wondering.  I picture both mothers hurting when Moses kills an Egyptian and then has to flee.  I may not have the answers, but I'm thankful that God uses women of every kind to bring his promises to pass.

Woman of the Week ~ Pharaoh's Daughter

Verses:  Exodus 2

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

What is she most known for?

Victories? Defeats?

How can I be like her?

How can I avoid being like her?

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Jochebed ~ Woman of the Week

From some reason, I studied Miriam in 2015 but not Jochebed.  You can read Miriam's post here.  Jochebed's story is found in only one chapter of the Bible, but her choices paved the way for Moses to be the one who would lead the children of Israel out of bondage.  In my studying I found that Jochebed's name means "Jehovah gloried" or "the glory of Jehovah."  Her story is closely intertwined with Pharoah's daughter.  I will study her next week, but this week I just want to focus on Jochebed.

 

Verses:  Exodus 2

 

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

As seems to always be the case when studying the Bible, I realized a little more about the family of Moses.  Exodus 2:1 simply says, "And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi."  This man was named Amram, he was the grandson of Levi, which made him the great grandson of Jacob.  Exodus 6:20 says, "And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses."  Since people lived such long lives it wouldn't have been uncommon for Amram to have an aunt (his father's sister) who was close to the same age as him.  It also appears that Levi was still alive when Amram was born.

Jochebed gave birth to Miriam, Aaron and Moses.   Miriam is believed to be the oldest, approximately 7-10 years older than Moses, and Aaron was 3 years older. 

 

What is she most known for? Victories?  Defeats?  How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her?

Exodus 2:2 says, "And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months." Commentaries wrote that Pharoah's decree that when a Hebrew son was born he was to be killed occurred after Miriam and Aaron were born.  John Wesley's Notes on the Bible says, "Probably his mother had little joy of her being with child of him, now this edict was in force."  I have to wonder, did she pray for another daughter?  But once Moses arrived, she and her husband made the bold decision to hide him.

Hebrews 11:23 says, "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment."  Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible says, "His parents were led to preserve his life by their confidence in God. They believed that he was destined to some great purpose, and that he would be spared, notwithstanding all the probabilities against it, and all the difficulties in the case."

For three months Moses was hid.  Can you imagine how Jochebed's heart must have raced whenever he cried?  A newborn cry is usually small, but by three months I'm sure he was making plenty of noise.  Did she fear her own neighbors or some Egyptian who might walk by?

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Exodus 2:3 says, "And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink."  The time finally came when she could no longer hide him. His lungs were fully developed and as with any baby, when he was unhappy or hungry or tired, everyone in the household knew about it. I picture her with tears streaming down her face as she prepared an ark for her precious baby. Wrapping him gently, holding him close, then placing him in the ark.

The end of verse three says that she laid it by the river.  While Miriam was the one left to watch over the baby, it was Jochebed who laid him there.  Such an act of faith!  A faith that was rewarded in verses 7-9 when Pharoah's daughter found the baby.  Not only was her baby saved, but he was returned to her with pay!

 

Alexander MacLaren's commentary says, "Will it be thought too fanciful if we suggest that we are taught another lesson -namely, that the faith which surrenders its earthly treasures to God, in confidence of His care, is generally rewarded and vindicated by receiving them back again, glorified and sanctified by the altar on which they have been laid? Jochebed clasped her recovered darling to her bosom with a deeper gladness, and held him by a surer title, when Miriam brought him back as the princess’s charge, than ever before. We never feel the preciousness of dear ones so much, nor are so calm in the joy of possession, as when we have laid them in God’s hands, and have learned how wise and wonderful His care is."

 

Verse 10 tells us that she brought Moses to Pharoah's daughter.  We don't know how old he was.  I think he may have been more than just a toddler, since he identified with the children of Israel when he saw their suffering.  When I studied Hannah, I found a very helpful explanation of weaning by John Gill: "there was a three fold weaning of children in old times; the first from their mother's milk, when three years old; the second from their tender age, and care of a dry nurse, when seven years old; the third from childish manners, when at twelve years of age; and that it is this last and metaphorical weaning which is here meant, when Samuel was twelve years of age, and fit to serve in the temple."

 

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary says, "His age when removed to the palace is not stated; but he was old enough to be well instructed in the principles of the true religion; and those early impressions, deepened by the power of divine grace, were never forgotten or effaced."  Jochebed and Amram must have taken every opportunity to instruct Moses.

 

The Bible does not record the deaths of Jochebed or Amram, we don't know if they were alive when Moses fled Egypt or when he returned 40 years later.  But they deserve great honor for their bravery in keeping him alive.

Woman of the Week ~ Jochebed

I've rearranged my Women of the Word page and was surprised that I had never studied Jochebed, the mother of Moses.  I'll be fixing that this week.

 

Verses:  Exodus 2

Background – parents, husband, children, siblings

What is she most known for?

Victories? Defeats?

How can I be like her?

How can I avoid being like her?

Did she reach a place when she needed to reset?  If so, did she?  For good or evil?

Friday Foodie ~ Fun Fall Favorites

After reading the title of this post you may be thinking, "Chili and cornbread?  Soup?  Turkey and dressing?  Pumpkin muffins?"  You would be wrong with all those guesses!  My most recent Fall favorite flavors are in the form of ice cream.   It was in the upper 90s last week, so ice cream was exactly what I wanted.

 

I'm kind of obsessed with making a gallon of vanilla ice cream, then dividing it up in four quarts with four unique flavors.  This time I made Caramel Apple, Chocolate-Hot Tamale, Pumpkin, and Snickerdoodle.

I made a few changes this time and I think it turned out better than ever.  I started with my Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream recipe.  Once the ice cream finished churning, I divided it into my four quart size containers.  Instead of adding my flavors, I put the quarts in the freezer for about an hour.  I then pulled one quart out at a time and poured the ice cream into a larger bowl for mixing.  This allowed the ice cream to firm up a little more so when I added in the additional flavors they would not sink to the bottom of the container.  This worked like a charm!  Now on to the flavors...

Caramel Apple

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped 

1/2 cup Kraft  Caramel Bits

 

This was close to what I wanted.  The apple pieces were tart but the caramel bits got a little too hard after freezing.  I think I could have got the same flavor by adding caramel syrup instead.  Still, it was really good.  I'd say a 7 out of 10.

 

 

 

Chocolate-Hot Tamale

1/2 cup Hot Tamales, chopped

1/2 piece chocolate cake, chopped.

Last year Baskin Robbins carried a flavor called "Spicy 'n Spooky."  This was White Chocolate Ghost Pepper flavored Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Ice Cream and spicy Blood Orange Flakes and had quite the kick!  I tried to come up with something similar.  The Hot Tamales froze too hard like the caramel bits, but the flavor was good.  I'd call this a 6.5 out of 10.

 

Pumpkin

1 dozen Pumpkin Spice cookies, crushed.

The pumpkin spice cookie mix said that it would make 15 cookies.  They would have been very large cookies.  I made normal size cookies.  My first pan had a dozen and my second pan was a little larger and I was able to get another 20 cookies.  I cooked the pan that I wanted to use in my ice cream longer than normal, I wanted the cookies crunchy instead of soft and chewy like I usually make. This one was exactly what I was looking for!  Definitely a 10 out of 10.   

 

 

Snickerdoodle

Approximately 1/2 tube of sugar cookie dough

1/2 cup cinnamon/sugar mix

I bought a tube of "safe to eat raw" cookie dough.  I have been eating raw cookie dough for over 50 years so I'm sure I could have made this with "not safe to eat raw" dough, too.  I made small balls with the dough, then put them in the freezer until I was ready to add to the ice cream.  I mixed it with the cinnamon/sugar and dumped it all in the ice cream so there was a taste of cinnamon throughout.  This was another winner!  10 out of 10.

In case you're wondering, I plan to do some Christmas baking this year, but I'm pretty sure there will be a batch of Christmas ice cream, too!