Cookie Baking Night 01/31/11

Tonight was Cookie Baking Night. In attendance this evening: Ethan and Carissa. (Carissa is "special person of the week" at kindergarten this week, so she arrived wearing the crown).

We made Oatmeal Scotchies (oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips). We're up to lesson 40 in our book Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland, which was titled "Jesus Died For Us." We had some good discussion around that lesson, and Ethan read John 19:11-18 for us from the Bible. Carissa is just learning to read and chomping at the bit to be the next Bible reader.......I think it will be soon.

As usual, a fun time was had by all.

Mentoring Musings 01/27/11

For today's Mentoring Musing I'd like to offer a reflection from my own experience.

As I was growing up, inevitably, I met people who left a negative impression on me. As I think of them today, I have the tendency to think of them as the same person I knew then with exactly the same qualities. Then I think of the person I was then. I think of what my life was like before God regenerated this wicked heart and made me a new person. Even as a Christian, I know the person I am today is different than the person I was 5 years ago.

When the opportunity arises now to meet people from the past, I try to take into account that they have had many life experiences since I last knew them and have likely matured in ways that I cannot imagine. I try to extend to them forgiveness and grace, as it has been extended to me.

And then I start asking questions to find out about the person they are now. And I listen.

Young person, you would do well to store this information away for later use as you will surely not escape the need for it in the future. (Listen to the woman in her 40's and you might not have to repeat her mistakes).

Cookie Baking Musings 01/24/11

Tonight is an off-night in Cookie Baking world. Thought I would offer this musing to you.

Often, on Cookie Baking nights, we play games as part of the evening. I own this game called the Ungame. It is simply two decks of cards with statements on them--statements like "Talk about a joyful time in your life.", "Share a family ritual that has special meaning to you.", "If you could watch only one hour of TV this week, what would you watch?" and the favorite card of all time scattered throughout the deck "YOU MAY ASK A PLAYER ONE QUESTION OR COMMENT ON ANY SUBJECT YOU CHOOSE"

I, personally, have gone back and forth over the years as to if I like this game or not (Does it foster selfishness?), but the kids often request to play it. I was struck with this thought last time we played it. In this world of technology where everything has a bell and a whistle, why is this low-tech game constantly requested? I think the answer is time. It is focused time on the children, listening to what they have to say. They like that.

Here's another observation. In my experience (and it is a very small sampling at that), the boys have always liked this game more than the girls. The girls like it, but the boys really like it. Ethan has now taken to requesting this game every Cookie Baking night (it's usually the first thing he asks me when he arrives). It was Joe's favorite game well into his teenage years. It's an interesting thought that in this day of video games, computers, iPods, and Kindles, these boys request the game with no lights, no batteries, no sound. They just want to share a little information about themselves and ask a few questions.

A Bible of Their Own

Today I point you to Paul Latour's blog, The Word Street Journal, to check out a video about the Kimyal tribe in West Papua, Indonesia. The video shows them as they receive Bibles in their own language for the first time. I have heard of this story several times in the last couple weeks. I decided not to post it myself since Paul did a wonderful job on it. Click here to read his post and view the video, and I dare you to do it without weeping.

Mentoring Musings 01/20/11

I ask the children of religious parents to mark well what I am saying. It is the highest privilege to be the child of a godly father and mother, and to be brought up in the midst of many prayers. It is a blessed thing indeed to be taught the gospel from our earliest infancy, and to hear of sin, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and holiness, and heaven, from the first moment we can remember anything. But, oh, take heed that you do not remain barren and unfruitful in the sunshine of all these privileges: beware lest your heart remains hard, impenitent, and worldly, notwithstanding the many advantages you enjoy. You cannot enter the kingdom of God on the credit of your parents' religion. You must eat the bread of life for yourself, and have the witness of the Spirit in your own heart. You must have repentance of your own, faith of your own, and sanctification of your own. --J.C. Ryle

Note: Impenitent means: Unrepentant, hard of heart.

Cookie Baking Night 01/17/11

Tonight was Cookie Baking Night. In attendance this evening: Ethan, Carissa, and Emily. Yesterday, Ethan turned 8 years old. As is our birthday tradition at Cookie Baking Night, tonight he was allowed to choose the meal and the cookie we made. For the meal, he chose: Macaroni & cheese, french fries, and sliced bananas. For the cookie he chose: Sugar cookies (with frosting).

After we finished our cookie baking project, I brought out a new book I purchased for Cookie Baking Night. It's called 365 Things to Make and Do by Usborne books. We thought we would try our hands at drawing some of the fun cars, trucks, and buses listed on one of the pages. I think we might have some budding artists here.

Evangelism Focus 01/07/11

Tonight I made a quick stop at the grocery store on my way home from work. As I reached the checkout, I could tell my purchase was interrupting an intense conversation between two cashiers (one older and one younger), which seemed to pertain to the personal life of the younger cashier. As I finished my purchase and was preparing to leave, I handed my cashier (the younger one) a gospel tract. She sincerely thanked me. As I was bagging my groceries, she started reading the gospel tract, which usually freaks me out but not in this case because this young lady was so sincere in her interactions with me. As I was leaving with my groceries, another customer was approaching my lane. The cashier put down the gospel tract but made eye contact with me one last time and mouthed the words "thank you".

This interaction was a reminder to me that I do not know the work being done in a heart before I come in contact with them. It is simply my job to proclaim the gospel, and that can easily be done, even in the checkout line at the grocery store, with the use of a gospel tract.

Cookie Baking Night 01/03/10

Tonight was the first Cookie Baking Night of 2011. In attendance this evening: Carissa and Ethan. We made 7 layer bars. Ethan and Carissa crushed the graham crackers (using a rolling pin) to make the crust. Then they layered the ingredients on top of the crust. You may be surprised to know, this is a very kid-friendly recipe. It has a lot of steps for them to do. I highly recommend it.

We continued to work through our book Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland. Tonight we read lesson 39 "Jesus Showed His Glory", and Ethan read from the Bible for us (great to have some reading helpers).

Then we played several exciting hands of Mickey Mouse Uno, most of which I lost. After about 6 hands, I won a round. At this unusual happening, Carissa exclaimed, "But Katrina you never win!" We were all surprised.

As usual, a fun time was had by all!

7 Layer Bars

2 cups crushed graham crackers

1 stick of butter, melted

Combine butter and graham cracker crumbs to make the crust. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.

On top of the crust layer:

1-1/2 cup coconut

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup nuts

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes (until brown around the edges).