Yesterday I pulled down a branch on our oak tree to get a better look at the acorn growing on a higher branch. Indeed, it is a burr oak acorn! So pleased. The story continues:
One little acorn speaking to me so loudly about “the site of your tent, the curtains of your habitation, stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.” This acorn calls to you also. Where are you holding back in your life? Who are you hiding your affection from? Those in your immediate family need and want to hear from you. Though you might never have been one to speak in the past, they need to know your heart. They are craving a word from you, an insight into your feelings, and how your actions relate to your emotions. They want to know you, beyond the superficial shell that you present. They are hungry to truly know and understand your deepest self. Those whom God has placed in your daily life are there for a purpose also. Examine the site of your tent. Is there a way you can stretch out the curtain and place of your habitation? Ask the Father for the courage to move forward. Pray He will show you how to lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. Joyce Meier says you are to “deposit yourself with God and let God use you to bless others.”
Isaiah 54 goes on in verses 4 and 5 to say:
Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called.
Usually the greatest fear in becoming new is that people won’t like us. “People pleasing” quashes the move of God more often than the devil ever attempted. Here the Word assures us that if we will try, God will come alongside and help us to do what we could not do in our own strength. We “will NOT BE ASHAMED.” Powerful promise there; but first, we have to try.
Can we truly begin to comprehend the magnitude of “your Maker is your Husband?” That is an intimacy few of us reach in this lifetime, and here it is offered in the Old Testament. Now through the New Covenant we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to make this promise a reality. The hard little cap of humanity can hold back the power of God that rests within each true believer. When we choose to put aside the cap, like the one on the Bur Acorn, our lives can feed the hungry multitudes. Remember acorns used to be valuable to people as a food source.
The Internet yielded information on how to make them palatable today. “Native Americans made acorns much more palatable by first blanching the oak nuts (in boiling water) with wood ashes to remove a bitter taste associated with tannins.” The method involves boiling in water with ashes to leach away the tannins and make the nut meal sweeter.
You cannot receive what your Husband has for you as long as you are clutching your unfulfilled dreams in both hands. Take the ashes of your unfulfilled dreams and offer them to God.
your unfulfilled dreams
Living Water
Open your hands to Him. As Christians, we also need to be cleansed with water. Water is mentioned 79 times in 70 verses in the New Testament. Jesus promised that He would give us living water. Another set of instructions for the acorns says they need to be boiled or roasted or both to make them palatable. We are told in Scripture that we may have to go through fire. I have always thought that perhaps like Reynolds Wrap, we go through fire so that we are ‘oven tempered for flexible strength.’ Hebrews 12: 28-29 says
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
To use acorns as food we are to “collect the acorns in the fall, when ripe. Remove shells and caps. The shells will come off easier if you first slit with a sharp knife.” OUCH! That sounds an awful lot like death of the seed. Crucifixion. To offer myself according to Romans 12:1-2:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
It seems that nothing will do short of that sharp knife and taking off that shell. So that Bur Acorn led me to ponder. Then to pray. To look up Scripture and pray some more. To begin to risk moving out of where I was comfortable and risk giving parts of my life to others. I have not been ashamed! I am getting to know my Maker a little better as my Husband. In addition, my earthly husband concurs that this is a good thing.
The preparation directions continue saying that “after boiling you may toast the acorns in a 350 degree oven for another hour. They can then be eaten as they are or ground into a flour.” Some people seem to get a harder Christian walk than others do. Looking at the comparative value of acorns as nuts to be eaten or acorns as ground into flour, I can see momentarily the sense in that harder walk. Flour can be used for many more products than nuts can. Of course, the Father will produce breads, cakes, pies, gravy thickeners, coatings for all sorts of products, an endless variety of things with flour. Nuts though have a limited use. Be encouraged if your walk is one where the grinding into flour seems to be the norm. Your flour will go further to spread the kingdom than the acorn that never let its shell be opened. Your flour will go further than the roasted nut that was simply eaten as a snack food. God knows the plans He has for you, as stated in Jeremiah 29:11-14a
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to You. You will seek me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD."
Now I am amused by my pronunciation of the American Indian name… u’tahu can…. perhaps it is something like “You Twah you can.” You saw you can do this. You saw it through months of prayer and preparation through the Scriptures. You saw it through the Holy Spirit opening your eyes to the Father’s desire. Open your heart in love to those around you. Move beyond the usual limited communications and surface talk. Get really intimate with God and then with others. Let the nourishment that your life can be help others to grow into something terrific for the Kingdom. You saw you can through this simple illustration. Now will you?
Next time you see an acorn, ponder how the cap is fitting that covers your acorn life and your rich innermost being. Are you ready to strip away the cap and expose and expand that life for the Lord to use? The old saying is still true, “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.”
I am trying to eat more vegetables, like a good diabetic should. This morning I put on a saucepan of onions, pepper, chopped ham, a little soup base and 2 cans of green beans to simmer. I took my morning walk ( like a good diabetic should). There was still lots of fluid in the pan. I sat down at the computer.
I think my next writing feat will be to select from previous blogs the entries that seem to touch people the most. Then I will re-write and organize those, perhaps into a booklet? I really have no idea what is next with all of this.
The Lord has assured me that it will be work. I am not deterred by this sort of work. I began going through one notebook of blog entries that Bob so kindly marked for me with post-its. I am not actually re-writing at this stage as much as organizing.
I smelled the beans fragrance and kept working. When I finally decided I should check the beans I was too late! Almost all of the liquid had simmered away and there was black goo in the bottom of the saucepan. Yes, I have all of the ingredients to restart the process. but I hate to be wasteful.
I suppose the moral of the story is to not try to cook when I am working at the computer?!?!
Remember the song, “The cook she burned the bacon and there’s fire down below!”?
When our children were little I would bake a special cake for our Easter celebration. I had a cake pan shaped like a lamb.
I used the James Beard recipe for 1-2-3-4 cake which is very rich! The recipe always made too much batter for the lamb cake pan.
Form made two layers similar to this.
When it was baked we stuck it together with rich butter cream frosting and used raw spaghetti to help it stay put. After frosting the outside we put coconut all over the lamb to look like wool.
I did not use a bow, but we did dye coconut green to look like grass.
I cooked the rest of the batter in a one layer pan and froze it for our celebration on Pentecost. Fifty days after demolishing the lamb cake we were each eager to taste the Pentecost cake. I pray my adult children and yours are eager to taste the Holy Spirit sent to us on Pentecost.
At our senior citizen crochet and knit group we often get our terms mixed up and sometimes call a crochet pattern a recipe. We each chuckle and understand the faux pas.
Did I tell you about my humorous interchange with a ranger at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park visitors center? He had been speaking with Bob for while when I walked up. He asked where we were from and we told the Cincinnati area. He asked if we brought any chili with us. I said, no but you can get it in the freezer section now. He said he tried it canned and did not like it. I told him, “Well I have a recipe do you want me to send it to you?” He seemed eager. Then we spoke about other things regarding the Park. They now charge $5.50 per day for a parking permit. We thought that was more than reasonable since there is no park admission. We asked how many people are willing to pay the fee and how many skip it.
He said, “Funny thing about that! If you buy the permit all the proceeds go to the Park. If you wait and get cited, the rangers have to write the citation and all the proceeds go to the (I think he said) Department of the Interior and the park does not see a dime.” Now wait a minute! The rangers do the work and the park gets nothing?!?
As we ended our visit with him and he shared with me his email address he asked if I would send him the chili formula! I almost busted out laughing. I have done the pattern and recipe faux pas but have never heard a recipe called a formula!
So if you are interested in Cincinnati Style Chili, what follows is the FORMULA my mother used! She and my dad ran a chili parlor in Norwood for several years. A three way has chili, spaghetti and cheese. A four-way has beans, too. A five way has all of those plus raw onion.
Cincinnati Chili *For vegetarian, use (2 lbs. ground beef or venison) 1-1/2 c TVP and more water 2 onions, chopped 1/4 t ground cloves 4 c water 1/2 oz unsweet chocolate 2-8oz. cans tomato sauce 2 T vinegar (or 4-6 frozen, peeled tomatoes) 1 bay leaf 1/2 t allspice 2 t worcestershire sauce 1/4 t garlic powder 2 t cinnamon 2-4 T chili powder 1-1/2 t salt 1 t cumin 1/2 t red pepper Combine uncooked meat, onions & water: simmer 30 min. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered 2-3 hrs until thick (stir frequently first hour). You may add a can of rinsed red or kidney beans. For best flavor, chill overnight. Serve with spaghetti & cheese, chopped raw onions if desired!
Here is a photo tour of parts of my birthday celebration. Bob made my favorite cake, coconut!
Oh yum. We HAD to taste it the night before!
He also took me to Andy’s Mediterranean Grill. It has gotten mixed reviews lately. We had not eaten there for a long time. It was going to be one of those experiments. If it had gone down hill substantially, it would be our last visit. It was as delicious as I remembered. They make chicken shwarma like no one else I know.
For appetizer I chose spanakopeta – filo dough wrapped around spinach and cheese
I have only had spanakopeta oven baked. Theirs was deep fried. Oilier but still delicious.
Bob ordered Hummus for his meal. He did let me share. I also shared with him! And there were still leftovers to take home.
And then for my entree!
I gave Bob the raw onions and olives off the plate. Oh my! So very good and had left overs for a second meal.
We chose to skip dessert as we had coconut cake awaiting us at home! Yes, their prices were quite a bit higher than in times past, but that is true of every restaurant we have been to this year. We will return in 2024.
I had phone calls, snail mail cards, electronic cards, text messages and many folks celebrating with me. A great celebration all around! My sister sent a flower arrangement. She is out of town and we will go to lunch at a later date.
Since Bob and I celebrate birthdays with only 3 weeks between us, our daughter bought us tickets to the theater to see “Girl from the North Country.” Great fun seeing it with Emily and Lizzie!
Thank you O Holy One for another year of living and loving!
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
This is not a terrific photo of our son. Just not quite in focus, but we were nevertheless proud to hear of this commendation. He works at Catch a Fire Pizza in Lebanon, Ohio. If you visit there he will be in the background as part of the prep team, but obviously he is making an impact at his place of employment.
He began making sour dough bread for their bread, salad croutons and Italian dishes. Huge hit! Then he made pretzel buns for Hoagies. Sent that to the owner. Now on the menu. He is teaching workers at the other 2 locations how to make the special breads.
If you might be wondering where I went or why I quit posting here are a few reasons.
We traveled to Holmes County Ohio last week. Took a break for a couple of days. The last day there I had to stop taking all antihistamines as I will have allergy testing this week. The stoppage brought the symptoms of itching back like a herd of wild horses running in a stampede from a predator. I have been a basket case of misery.
We celebrated Bob’s 75th birthday with dinner out and then homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. (His favorite.)
Someone gave me this recipe years ago. It is such a favorite that Bob will drive miles to share a piece with two co-workers who have now also retired. This is one carrot cake that does NOT sink to your tummy like lead.
CARROT CAKE serves 10-12
MIX 1-1/2 T. oil 4 large eggs
-2 c. sugar 2 c. grated carrot
WITH 2-1/2 c. flour 2 t. cinnamon
1 t. soda ½ t. salt
½ t. vanilla
ADD 1 c. chopped walnuts ¾ c. currants or raisins
1 c. crushed pineapple in its own juice
POUR into large greased pan 13 x 9, or Bundt or large bread pan
BAKE 1 hour Bundt or 40 min. 9 x 13
ICING Blend ½ lb. 10x sugar 4 oz. Cream cheese
¼ lb. Butter 1 t. vanilla
I always bake it 9 x 13. The cup of crushed pineapple in its own juice can sometimes be found in a can in just the right measurement.
I see the allergist tomorrow. They just told me to go ahead and take the antihistamines. Doctor will decide a treatment plan and when/how to test me. Geesh. Lots of misery for nothin’.
For several years Bob has taken the family out to celebrate at this time of year. In October he turns 75, our son turned 45 and our son-in-law turned 55. Our wedding anniversary September 26 marked 53 years. Yes! We have so much to celebrate. Turns out Lizzie’s flatmate turned 25 but we said he would have to wait until next year for the wingding celebration as reservations were already made. We went to a special restaurant called Nicola’s in the Over the Rhine area of downtown Cincinnati, complete with valet parking.
Bread sticks and bread “basket”
All the bread was ‘house made.’ I thought bread sticks and soft wheat rolls were best. Others liked the rolls topped with onion slice, tomato or zucchini. Focaccia looked spicy! Knowing I was having pasta I did not taste every bread, though it was tempting!!
The manager graced us with flutes of champagne.
I ordered Nicola’s Eggplant parmigiana for antipasti and split it with Emily.
I could not avoid the shadows on photos
Once we cut into it share it oozed with cheese and little eggplant was in evidence. I ate the basil leaf with mine.
A lavish party celebrating 175 combined years of living. Several of us ordered the Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese. The meat sauce was made with veal and beef. So rich, so yummy. Came with an unremarkable Caesar salad.
I could not finish my portion. Especially knowing dessert was to arrive! Nice leftover meal!
The gentlemen all got to order dessert of their choice in honor of their birthday. I asked for the chocolate cake with hazelnuts. By then, I had forgotten about taking photos. My slice of cake was very small but so very rich! Yep, I ate it all!
A special festivity over 53 years of marriage. Have I told you how very much I love my husband of 53 years? He is so sweet to me, caring and generous. He goes out of his way to be gentle and caring even with others. Besides, as I joke, “It is too late to train a new one!” Neither of us ever dreamed about the wonderful life we have shared. We are so very blessed.
He has a pink metal flamingo sculpture in his side yard, a large black eagle sculpture on his deck. The ridiculous and the sublime? The beagle and I walk on.
There is a huge dip near a stand of mailboxes. The landscapers were to repair that dip where someone really could stumble and get hurt. They sprinkled a little dirt at the edge and threw a few grass seeds. NOT what we had in mind!
One neighbor scared herself and the rest of us. She had surgery on her knee a few weeks ago. She was totally healed and good to go. Then she slipped on their garage floor and went down on that same knee and ankle. I happened along as she was standing in the side yard, obviously stunned, in pain and in shock. Helped her to the porch, got an ice pack, got her son to open the front door, we helped her inside to lounge chair, set up ice machine. She is okay, but was truly shocky for a bit there. Today she is walking the golden retriever and doing just fine. Whew!!
There is another neighbor who complains and complains about every body and just about every thing. Then she lets her mini boxer out in her yard. That dog never gets taken for a walk. And it barks. And it barks. And it barks. They also got a mini-something and it has learned to also bark, and bark, and bark. Wish there was a forum for barking dog complaints. I did post on neighborhood Facebook about law in NYC stating a barking dog can only stay out for 15 minutes. Grrr. I have been known to stand on my front step and in frustration after hours of barking holler, “Shut up!” Not kind, but at my wits end.
We have been enjoying Ohio tomato season at its finest. There is a farmer down the road who sets up his table by his driveway. Puts out a money collection box. Hangs plastic bags from a nail in the tree. Then he loads that table with some of the best tomatoes you have ever tasted. $5 for a stack of 6 large red ones. At times he has a ‘scratch and dent’ box or another price for gigantic tomatoes.
I take mine home and we enjoy hard boiled egg and tomato sandwiches with juices dripping down our hands. Or I make Caprese salad with fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.
Rolling and cutting Basil chiffonade
I could learn to make basil vinaigrette but I like Kraft basil vinaigrette. Pour it in a pan and reduce “until it coats the back of a spoon.” Yum!
Most of our neighbors are kind and considerate. We share baked items and ideas like the salad above. We play cards on occasion and greet each other warmly. One brought us fresh corn on the cob his son was given. Yum.
A few younger families have moved in and we are grateful to see and hear the children. (We old folks have so many bodily ailments to speak about.) Just like you cannot choose your family members, we know you cannot choose your neighbors! We try to develop the good ones and seek patience with the others.
What is going on in your neighborhood? Are you watching for treasures in plain sight? Enjoy the summer weather while it lasts. Before long we will be wishing for a hot day instead of the chill headed our way!
Sometimes when I was growing up I got to go to sunrise service on Easter morning. I think my favorite one was held at French Park in Cincinnati. The weather was often chilly and even at times rainy, but we were determined to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord as the sun came up!
My mother worked for many years at a flower shop in Norwood, Ohio. One year she brought home some purple hyacinths and plucked each flower off, wrapped it in wet cotton, wired and taped it. Then she assembled them as an Easter corsage for me. To this day the fragrance of purple hyacinths remind me of her. Though she lived a troubled life I believe her faith in Christ took her to be with Him when her life on earth ended.
None of these things help my soul celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as much as my gratitude lists. When Ann Voskamp wrote One Thousand Gifts I wonder if she knew how the practice would revolutionize the American Christian church? Certainly it changed her life, but do we ever truly know the impact our writing will have upon others? I wonder.
Have you practiced writing down the gifts in your life that Christ Jesus has bestowed upon you? Have you given Him thanks this Easter? Here are some of my thanksgivings.
Sunshine
Rain in due season
Salvation for my soul
You give strength to hearts that are true to You
Your righteous shall live by faith
our home
the longevity of my marriage
Justice that rolls down and righteousness as an ever-flowing stream
God with us
You know the hairs upon our heads
The Convent of the Transfiguration
my sisters in Journey Together in Stitches
crochet and knit group at senior center
Your Spirit that gives me life
Your breath in our lives
My children
My grandchildren
Laundry now on first floor
small gardens to delight my soul
the bluebirds at the office window
rabbits in Angela’s yard
THE BEAGLE
Grogu to make me smile
Noodle the Corgi that makes me smile
music
music memories from over the years
The Holy Spirit speaking in my soul
My Bible and Bible Gateway tool
Rheude’s small group
Lucky learning to play with her toys
Cooking
Great Smoky Mountains and spring wildflowers there
Medical care
freedom of religion
clouds
spring peepers
gifts
dark chocolate
coconut!
travels we have done
travel planned to Hawaii
blogging friends
New Mexico friends
Neighbors who are friends
running water in our home
crocheting
sewing for our home and others
museums of art
Cincinnati Nature Center
red winged blackbirds
butterflies
armor of God
Abraham’s example of faith and obedience
Andrew Peterson’s music
Learning to be a living sacrifice
loving husband
forgiveness
the Great I am
firemen
police officers
electronic books from the library
my sister
pinwheels
soap bubbles
even to old age He will keep me
black licorice
Spirit of God who raised Christ from the dead LIVES in us
I can entrust my soul to my faithful creator
iPad with keyboard
ear buds for listening while walking the dog
Living Water
Seashells
heating pad
ocean sounds
He walks with me and talks with me
rainbow in the sky reminds me of rainbow around the throne
the Psalms
friends serving in Nepal
New Covenant in my mind and on my heart
Jesus is made unto me wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption
“Pajama church” when you can’t make it to service
His still small voice
Bob’s sense of humor
a good fresh salad
piano music
people I know I can ask to pray – knowing they will do it
cellos
live drama performances
good ham salad
music by Brandon Lake
writing poetry
Mizithra cheese sauce on angel hair spaghetti
broccoli slaw, just yum
Spirit of God helps me write
That is my partial list. How about you? Get a little notebook and begin to list your praises and things you are grateful for! It will work wonders for you 🙂
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 