Furnish & Refurnish Them

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to furnish the quiet places in our souls; thereby, building our spiritual homes. Of course, spending time with God in prayer and praise is the most important part of that. But there’s more to this than meets the eye. We need to nourish the gifted parts of our beings, as well. God doesn’t give us gifts and talents for no reason.

At first glance, you’ll say, “What?!” Look at that again, though. God really did form your inward parts (heart and soul) “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13) Furnishing the quiet places in your soul, then, is furnishing that creative part of you, that craft-loving part, the author/storyteller, the artist, the list goes on and on, doesn’t it? It should. These are gifts/talents that bring us peace, joy, purpose, little pleasures. I’m not telling you not to seek God and spend time with Him. I am telling you not to get so caught up on the one road that you miss the whole country-side surrounding you. Whenever we traveled, my Dad would try to take the scenic route whenever possible-and he would actually pull off the road and take a break when the highway traffic got heavy. Sometimes, we need a little change of scenery. You may be surprised at how much peace and joy you can find in a cook-book, and an afternoon spent in the kitchen. It stirs up creativity within, it brings comfort and joy to you and those for whom you’re cooking, and gives you a little glimpse of a gift God has given you…and maybe inspiration will take you to new heights.

I’ve said this before, I know; but one of my favorite little daily inspirational reads is from a book titled: Simple Abundance. It really does reach the creative part of you. Not only that, but you will be surprised at how much more you will appreciate all you have, and all you already are. I refer back to it from time to time, when I’m feeling out of sorts and frustrated along that same road.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Keeping The Summit In Mind

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us not to fret each step along the way up the mountain. Rather, we are bid to keep the summit in mind.

Something that really helped me with this was creating. I love crafting and creating, cooking, all that stuff. Sometimes the process can be frustrating, or a little daunting. We envision a beautiful creation, a wonderful meal, a magical blend of flavors, etc. Then, as we’re putting things together, we can get lost, and lose sight of the end product. While you do have to go step by step through the process, envisioning your finished product and keeping that in mind, helps keep you from getting lost in the process. This builds spiritual endurance too. Sometimes those mountains are pretty tall, aren’t they?

Habakkuk 3:19 is referenced by the message: “GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.” Your high places include your gifts, talents, knack for things, etc. See, He truly is God everywhere!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Block Them And Keep Going

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we are far too hard on ourselves. The message addresses guilt, shame, and self-reproach. “But the LORD is with me like a fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail.” (Jeremiah 20:11)

This is such a key revelation to us; especially when we’re dealing with generational curses. We bring a lot of baggage with us when we come out from under them. We may have been used to negative talk, thoughts, attitudes. Those persecutors (guilt, shame, reproach) are all right there and ready to whisper those same negative things into our hearts. Let me tell you what God’s Word will do: God’s Word will refute every tongue that rises to accuse you (negative criticism) (Isaiah 54:17)

When we fail, right there is Jesus’ love surrounding us. In the spirit, we have to hear that “it’s alright, let’s get up, and keep going.” When we do this, we begin to realize that it’s never really as bad as it seems. There’s always hope; and always a way, if you’re willing. As I’m writing this, I’m thinking of my very first cake. I misread the directions, and poured the entire bowl of batter into a bowl of cold water. My chocolate cake was about 1/2 inch tall, and my poor dad was the taste tester. He kept assuring me it tasted delicious, and said, “now that you understand, you’ll bake a great one next time.” But I remember how disheartened I was when I took that cake out of the oven. Had it not been for the love and kindness of my dad, I may have given up cooking and baking altogether. That would have been a shame; because I love to cook and bake!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Eden’s Breakfast On The Grill

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Ingredients: 1- 9×13 cookie sheet or baking pan… 1 LB. Bulk ground Pork Sausage, 1 med. bag frozen O’Brien Potatoes, 1 dozen Eggs, 1 eight ounce package Sargento Cheddar Cheese slices, Butter, Salt, Pepper

Make a nice bed of coals, and get them good and hot. When the coals are hot, your grill’s ready. ***Please keep in mind that when you’re working on a grill, temperatures vary, and you need to check frequently to make sure the food is cooking correctly, and not burning.** Place cookie sheet or baking pan on the grill, and add the ground sausage, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook the sausage until near done, stirring well to prevent burning. The meat should be pale pinkish. Now, move the sausage to the cooler side of the pan, and melt about 3-4 T. butter in the cookie sheet or baking pan. Spread the melted butter around evenly. Now add the O’Brien potatoes, tossing them lightly to cover with the butter. Next, spread them out across the pan, incorporating the cooked sausage into them. Cover with foil and let cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring about halfway through cooking time. At 20 minutes, they should be tender. Crack the eggs over the top of the sausage and potato mixture, one at a time, covering the mixture evenly. Now’s the time to add a little salt and pepper, if you like. Cover with foil and let cook another 10-20 minutes, until the egg yolks are set. Uncover and top with the cheese. Cover and let the cheese melt-about 5 minutes. I put two strips of cheese “diamonds” down the pan. When the cheese is melted, remove the pan from the grill, uncover and let sit 3-5 minutes. Serves 6

Serve with some red grapes or canteloupe melon on the side if desired.

What a great way to end the summer!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Eden’s Quick Fix Springtime Salad

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Yes, I did! Mixed everything up right in the bag and had a feast! I happened to catch some already prepared tomato and onion slices on sale. How could I let that opportunity pass me by? Enjoy!

Eden’s Favorite Quick Fix Springtime Salad

Your favorite Salad kit – sometimes you can pick these up at Smith’s for under 2 dollars.

2-5 ounce cans, or one large can, of tuna, chicken, or beef

1 Cup diced firm tomato

1 medium yellow or white onion, peeled and diced

1 Cup shredded Colby Jack cheese – or use your favorite

2 Cups seasoned croutons, your favorite seeds, or broken up chips for crunch

1 Cup diced celery –optional, but it gives the salad a nice lift

Half a lemon to squeeze over the salad-especially great on the tuna or chicken

Toss the meat into the salad kit, making sure to distribute evenly throughout. Add the tomato, onion, celery, and cheese, tossing to distribute well throughout. Squeeze the lemon over the salad and toss lightly. Now add the dressing and toss lightly again. Top with the croutons, seeds, or chips. Enjoy.

I like to use Buffalo or Chipotle Ranch dressing for these. You can also use Thousand Island or French dressing. Raspberry Vinaigrette works well too. * Skinny it up by thinning the creamy dressings with a little milk before adding them to the salad.

*Budget Saver: In a pinch, you can use Buddig sliced meats. Just roll the meat slices tightly and slice into thin ribbons. Cubed leftover chicken or beef works well too.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Love you from Café du Mondieu Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, April 30, 2019, 10:30 a.m.