Isaiah 30:15...

This verse is the perfect word picture of TRUST, (which happens to be my word for 2013).

After all, isn't trust returning to God and

resting in Him with quiet confidence that everything that concerns you is in His capable hands?

Unfortunately, I've too often done the opposite.

I've pulled away from Him instead of turning to Him.

Instead of resting I've tried to fix things, to figure and work things out,  on my own.

Instead of being quiet I've hashed my problems out with anyone with a listening ear, 

when I should be talking to God and leaving my problems in His hands.

I've too often, been anything but quiet and anything but confident.

I'm choosing to change that.

I'm choosing to return to Him, to draw near.

I'm choosing to rest instead of fretting and fighting and figuring things out.

I'm choosing to be quiet, to talk less and pray more.

I'm choosing to confidently trust Him.

Still following

Friday's Favs...Homemade Clam Chowder

Mama was born on Prince Edward Island and raised in Bath, Maine.

She loved all things seafood and raised us kids to love it too.

Now my children and grandchildren all love it.

Mama made us clam chowder often.

It's really quite simple to make and is also quite economical.

A big bowl of clam chowder on a rainy day warms the heart and stomach!

Here's how I make it:

Boil 10 peeled and diced russet potatoes in salted water.

Cook until soft enough for fork to penetrate, (but not mushy and falling apart).

While the potatoes are cooking, in a 5-6 quart soup pot saute 5 or 6 strips of bacon, diced,  until crisp.

Remove bacon and save until later.

To soup pot add 1 cube butter, 1 medium onion, diced, and 3-4 stalks of celery, diced.

Saute on medium low heat until the veggies are soft.

Add 1/2 cup flour to butter and veggies to made a roux.

Cook on low for about 10 minutes.

Add 3-6.5 oz. cans chopped clams with the juice.

(Unless you're lucky enough to have fresh clams!)

Add one quart whole milk, or a bit more if you prefer a more soupy chowder.

Add potatoes that have been well drained.

Add bacon.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Warm on medium low until heated through

being careful not to scorch it.

Serve with oyster crackers and some hearty bread.

Enjoy!

It's almost Friday, friends!

Have a HAPPY, HAPPY Friday

and

a BLESSED weekend!

              

                                            

Also linking to Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Friday

I'm believing for rescue...

I don't want to think about it.

I don't want to write about it.

I don't want to believe it.

I want to stick my head in the sand and wrap myself up in my own reality

 and pretend that this is all there is.

I'd like to wrap myself up in my cozy little home and only blog about beautiful and happy things.

I want to gather my four grandchildren around my dinner table and fix them their favorite things 

and protect them from all the ugly "out there".

I don't want to think about the strip club on the corner just a few blocks down,

or the sex trafficking on 82nd Ave., walking distance from my house.  

I want to wash my mind from the image I saw when I watched Nefarious,  

a tiny pair of little girl's pajamas found in a brothel in S.E. Asia, the pajama bottoms stained with blood.

I want to stay tucked safely into my own life while God comes down and smites those so perverse that they would use another human being that way and those so greedy they would profit from it.

I read the words in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10, and believe them.

There will come a day when Jesus comes and makes wrong things right, 

when He will deal out retribution.

There is a real day of vengeance marked on God's calendar,

 the Babe in the Manger returning as a Mighty Warrior.

I don't cringe at this image of a God who brings justice against the wicked.

I anticipate it.

But in the meanwhile,

in the meantime,

we are,

I am,

you are,

Jesus' eyes and hands and feet and voice.

So, I must get my head out of the sand,

I must quit pretending that all is well,

and I must speak up,

and I must do what I can do to make a difference.

I am one of a group of over 100 bloggers who are blogging for rescue.

We blog for the Exodus Road.

The Exodus Road does investigative missions to uncover illegal sex trafficking and underage sexual exploitation.

The Exodus Road teams with organizations, like Nighlight, 

that help victims of sex trafficking find hope and the means to support themselves.

The Exodus Road helps rescue victims of sex trafficking.

So far, 622 victims have been saved by the team.

They have helped get 348 prosecutions against sex traffickers.

The Exodus Road has 15 undercover operatives working in 5 countries.

How, can you help?

You can PRAY.

Yes, prayer changes things!

Pray for the corruption that allows this atrocity to go on in our world to be exposed and stopped.

Pray for successful rescues.

Pray for laws to be passed that make all sex trafficking a human rights violation and a felony crime.

You can GIVE.

You can give to organizations like the Exodus Road and help fund investigations and rescues.

You can support organizations like Nightlight.  

Buying jewelry from them helps support women who used to be in the sex trade.

(Click the link above to enter a giveaway for a piece of their lovely jewelry 

and to learn more about their ministry.)

You can GET INVOLVED.

We have a dear pastor friend, here in Portland,

 who has formed Tomorrow's Hope Sex Trafficking Intervention Ministry.

Hope City Church has a ministry of reaching out to the women who work in our area strip clubs.

Me, I'm doing what I know to do.

I believe God gave me a voice for a reason, this blog for a reason, so I'm speaking up.

I believe if you read this, you pray, you give, and you get involved in some small way, 

wherever you are,

 however you can, 

I believe that together we can make a difference.

I'm thinking about the 622 victims saved by the efforts of the the Exodus Road

and I'm believing for many, many more.

Still following,

White tulips and Johnson Bros. transferware...

Not a lot of words today, just some pretty white tulips in my Johnson Bros. transferware pitcher.

The tulips are a simple grocery store bouquet given to me by the Hubs.

I love them! (and him too!)

I found this transferware pitcher that goes with my dishes for only $8!

It is Johnson Bros. "Indies" pattern.

I love these old silver spoons, monogrammed with an "S", 

found while out thrifting a couple of years ago.

Hoping your week is off to a beautiful start!

Still following,

              

A scare and a grateful Nana...

The Hubs and only grandson stayed at the church this afternoon to join the youth's Superbowl party.

The rest of our houseful had other plans as well.

(Second born daughter and her family are staying with us for a couple more weeks before moving into their own place. 

 They are relocating back to the area after missionary training in South Carolina and spending five months in Ghana, West Africa.  

They are heading up short term projects in Ghana, like the Homabenase well project.  

Part of the team for the project arrived in Ghana yesterday, and next week the rest of the team goes.  

Your prayers, and donations, if you are so inclined, would be so appreciated.)

Anyway, Sunday afternoon, on my own with no agenda, stretched out ahead of me appealingly.

One of my favorite antique stores was having a special Superbowl Sunday sale, 

so I thought I'd pop in there and do a bit of looking around.

I hadn't even arrived there yet, when a disconcerting text came from my oldest daughter.

Almost four year old granddaughter,  

our little miracle girl that we prayed for for ten years while my daughter and son-in-law struggled through infertility and miscarriage after miscarriage, 

had stood up on a chair while they were packing stuff up after their church service and had fallen backwards, hitting her head on the cement floor.

My daughter asked us to pray.

She had her checked out by a nurse.

But still, it scared me.

It scared the desire to shop right out of me.

(Now that, my friends, is some kind of a scare!)

I was ready to rush her in for a CAT scan ASAP!

(Any other Nanas out there notice how things we brushed off nonchalantly with our children,

seem so much more serious when they happen to our grandchildren?)

But, all I could do was pray and pray and pray and pray,

because life, it's just so, so fragile.

My heart felt like it might burst with the loving my little blonde, blue eyed miracle girl.

I'm so, so grateful that she's ok.

Thank you, Jesus!

**************

In 2012 I followed the prompts in Ann Voskamp's Joy Dare in counting my thanks.

In 2013 I'm going back to the way I did it in the beginning,
just noticing and recording the many extraordinary blessings in my ordinary life.

And so I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little black journal.

(and capturing some of them via my camera or iPhone)

#2744-#2763-

1/28/13-

-feeling well enough to get out of bed after having the flu

-my son-in-law arriving from South Carolina before leaving for Ghana

-making shredded pork burritos for dinner, his favorite

1/29/13-

-lunch at my favorite Lebanese restaurant with my buddy

-a kind compliment from a stranger at the grocery store

-watching Downton Abbey with the Hubs

1/30/13-

-a good night's sleep for both the Hubs and I after some restless nights due to the flu

-making homemade mac and cheese for the family, (only grandson loved it!)

1/31/13-

-God's provision-what we need, when we need it

-haircut and color

-praying together at our prayer gathering

2/1/13-

-Friday date day-the Hub's and I having brunch together at a new place

-going to my old stomping grounds, the little town I grew up in,

 and taking some photos at the river there

-sharing an amazing sunset together

2/2/13-

-all the grand babies at our house for Saturday morning breakfast-crepes!

-nice enough weather for them to play outside

-in spite of a late start, a bit of procrastination, and generally not wanting to do it, getting my housework done, (with some much appreciated help from my grandson and the Hubs)

2/3/13-

-white tulips from the Hubs in my transfer ware pitcher

-a great morning of worship and the word at church

- granddaughter ok after a nasty fall 

Gratefully yours,

Guest Post on My Freshly Brewed Life...

One of the biggest blessings about blogging is "meeting" other Jesus followers.

Barbie is one of my Jesus loving "blog friends".  

She blogs over at My Freshly Brewed Life.

Today, I'm honored to be her Inspired Blogger.

I'd be delighted if you'd pop on over to Barbie's place.

 Maybe you'll find out a little something about me you didn't know before!

(And I bet you'll find out that Barbie's place on the web is a place you'll want to visit again as well!)

Still following,

Deuteronomy 33:26

This shot was taken of the sunset this evening, (Friday).

Friday is the Hub's one day off each week, our "date day".

As we were heading home, after spending the day out and about, the sun began to set.

Instead of driving straight home we sat overlooking the city and watched God paint the sky.

(this shot was unedited, other than adding the text)

Still following,