AN APPLE A DAY- HOMECOOKING MENUS AND RECIPES

365 DAYS TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE – MAKING COOKING AT HOME EASIER

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

WEEKNIGHT MENUS – NO. ONE

Don't let the Christmas rush keep you from preparing healthy meals at home for your family. You want everyone healthy and feeling fine when the big day arrives!  This article might help eliminate some of the stress of meal planning during such a busy season.

If you can manage to do so, cooking at home is always healthier, tastier and more enjoyable.   I would like to encourage you to make that a healthy goal for 2017!  Even if you are not cooking especially for health, just having the natural ingredients that you produce yourself instead of buying pre-packaged and boxed items to cook from or making the even worse choice of fast food will drastically improve your chances for better nutrition.

I like to create weekday meals from simple yet delicious recipes that I've gathered over the years from here and there and everywhere.   One of the hardest parts of cooking at home is planning out the menus, knowing what ingredients you must have on hand to cook them, and then chasing down your favorite recipes which might be scattered around a million places over your home and office.  These upcoming columns are about putting those recipes together in one place, having workable menu selections for each day and having a quick reference to the ingredients needed.  I’ve tried to simplify that process for you in these easy to cook, already planned and coordinated menus and recipes I am just beginning to post in this blog section under the sub-title of  MAKING COOKING AT HOME EASIER.  These articles will be like sub-sections to the 365 DAYS TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE blog posts.  

All of these menus may not be perfectly healthy menus, depending on what you are trying to accomplish in your daily diet.  You will need to monitor and add and subtract according to your own needs and goals.  The healthy part of these choices is that they will be HOMEMADE BY YOU from pure natural ingredients that you have hand picked yourself.  That change alone is an improvement in health for most people.  

The other healthy part of this column is that it will cut down on the stress of meal planning for you.  Eliminating stress is always healthy!  

So when you see a menu you like; print it out, three-hole punch it and stick it into a binder that will eventually turn into a new cookbook!  Your binder will eventually be filled with delicious new meal plans and recipes if you keep it up every week.  Just select the menu that suits you for the day and purchase the ingredients and cook.  What could be easier?  I’ve done the planning for you.  I’ll probably be posting these now every MONDAY, so look for them on Mondays in the IN SEASON blog at dancinginseason.blogspot.com.  This is my free gift to you for 2017 – Merry Christmas and enjoy!

HELPFUL INFORMATION:

Sometimes I make my desserts ahead of time on the weekends and serve from them all during the week, and sometimes we are only eating desserts on the weekends and watching our calories during the weekdays.   On those days I just leave off the dessert from the menu and buy for the other recipes.  Add or subtract with whatever fits your situation.  You will not want to make EVERY dessert, but I've included on in most every menu, just in case you do.  

NOTES ABOUT TODAY’S MENU:

I think you will like today’s choice of an entrée for your meal if you are trying to eat healthy. 

The recipe is actually a copy-cat recipe from one of our favorite restaurants.  If you haven't been to Taziki's yet; you are missing a treat!  Go!  They also have a great take-out meal plan if you do not have time to cook.  Just call ahead and order and pick up a whole family meal at the end of the day.   They have great healthy choices, unlike most take-out restaurants. 

The bread recipe I’ve included in today's menu is an old family favorite I often use on special occasions.  It disappears quickly!  It is NOT low-cal!   I just leave this recipe off if I’m avoiding eating bread (which is most of the time) and I serve the bread recipe with this meal on special occasions.  It is a great combination if you need something fast and easy to cook for an unexpected guest at dinner time.  

If you want a little something extra to go with this when you decide to eliminate the bread and dessert, just serve up some very cold green lettuce on the side with a homemade salad dressing, and you will be right on track and you will also be completely satisfied at the end of your meal.  If you are eating for nutritional value I suggest you make the salad out of watercress.  See the nutritional value of water cress here:  http://dancinginseason.blogspot.com/2016/07/an-apple-day-knowing-value-of-foods.html.

The Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe is one of those recipes that you will CRAVE in the winter.  I start wanting to taste it around Thanksgiving and my craving for it lasts right through Christmas time. If you have a day on your diet when you can eat whatever you want, try it; you will love it!

So today’s menu is:  Savory Party Bread, Mr. Traziki’s  Pasta Special and Pumpkin Cheesecake

SAVORY PARTY BREAD

Ingredients:

1 Unsliced round loaf of sourdough bread (1 pound)

1 pound Monterrey Jack Cheese

½ cup Butter, melted

½ cup chopped green onions

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut bread width wise into 1-in. slices to within 1/2 in. of bottom of loaf. Repeat cuts in opposite direction. Cut cheese into 1/4-in. slices; cut slices into small pieces. Place cheese in cut sections.  In a small bowl, mix butter, green onions and poppy seeds; drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Unwrap; bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings.

MR. TAZIKI’S SIGNATURE PASTA SPECIAL

(This is the copy cat recipe for Taziki's Friday night special that we all love so much)

(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

 3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon shallot, minced

½ cup balsamic vinegar

Juice from one lemon

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 ½ cups blended olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

6 cups mixed lettuce

1 ½ pounds penne pasta, cooked

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, grilled and cubed

2 cups feta cheese crumbled

3 tomatoes seeded and diced

1 handful fresh basil chopped

To make vinaigrette: Mix thyme, shallots, balsamic vinegar, lemon, sugar, Dijon mustard. Slowly whisk in oil. Add salt and pepper.

For Pasta/Salad:  Place about 1 cup mixed lettuce on each plate. Toss cooked pasta with 12 ounces (or to taste) vinaigrette.  Toss grilled chicken with 6 ounces vinaigrette.  Spoon approximately 3 cups pasta onto lettuce, then add chicken.  Top with diced tomato, feta cheese and fresh basil to taste.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

(I collected this recipe from  Kent Rathbun of Abascus Restaurant and it is delicious!)  Makes12 servings

12 ounces granulated sugar

2 ½ pounds cream cheese

5 each whole eggs

11 ounces pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon corn starch

4 ounces sour cream

1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

1 teaspoon ginger, ground

½ teaspoon cloves, ground

1 teaspoon nutmeg, ground

Directions

1.  Place the sugar in a large mixer with paddle attachment.  Add cream cheese and mix until smooth, scrape the bowl.

2.  Add the eggs slowly with the mixer on the first speed. Very important not to over beat the eggs into the mixture because will cause cheesecake to souffle and break.

3.  As the eggs are being incorporated scrape the sides of the bowl to keep mixture very smooth.

4.  Add pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, lemon juice, cornstarch, sour cream, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg , scraping the bowl between each addition. Never allow mixture to be beaten.

5.  Pour into prepared pans or molds and bake in a 275 degree oven. Use water bath when possible, allow to bake until middle is set and slightly souffléd.

6. Turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to fall in the oven slowly, then allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the cooler. (Cheesecake will crack if placed in the cooler when too warm.)

7.  Once chilled thoroughly then can be un-molded. (Warm sides of the mold with a torch and cake should slide out)

Gail's Tip:  I always turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to sit for an hour, then I crack the oven door about one inch and allow it to sit another hour.   I take it right from there and wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator until time to place on serving dish.   This keeps the cheesecake from cracking and deflating before you serve it.   They always turn out pretty this way.   I don't use a torch myself to unmold, though it would probably be a good idea.   I've found that spring-formed pans work great!

COME AS A CHILD - LESSON 147 - A COMMANDMENT WITH CONSEQUENCES

KEEPING THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

The next commandment that God gave to Moses on the mountain is one of two commandments that have to do with the consequences of sexual sins.  All sexual sins have consequences and God wants His children to be spared this sadness and tragedy in their lives.

This seventh commandment was given to help us to overcome the lusts of the flesh that are brought on by wrong sexual desires.  Contrary to popular public opinion, this isn’t an outdated commandment.  It is just as relevant and just as significant today as the day God gave it to Moses; only our current culture chooses to ignore it for the most part.  That doesn’t make it okay.  

In so many sections of today’s modern world sexual immorality is no longer regarded as evil or wrong.  Not only are married couples cheating on their spouses, but young couples have decided that living together without marrying is perfectly acceptable and sex outside of marriage is perfectly fine.  God, however, condemns all forms of sexual immorality.  It could not be clearer than the words written down in the prophetic book of Revelation in Chapter 21, verse 8:  “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  This is the second death.”

Why would God want to confine us this way?  God isn’t against sex folks; He created it!  However, He created it to take place in the natural context of marriage between one man and one woman for the duration of one lifetime.  It is a special formula for happiness that God created and set into motion just for married couples.  If you decide to start breaking the rules of God’s formula, you will reap the consequences of breaking God’s laws. 

God didn’t make these rules to make our lives harder; He did it to make our lives easier!  If you don’t believe this; ask anyone you know that has broken this commandment just how complicated their life became during the process!  Almost everyone who has ever lived through an adulterous affair would be quick to tell you they do not wish to go there again.  They have their scars and wounds to prove this.  It is a revolving door to grief.  Almost anything you do hurts someone.  There is no way out without injury, both to yourself and to numerous others.  Still many do not think about these consequences; they simply dive into their passions and wonder what went wrong in the end.

God’s thinking is so much higher and holier, and so far beyond the way we think on a human level, that He tried to warn us about this.  Knowing our weaknesses, God actually gave us the commandment that would prevent our troubles.   It is the love that He has for us that brought this commandment to be number seven on the list of ten.

Every time I think of God giving this commandment I think of a little scene that took place at a family gathering in my living room with my two year old granddaughter.  What happened so innocently with her that day painted a crystal clear picture for me of the reality of how we are to resist any passions and trust God to guide us through those times when we are tempted. 

She was over at our house playing while the adults were engaged in conversation and she asked her father for another piece of chocolate candy.  She had already consumed some chocolate earlier.  He said “no” and she was VERY disappointed.  Like all grandchildren, she appealed the case to her grandmother.  She came to me with big pouty eyes and said “Papa will not let me have any more chocolate!   Grandmother, why won’t Papa let me have more chocolate?”  Without even thinking I blurted out the first thought that came to mind (probably from The Holy Spirit) and said “He won’t let you have any more chocolate because he loves you too much.” 

You should have seen the confused and surprised look on her face!

In her two year old logic she couldn’t understand why it was so bad for her to eat too much chocolate, and she LOVED it so much; but her two year old logic DID understand the concept of real love from her father.  Once I said what I did, she GOT the fact that her dad wasn’t being mean to her, but he was looking after her own best interest whether she understood it or not. 

Her whole countenance changed!   She went from being angry with her father to pondering, then walking across the room to give him a hug and left in a much happier mood, forgetting all about the chocolate!   She was learning to trust her father's judgment.

It was a beautiful moment, and I caught myself thinking that is just how our relationship with God is.  We want what we want and we don’t understand when He won’t let us have what we want; then looking back we begin to see that His thinking was so far ahead of ours and His wisdom was so much greater than ours; and God only forbids us from the things that are harmful to us because He loves us.  If we could only see this when we are in the confines of our moments of passion and desire; and simply trust our heavenly Father's judgement, the whole world would change!  We would lead healthy and happy lives.  When we accept his love over our logic; joy comes instead of sorrow.  When we don’t; sorrow is not a strong enough word to describe the troubles that only multiply.   

Most people only consider how hard this commandment is to keep.  Of course they don’t discuss that fact out loud; but they DO consider it, and they consider it often.  However there is the other side of the scale:  if you KEEP God’s laws and confine your sexual desires to only your own mate in the context of marriage; you will be blessed beyond measure.  It is that simple.  Yet; it is that complicated!

As we grow and learn (hopefully by trust and not experimentation) we begin to see this isn’t simply a matter of resisting sexual desire.  It is all about self-control.  Self-control is one of the greatest virtues that any child of God could ever aspire to develop.  Self-control eliminates so many of the difficulties in life; not just the ones that involve lust and desire.   Self-control is all about being strong instead of weak.  It is about overcoming instead of giving in to our own desires, or the easy way at the moment.  The seventh commandment is about learning to be strong instead of weak and learning to overcome in all circumstances.  When we allow God to help us replace these sins with these virtues; the blessings are many.    

Just as we saw in the sixth commandment; God gave Moses the condensed version of this commandment and Jesus expanded on it later.  Jesus had a lot to say about adultery.   Anyone studying the scriptures in detail and taking the advice of Jesus in relation to sexual morality would quickly see and realize that adultery starts in the heart.  Thoughts given enough time usually provoke action.  How a man (or woman) thinks in his or her heart is how they are going to relate to the world.  If lust is allowed to lurk inside your mind you are more likely to become vulnerable to the real thing.  The devil is always prowling around like a roaring lion just waiting on you to let your guard down and that is when he will present you with your greatest temptations.  Heed the warnings of Jesus to keep your mind free of lustful thoughts.  Matthew 5:27-28 gives the instructions of Christ:  “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery, but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.” 

Most people tend to read the above quote from Jesus and feel helpless and hopeless.  Everyone at some time or another has wrong thoughts, but we must always remember that Jesus is not without mercy, and He didn’t make this statement to condemn the whole world.  He died to save us; remember?  So, how do we go about changing wrong thoughts and actions and begin conforming to God’s commandments to stay sexually moral in the world we live in today where temptations are thrown in our face every time we turn on the TV, look at a computer or walk through the neighborhood? 

Let’s look at the woman caught in adultery that we read of in John 8:11.  When this woman was brought before Jesus He neither condoned her sin nor condemned her as a person.  He gave her the key to changing in the future with his words which were “go and sin no more.”  That is what we are to do.  We are all like this woman who found Jesus.  He forgave her and made her clean again.  When temptation comes we must repent and change and sin no more.  Pray for strength over weakness.  Pray to overcome any desire that is too hard for you.  None of us have it within our own being to change; but with the power of God all things are possible. God will not leave you or forsake you if you simply chose to turn to him in your time of need.

We must return our hearts to what God intended for His people.  We must follow and keep the seventh commandment in our hearts and teach our children to do the same. 

It is a good thing to keep looking for biblical examples of overcoming.  They are so helpful.  I am always encouraged to ponder how the Apostle Paul spoke of overcoming in 2 Corinthians 12:9 when he said:  “”But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

In this commandment as in all the others it is only Christ living in us and through us that brings us peace and contentment right where we are and this is how His love prevails and overcomes the things of the world. God will teach us self-control if we allow him to do so.

So keep walking and obeying the commandments!

Keep overcoming.  

Keep asking for mercy when you fail.  

He is coming again!  Keep your eye on the prize for He has overcome the world!

SEASONS - QUESTIONS FROM A FRIEND AT CHRISTMAS

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

I was asked by my friend to explain what Jesus means to me at Christmas time.  She had no idea what a loaded question she was asking.   I don't think my answer would be very typical.  Sometimes people find my beliefs a bit too complicated, but to me it is all really quite simple.  I just like to get in all the facts.  I mean if Jesus went to all the trouble to be born of a virgin, to live in the flesh and to leave the throne of heaven for you and me, then why shouldn’t I want to get the facts right?  After all, Jesus stands for truth and I’ve come to appreciate that very much.  My truth may sound a little different at first, because the world has twisted the truth a great deal.  I’m not telling the exact same word for word canned story as a lot of others that you hear, but I AM telling the story, I’m just telling it the way I feel Jesus has shown it to me; so here is my answer to the loaded question:

My first thought on all of this is that knowing and having a relationship with Jesus actually makes the whole year feel like Christmas.  Every day; all the time!

Of course, to be honest with you, I must tell you that I think Jesus was born in a Sukkah during the Feast of Tabernacles sometime around late Fall, most likely in September.  All evidence from scripture points that way.  But don’t let that make you think I do not celebrate Christmas!  I do indeed!   I see no reason not to celebrate His birth all year long, and to be more specific, I have my reasons for believing that Jesus was CONCEIVED sometime in December.  Just do the math.  It confirms a lot for me.  If Christ was conceived in Mary's womb around the end of December, about nine months later would have put his birth during the time of The Feast of Tabernacles in late September.  So I celebrate the conception of Christ (the Annunciation and Incarnation) in December and the birth of Christ in early fall.

When most people are celebrating the birth of Christ at Christmas in the month of December, I am actually celebrating  The Conception of Christ, which I perceive to be even more of a miracle than His birth into our world.  

It is truly a major miracle that a virgin gave birth to a child/God who came to save the world and become our greatest King of Kings!  What a reason to be celebrating!  

I can surely join in on that.  

I love the time and enjoy contemplating what must have been going on in Mary's heart during those days.  It teaches me so much about how to love Jesus.

When a child is conceived you begin to prepare for the child to come, just as we do when we contemplate and celebrate Advent, therefore; I join in with pure joy in celebrating the season of Advent and I rejoice in the fact that Jesus became our greatest Gift From God.  

So I guess you could say lighting the Advent candles is my first contemplation of Jesus during the Christmas season.   It makes me think of the child Jesus who was coming to earth; and the man Jesus who will one day return to earth.

Then there is Hanukkah, which I have come to know as a shadow of the coming of The Messiah.   It usually falls right in December too.   Everything in the telling of the story of the miracle of the oil and the seven more days of light that we see in Hanukkah is a type of Christ coming as the miracle that becomes the light of the world.   How appropriate to celebrate the fact of the miracle of His coming close to the time of celebrating the Conception of His life on earth.   

This time is yet another glorious reason to discover  more of Jesus inside the times of my year.

You might just make this summary pretty simple by saying:  I love Christmas so much that I celebrate it four times a year;   1) Advent  (anticipating the prophetic birth of Jesus, and anticipating His future return as Messiah and King),  2) Hanukkah (thinking of the prophetic miracle of His coming to be The Light of The World),  3) Christmas Day (celebrating His Conception by The Holy Spirit and recalling the Annunciation of Mary and  The Incarnation and all of the things that happened when Mary first learned the Christ Child was living within her) and  4) The Feast of Tabernacles (celebrating the actual birth of Christ.)   Now that’s a lot of Jesus and a whole year of celebrating Christmas!  That is a lot of celebrating!  Why not?  We have SO MUCH to celebrate!  

I love each part of the season and the way we celebrate His coming to earth in the flesh, and the recognition of  Jesus actually stooping down to be like us in order to save us.   All of these four celebrations during the year just build on top of each other and reinforce my further celebration of his physical birth at The Feast of Tabernacles, also called Sukkot; the fourth and last time of the year when I celebrate his  actual birth.   On top of that - I like to celebrate the Epiphany later!  We can't leave out the coming of the wise men; but that was probably two years after the birth of Christ and not necessarily in December and they may not have met Jesus in a three sided shelter; but possibly a house in Bethlehem, (and that may be yet another blog post.)  

I LOVE stretching out the significance of God's grace, and remembering some phase of this miracle of Christ all four times each year.  When you think of all the little details; there are actually two times to look back AND forward and realize much of the symbolism in some days was given as a shadow of what was to come, and a telling of what IS to come.  We see these things with Advent and Hanukkah; then on Christmas Day we enjoy celebrating His conception at Christmas time; and then in the next Fall (nine months later) we will be celebrating His actual physical birth at The Feast of Tabernacles.   What fun it was to me when I first learned that the manger was actually a sukkah, and the Christ Child was God's festival gift to us!  When Mary and Joseph could not find a place in the inn, they found a sukkah that had been used to shelter the animals.  It was next to a cave.  If you want to read how I've told that story to my grandchildren, look at this link: http://dancinginseason.blogspot.com/2016_10_12_archive.html.

So the time after Christmas for me is comparable to waiting on a baby in real life!  It is nine months of anticipiating Jesus and the Festival of The Feast of Tabernacles.  All year long I'm anticipating the coming of Christ into the world and celebrating it with my family inside our little sukkah.   All four celebrations are spread out time-wise, but all are very timely and significant.

Another amazing fact I find in these seasons of time is that the longer I walk with Christ through these different aspects of Christmas, the more He teaches me about how to live a more glorious life every other day of the year.   

I have come to cherish so many traditions that remind me of Who Jesus Is, and what He has done for this world.  I feel grateful for each reason that comes in each season.  This keeps a healthy balance in our home of  more Jesus and less of the world.  

So this year, and every year:  the first reminder of Jesus for me is seen in lighting of the Advent candles around the Advent Wreath, then the Menorah at Hanukkah.  

One thing I remember during Hanukkah is that even though I was not born of a Jewish nationality, I have been adopted and made a blood relative through the blood of Christ.  So, you might say I’m basically an adopted member of a Jewish family; but loved just as much as if I were born Jewish.  So I feel no guilt at all about celebrating the Hanukkah story along with my adopted brothers and sisters.  The same Father loves us all.   The beautiful story of Hannukah tells us about how God always sends miracles right on time, just the way they need to be delivered, in just the right packaging, and they always come just when they are most needed.  You know, that was what happened when He sent the package of Jesus into the world in the simple form of little child.  The miracle of Hannukah expresses the prophecy of Jesus.

I’ve read the Gospel of John, and I know Jesus celebrated Hanukkah; so why wouldn’t I?

It happened long before His birth, but He kept the Family Traditions going.  So why shouldn't I?  

I read in John of Jesus walking on Solomon's porch at the Temple during the Festival of Lights.  This was a Hanukkah being celebrated long after that first one when the oil lasted for eight days.  At the time that John wrote, Jesus was about to bring an even more significant oil into the world, and an even more significant miracle of light.   

That first Hanukkah when the Jews were able to finally return to the restored temple to worship God; God made one day's worth of oil last for eight days.  Now I look at the candles of the Menorah as we light them during Hanukah, and I think about the oil.  I note how the oil of the Holy Spirit fills me up and makes me shine as a reflection of the love of Christ.  

I only have enough love in me to last possibly for one day, but with the oil of the Holy Spirit and the Light of Christ, I can keep my light shinning long enough to last for many more days!  By some great miracle, it is actually enough to last until Christ returns again in the Second Advent.  And I can always go back and get more of this miraculous oil!  It is never used up! Jesus made it all possible. That same Jesus, who was the little child that grew into the Savior of The World. 

As I keep looking at the candles, and I keep thinking of how Christ is the light of the world, I can see Him shinning in all of our faces as we gather together to celebrate whether it is to light the candles at a special dinner table, or the candles of the Menorah, or the Advent Wreath, or even to light the Christmas Tree.  He is the true light that shines out, no matter where we chose to seek Him or look for Him, we can always find Him if we just keep on searching with all our hearts.



So; as I have already mentioned, the second tradition I usually see Jesus in on the way to Christmas is the lighting of the Advent Candles.  There is one candle for faith, hope, and joy, and the white one in the center that we light on Christmas Eve that means LOVE and stands for Christ.  These candles remind me that Jesus once came to live among us, to be like us, and that He will one day return again to save us from ourselves, and to help us learn to be more like Him.  

He is coming for us, the true Church to be His Bride; and we will live with Him forever!

The Advent candles always remind me of this, and every year they help me to renew my strong belief in Jesus as Messiah of the world.  So it is that sometimes when I light the candles, I'm actually thinking of weddings, remembering The Marriage Supper of The Lamb when my Beloved will come for me.  I pray that it will not be a long wait.

I know He is coming again, and I think of it every time I look up into a black velvet sky and see a star.  It makes me remember that star that shone over Bethlehem so long ago and pointed men in the right direction.

I think of Jesus as I put the lights on my tree, and many of the ornaments help to tell the shinning story.  I like to share a Jesse tree that tells not only His story, but also the stories of all those before and after Him that have passed all the stories on to us. 

I love remembering the way there was no place for Mary and Joseph, and the miracle of how God provided a place for them to stay, a type of "temporary dwelling" so very  similar to our earthly bodies as we think of our souls.  Also so very similar to the three-sided temporary dewellings (sukkahs) which we build at The Feast of Tabernacles.


I enjoy thinking of the humbleness of that little place and how it was changed in an instant when the child was born.  It became all lit up with the voices of the angels and the stars of heaven and suddenly became glorious with the precious gift of life that came down among so much humbleness and turned all the humble into the holy.   

I love thinking of how the shepherds heard the good news, and came to see the baby that would save the world.

I love remembering how the wise men followed the bright shinny star to Bethlehem. 
  
I love all of these stories because they have one common thread.  Every single story is about people searching for Jesus.  They kept seeking Him until they found Him, those shepherds and wise men and many, many others.  That is what I like to do most of all at Christmas time; seek Jesus with all of my heart until I find Him.  No amount of wrapping paper and tinsel can keep Him out of this day for me.  He is always there, just quietly waiting to teach us more of His story, always bringing light into the darkness, always making all things new.

I love that God made all of these things so perfect, so delightful, so right and so wonderful; with no contradictions and no complications, just a flood of pure genuine joy and love that arrives in perfect timing.

I cherish every Christmas thought about Jesus, and these thoughts bring me comfort as we move on through the year.  The stories stay in my heart way beyond Christmas Day.  Their light carries over into the ordinary days and makes them shine too.

I love Jesus! 

I love that we celebrate so much about Him at Christmas!

I love the story so beautiful that only God could have written it.  

His coming to earth is truly the greatest miracle of all, and the greatest gift ever given to mankind.   

SEASONS - THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

The second Sunday of Advent is about preparing our hearts!  Are you prepared?

Joseph and Mary had to prepare as they were waiting for the birth of Jesus.  There are things to do if you are expecting a baby!  A crib must be made, some clothes must be ready and a special place for the baby must be carved out in your home.

 

Yet, there are nine months to prepare, so in the midst of all your preparations you may also find rest.  Rest and calm also prepare a home to receive a happy child.  Let us not forget them during Advent this year.  Then there is that constant waiting and watching, looking for every sign that things are going well with the little baby growing inside his Mother’s belly.   Waiting involves constant watching with anticipation for the baby to arrive.

Are you resting in the promises of God that Jesus will return?  Are you waiting and anticipating that day?  Have you prepared your heart to receive him?  

He is coming!  

The One who came as a Child will return as a King, are you ready?

Are you listening and watching every day?

Have you contemplated the hand of God in your life since last year when you lit the Advent Candles?  Have you suffered hardships, maybe an illness or disease?  Are you living in different circumstances, maybe another home?  Are you having to get used to a new place in life?  Have you had a relationship to go sour and haven’t been able to solve this?  Did God not carry you through to get you to where you are right now in spite of your circumstances?  God works all things together for good, maybe we can see these things as we look back at Advent.  Rest in the confidence that He is with you and has seen you through all of your trials and troubles.

And have you reflected on what will happen as you continue to move forward?  God has a plan just for you.  At Advent your eyes may be opened to see more of that plan.  Are you watching with open eyes?  Are you preparing for the future of God’s will for your life?  Advent reminds us that God is in control of our future and He has a perfect plan for us if we just wait until He reveals it.

 

Are you overcoming life’s bumps and bruises as you wait on The Christ Child to come?  Mary and Joseph had a long and bumpy journey to Bethlehem.  They overcame many obstacles along the way.  We must do the same in our daily lives.  Ask God to help you see the blessings in the bumps as you make your journey toward Christmas.   Be prepared to see God at work.  Make your heart ready! 

Are you truly prepared to receive a King?  Are you living with repentance and hope?  Have you put away your idols and devoted yourself to worshiping God and God alone?  Are you ready?  

We must be prepared.  

A King is coming !

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. (Malachi 3: 1-4)

The poem below tells us He will not wait and we must be ready to receive him.  It was like this the first time, and it will be the same the second time:

First Coming
Madeleine L’Engle

He did not wait till the world was ready,
'til men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.

He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait

'til hearts were pure. In joy he came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.

He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.

We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!

(L'Engle, Madeleine. "First Coming." The Ordering of Love: The New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L'Engle. Colorado Springs, CO: Shaw, 2005. 242.)

So let us be prepared to rejoice as we journey on, and let us be doing the things that Jesus did and not wait until conditions are “just right.”  As John The Baptist so boldly proclaimed; we must be prepared!  We must keep moving toward the Mystery of the day that the Word is made flesh and the Maker of the Stars is born.  In our remembering of The Child we will know the way to the future. 

SEASONS - MARY'S CHOICE

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

I have often wondered how much Mary knew and understood about her ancestry.  She was a daughter of Abraham, a descendant of King David.  For the descendant of a king she appeared to be quite poor and lacking in many of the physical and material things of life.  She came from Nazareth.  It was a town not known for being the home of the wealthy or well to do.   No one famous ever came from Nazareth, no prophets, no kings, no one worthy of note.  It was just a little place in the Galilee region where the common every day people lived out their lives, that is; until the birth of Jesus. 

I have to wonder if we really know what we think we know when we ponder the life of Mary so many years ago.   Was she really poor?  She did apparently eventually share the income from Joseph's carpentry work.  Joseph was a descendant of King David but by this time in history the Jewish people were under the Roman occupation.  The glory days of being a descendant of David were over.  This helps to put the physical poverty of these two into perspective.  Joseph was just an ordinary man, a carpenter, who did ordinary work that might have been hard to come by in those times.  He was not living among the wealthy who could pay him high prices for his labor.  It seems though that the lack of material blessings did not matter one bit, they were very rich in spiritual blessings.

When we first hear of Mary in the scriptures she is pledged to Joseph but not yet living with him.  She is visited by an angel named Gabriel who greets her with the words:  "Hail Mary."   It was a greeting that greatly troubled her.

Why did this greeting trouble her?  The scriptures say she was "troubled" by the greeting and considered in her mind what type of greeting this might be.  Maybe it was the next line that caused her to be troubled:  "The Lord is with you."  My first thought is that would be wonderful! That wasn't Mary's immediate reaction though.  How odd it seems upon first reading this scripture that Mary would have been "troubled."   

Keeping her reaction in mind, you may begin to grasp the fact that most likely Mary  had somehow studied the Torah extensively.  Women were not taught to read in those days, nor did they have the opportunity to go to school like men.  It was a most unusual thing for a woman to grasp the deep significance of the Holy Word.  Can't you just visualize Mary sitting quietly and unnoticed at the feet of the great teachers when no one was paying attention?  Can't you just sense that she was listening and deliberately soaking in every word from the holy scriptures, even asking questions as a young child when she had the opportunity?   

Perhaps she had learned much from Elizabeth who possibly had learned much from her husband Zacharias who was a priest.  Perhaps Mary knew so many people full of the Spirit of God that she had soaked in The Word from all of them at random times and places as she grew up.   Who knows how it happened, but it is obvious that Mary knew the holy scriptures.    

This must have been the case because anyone who had studied the Torah in those days would have recalled the stories from the first five books of the bible and astutely recognized the fact that any time someone was being called out by God to do a daunting task the very same words spoken of by Gabriel to Mary (The Lord is with you) were always used. 

These very words had been repeated to great servants of God over and over, like a pattern neatly laid out by God.  When Mary's ears and heart heard the angel proclaim "The Lord is with you." she probably knew instantly she was about to receive an invitation from God to play a crucial role in His plan for mankind.  

She must have recognized the fact that these same words were used from God to Moses in Exodus 3:12.  Moses was told at a burning bush that God had a mission for him.  He considered himself unworthy and unequipped.  He was afraid.  God assured Moses by stating that He would be with him.  God was doing the same for Mary.  

Moses could not have led the people of God out of Egyptian slavery without the supernatural help of God; nor could Mary have given birth to The Savior of The World by herself; but she had faith, and she knew enough to realize that with God all things are possible.  

Mary knew this in her heart.  These were not just words to her.  Her love and devotion to God had prepared her for this day. She had been listening, praying, learning, leaning into God's will from her childhood.  She loved, cherished and knew the story of Moses.  She would have sensed the weight of this moment in history.  Perhaps that is what helped her to give the answer that she gave, the answer that greatly pleased God so much that He proclaimed her blessed above all women.

Though she sensed and knew what the greeting meant; she also knew that these divine callings throughout history usually entailed great sacrifices and challenges to the one being greeted by such sacred words.  She must have known she was about to be drawn out of her comfort zone, from a cozy simple life to a challenging and complicated life.  She must have felt from that moment that her whole world would change from a life that required simple day-to-day faith for small things to a life that required great exceeding faith of eternal consequences.  Things went from very simple to very complicated in one tiny moment.  Life is often like that for all of us.  When these things happen our answers are important.  In Mary's answer to God the most significant moment of all time was confirmed.

We can be assured in these life changing moments that God will be with us.  The angel continued to reassure Mary.  "Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God."

Again we are led to believe that Mary must have studied the Torah.  She knew that the first person to find favor with God had been Noah.  Noah had found so much favor with God that God saved him as well as his family and allowed him to be the father of a whole new world.  Through Noah God had made all things new.  Mary grasped this.  God covenanted with Noah.  Mary knew this was a covenant moment in her life too.  Would God also be using her to make all things new?  She might have pondered this.

Mary must have also thought of Abraham.  God found so much favour with Abraham that He made a covenant with him that would bring blessings to all nations of the earth.  God used the life of Abraham to make all things new.  Mary recognized this.   Mary must have sensed the responsibility that went along with having "favour" with God.   She must have known if you did not follow through and keep what God has asked of you, even when favoured - the whole world might never be right again and all hope of newness could possibly be lost forever.  She must have considered the responsibility that she would be stepping into when she gave her answer; but her faith was bigger than her fears and her God was larger than the earthly troubles she would need to endure.  

She gathered all the courage within her soul and said those beautiful  most perfect words:  "I am a servant of The Lord, let it be done unto me as you say."

And once again, God used one of His faithful servants to make all things new!