by Kimberly | May 17, 2012 | food, Uncategorized
The taste of summer – at breakfast!
I went strawberry picking the other week, got about 6 lbs and was exhausted. That’s what being pregnant will do for you. Well, I had some left and they were just about to be gone (meaning, they were going bad) so I wanted to use them up. So, I woke up one morning and thought I’d look up a recipe.
I tweaked one I found on the internet and came up with these. Light and fluffy, perfect with some added berries on top and some real maple syrup. This batch made 10-12 pancakes depending on how big you want them. Enough for the hubs to have some leftovers the week I’m out of town.
Enjoy the fresh summer taste!
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 3/4 cups sliced strawberries
Mix dry ingredients, then wet ingredients and combine. Spray griddle pan and cook the pancakes (I used 1/4 cup to scoop out the batter) over medium heat until bubble form around the edge of the pancakes.
Enjoy warm with butter, syrup, or whipped cream, and if you are a strawberry freak like me – more strawberries!
by Kimberly | May 16, 2012 | Uncategorized
Buzz word: gospel.
It seems like a lot of people have their own definition of what the gospel is. I recently have heard many different ones: social gospel, your relationship with Jesus, prosperity gospel, family.
Dr. Moore in his book, Adopted for Life, says this: “Adoption is, on the one hand, gospel. In this, adoption tells us who we are as children of the father. Adoption as gospel tells us about our identity, our inheritance, and our mission as sons of God.” (pg 17-18) I heard this quote as “the gospel is fundamentally about family”. Hearing this quote in the context of where I was made perfect sense. But, it led me to think that it may not be understood in a larger cultural context.
I know both the speaker and Dr. Moore and I know that they fully believe the gospel is the cross of Jesus Christ and how he died to reconcile sinners to the perfect Father who is sovereign and creator of all things. There is no doubt about that.
But, when we have one chance to explain the gospel to unbelievers: this may not be the best place to start. If we are given one hearing, one audience, I would start with the holiness of God, the sin of every human, the need for the cross, and salvation that comes only through Jesus. I know these men would say this as well.
I love that adoption pictures the gospel in that we can see God’s heart for the unwanted, the outcast, the bringing people to Himself that aren’t just like Him. It is amazing.
But, in this world of universalism, synchritism, and plurality of what is actually truth – may we be cautious in how we explain the gospel. I know people who have adopted children and aren’t believers (they may be a perfect audience for hearing what God did for them through Christ), but some people and different world religions place a lot of emphasis on family. If I have family then I’m good to go. Or I’m a good person and family is important to me – that’s all I need. I don’t want to let anyone think that that is what I mean if I say “the gospel is fundamentally about family.” Sometimes we don’t have time to go through a whole conversation – we are given one chance.
One book I would HIGHLY recommend if you are thinking about adoption or are wondering how this cultural hot topic applies to the gospel and the Christian life is Dr. Moore’s Adopted for Life. Here are some other quotes that I love that talk about this topic:
“The gospel is good news because it announces to us that God has acted in Christ not just that we may have heaven, but so that we may have God.” – John Piper, God is the Gospel, pg 148
“The gospel of Jesus Christ is humbling because it tells us that we are broken and need fixing. All false gospel, {including anything we can do to make ourselves feel better or be more culturally aware of significance} appeal to our human vanity because they tell us that we are less broken and can at least participate in fixing ourselves.” – Josh Moody, No Other Gospel, pg 37
“The pressure to find a bigger more relevant gospel seems to have taken hold of a great many people.” – Greg Gilbert, What is the Gospel?, pg 103
The true gospel has been around for a long time (since before the foundations of the world) and we as humans can’t do anything for ourselves. We must wholly believe that Jesus is our only hope.
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” – 1 Timothy 1:15
by Kimberly | May 15, 2012 | Uncategorized
The only sermon I heard live at T4G…Ligon Duncan’s…most memorable as well. It was just what I needed.
Shortly after I began writing for Providence in April 2010, my wonderful, caring, God-honoring boss said something along these lines to me: “Kim, have you ever done something so big in your life that it had to be done by faith?” I thought for a moment, then honestly answered no. That was a humbling and convicting. That conversation got me through writer’s block and frustrating times of no vision.
I’m there again. And that’s why this sermon was so needed for me.
Ligon preached on Elijah in 1 Kings 19. For a brief synopsis: Elijah had just come off a great victory against the gods of Baal. God’s name was declared to the people as the Only God. Then, he immediately started hiding from the queen. You would think he would have been on top of the world? Then…he wanted God to act in a certain way in his life. He, in His sovereignty, chose not to. God then spoke to Elijah, giving him some action points. No where in the rest of the Bible does it say that Elijah accomplished these to-do items from the Lord. Was he so struggling that he saw no point in the obedience. Scripture speaks from absence.
But, later when Elijah meets up with Elisha God takes him in an unexpected way to heaven. Then, we see that Elijah gets to be on the mountain when the Savior of the World is transfigured before him. He got to see God’s glory displayed in Christ on the face of the earth: that’s really what Elijah’s whole earthly ministry was about. I love how Ligon said this: “I would have loved to have been in heaven to hear that conversation between Elijah and God the Father after the moment at the mount of transfiguration (when Elijah returned to heaven).” Would Elijah have finally gotten it – that he just witnessed the answer to his life long prayer and vision?
One of Ligon’s main emphasises through the morning sermon was isn’t it just like God to not give you what you want. God has been so gracious in my life, but there is struggle to keep vision and dreams and wanting God to speak when He seems silent. Not distant, just silent.
When weariness and blindness set in – do we still dream?
Ligon said something very hopeful to me that I am still learning: “He is able to fulfill your biggest dream, even when you can’t dream anymore.” When the vision is gone, when every day is a step of faith, when the dream is losing its brightness – what do you cling to?
As the name of Elijah means: “my God is God.” And the verse I cling to right now is: “You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.” (Psalm 119:68)
“We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving. And we all have some power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing.”
Louisa May Alcott
by Kimberly | May 14, 2012 | mothering
Mother’s Day was one that brought many thoughts flooding into my head. Actually – I had been thinking about it days before and continue to think about it today – so I guess I should say the topic floods my mind with thoughts! Can a topic flood? That was just for my editor who corrects my grammar!
This was indeed my first Mother’s Day. I am thankful for Baby Campbell in my tummy and he was kicking up a storm – even so that my sweet hubs felt him continually. Felt like he was getting rearranged or something in there last night as I was laying on the couch. E gave me a sweet card with two little white booties on the front. I love carrying his baby! He is such a kind husband!
My MIL and FIL came over for lunch. We had pecan glazed salmon, green beans, scalloped pototoes (who can go wrong with 3.5 cups of heavy wbippjng cream?), crescent rolls, with homemade Italian Cream Cake for dessert. These were my MIL’s wishes – so I obliged her. The Italian Cream cake is my favorite and it was my first time making it. Except for some of the cake not coming out of the pans, it was delicious. Enjoying leftovers definitely!
I did call my Mom, though probably the last Mother’s Day I actually spent with her in person was 2007. That’s a long time. Thankful that she keeps me posted on family members and what is going on in the sunshine state. I asked her to tell me more memories of her mother, my Granny, who has now been gone for 2 mother’s days. She told me Granny could draw really well. I didn’t know that. Ask, learn, pass down information!
Here are my random thoughts:
1. What a great responsibility that God has blessed us with in raising a boy. To raise him to be kind, loving, a servant, a follower of Christ, a manly man, to bear his responsibility for masculinity well by grace. Honestly, I was leaning toward wanting a girl, even though I was 100% we are having a boy, just because I like pink and purple! But, oh, what a privilege to raise baby in light of Jesus!
2. I hurt for all those women out there who can’t have children, either ever or just for a season. I know too many of them. I hurt for the ones who have miscarried recently or have lost their babies to sickness. My heart aches for them.
3. I love learning from mothers who aren’t my mothers: Phyllis, Tina, Danna, Lindsay – especially those four – what a blessing! (They all have boys and I hope to be learning from Amber and Betsy soon!
4. I hurt for the women who aren’t even wives yet but so want to be married and be able to have children. I have known that want for quite a long time, but God in His graciousness saw fit.
5. I hurt for ones who have lost their moms. What a painful, bittersweet, heaven-filled joy (hopefully) of memories of their Mom. I wish my E had gotten to know my Granny. I still miss her.
Photo credit: GreenFlash Productions
by Kimberly | May 10, 2012 | Uncategorized, Women
With all this political talk this week – that I am sure will continue and clog up social media from now until the end of January 2013 – don’t worry – this post has nothing to do with politics.
One of my sin problems I dealt with as I got older and remained single was my pride in my independence. I would say all the time “I love being single! I can come and go whenever I want, spend my money, cook whatever I want, etc. I worried about me.” I was so independent. That is actually one of the things that people in my life told me would be the hardest for me and would make marriage very hard: my independent spirit. I won’t say that the transition to married life and being in close relationship with someone else, especially my spiritual head, leader of our home, hasn’t been tough some days – but God has been very gracious.
One way I see that I still need work is when I am trying to solve problems, fix things, live the “spiritual” life on my own. I can be dependent on my sweet (yet human) husband, but I find far too often I live my life independent of God. I got this reality check when I met a sweet, decade+ friend for breakfast recently. She is also a pastor’s wife; so there are similar struggles with life in the ministry and marriage. I slid into the booth at Panera, looked at her, and said, “Ok, I need some honest wisdom. How did you do ____________?”
This was her answer: “I prayed. Some days all I could do was sit on the couch with my Bible and read. I had to depend on God.” That was definitely my takeaway from that time with her and I’m thankful that God used the Spirit in her life and her experience to convict me of sin in my own heart.
So, as I’ve been thinking about what this might look like as I continue going down this road of marriage and the Christian life, here are some thoughts:
1. God is most glorified in us when we are most dependent on Him. Yes, I stole the title from this blog post from the Resurgence. So good! Please read it. God wants to be glorified in our lives and will be when we place all of our hope and trust and dependence on Him.
2. I can’t make it every day without Him. I am realizing that with my new role as a mother of a little boy and a wife to an amazing, godly man – that I can’t just live life on my own. I need God to direct my words, be in my actions every day, force me to put a smile on my face when I may not feel like it, worship even when there is “pain in the offering”, be steadily rejoicing and counting the trials as joy (James 1).
3. God is good and can be fully leaned on. E will not always be there for me. I am going to the mountains for 4 days with a friend in 2 weeks and I can’t bear the thought of being without my hubs for that long. Thank goodness for cell phones and facetime. I don’t look forward to not being able to wake up with him in the morning or talk about our days at the time when we crawl into bed. But, without E with me, God will still be with me. He is always with me. He is dependable. The Psalmists talked about this often and I love reading these when I am tempted to lean on anything but God:
Psalm 66:5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
Psalm 59:9-10a O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. My God in his steadfast love will meet me.
As single women – don’t get too stuck in your independence that you are afraid to trust your heart to the one kind, gentle, masculine man that loves Jesus and that God has created for you. Wives, don’t fully depend on your husband for everything you need and forget God. I’ve learned (am learning) both. God is gracious.
