Canning Tomatoes | pt 2

Is that popping I hear??    YES, it is!!

What a great sound after a long, hot day. I have spent today canning tomatoes and, I have to say, I feel quite accomplished and proud. :) Here are the results!

Sometime (either tomorrow or later this week), I am hoping to make some salsa. That is something I have NEVER done or been a part of. But I adore mexican food and all that comes with it, so salsa is something I simply must make! :) Hopefully, I will be able to get it done. For now, though, I am just going to sit back and enjoy the delightful "popping" going on in the kitchen.

Canning Tomatoes

I am canning tomatoes today. Wooooooo!! This will be my first time canning completely alone and I am excited about it.

One of the many things I love about summertime are the tomatoes. Ironically, I grew up in tomato country and HATED tomatoes for most of my life. Then I hit 20 and began to crave tomatoes. I still can't eat them whole, by themselves, but I will put them in anything. :)

I have watched my parents can tomatoes for years.....but this year is MY year! *takes a deep breath* Into the kitchen I go! Wish me luck!


P.S. For those of you housewives who want to know how I do it, here is the recipe:

1- Make sure your tomatoes are ripe.


2 - Put on a LARGE pot of hot water - you want to bring this to a boil.


3 - Wash all your jars - preferably in the dishwasher because they will remain hot longer, but you don't have to do it in the dishwasher.


4 - Put your NEW lids in a pan of hot water along with the rings. You will boil them in a little while.


5 - Put all your tomatoes in the sink or a large tub. Pour the boiling water in step #2 over the tomatoes. You want to cover them so the skins will come off easily. You will soak them a while until you can put your hands down in the water to pick them out.


6 - Skin and core the tomatoes. Just pull the skins off - sometimes you may need to use a knife, but they should just peel off. Take a small paring knife and just cut out the core. Make sure there are no white hard spots on your tomatoes. cut those out.


7 - Cut your tomatoes in quarters, or smaller and put into a pan. I always cut the tomatoes over the pot so the juice will drip into the pot.


8 - You want to cook these tomatoes until they are tender. Watch them, and stir often so they won't scorch the bottom of the pan. It's good to have a heavy pot.


9 - While your tomatoes are cooking down, go ahead and bring your lids to a boil.


10 - When everything is ready set out your jars and put 1 tsp of PLAIN salt, and 1 tsp of sugar into each quart jar.


11 - Put your tomatoes into the jars leaving about 1/2 inch at the top and wipe off the edge with a towel, place your hot lid on the jar and screw on the ring. They should be very hot so be careful :-)


12 - After you have filled the jar and put the lid on it, place it in a place where it won't be in direct a/c and let it set for 24 hours. After that, make sure the lid bubble has sealed and they will be ready to store.

Happy Canning!

Choices in Christianity

Yes, I drink

Yes, I am living with so-and-so

Yes, I'm fooling around

Yes, I listen to ungodly music

Yes, I swear a little

Yes, I'm a Christian....

Does that bother you or is it just me? I hope it isn't just me...

God has burdened my heart lately about those I know (and don't know) who live exactly like that. They call it "modern Christianity" forgetting that our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.

While I was thinking on this, I thought about greats in the past. They lived their lives, just like you and me. They woke up in the morning, slept, ate, went to bed at night...but they had something more. What was it? I'll tell you: they truly loved Christ. They followed Him. They obeyed Him. And that is what separated them from all the, shall I say, plastic flowers. They didn't just live Christ on Sunday, they lived it every day, every moment. They "came out and were separate.." They were "in the world, not of the world..."

John 10:27

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:"

Luke 9:23

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

Joshua 24:16

"And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;"

 

1 John 2:4

"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

It is not a matter of upbringing, tempting situations or anything else that determines what we will and will not do. It's our choices, not our past, that bring things about.

Study the lives of Jim Elliot, Amy Carmichael, David Livingstone, Gladys Aylward, John Hyde, Mary Slessor, Maeyken Wens, Martin Luther, Fanny Crosby, Billy Sunday, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, Hudson Taylor, Jonathan and Sarah Edwards, William Tyndale, E.M. Bounds, Isobel Khun, Esther Ahn Kim.....need I go on??

I cannot see those great men and women of Christian faith going to the bar, living with their boyfriend/girlfriend, smoking or dancing, or fooling around, or swearing, compromising, or playing with fire....I can't see it. Just like I cannot see Peter, Paul, Andrew, James, or John living like that. Or... Jesus. Can you see Jesus Christ blending in the world today? Can you see Him at the bars? The clubs? In the backseat? Why then would you???

The great men and women of God heard and obeyed when Jesus called them to "deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."  (Matthew 16:24) They denied themselves the simple pleasures that we call "our rights." They took up their cross - whatever "cross" it may have been. Hurt, abandonment, betrayal, rejection, laughter, loneliness, money problems, health problems, whatever they had to bear, whatever their "thorn in the flesh" was, they took it. And they followed. They went to the ends of the earth. They struggled, they fought, and they prevailed! They led many souls to glory!

There are choices in Christianity. I encourage you - LIVE in such a way that when others see you, they don't see YOU, they see HIM!

The Trip of a Lifetime!

Evangelist Jack Daniels

and

The Lisemby Family

2010 Holy Land Tour

We invite you to join us as we
journey to the place where it all began!

November 8 - 16, 2010

An unforgettable 9 days of your life! Experience the Bible as it comes alive right before your very eyes!

Along with some of the best guides that Israel offers, Bro. Jack and the Lisembys will share their personal Bible knowledge of the place that the Bible calls "The Holy Land" (Zech. 2:12)

Total cost: $2950 (covers everything)

For your free brochure click here.

If you are unable to go, but would like to sponsor a member of the team and help pay their way, please contact
Joel Lisemby at JKLisemby@tds.net
or call (870) 348-5429

Cover Up!!....and Look Good!

1 Timothy 2:9
"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel...."

Summer is right around the corner! That means no school, plenty of sunshine, fun, excitement, pool parties and beach parties....and swimsuits. With that in mind, I figured it was time for a blog post on a certain subject: MODESTY.

I will admit, nowadays, when you hear the word "modest," most cringe or run away screaming. Sadly, the word "modesty" is thought of as boring, draby, and plain. Well, I beg to differ. :)

My sisters and I are big advocates of modesty. And we have discovered that you can dress attractively and modern while still honoring Christ with your clothing. As our culture promotes clothing that draws eyes to curves and skin, God, however, commands His people to dress in a way that draws attention to HIM. Showing lots of skin and wearing jeans, skirts, dresses, or blouses that are tight, short, or revealing will eventually cause others to lust after us, thus committing mental adultery with us. (Matthew 5:28) That's serious!!

Back when I was just entering my teenage years and wanting to dress modern and appealing, I struggled with the boundary of "what's okay" and "what's not okay" when buying clothes. I remember a conversation I had with my dad. After showing him an outfit he gently dismissed, I frustratingly said, "Dad, how do I KNOW if something is modest or not? How can I dress modestly and still look pretty and modern?" He said something then that changed my life. He looked at me and said, "Modesty isn't solely about length of dress or how high the neckline is. I'll just say this: if you try, you will. If you try to dress to draw eyes to your body and show off your beauty, then you most definitely will. But if you try to dress modestly and glorifying to the Lord....you will succeed." I have learned that this is true. Modesty is more of a heart and mind issue. If you desire to lead others to HIM, instead of yourself, then you will discover that you will want to dress accordingly. And as you draw nearer to the heart of God, then you will want to cover up. I once heard a wise father say, "Do not give men a preview of what only your husband is meant to see." That goes for the men too!

My sisters and I have learned a fun way to dress cute, fun and attractive while still being modest. We call it "the layering method." When we are given a peice of clothing that is too short or too low, we layer it! We wear tights under it, a shirt over it, a blouse behind it or in front it, and we cover ourselves while still looking fun and modern.

So we encourage you - COVER UP!! Honor our King with your clothes. Cultivate dignity and nobility while leading others to His light - in every way. You can dress attractively without dressing to attract. You can be modest...and still look good!


** Below are some websites where you can buy modest (yet modern!) clothing at reasonable prices!

http://www.purefashion.com/
http://www.diviinemodestee.com/
http://sierrabrooke.com/

Here are three brand new websites that offers tasteful and modest swimsuit apparel:
http://www.shadeclothing.com/
http://www.limericki.com/
http://www.hydrochic.com/

Golden Handcuffs

Hebrews 13:3

Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them;
and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

 
Recently (like in the past week) I have heard many stories from young women and girls that has broken my heart. For the past several years, I have had a burden for the girls and young women of my generation as well as the generation coming up behind me. But lately, I have been nearly bombarded by heartwrenching, true-life stories from all over this country that has reminded me of the great need all around us. Last week, I literally sat on my couch in tears after hearing of girls trapped in prostitution, some even being forced by their own parents to pursue such a dark and horrific lifestyle. I heard of girls as young as 13 engaging in premartital sex and trying (yes, trying) to get pregnant, and my heart has broken over and over again seeing the hopelessness and the helplessness of some, and then the total blindness of others.

What do you say to girls like this?

What do you say at all?

How are we supposed to feel when we look into the eyes of a young 15 year old girl who justifies all her choices in life because she "just wants to be happy." What are we to think? How are we to help?

To begin, I think that it is time to wake up! It's time to open our eyes and see what is going on in the world of young girls and women today. It's time to see the recklessness, the waste, the depravity, the loss and, above all, the lack of Jesus Christ - and then DO something about it!

Hearing stories of young women who are trapped in prostitution, wanting to get out, but being afraid for their life to do so should break our hearts and give us a burden to reach out and rescue them from the world they are forced to live in. Hearing stories of young teenage girls, barely old enough to get a learner's permit, getting drunk and getting pregnant should shake us to our core and fuel a desire to extend a hand and help them. They are bound by what I call "golden handcuffs." They are in prison, but their chains look dazzling. So they stay. They are bound, but their bonds are gold....so they remain bound by their own free will. However, there will come a time in every complacent prisoner's life when they awake to the realization that they are actually in torment; that their life is empty. And most, when they see their life for what it is and has become, are so deep in their pit that they don't even try to get out. So they spend their life, remaining in chains...convinced that their life could never be fulfilling; convinced that they have lost all hope of happiness.

They need to be reached!

They need to be helped!

Please pray with me for the countless girls and young women who are lost, lonely, and in need of an advocate; in need of hope; in need of Jesus. And if we are the body of Christ....then don't you think we need to be demonstrating His love and rescuing power?


Matthew 10:6a
But go rather to the lost sheep...

Luke 19:10
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

2 Corinthians 4:3
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

PRAY! - as said by E.M. Bounds

What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use -- men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men -- men of prayer. - E. M. Bounds

It is only when the whole heart is gripped with the passion of prayer that the life-giving fire descends, for none but the earnest man gets access to the ear of God. - E. M. Bounds

Preaching is not the performance of an hour. It is the outflow of a life. It takes twenty years to make a sermon, because it takes twenty years to make the man. The true sermon is a thing of life. The sermon grows because the man grows. The sermon is forceful because the man is forceful. The sermon is holy because the man is holy. The sermon is full of the divine unction because the man is full of the divine unction. - E. M. Bounds

The goal of prayer is the ear of God, a goal that can only be reached by patient and continued and continuous waiting upon Him, pouring out our heart to Him and permitting Him to speak to us. Only by so doing can we expect to know Him, and as we come to know Him better we shall spend more time in His presence and find that presence a constant and ever-increasing delight. - E. M. Bounds