Showing Love To Widows

Thanksgiving Day approaching reminds us to express thankfulness. Did you know that showing love to others, especially those less fortunate than ourselves, helps our heart to enlarge to feel more gratitude?  Thanksgiving Day is a great time to show love and give to others by inviting them to share in your celebration.


Do you know a widow who is perhaps alone this Thanksgiving?  Perhaps her children live far away and aren't able to visit her or maybe her family's relationship is strained.  Maybe she has no one. 


God says in His Word (James 1:27) that, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."


Recently I ran across an excellent article which shares practical ways that you (and your church) can show love to widows:
Ministering to Widows  
If you're not able to invite a widow to join you for Thanksgiving Dinner, maybe you'll find another way to minister to widows by reading this helpful article.  It's always amazing to me how God blesses me more than anyone when I do something for others--which at first seems difficult--in obedience to His Word!

Lord, I'm Not Qualified: Guest Post by Joan Hall

Lord, I’m Not Qualified

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you – Psalm 32:8
Do you desire to serve the Lord in ministry? Do you aspire to lead Women’s Bible Studies or teach Sunday School at your local church? Perhaps you are sensing God calling you to a speaking or writing ministry. However, there is one problem – you don’t think you are qualified. You might be hesitant due to age or to lack of experience. You may think no one would want to listen to what you have to say or write.

Do you think you are too young? Job 32:8 tells us the breath of the Almighty makes us understand. Too old? Consider the prophetess Anna who, at age eighty-four, did not depart from the temple worshiping with fasting and prayer. (Luke 2:36-38)

Not qualified? No experience? Consider Jesus’ first disciples. He could have chosen scholars or members of the religious establishment, but He didn’t. Instead, he chose twelve ordinary men with ordinary occupations. Among them were fishermen, a despised tax collector, and a political extremist.

The only qualification these men had was their willingness to follow Jesus. They listened to His teaching and learned from Him. They became the first of many disciples. After Judas Iscariot left their presence to carry out his act of betrayal, Jesus told the eleven, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit… (John 15:16a, ESV).

Whatever you sense God calling you to do, obey. He is looking for willing servants. Remember that “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.”

Joan Hall can be found over at Reflections of His Grace where she writes beautiful devotional and inspirational posts and reflections from her life experiences. Leave her a comment here and visit her there!

Saying Goodbye To A Dear Friend (Part 1): Manage It (Victorious in Christ) Monday

The De Hoyos and Gunn Families in Mexico 2007

A week ago today, Monday morning at 6:00 a.m., the Lord took our dear friend, Cristina, by the hand and ushered her into His presence as she took the final step through the door into heaven.  I got a call from our friend Mark Tiemann a few hours later. This started a whirlwind of activity which resulted in Kelsey and I flying with Mark, Lynn and Linnea Tiemann to Mexico (click on link to see photos from the trip) for 3 days last week to attend the funeral and be there for the family.


We had been anticipating the call.  Her battle with cancer, which began with breast cancer, had in the last year spread to other parts of her body.  Her husband, Alfredo, sadly but poetically described her nearness to death in a recent email:

"We have walked in the path of righteousness for so long now, that God’s home is closer than our own. 16 years ago we knew that his home was on the other side of the hill, 5 years ago we could see the lights from a distance, a year ago we found the town, 6 months ago we found the street, 2 months ago we were only some  blocks away, and today I can say we are only a couple of doors away. I’m thankful that God has allowed me to walk my own wife to His door."

She suffered so much at the end.  Her family (especially Alfredo and their daughter Zelina), gave everything to care for her in their home.  For awhile, an electric wheelchair made it possible for her to get around the house.  Then she needed to be lifted from bed. The last week of her life, she required care pretty much twenty four hours a day. She had slipped into a coma and was delirious at times. Now, there are no more tears, there's no more pain, and she has the joy indescribable of being in the continual presence of Jesus.

A Picture of Faithfulness

Cristina De Hoyos Villareal was the most faithful follower of Christ I think I have ever known.  The gift and honor of having known her, and of calling her my friend, is priceless.  You didn't "meet" Cristina and then go on your way.  Everyone who met her was impacted by her life. She was a powerhouse in a small package.  Her flashing black eyes, ringing laughter and beautiful smile were instruments in the orchestra of her personality, making beautiful music. She sparkled.  She was funny, she was a firecracker, she was gentle.  Cristina was so warm, so open, so loving.  And she challenged you.  Wherever you were in your relationship with the Lord, she challenged you by word and example to go further, and deeper.  First of all, she challenged you to be saved and give yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ who died for you.  If you were saved, she challenged you to be more committed, more surrendered, share with more people the gospel and give more of yourself.  She gave all.  She held absolutely nothing back.  She was so real.

Cristina was so alive.  I cannot think of her as "gone" or "dead" because she is so vividly alive still.  Praise the Lord, she is alive in heaven because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ--His death and resurrection; because He lives, we too can live!  She is more alive than ever before, and those of us who have trusted in Christ will see her again!  I look forward to seeing your smile and hearing your laugh, Cristina! And never having to say Goodbye again! Hallelujah!

Food Friday: Recipe for Lemon Sheet Cake and My 32-year-old GE Handmixer Is Still Going Strong!

The Trendy Treehouse

Thanks, Mail Carrier!

Lots happening here today! Bloghops, Food Friday...Check out some of my posts and leave a comment and let me get to meet you!

 Today I just want to basically rave about my General Electric hand mixer which has faithfully gone through my married life with me!  32 years old!  I received it as a shower gift!!  You know the old saying, "They don't make 'em like they used to."  Well, that's so true.  They don't make things to last anymore!  I really love my hand mixer, and use it often.  Many times when I am going to bake something, I don't want to dirty my big Bosch mixer, and I choose to use my hand mixer instead.  When I'm finished, I put the bowl in the sink, fill it with soapy water, and drop the beaters, mixing cup(s) and spatulas into it to soak. Sometimes I need a bigger bowl to hold the measuring cups, but basically it's, "No muss, no fuss." Easy!

Last Thursday, my lovely hand mixer helped me make three sheet cakes, including frosting, for a baby shower I was co-hosting, and I couldn't help musing on all the years that it has faithfully served me!  Through the new bride "flops" (not its fault:) and the busy days of cupcakes and specially decorated birthday cakes for my small children, into the season of much hospitality serving many desserts to grateful guests, and finally into a season of potlucks, showers and luncheons, it has served me very well!  I could always count on it.  I always washed it off after using it, and carefully stored it in its original box (which looks a little worse for wear), and my husband did have to mend the cord once, but basically, it has not asked for anything, but just faithfully did everything I asked of it!  By the way, no one's paying me to say this!  I have just been thinking about how important faithful service is, and how rare it is these days!!  It makes me think of the character quality of servanthood, and how I need to work on this character quality more, and be ever grateful for it in others.  It's such an important character quality, that Jesus was willing to be called a Servant.  And to call us to serve one another in love.  I hope I never stop seeing lessons in the little things. So, today I'm grateful for the faithful service of a small appliance, which has reminded me to pray that I might be a better server, and a more faithful one, and stand the test of time, like my little GE Hand mixer.

Lemon Sheet Cake

Serves:  30-35 servings

Ingredients:

1 pkg lemon cake mix

4 eggs

1 can (15-3/4 ounces) lemon pie filling

1 pkg (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

• In a large bowl, beat the cake mix and eggs until well blended.  Fold in pie filling.
• Spread into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.
• In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar until smoothe.  Stir in vanilla.  Spread over cake.  Store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 piece) equals 171 calories, 6 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 51 mg cholesterol, 145 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 g protein.
Enjoy!