Sunday Scriptures - Lamentations 3:22-23

"Sunrise at Lake Lukuba"
Lukuba Island, Lake Victoria, Tanzania
(by Missionary Wife Tammy Brouwer) 

Did We Fail?

Photo by: David Castillo Dominici

Here are a few true ministry scenarios. These examples are typical of ministries all over the world, including yours. My purpose in sharing is to encourage. (Hang on, the good stuff’s coming!) 

1. Many years of effort and hundreds of dollars help a young man with a heart for missions get a college education and start on deputation. He marries, divorces, remarries . . . .
2. A young woman comes to church, gets saved and baptized. She drops out of church, marrying an unsaved man and having other immoral relationships. A life issue brings her back to church, and she starts to grow and change. Later, she backslides and goes back to old habits, including dating another unsaved man.
3. A person makes a business decision that harms another believer. When confronted, there is no favorable resolution, so the offended party gets the pastor involved. Instead of resolution, the whole family leaves the church.
4. In counseling, a divorced woman is advised to give up the boyfriend she’s interested in. There are red flags all over the place. (This will be yet another abusive relationship.) She continues toward another harmful marriage.
5. A man ignores all sound, biblical advice and does exactly the opposite of what he should. Now, he wishes the consequences of his actions hadn’t happened.
6. A mother balks at the teaching that she can and should protect her children from the world. She criticizes. How can her teacher be so narrow-minded? Years later, sadly, this lady only has one out of her many children attending church services.
7. A wife will not respect her husband. She puts him down, criticizes, and is unthankful. She doesn’t see the problem, though she has been counseled many times to change how she talks to her husband.
8. The pastor’s wife has to confront several young women one-on-one about their lifestyles, specifically fornication. The women never return to church.

Sometimes, it seems there are more failures than successes. We did and said exactly what the Bible says to do. We did our best to be kind, loving, and Spirit-led, but we got the result we least wanted:

• We wanted resolution and got rebellion.
• We wanted restoration and got leaving the church.
• We wanted to encourage growth in the Lord and got more sinning.
• We wanted to warn and got stubbornness.

Now, for the encouragement:

• Our ministry is not in vain. God says so. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58).
• When you take biblical, loving steps, God honors them. You might not see the results you want, but you’ve been faithful. That’s what counts! God judges our faithfulness. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry (1 Timothy 1:12).
• Each person is responsible for his own reaction to admonition or correction. Your responsibility is to give godly advice in a sweet, loving manner. The other person is responsible for heeding it. Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me (Ezekiel 33:2-7).
• God uses His Word in His way and in His time. Never think what you have shared from the Bible was useless. You never know how or when the Holy Spirit will speak to hearts. The word of God is not bound (2 Timothy 2:9b). For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

In this New Year, remember:

• When you see failure, God sees faithfulness.
• When you are disappointed in people, God is not disappointed in your biblical message and actions.
• When you followed the right steps toward conflict resolution, God knows you did right.
• When you warned, you did the right thing. It’s the listener’s responsibility after that.
• When you see no “results,” you might not be seeing the whole picture. There are many testimonies of Christians who never knew in their lifetimes the impact of their consistent witness. Remember to Whom we’re responsible. It’s God’s work, after all.

In 2015:
Love your Lord! (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Be zealous of good works. (Titus 2:14)

Don’t lose hope! (Romans 15:13)

Be thankful. (Ephesians 5:20)

Be joyful. (Philippians 4:4)

_______________________________

Now thanks be unto God,

which always causeth us to triumph in Christ,

and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge

by us in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

Illustration by: franky242

May God bless your life and ministry!

Lemon Bar Recipe

As I sat down to write more pizza recipes to go with our pizza dough recipe from last week I remembered, it's the holidays! Time for the fattening stuff! Today I bring you the best tasting lemon bar recipe I have ever tasted, passed on to me by my mother-in-law. I, being a woman who loves all cherry flavored candy and desserts while not liking anything lemon flavored, married a man who loves anything lemon and doesn't care for much cherry flavored. So, when we married his mom made these lemon bars and I was told they were hubby's favorite dessert, I decided I needed to learn to make these. They are really good and would make a great addition to your Christmas cookie bar recipe list. They are moist, crispy, ooey, and gooey, all at the same time!

Crust Recipe

3/4 cup of powdered sugar

1 1/2 cup of softened margarine

3 cups of Flour - with an added sprinkle of salt

Mix together well and then flatten out into a 9x13" baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 C) for 20 minutes. Remove from oven.

Filling recipe:

3 cups of sugar

6 Tbsp. of flour

6 Large eggs (beaten well)

Rind of 2 lemons and their juice. Pour this mixture over warm baked crust. Return to oven and bake for 25 minutes more. Cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

When completely cool, cut into small squares to serve.

Pizza Dough Recipe

A good pizza dough recipe is sometimes hard to find. I have used this one for years now and have been very pleased with it for making thin or thick crust pizzas and stromboli.

Ingredients

2 pkgs. yeast (4 1/2 tsp. or 1/2 oz.)

2 tsp. sugar

4 cups of flour or more

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cup water

Directions

Combine the yeast and sugar in a small ceramic or glass bowl (metal kills yeast). Add 1/2 cup of water (100 degrees F - 110 degrees F). Mix well with a wooden spoon. Wait about 5 minutes.

In a medium to large size mixing bowl add flour, salt, olive oil, 1 cup warm water and yeast mix. Mix with fork to absorb all liquid with flour.

Knead on floured surface for 8-10 minutes until smooth and uniform. 

Place in bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with cloth and place in draft free area. Let rise for one hour**.

Punch down and wait 45 minutes for dough to be ready.

**In a pinch I have allowed this dough to rise for only 30 minutes. It was fine but always better to give it the full time.

Top with desired toppings and bake until golden brown.
 (Makes enough dough for 2-3 pizzas depending on desired thickness.)

Christmas Blog Hop

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Please link up one (or all!) of your blog posts sharing Christmas in your part of the world.

Show us your tree, your favourite ornaments, your nativity, your traditions, your children in their new pj's, it doesn't matter so long as it has to do with Christmas! 

And remember, Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

The Missionary Woman's "Disease"

Photo by: anankkml

I am sitting in my living room with the door open. The birds are singing, and it’s a gorgeous day. My husband is thumping around upstairs, taking something from his office to our bedroom.

I am alone. 

Our children are grown and gone. (I mean really gone. The closest lives just over four thousand miles away.) They are married and the parents of the cutest grandsons on the planet. (Don't let me get started!) When our youngest left the nest, the silence was deafening. Except for my husband’s goings and comings, it was like a tomb around here--too quiet!

I know some of you live in places where the noise deafens. Some of you have children running around the house--and hollering and getting into things--and you can’t even imagine the scene I painted for you. You’d like to hear silence, experience quiet.

You’ll agree, though. We all have a “disease” in common: loneliness.

You might work with a missionary team, or not. You might have lots of friends, or not. You might have the aforementioned children and a husband, or not. It doesn’t matter. You’re lonely.

Why is it that, in this day of connectedness--think social media, Skype, FaceTime, and secret groups. Did I tell you how thankful I am for you?--missionary women feel more lonely than ever in the history of missions? I believe it’s true, and I may understand some of the reasons why. Let me share a few thoughts.

We came to the mission field with illusions. We thought we’d adapt easier. We thought the people would love us. We had the idea that the natives were just waiting to hear the gospel--fields white unto harvest--and it turns out they couldn’t care less. We thought that it would be an adventure, and we found out it was hard, slogging work. We thought our teen kids would love it, but they resent the field--and us. We thought . . . . False expectations. Missionary work is no piece of cake. We thought too much.

We came seeking new friends. We severely limited our sphere of friends when we left our sending friends behind, moved across a border, and arrived at this place: our mission field. We looked for new friendships, and, thank the Lord, we’ve made some. Our soul sisters, those few-in-life kindred-spirit friends got left behind. We didn’t understand what that would mean. We’ve gone on, and so have they. After a few years, our life experiences are poles apart. They will always be our friends, but we (and they) have changed.

We became overwhelmed--or underwhelmed. We either jumped into the work feet first and got super busy, always seeing needs, always saying yes, that, along with preparing meals, cleaning house, mothering, wifing, and all the rest, we are exhausted. Every. Single. Day. Or . . . we have a hard time fitting in. Our team leader won’t let us do all we want to do, so we have too much time on our hands, and we feel frustrated, undervalued, and resentful. 

We came to the field conscious of the airplanes out of here. Many years ago, missionaries went to the field with the understanding that they would live and die there. Many of those missionaries lived and died without ever seeing their families and home countries again. Their families couldn’t visit, either (or Skype or e-mail). I believe that, since we know we can “escape” or connect if necessary, it colors our emotions. We didn’t have to completely cut with the past when we came to the field, thank the Lord. We know we can be with our loved ones in a matter of two days or less, if need be. They can visit us, too. We have a foot here, and a foot back home. (I’m not recommending otherwise, you understand. Just talking!)

So, we’re lonely. We look inside our emotions and see a black hole that doesn’t fill up. 

Sometimes, we lock our teeth, smile, and get on with life. Other times, we stream big ole tears.

How can a missionary woman deal with loneliness? Here are eight constructive ideas:

1. The Lord promises to meet all your needs. Make Him foremost. He will truly fill up your black hole with light. People don’t satisfy. God does. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
2. Invest your emotional energies (love) in the people closest to you. I’m talking about your husband and children. For singles, pray that God would give you a girlfriend where you are. She might be an older woman or someone closer to your age. Ask God to show you someone. If you don’t find a kindred spirit where you live, accept it as God’s will. Rely on Him. He will be your Best Friend. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart (Psalm 37:4).
3. Avoid dwelling on what you don’t have, and give thanks. Suppress those negative, pity-party thoughts. Especially during the holidays, it's normal to miss friends and family. When loneliness begins, change the self-conversation and give thanks to the Lord. A heart of praise cures attitudes and emotions. (Colossians 3:17, Ephesians 5:4)
4. Find joy in ministry. Love is, after all, giving. Give yourself to your family, your church ministry, and to meeting others’ needs. Enjoy your church people. Laugh and love.
5. Get out of the house! This is so basic, but there’s nothing like getting out of the house, taking a walk in a park, the countryside, or along the beach or lake. (It's okay if you take the family.) There’s something about being outside in nature that refreshes the spirit. Don’t let yourself be hemmed in by walls. (Shopping malls don’t count!) Get out and find something God made. Breathe. Thank God for beauty. Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise? (Psalm 106:2)
6. Read. Ask friends for recommendations. If you work with a group of missionaries, swap books. Be open to different genres and new authors. I recommend reading missionary biographies from time to time. They’ll put your own struggles into perspective. Of course, read your Bible first, but if you need some unwinding time at night, a good book is much better than a movie. 
7. Get a hobby. “Hobby? Surely you jest. I’m just trying to keep my head above water!” Here are some ideas: Do cross stitch, crocheting, or knitting while the kids are playing. Learn how to cook like a native chef while visiting with the ladies in your church. Become a photographer. (You need the pictures for your ministry reports, anyway.) Sew. Cut hair. Play the violin. Plant and tend flowers or a vegetable garden. Write. Make crafts--again learning from the native women. A hobby helps you feel fulfilled because it’s something you enjoy and it’s productive. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it (Psalm 90:17).
8. Remember that loneliness is a perception, a state of mind. Oh yes, it’s real, too! When you're lonely, read the Psalms. Let their beauty and trust wash over your soul. Let God speak to you, renew your mind, and mend your heart.

God bless you, and Merry Christmas!

Cracker Candy

Today I am sharing a recipe you definitely want to write down and add to your collection of holiday recipes!

If you love toffee, you will love Cracker Candy!

Ingredients

1 cup of real butter (no substitution)

1 cup brown sugar

Large package of chocolate chips (or on the mission field, I use chopped up plain dark chocolate candy bars!)

Chopped salted peanuts

Directions

Line a medium cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Grease well with vegetable oil. Put one layer of saltine crackers on the foil.

Melt butter in saucepan. Add brown sugar and bring to a boil. Boil for two minutes, then spoon mixture over the crackers.  

Bake at 350 degrees F/180 degrees C for five minutes. The entire surface will be bubbling evenly.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips or pieces evenly over the top. When the chocolate is melted, spread smooth with a knife. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top. Cool in refrigerator. When completely cool, break into pieces and serve.

**Christmas version - Use white chocolate and top with chopped peppermint candies!