The Diesires of Your Heart

(This was waiting for me in email in box this morning...enjoy)

“Delight yourself also in the LORD,
         And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

This is a familiar verse and frequently quoted when the subject is the goodness of God. But I also think it’s a misunderstood promise, mainly because one must “mine” these words to gain true understanding of what it means.

 To “delight yourself in the Lord” means to give Him your very best and to have God number one in every area of your life. It means to abandon your “self” to Him and live by His every Word and precept. It comes back to the fact that we are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body. The promise says delight your soul in the Lord . . . that means renewing your mind, putting away worldly things and taking up the things of God.

 That clarification leads directly into the second part of the verse: “He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Your heart in this verse is your spirit.  It is the part of you that was reborn when you accepted Christ and became a new creature in Him. As followers of Jesus, we are called to be “led by the spirit.” So when we put this all together it says, that if we put away worldly goals and live a spirit-led life, then God will give us the desires of our heart (our spirit).

 There is another scripture that is closely linked to this one. Romans 8:28 teaches us: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” When we are living a spirit-led life, which includes walking according to His purpose, then He will cause all things to work together for our good.

 The key is living a spirit-led life. That means putting God first, denying our flesh, which has been trained by the world and its ruler’s lies, and following God’s Word and His way of doing things.  Living this way is the blessed life. It is the good life. And it is a life pleasing to and in service for our Almighty King.

Susan Gregory

Happy New Year

And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  Romans 12:2

Cranes

hakobyan

Making 1001 cranes.  Well, I've done the math and it works out to 2.7 cranes a day for 365 days.  I plan on hanging them in my living room as a chandelier....Like the one seen here only on a much, much smaller scale-after all I will only end up with 1001;)

mharvi

The Daniel Fast

I can't wait to start my 21 days of prayer and fasting.  The book is proving to be a very good read and the recipes actually look quite tasty. 

From the website:

The Daniel Fast is a powerful spiritual experience to help followers of Jesus Christ develop a more intimate relationship with their Lord, seek answers to prayer, and grow in the love and knowledge of the Savior.

Fasting, when coupled with prayer, serves as a powerful vehicle to draw closer to God. This is a God-designed discipline to enable the Creators people to enter into a focused time of seeking the Father and His wisdom, intervention and direction.

mharvi 

I Love Cast Iron!

My newest acquisition a Lodge Dutch Oven.  Last year amid reports that nonstick cookware emitted lethal fumes I literally tossed out all of my old cookware.  Faced with an empty cupboard I searched for alternatives.  That was when I rediscovered my old cast iron pots and skillets.  Some of which were unfortunately covered in rust.  After much scrubbing and oiling I found that I had been blessed by the most wonderful and durable cookware that exists.  All my cast iron is old Wagner and now has a beautiful deep, glossy black patina after having been used lovingly for these past twelve months. 

However, there has been a wave of no-knead bread recipes circulating the net for at least two years.  I had been quite content baking my daily loaves with my BreadMan.  But, you know how things go.  I wanted to do something...well, more personal.  More intimate than fully automated, dump it in and done.  My forays into kneading bread for what feels like hours has not been successful.  To say the least.  The so-called new no-knead technique was intriguing and what's more seemed quite doable.  Even by the kneading impaired.  Hence, my shiny new Lodge Dutch Oven.  An essential tool for baking artisan boule at home.  The process is simple but it does take a loong time so don't expect to be biting into warm loaves of bread today but come the morrow you will be delighting in the aroma and deliciousness that can only come from a home baked loaf of bread.  I wouldn't do it any other way.  That is, at least until I decide that my kneading muscles need toning;)

The following is from King Arthur's website but this or it's variation can be found all around the net.  Happy Baking!

*my notes are in orange.

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

• 24 ounces lukewarm water
• 2 pounds King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

Directions

*The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe. If you measure flour by sprinkling it into your measuring cup, then gently sweeping off the excess, use 7 1/2 cups. If you measure flour by dipping your cup into the canister, then sweeping off the excess, use 6 1/2 cups. Most accurate of all, and guaranteed to give you the best results, if you measure flour by weight, use 32 ounces.

1) Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, or a large (6-quart), food-safe plastic bucket. For first-timers, "lukewarm" means about 105°F, but don't stress over getting the temperatures exact here. Comfortably warm is fine; "OUCH, that's hot!" is not. Yeast is a living thing; treat it nicely.

2) Mix and stir everything together to make a very sticky, rough dough. If you have a stand mixer, beat at medium speed with the beater blade for 30 to 60 seconds. If you don't have a mixer, just stir-stir-stir with a big spoon or dough whisk till everything is combined.

3) Next, you're going to let the dough rise. If you've made the dough in a plastic bucket, you're all set — just let it stay there, covering the bucket with a lid or plastic wrap; a shower cap actually works well here. If you've made the dough in a bowl that's not at least 6-quart capacity, transfer it to a large bowl; it's going to rise a lot. There's no need to grease the bowl, though you can if you like; it makes it a bit easier to get the dough out when it's time to bake bread.

4) Cover the bowl or bucket, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, or for up to about 7 days. (If you're pressed for time, skip the room-temperature rise, and stick it right into the fridge). The longer you keep it in the fridge, the tangier it'll get; if you chill it for 7 days, it will taste like sourdough. Over the course of the first day or so, it'll rise, then fall. That's OK; that's what it's supposed to do.

5) When you're ready to make bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour; this will make it easier to grab a hunk. Grease your hands, and pull off about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough — a 14-ounce to 19-ounce piece, if you have a scale. It'll be about the size of a softball, or a large grapefruit.

6) Plop the sticky dough onto a floured work surface, and round it into a ball, or a longer log. Don't fuss around trying to make it perfect; just do the best you can.

7) Place the dough on a piece of parchment (if you're going to use a baking stone or Dutch Oven); or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Sift a light coating of flour over the top; this will help keep the dough moist as it rests before baking.

8) Let the dough rise for about 45 to 60 minutes. It won't appear to rise upwards that much; rather, it'll seem to settle and expand. Preheat your oven (and baking stone or Dutch Oven, if you're using one) to 450°F while the dough rests. Place a shallow pan on the lowest oven rack, and have 1 cup of hot water ready to go. Skip that last bit if you are using the Dutch Oven.

9) When you're ready to bake, take a sharp knife and slash the bread 2 or 3 times, making a cut about 1/2" deep. The bread may deflate a bit; that's OK, it'll pick right up in the hot oven. 9a) Place the bread into the Dutch Oven and mist it (the bread) generously with water.  Place the lid on and bake 20-30 minutes.

10) Place the bread in the oven, and carefully pour the 1 cup hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. It'll bubble and steam; close the oven door quickly.

11) Bake the bread for 25 to 35 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown. 11a) Remove the lid and bake a 10-20 minutes longer to allow the bread to attain a lovely golden brown.

12) Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

13) Yield: 3 or 4 loaves, depending on size.