Good Vibes, Positive Thoughts, and Prayer

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A friend posted something on facebook the other day asking for prayer about an upcoming trial in life. Several people chimed in offering their support through prayer and many sent well wishes. Others said they'd be sending good vibes and positive thoughts. All mean well, but it has me wondering something. Just what will good vibes and positive thoughts do for this friend of mine?

Oh sure, she might be encouraged to know her friends are thinking of her. It's always nice to know that people care about you. But really, when the tough day comes, how will those good vibes help her?

As Christians, it's really easy to say, "I'll pray for you," whenever a friend expresses a need. But it's time to evaluate. Are we really doing what we promise?

When I first moved to St. Louis, a very wise woman shared with me that she had decided to forego using the phrase "I'll pray for you." Instead she would take the friend or acquaintance aside and pray for and with them on the spot. She didn't wait. She said, "Let's pray about that now." If the opportunity to pray at that moment wasn't feasible, she had a different phrase. She'd say, "I'll pray for you whenever the Lord brings you to mind." Now that's a promise you can keep!

The Bible tells us that prayer is the most powerful tool we have. It gives us direct access to GOD!! When we pray, we are going before the throne of the living God. We are placing our friends, our loved ones, those we meet, and even some we've never encountered, into the Lord's hands. We are recognizing His authority and His power. And if you want to understand the power of prayer, just read a few accounts in the Bible. Passages such as when Abraham prayed for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18), times when Moses prayed for the Israelites (Exodus 32), Hannah's prayer for a child (1 Samuel 1), Paul and Silas's prayer in prison (Acts 16). God hears our prayers and he answers.

Which brings me back to these good vibes and positive thoughts. If prayer is the tool that brings us and our loved ones into the presence of Almighty God, what do these vibes and thoughts do? Are thoughts the same as prayers?

I have to say that thoughts aren't the same as prayer. I used to trick myself into thinking that if I had thought much of someone during the day, it equated to me having prayed much for them. But that's a nasty little trick the father of lies wants us to believe. It keeps us from actually spending time in prayer to God. Prayer is a conversation with God. Thinking is a conversation with oneself. Thinking of a person is great ... for you. But it does nothing to improve anything for the other party. Of course, you could easily make a case that thinking of someone leads you to check in on them and offer help. If that actually happens, then kudos to you! But I know that in my own life, it is a rare friend who offers to pray and then will actually follow up with questions or a phone call days later. If thinking leads you to action, that's terrific. But it's still not as powerful as prayer.

I'm not even sure where to go with the good vibes thing. I'm guessing that thought emerges from the belief that we are all connected by our energy. If I think positively of you (sending you good vibes) then you'll somehow subconsciously pick up on that positive vibration and it will have a good effect on your body/mind/soul. Honestly I don't get it. I could sit in the living room sending positive vibes to my cranky toddler all day long and it won't improve his mood. He'd simply think I was being a selfish and neglectful mommy sitting alone on the couch while he has needs in the other room.

Friends, can we do this: when we want to positively impact someone, let's actually do the monumental and life-changing task of praying for them. Stop sending vibes and thoughts that are only impacting you. Take your friends before the throne of grace and put them and their needs into the hands of the Creator. Far more will be accomplished. It doesn't take much time; it doesn't have to be long. You don't have to be on your knees or in a quiet place. Pray with out ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Can you imagine what could be accomplished if we actually took that to heart? Oh, that it would be so!

Ordinary Grows Beauty

I recently watched this video promoting Francis and Lisa Chan's book "You and Me Forever".



The video features our friends, Mike and Sharon, who, after having three children went on to adopt nine more. Their children are growing up and some have reached adulthood and are doing amazing things for the Kingdom of God. It's easy to look at their family and think that their life must be charmed. But I know they have faced plenty of hardships and difficulties. Sharon says it in her own words in the video and this particular quote stuck with me long after the video stopped playing.

"Serving God takes a lot of submission and a lot of repetitious, unglamorous work. I think people can look at our family and see 12 vivacious kids and think, 'Wow! What a beautiful thing!' But that involved years and years of doing the same thing over and over again. You have to be willing to make yourself nothing sometimes and then He blesses those efforts in the end and makes it into something beautiful."

I love this quote because it so well describes what life really is. Behind every person doing great things for the Lord is a lot of day in and day out faithfulness. It takes me straight to the verse I have adopted as my motto for these years with children at home. "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." (Zechariah 4:10) And this, "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more." (Luke 12:48)

Probably very few of those reading this will have 12 kids like the Dennehy clan. And none of us will have identical lives to each other. But each of us has been given much with which to be faithful. Perhaps it's your work, your family, your possessions, your ministry, your friends. We all have small beginnings in our lives; areas in which we are called to work faithfully. Things that require day in and day out, over and over again actions. Things that can seem monotonous, dull, and frustrating in the moment.

Whether or not you look closely enough at someone's life to see the mundane, it is there. I know it is present in my life. The question then is not, "Will I have to do the mundane, ordinary things to serve God?" The question is, "How can I be faithful in doing the mundane and ordinary?"

The answer? Keep on. Do the next thing and practice thankfulness. Remember your blessings and from whom they come. Be faithful even in these little things and God will make something beautiful out of the ordinary.

High Rise Apple Pancakes

It's the time of year for apples. Apple pie, apple crisp, applesauce, apples with caramel ... there are so many delicious things to do with apples!

One of our favorites is a little known recipe for High Rise Apple Pancakes also sometimes called German Apple Pancakes. They are simple to make and soooo good as a dinner, breakfast, or dessert.



You may want to double the recipe though, because it's hard to eat just one helping!

High Rise Apple Pancakes:
(serves 3-4)

Heat oven to 450 degrees with a large cast iron pan (if you have one) in the oven.
(If doubling the recipe, use two pans)

While the oven is heating, prepare the batter and topping.

Batter:
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/2 C flour
1/2 C milk
1/4 t salt
1 T butter
Combine ingredients and beat until smooth.

When the oven reaches 450 degrees, coat skillet with butter; immediately pour in the batter.
Bake in the lowest rack of the oven at 450 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350; bake for 10 minutes.

While the batter is cooking, cook the topping.

Topping:
1/4 C butter
1/2 t cinnamon
4-6 C apples, sliced
1/2 C sugar

Melt butter in skillet over low heat. Add apple mixture; cover and cook until apples are tender while the batter is cooking in the oven.

When the batter is done, pull it out of the oven. Slice and serve covered with apple mixture. Serve immediately.

Canning Green Beans

This year we were blessed with a bumper crop of green beans. We typically plant bush beans, but for several years we've struggled to get a good crop. After tender care of our plants and lots of hopeful waiting we ended up swimming in beans!



So, what to do with all of them? I love raw and cooked green beans, but there's only so many you can eat in one summer. We choose to can our green beans. It's a great fresh veggie to have all winter long and it makes for a simple side dish to throw together.



After harvesting your beans, you'll want to snap the ends off. Just the very tip of the end is all you need to pull off. As you can see by the picture, little helpers do tend to remove a little more than necessary. But it's always great for them to help out. And beans provide an excellent way for little ones to stay busy.



Once the ends are removed, wash your beans well. Then snap them into 1" sections. It's not necessary that they be perfectly even. But the more uniform they are the more evenly they will cook. These were snapped by my 2 year old. (I evened them out later!)



Once the beans are all snapped, pack them into jars. We use quart jars, but if you have a small family, pints may work better. You can really pack them in tightly.

After getting your jars filled, add in 1 teaspoon of salt per quart. Use 1/2 teaspoon for pint jars.



Fill the jars with water leaving about 1/2" headspace.



Screw on your lids and rings. Place in a pressure canner and process at 10 pounds pressure for 25 minutes (quarts) or 20 minutes (pints).



Remember: DON'T open your pressure canner until the pressure returns to zero. Otherwise you'll end up with burst jars.

Happy canning!

Rhubarb Desserts

Rhubarb season is quickly drawing to a close. Tonight I used up the last bit of mine by making two of our favorite rhubarb dishes. One we enjoyed for dessert and I sent the other along with Josh to his Bible study tonight. I sure hope there's a bit left for me to enjoy once he gets home!

Both recipes came from dear friends at our church. I love to think of them whenever I bake these delicious desserts.

Barb's Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp

2-3 C blueberries (frozen or fresh)
2-3 C rhubarb
(I rarely measure these. I just dump until the bottom of a 9x13 pan looks full)
1/2 C flour

**If you choose to just use rhubarb and no blueberries use 4 cups of rhubarb, 1/4 cup of flour, and 1 cup of sugar. With the blueberries you really don't need any sugar.**

Mix flour and fruit in a greased 9x13 pan.

For the topping:
1 C brown sugar
1 C oats
1 1/2 C flour
1 C butter

Mix the ingredients together with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle over top of the fruit.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Grandma Mary's Rhubarb Cake

1 yellow cake mix prepared according to box directions.
Spread cake mix in a greased 9x13 pan.

Over top of the unbaked cake mix spread the following mixture:

2 1/2 C rhubarb
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C heavy cream

Mix these ingredients together before spreading over cake batter. If desired you can include a little cinnamon or nutmeg.

Bake at 350 until the cake tests done. This will typically take a little longer than the box indicates.

The rhubarb will be on the bottom of the cake. And the cream will have created an incredibly moist cake.