Gluten Free & God Seeking

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Adventures in Handing Out Gospel Tracts - Part 2 of 2


     How would you describe God?  One of the lines in our tract called Describe Yellow asked the reader to describe God.  I enjoyed using this sentence as a springboard to talk with students.  I got all kinds of answers from He's everything around us to He's the man upstairs.  Handing out tracts is great, but I was really hoping to have the opportunity to pray with someone to receive the Lord.  On Monday when I was handing out tracts with a friend (you can read about that on Adventures in Handing Out Gospel Tracts Part 1)  my highlight was when one student read the first line of the prayer with me which says,  "O Lord Jesus Christ, I open my heart and my spirit to You."  

Red Square with 3 circles of tables around the fountain.
Info Fair 
     Yesterday I had a hard morning, but I opened my heart to the Lord and  wrote down a prayer on a scrap of paper.  When the Info Fair started, I joined another believer, and we started walking down the street giving tracts to students walking by.  We prayed for the campus and for the tracts that whoever would read them would be saved, and that they wouldn't throw them away but others would read them.   We met several students who had received a tract the day before, we started asking them if they had read it, and many of them nodded their heads yes.


   I couldn't believe it when one of the students I was speaking with told me he was a Catholic.  I told him that I also had been raised a Catholic, but there was a time in my life when the Jesus I had heard about in Catechism came into my heart.  This touched him, and he was willing to pray with me.  What joy filled my heart as we prayed, the other believer I was with came over and she joined us in prayer.   We had the opportunity to share the Lord with three other students and they all prayed to receive the Lord.  I was so deeply touched with what we had experienced; right away I knew it was because  so many were praying for our distribution at that campus!  


Our Bibles for America table in Red Square


List of Blogs on Handing out Bibles & Gospel Tracts


Adventures in Handing out Gospel Tracts - Part 1 of 1

Adventures in Handing out Gospel Tracts - Part 2 of 2

Volunteering for Bibles for America - Part 2 of 2

Volunteering for Bibles for America - Part 1 of 2

The Best Things in Life are Free!
 

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Adventures in Handing out Gospel Tracts - Part 1


     God uses tracts to save people.  Sometimes you don't even have to hand the tract directly to someone.  Tracts can work by themselves in miraculous ways.  

    I remember hearing a brother share once how he got saved by reading a tract that he had picked up off the floor in a laundry mat.  And then yesterday I was reading a similar sort of story that Watchman Nee shares in  chapter 47 of his book Miscellaneous  Records of the Kuling Training called How to Distribute Tracts.

A man once picked up a tract and immediately threw it away.  Another person came along the same road.  He was hurt by a nail which stuck into his shoe.  To relieve his pain, he took the rejected tract, folded it, and put it inside his shoe as a cushion against the nail.  When he reached home, he took off his shoes and began to read the tract.  His reading brought him to salvation (The collected Works of Watchman Nee, Page 410).

     These kinds of stories are amazing to me.  I've been thinking a lot about this because for the next two days I'm going to join some other believers to hand out free study Bibles and gospel tracts to students who are attending an information fair at a university that is just about eight minutes from my house.  We've been praying about this time for several weeks, and I'm looking forward to see what is going to happen!  You can find out about that by reading Adventures in Handing out Gospel Tracts Part 2 from the list below.

List of Blogs on Handing out Bibles & Gospel Tracts
Adventures in Handing out Gospel Tracts - Part 1 of 1
Adventures in Handing out Gospel Tracts - Part 2 of 2
Volunteering for Bibles for America - Part 2 of 2
Volunteering for Bibles for America - Part 1 of 2
The Best Things in Life are Free!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The Real Deal GF Teriyaki Chicken


    Here's a great teriyaki chicken recipe that I got from a church cookbook called Come & Dine.  It was submitted by a Japanese Christian, so you know it's going to be authentic.   I made this a few weeks ago for our international students from Japan.

   This is good!  Just the right amount of sugar, garlic, and ginger!  You won't be disappointed when you bite into this teriyaki chicken!  I have marinated it over night and for 6 hours.  Of course, if you can, it's best to let it marinate overnight.

The Real Deal GF Teriyaki Chicken

1. Prepare marinade - Put in a bowl:
   2/3 cup gluten free tamari, 6 T sugar, 1/4 cup sake (rice mirin), 1/2 tsp. salt, 2  cloves of minced garlic, 1 1/2" ginger root minced, and 1 T salad oil.

2.  Prepare chicken:  Rinse and cut up 3-4 lbs of chicken.

3.  Marinate chicken:  Pour marinade over chicken and let it marinate over night.   Put reserved marinade in a saucepan and bring to  a boil and brush chicken half way through.

4.  Bake chicken:  Put chicken on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Brush chicken with the marinade and turn chicken and bake for 25 more minutes.

Other Japanese recipes on this blog:

Easy Steps to Make Your Own Sushi!   (A Korean friend taught me how to make sushi)
Outstanding Gluten Free Sukiyaki   (A combination of recipes)
Delicious Gluten Free Yakisoba   (Modified from an Internet search)
Incredible Gluten Free Teriyaki Chicken  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Deluxe Miso Soup (Kenchinjiru)   (From an Internet search)

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Prayer, the Spirit, & the Word - The Way the Lord Carries Out His Work in the Book of Acts


  Prayer, the Spirit, and the word.  That's all--just three things that God uses to carry out His work on earth.  


  I really liked reading chapter 49 of the Life-Study of Acts because it made it crystal clear that God carries out all of His work on earth through our prayer, His Spirit, and the word of God.  That sounded a lot different than what I would naturally think!!

   This chapter touched me because in another week I will be helping distribute at our city's university free Recovery Versions of the New Testament through Bibles for America. I've taken part in this for several years, and if you'd like to read about my experiences last September, you can check out this post:  The Best Things in Life  are Free--Free Study Bible Distribution at WWU.   

Anyway while reading this chapter, these parts on pages 426 and 431 were meaningful to me : 
  If we would have the power and impact in our gospel preaching, we need to pray...  There is no shortcut to having power in preaching the gospel.  We need to pray, we need to learn the Word, and we need to be one spirit with the Lord.  In 1 Corinthians 6:17 Paul says, "He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit."  We need to stand upon this word, claim the fact, and practice it.  We should say, "Lord, this is Your word, I stand on Your word, Lord, and claim the fact that I am one spirit with You.  Lord, I ask You to vindicate Your word that You are truly one with me.  Lord, I intend to speak for You and even to speak You forth.  Lord, vindicate the word and show that You are really one with Your followers."  We all need to pray such a prayer.  This is the prayer that will be heard in the heavens and by all the demons.  If we are one spirit with the Lord in preaching the gospel, we shall have power and impact.  Therefore, let us not trust in eloquence.  Let us trust in prayer, in the Word, and in the Spirit (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Acts. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1985, Print). 

The Lord is continually bringing me back to this word--everything comes out of our prayer in oneness with His Spirit standing on His Word!

You can listen to excerpts from the Life Study of Acts along with excellent commentary by tuning into the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

Other Blogs on the Life Study of Acts:

In the Book of Acts What is Christ Doing in Ascension?

What Does the Early Church Look Like in the Book of Acts?
According to Acts 5:31 What is the Lord Doing as the Ruler of the Earth?
How Did the Lord Spread the Gospel in Acts 8?
What Vision Did Saul Have at His Conversion in Acts 9:3-8?
How Does the Gospel Reach the Gentiles in Acts 10?
How is Acts a Book on God's Move & Prayer?
Seeing God's Move & Satan's Frustration in Acts 14
Prayer, the Spirit, & the Word - The Way the Lord Carries out His Work in the Book of Acts
Seeing God's New Testament Economy in the Book of Acts - Part 1 of 2 
Seeing God's New Testament Economy in the Book of Acts - Part 2 of 2

Friday, September 14, 2012

Homemade Apple Butter

     If fall had a taste, I think it would taste like apple butter.  Apple butter might seem old fashioned to some people, and I know it's definitely not as popular as strawberry jam or grape jelly.  But there are times when you want something your grandmother used to make. That's how I felt last week when I brought home a bag of apples from a neighbor's tree.  Making apple butter is so easy to do especially if you put it in a crock pot.  Apple butter is made from applesauce, and so last week I canned both applesauce and some apple butter.   The recipe I used was from the Joy of Cooking. 


HOMEMADE APPLE BUTTER   -  For 8 jars


1.  Prepare apples:  Fill your sink with water or use a plastic tub and wash 4 pounds of apples.  Then  core them by using a knife and quartering them or use a stainless apple corer.  

2.  Make apple sauce: 
(1)  Put apples in a stock pot or large pot with 1-2 cups of water depending on how full your stock pot is and cook the apples on medium heat until they are tender.
(2)  This takes between 20-30 minutes.  You can stir them occasionally and check and make sure there is enough water so that the sauce doesn't become scorched on the bottom of the pan.


3.   Make applesauce using a food mill:   
(1) Get out a large glass bowl and put the food mill on the edge of it. 
(2)  Fill the food mill about three-fourths full and start turning the crank. Turn the crank in both directions in order to get as much sauce out of your apples that you can. 
(3) Dump the skins, core, and seeds into a compost bucket. 
(4)  Continue doing this until you have processed all of the apples.  


Note:  If you don't have a food mill, you can press the apples through a sieve. 





4.  Transfer the applesauce to a crock pot: Measure 8 cups of applesauce into a crockpot.   

5.  The Joy of Cooking says for each cup of apple butter add the following:
(1)  1/2 cup of brown sugar
(2)  1 tsp. cinnamon
(3)  1/2 tsp. cloves  (next time I will do less cloves)
(4)  1/4 tsp. allspice

6.  Cook the apple butter on low for 6 hours.  I checked mine a few times and stirred it.


7.  Clean canning jarsAbout an hour before the apple butter is done,  put your canning jars into the dishwasher or use hot soapy water and rinse them in hot water to sterilize them.  Fill the jars with hot water and let them sit in this  hot  water until they are ready to be filled up.  This will keep the jars from cracking when you put the apple butter inside of them.

8.  Fill water bath canner with 4-5" of water:  I use my Better Homes & Garden Cookbook for canning, and it says to fill your canner with enough water to cover the jars when they're put in for processing. The box on the Ball jars says to heat this water until it is simmering (180 F).  It takes about 15-20 minutes for all of this water to get at this temperature.  

9.  Preparing the canning lids Put about 2 cups of water into a small saucepan and turn it on medium heat. Don't let this water boil, or it can ruin the seals. When it gets hot, set your lids into it and keep them there until you need each of them. 

10.  Fill one jar at a time with apple butter:  Put a large canning funnel onto the mouth of the jar and use a ladle or measuring cup to put the apple butter into the jar and allow about 1/4" left on the top for any expansion. 

11.  Wipe down mouth of the jar:  Wipe down the top and edges of the jar to remove any apple butter that would prevent a proper seal from forming.   

12. Put the lid & band on the jar:  Take a lid out of the saucepan with a fork, and center it over the jar.  Hold it in place with your finger  and then with your other hand put on the band and tighten it until it is what they call "fingertip tight."  They say to make sure the bands are not too tight because any air inside the jar must be able to escape during the canning process. 

13. Fill canner with jars of apple butter:  
(1) Use a canning jar lifter to lower each jar into the water bath canner.
(2)  Better Homes & Garden says make sure the jars don't touch each other.  
(3) Put the lid on the canner.  You count the time when you hear the water come to a rolling boil.  (4)  Jars should be covered with 1" of water; so add more hot water if you need to.  
(5) It takes 10 minutes to process either a pint or quart of apple butter, but check your chart to make any allowance for altitude.

14. Let jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes after the timer goes off:  After the jars have been processed, turn off the heat and let them sit in the water bath canner for 5 minutes.  Then take them out with the jar lifter and put them on a clean towel and let them sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours.  Do not touch the bands or you can loosen the seal!

15.  Checking to see if the jars are sealed properly: The next day you can remove the bands from the jars and check to make sure the lids have sealed.  Wipe the mouth of the jar.  The instructions from the package of Ball pectin say press the center of the lid, if it doesn't flex up and down, it is sealed.   If the jar didn't seal, you can refrigerate it and use it within 3 weeks or you can reprocess it with a new lid.  

16.  Storage:  You can store the jar in a pantry for up to 1 year.  The jars may be stored with or without the bands.  


  
Other jam posts you can check out on this blog:

Making Low Sugar Blackberry Jam
How to Make Low Sugar Raspberry Jam
Homemade Apple Butter
Triple Berry Low Sugar Jam
How to Make & Can Your Own Blueberry Jam
Just Like Grandma's Homemade Low Sugar Strawberry Jam
Grandma's Recipe for Dandelion Honey

Other canning posts you can check out on this blog:

Making & Canning Applesauce  
Tasty Countertop Pickles - Naturally Fermented Without Vinegar!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Baked Zucchini Frittata

   Fall is almost here and if you're trying to figure out what to do with all those humongous zucchinis you've just harvested from your garden or that you picked up from the produce stand, here's an idea. 

   A few Saturdays ago I made this  recipe for Baked Zucchini Frittata that I picked up at a Farmer's Market a few summers ago.  It's great, and if you like, you can change out the zucchini for broccoli or something else during the winter time.



BAKED ZUCCHINI FRITTATA

1,  Whisk together  9-12 eggs, 1-2 cup of milk (this is something I like to do to make it creamier), 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese (we've used other kinds), 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper.

2.  Prepare vegetables: 
(1)  Dice up 2-3 cups of zucchini.
(2)  Dice up 1/2 cup of onion.
(3)  Dice up 1 green pepper.
(4)  Mince 3 cloves of garlic.

3.  Saute vegetables Put 2 T of olive oil into a large skillet and saute onion, pepper, and zucchini until softened.  Add 1 tsp. thyme or 1 T fresh and the garlic and stir for 1 more minute.

4.  Combine ingredients:
(1)   Put the vegetables on the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 glass pan.
(2)   Pour the egg mixture over the top. 

5.  Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  Check and make sure it's done by inserting a knife and seeing if it comes out clean.

Other breakfast recipes on this blog:

Pancakes
Fantastic Gluten Free Blueberry Pancakes  (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
Gluten Free Banana Split Pancakes  (Another recipe from my daughter-in-law's family!)
Outstanding Gluten Free Oatmeal Pancakes  (From my Heritage School Cookbook, where I worked 3 1/2 years)
Yummy Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes (From About Gluten Free Cooking)
Crunchy & Delicious Potato Latkes  (From a flier in my sweet potato bag)
Tasty Gluten Free Swedish Pancakes    (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Protein Packed Gluten Free Ricotta Cheese Pancakes  (From my daughter-in-law's family)
Family Favorite Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes (From my daughter's home ec teacher)

Waffles, Crepes,  Fritters & Dutch Babies 
Gluten Free Gingerbread Waffles   (This is one I adapted from Rachel Ray)
Easy to Make Gluten Free Waffles  (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Incredible Gluten Free Crepes  (Mix of 2 recipes)
Old Fashioned Gluten Free Banana Fritters   (My grandmother's recipe!)
Amazing Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby  (From an Internet search)

Egg Dishes
Sweet Potato Hash With Poached Eggs  (From my daughter's Internet search)
Hash Brown Egg Casserole  (From my friend Lisa)
Mexican Migas Breakfast Casserole  (An adaptation from a recipe from an airport cookbook)
Baked Zucchini Frittata  (I picked this up from a Whidbey Island farmer's market)
Jan's Sausage & Vegetable Frittata  (From a friend who was a home ec teacher)
Huevos Rancheros - A Fantastic South of the Border Breakfast  (I learned this years ago!)
Beautiful Eggs Florentine (Adapted from an Internet search)
Gluten Free Crustless Zucchini & Spinach Quiche  (From my Syre School Cookbook) 

Cereals
 Honey Almond Granola   
(From the Heritage School Cookbook)
 Gluten Free Baked Oatmeal   (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)

Breakfast Muffins
Banana Nutty Muffins   (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)

Bursting with Blueberries Gluten Free Muffins  (From the Heritage School Cookbook)
Gluten Free Tremendous Pumpkin Muffins  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Scrumptious Gluten Free Blueberry Scones  (From Heritage School Cookbook)
Thanksgiving Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones  (From an Internet search)
Sassy Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Claudia's Blueberry Coffee Cake (Made Gluten Free!) (From a neighbor)

Sunday, September 9, 2012

From the Life-Study of Acts - Seeing God's Move & Satan's Frustration in Acts 14

    God's move and Satan's frustration always seem to go neck in neck.  When I read through the New Testament, I saw in the Gospels over and over how the Pharisees and scribes were either plotting to kill Jesus or spying on Him and stirring up the people against Him. And in the book of Acts we see the same thing happening.  In Acts 14 there are several accounts of Saul and Barnabas preaching the gospel in some Gentile cities and some Jews came purposely  to stir up trouble: 
Atlantic Ocean Sunset I took in 2011
    Acts 14:2 says, "But the Jews who were disobedient stirred up and ill-affected the mind of the Gentiles against the brothers." 
    
    And then in Acts 15:1 and 5 we see that some believers that had previously been Pharisees were trying to force the Gentile converts to be circumcised. This didn't mean much to me until I read Witness Lee's comment on page 360 in Chapter 42 of the Life-Study of Acts:
Actually when this heresy concerning circumcision arose at Jerusalem in tLife-Study of Acts. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1985, Print).
he very beginning, Peter should have exercised the gift that the Lord had given him to clear up the cloudy situation in Jerusalem concerning God's New Testament economy [see Ephesians 3:9-11], according to the revelation that the Lord had given him and the other apostles in Acts 1:8 and the vision he had received at Joppa in Acts 10 concerning the Gentiles.  If he had done this, the Judaic heresy would have been cut off at the very beginning in Jerusalem and would not have spread to the churches in the Gentile world.  But he failed to do this, so Paul had to rise up and perform the surgery to cut off the racial cancer that would have destroyed God's New Testament economy and killed the Body of Christ (Lee, Witness.
    It almost looks like as soon as God starts to move, Satan gets an idea of what's happening and starts plotting a counter attack.  I really like the revelation in this Life-Study because the importance of what Paul did here didn't really touch me until I saw through this chapter what was at stake. God needs  the Body of Christ--a Body that is comprised of both Jews and Gentiles of many races and languages--to be built up to express the reality that God  has broken down all the middle walls of partition and has made all the believers truly one.  I really appreciate that this vision is so clear in the ministry of both Watchman Nee and his faithful coworker Witness Lee.

You can listen to excerpts from the Life Study of Acts along with excellent commentary by tuning into the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

Other Blogs on the Life Study of Acts:

In the Book of Acts What is Christ Doing in Ascension?

What Does the Early Church Look Like in the Book of Acts?
According to Acts 5:31 What is the Lord Doing as the Ruler of the Earth?
How Did the Lord Spread the Gospel in Acts 8?
What Vision Did Saul Have at His Conversion in Acts 9:3-8?
How Does the Gospel Reach the Gentiles in Acts 10?
How is Acts a Book on God's Move & Prayer?
Seeing God's Move & Satan's Frustration in Acts 14
Prayer, the Spirit, & the Word - The Way the Lord Carries out His Work in the Book of Acts
Seeing God's New Testament Economy in the Book of Acts - Part 1 of 2 
Seeing God's New Testament Economy in the Book of Acts - Part 2 of 2

Friday, September 7, 2012

This is the Best Gluten Free Minestrone Soup!

   Minestrone is a good clean the frig out sort of soup.  A few days ago my son and his girlfriend came over for the purpose of making this spectacular minestrone soup recipe that she had found posted on Pinterest.   

   She tweaked a few things and from that you get the recipe below.  The original calls for 4 links of Italian sausage, but you can also use Amy's chicken sausage or make it completely vegetarian.  This minestrone is fabulous tasting!  You may need to add more chicken/veggie stock if it gets too thick!


MINESTRONE SOUP

1. Prepare veggies:
(1)  Chop up 1 yellow onion.
(2)  Chop 2 stalks of celery.
(3)  Coarsely chop up 2 carrots.
(4)  Cube 3 medium potatoes.
(5)  Chop up 1 small zucchini.
(6)  Rinse and chop 2 cups of spinach
(7)  Mince 3 cloves of garlic.

2. Prepare sausage:  Prick the skins of  a one pound package of Italian turkey sausage and put them into a pan with water to cover and boil for about 15 minutes.  Drain water and cut them up and put 2 T of oil into a skillet and add the sliced meat,  onion, celery, and garlic.

3.  Steam the potatoes and the carrots for about 15 minutes. (If you have longer time, you can add these to the soup below and let them all cook together in a crock pot or on the stove for a few hours.)

4.  Meanwhile prepare the soup: 

 (1)  Put 6-8 cups of chicken/vegetable stock into a soup pot
(2)  Then add these seasonings:   2 tsp. of salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 T dried basil, and  1-2 tsp. dried marjoram,  1 tsp. dried oregano (if you like), 1/2 T Bragg Organic Sprinkle 24 Herbs & Spices Seasoning or Costco's No Salt Seasoning, and  1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes .Taste and make any adjustments.
(3)  Bring it to a boil and then put on medium-low to simmer.

 5. Then  add :
(1)  Two 15 oz.  cans of  can whole tomatoes
(2) 1 can of drained of green beans or you can use frozen
(3) 1 15 oz. can of kidney beans
(4)  1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans
(5)  Then add the spinach and the steamed vegetables.
Let  the soup simmer for 15 minutes. You may need to add a cup more of chicken/veggie stock if it's too thick.
(6) Taste and make any adjustments
(7)   Add 1-2 cups (depending on how many noodles you like) of gluten free pasta and cook until the noodles are tender. 
(8)  Taste and adjust any seasonings.  

List of My Favorite Soups, Chili & Stew Recipes

Beef 
Grandma's Favorite Beef Stew  (My mother-in-law's delicious recipe!)
Just Like Home Ukrainian Borscht   (A Polish student  said this tasted like his mom's!)

Poultry
This is the Best Gluten Free Minestrone Soup!   (A recipe my son modified)
Mouth Watering Italian Turkey Sausage Soup   (This is  my friend Debbie's recipe)
Mexican Fiesta Chicken Soup   (A recipe I got years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
My Thanksgiving Turkey Soup  (My very own special concoction!)
Gary's Incredible Gluten Free Arkansas Gumbo  (Given to me by a Bible study friend from Arkansas)
Jeannie's French Market Soup  (A friend from when my kids were little)
Southwest Turkey Soup  (From my Syre School cookbook)

Fish
Northwest Salmon Chowder  (From my Heritage School cookbook)
Almost Like Ivar's Clam Chowder (From my Come & Dine Cookbook)

Bean & Legumes
Vi's Best Chili  (A  Bible study friend's great recipe)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (One of my daughter's friends special soup)
Country-Style Lentil Soup   (From my Heritage School cookbook)
Kathy's Texas Chili & Chips (From my Come & Dine cookbook)

Vegetable
Creamy Pumpkin Soup  (from Food Network)
My Favorite Gluten Free Pumpkin Curry Soup  (Combo from Food & All Recipes)
Downright Delicious Potato & Kale Soup  (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
A Great Fall Soup - Make it From Scratch Corn Potato Chowder  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Asian
Chinese Chicken Soups  - Bok choy chicken, chicken & spinach, and chicken & cabbage (Modified from Internet search by our Chinese students)
Make Your Own Gluten Free Chicken Pho!  (Modified from a newspaper article)
Gluten Free Chinese Hot Pot  (Modified by a Chinese student)
Chinese Egg Drop Soup  &  Chinese Egg & Tomato Soup  (Modified  from a student's recipe)