What Does the Early Church Look Like in the Book of Acts?

      I like the way Acts gives a window of how the early believers met together.  In Matthew 16:18 we see the Lord's prophesy "I will build My church...." For years  this word church always brought up for me a picture of a building of some kind with a steeple, but in the New Testament it always means the believers. In Acts  5:11 after the death of Ananias and Sapphira the word church is used:   "And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all those who heard these things." 

       I like the way the footnote on Acts 5:11 in The Recovery Version of the New Testament  clarifies what the Greek word for church actually means: "Gk. ekklesia, composed of ek, out, and a derivative of kaleo, called, hence the called out (congregation), the assembly. It is the first time the church is mentioned here in Acts as a local church...." This makes perfect sense because a building couldn't exhibit fear.  It is fascinating to look at Acts from this viewpoint-- that it is the working out of how the Lord would  build His church in Matthew 16:18. 

     The church in Jerusalem in Acts 5:11 obviously must have come from the initial 120 who were praying in the upper room in Acts 1:15 plus all the ones who got saved in Acts 2 and 3.

     In Acts 8:1 is the first time you can see the word church connected to the city the believers lived in--not someone's name or a practice. Acts 8:1 "...And there occurred in that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; ...." And later in Acts 13:1 it says:  Now there in Antioch,  in the local church, prophets and teachers: ...." 

    If you get out a concordance and look up the word church in Acts or any New Testament book,  you'll find out it always refers to a city, or if the word churches is used, it refers to a region that had several churches. In his Life-Study of Acts Witness Lee said that  Acts gives us the blueprint of the early church life.  

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

How to Dry Roses & Make Your Own Rose Tea, Rose Oil & Rose Water

   Roses remind me of my grandmother.  On her farm in Pennsylvania she had a huge wild rose bush that stood near the creek that ran behind the house. 

    I have grown roses for many years, and for several years I have dried roses to mix with lavender in order to make homemade air fresheners. 

 But this year I read a site that talked about making rose petal tea.  I never heard of that before, and it fascinated me.  Especially since I don't put any pesticides on my roses, I thought I'd give it a try.  Here are the results of my research this summer on doing that and a few other things. 

Getting Roses Ready for Drying

The Herb Gardner blog has some great tips to help with this process:

1. Make sure the roses that you dry are pesticide free.

2.  Pick fully mature blooms (so that your tea will have a better flavor)  in mid morning when the dew has dried.

3.  What's Cooking America adds that you should clip and discard the bitter white bases from the rose petals.

4.  When you're drying the roses, they shouldn't become tan, they should still retain some color.  

Making Rose Tea

The Herb Gardner and Yahoo Answers both suggested mixing in bulk 1/4 cup of dried rose petals with 1 cup of black tea like oolong or breakfast tea. You can also use just the plain petals for a milder tea. Use 1 t of tea to 1 cup of hot water and steep for 5 minutes.

Live Strong  notes that rose tea  and rose hip tea have these health benefits:

Listen to what they say this tea does in the body:
1.  Soothes a sore throat
2.  Good for the digestive tract
3.  Flushes out toxins
4.  Kills bacteria in the intestines
5.  Eliminates waste from the kidneys and thus increases blood circulation
6.  Helps gastric troubles
7.  Heals urinary infections
8.  Good for women's cramps
9.  Uplifts mood

Blog Update July 16, 2014:  For the past few years I have also added dried rose petals to a mix of different herbs (peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm, feverfew, basil, oregano, rosemary,  lavender and calendula flowers) that makes a good tea to have around for the cold and flu season.  

Rose oil 

I bought my first rose oil at a co-op. Here's what I have found out that rose oil is good for:

1.  Antiseptic properties to cleanse wounds
2.  Rub onto the stomach to help relieve any upset stomach.
3. Moisturizing and protects skin from sun damage because high in Vitamin C.
4.  Relaxes the mind and body.
5.  Soothes eczema.
6. Helps heal abrasions and burns.

Blog update July 16, 2014:  Today I looked up how to make rose oil.  I found an excellent website called Wildly Natural Skin Care, and Michelle also provides on her page a video of how to make it using the cold infusion method.  Check her site for complete instructions!
 She suggests drying the petals out for 12-24 hours on a rack that gives air circulation before pouring oil over them.

Making Old Fashioned Rose Water

 Rose water is good for any type of skin.  I remember my grandmother splashing it on her face. I got these directions from a site a few years ago, and sorry  that I didn't write it down.   If you're interested in making this, you can check out a few websites like I always do before I start a project.

Directions:
1.  Fill the bottom of an enamel pot with a 1 cup of rose petals.  Pour 2 cups of boiled distilled water over the petals until they are just covered.
2. Cover and let the rose petals steep for an hour.
3.  Strain and squeeze out the liquid from the rose petals, this is your rosewater.
4.  Refrigerate in a sterilized jar.
Note:  Shelf life differed from on the sites I checked some several days to a year.

Uses:
1.  Put a cloth dipped in rose water on your forehead if you have a fever.
2.  Check Health & Soul's website for other uses on the skin.
3.  Mix 1 part witch hazel with 10 parts rose water to make a skin toner.

Note:  I grow and dry herbs as a gardening project.  Be sure to check with a medical professional if you are pregnant, on medication or have any questions or concerns. 

Other Blogs on Making Herbal or Flower Teas:
How to Dry Herbs to Make Your Own Herbal Teas
How to Brew  a Cup of Medicinal Herb Tea
How to Make Your Own Lavender Oil & Tea
How To Dry Roses & Make Your Own Rose Tea, Rose Oil & Rose Water
How to Make Calendula Tea, Calendula Oil & Salve
More on How to Make Your Own Herbal Teas & Peppermint Oil
How To Make Your Own Strawberry Leaf Tea
Did You Know That Salad Burnet Can be Made into Tea?
Make Your Own Home Made Remedies - What Can You Do With the Feverfew in Your Garden?

About Making Your Own Spices:
 How to Dry Herbs to Spice Up Your Cooking

Other Things You Can Do with Herbs:
 How To Dry Roses & Make Your Own Rose Tea, Rose Oil & Rose Water
How to Make Calendula Tea, Calendula Oil & Salve
More on How to Make Your Own Herbal Teas & Peppermint Oil
Grandma's Recipe for Dandelion Honey

Fantastic Gluten Free Soy Sauce Chicken

   This is an amazing recipe!  I made this yesterday for the international students that board with us, and they absolutely loved it.  In fact, their comments on this meal are listed below.  

     The recipe suggests that the chicken marinades for 4 hours; I only had 30 minutes and you wouldn't have noticed it. I cooked this recipe in my electric skillet, and I had it on 350 degrees the entire time.  I'm sorry but I forgot to write down the site where I picked this up from four years ago.  

 Gluten Free Soy Sauce Chicken -  Serves 5-6

1.   Make marinade: 1/3 cup  gluten free tamari + 3 T, 1/3 cup water, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 1/2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, 2 green onions, washed and finely chopped, 3 slices ginger (I minced it and it was at least 1 T), and 2 cloves of minced garlic.

2.  Prepare chicken:  

(1)  Make 2 or 3 diagonal cuts on each side of 10 pieces of the chicken thighs and legs. 
(2)  Place the thighs in a large resealable plastic bag and add the marinade. 
(3)   Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 4 hours or longer, moving the bag occasionally to make sure all the thighs/legs/wings  are coated in the marinade. 
(4)  Remove the chicken and reserve the marinade.

3.  Prepare vegetables:  
(1) Soften 1/2 cup of dried shitake mushrooms by soaking in hot water for about 30 minutes. Squeeze out any excess water. Cut off the stems and cut the caps in half.  
(2)  Slice 1 small onion in thin slices.

4.  Cook the chicken:  
(1)  In a large saucepan, heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and brown for 4 to 5 minutes.  
(2)   Turn the chicken over and add the onion and sauté until softened (about 5 minutes). 
(3)  At the same time you are browning the chicken and cooking the onions, bring the reserved marinade to boil in a small saucepan. Boil the marinade for 5 minutes.

(4)  Then add the marinade and the dried mushrooms to the chicken mixture.  

(5) Season with salt and freshly ground black or white pepper if desired. Simmer, covered on medium-low heat for a total of 15 minutes and then for 15 minutes uncovered or until the chicken is cooked through, add a bit of water if needed. 

Serve soy sauce chicken hot with steamed rice. 

Other Chinese recipes on this blog:

Note about Internet recipes:  For the past 6 years we've hosted international students. Whenever I've made something, they have tasted it, and given me recommendations to make it taste more authentic.  Most of these Internet recipes have been tweaked by their suggestions.

BEEF RECIPES:
Delicious Gluten Free Beef Broccoli Stir-Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)
The Best Gluten Free Mongolian Beef Stir-Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)
Gluten Free Ginger Beef Stir-Fry (Modification of Internet recipe)

CHICKEN RECIPES:
Gluten Free Chinese Almond Chicken Stir-Fry   (Modification of Internet recipe)
Amazing Gluten Free Chinese Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry   (Modification of Internet recipe)
Gluten Free Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)
Gluten Free Chinese - Chicken Broccoli Stir-Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)
Gluten Free Chinese - Spicy Kung Pao Chicken Stir Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)
Gluten Free Chinese - Authentic Chinese BBQ Chicken  (From my Bible Study friend Rose)
Rose's Chinese Yellow Curry with Chicken & Vegetables  (From my Bible Study friend Rose)
Gluten Free Chinese - Fantastic Soy Sauce Chicken  (Modification of Internet recipe)

Rose's Authentic Stir-Fried Chicken & Vegetables (Made Gluten Free!)

Gluten Free Sweet & Sour Chicken (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)

TOFU RECIPES:

Tofu & Vegetable Stir-Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)
Orange "Beef" Tofu Stir- Fry  (Modification of Internet recipe)

FISH RECIPES:
Steamed Scallion Ginger Fish with Stir-Fried Bok Choy  (Modification of Internet recipe)
Fantastic Mahi & Vegetable Stir Fry   (Modification of Internet recipe)

Tasty Gluten Free Sweet & Sour Fish  (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)

NOODLES & RICE:

Gluten Free Chinese Fried Rice    (From my Come & Dine Cookbook)
The Cheung's Gluten Free Chow Mien  (My Bible study friend Rose taught me this)

SOUP RECIPES:
Chinese Chicken Soups  - Bok choy chicken, chicken & spinach, and chicken & cabbage
Gluten Free Chinese Hot Pot  (Combination of Internet & Yingying a student from China)
Chinese Egg Drop Soup   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

SALAD RECIPES
Gluten Free Chinese Chicken Cabbage Salad  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Rose's Refreshing Cucumber Salad  (From a Bible study friend)

Chinese Mandarin Salad & Thai Peanut Dressing   (Dressing is from my friend Judi)

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

    Have you ever wondered what Christ is doing in ascension?  I like the way Witness Lee opens up the messages in the Life Study of Acts  by saying that what the Lord is doing is propagating Himself!  That might be surprising, and make you go, what ?  In Chapter two on page 9 he says this propagation relates to the subject of Acts:  

The subject of Acts is the propagation of the resurrected Christ in His ascension, by the Spirit, through the disciples, for the producing of the churches--the kingdom of God (Lee, Witness. Life Study of Acts. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1985, Print). 

 As I was considering this subject, the Lord brought to my mind John 12:23 and how He said concerning His own death that from it He would "bear much fruit."  Is not one grain becoming many grains a propagation? 

     Then I thought about how after the Lord's resurrection He told Mary: "...but go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God" (John 20:17).  The Lord knew that as soon as He breathed His divine life into the disciples, which is recorded in John 20:22, they would be reborn or regenerated with the Father's divine life and become His children.  

    The Bible shows us that God's plan is not just that Jesus would always be the only begotten of the Father, but that the Son would be the Firstborn as it says in Romans 8:29 "Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated, to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers."   God wants to have many children, and think about it-- throughout the centuries God has regenerated millions of people, and in doing so He has  propagated His divine life all over the earth! 

      Last week I also started to listen to some of the messages on Acts that were produced by Living Stream Ministry--each broadcast has both message clips of Witness Lee's sharing and radio commentary. What a resource--and all of these radio messages are archived there not only for the book of Acts but for every Life Study that was given on all the books of the Bible! Check that out below.

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

Tasty Gluten Free Pasta Salad

    You won't believe this is  gluten free!     This is a recipe I've been using for 20+ years, and I don't even remember where I got it from. 

Over the years I've tweaked the dressing the most because I think the dressing is half the salad.  I hope that this recipe  gives you a good starting point for making your own pasta salad.

Gluten Free Pasta Salad - Serves 8

1.  Prepare noodles:   Cook 16 oz. of gluten free noodles according to package.  Drain and let cool in serving bowl.   (I usually use Tinkyada, I've found that they really hold their shape, and I also have had similar success with Trader Joe's brown rice noodles).

2.  Prepare veggies:  
(1)  Dice up 1/2 of  a green and red pepper.
(2)  Dice 3 stalks of celery.
(3)  Roughly chop up 1/2 of a can of olives.
(4) Chop up a few broccoli florets.
(5)  Shred 1 carrot.
(6)  Cut in half some cherry tomatoes to sprinkle over the top. 
(7)  Optional:  marinated artichokes and anything else you'd like to add!

3.  Prepare dressing:    Put  in a container 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar,  1/2 cup of olive oil, 1 T fresh parsley, 1 sliced green onion, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. dried basil, 2 tsp. no-salt seasoning, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper and stir or shake well.  Taste and adjust any seasonings.  Optional:  I chopped a few fresh basil leaves and stirred it into the dressing. 

4.  Assemble salad:    Add dressing to noodles and toss, then add chopped vegetables. You can add some feta if you like.  Refrigerate 3+ hours.   

Note:  I would recommend making 1 1/4- 1 1/2 times the dressing and add it and then check it before serving and mix in any additional dressing.  

List of Other Salads on this Blog:

Greens/cabbage:
Make it Yourself Thai Peanut Dressing for Mandarin Salad  (My friend Judi's recipe)
KFC Copycat Cole Slaw   (A friend shared this with me)
Belizean Coleslaw    (From Internet search)
Antioxidant Rich Kale Super Salad  (A copycat from a deli, dressing from Syre School Cookbook)

Main Dish Salads
Gluten Free Chinese Chicken Cabbage Salad   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (A remake from something I ate at a restaurant)

Mexican Grilled Salmon & Mango Salad   (From a Betty Crocker summer cookbook)
Jackson Square Shrimp Salad   (From my Syre School cookbook)
A Great Way to Make a Main Dish Salad Out of Your Garden Veggies - Nicoise Salmon Salad  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Pasta & Quinoa:
Tasty Gluten Free Pasta Salad  (Something I picked up over 20 years ago!)
Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad Bowls   (From an Internet search)
Michelle's Greek Quinoa Salad   (My foodie daughter's own delicious creation!)
Another Great Salad with Quinoa - Janah's  Original Quinoa, Cranberry & Feta Salad  (a recipe my daughter came up with)
Red Quinoa, Black Bean, & Corn Salad  (A yummy recipe on the Trader Joe's bag of red quinoa)

Vegetable:
Jeremy D's Sensational Greek Salad   (My son-in-law's recipe)

Grandma's Perfect Potato Salad   (My mother-in-law's recipe)
Rose's Refreshing Cucumber Salad   (From a Chinese friend)
A Great BBQ side Salad - Curried Pea Salad  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Dot's Easy Bean Salad  (Recipe from an  83 yr old friend of my father's)

Fruit:
Grandma Marilyn's Frozen Fruit Salad  (My mother-in-law's recipe)

Thai Salmon & Vegetables in Green Curry

     Over the years I've come across only a few great fish curries, and this is one of them.  I can't remember the site where I got this basic recipe from last winter.  As I've worked with it, I've made the following changes--I've added more vegetables  and increased both the curry and  other seasonings. 

 A few weeks ago a Japanese student moved into our home, and his favorite word to say after he takes a bite of something new is to say delicious!  And that is exactly what this salmon curry is--absolutely delicious.  

Salmon & Vegetables in Green Curry  -for 8 

1.  Prepare veggies:  
(1)  Chop 1 onion into thin slices
(2)  Mince 2 cloves of garlic
(3)  Grate 1” of ginger and put into a small bowl. 
(4)  Slice 1 green pepper into thin slices.
(5)  Slice 2 carrots on the diagonal.
(6)  Slice 1 zucchini in half and then slice in 1” pieces.
(7)  Cube 3 potatoes and then steam the potatoes and carrots until tender.

2.  Prepare salmon:  Rinse 1 pound of salmon and cube into 1" pieces.

3.  Prepare curry sauce:  

(1)  Heat 2 T oil and add onion and stir fry until transparent. Add 3-4 T green curry paste (Sometimes I add 5 T depending on how spicy I want it), garlic, and ginger and cook for a minute. 

(2)  Reduce the heat and add, 2 cans of  regular coconut milk and then add the zucchini and green pepper and cook 2-3 minutes

(3)  Then add the steamed potatoes and carrots.  

(4)  Stir in  2 T fish sauce,  1 t salt, and 2 t brown sugar and simmer for 3-4 minutes.  

(5)  Then add the salmon pieces and 1 cup of frozen peas, and cook for another 3-4  more minutes.    Serve over rice.

Variation of this recipe:  On December 9, 2013 I used the basic structure of this recipe to make  my own twist on this recipe!  I used  red curry paste instead of green and instead of zucchini, carrots, and potatoes, I used  squash and green beans.  

Check out some of the other curries on this blog!

Tasty Thai Red Curry   (Modified  recipe from back of curry paste & Thai recipe)

Fantastic Thai Green Curry (Modified a recipe from back of curry paste & Thai recipe)

Rose's Authentic Chinese Yellow Curry  (From a Taiwanese friend who brought this to dinner)

Thai Salmon & Vegetables in Green Curry  ( Modified recipe from Internet search)

Massaman Chicken Curry with Yams & Pineapple (Modified  recipe from back of curry paste & Thai recipe)

Spectacular Chicken Panang Curry (Modified  recipe from back of curry paste &  recipe)

Amazing Vegetable Panang Curry (Modified recipe from back of curry paste & Thai recipe)

Gluten Free Thai Chicken & Pumpkin Curry  (From Internet search)

Other Thai Recipes on This Blog 

Making Gluten Free Pad Thai With a Thai Student (A combination of recipes & student's know how!)

Gluten Free Thai Basil Beef    (From Internet search)

How to Make Your Own Thai Fresh Rolls   (From Internet search)

Rachel Ray's Thai chicken with Basil & Pineapple   (From Internet search)

Gai Pad Prik (Chicken with Peppers) in a Peanut Sauce  (From Internet search)
A Great Thai Soup - Gluten Free & Vegetarian Tom Yum Soup  (Modified from Internet search)
Delicious Gluten Free Thai Wraps  (From Internet search)