Gluten Free & God Seeking: October 2019

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Looking at the Spiritual Meanings in Ezekiel's Visions - What Do All the Measurements of God's House in Ezekiel 40 Symbolize?

Walking my daughter's dog

On the earth God's heart's desire is to have a dwelling place. In Ezekiel's vision in chapter 40 God takes him back to Jerusalem to see the temple. Outside the gate he sees a man of bronze measuring with a reed, which was one cubit (about 18 inches). As I was reading through chapters 19 to 23 that talk about this building, I learned that all the numbers and even the materials in the temple have profound spiritual meaning. This is what God said to Ezekiel:

And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you; for to the intent that I might show them unto you are your brought here: declare all that you see to the house of Israel. Ezekiel 40:4

In chapter 19 of the Life-Study of Ezekiel, I really liked Witness Lee's comment on page 213 where he talks about how God's building helps us to locate God:

"The holy temple is the place where God is, God's dwelling place. If we want to seek God, contact God, fellowship with God, and serve God, we need to realize that God has His dwelling place. On the one hand, God is omnipresent; on the other hand, God has His particular place. If we want to meet Him, we must know His exact location, His definite habitation. Thus, we need to consider the vision of God's building in Ezekiel, for this vision describes the place where God dwells--His holy temple" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Ezekiel. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1998, Print).

       Ezekiel sees that along the east, north, and south sides of the wall there were 3 gates, each with seven steps. I always thought that these gates were like my yard gate, but I found out from my reading that they actually were very complex structures full of spiritual meaning. The entire gate is quite large at 50 x 25 cubits (about 75 x 57 feet) which makes the length about the size of twelve 6 foot men.

    Once you’re on the top step, the gate’s entrance is 10 cubits wide, the same number as the 10 commandments. I read on this page that this showed that Christ is the only One who could fulfill them, and this gate shows us that He is our entrance into God's dwelling place!!  Isn't the Bible an amazing book that even in these measurements God is telling us something?"

   And the passageway was composed of six guardrooms split into two groups of three and this portrays the death of Christ. I learned that the guardroom measuring 6 x 6 cubit shows how Christ as the perfect man 6 was split on the cross for us. These guardrooms also signify that Christ is the One who guard’s God’s holiness and glory—not you or me. What a picture all these numbers show us!!!

     It’s amazing that each of these rather small chambers contained 3 windows each and there were also windows between each room, so the gate contained 30 total windows! These windows show us that Christ as a perfect and upright man is full of the Spirit’s light and air. I learned from my reading that what God wants us to see here is that in His building all the light and air comes from Christ-- not us.

     Inside the gate are also 30 posts, with 15 on each side. And I read that the spiritual meaning here is the Triune God--3 bears the responsibility--5 to support God’s building—not us! Each of us needs to be upheld by Christ in order to enjoy what He is in His building.

    On each side of all the posts is a palm tree. I really liked that the spiritual meaning of a palm tree is that Christ is the everlasting, victorious One who is standing, bearing, sustaining, and prevailing over everything in His house--not us!!   So I'm sure you get it by now that what caught my attention as I was reading this chapter was all the details in God's building point out that Christ is the only One who can meet the demands and requirements of God's building--not us!!

      Then when Ezekiel came out of the gate, he was on a porch that was 8 cubits wide, and this means that by then you're in a position of resurrection and are now ready to go up 8 more steps into a second gate which is very similar to the first one.

      I wouldn't have gotten this on my own, but I read that these two gates show us that God’s building is progressive.  I read that as we go on, we repeat many of the same spiritual experiences, but we experience more of the Lord. Ezekiel's journey through these two gates brought him to the inner court where in the center stood the burnt offering altar. This shows us that the only way to enter into the Holy Place let alone the Holy of Holies is through the cross. And that was going to be covered in the next chapter. So in order to find out what the rest of the temple means, you'll have to click on this link for the online chapters of the Life-Study of Ezekiel and read some of these chapters yourself!!

Other posts on the Major Prophets

Life-Study of Isaiah:

You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of Isaiah on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. You can also read the online Life-Studies of Isaiah and check out other resources available to enhance your study of the Bible on Living Stream Ministry's website.

How Can the Son in Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6 Be the Mighty God?
Seeing Christ as the Great Light in Isaiah 9:2
Why is Christ Called the Cornerstone in Isaiah 28:26?
Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Crucifixion Foretold - Part 1

Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Resurrection &Ascension Foretold - Part 2 of 2

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations:

Monday, October 28, 2019

A Fall Family Favorite - GF Fresh Apple Cake

The smell of apples baking in the oven makes me sigh with contentment. Ever since my children were little, I've pushed back against the weather change by putting out brightly colored fall decorations. Orange is such a happy color and makes me feel perky. During the fall, I often find that I baked more with my kids to make the house smell good, so my kids didn't mind being stuck there for months when it was raining.

I do a lot of baking with apples in the fall because I usually end up with a few buckets from my neighbor's trees. So far I've already made a few pots of applesauce and some apple crisps.

A few weeks ago I tried out this fresh apple cake recipe from my church cookbook. Because the apples were organic, I didn't peel them like the recipe suggested, and it didn't seem to make that much difference in how it turned out. And not having to peel is a big time saver.

1. Prepare apples: Chop up 4 cups of apples. Put aside until needed.

2. Prepare dry ingredients -In a large mixing bowl put:
(1) 2 1/2 cups of gf flour
(2) 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon and nutmeg.

3. Prepare liquid ingredients - in a medium-sized bowl put:
(1) 1 cup of olive oil
(2) 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar (recipe calls for 2 cups)
(3) Beat in 2 eggs and 1 tsp. vanilla.

4. Combine ingredients - Add the oil mixture to the dry ingredients. Then add the apples.

5. Put into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan and cook at 325 for 50-55 minutes and test with a toothpick for doneness.

Cake Recipes From This Blog: (What a treasure trove of recipes!)

Gluten Free Apple Cake (From my grandmother)
You Won't Believe It's Gluten Free Carrot Cake (From my daughter's husband's grandma--whew)
Judi's Super Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Cake   (From a church friend)
Judi's Gluten Free Orange Chiffon Cake   (From a church friend)
Marilyn's Spectacular Gluten Free Oatmeal Cake (My mother-in-law's specialty!)
The Best Gluten Free Black Bottom Cupcakes (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Delicious Gluten Free Rhubarb Cake (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Grandma's Gluten Free Applesauce Cake (Modified from an Internet search--tastes like my grandma's!)
Old Fashioned Gluten Free Banana Cake (From my grandmother)
Rosie's Gluten Free Pineapple Upside Down Cake (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
Overwhelmed By Your Bumper Crop of Zucchini? Try Claudia's Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake! (From my former neighbor Claudia of 12 years)
Scrumptious Gluten Free Blackberry Cake
Decadent & Gluten Free German Chocolate Cake  (From my Come & Dine church cookbook)
Debbie's Delicious Hot Water GF Chocolate Cake (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Debbie's Less Oil Carrot Cake (Made Gluten Free!)   (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Jud's Crazy Cake (You Can Easily Make It Gluten Free!) (From a church friend)

Monday, October 21, 2019

Looking at the Spiritual Meaning in Ezekiel's Visions - What's the Valley of Bones All About in Ezekiel 37?

Long before I had even read the book of Ezekiel I knew the song like most kids do that's called Dry Bones. It was a fun way to learn how all the bones are connected to each other, but I never would have thought it had any spiritual meaning!

In chapter 37 of the book of Ezekiel God gives him a vision of a valley full of scattered bones and that all those bones represented the children of Israel. At this time in their history God's saw His people as dead and scattered.

It is interesting what happens next. God doesn't begin to hunt for bones and try to connect them to each other like someone trying to put a Lego kit together. Instead He tells Ezekiel to prophesy over these bones.

Then He said to me prophesy over these bones and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah. Thus says the Lord Jehovah to these bones, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. Ezekiel 37:4-5

Then He said to me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy son of man, and say to the wind, Thus says the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. verses 9-10

Without Witness Lee's exposition on pages 203-204 in chapter 18 of the Life-Study of Ezekiel, I would have been completely lost as to what this all means:

With my grandkids at a harvest festival

"Many Christians have a mistaken understanding of prophesying, thinking that to prophesy is only to predict....Other Christians think that to prophesy is to teach. But no matter how much one may teach dry bones, they remain dry bones....In this chapter Ezekiel neither predicted something to the dry bones nor taught them. On the contrary, when Ezekiel prophesied, he spoke something for God, and God followed him. As Ezekiel was prophesying, God was blowing upon the dry bones, sending the wind, the breath, and the Spirit" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Ezekiel. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1998).

Probably what stood out to me the most in this chapter was when I read that this shows us that the believers first have to get their bones together and then God will send His enlivening breath through their speaking to one another (See 1 Corinthians 14:26)!! That may sound a little backwards, but that's what this vision shows us.

And this breath makes them a great army, which is what God wanted His people to be on the earth. I learned more about that in the recent study on the book of Numbers that I've been doing. If you'd like to check into that, here's a link from Living Stream Ministry's website to the Life-Study of Numbers.

Other posts on the Major Prophets

Life-Study of Isaiah:

Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Resurrection &Ascension Foretold - Part 2 of 2

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations:

Something Else to Make Out of Apples! Grandma Verbula's Apple Walnut Cobbler

After my grandmother passed away, my aunt let me go through her recipe box. How I wish I could have sat down with her and asked her how to make some of my favorites. This recipe was one that she clipped out of a Pennsylvania newspaper.

Even with all of my modifications, this apple cobbler was so yummy especially with some ice cream. It reminded me of an upside down apple pie. Hopefully this recipe will prove that cobblers aren't just for blackberries!

1. Prepare apples:
(1) Wash, core, peel (if you like; I left mine on because they were organic apples), and slice up 5 cups of apples.
(2) Stir in 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, (I used about 1/3), and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.
(3) Put apples in a 9 x 13 pan.

2. Combine dry ingredients - In a medium-sized bowl put:
1 cup of gluten free flour and 3/4 cup of brown sugar (Again, I used about 1/2 cup).

3. Mix together liquid ingredients:
(1) Melt 1/2 cup of butter and let cool slightly
(2) In a medium-sized bowl beat 1 egg and then stir in 1/2 cup of evaporated milk. I'm on a reduced dairy diet, so I used almond milk, and it came out fine.

4. Combine milk mixture with the dry ingredients:
(1) Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

(2) Spoon cobbler over the apples.

5. Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes. Check and make sure apples are cooked through.

Desserts with Fruit:

Sensational Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake (From the back of Costco's organic sugar)

Terrific Gluten Free Strawberry & Peach Trifle (Modified from an Internet search)
My Favorite Gluten Free Strawberry Cheesecake (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Just Like Grandma's (But Only Gluten Free) Berry Cobbler (My husband's grandma's recipe)
Gluten Free Lemony Rhubarb Bars (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Old Fashioned Strawberry Buckle (Made Gluten Free) (A recipe I picked up from a berry farm)
From New Zealand - Triple Berry Pavlova (A friend's recipe - My Heritage School Cookbook)
A Northeast Classic - Blueberry Grunt (From a student)

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Looking at the Spiritual Meaning in Ezekiel's Visions - What Ezekiel 14:3 Shows Us About Israel's Captivity

God keeps His Word. God had warned the children of Israel if they worshipped the gods of the Canaanites, they would lose the land of Canaan. It's surprising to me that after walking through the Red Sea, eating manna, drinking water out of a rock that followed them for 40 years, and seeing God's victory again and again in so many battles that the Israelites got ensnared by the ugly looking gods of the people of Canaan!!

And even after Elijah had the show down with Baal on Mt. Carmel, the Israelites still kept forsaking God. In Ezekiel 6:9 God tells us this hurt Him--"...how I am broken with their heart of idolatry, which turned away from Me...." Finally God had no choice but to let them be taken captive by Assyria and Babylon.

I learned in chapter 14 of the Life-Study of Ezekiel that Ezekiel was taken into captivity around 606 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar came and captured King Jehoiachin.

About 11 years later when King Zedekiah of Judah rebelled against Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar came with his army and destroyed the temple and burned the city of Jerusalem. Through the Israelite's idolatry, God had lost His place on the earth!! That was a huge blow to God's purpose. In chapter 13 Witness Lee talks about the reasons the Israelites became so degraded: Here is an excerpt from the section on page 144 on how idolatry still snares people today:

"We should not consider that an idol is always an outward image. Idols are substitutes for God. Ezekiel 14:3 says, Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart.... a scholarship, education, money, clothing, a wife, a husband, children--all these can be idols, something or someone that we love more than God and that replaces God in our life. Whatever is more important than God is an idol. The first reason for the fall and degradation of Israel was their idolatry" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Ezekiel. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1998, Print).

In this section he also reminds his readers that all spiritual degradation begins with idolatry. And this parallel is clearly seen in Revelation 2:4 where the Apostle John points out to the believers in Ephesus that their failure was due to their losing their first love for the Lord. Our heart are so important, and this word makes me think of a song that is more like a prayer called Lord, Keep My Heart. We're prone to loving other stuff, the only thing we can do is to ask the Lord to turn our hearts from everything else and love Him.

Other posts on the Major Prophets

Life-Study of Isaiah:
You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of Isaiah on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. You can also read the online Life-Studies of Isaiah and check out other resources available to enhance your study of the Bible on Living Stream Ministry's website.

Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Resurrection &Ascension Foretold - Part 2 of 2

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations:

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Dairy & Gluten Free Yukon Gold Potato Mini Frittatas

A few weeks ago I made this recipe that I had picked up several years ago at an oil & vinegar tasting shop. I needed a fall brunch idea and I chose this recipe. I'd never made it before, so I was just a tad nervous. But I've made roasted vegetables and that intrigued me about this recipe.

The original recipe calls for bacon and 8 egg whites and 4 whole eggs, but I just used 10 whole eggs. This is one of the few recipes I've seen for frittatas that doesn't call for any milk or cheese. Because this recipe didn't have a copyright, I'm able to share it easily. And for sure this is the kind of recipe that you can make a lot of personal adjustments with.

I was surprised how pretty they came out. And the eggs didn't flatten out after cooling down either. And, of course, they were delicious.

We served these mini frittatas with pancakes with apple topping, and a fruit plate.

Gold Potato Mini Frittatas

1. Prepare vegetables:

(1) Dice 3 cups of gold potatoes.

(2) Slice 1 onion

(3) Coat them with oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt, pepper, rosemary and oregano. Set aside.

2. Prepare eggs - In a medium-sized bowl put:

(1) 8 eggs and whisk

(2) Add 1/8 cup of olive oil, 3 T parmesan cheese, 1 or 2 sliced green onions.

(3) Whisk all the ingredients together until well combined.

3. Spray a muffin tin and then:

(1) Put a spoonful of roasted potatoes and onions in the bottom of each tin.

(2) Fill each tin 3/4 full with the egg mixture.

4. Bake at 350 for 7 - 10 minutes.

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 (Modified 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)
My Son's Egg & Sausage Burritos

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Looking at the Spiritual Meanings in Ezekiel's Visions - The Man on the Throne in Ezekiel 1:26

The fact that there's a throne in heaven is huge. When there's been chaos on every front in my life, this truth has held onto me. And that throne is not empty! The Lord is on that throne! In fact hundreds of years before the Lord was exalted to the throne of God, Ezekiel saw him there! And it is very meaningful that the one on the throne in Ezekiel 1:26 is not portrayed as the Almighty God but as a man.

...Upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man upon it. Ezekiel 1:26

And from the midst of it, there came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had the likeness of a man. Ezekiel 1:5

In chapter 12 of the Life-Study of Ezekiel I saw some things I wouldn't have gotten on my own. Witness Lee opens up this chapter by saying this vision actually shows God's intention with man. If you look at the four living creatures, their appearance as the above verse notes is also like that of a man. What's this all about? Here's some incredible excerpts on page 125 that helped me get what this means:

"The One on the throne and the four living creatures both have the appearance of a man, indicating that the four living creatures on earth are the expression of the One on the throne....God's grace works upon a group of people to such an extent that their condition now is the very condition of heaven....The place of the throne is the place where heaven and earth are connected. Because with the living creatures on earth there is a throne above a clear sky, God is not only the God of heaven but also the God of the earth. Through these living creatures, who have the throne over their heads, heaven and earth are joined" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Ezekiel. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1998, Print).

After reading this I felt like wow, man has such a special place in God's plan. Through my reading through the Life-Studies of the Bible, I've learned that Satan is always trying to push God out of the earth. But through His people, God is always seeking to regain the earth so He can bring in His kingdom. There's a lot more in this chapter, and I truly hope you'll click on the above link and read it for yourself!!

Other posts on the Major Prophets

Life-Study of Isaiah:

Taking a Closer Look at Isaiah 53 - Christ's Resurrection &Ascension Foretold - Part 2 of 2

Life-Study of Jeremiah & Lamentations:

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