Don’t forget that the Women’s Retreat is this weekend. And for those of you who may not have heard, we will have a recipe drawing for a “Perfect Chocolate” cookbook (I have looked through this cookbook, and I wish I’d bought two so I could have one too!!)  You can either submit your recipe (or recipes) through the Craving Grace “Submit a Recipe” button (put a note on it that it’s for the retreat), or bring it with you.

This recipe from Pat is the first retreat recipe submitted - thanks Pat!!

Oven Baked Chicken from Pat Enright
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cut up chicken (raw)

Combine flour, bread crumbs and seasonings. Dip chicken in milk, coat with flour mixture and place on baking sheet. Pour butter on each piece. Bake at 375 for one hour.

I am really enjoying Mike’s series on knowing God. It is coinciding with a time of renewal in my own spiritual life, which is also cool.

Anyway, during Mike’s sermon today on reading the Bible, he mentioned various Bibles that are easy and helpful to read. I wanted to tell you about a children’s Bible that I think absolutely wonderful. My parents gave it to one of my daughters for Christmas, and I’ve learned so much from reading it to them.

The Jesus Storybook Bible talks about God’s Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love for us. The author uses each Bible story to show God’s redemptive love for us. I found myself often in tears as I read the stories to my kids.

Dani was my small group leader in high school. Her husband, Andy, was our youth pastor, and she was very actively involved with the youth group as well (I’m just now realizing I’m currently living a life very parallel to hers).

One major thing that I appreciate about Dani is that she was never afraid to be real with me and speak truth to the sin in my life. During my time in high school, I was holding on to a relationship that I needed to give to God, and she was diligent to counsel me, even when I didn’t have ears to hear or wisdom to listen to her words. I wanted to control my life, and I thought that I needed this particular relationship to truly live.

When the Lord did break and empower me to follow Him fully (much later, after high school), Dani was one of the first people I called, and she rejoiced with me over Christ’s victory in my life. During that time I would often think back to conversations Dani and I had back in high school, and I praised God for her persistence.

She was there later, when I married Matt, the man that God had chosen for me, and she read 1 Cor. 13 during our ceremony. Looking back, I am so glad that the Lord used her as one of the means to show me that I am not in control (still struggling with that one), and that it is a good thing, because truly, only He is trustworthy.

Another favorite from Julie:

Orange Velvet Salad from Julie Thompson

1/2 c cold milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 env. Dream Whip
1 (8oz) can of pears, save liquid
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 (3oz) orange jello

Dissolve jello in 1 cup of heated pear juice (add water if needed).Let cool. Whip milk, vanilla, and Dream Whip together until peaks form. Add to blender and blend: pears, cream cheese, Dream Whip mixture and cooled orange gelatin. Whip 3 minutes. Pour into mold or dish and chill overnight.