Anna says: The dressing is hands-down the most delicious sweet dressing I’ve ever tasted. I think I could eat this salad everyday and never get sick of it!

Sublime Strawberry Spinach Salad from Anna Limber

2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar (can use half or all Splenda)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion
10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
¼ cup feta and/or blue cheese, crumbled

In a blender or food processor, combine the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and onion. Chill for one hour.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries, cheese, and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Or, if you plan to have leftovers, let folks pour their dressing on their own servings.

We are starting something new here at Craving Grace. One contributor will be writing a reflection from the sermon each week. This is not necessarily a summary, but more of a place to reflect on the message, resonate with something that was said, or share how we will respond with our lives. We hope you’ll enjoy these posts, and that they will help you spend more time in reflection as a result.

Well, my husband, Matt Ryman, preached yesterday. The thing that struck me most was his point about self-confidence. The fact that it needs to go in order for us to serve God. This, coupled with what Jonathan Noel shared immediately following, really convicted me.

See, I stay in what I believe to be pretty safe grounds in my life. I do what I think I can do, and am hesitant to step outside of my comfort zone. All of this feeds my sin of self-reliance and self-confidence. When I am confident I can handle the things in my life, I live in a way that is not dependent on God. I manage everything and get by, day by day, trusting in my own ability.

The problem here is that I can’t handle my life. I can’t love, serve, submit, trust, believe, or humble myself as I should. I can’t do any of these things on my own, without depending and receiving the mercies of God, which are new every morning. When I think I can handle my life, I am lying to myself, and I am denying the relationship that Christ’s death has guaranteed for me with the Creator of the Universe and Lover of my soul.

I need to lose my self-confidence, and by His grace, learn to live a life of what Matt called, “God confidence.”

(don’t forget you can listen to the sermon’s online.)

Wow, have there been a lot of babies born in the last couple months!!! Congrats to all the new moms out there! This Chicken Curry is the dish I often take to new moms (or others that I might take a meal to.) It’s easy, freezes well, and tastes yummy. My kids love it, and ask for it at least once a week (don’t worry, we don’t have it that often.)

Chicken Curry - from Rinnie Hersman
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
10.5 oz can cream of celery (or mushroom) soup
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup milk
3 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp lemon powder
1/2 cup grated cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp melted butter

Mix all ingredients but bread crumbs and butter in a baking dish (8×8 pan or 2 quart pyrex dish.) Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Put topping (bread crumbs plus butter mixed together) on the last 10 minutes of cooking. Serve over rice.

May also put cooked rice in bottom of dish, and then put sauce and chicken on top and bake like that. Alternately, you can put in raw chicken, but should cook it for an extra 15 or so minutes.

How long have you been at UPC?
Almost three years now.

Where are you originally from?
I was born in south Alabama and spent most of my childhood in Birmingham; however, since getting married we have lived in several places in and out of the U.S.

What are some of your hobbies and/or interests?
I really like to read and to write, although I don’t get to do as much as I’d wish. I also enjoy cooking and entertaining (I used to think I wanted to be a caterer or event planner, then I became a wife and mother and learned that the two are VERY similar). And of course, traveling is something that I love and wanted to do even as a young girl.

What’s your favorite dessert?
I have such a sweet tooth, so that’s a hard call. I ‘m really fond of key lime pie, but hot out of the oven, homemade cookies are still my weakness.

Favorite TV show?
Our household is big into 24 and Heroes (although we haven’t had either in quite a while); otherwise, I mostly watch the Travel Channel and Food Network.

What are you involved with at UPC?
I sing with the worship team and I’ve helped some with VBS and various youth group projects. I’ve also been in a women’s Bible study for a couple of years and was recently asked to be one of the Sunday morning greeters.

How have you seen God work in your life recently?
The Lord continues to show me how much I have to learn from and about Him. I have been reminded through many circumstances lately of the very obvious but profound truth that life is not about me it is truly all about Him. Strangely, that is humbling but very freeing and renews my desire to know Him more deeply than ever.

How can we be praying for you?
Please pray for the discipline to make that deep relationship a priority amid all the stuff that vies for my time and attention. Also pray that I would truly use my time wisely now, and as I look to the future when my “nest is empty” in another year, that I will see where God wants me to focus my energies.