Nice Fall Recipe

I made some wonderful apple butter last week and had a couple of Granny Smith's left over. A friend of mine remarked how she liked "fried" apples, and I decided this afternoon that it sounded wonderful. I took a "secret ingredient" from my apple butter and made this wonderful caramel tasting dish. It is wonderful served over ice cream or just eaten like it is. Here is how I made it. I just used one apple, so I am increasing it to two or three - depending on the size of the apple. It would also be good if you wanted to add 1 tsp of vanilla. I didn't do that, so I am just including what I used.

Fried Caramel Apples

Melt 1/2 stick butter in a saute pan. Add 2-3 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced. Add 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tblsp lemon or lime juice. Cook for 5-10 minutes over medium heat until apples are crisp tender (time will vary depending on how thick the slices are). Note: Do not cook them until they are completely tender, because they will continue to cook after removed from heat. Add 1/2 c sugar and stir until all is absorbed. Add 1/2 c pomegranate juice (can use orange juice if you prefer). Stir and cook until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and transfer to serving dish. Warning: This will be VERY hot. Allow to sit at room temperature 5-10 minutes until cool enough. Test by dipping a spoon into the mixture and then gently touching it with your finger. Serve over ice cream with whipped cream or just eat as a sweet side dish.

Angel's Blessing

Today we had a blessing of the animals at our church. Here are some pictures of Angel at the service.

Pastor David "blessing" Angel.



Pastor David geting all excited about creation.

My friend Kitty and her daughter EJ. EJ is very curious of this little doggie that is smaller than most of her stuffed animals.

Kitty and Angel made fast friends.

Monster Mash

This is what happens when you have too much time on your hands:

Monster Mash <--- Click here

No news.... Yet

Waiting is not one of my gifts. Neither is patience. I am finding that I am getting a lot of practice at the first and it is trying the second. I find myself waiting on a call that may or may not ever come, and in the meantime I keep scouring the job boards for new postings. Neither of these "jobs" is fun. It's been told that looking for work is a full time job, and you can believe that. I spend most of the day looking through postings and applying for things. Prayers for patience....

Where can I go?

I went to the beach yesterday. Since I have the type of skin that burns in 15 minutes or less when exposed to the sun, and in an hour or so when slathered with sunscreen, I covered up. It was a bit chilly, so wearing jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt was not particularly unconventional. I also wore a big floppy hat. Several times we rolled up the pant legs and wandered out to wade in the surf. The water was pretty cold, and I wondered how the people could be swimming in the surf.

Just like it always does, even though I was covered up, the sun was able to find my skin. I had a vest on over my t-shirt because I have been burned through shirts before. I sat with my back to the sun to shade any of the rest of me that might be exposed, but the tops of my feet got burned anyway.

It reminds me of Psalm 139, which asks the question "where can I go to hide from you, God?" It assures us that even if we descend to the depths of hell, God is there with us. Just like the sun that can find my skin even when I try to shade it and cover it, God can find us no matter how many lengths we go to to hide, no matter if we have turned our backs, and no matter what we have done. Unlike the sun that burns my skin, though, God is there to provide the salve to soothe whatever hurts us.

Thank you God, for always being there for me.

Off to the beach

Well, It's been a crazy week. I'm still waiting for a job offer. My friend Maranda and I are going to the beach today, so it will really be good to get out for a while.

Give Thanks

I am sitting here, on my last day. It is 7 am and I am waiting on the residents to show up so that I can orient them and then be on my way to what lies ahead for me for the rest of my life.

As I ponder here this morning, I give thanks. I give thanks for this past year that was a year of learning and a year of healing. I learned what it takes to be a better pastor. I have healed from the wounds inflicted on me by loved ones and by a church that turned its back on me when I needed it the most. I give thanks for all my new friends and I give thanks for a new church and a new denomination that has embraced me, even knowing that I was wounded.

I give thanks for my little dog Angel. In the three years since she has come to live with me, she has lived in three different places. I give thanks for her unconditional love and adaptability. All she cares about is that her "Mommy" comes home and is always there for her. There is a reason why dog spelled backwards is God.

I give thanks to my Creator God for all the blessings in my life, even as I look to an uncertain future. Since I was three years old, I have always known that God would take care of me, and God always has in ways that were too wonderful to even imagine. As I look to the uncertain future, I give thanks for God's next assignment, which I know will come in due time. All I ask of God at this time, is the same request as always - that when God tells me what it is my ears are open wide enough to hear and embrace the message.

Thank you, God, for all the blessings past and the blessings yet to come. Amen.