Seasonal Delights... a new online magazine

There is no season such delight can bring,

as summer, autumn, winter, and the spring.

~ William Browne ~

Simply by registering before the end of September, you can enjoy a free one-year subscription to the new online magazine, Seasonal Delights. I downloaded my free copy today, and it is full of wonderful fall-inspired recipes, crafts, and reading recommendations. Detailed instructions are given with every recipe and craft, and the entire magazine is full of beautiful, original photographs. Secure your subscription today by clicking here!

Seasonal Delights is a quarterly magazine. It is primarily designed for young ladies and their mothers, but can be enjoyed by anyone who loves celebrating the joys of each passing season.

Seasonal Delights is scheduled for four issues each year, in September, December, March, and June.

Seasonal Delights is published electronically as a PDF file, and is formatted for 8.5 x 11″ pages. It is a full-color publication, and is produced by Kelli and Phillip Winn.

A Call for Coronary Christians...

What kind of Christian are you? Marked by spurts of energy & fatigue or by endurance over the long-haul? Here's a thought-provoking quote from John Piper from his 2002 Taste & See Article, A Call for Coronary Christians.

I am glad for adrenaline; I suspect it gets me through lots of Sundays. But it doesn't do much for Mondays. I am more thankful for my heart. It just keeps on serving – during good days and bad days, happy and sad, high and low, appreciated and unappreciated. It never lets me down. It never says, "I don't like your attitude, Piper, I'm taking a day off." It just keeps humbly lubb-dubbing along.

Coronary Christians are like the heart in the causes they serve. Adrenal Christians are like adrenaline – a spurt of energy and then fatigue. What we need in the cause of racial justice and justice for the unborn is coronary Christians. Marathoners, not just sprinters. People who find the pace to finish the (life-long) race.

O, for coronary Christians! Christians committed to great Causes, not great comforts. I pleaded with you to dream a dream bigger than you and your families and your churches. I tried to un-deify the American family and say that our children are not our cause; they are given to us to train for the great causes of mercy and justice in a prejudiced, pain-filled, and perishing world.

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: http://www.desiringgod.org/. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.

Photo Courtesy of Art.com

Hard Road to a Good Place...

"In between one place and another, we're vulnerable to the discomfort of our transitory state. If the trip is long or taxing, at odd mile markers our restlessness overrides expectation, or even drifts into despair. When trouble comes we may wonder why we ever embarked at all --- or simply stop short of our intended destination, insisting (like the Israelites east of Jordan) that the spot we've settled for is adequate enough, thank you. The best of all journeys may be a hard road to a good place; perhaps fully experiencing the hard, unpredictable road helps us to recognize the good place when we
arrive."

~ Leigh McLeroy

The Beautiful Ache: Finding the God Who Statisfies When Life Does Not

Traveling the Countryside I

by Charlene Winter Olson

Photo Courtesy of Allposters.com

Tomato Basil Soup

One of my husband's favorite soups is Tomato Basil Soup. When we lived in Texas, there was a restaurant that served a very tasty version of this soup. It was rich and creamy, and it was the perfect accompaniment to a caesar salad or chicken salad croissant. My husband asked me to try and recreate this soup so that we could have it anytime we wanted it, but many of the recipes I found were either too time consuming or too labor intensive. As a mother of two very little children, I tried to simplify the recipe as much as possible without sacrificing taste. This is what I came up with, and it has become a staple of our menu.

Tomato Basil Soup

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (I prefer to use Hunt's)
1 (10 ¾ oz) can petite diced tomatoes (Again, I prefer Hunt's)
3 tablespoons dried basil or 12-14 fresh basil leaves, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 (11 ½ oz.) can tomato juice
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Combine tomatoes, basil, chicken broth, and tomato juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add cream and butter; heat thoroughly.

Garnish with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese, and serve with garlic bread and caesar salad

Photo courtesy of howstuffworks.com

Hillsong United: All of the Above

One of the many things that I am really passionate about is music... part of that passion is for the generation of worship music that God has been raising up over the past few years. Over 10 years ago as a recent college graduate, I got involved with Passion Conferences led by Louie and Shelly Giglio, and through the music and teachings I have been introduced to through this movement, God has dramatically changed my life. So... music is part of me, and from time to time, I may just post a review.

So... on my playlist right now is Hillsong United's "Hosanna" from their recent project "All of the Above." I think of all the songs on this project the bridge in this song has to be among my favorite lyrics.

I see the king of glory

Coming on the clouds with fire

The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes

I see his love and mercy

Washing over all our sin

The people sing, the people sing

Hosanna, hosanna

Hosanna in the highest

I see a generation

Rising up to take their place

With selfless faith, with selfless faith

I see a near revival

Stirring as we pray and seek

We're on our knees, we're on our knees

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks yours

Everything I am for your kingdom's cause

As I walk from earth into eternity

Hosanna

You can see this song in the video below...

Hillsong United: All of the Above

An Anniversary of Sorts

This week marks the third anniversary of our move to Ohio. If you would have asked me 5 years ago if I'd ever end up in Ohio, I would have laughed, figuring there would be no possible reason or opportunity for me ever to move to the Midwest. It's just not a place this Southern girl ever gave much thought, but the Lord has His ways and they are much higher than mine.

So, here we are... The road to Ohio was marked with much difficulty, and it proved to be a time where our faith in God was stretched farther than it ever had been before. We had deep roots in Houston and along the Gulf Coast --- family within a few hours drive, a brand new house that we had just built, friends with whom we had true fellowship, and a church that was vibrant, passionate, and in pursuit of making the name of Christ known among the nations. We had also just added a new member to our family, our son Dylan, who was born premature and was struggling to gain weight those first few months. In my mind, a move to Ohio seemed absurd.

For ten months, my husband traveled back and forth each week between Houston and Ohio while we waited for our house to sell. At times, we weren't sure if the move was going to happen, but God in His sovereignty worked all things out for our good and for His glory. Finally, after ten months, our house in Houston had sold, we had put down a contract on a house in Ohio, and we were making the long drive to the Buckeye State.

That was three years ago, and since then, I have come to love living here in Ohio. We've added another member to the family, a baby girl, and with two curious little ones, there is much to do around here.

A few months after moving, a friend from Houston had asked me if I had been able to see through God's eyes why we needed to move to Ohio. At the time, I hadn't, and to this day, I don't fully know why we are here. I do know there have been many blessings along the way, and God has used this time in my life to "work" on me affecting great change that wouldn't have happened otherwise...

Here are just a few of the blessings I count as a result from this move...

• having my husband home every evening instead of the weekly long-distance commute he was doing


• living in a small community that feels idyllic on an ordinary day


• experiencing all four seasons and discovering that autumn is my absolute favorite time of the year (never had a true fall before!)


• adding a baby girl to our family


• being able to stay home with our children and being available to my husband without the additional distraction of an outside job


• a cozy, quaint 1940's Cape Cod home that has plenty of quirks


• neighbors that are like family to me


• a small group that seeks to know God and bring Him glory through all that they do


• Maple trees and apple orchards, raking leaves, enjoying summer evenings on the deck (it was always too hot in Houston to really enjoy this)


• Daffodils, tulips, and hycainths in the spring


• Blankets of pristine snow after a winter storm


• And most of all, being right where God wants you to be

Frudal Fridays - Giant Eagle Cereal/Milk Special

In the Central Ohio area, Giant Eagle grocery stores have a special going on similar to the one at Kroger last week.

If you buy 3 boxes of General Mills cereal, a coupon for one free gallon of milk will print on the Catalina machine. If you buy 6 boxes of General Mills cereal, a coupon for two free gallons of milk will print. Also to sweeten the deal, select varieties of GM cereals are on sale.

I dropped in yesterday, and for $8.25 I walked away with 6 boxes of cereal (3 Regular Cheerios, 2 Chex, 1 new Cheerios Clusters) and 2 gallons of milk. Word to the wise... watch the transaction closely! I went through the self-checkout and had a few problems with everything scanning with the correct price and with the Catalina machine printing the appropriate coupons. However, when I asked for assistance, the cashier was perfectly helpful and gracious.

For our family, this was a really good deal. It's pretty much a given that we are going to buy milk every week, and for the price of 2 gallons of milk, I got a few boxes of cereal for free --- this will really come in handy next week when I have 5 extra houseguests for the holiday weekend!!

P.S. Sorry for not linking directly to the Giant Eagle website or to the specific deal, but their website wasn't responding this morning.