Precarious Yates's Blog: Precarious Precipices, page 17

From Burnt Hair to Rockin’ Mac and Cheese

Here’s a journey through my cooking learning curve to show how you can accomplish so much more than people think you’re capable of doing.

This journey starts with burnt hair.

I was one of those blonde-haired, blue-eyed Rapunzel wanna-be’s at the age of eight. That was the year that my mother decided that going to college, raising three kids and doing ALL the cooking and cleaning was too much for one plate. So she portioned out chores for each of us three kids.

I was the youngest and the most doe-eyed, day-dreamy of us three kids. My brothers were able, as far as I could tell, to set aside the daydreams for a half an hour in order to concentrate on making spaghetti. Me? I had the plots to at least three stories going through my head at any given time.

The first time I attempted my new chore, making boxed macaroni and cheese, my mother helped me. I filled up the 6 quart pot to boil the water. I filled the pot too full and ended up spilling over half of it on the way from the sink to the stove. It took about three tries to get the proper amount of water in the pot, and even then, my mom carted over several cupfuls of water manually to lovingly cover my mistake. And there was enough water on the kitchen floor to mop the whole house.

It was obvious to all that I was lacking in this area of cooking skills.

As I finished mopping the floor and retrieving the box of Macaroni and Cheese from the shelf, my mom turned on the stove to start the water boiling.

In this whole process, we just forgot to factor in one small item… my waist length, flyaway hair.

The water started to boil away by the time I got the macaroni ready to pour in. Or at least I thought I had it ready.

“Go ahead and pour it out of the box,” my mom had said. She had said something earlier about a packet somewhere needing to be taken out of something, but it was all garbled in with the next scene of my sci-fi novel that was playing through my mind. How would my characters cook on Mars?

Plop! The cheese packet slid right out of the box into the boiling water along with the pasta. So that was what she’d been talking about! I was so embarrassed, I grabbed a ladle, stood on a chair and tried to retrieve this packet and repair this mistake before anyone really saw it. And while I went fishing, my hair wisped under the pot. Almost one third of those blonde, flyaway strands were no longer waist-length!

The smell of burnt hair was so strong that even when we finished cooking, we couldn’t stand to eat in the kitchen, but had to eat outside on the front porch.

My mom, and the rest of my family, lamented that I was too day-dreamy to ever be able to cook.

When I think of that burnt hair smell, I can easily see how they came to that conclusion!

These days, my daughter prefers my home made Mac & Cheese to the boxed version. She’s a foodie, my five year old, with a palate more refined than most adults. She knows good food when she tastes it. I’ve come a long way from burnt hair, and it was a crazy journey to Rockin’ Mac & Cheese, but I did it. I wanted to cook and I did it. With a ton of mistakes along the way.

So what is it that you want to accomplish that everyone has lamented your incapable of doing? Because you are even more capable that you imagine. Even if you burn a few hairs along the way.

Rockin’ Fall-flavored Macaroni and Cheese:

Ingredients:

1/2 lb dry macaroni (my personal favorite is the brown rice macaroni)

2 c. shredded cheddar (jack, colby or mozzarella work too)

1/3-1/2 c. Parmesan

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

2 c. milk

salt/pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne or chili powder

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 c. pumpkin, canned or cooked chunks (optional)

1 cup or more goldfish or other crunchy, buttery cracker, whole or crumbled.

Method:

Boil the pasta, making sure to make it a little more al dente than usual. Drain.

Make a white sauce:

Melt the butter, add the flour, whisk until light brown and bubbly. Add milk to the pan slowly, whisking the entire time. Once milk begins to steam, add salt, pepper, chili and nutmeg. Stir until it begins to thicken. Add Parmesan and pumpkin (if desired) and continue to whisk. Once this sauce is fairly thick, add 1 3/4 c. cheddar. Stir this in with a wooden spoon. Once cheese is mostly melted, add drained pasta, remove from heat, cover for five minutes. Add remaining cheese to the top and cover again for at least five minutes more. Serve on the plate and top with goldfish/crackers. Enjoy!

Similarities Between Exodus and Revelation, Part 3

It’s been over a year since I wrote part 2, but ever since  I wrote part 2 I’ve been praying about how and when to write part 3. Then today, as I as reading Hosea 2, I saw it.

The parallels between Revelation 12 and Exodus 16-19 are strong, but I’d never seen them before. It took reading through Hosea 2 to see this.

Okay, let me unpack this. I hope I do it well!

Revelation 12:6 “The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.”

The Israelites were led into the wilderness, this woman fled into the wilderness, but God had prepared a place for her, and God was going before them. In both instances, His will was to provide for them.

In Exodus, God provided manna, quail, water that had been bitter turned sweet, water from springs, even water from a rock.

In Exodus 19:, God had this to say to the Israelites:

I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

Revelation 12:14 has this peculiarly parallel verse:

The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness

But it’s not the same. In the first instance, God bears them on eagles’ wings and brings them to Himself. In the second instance the woman has the eagle’s wings.

Follow me for a second here, and if, after you’ve read through it, you disagree with me, I’d love to hear your point of view. But this is what I felt the Lord was showing me.

In Exodus, God was manifesting Himself to the Israelites with outward signs. If the woman in Revelation 12 is a picture of the Church, then in the last days God will be manifesting Himself through His people. Which is why she has the wings and can fly. It’s the Lord through her.

The Man-child (Jesus) is taken up to heaven, but she is not. She’s in the wilderness for 1,260 days, the amount of time discussed in other places as being the duration of the Great Tribulation.

Later this week we’ll be celebrating the Feast of the Tabernacles. There are 5 commanded feasts (plus one fast) the Israelites kept. There are three feast in the spring:

Pesach (Passover), Waving of the Sheaves (First Fruits), and Shavout (Pentecost, Feast of Weeks).

These feasts were fulfilled in Christ’s first coming. He was the Passover Lamb and the First Born of the dead (the First Fruit). Shavout was fulfilled in the coming of the Holy Spirit. It was originally meant to celebrate the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai. Now we have the Law written in our hearts.

The other two feasts, the fall feasts, the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Tabernacles, are pictures of the end of the age, the End Times. God gave these feasts so we would practice and be prepared for when the time came. The Feast of Trumpets is about marshaling and preparing, being alert, awaiting the coming of the Bridegroom, and bringing food to the Lord (maybe so it can be distributed like the five loaves and 2 fish were?). We’re not told many specifics about the Feast of Trumpets, but we are told specifics about the Feast of Tabernacles. It was to remind us of how God protected people in the wilderness and provided for them every step of the way. For seven days, people were to dwell in booths. Temporary dwellings. This was to remind them of how the Israelites lived in tents or booths in the desert between slavery and the Promise Land.

I know that after we give our lives to the Lord we live as aliens on the earth, and this feast is a picture of that. But what if it’s also a picture of how life will be for the Church at the end of the age? What if we’re to be in the desert, in temporary dwellings, and the Feast of Tabernacles, or Feast of Booths, is rehearsal for that?

Heaven is paradise, not a desert. So why is the woman brought into the desert? What if we’re not raptured out of here beforehand but are presented before the world as witnesses of His glory? Protected by His glory. Faithful witnesses, just like Jesus was. Jesus, who “tabernacled among us” (John 1:14).

The literal translation of Psalm 84:1 is: “How lovely are your dwelling places,” or “How lovely are your tabernacles.” And the Psalm goes on:

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka [desert region, literally 'valley of weeping'],

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion.

(emphasis mine)

In this world we will have trouble, but take heart–Jesus has overcome the world! And He is coming back for us.

Many have very strong thoughts on this subject; I do like to hear them.

All I ask is you keep it friendly

The Scribes

I was so excited to be able to help get this paperback into an e-book! Peter Rodgers did a fabulous job of making the dry scholarly topic of NT textual criticism into an exciting novel. If you have a basic understanding of Roman history, you’ll be able to grasp the concepts and cultures represented in this book. One of my favorite aspects of reading this historical romance was that I felt planted in the time period, while at the same time finding characters I could relate to. You’ll see in the bibliographic notes at the end of the novel just how much study Rodgers put into this topic before he even sat down to write. And while some scholars have suggested that second century scribes tweaked the wording of the Gospels in order to combat heresies, Rodgers suggests the opposite: that there was a strong ethos about keeping the purity of the text. As one of the characters says:

“The original text must be copied…whether it helps or hinders our cause!”

The novel opens with accounts of persecution the Roman church faces, and the threat of persecution is almost always present throughout the novel. It throws into light what some Christians around the world face even today.

You can get this e-book FREE today until Thursday! Simply click on the cover below:

The Scribes by Peter Rodgers

Healing the Brokenhearted and Setting the Captives Free

I love Shelley Hitz’s courage, tenacity and heart after God. I’m so blessed to host her on my blog as she’s releasing her new book, A Christian Woman’s Guide to Breaking Free from Pornography. So, without further ado, welcome, Shelley!

 Healing the Brokenhearted and Setting the Captives Free

by Shelley Hitz

Over the past 12 years, God has taken me on a journey.  It has been a journey of Christ healing my broken heart and setting this captive free.  And now He is asking me to help others do the same.  Isaiah 61:1 says, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”  In Luke 4:21 Jesus takes out the scroll and reads Isaiah 61:1 in the synagogue saying, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”  Basically what Jesus is saying is that Isaiah 61:1 is his mission statement.  Jesus has come to heal the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives and release prisoners from darkness.

Freedom for the Captives

One of the main strongholds keeping our culture captive today is sexual sin.  Even in the church, many are getting caught up in struggles with lust, adulterous affairs and pornography.  As a married Christian woman, I struggled with internet pornography for two years.  It was a secret sin that no one knew about.  From the outside I looked like I was the good Christian wife.  But, I was living a double life.

However, the story doesn’t end there.  Although it took time and has been a process of healing, I have now been free for a decade.  God is using my story to help others find hope and healing in Christ.  As I’ve heard it so well said, “God can turn any mess into a message, any test into a testimony, any trial into a triumph, and any victim into a victor.”

The Journey Continues…

My latest book, “A Christian Woman’s Guide to Breaking Free From Pornography:  It’s Not Just a Guy’s Problem” is one way God is using this dark season from my past for His good.  This book is not only for those struggling with sexual sin, but is also a resource for pastors, counselors and those in ministry.  According to statistics published by Education Database Online in 2011, of the 40 million Americans who regularly visit porn sites, 33% are women.  And in a survey we took of Christian women, of the 73% that admitted to being exposed to pornography, 25% said they were addicted.

It is a growing issue that needs to be discussed and we aim to open the door to confession and conversation among women in the Body of Christ who feel as though they are alone in this struggle.   And our prayer is that God uses this book to heal many broken hearts and set many captives free.

Shelley Hitz has been ministering alongside her husband, CJ, since 1998. They currently travel and speak to teens and adults around the country. Shelley’s main passion is to share God’s truth and the freedom in Christ she has found with others. She does this through her books, websites and speaking engagements.  Shelley’s openness and vulnerability, as she shares her own story of hope and healing, will inspire and encourage you.

Shelley has been writing and publishing books since 2008 including the book she co-authored with S’ambrosia Curtis, “A Christian Woman’s Guide to Breaking Free From Pornography:  It’s Not Just a Guy’s Problem.”  During their book launch on 9/26/12-9/27/12, you can download a free Kindle copy and also enter to win over $400 worth of resources.  Find out more at www.ChristianWomenandPorn.com.

The Captives — Free Kindle E-book

I wrote The Captives while living in Ireland, and I have to confess that the landscape and people did inspire me. I mean, how can they not?

This book is about an orphan named Shunda who travels the seas in search of other aquavians like him. Along his journey he meets Prince Mookori, who is fighting a war against the MerKing.

Mookori meets the beautiful and mysterious Qoshonni (pronounced kho ‘shawn nee). Was she sent to spy, or will she help win the crucial battle?

This book will be free today, tomorrow and Thursday.

 

Thoughts on The Angel Crest Deception by Gregory and Mikayla Kayne

I recently read an exciting thriller by Gregory and Mikayla Kayne called The Angel Crest Deception.

In the book, they brought up the idea of human tagging and whether it could be used for 1. controlling minds and 2. as the mark of the beast (see Revelation 13:18). This wasn’t the first time I’ve heard someone speculate whether human tagging, or RFID (Radio Frequency Identification technology), would be the mark of the beast, but this was the first time I’ve heard this perspective on it. I encourage you to read this book!

The book brought up a question that would be good for all Christians to think through, whether or not they have the End Times (whichever view of End Times) on their radar screen.

If somebody woke up with the mark of the beast on them, and this wasn’t their decision, do you believe God would judge that person for having that mark on them?

Revelation 14:9-11 says, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

Is this something that can be thrust upon us without our consent? This is about more than the mark of the beast, this is the question of: what can separate you and me from the love of God in Christ Jesus?

In Revelation 13:17 it says that no one may buy or sell anything except that they have this mark of the beast upon them. I’m not speculating here whether the mark is RFID, it could be anything. What I do want to think about is: Am I prepared to stop participating in the world’s commerce if it’s a question of buying food or keeping faithful to the Lord? Jesus is the Faithful Witness, because He would not compromise. Am I ready to walk the same road? Am I ready to pick up my cross and follow Him? Am I ready to change my entire life as I know it? Would I do this to remain faithful to the Father?

What are your thoughts?

There’s a verse in the Song of Solomon, and actually it’s the next verse in the study that I’ve been doing, and I think it fully applies here:

Song of Solomon 1:4, We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine.

If I rejoice and delight in the Lord now, when it’s relatively easy, I will rejoice in Him when it’s difficult too. If I praise His love more than the pleasures of the earth (wine) while they are fully accessible, I’ll still be praising His love when those temporary pleasures are gone. It’s a matter of setting my heart and focus on Him, when things are good and when things are bad. Things are always better with Him, even in the midst of persecution.

You can find more information about the Kaynes and their books here:

http://www.mikaylakayne.com

http://mikaylakayne.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/KayneCreative

http://miksreliablelibrary.wordpress.com/

Young Adult fiction that inspires action

Reblogged from Mik's Reliable Library:

Nail-biting suspense with purpose

I downloaded Elite of the Weak for my teenager, and got sucked into it before I could even tell him about it. I was captivated by the young heroine with her unique background and perspective. There’s something in all of us that suspects we’d play the hero if we had a real opportunity, and Hadassah’s first opportunity was such an invigorating ride that as a reader, there’s just no putting this book down.

Read more… 176 more words

I woke up to this review and it really made my day!

The Greatest of Pleasures

Song of Solomon 1:4

Friends:

We rejoice and delight in you;

we will praise your love more than wine.

Wine speaks of the height of pleasures of this world.

There is nothing I’ve encountered as pleasurable as the love of God. Nothing. My honeymoon was simply glorious, and I wouldn’t mind living that over about eighty or ninety times, but even that doesn’t come close.

The love God has for me is so great, so vast, so glorious, I could count the droplets of water in the Pacific easier than measure His love for me. But are you ready for the best part? He wants to give us the ability to love Him in return in this way. Imagine loving God the way that God loves God!

He wants us to love that way so much that when He was on earth, Jesus asked the Father for this.

“I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for Me may be in them and that I Myself may be in them.” John 17:26

There is something so sublime about requited love, something so sublime, so divine. God knows this. Jesus gave his life for it. The God of the universe gave His life so that we can love Him the way that He loves us. It’s better than we can even imagine.

She:

How right they are to adore you!

Tonight I was wrestling with grief. Sometimes it doesn’t come at convenient times. Sometimes it comes when we have many other things to do. I couldn’t stop crying. It slowed me down, but this slow-down was good. It pressed me to open the word, to draw comfort from the most perfect Source. His love poured into my heart with such profound comfort. Such profound comfort. I’m so glad I ran to Him.

How right they are to adore you!