Tag: trust God

Obedience

Waiting Tables for the Lord

meghanewhite

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In the darkness of the early morning a school bus is getting ready for the A.M. bus route. The bus driver does the required vehicle inspection to ensure safety for the children. Part of the driver’s normal routine is to pray for each child that will ride that bus. This time of prayer is of course not a mandate, but this is no regular driver. This bus driver is my dear friend Wendy.

My amazing friend Wendy inspires me. No, this was not her childhood dream. She did not graduate college with a bus driving degree, not that you can. Yet Wendy loves driving the school bus. And even more than that, she loves the children.

Most of the children who ride Wendy’s bus, about 75%, have no dad in their life. It is no coincidence that Wendy is their bus driver. She is friendly, talks with them, lets them know they matter, and yes, prays for them. One little girl recently told Wendy that she wished she could spend the entire day with her.

My friend is being used mightily by God in a place that she never dreamt of as a ministry opportunity, yet it is. God placed Wendy on that bus to bless those precious children. Her obedience and faith encourage me greatly.

Someone needs to wait on tables.

The early disciples were busy doing God’s work by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. They were so busy that they did not have time to hand out much needed food to the widows. The Grecian Jew widows were being overlooked in the daily food distribution. (Acts 6:1)

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:2-4, NIV

Seven men were chosen to handle the food distribution to the widows. Stephen was among those men. You can read more about Stephen in Acts 7. Clearly the disciples knew this was important work because they asked for those “full of the Spirit and wisdom”. And everyone was in agreement with this proposal of these few men taking over the food distribution, or “wait tables”.

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip,Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. Acts 6:5-6, NIV

I love the obedience of these seven men to do a seemingly lesser task of waiting tables. There is a lot more glory in committing your time and energy to prayer and ministry. It just sounds flashier, but it’s not. Both are important. It does not mean that the seven chosen to distribute food weren’t praying or ministering, or that the disciples did not care about the widows. There is plenty of different Kingdom work to do, and it all matters.

I pray you are encouraged to be used by God right where you are at, right now. Whether it’s a job, or a neighborhood, or a church, or a ministry, or your own family, or fill in the blank. It may not be exciting. It may not be flashy, but God has you there for a reason. You may not always be there, but today you are. He’s got Kingdom work for each of us to do, and it may involve waiting on tables. I’m ready, are you?

Love you all,

Meghan

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31, NIV

Heavenly Father,

Your name is above every name. Thank you for including us in Your work here on Earth. Shine Your beautiful light through us no matter what You are asking us to do. No task is too small in Your Kingdom. All glory, honor, and praise to You, Father God.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Food, mustard seed sentinel

Fettuccine Alfredo

meghanewhite

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Nothing says comfort food like pasta. When you add a rich creamy Alfredo sauce it’s like getting a warm hug from your Italian grandma. I don’t have an Italian grandma but I can just imagine one cooking all the best food with love. 

In Italy this same dish is just pasta with some butter and parmesan. The version we all know and love with heavy cream is an American take on ordinary Italian food. Both versions are equally delicious. 

This heavenly sauce comes together quickly, and beats anything store bought. If you love fresh ground black pepper like I do, then add a lot. The more pepper the better. I also tend to add extra garlic because why not. 

Fettuccine Alfredo is a simple delicious pasta dish that makes a great weeknight dinner. It’s worth the few extra minutes involved to make your own rich creamy sauce. This mouthwatering recipe will satisfy your hunger and make you smile.

Happy Eating!

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29 

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Fettuccine Alfredo 

Ingredients 

1 lb. fettuccine pasta

½ cup salted butter

2 cups heavy cream

4 crushed garlic cloves 

2 ¼ cups grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

fresh ground black pepper to taste 

Yield: 6 servings 

Directions

  1. Cook fettuccine pasta according to the package. 
  2. In a medium pot melt butter over low heat. Add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Keep stirring and don’t let it boil. Milk can curdle if it boils. 
  3. Add the cheese and garlic. Stir with a whisk over low heat until the cheese is melted and the sauce is thickened.
  4. Stir in the parsley and black pepper.
  5. Toss the pasta and sauce together. Enjoy!

Notes

*The key to this sauce is low heat. 

*You need low heat to prevent the milk from curdling and low heat to melt the cheese and not make it grainy. 

*Keep stirring while the milk and butter are simmering.

*Keep stirring while the cheese is melting.

*Be generous with the black pepper. 

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Go to Mustard Seed Sentinel, Meghan’s Corner to get all of my monthly recipes and more.

https://www.mustardseedsentinel.com/post/meghan-s-corner-fettuccine-alfredo

 

Jesus, Trials

Rest for the Weary

meghanewhite

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Have you ever been so tired that even a good night sleep won’t take away your exhaustion?

Your soul is so weary you think you can’t make it.

Do you need rest today? Are you worn out from life’s battles?

There is good news. You are not alone. Jesus is reaching out His hand to you right now. He can help you and lift those heavy burdens that you were never meant to carry alone.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30, NIV

Jesus is telling us to come to Him. So come, to the One who can lift those heavy burdens. Come to the only One who can give you rest. Real rest for your weary and burdened soul.

“‘Come’; he drives none away; he calls them to himself. His favorite word is ‘Come.’ Not, go to Moses – ‘Come unto me.’ To Jesus himself we must come, by a personal trust. Not to doctrine, ordinance, nor ministry are we to come first; but to the personal Saviour.” Charles Spurgeon

The Jewish audience Jesus was speaking to had been burdened by the religious leaders of the day (Matthew 23:4). They were desperately trying to please God on their own.

The burdens that Jesus is talking about are the ones we place on ourselves. The burdens we were never meant to bear. We get so weighed down when we are relying on ourselves to carry the load.

The yoke of these burdens is unbearable. Heavy, awkward. They weigh you down so much that you can hardly move.

Jesus is the answer to our weariness. It’s all Jesus.

Jesus is gentle and humble in heart.

Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Bible commentator Adam Clarke noted that the ancient Jews signified yoke as their bond or obligation to God. There was the yoke of the kingdom, the yoke of the law, the yoke of precept, the yoke of repentance, the yoke of faith, and the divine yoke. (Commentary on the Bible, by Adam Clarke, [1831], at sacred-texts.com)

“Christ’s yoke means, the obligation to receive him as the Messiah, to believe his doctrine, and to be in all things conformed to his Word and to his Spirit.” Adam Clarke

A yoke is meant for two, not one.

Jesus is in the yoke with us.

We get the privilege of working with Jesus. His burdens do not weigh us down because Jesus is doing the heavy lifting.

There is absolutely no one else I’d rather be yoked with than Jesus. He is the only One who can lighten my load and bear my burdens. I may get tired and worn out at times. We all will. Jesus says, “I will give you rest.“

The rest Jesus gives us is unlike any other. It is a gift from God for those who follow Jesus.

Come to Jesus. He will give you rest.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
  In the light of His glory and grace.

Love you all,

Meghan

Photo by Lisa Fotios for Pexels

Food

The Best Sugar Cookies

meghanewhite

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These are the best sugar cookies, ever! You may not believe me. A sugar cookie is a sugar cookie. I disagree. I have had many beautifully decorated sugar cookies that taste quite bland with a dry texture. This amazing simple recipe is full of flavor with a nice soft texture.

My family absolutely loves these cookies. I usually make them for holidays and special occasions. I have zero decorating skills. My cookies are very homemade looking. But, they taste so good. 

A lot of the fun of homemade sugar cookies are the decorations. My boys always helped when they were little. Each cookie was a tiny canvas for them to express themselves with icing and sprinkles. If you have kids they will love creating their own edible masterpieces.

I have used buttercream frosting, and a corn syrup based frosting. The best decorating icing is royal icing. It sets up perfectly for stacking and the decorating possibilities are endless. My cookies in the picture have corn syrup icing. It sets up similar to royal icing, but it’s much runnier. It’s not the easiest icing to work with, but I didn’t have the ingredients for royal icing so I had to make do. 

You can find the recipe for royal icing here: Gingerbread Cookies

Enjoy this easy, no refrigeration required, sugar cookie recipe.

Happy Eating!

Sugar Cookies 

Ingredients

1 cup butter 

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups flour

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375° 
  • In a small bowl add salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour. Whisk together.
  • Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Add vanilla, almond extract, and eggs. Mix on medium high speed until combined. It will look lumpy from the eggs. That’s OK.
  • Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on medium high speed until combined. 
  • Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Use your favorite cookie cutters and transfer to a baking sheet, and place them about 1 inch apart.
  • Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. The sugar cookies should be light in color. If the edges are brown they are over-cooked. 
  • Leave the cookies on the trays for about a minute before removing them to a cooling rack. 
  • Cool completely and decorate.

Notes:

  • If the dough is a bit sticky, just place it in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
  • Oven temps vary so keep an eye on the first batch or two of cookies until you see how your oven cooks.
  • Place your oven rack in the middle so the cookies bake evenly.
  • Line your baking sheets with parchment for easy clean up. You can also just bake the cookies directly on your ungreased cookie sheets. 
  • I always use salted butter for all my baking. 

Sugar Cookie Icing

Ingredients

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons milk

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

¼ teaspoon almond extract

Directions

  • In a medium bowl blend sugar and milk until smooth.
  • Add corn syrup and almond extract. Beat until smooth and shiny.
  • Use food coloring to make whatever colors you prefer.

Notes:

  • This is very runny icing. The texture reminds me of white school glue.
  • Use a small amount on each cookie. If you put too much of the icing it will run over the edge of the cookies.
  • It will set up overnight.
  • If the icing is too thick add more milk and corn syrup in about the same ratios.
  • I usually just play around with the texture until I get the consistency I want.
Faith, Trials

Jesus Will Get You Through Your Storm

meghanewhite

stormy ocean with big wave

“I’m scared Lord,” I whispered as I fell asleep.

I had a vivid dream that night. I was standing on the shore of a stormy sea. The water was choppy with big waves and wind. The sky was filled with gray clouds. Jesus stood next to me. He stepped out to the stormy sea, and I took a step with Him. We walked through the storm together on top of the waves. Jesus was by my side the whole time.

In my dream Jesus did not calm the storm, and He did not part the waters. Jesus took me through the storm. I woke up with a sense of peace and comfort. Jesus spoke to me in a dream without saying a word. He was going to get me through my storm, and He did. 

Jesus will get you through your storm.

Sometimes God will calm the storm. Sometimes God will part the sea. And sometimes God will calm you, and walk  you through the storm.

I prefer “calm the storm”, not “walk through the storm”. But God knows what is best for each of us, and He is always concerned with our heart and our faith. He sees the entire story, we only see the storm, and we want it to stop. 

When we walk through the storms in life with Jesus our faith grows. We learn to trust Him and follow Him. If we go ahead of Him and take our eyes off of Jesus, we will begin to sink. There is good news. Jesus is a rescuer. Peter learned this lesson.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Matthew 14:25-31, NIV 

As soon as Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and saw the wind he was scared and began to sink. Wind is scary. Big waves and storms are powerful forces. They cause a lot of damage. But Jesus is bigger.

Jesus rescued Peter without hesitation. He knew that Peter was doubting. We all have doubts at times. Is God really going to help me? Can He? The answer is yes. 

Peter walking on water is a miracle. Just imagine what miracles God can do in your storm. Our faith grows in hard times. You and I can walk on water with Jesus, not on our own.

The key to getting through the storm is to follow Jesus. We must keep our eyes on Him. The moment we look at the wind we will begin to sink. 

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:2a, NIV 

God can fix any problem with a snap of His fingers. When He does not immediately calm our storms, He is doing something much deeper in each of us. We are being refined to be more like Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. This is never easy, but Jesus will help us. 

Storms are opportunities for our faith to grow. We are not alone in the storms. Jesus will help us to make it to the other side. Trust Him and keep your eyes fixed on Him. And when you start to sink, cry out to Jesus. He will rescue you.

Love you all,

Meghan

Father God,

Thank you for always hearing our prayers and cries for help. Thank you for Jesus our Savior. Thank you for making a way through the storms. For all those in storms right now, give them peace, comfort, and provision. You will make a way through. Keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He is everything.

In Jesus name,

Amen 

Photo by Kammeran Gonzalez-Keola on Pexels.com