"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5 (NIV)
The timer went off. Yay! Breakfast was done! Or so we thought. I opened the oven, pulled out the Baked Oatmeal, only it wasn't baked. What on earth?? I knew that I had preheated the oven...but, as it turns out, when setting the timer, in my haste (and hunger), I pushed the hour button instead of the minute button. I had to start over. I pushed the "Cancel" button...which didn't cancel the timer, but did cancel the temperature control. I corrected the timer, but didn't realize that I had cut off the heat. So there we were...after 45 minutes of waiting...with a dish of partially-cooked oatmeal. I reset the oven and the timer and we settled in for a little more wait time. It was worth it. Our breakfast was delicious!
You know, there are so many times that God gives us a tasty morsel...a word from Him...to share with others. Excitedly, we "cook up" a plan...and believe that we have God's blessing. We just charge right ahead. All of a sudden, it becomes our "recipe" instead of His way. We jump right in, make an agenda, and then just ask God to bless it. We "cancel" His power, without even realizing it. Somehow our finger just grazes that button of ,"I'll take it from here," and we are left powerless.
God's works are frequently "set to a timer" that is different than our own. Many times we have to really spend some time walking the journey of the message before we are ready to present it. We have to wait...to listen...to confirm the message and His plan for its delivery. It is imperative that we stay connected to Him...relying on Him as our source of all guidance, direction, and timing. Let's cling to "The Vine"! Apart from Him, we can do nothing. We sure don't want His message to come out half-baked!
Lord, thank You for allowing us to share the message of Your love with others. Keep us close to You...our hearts intertwined with Yours...so that we may be effective. Guide us each step of the way. Prevent us from any attempts to move forward in our own strength. Have Your way in us. We love You!
Would you like a new recipe??? This is one of our family favorites!!! It came from a dear innkeeper in Mt. Joy, PA! I'm going to give you the standard recipe, and in parentheses, give you increased amounts needed if you want to make more servings.
Baked Oatmeal
Stir together:
1/3 cup oil (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sugar (1 cup)
1 large egg, beaten (2 eggs)
Add, stirring well:
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (2 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt (1 tsp)
3/4 cup milk (1 cup)
3 cups oatmeal (4-5 cups)
Pour into 9x9 inch pan (13x9 if increased recipe). Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes (to an hour if larger).
*My daughter, Rachel, discovered that you can just mix it right in the same dish that you bake it in!! Fewer dishes to wash!
To serve:
Spoon baked oatmeal into individual bowls. Spread on some peaches (prepared ahead of time...sliced with sugar and refrigerated). *Rachel likes it best with strawberries. You can use your favorite fruit...blueberries, bananas, etc. Then pour milk over it. And eat!!! Yum-O!!
That serving process may sound a little weird, but trust me. It is oh so good!!! You've covered several of the food groups...grains, fruit, and dairy...and helped to lower your cholesterol!!! Enjoy!!!
3 comments:
Wow Kristi, I am never disappointed tuning into your blog. Amazed at your gift. A great reminder of how we can get ahead of Gods timing for things...trying to plunge ahead, making it work. I am reminded of this often as we wait for this 2nd pancreas transplant (over TWO years now..) and watching my Amity's struggle with finding a job (intensely painful as a parent), my timer and God's clearly are on a different page. He and have had some great conversations about this recently. Of course, I'd like to convince HIM that my timing is better...HE'd like me to be patient and wait on him. The struggle continues but thank God for worship music! Gets me through the day. I am going to make this recipe for my dad/brother for our Monday breakfast. As always, thanks for the blessing of your blog.
Kathy,
You are so kind. Thanks for your words of encouragement.
I am praying for Scott, and will pray for Amity's situation as well.
Hope you enjoy the baked oatmeal!
Blessings!
Lovely words my dear!
A great reminder to savor God and to follow His recipe for perfection...
Always a delight to read what you are "cooking" up!
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