Ladies,
I was good to see you this past Tuesday for Glow but I am super excited about the line-up for summer so we hope to see you all there as well as bring a friend here is our great schedule:
June 22: Brush Arbor Revival:
This will begin at 6:30pm with a box meal auction Please bring a box meal from a lunchable to whatever just be creative and we will hear from the Gospel Group Good News as well as some local favorites. The money raised from our box dinner auction will be given to the metro south crisis preganacy center. LOCATION: Cunningham Compound
July 27: Hawaiian Paradise: We will begin at the pool at the Cunningham Compoud at 7pm for a Polynesian Dinner and Fellowship we will be hosting Terri Koonce who will be sharing an incredible testimony about her journey to love the people of Africa.
Aug 24: Princess Tea Party: 7pm at the Church please come dressed in your dress up finest from cheap pearls to feather boas. We are having a princess tea party complete with favors and everything you could dream of from when you wished you could be a princess and have the white horse and handsome prince. The study will be God's Princesses: How to love ourselves as Christ loved us...a message on self esteem.
Please be in prayer for the summer line-up and we so hope to see you there
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Daily-ness
The Dailyness
Ariel Allison Lawhon, She Reads Co-Director
"Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway." Proverbs 8:34 (NIV)
Devotion:
Life wouldn't be so hard if it wasn't so daily. As I sit here surrounded by laundry and dishes piled high in the sink, I see more than ever how life wears us down one day at a time.
Crumbs litter the floor and dirty smudges cover the windows. And I have yet to discover where that smell is coming from. For this mother of four, a simple trip to the grocery store requires an act of God and Congress - attempted only when we are down to powdered milk and Ramen noodles. Not thirty minutes ago a little one-year-old boy clung to my legs, belting out that scream - you know the one, bats can hear it. And I felt my coping skills slipping away. Not because he was crying but because he cries every day.
The daily-ness.
The job of motherhood feels so vast, and frightening, and unending. I am called to raise these children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and yet there are days that I can't seem to get out of my pajamas much less lead them in a time of prayer. I think anyone could endure the temper tantrums of a small child or the rebellion of a teenager or the constant needs of another if they lasted just one day. But the truth is that these things are the stuff of daily life. And when I am honest with myself, they grind down the rough edges of this woman. Because parenting can not be all about me when diapers must be changed, noses wiped and beds made.
In those moments I force myself to take a deep breath and thank God for this season of life. These children. The privilege of wiping noses and bottoms and countertops. A privilege many women would love to have, but don't. I remind myself that the days are long but the years are short. And one day I will look in the rear-view mirror and see empty seats. The cup that is overflowing right now will slowly drain. The stretch marks will fade. And I will find that a new set of daily struggles has overtaken me. When that day comes I will find the strength to face them as well because God gives the grace, daily.
The daily-ness.
As C.S. Lewis once said, "The thing is to rely on God... Meanwhile, the trouble is that relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing has yet been done."
Your daily-ness is probably different than mine, but it is nonetheless God-ordained. It is exactly what we need to live dependent on His grace instead of our own strength. The One who knows us best, who knit us together in our mother's womb, has allotted these days that are equal parts trial and triumph. And He knows that we will see Him most clearly from a place of dependence.
So today I embrace the normal things. The daily things. Another round of laundry. The ring in my toilet. The dust on my dresser so thick a child could write his name. But even more than that I want to celebrate the important things. A child slowly learning to read. A husband that finds his comfort in my arms. A baby who learns to walk and talk. Because all these are the things of life: some mundane and some holy. And all of them must be received daily.
Dear Lord, sometimes daily life is just hard. And we're tired. And overwhelmed. But You promised to be our strength and our hope and our comfort. So today we look to You for what we need. Would You meet us in this, our daily-ness, and help us receive Your grace? In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Ariel Allison Lawhon, She Reads Co-Director
"Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway." Proverbs 8:34 (NIV)
Devotion:
Life wouldn't be so hard if it wasn't so daily. As I sit here surrounded by laundry and dishes piled high in the sink, I see more than ever how life wears us down one day at a time.
Crumbs litter the floor and dirty smudges cover the windows. And I have yet to discover where that smell is coming from. For this mother of four, a simple trip to the grocery store requires an act of God and Congress - attempted only when we are down to powdered milk and Ramen noodles. Not thirty minutes ago a little one-year-old boy clung to my legs, belting out that scream - you know the one, bats can hear it. And I felt my coping skills slipping away. Not because he was crying but because he cries every day.
The daily-ness.
The job of motherhood feels so vast, and frightening, and unending. I am called to raise these children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and yet there are days that I can't seem to get out of my pajamas much less lead them in a time of prayer. I think anyone could endure the temper tantrums of a small child or the rebellion of a teenager or the constant needs of another if they lasted just one day. But the truth is that these things are the stuff of daily life. And when I am honest with myself, they grind down the rough edges of this woman. Because parenting can not be all about me when diapers must be changed, noses wiped and beds made.
In those moments I force myself to take a deep breath and thank God for this season of life. These children. The privilege of wiping noses and bottoms and countertops. A privilege many women would love to have, but don't. I remind myself that the days are long but the years are short. And one day I will look in the rear-view mirror and see empty seats. The cup that is overflowing right now will slowly drain. The stretch marks will fade. And I will find that a new set of daily struggles has overtaken me. When that day comes I will find the strength to face them as well because God gives the grace, daily.
The daily-ness.
As C.S. Lewis once said, "The thing is to rely on God... Meanwhile, the trouble is that relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing has yet been done."
Your daily-ness is probably different than mine, but it is nonetheless God-ordained. It is exactly what we need to live dependent on His grace instead of our own strength. The One who knows us best, who knit us together in our mother's womb, has allotted these days that are equal parts trial and triumph. And He knows that we will see Him most clearly from a place of dependence.
So today I embrace the normal things. The daily things. Another round of laundry. The ring in my toilet. The dust on my dresser so thick a child could write his name. But even more than that I want to celebrate the important things. A child slowly learning to read. A husband that finds his comfort in my arms. A baby who learns to walk and talk. Because all these are the things of life: some mundane and some holy. And all of them must be received daily.
Dear Lord, sometimes daily life is just hard. And we're tired. And overwhelmed. But You promised to be our strength and our hope and our comfort. So today we look to You for what we need. Would You meet us in this, our daily-ness, and help us receive Your grace? In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Happy Mothers Day
I published this yesterday but it didn't go through...Happy Mothers's Day to all of you . Many Blessings
Bread Recipe
Several of you have asked for my bread recipe and here it is it is very easy we use it for our bread at our house so it is much cheaper
3 packages (1.4 oz) active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter melted
2 eggs beaten
71/2-8 1/4 cups bread flour
In a large mixing bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, butter, salt, eggs,and 4 cups flour beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in greased bowl turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 45 min.
Punch dough down, turn onto a heavily floured surface, divide into thirds. Shape each portion into a loaf, place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 min.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown remove from pans to wire racks and rub tops with butter.
Hope you try it let me know if you have any questions
3 packages (1.4 oz) active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter melted
2 eggs beaten
71/2-8 1/4 cups bread flour
In a large mixing bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, butter, salt, eggs,and 4 cups flour beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in greased bowl turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 45 min.
Punch dough down, turn onto a heavily floured surface, divide into thirds. Shape each portion into a loaf, place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 min.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown remove from pans to wire racks and rub tops with butter.
Hope you try it let me know if you have any questions
MAy Meeting
Ladies we will meet at 7pm on the 25 of MAy Our topic will be our Memories in Christ...Please bring 3-5 photos to scrapbook. We look forward to having you and look forward to our fun summer schedule.
Blessings
AJ
Blessings
AJ
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Intentional Home
First of all let me say I am so sorry for not doing better updating the blog for that I truly apologize. Let me also say that I am glad April will be on the Intentional Home (looks like I need it I can’t get everything done) in a season of life that is extremely busy I find days running by before I seem to get out of bed. Sometimes I wonder if it is possible to get everything done. Do you ever feel that way? On Aril 27th we will meet at 7pm and our study will be on the Intentional Home and then we will be doing couponing etc….We hope to see you there!
Anyway, as I run from chore to chore, meal to meal, and ballet to gymnastics with a very fussy 15 month old in tow I look through my to do list with amazement of so many things to “work” on and I don’t even work. I always told Derek that when I became a stay at home mom I would be so organized and life would be “perfect” he always said he couldn’t wait. Well to be honest that just isn’t how most of my days are. I am not at the door to meet him with a kiss and a perfect dinner. I am at the door ready for him to take the kids and me to have 5 min. to go to the bathroom. I truly am sharing this with you and asking that as I study the intentional home that I will learn even more how to run my house as God intended. I was studying last night and God just really lay on my heart…Are you being intentional for me???? Wow, am I doing things each day that are intentional to my family’s well being spiritually? Am I reaching out to those around me? Is everything intentional for the sake and cause of Christ? The answer to that was no… but Lord I try to get me house cleaned and cook nutritious food for my family and and…..How convicting. I ask you over the next couple of weeks to think about how you want to make your home intentional! Whether we are Stay at home mom’s, retired, working or whatever our life’s role is we are the God given homemakers to our home and family. Are we creating an environment of refuge from the storm of life? Are we setting our home up to be open to show the Love of Christ? I ask you to ponder these thought as we prepare and study them on April 27th. And for those type A personalities we will also be sharing practical things of how to accomplish the intentional home. God bless each of you are in my thought and prayers often. Women’s Ministry is truly a passion of mine and if there is any thoughts or suggestions on how I can better serve and minister to you please share with me.
Love
Amanda
Anyway, as I run from chore to chore, meal to meal, and ballet to gymnastics with a very fussy 15 month old in tow I look through my to do list with amazement of so many things to “work” on and I don’t even work. I always told Derek that when I became a stay at home mom I would be so organized and life would be “perfect” he always said he couldn’t wait. Well to be honest that just isn’t how most of my days are. I am not at the door to meet him with a kiss and a perfect dinner. I am at the door ready for him to take the kids and me to have 5 min. to go to the bathroom. I truly am sharing this with you and asking that as I study the intentional home that I will learn even more how to run my house as God intended. I was studying last night and God just really lay on my heart…Are you being intentional for me???? Wow, am I doing things each day that are intentional to my family’s well being spiritually? Am I reaching out to those around me? Is everything intentional for the sake and cause of Christ? The answer to that was no… but Lord I try to get me house cleaned and cook nutritious food for my family and and…..How convicting. I ask you over the next couple of weeks to think about how you want to make your home intentional! Whether we are Stay at home mom’s, retired, working or whatever our life’s role is we are the God given homemakers to our home and family. Are we creating an environment of refuge from the storm of life? Are we setting our home up to be open to show the Love of Christ? I ask you to ponder these thought as we prepare and study them on April 27th. And for those type A personalities we will also be sharing practical things of how to accomplish the intentional home. God bless each of you are in my thought and prayers often. Women’s Ministry is truly a passion of mine and if there is any thoughts or suggestions on how I can better serve and minister to you please share with me.
Love
Amanda
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
History of Easter Eggs
Ladies I am so looking forward to our Sader and make sure to invite someone as well as be praying up for this experience. Enjouy this FYI on easter eggs
Easter eggs are specially decorated eggs given out to celebrate the Easter holiday or springtime.
It is the influence of the traditional spring rites that made Easter so egg-special. And myths coming down to us from an incredibly distant past have shown man's relationship with the egg to be very deep seated one. This is caught in old Latin proverb: "Omne vivum ex ovo". This means "all life comes from an egg". Not just the Latin saying, eggs are just laid well over all corners of the world. From ancient India to Polynesia, from Iran, Greece, and Phonecia to Latvia, Estonia, and Finland, from Central America to the west coast of South America, there are reports of myths of the whole universe created out of an egg. Thus, it is not unusual that in almost all ancient cultures eggs had been held as an emblem of life. The concept of all living beings born from an egg is also a foundational concept of modern biology.
But how did eggs come to be associated with Easter?
Despite claims being made that Easter Eggs were originally pagan symbols, there is no solid evidence for this. It was not until the 18th Century that Jakob Grimm theorised a putative pagan connection to Easter Eggs with a goddess of his own whom he named Ostara, a suggested German version of Eostre.
At the Passover Seder, a hard-boiled egg dipped in salt water symbolizes both new life and the Passover sacrifice offered at the Temple in Jerusalem. The ancient Persians painted eggs for Nowrooz, their New Year celebration falling on the Spring Equinox. This tradition has continued every year on Nowrooz since ancient times.
In Christian times, the egg was a symbol of new life just as a chick might hatch from the egg. The Easter egg tradition may have celebrated the end of the privations of Lent. In the Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent as well as other traditional fast days. During the strict Lenten fast of forty days no eggs were eaten. It was traditional to use up all of the household's eggs before Lent began, which established the tradition of Pancake Day. This was because, in Christian times, the egg was a symbol of new life just as a chick might hatch from the egg. Eggs were viewed as symbols of new life and fertility through the ages. It is believed that for this reason many ancient cultures, including the Ancient Egyptians, Persians, and Romans, used eggs during their spring festivals. In Eastern Christianity, both meat and dairy are still prohibited during the fast, and eggs are seen as "dairy" (a foodstuff that could be taken from an animal without shedding its blood). That is the reason why eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved.
It was during Easter that the consumption of eggs resumed after the strict Lenten fast. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants. And this is probably the reason why eggs came to be associated with Easter.
Many traditions and practices have formed around Easter eggs. In Europe an egg was hung on New Year trees, on Maypoles, and on St. John's trees in midsummer. Indeed, all were of one accord in using the egg as a symbol of the regenerative forces of nature. Later during the Christian period, it was believed that eggs laid on Good Friday, if kept for a hundred years, would have their yolks turn to diamond. If Good Friday eggs were cooked on Easter they would promote the fertility of the trees and crops and protect against sudden deaths. And, if you would find two yolks in an Easter egg, be sure, you're going to be rich soon. That's what they believed!
An Orthodox tradition related with Easter celebrations is the presenting of red colored eggs to friends while giving Easter greetings. According to a History channel documentary about Mary Magdalene and her role in Christianity, the custom derives from a biblical event. After the Ascension of Christ, Mary supposedly went to the Emperor of Rome and greeted him with "Christ is risen", whereupon he stated, "Christ has not risen no more than that egg is red" (pointing to an egg on his table). After making this statement it is said the egg immediately turned blood red.[citation needed] She then began preaching Christianity to him. The egg is symbolic of the grave and life renewed by breaking out of it. The red symbolizes the blood of Christ redeeming the world, represented by the egg, and our regeneration through the bloodshed for us by Christ. The egg itself is a symbol of the Resurrection while being dormant it contains a new life sealed within it.
The coloring of eggs is a established art, and eggs are often dyed, painted, and otherwise decorated. Eggs were also used in various holiday games: parents would hide eggs for children to find, and children would roll eggs down hills. These practices live on in Easter egg hunts and egg rolls. The most famous egg roll takes place on the White House lawn every year.The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jellybeans. Candy Easter eggs can be any form of confectionery such as hollow chocolate eggs wrapped in brightly-colored foil. Some are delicately constructed of spun sugar and pastry decoration techniques. The ubiquitous jelly egg or jellybean is made from sugar-coated pectin candy. These are often hidden, supposedly by the Easter Bunny, for children to find on Easter morning.
The Spanish dish hornazo (traditionally eaten on and around Easter) contains hard-boiled eggs as a primary ingredient. In the North of England, at Eastertime, a traditional game is played where hard boiled pace eggs are distributed and each player hits the other players egg with their own. This is known as "egg dumping" or "egg jarping". The winner is the holder of the last intact egg. The losers get to eat their eggs. It is also practiced in Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, the Republic of Srpska and other countries. They call it tucanje. In parts of Bavaria, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland it is called Ostereiertitschen. In South Louisiana this practice is called Pocking Eggs and is slightly different. The Cajuns hold that the winner eats the eggs of the losers in each round.
There are many other decorating techniques and numerous traditions of giving them as a token of friendship, love or good wishes. A tradition exists in some parts of the United Kingdom (such as Scotland and North East England) of rolling painted eggs down steep hills on Easter Sunday. In the U.S., such an Easter egg roll (unrelated to an eggroll) is often done on flat ground, pushed along with a spoon; the Easter Egg Roll has become a much-loved annual event on the White House lawn. An Easter egg hunt is a common festive activity, where eggs are hidden outdoors (or indoors if in bad weather) for children to run around and find. This may also be a contest to see who can collect the most eggs.
Hanácké kraslice, Easter eggs from the Haná region, the Czech Republic, decorated with strawEaster eggs are a widely popular symbol of new life in Ukraine and other Slavic countries' folk traditions. A batik-like decorating process known as pysanka produces intricate, brilliantly-colored eggs. The celebrated Fabergé workshops created exquisite jewelled Easter eggs for the Russian Imperial Court. A 27-foot (9 m) sculpture of a pysanka stands in Vegreville, Alberta.
When boiling hard-cooked eggs for Easter, a popular tan colour can be achieved by boiling the eggs with onion skin. In the North of England these are called pace-eggs or paste-eggs. They were usually eaten after an egg-jarping (egg-tapping) competition.
Deep-fried chocolate Easter eggs are sold around Easter time in Scottish fish and chips shops. The idea was invented in a northeastern Scottish takeaway as a sequel to the extremely popular deep fried Mars Bar.
Easter eggs are specially decorated eggs given out to celebrate the Easter holiday or springtime.
It is the influence of the traditional spring rites that made Easter so egg-special. And myths coming down to us from an incredibly distant past have shown man's relationship with the egg to be very deep seated one. This is caught in old Latin proverb: "Omne vivum ex ovo". This means "all life comes from an egg". Not just the Latin saying, eggs are just laid well over all corners of the world. From ancient India to Polynesia, from Iran, Greece, and Phonecia to Latvia, Estonia, and Finland, from Central America to the west coast of South America, there are reports of myths of the whole universe created out of an egg. Thus, it is not unusual that in almost all ancient cultures eggs had been held as an emblem of life. The concept of all living beings born from an egg is also a foundational concept of modern biology.
But how did eggs come to be associated with Easter?
Despite claims being made that Easter Eggs were originally pagan symbols, there is no solid evidence for this. It was not until the 18th Century that Jakob Grimm theorised a putative pagan connection to Easter Eggs with a goddess of his own whom he named Ostara, a suggested German version of Eostre.
At the Passover Seder, a hard-boiled egg dipped in salt water symbolizes both new life and the Passover sacrifice offered at the Temple in Jerusalem. The ancient Persians painted eggs for Nowrooz, their New Year celebration falling on the Spring Equinox. This tradition has continued every year on Nowrooz since ancient times.
In Christian times, the egg was a symbol of new life just as a chick might hatch from the egg. The Easter egg tradition may have celebrated the end of the privations of Lent. In the Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent as well as other traditional fast days. During the strict Lenten fast of forty days no eggs were eaten. It was traditional to use up all of the household's eggs before Lent began, which established the tradition of Pancake Day. This was because, in Christian times, the egg was a symbol of new life just as a chick might hatch from the egg. Eggs were viewed as symbols of new life and fertility through the ages. It is believed that for this reason many ancient cultures, including the Ancient Egyptians, Persians, and Romans, used eggs during their spring festivals. In Eastern Christianity, both meat and dairy are still prohibited during the fast, and eggs are seen as "dairy" (a foodstuff that could be taken from an animal without shedding its blood). That is the reason why eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved.
It was during Easter that the consumption of eggs resumed after the strict Lenten fast. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants. And this is probably the reason why eggs came to be associated with Easter.
Many traditions and practices have formed around Easter eggs. In Europe an egg was hung on New Year trees, on Maypoles, and on St. John's trees in midsummer. Indeed, all were of one accord in using the egg as a symbol of the regenerative forces of nature. Later during the Christian period, it was believed that eggs laid on Good Friday, if kept for a hundred years, would have their yolks turn to diamond. If Good Friday eggs were cooked on Easter they would promote the fertility of the trees and crops and protect against sudden deaths. And, if you would find two yolks in an Easter egg, be sure, you're going to be rich soon. That's what they believed!
An Orthodox tradition related with Easter celebrations is the presenting of red colored eggs to friends while giving Easter greetings. According to a History channel documentary about Mary Magdalene and her role in Christianity, the custom derives from a biblical event. After the Ascension of Christ, Mary supposedly went to the Emperor of Rome and greeted him with "Christ is risen", whereupon he stated, "Christ has not risen no more than that egg is red" (pointing to an egg on his table). After making this statement it is said the egg immediately turned blood red.[citation needed] She then began preaching Christianity to him. The egg is symbolic of the grave and life renewed by breaking out of it. The red symbolizes the blood of Christ redeeming the world, represented by the egg, and our regeneration through the bloodshed for us by Christ. The egg itself is a symbol of the Resurrection while being dormant it contains a new life sealed within it.
The coloring of eggs is a established art, and eggs are often dyed, painted, and otherwise decorated. Eggs were also used in various holiday games: parents would hide eggs for children to find, and children would roll eggs down hills. These practices live on in Easter egg hunts and egg rolls. The most famous egg roll takes place on the White House lawn every year.The oldest tradition is to use dyed and painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jellybeans. Candy Easter eggs can be any form of confectionery such as hollow chocolate eggs wrapped in brightly-colored foil. Some are delicately constructed of spun sugar and pastry decoration techniques. The ubiquitous jelly egg or jellybean is made from sugar-coated pectin candy. These are often hidden, supposedly by the Easter Bunny, for children to find on Easter morning.
The Spanish dish hornazo (traditionally eaten on and around Easter) contains hard-boiled eggs as a primary ingredient. In the North of England, at Eastertime, a traditional game is played where hard boiled pace eggs are distributed and each player hits the other players egg with their own. This is known as "egg dumping" or "egg jarping". The winner is the holder of the last intact egg. The losers get to eat their eggs. It is also practiced in Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, the Republic of Srpska and other countries. They call it tucanje. In parts of Bavaria, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland it is called Ostereiertitschen. In South Louisiana this practice is called Pocking Eggs and is slightly different. The Cajuns hold that the winner eats the eggs of the losers in each round.
There are many other decorating techniques and numerous traditions of giving them as a token of friendship, love or good wishes. A tradition exists in some parts of the United Kingdom (such as Scotland and North East England) of rolling painted eggs down steep hills on Easter Sunday. In the U.S., such an Easter egg roll (unrelated to an eggroll) is often done on flat ground, pushed along with a spoon; the Easter Egg Roll has become a much-loved annual event on the White House lawn. An Easter egg hunt is a common festive activity, where eggs are hidden outdoors (or indoors if in bad weather) for children to run around and find. This may also be a contest to see who can collect the most eggs.
Hanácké kraslice, Easter eggs from the Haná region, the Czech Republic, decorated with strawEaster eggs are a widely popular symbol of new life in Ukraine and other Slavic countries' folk traditions. A batik-like decorating process known as pysanka produces intricate, brilliantly-colored eggs. The celebrated Fabergé workshops created exquisite jewelled Easter eggs for the Russian Imperial Court. A 27-foot (9 m) sculpture of a pysanka stands in Vegreville, Alberta.
When boiling hard-cooked eggs for Easter, a popular tan colour can be achieved by boiling the eggs with onion skin. In the North of England these are called pace-eggs or paste-eggs. They were usually eaten after an egg-jarping (egg-tapping) competition.
Deep-fried chocolate Easter eggs are sold around Easter time in Scottish fish and chips shops. The idea was invented in a northeastern Scottish takeaway as a sequel to the extremely popular deep fried Mars Bar.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Passover Seder Information
.
PASSOVER SEDER
In scripture it is called the festival of unleavened bread. It is often called the Pesach (paysak) or Passover. It has been called by many other names, but by any name it is the oldest continual human activity in our history. This festival lasts for seven or eight days. On the first or second day of Passover, there is a ceremonial dinner that is called the Feast of Unleavened bread or the Seder. The Passover meal is known as the Seder, which means "order," because the meal and service are done in a prescribed sequence. It is the dinner that we refer to as the Last Supper. For the next three weeks I would like to address the Who, What, When, Where, and How of a Christian Passover Seder. This week I would like to address Who and What.
Who:
The festival itself is generally a family celebration celebrated in the home. We will be celebrating at church and it will be for the women of our church. Seder dinner can be a great teaching tool and also an evangelical tool but, like any other tool; to be effective you must use it. At the first mention of matzah in a traditional seder, the Jewish leader states that all who hunger are invited to the table.
What:
It is a Dinner: it is something like a Thanksgiving Dinner. It has been said that Seder teaches us the obligation to express gratitude. The first Seder could be considered our first Thanksgiving Dinner.
This Dinner is a Bible Study: Almost every facet of this dinner exists in order to pass on important Bible stories and Biblical Truth using all five senses of the participants. We don’t just hear the Word, we see, smell, taste, and feel the Word. This is a dinner and a story. The story is about God keeping promises. The story is about redemption and salvation. The story is about God’s work in our history. A Christian Seder, just like a Jewish one, embraces this entire ancient story. After all, it is our story. But the Christian Seder also adds to the story. It adds those things that Jesus added as He sat at Seder, the Seder we call the Last Supper. God spoke to Moses in Exodus 13:3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place.
Exodus 12:14 Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.
Exodus 12:24 and you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.
This Dinner & Story is a Festival. Like our Thanksgiving, this is a celebration. While we should always keep in mind and give thanks for those things we have, let us also remember that thanksgiving is not a solemn activity. We should celebrate the many things we do have. Our joy and happiness are a form of thanksgiving and should be apparent as we share. Share fellowship, share Love, share our scripture and our redemption, as well as our abundance. Our Jewish ancestors understood something that we may have forgotten, that Loving God is fun. They understood that there are times for solemn worship, but they knew that God also encouraged Joyful worship. The Last Supper of our Lord was certainly a solemn event, but it was also joyful. After all, it was His "fervent desire." Luke 22:15 It is my fervent desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
This Dinner is a Ceremony: A ceremony is conducted by rules and regulations that come to us through custom and convention. If we are honest with ourselves, we recognize that our Worship services are mostly ceremony. Our problem with the Seder ceremony is that we are not Jewish and we are unfamiliar with the customs. While the first and second century Christian Church undoubtedly celebrated the Seder (see Acts 20:6), it has been almost lost to us. But let us not forget that we are not celebrating just a seder, we are celebrating The Seder. We are celebrating a Christian Seder, the Last Supper of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. We are celebrating the occasion on which Christ Jesus established a new agreement, a new contract between God and Humanity. We are celebrating not only salvation from the Egyptians and from all forms of slavery, the release of the captives, the liberty to those who are oppressed, but also redemption into the Kingdom of God, the recovering of sight to the blind and the acceptable year of the Lord. The very first Seder Dinner presupposed the Promised Land, but our Seder Dinner guarantees the Kingdom. "Thy Kingdom come" is not a wish but a fact to celebrate.
When:
For the Jew, Passover begins at sunset on the 14th day of Abib or Nisan, two different names for the first month in the Jewish calendar. As the new day started at sunset, the actual date would be the 15th. And the festival continues for 7 or 8 days. The Seder Dinner is eaten on the first, or the first or second day of the festival.
While this may seem confusing, it becomes clear when we consider a bit of Jewish history. As to two names for the same month, Abib was changed to Nisan, meaning the beginning, during the Babylon captivity. Before the captivity, only the name Abib was used. It did not automatically begin like January 1st does for us, directly after December 31st. The first of Abib had to be determined by the Jewish religious leadership. This was done by having certain trusted people watch the skies during and after the last month of the year, and reporting the occurrence of a full moon. The religious leaders then studied this full moon, determined that it was genuine and, if so, issued a directive. A signal fire was lit in Jerusalem which the people for miles around saw and then lit other signal fires until all the residents of the Promised Land knew that the New Year had begun. But when the Jews were held captive in Babylon they could not just reproduce this same tradition. They had to know when the New Year started in Jerusalem, not Babylon. During the captivity, these signals would extend from Jerusalem to Babylon, but because of the time involved and the possibility for error, the Festival of unleavened bread was extended from seven to eight days for all Jews not residing in the Holy Land, and the Seder Dinner could be observed on the first or second day.
From the Babylon captivity onward, there were always more Jews living outside of country of Israel than within its boundaries, so that this tradition of eight days remained, even after the Jews adopted an astronomical and mathematic calendar after the destruction of their Temple and the Diaspora. (the Jews living outside Palestine or modern Israel)
Early Christians celebrated the Last Super, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus under the name of Passover, and in some countries that name or an equivalent of it is still used rather than the name Easter. It was much later in Christian history that we divided Passover into Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. Our word "Easter" is not a traditional Christian term. It comes to us from the Germanic tribes and was their name for the goddess of spring. Easter became the combination of Passover with the celebration of new life as seen in celebrations of spring throughout the world.
Again, in the early days of our Church, the Last Super, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus were celebrated under the name of Passover. Like Passover week, the first and last days were considered equal to the Sabbath, regardless of the day of the week they begin. But later in Church history, most of the Church agreed that Resurrection Day deserved its own celebration. And it was decided that Resurrection Day should occur on The Lord’s Day, or Sunday. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday and continues until sunset the following day. The Lord’s Day, so named because of our Lord’s Resurrection, occurred on the day after the Jewish Sabbath. But the weekly celebration of our Lord’s resurrection and Resurrection Day, as determined from the first day of Passover seldom occurred on the same day. It was then decreed that the celebration of Resurrection Day would occur on The Lord’s Day closest to the appropriate time, and was determined by the Gregorian calendar.
Sometime later, Rome adopted the Julian calendar and the two calendars began to diverge. The Roman Church required all Churches under its authority, sometimes forcibly, to observe Resurrection Day on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. Today, in the Western world, that is when we celebrate Easter, sometimes weeks away from our brothers and sisters in the Eastern world.
So, when should we celebrate our Seder? The important thing is that we participate in that particular and important part of Holy Week. It is important that we come to realize the place of our covenant, as given us by our Lord at the Last Supper and how it relates to the work of redemption and salvation.
Where:
This is an easy question and one we will spend little time with. We can celebrate our Seder anywhere we can set up a dining table. The first Seder was celebrated in the desert, perhaps in tents or perhaps around a bonfire. Jesus celebrated His final Seder in an upper room, perhaps the same room where the disciples waited for the Holy Spirit after Jesus left. At one time, the Jews felt that Seder should be celebrated in Jerusalem and, even today, Jews who have no intention of moving to Israel still conclude their Seder with the words, next year in Jerusalem.
Jesus, knowing His life was in danger, had to send His disciples like Cold War spies into Jerusalem to find a place, we should have no trouble.
Why:
Why should we celebrate a Passover? If you have any doubts about your acceptance of this very different Christian tradition, your doubts can not be greater than mine were. The Seder can provide the forum for a congregation or family to grow in their own unique ways. To try something new that has a 3000 year history of bringing people closer together and closer to God. And finally, the Seder can help Christians to step out and learn in their own unique way of growing in Christ. This has to be the ultimate reason to perform this 3000-year-old ceremony that was so important to Jesus.
This do in remembrance of me; typically we think of the THIS as the breaking of bread and drinking of the wine. Could Jesus have also been referring to the Passover meal and the new covenant? We know that Jesus in Luke 22:15 said It is my fervent desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, Jesus would have participated each year in the festival. Passover was very special to Jesus. Jesus was circumcised and Jesus had His Bar mitzvah. Jesus went to the Temple to pray, and Jesus went to the synagogue to teach. And while Jesus had problems with some of the Jewish leadership, Jesus loved, chose to preach to, and drew His disciples from Jewish audiences.
Jesus chose one of the most sacred and the oldest Jewish celebration, a celebration of redemption, to establish His New Covenant. He traveled to Jerusalem where He knew He would be killed, because He had a "fervent desire" to eat this particular Passover Dinner with His Disciples. And, as Jesus ate that Passover Dinner, He knew that very shortly, He would be dead. At one point during that dinner, Jesus spoke His Last Will and Testament and then He requested that the disciples, and through them, all of us, do this in remembrance. I have a strong feeling that Jesus assumed that we would all be celebrating Seder. For what reason was this celebration stopped by Christians? Perhaps, it was in the dark ages when hatred of Jews was almost a sacred obligation and their celebration of the Seder an ideal time for persecution, perhaps it was then that it was decided that "this" meant the bread and wine alone. But I know that our focus should be the words of Jesus as we read them in John 6, verse 53: Then Jesus said unto them,verily, verily, I say unto you ,Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
It seems to me that the command to "do this in remembrance" is more a command to remember than to cause any disagreement over the form of remembrance.
When you first lift and bless the bread at the Seder, you make the statement "Let all who are hungry come and eat." In Jewish culture, that meant exactly what is said. Those without food were invited to join but, there is another, equally horrible hunger in our land; a spiritual hunger. Remember, Seder is a festival, and it is a dinner, the fact that it also feeds us spiritual food is only an added benefit. And what a dinner! Not just bread alone, but the Word of God. Why, should also be allowed to be answered individually by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps, this is a time to learn about ourselves and our place in the body of Christ.
How:
For the Passover Seder we will all worship communally. We will worship as a community. Paul tells us that of all the Spiritual gifts, Love (Agape) is the greatest, and the New Testament teaches us that Love is power. But this gift and power is useless unless we learn to first experience and then to use it. We might have begun experiencing and using this Agape in our nuclear families, but until we learn to share it in our Christian community, we will never be able to use it in the world at large. Did you know that Paul never referred to us as Christians? He referred to us as the Body of Christ, the One Body of Christ. We will be learning as the members of the body of Christ, practicing Agape love. We will know that we will love one another and that we are a member, a part of the Body.
PASSOVER SEDER
In scripture it is called the festival of unleavened bread. It is often called the Pesach (paysak) or Passover. It has been called by many other names, but by any name it is the oldest continual human activity in our history. This festival lasts for seven or eight days. On the first or second day of Passover, there is a ceremonial dinner that is called the Feast of Unleavened bread or the Seder. The Passover meal is known as the Seder, which means "order," because the meal and service are done in a prescribed sequence. It is the dinner that we refer to as the Last Supper. For the next three weeks I would like to address the Who, What, When, Where, and How of a Christian Passover Seder. This week I would like to address Who and What.
Who:
The festival itself is generally a family celebration celebrated in the home. We will be celebrating at church and it will be for the women of our church. Seder dinner can be a great teaching tool and also an evangelical tool but, like any other tool; to be effective you must use it. At the first mention of matzah in a traditional seder, the Jewish leader states that all who hunger are invited to the table.
What:
It is a Dinner: it is something like a Thanksgiving Dinner. It has been said that Seder teaches us the obligation to express gratitude. The first Seder could be considered our first Thanksgiving Dinner.
This Dinner is a Bible Study: Almost every facet of this dinner exists in order to pass on important Bible stories and Biblical Truth using all five senses of the participants. We don’t just hear the Word, we see, smell, taste, and feel the Word. This is a dinner and a story. The story is about God keeping promises. The story is about redemption and salvation. The story is about God’s work in our history. A Christian Seder, just like a Jewish one, embraces this entire ancient story. After all, it is our story. But the Christian Seder also adds to the story. It adds those things that Jesus added as He sat at Seder, the Seder we call the Last Supper. God spoke to Moses in Exodus 13:3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place.
Exodus 12:14 Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.
Exodus 12:24 and you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.
This Dinner & Story is a Festival. Like our Thanksgiving, this is a celebration. While we should always keep in mind and give thanks for those things we have, let us also remember that thanksgiving is not a solemn activity. We should celebrate the many things we do have. Our joy and happiness are a form of thanksgiving and should be apparent as we share. Share fellowship, share Love, share our scripture and our redemption, as well as our abundance. Our Jewish ancestors understood something that we may have forgotten, that Loving God is fun. They understood that there are times for solemn worship, but they knew that God also encouraged Joyful worship. The Last Supper of our Lord was certainly a solemn event, but it was also joyful. After all, it was His "fervent desire." Luke 22:15 It is my fervent desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
This Dinner is a Ceremony: A ceremony is conducted by rules and regulations that come to us through custom and convention. If we are honest with ourselves, we recognize that our Worship services are mostly ceremony. Our problem with the Seder ceremony is that we are not Jewish and we are unfamiliar with the customs. While the first and second century Christian Church undoubtedly celebrated the Seder (see Acts 20:6), it has been almost lost to us. But let us not forget that we are not celebrating just a seder, we are celebrating The Seder. We are celebrating a Christian Seder, the Last Supper of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. We are celebrating the occasion on which Christ Jesus established a new agreement, a new contract between God and Humanity. We are celebrating not only salvation from the Egyptians and from all forms of slavery, the release of the captives, the liberty to those who are oppressed, but also redemption into the Kingdom of God, the recovering of sight to the blind and the acceptable year of the Lord. The very first Seder Dinner presupposed the Promised Land, but our Seder Dinner guarantees the Kingdom. "Thy Kingdom come" is not a wish but a fact to celebrate.
When:
For the Jew, Passover begins at sunset on the 14th day of Abib or Nisan, two different names for the first month in the Jewish calendar. As the new day started at sunset, the actual date would be the 15th. And the festival continues for 7 or 8 days. The Seder Dinner is eaten on the first, or the first or second day of the festival.
While this may seem confusing, it becomes clear when we consider a bit of Jewish history. As to two names for the same month, Abib was changed to Nisan, meaning the beginning, during the Babylon captivity. Before the captivity, only the name Abib was used. It did not automatically begin like January 1st does for us, directly after December 31st. The first of Abib had to be determined by the Jewish religious leadership. This was done by having certain trusted people watch the skies during and after the last month of the year, and reporting the occurrence of a full moon. The religious leaders then studied this full moon, determined that it was genuine and, if so, issued a directive. A signal fire was lit in Jerusalem which the people for miles around saw and then lit other signal fires until all the residents of the Promised Land knew that the New Year had begun. But when the Jews were held captive in Babylon they could not just reproduce this same tradition. They had to know when the New Year started in Jerusalem, not Babylon. During the captivity, these signals would extend from Jerusalem to Babylon, but because of the time involved and the possibility for error, the Festival of unleavened bread was extended from seven to eight days for all Jews not residing in the Holy Land, and the Seder Dinner could be observed on the first or second day.
From the Babylon captivity onward, there were always more Jews living outside of country of Israel than within its boundaries, so that this tradition of eight days remained, even after the Jews adopted an astronomical and mathematic calendar after the destruction of their Temple and the Diaspora. (the Jews living outside Palestine or modern Israel)
Early Christians celebrated the Last Super, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus under the name of Passover, and in some countries that name or an equivalent of it is still used rather than the name Easter. It was much later in Christian history that we divided Passover into Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. Our word "Easter" is not a traditional Christian term. It comes to us from the Germanic tribes and was their name for the goddess of spring. Easter became the combination of Passover with the celebration of new life as seen in celebrations of spring throughout the world.
Again, in the early days of our Church, the Last Super, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus were celebrated under the name of Passover. Like Passover week, the first and last days were considered equal to the Sabbath, regardless of the day of the week they begin. But later in Church history, most of the Church agreed that Resurrection Day deserved its own celebration. And it was decided that Resurrection Day should occur on The Lord’s Day, or Sunday. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday and continues until sunset the following day. The Lord’s Day, so named because of our Lord’s Resurrection, occurred on the day after the Jewish Sabbath. But the weekly celebration of our Lord’s resurrection and Resurrection Day, as determined from the first day of Passover seldom occurred on the same day. It was then decreed that the celebration of Resurrection Day would occur on The Lord’s Day closest to the appropriate time, and was determined by the Gregorian calendar.
Sometime later, Rome adopted the Julian calendar and the two calendars began to diverge. The Roman Church required all Churches under its authority, sometimes forcibly, to observe Resurrection Day on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. Today, in the Western world, that is when we celebrate Easter, sometimes weeks away from our brothers and sisters in the Eastern world.
So, when should we celebrate our Seder? The important thing is that we participate in that particular and important part of Holy Week. It is important that we come to realize the place of our covenant, as given us by our Lord at the Last Supper and how it relates to the work of redemption and salvation.
Where:
This is an easy question and one we will spend little time with. We can celebrate our Seder anywhere we can set up a dining table. The first Seder was celebrated in the desert, perhaps in tents or perhaps around a bonfire. Jesus celebrated His final Seder in an upper room, perhaps the same room where the disciples waited for the Holy Spirit after Jesus left. At one time, the Jews felt that Seder should be celebrated in Jerusalem and, even today, Jews who have no intention of moving to Israel still conclude their Seder with the words, next year in Jerusalem.
Jesus, knowing His life was in danger, had to send His disciples like Cold War spies into Jerusalem to find a place, we should have no trouble.
Why:
Why should we celebrate a Passover? If you have any doubts about your acceptance of this very different Christian tradition, your doubts can not be greater than mine were. The Seder can provide the forum for a congregation or family to grow in their own unique ways. To try something new that has a 3000 year history of bringing people closer together and closer to God. And finally, the Seder can help Christians to step out and learn in their own unique way of growing in Christ. This has to be the ultimate reason to perform this 3000-year-old ceremony that was so important to Jesus.
This do in remembrance of me; typically we think of the THIS as the breaking of bread and drinking of the wine. Could Jesus have also been referring to the Passover meal and the new covenant? We know that Jesus in Luke 22:15 said It is my fervent desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, Jesus would have participated each year in the festival. Passover was very special to Jesus. Jesus was circumcised and Jesus had His Bar mitzvah. Jesus went to the Temple to pray, and Jesus went to the synagogue to teach. And while Jesus had problems with some of the Jewish leadership, Jesus loved, chose to preach to, and drew His disciples from Jewish audiences.
Jesus chose one of the most sacred and the oldest Jewish celebration, a celebration of redemption, to establish His New Covenant. He traveled to Jerusalem where He knew He would be killed, because He had a "fervent desire" to eat this particular Passover Dinner with His Disciples. And, as Jesus ate that Passover Dinner, He knew that very shortly, He would be dead. At one point during that dinner, Jesus spoke His Last Will and Testament and then He requested that the disciples, and through them, all of us, do this in remembrance. I have a strong feeling that Jesus assumed that we would all be celebrating Seder. For what reason was this celebration stopped by Christians? Perhaps, it was in the dark ages when hatred of Jews was almost a sacred obligation and their celebration of the Seder an ideal time for persecution, perhaps it was then that it was decided that "this" meant the bread and wine alone. But I know that our focus should be the words of Jesus as we read them in John 6, verse 53: Then Jesus said unto them,verily, verily, I say unto you ,Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
It seems to me that the command to "do this in remembrance" is more a command to remember than to cause any disagreement over the form of remembrance.
When you first lift and bless the bread at the Seder, you make the statement "Let all who are hungry come and eat." In Jewish culture, that meant exactly what is said. Those without food were invited to join but, there is another, equally horrible hunger in our land; a spiritual hunger. Remember, Seder is a festival, and it is a dinner, the fact that it also feeds us spiritual food is only an added benefit. And what a dinner! Not just bread alone, but the Word of God. Why, should also be allowed to be answered individually by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps, this is a time to learn about ourselves and our place in the body of Christ.
How:
For the Passover Seder we will all worship communally. We will worship as a community. Paul tells us that of all the Spiritual gifts, Love (Agape) is the greatest, and the New Testament teaches us that Love is power. But this gift and power is useless unless we learn to first experience and then to use it. We might have begun experiencing and using this Agape in our nuclear families, but until we learn to share it in our Christian community, we will never be able to use it in the world at large. Did you know that Paul never referred to us as Christians? He referred to us as the Body of Christ, the One Body of Christ. We will be learning as the members of the body of Christ, practicing Agape love. We will know that we will love one another and that we are a member, a part of the Body.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Chocolate Party Highlights
Ladies,
I hope you all had a wonderful time last night I sure did and I so appreciate all the wonderful chocolate you each brought. It was truly a feast or a diabetic coma HAHA.... Charlotte you did a wonderful job and thank you for blessing us with you lesson. Here are some pictures of last night
March Meeting Schedule Change
WE are having our Passover Sader and will be having it on March 30th which is passover and it will be at 6:30pm we will be having a full meal so mark you calendar, get prayed up and read up and please let us know a week out if you are attending.
Blessings
Blessings
March Mission Action
Ladies,
As we talked about Last night we are collecting fuzzy warm, flannel, fleece, etc blankets and premie sleepers and gowns for the Norman Regional NICU. If you want to chip in some money I would be glad to take it and shop for you or these items would be collected at our March fellowship. Thanks so much.
As we talked about Last night we are collecting fuzzy warm, flannel, fleece, etc blankets and premie sleepers and gowns for the Norman Regional NICU. If you want to chip in some money I would be glad to take it and shop for you or these items would be collected at our March fellowship. Thanks so much.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
All in a day's work
Ladies
I just wanted to let you know how excited I am about Tues night. We have worked diligently over the weekend to prepare for our "Sweet Night Out" we have chopped Chocolate, put together things and moved numerous things to set up. We are very excited and I want each of you to be ready to have a great time and know we have enjoyed getting things ready for you. Women's ministry is defintely where God has called me to be right now and I love being able to get to know each of you and fellowship with you. I am praying for you and PLEASE know that what we do each month is not the extent of what I am here to do. If you need anything please do not hesitate to ask. Blessings
I just wanted to let you know how excited I am about Tues night. We have worked diligently over the weekend to prepare for our "Sweet Night Out" we have chopped Chocolate, put together things and moved numerous things to set up. We are very excited and I want each of you to be ready to have a great time and know we have enjoyed getting things ready for you. Women's ministry is defintely where God has called me to be right now and I love being able to get to know each of you and fellowship with you. I am praying for you and PLEASE know that what we do each month is not the extent of what I am here to do. If you need anything please do not hesitate to ask. Blessings
Thursday, February 11, 2010
History of Chocolate
Ladies, I just wanted to give you an education before our chocolate party here is a brief history.....Also on the spriritual note Everything you do in word or deed to it in [sweetness} to the Lord. May God Bless you today. I am praying for you this morning!
At a Glance: The History of Chocolate…The tasty secret of the cacao (kah KOW) tree was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The pods of this tree contain seeds that can be processed into chocolate. The story of how chocolate grew from a local Mesoamerican beverage into a global sweet encompasses many cultures and continents.
The first people known to have made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various seasonings to make a spicy, frothy drink.
Later, the Spanish conquistadors brought the seeds back home to Spain, where new recipes were created. Eventually, and the drink’s popularity spread throughout Europe. Since then, new technologies and innovations have changed the texture and taste of chocolate, but it still remains one of the world’s favorite flavors.
Chocolate’s Roots in Ancient Mesoamerica
We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet candy created during modern times. But actually, chocolate dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who drank chocolate as a bitter beverage.
For these people, chocolate wasn’t just a favorite food—it also played an important role in their religious and social lives.
The ancient Maya grew cacao and made it into a beverage.
The first people clearly known to have discovered the secret of cacao were the Classic Period Maya (250-900 C.E. [A.D.]). The Maya and their ancestors in Mesoamerica took the tree from the rainforest and grew it in their own backyards, where they harvested, fermented, roasted, and ground the seeds into a paste.
When mixed with water, chile peppers, cornmeal, and other ingredients, this paste made a frothy, spicy chocolate drink.
The Aztecs adopted cacao.
By 1400, the Aztec empire dominated a sizeable segment of Mesoamerica. The Aztecs traded with Maya and other peoples for cacao and often required that citizens and conquered peoples pay their tribute in cacao seeds—a form of Aztec money.
Like the earlier Maya, the Aztecs also consumed their bitter chocolate drink seasoned with spices—sugar was an agricultural product unavailable to the ancient Mesoamericans.
Drinking chocolate was an important part of Maya and Aztec life.
Many people in Classic Period Maya society could drink chocolate at least on occasion, although it was a particularly favored beverage for royalty. But in Aztec society, primarily rulers, priests, decorated soldiers, and honored merchants could partake of this sacred brew.
Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events. Priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies.
Until the 1500s, no one in Europe knew anything at all about the delicious drink that would later become a huge hit worldwide. Spain’s search for a route to riches led its explorers to the Americas and introduced them to chocolate’s delicious flavor.
Eventually, the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs made it possible to import chocolate back home, where it quickly became a court favorite. And within 100 years, the love of chocolate spread throughout the rest of Europe.
For hundreds of years, the chocolate-making process remained relatively unaltered. But by the mid 1700s, the blossoming Industrial Revolution saw the emergence of innovations that changed the future of chocolate.
A steady stream of new inventions and advertising helped set the stage for solid chocolate candy to become the globally favored sweet it is today
At a Glance: The History of Chocolate…The tasty secret of the cacao (kah KOW) tree was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The pods of this tree contain seeds that can be processed into chocolate. The story of how chocolate grew from a local Mesoamerican beverage into a global sweet encompasses many cultures and continents.
The first people known to have made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various seasonings to make a spicy, frothy drink.
Later, the Spanish conquistadors brought the seeds back home to Spain, where new recipes were created. Eventually, and the drink’s popularity spread throughout Europe. Since then, new technologies and innovations have changed the texture and taste of chocolate, but it still remains one of the world’s favorite flavors.
Chocolate’s Roots in Ancient Mesoamerica
We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet candy created during modern times. But actually, chocolate dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who drank chocolate as a bitter beverage.
For these people, chocolate wasn’t just a favorite food—it also played an important role in their religious and social lives.
The ancient Maya grew cacao and made it into a beverage.
The first people clearly known to have discovered the secret of cacao were the Classic Period Maya (250-900 C.E. [A.D.]). The Maya and their ancestors in Mesoamerica took the tree from the rainforest and grew it in their own backyards, where they harvested, fermented, roasted, and ground the seeds into a paste.
When mixed with water, chile peppers, cornmeal, and other ingredients, this paste made a frothy, spicy chocolate drink.
The Aztecs adopted cacao.
By 1400, the Aztec empire dominated a sizeable segment of Mesoamerica. The Aztecs traded with Maya and other peoples for cacao and often required that citizens and conquered peoples pay their tribute in cacao seeds—a form of Aztec money.
Like the earlier Maya, the Aztecs also consumed their bitter chocolate drink seasoned with spices—sugar was an agricultural product unavailable to the ancient Mesoamericans.
Drinking chocolate was an important part of Maya and Aztec life.
Many people in Classic Period Maya society could drink chocolate at least on occasion, although it was a particularly favored beverage for royalty. But in Aztec society, primarily rulers, priests, decorated soldiers, and honored merchants could partake of this sacred brew.
Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events. Priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies.
Until the 1500s, no one in Europe knew anything at all about the delicious drink that would later become a huge hit worldwide. Spain’s search for a route to riches led its explorers to the Americas and introduced them to chocolate’s delicious flavor.
Eventually, the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs made it possible to import chocolate back home, where it quickly became a court favorite. And within 100 years, the love of chocolate spread throughout the rest of Europe.
For hundreds of years, the chocolate-making process remained relatively unaltered. But by the mid 1700s, the blossoming Industrial Revolution saw the emergence of innovations that changed the future of chocolate.
A steady stream of new inventions and advertising helped set the stage for solid chocolate candy to become the globally favored sweet it is today
Monday, February 8, 2010
History of Valentine's Day
History of Valentine’s Day
Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.
The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine's Day — should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.
In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)
Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace
Look forward to Seeing you at Sweet Night Out....Praying for you ladies
Love
Amanda
Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.
The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine's Day — should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.
In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)
Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace
Look forward to Seeing you at Sweet Night Out....Praying for you ladies
Love
Amanda
Sunday, January 31, 2010
A Sweet Night Out
Ladies Don't Miss our Feb. meeting and we look forward to learning to taste chocolate and hear from our speaker; Charlotte Singletary Remember to keep posting to win a door prize!
February Biography: Charlotte Singletary
Charlotte Singletary is the current secretary for our church and she does a wonderful job and keeping all that organized as well as keeping everything ready for Glow announcements. Her favorite color is black and she loves working in her yard and on her 108 year old home. She also enjoys golfing, gardening, and going to church!
Her favorite Verse is Jeremiah 29:11 and she came to know Christ at the age of 12 at a church revival. She is married to Larry and has 2 daughters, Whitney, Brandy, and Lara. She also has 3 wonderful grandchildren.
The most interesting thing about her is that she donated a kidney to her sister and in her words, "It was the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life!!!"
Her favorite food is Mexican and she currently works for Prevent Blindness Oklahoma as a vision Screener. Learn more about Charlotte as she teaches us this month at GLOW!
Her favorite Verse is Jeremiah 29:11 and she came to know Christ at the age of 12 at a church revival. She is married to Larry and has 2 daughters, Whitney, Brandy, and Lara. She also has 3 wonderful grandchildren.
The most interesting thing about her is that she donated a kidney to her sister and in her words, "It was the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life!!!"
Her favorite food is Mexican and she currently works for Prevent Blindness Oklahoma as a vision Screener. Learn more about Charlotte as she teaches us this month at GLOW!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
People Group of the Month
The Koreans of North Korea
The Koreans of North and South Korea share distinctive Mongolian features and are believed to have descended from a single racial group. Korean is the national language of both countries. Many Korean words have Chinese roots due to centuries of diplomatic relations. The Korean writing system uses 26 phonetic symbols.
Officially, the North Korean Constitution gives political power to the people. However, real political power belongs to the Communist Party. The constitution guarantees such rights as freedom of the press, religion, and speech; however, the 23.6 million Korean in North Korea have very little freedom in those areas. For instance, all radio and television broadcasts are strictly controlled by the Korean Central Broadcast Committee. All privately owned radios are "preset" to the government frequency. Current news is often withheld from the public, or even altered. The people often do not learn of news events until weeks, months, or even years after they occurred.
What Are Their Lives Like?
Before the 1900's, Korea was an agricultural society with strong family ties. Almost all the people lived in small villages and worked on farms. However, since the late 1940's, the Communists have taken steps to industrialize the country. Today, most urban North Korean work in factories, while those in rural areas continue working on farms.
Arranged marriages are still popular in rural villages. However, a growing number of urban Korean now choose their own mates. Marital bonds have been so strong in the past that divorce was infrequent-even unthinkable. Today, however, the divorce rate among the educated urban Korean is steadily increasing; divorce is no longer a disgrace.
Education for the Korean is free and mandatory for the first 11 years. (This includes a year of preschool.) Students must have Communist Party approval to continue their education after the tenth grade. During their summer vacations, students must work for the state.
In North Korea, the government controls all aspects of Korean life. Most forms of entertainment are supported and controlled by the government. Even the work of artists is restricted. Anything that conflicts with Communist principles is forbidden.
The North Koreans eat mostly rice, occasionally supplemented by fish, vegetables, or fruit. The national dish is kimchi, a highly spiced mixture of Chinese cabbage, white radishes, and various other vegetables.
What are their beliefs?
A mixture of Confucian thought, Buddhism, and shamanism (belief in an unseen world of gods, demons, and ancestral spirits) were previously dominant among the Korean, but have been officially repressed since 1945. The former North Korean ruler, Kim Il Sung, was held in high regard and worshipped by the Korean. He was presented as omniscient and omnipresent. The new regime under Kim Il Jong is as oppressive as the former. However, it is not yet known whether the people have to worship the new ruler.
Although religious freedom is technically guaranteed by the North Korean government, religious activity is strongly discouraged.
The Korean believe that deceased family members remain within the family circle, in spiritual form. For this reason, the most important concern of the family is to produce a male heir to carry on the family line. He is called on to perform ancestral rituals in the household and at the family grave site.
What are their needs?
After severe flooding in North Korea, there has been an acute food shortage in many areas. Some people have even been forced to eat grass and roots to survive. They need to be introduced to the One who is able to supply all of their needs.
Politically, North Korea is one of the most highly controlled societies in the world. The government has officially decided against Christianity and the Gospel for the entire nation. The North Korean are in need of political and spiritual freedom.
Prayer Points
Pray that laws in North Korea that restrict the preaching of the Gospel will be changed.
Ask God to create an openness to Christianity within the hearts of the Korean.
Pray that the doors of North Korea will soon be open to Christian missionaries.
Pray that God will send His Spirit to convict the Korean of their need for the Savior.
Ask the Lord to protect, strengthen, and encourage the small number of Koran Christians.
Pray that God will give these believers opportunities to share the love of Jesus with their own people.
Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that have kept the Korean bound for many generations.
Ask God to raise up strong local churches among the Korean of North Korea.
Women's Resource Center
Ladies,
I just wanted to let you know that Lydia and I delivered all the things you brought to the women's resource center and they were sooo appreciative. The non-profit world is really suffering and the items were very much needed. I appreciate all of you who brought things and though it may have seemed small it is truly a blessing to hurting women in our area.
I just wanted to let you know that Lydia and I delivered all the things you brought to the women's resource center and they were sooo appreciative. The non-profit world is really suffering and the items were very much needed. I appreciate all of you who brought things and though it may have seemed small it is truly a blessing to hurting women in our area.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
A New Year
Ladies, I am so excited to start a new year getting to know each of you better. We have exciting things in store and I just wanted to remind you that we will have January's Meeting on January 19th at 7pm at the church. Our Theme this month is "GAME NITE" we will have a great devotion and will be learning new games and eating lots of gourmet popcorn and coke!
I hope it will be a time of sharing...Hey by the way have any of you made those new year's resolutions? We would love to have you share those or tell us about last year's failures or sucesses? Look forward to seeing you and hang in there for an awesome Feburary as well.
Blessings
Amanda
I hope it will be a time of sharing...Hey by the way have any of you made those new year's resolutions? We would love to have you share those or tell us about last year's failures or sucesses? Look forward to seeing you and hang in there for an awesome Feburary as well.
Blessings
Amanda
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