Thursday, October 29, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
The Tablecloth
Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. T hey worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. O n December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.His heart sank when he saw that the roof hadleaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity, so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church. B y this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. T hen he noticed the woman walking down the centeraisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to checkthe lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted intoit there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria. T he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria . When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured, sent to prison and she never saw her husband or her home again. T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;but she made the pastor keep it for the church.The pastor insisted on driving her home. Thatwas the least he could do. She lived on the otherside of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.W hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike? H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested andput in a prison. He never saw his wife or his homeagain all the 35 years between. T he pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. H e helped the man climb the three flights ofstairs to the woman's apartment, knocked onthe door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid who says God does work in mysterious ways.I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today, to guide you and protect you as you go along your way. His love is always with you. His promises are true, and when we give Him all our cares we know He will see us through. S o when the road you're traveling seems difficult at best, just remember I'm here praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on to those you want God to bless and remember to send it back to the one who asked God to bless you first. W hen there is nothing left but God, that is whenyou find out that God is all you need Take 60seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simplysay the following small prayer for the person who sent this to you.Father, G od, bless all my friends and family in what ever it is that You know they may be needing this day! May their lives be full of Your peace, prosperity and power as they seek to have a closer relationship with You. Amen. T hen send it on to five other people, including the one who sent it to you. Within hours five people have prayed for you and you caused a multitude of people to pray for other people. Then, sit back and watch the power of God work in your life. P. S. Five is good, but more is better
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo
Monday, March 23, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Layered Mocha Cheesecake
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- FILLING:
- 2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
- GLAZE:
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Chocolate-covered coffee beans, optional
Directions:
Combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan. In a small bowl, combine the coffee granules, water and cinnamon; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into one portion; pour over crust. Stir coffee mixture into the remaining batter; spoon over chocolate layer.
Place pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 16 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan. Place in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
Bake at 325° for 45-50 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter; stir until smooth. Spread over cheesecake. Remove sides of pan. Garnish with coffee beans if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 16 servings.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
papertreasures.net
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Twilight
I have become very obsessed with this series I have read all the books, I have the movie reserved already for pick up on the 21st of March. I have never been this crazy about a series of books before but they are so awesome I recommend them very highly to everyone out there.