~ There's JOY in the
Kitchen ~
~When we realize that ~
Death is not a period but a comma in the story of
life. * * * * * *
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GIVE HONOR TO
WHOM HONOR IS DUE
A Word from JoyfulArt
On Thursday morning,
January 15th at 3:23 AM the angels stood and took
notice as one of God's gracious and loving
warriors made her entrance Home. On this day, her
loving husband, Michael bid his dear wife, Judith
Robin Burns farewell as she entered the throne
room of heaven, taken out by one of the enemies
fiercest of weapons, cancer. We who are left on
this earth may weep as we adjust and grieve her
passing, and feel the emptiness of the spot she
once filled. But in Heaven the Savior's voice is
heard booming across the Golden Streets as He
greets Robin with a mighty, "Well done, thou
Good and Faithful servant!!"
You may not know this,
but each and every one of you has been touched by
the prayers of this dear Saint. It was she who
stood by our side as the fires of hell lashed
about our backs in our struggles as young Senior
Pastors. It was she who, because of her unending
intercession on my behalf sowed seeds of life
that you now enjoy as you reach out and touch
others through the ministry of Sarah's Tent.
When the news of the
disease reached Robins ear and she was scheduled
for surgery, I had a moment to speak intimately
with her. I was touched and awed at the peace
that she was walking in as she quietly said,
"I'm not afraid to die, I'm ready to see
Jesus. What I regret the most is leaving my
family behind. But, I'm at peace."
We prayed together for
her healing, and grieved when it manifested in a
way other than what we desired. Rather than
fixing up the old body parts, God recieved her
home and gave her an eternal glorified body -
much better than the old!!
"Why does God
'take' His faithful warriors home?" I've
been asked. For the first time in my life I can
honestly answer them. God does NOT 'take' loved
ones from us. He RECEIVES them into His bosom -
casualties of the continuing war on His dear
ones. Satan swore that he would kill God's
Children, and he has many weapons to do that. The
most evil of all is manifested as cancer, I truly
believe.
Cancer is a direct
manifestation of Satan himself (my opinion) - it
exists quietly, deceptively in the body, and
without warning causes the body to turn on
itself, devouring it's own organs and cells. Left
unchecked, it grows and crowds out the other
healthy organs, distorting the body and causing
horrendous pain. Sapping life from the body, it
eventually succeeds in snuffing out the life of
yet another of God's faithful intercessors and
warriors.
One of Robins greatest
heart cries was to see unity and healing brought
to the Body of Christ. Truly, first hand, she
knew of the pain our Saviour suffers when we turn
and devour one another within the Body. Gossip
and rumours that shred eachother and break hearts
is just like that cancer, so is any other hidden
sin not only in the church but in our own soul.
Deception becomes like a tumor on the nervous
system - killing any sensation of the evil
attacking it, knocking out our only warning
device and sucking the life from us.
Robin told me that she
knew that there were things she could have done
many years ago, to help combat what was now
happening in her body. She said that the Holy
Spirit had urged her to eat more nutricious food.
. . but she thought she had plenty of time to do
so. She is no different from me, or you for that
matter. How many times have I said, "Not
today Lord, tomorrow, maybe." (Think about
this from a spiritual standpoint too.)
Even though Satan may
have thought that he won this one . . . we are
notifying him of a greater victory. At Robin's
funeral, dear saints who had long since been
disconnected from one another returned to once
again greet eachother. There was a presence of
the Lord so thick you could taste it. Several
Youth received Jesus as their personal Savior and
one returned to the Lord as Robins daughter stood
to take a stand for Jesus Christ and led the way,
(Robin would have been so proud!!) Great
celebration and praise followed, and as the
casket was closed one last time, I could see
Robin in my heart turn, and wink at me, which was
so common a thing to do with her. She knew all
was well, and she was rejoicing among angels as
more names were entered into the Lambs book of
Life upon her passing.
We will miss you
terribly Robin, but we will rejoice at the growth
of the many seeds you have sown on this earth in
your brief life! Even in death you interceeded
for unity of your brothers and sisters and
empathized with the pain that your dear Saviour
feels at the divisions in His precious Body.
Thank you Robin, for your gift of life. . .
1 Cor 15:51-58
Behold, I tell you a mystery:
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will
sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed. For this corruptible
must put on incorruption, and this mortal must
put on immortality. So when this corruptible has
put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written:
"Death is swallowed up in victory."
"O Death, where is your sting? O Hades,
where is your victory?"
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of
sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in
the Lord.
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* * * * * * *
Life is not a
problem to be solved, but a gift to be enjoyed.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * *
Letter To The
Editor
Shannon,
As I read Sarah's Tent
& JITK, I am aware of the struggles we all
face with the issues of other people's
expectations of us. The following poem was God's
gift to me at one of those points in my own
journey. I was starving to death spiritually
while wrestling with a full-time seminary course
load, a struggling two-point charge, and the
issues of the institutional church. This gift
from God freed me by reminding me that my call to
serve Christ comes from God through the Holy
Spirit--NOT from the seminary, the denomination,
or the congregation.
Perhaps God will use it
to minister to other servants as well. Please
consider sharing it through Sarah's Tent &
JITK with this caveate: While the last stanza is
the comfort in time of despair, it is also the
ultimate challenge to authentic discipleship and
honest self-reflection.
Shalom--God's Peace,
Pastor Dave (dacyn@frontiernet.net)
The
Unknown Disciple
(Luke 24:13-35)
I walked the Emmaus road alone,
Cleopas by my side.
I wept o'er how three days ago,
my world, my Christ, had died.
Our dreams, our hopes, had been destroyed
when Christ was crucified.
As we walked each alone, a stranger came nigh.
We knew not whence nor why?
He asked, "My friend, what grieves you
so?"
I told him with a sigh.
Of how I'd stood unnamed....alone;
and watched Messiah die.
We walked together: I told him of
a vision seen by Mary;
of angels and the missing body;
that tomb now open, airy.
Then the stranger taught from Scripture;
Christ's death was necessary!
The day grew old, we neared our goal;
the stranger walked ahead.
We begged him eat in our family home,
I offered him my bed.
Then with nail printed hands, made known to us,
he blessed, and broke, our bread.
At last we knew, and his words rang true!
Never to be denied!
So back we ran, to find the others,
our hearts on fire inside;
with joy and peace, all our fears expelled;
by Messiah Glorified!
Near two thousand years have come and gone
o'er dusty Emmaus road.
And, tired disciples still walk along,
carrying this world's load.
Walking and praying where others walked,
tending what others sowed.
So, too, I'll walk my Emmaus road,
his peace and hope to bring.
My name the world may not remember;
my praise it should not sing.
For, all glory is of God alone;
all life comes through my King!
This life and its trials may test my heart;
weigh like a heavy stone.
Yet, as my Emmaus road I walk,
I know I'm not alone.
The Spirit's here, God hears my prayer;
by my Jesus, I am known!
David B. Herrmann
© 03 May, 1993
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* * * * * *
The Dash
By Linda Ellis
I read of a reverend who stood to speak
at the funeral of his friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning...to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth,
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own;
the cars, the house, the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard,
are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left.
(You could be at "dash mid-range.")
If we could just slow down enough
to consider what's true and real,
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life's actions to rehash...
would you be pleased with the things they say
about how you spent your dash?
submitted by: SCarva5048
For more of Linda's
Poetry click here.
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* * * * *
LETTERS PENNED
FROM FAR AWAY
This portion of the Joy
In The Kitchen newsletter is reserved for letters
from our sisters on the mission field. I
encourage you, if you are one of these faithful
few, to please write and let us know about your
country and all that you desire to share about
your life there. -----------
Greetings!
The past few weeks have
been full and exciting.
On Christmas Day we
attended worship in Kumasi. What an exciting day!
Approximately 50 deaf people came to worship the
Newborn King! Many of them were students that
were home for the holidays from the deaf schools.
We had gone to a
Christmas Eve hymn service at the hearing church.
But we ended up leaving early. The electricity
went out for about an hour - and the deaf had a
hard time seeing by candlelight and John had
problems interpreting Twi!
John recently finished
the TEE course on Preaching 1 with the
Evangelists in Kumasi. It went well. Next there
is a short course on Introduction to the Bible
and then on to the Lutheran Confessions course.
We continue to meet for training the first and
third weekends and then once during the following
week. They are eager to meet and study God's
Word. I will send a short bio and pictures for
the web site soon, so you can know who these men
are. Please keep praying for us.
The weekend of Dec.
27-28 was our weekend for going to Adomrobe. On
Saturday John conducted another class and on
Sunday we had five baptisms. Our prayers for
Adomrobe are to continue bringing up the leaders
to be confirmed and help in leading worship. And
that God will lead us to a hearing person who is
willing to go with us to teach the hearing
children of the deaf adults. We are looking for
someone who can speak their language to teach
them.
We then took a few days
off and went and saw some of the sights along the
coast. (This was our Christmas gift to
ourselves.) We drove over to Elmina. It is to the
west of Accra along the coast. There is a
Portuguese (later became Dutch) Slave Castle
there. It is one of the places where the slaves
were shipped out of Africa. Very impressive -
also somewhat disturbing to see that part of our
history.
Where we stayed
overnight was a real treat - it had air
conditioning and hot water! The restaurant was
built up on a lagoon - we had dinner &
breakfast with the crocodiles (and lots and lots
of birds).
The next day we went to
Kakum National Rain Forrest. They have a canopy
walk - you know those huge trees that you see in
National Geographic - they have seven rope
bridges strung between those huge trees - near
the top. We got to look down on the other
treetops. It is a great view of the rain forest -
as long as we didn't look down too much! This is
one of the few areas of tropical rainforest that
is left in Africa.
Then we drove back
towards Accra and stayed overnight at a seaside
resort. We got to play in the Atlantic Ocean for
a while. Found out that sand gets everywhere! We
are planning on going back there for a few days
before we leave Ghana. Our hope is that we can
stay there a few days before we get on the plane
to come b
ack to the States - you
know, put our feet up, watch the ocean and relax
for a while! We just returned from our trip north
- WOW! We spent a day driving up (it took us 2
days to drive back!). A couple of days there so
that John could observe some TEE courses being
taught to future evangelists.
John was able to meet
"John the Weaver", a deaf man who lives
in the village of Nasuan. His wife speaks
Konkumba as does his daughter, but he signs
English. They are all baptized and we are working
to help him become confirmed with his wife. There
are many deaf scattered around the villages and
hopefully we can use this process to help reach
out to them.
Worship service on
Sunday was interesting, to say the least. Instead
of an organ, they use drums. Instead of
"Lutheran" hymns they have adapted
their own songs - in their language. We even
danced around the worship area during one song.
The offering isn't taken - it is given. A basket
is placed at the front of the worship area and
the people go forward to place their offering.
Once again, accompanied with singing and dancing.
We couldn't understand a word of it - but we
loved it!
It took a while to get
to Gbintiri. On one stretch of road it took us 2
hours to go approximately 30 miles. Once we got
to the paved roads - it went a little faster.
The harmatan is bad this
year. Up north it is really bad. We were told
that this is the worst they have seen it in a
long, long time. There is dust blowing all of the
time and there is dust everywhere! They told us
that they haven't seen the sun for 2 weeks. It
almost looked like a snowstorm - only with sand.
They were even talking that it is hazy and dusty
in Accra - which is unusual.
But we are back in
Kumasi now. It is somewhat amazing to us that
this place is starting to feel like home - but
I'm not sure we will ever get totally used to it.
We have not yet heard
anything new on our visas. When we were in the
ELCG office last week we asked about our
passports. We were told they are with Immigration
- have been for several months. So, we are still
not sure when we will be back - either May 4 or
June 12 (or close to that). As of now, we don't
have any idea when we will know when we are
leaving.
We would like to take
this opportunity to thank everyone who has kept
in touch with us - via email or airmail. We truly
appreciate it! Blessings, Dacia
Dalton J. Noack
djnoack@africaonline.com.gh
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Only when we have knelt before
God, can we stand before men.
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POT LUCK!
Sourdough Bread
Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
5 1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sourdough starter at room temperature
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Preparation:
1. In a large mixer bowl, soften yeast in warm
water.
2. Blend in 2 1/2 cups flour, sourdough starter,
salt, and sugar.
3. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour and baking soda. Stir
into flour-and-yeast mixture.
4. Add enough remaining flour to make a stiff
dough.
5. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface
and knead until smooth and elastic, about five to
seven minutes.
6. Shape into ball.
7. Place in a greased bowl. Turn once.
8. Cover with thin cloth, let rise in warm place
until doubled (about 1 1/2 hours).
9. Punch down and divide in half.
10. Cover divided dough on counter with thin
cloth. Let rest 10 minutes.
11. Shape dough into two round loaves.
12. Place on lightly greased baking sheets.
13. With sharp knife, make diagonal slashes
across tops of loaves.
14. Let rise in warm place until doubled (about 1
1/2 hours).
15. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 34 to
40 minutes.
16. Remove from baking sheets and let cool on
wire racks.
Makes two loaves.
Sourdough Starter
Ingredients and Preparation:
1. Soften one package of active dry yeast into
1/2 cup warm water.
2. Stir in 2 cups warm water, 2 cups all purpose
flour, and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
3. Beat until smooth.
4. Cover bowl with light cloth. Let stand at room
temperature three to seven days, stirring once a
day. (Fermentation time depends on room
temperature. A warmer room will require less time
to ferment than a cooler room.)
5. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.
To keep starter going:
After using some starter, add the following to
remaining starter:
3/4 cup water, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1
teaspoon sugar.
Let stand at room temperature until bubbly, at
least one day. Cover and refrigerate for later
use. If not used within 10 days, add 1 teaspoon
of sugar. Repeat, adding sugar every 10 days.
More Recipes and Once-a-Month Cooking (OAMC)
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* * * * * * * *
By perseverance
the snail reached the Ark.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * *
~PRAYER ~
Please send prayer request to C.O.P.E.
Ministries
(Christians Online Praying by Email) in care of
Mama Brrr@AOL.com
DON'T FORGET TO LET THEM
KNOW YOUR PRAISE REPORTS!!
BAMPRAYER@aol.com
For special prayer JUST
for marriages. This is a ministry from Born Again
Marriages. If you would like to visit their web
page. . . click here: BAMWEB
* * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * *
For your
Exploring Pleasure,
(If you have discovered a web site that
you think others would be interested in, please
let me know, and I will put it in our newsletter.
Just click & drag the sight from your
Favorite Places and drop it into your letter.)
Pattie's Web Picks for
the Week
Y'Shua meHamashiach - I liked this site, contributed
by JoyfulArt. It's Prazwarmom's home page, which
includes a nice MIDI sound of "El
Shaddai" to serenade you as you read all
about the Jewish heritage of Christianity. I have
always enjoyed reading more about Jewish things,
and I like the novels of such Jewish writers as
Chaim Potok, so this is a page worth perusing.
There are about thirty (more if I missed them?)
links to other Jewish heritage pages around the
Web.
Prazwarmom's Prophecy Page - This site has many links to
other prophecy
pages, as well as Prazwarmom's own commentary and
poetry. This too is a
learning site, so get ready to learn about
biblical prophecy!
These sites are courtesy of the CO Newsletter,
which I receive and several of
our members have forwarded to me:
Divorce Care Home Page - For someone
who has been through the painful experience of a
divorce, knows someone who
is, or who just wants to learn about how to help
those who have, this page is
for you.
www.promisechecks.com - Have you heard of Promise
Checks? Well, neither
had I till I saw this site. They're cheaper than
the kind at the bank, and
they are a witness as well. Within the site
there's a contest to win free
checks for life!
"Checks for Life" Giveaway
So "check" it out!
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