God Has Not Promised...     

      -Annie J. Flint, 1919 

      God has not promised skies always blue,

      Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;

      God has not promised, sun without rain,

      Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

      God has not promised we shall not know

      Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;

      He has not told us, we shall not bear

      Many a burden, many a care.    

      God has not promised smooth roads and wide,

      Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;

      Never a mountain, rocky and steep,

      Never a river, turbid and deep.     

      But God has promised strength for the day,

      Rest for the labor, light for the way,

      Grace for the trials, help from above,

      Unfailing sympathy, undying love!

     

      "God will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever!" Revelation 21:4

 

"Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward." Job 5:7

"Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure." Job 14:1-2

"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows." John 16:33

 We are such strange creatures that we probably suffer more under blows which never fall upon us than we do under those which do actually come. The rod of God does not strike us as sharply as the rod of our own imagination does; our groundless fears are our chief tormentors, and when we are able to abolish our self-inflictions, all the worries of the world become light and easy.

Needless Fears

June 11, 1874 by Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

12/12/12... the last date series of three identical numbers that the current population will see. Hail, posterity!

Any Occasion Fudge Truffles

Pictured above: handmade truffles and hand-dipped white chocolate strawberries.



18 ounces (1 1/2 packages) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 8-oz package cream cheese
3 cups confectioner's sugar

Optional: 12 oz. white chocolate for dipping
Optional: chocolate candy sprinkles

Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Remove from heat. Cut cream cheese into 1-oz chunks and add to melted chocolate, stirring until blended. (It might be necessary to return the mixture to the double boiler momentarily, but beware of overheating.) When chocolate and cream cheese are well mixed and the color is consistent, add confectioner's sugar in three parts, one cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Set finished filling mixture aside to set, approximately 1 hour.

When truffle mixture has set (meaning the confectioner's sugar has soaked up enough moisture to make it semi-tacky, but not too sticky), scoop out by heaping teaspoonfuls and roll into balls. Place balls onto cookie sheet and set in refrigerator to chill overnight. (If you are short on fridge space, then allow to set longer at room temperature, until the outside edges of the truffles are no longer sticky to the touch. This could take several hours. Remove from tray with a metal spatula, place into a ziploc bag and chill overnight.)

Melt white chocolate either in a double boiler or the microwave; beware of overheating. Dunk chilled truffles into the melted chocolate and place onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Sprinkle immediately with candy sprinkles, if desired. Yield: about 3 dozen truffles.

Butter-Cookie Shortbread

10/13/2011


1 ¾ -2 cups white flour
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup white sugar.
Additional sugar for sprinkling

Mix well together and press out into 1/2” thick square on cookie sheet, approximately 8” X 10”. Bake at 350 degrees until the edges are browned and the top is covered with small bubble pockets. Remove from oven and sprinkle with additional sugar. Allow to cool. Cut into triangles and serve. Yield: about 2 dozen.

Eggnog Frappucino

16 frozen coffee cubes*
2 cups eggnog
3 tablespoons white sugar

Pour eggnog into blender; add sugar and 10 frozen coffee cubes. Pulse until ice is partially crushed. Add remaining ice cubes, pulse again for approximately 15 seconds. Blend until smooth. Yield: 1 large or 2 small frappucinos.

*Freeze leftover coffee in ice cube trays.