Three of My Favorite Christmas Photos

Mike and I with Cesar. It was a gift of God that Cesar Carranza surprised us with a visit for the two days before Christmas. Mike met Cesar in the gym in Quito, led him to the Lord, and Cesar was a vital part of the church in Quito for the year he lived there.

Mike and I on Christmas day. We had the elders from the church and their families over for an Italian feast and time in the pool. It was chaotic, which is the way we like it. We try to stay super-busy to cope with missing all of you.

Johnny is a man in our church with Down's Syndrome and a pigmentation problem. Here we are singing I've Got Peace Like a River during the praise-sing-along-kareoke time after the church supper.

Prisoner of War

The other night, Mike and I watched the movie Rescue Dawn. Much to my surprise the movie was about a story that I know - and know well. It is the story of my friends' brother, Eugene DeBruin. Steve and Doug grew up with Todd DeBruin, Eugene's nephew. Eugene was a cargo "kicker" for the CIA's airline, Air America. They were delivering rice and buffalo meat to the Laotians when their plane went down and they were taken captive by the Pathet Lao.

The movie twists what really happened and makes a hero of one of the men and makes Eugene look like a selfish, spaced-out person, contrary to reality.

His brother, Jerry DeBruin - who is my friend, has done everything he can to get his brother out of Laos all these many years later. There is compelling evidence that Eugene was still a prisoner 20 years after being taken captive and the family has some hope that he is still alive 44 years after he was shot down.

What really hit me though, is that we also have family members who are prisoners of war. Satan has taken them captive. And this movie has motivated me to stop feeling hopeless and to do everything I can - as Jerry has done - to secure freedom for them. I am motivated to battle in prayer. Will you pray with me?

New Book

Christmas vacation has me starting a new book - an expanded version of the book No Fear I made for you guys last Christmas. I love to write and I love to study God's Word, so it's a great combination for me.

Today I was studying one of my favorite Scriptures: Matt 11:28-30 28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

The first time the word "rest" is used it means to rest, to recreate, to refresh. For me, it brings up visions of strolling in the mountains. For you, perhaps lying by the ocean or even taking a long hot shower without being bothered.

The second time the word "rest" is used it means to be tranquil in the midst of your activities. It's the difference between singing while you cook dinner and slamming around irritably. He promises this rest if we: 1) Come to Him, 2) Take his yoke upon us, and 3) Learn from Him.

Christmas Morning Egg Casserole

This is the casserole that Steve cooked for his family their first Christmas and put in too much salt. It's also the casserole that I made every Christmas morning. I usually doubled it and put it in a larger pan.

7 slices white bread
2 packages (4 oz. each) shredded Cheddar cheese
6 eggs
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 strips bacon, cut in half (although I think I usually cut them up more and used more bacon)

Mix cheese and crumbled up bread in bottom of greased 7 1/2 inch x 12 inch baking dish. Beat eggs, milk, and seasonings together and pour over bread and cheese mixture. Lay bacon on top. Refrigerate covered overnight. Next morning, bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes. Serve right away.

And Receiving the Best Easy Breakfast Award...

From Real Simple magazine, our new favorite Sunday breakfast: Red Pepper Frittata Squares. I made this on Sunday and served it for breakfast with a fruit salad with fresh basil snipped on top, and served it for lunch with sliced tomatoes. We loved it and so did our company.

Heat oven to 400 - make in oven proof nonstick skillet. (I chanced it with mine and it didn't melt.)
Chop 1 onion.
Chop 2 red or green peppers.
Saute in 2 T olive oil until soft.
Whisk 10 eggs, salt and pepper, pour over top of vegetables and stir once
Crumble 4 oz goat cheese on top.
Transfer to oven and bake until the center is set 18 to 20 minutes.
Can be served hot, warm, or room temperature.

Thai Chicken Soup

This is soooo absolutely delicious. We like serving this for company or eating it day after day until we're almost sick of it. Once you get used to making it, you can throw it together in 15 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 stalks lemon grass , tough outer leaves removed, bottom 5 inches halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise (or a dash of lemon juice)
3 large shallots , chopped
8 sprigs fresh cilantro leaves , chopped coarse
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
4 cups chicken broth
2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk, well-shaken
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 pound white mushrooms , cleaned, stems trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 pound boneless, skinkess chicken breasts, halved lengthwise and sliced on bias into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice from 2 to 3 limes (or lime or lemon juice)
2 teaspoons red curry paste (Thai)

Instructions
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until just shimmering. Add lemon grass, shallots, cilantro, and 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce; cook, stirring frequently, until just softened, 2 to 5 minutes (vegetables should not brown). Stir in chicken broth and 1 can coconut milk; bring to simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until flavors have blended, 10 minutes. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer and discard solids in strainer. Rinse saucepan and return broth mixture to pan.
2. Return pan to medium-high heat. Stir remaining can coconut milk and sugar into broth mixture and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium, add mushrooms, and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until no longer pink, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove soup from heat.
3. Combine lime juice, curry paste, and remaining 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce in small bowl; stir into soup.

Aren't you glad God doesn't give report cards?

In a few minutes I'm running over to my school to work on report cards. That's how I'll be spending my weekend. (My self-pity runneth over, can you tell?)

But it got me to thinking, aren't you glad God doesn't give report cards? At least not the kind I have to give where I have a record of every badly done assignment, every missing one, as well as the well-done work.

Reread Romans 4 when you have a minute and remind yourself that what God keeps track of is everytime we act in faith. He operates with us through grace and so our report card with him is all A's. All the time. God is FOR us.

The Perfect Recipe When Craving Something Healthy During the Holidays

OK. This is the super-fastest, healthiest recipe ever. When I am low on time and high on sugar, I dump this together in a bowl and eat it the next three days for lunch. It's adapted from an Italian Bread Salad, so you can feel perfectly justified to throw some hunks of bread in the bowl to sop up the liquid.

1 large can diced tomatoes
chopped onion to taste
1 jar roasted peppers drained (can be left out) or chop up green or red peppers
garlic if desired
1 jar olives drained - I like green olives for this and if I'm in a hurry, I throw them in whole.

Dressing
2 T vinegar - I like balsamic
3 - 4 T oil - olive oil is best
pepper and some dried oregano or Italian seasoning

And there you are!