I have read all the posts and you are all in my prayers. I have to work tomorrow but will try to catch up over the week-end.

Thank you Aunt Sue for remembering me! on the 27th.

Wow Thanks EZMoney! That sounds wonderful! I am going to try it!

Good Morning!
 

I love Saturdays! I've already tidied up my house - just have the bathroom to do. Dh and I will go out later to do a bit of shopping and then I have to bake some muffins for the week. I do banana chocolate chip for my guys and bran blueberry for me.

I've been enjoying reading the posts and I must admit it has driven me to study my Bible more. Thank you for that!

Gary: We are very proud of our men's curling team. GOLD! We are REALLY proud of our Cindy Klassen who has already won 4 medals and has a chance to win a fifth.

We were really disappointed in our men's hockey team. I guess it means the Europeans have really picked up their game which is great. We won't take winning for granted anymore!

I printed your recipe. I'm definitely going to try it. I'm making chicken a L'Orange tonight. It's a new recipe and if we like it I'll give it to you.


I've been reading everyone's posts and have you in my prayers. I just don't have time today to address everyone.

Have a great day!

Journal for February 25, 2006
 

Be honest with God about any area of yourlife in which you are followng the pattern of this world through what you read or watch or what you do. Ask Him to help you desire His will in everything that concerns you.

Tonight I am going to a potluck at church so of course that is a "test." I do NOT intend to blow it!! But would certainly appreciate everyone's prayers. It is at 6 PM Pacific time!!

Thanks!!!!!

Dance

Grace
 

HI GALS~:wave:

I am home this morning drinking my :coffee: while Angie is out running with the dogs. We went to church last night , the sermon was on the Transfiguration of Christ.

I had a discussion with a friend of mine yesterday at work, he is just getting back into church after 35 years. He was asking the same thing a few of you did last week, in our baptism discussion, about "those in Africa or other remote places that never hear the word". I was looking through the Lutheran doctrine this morning to see what I could give him to help answer his questions. I came up with this (#37) ~



Of the Election of Grace
(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, N.D.)
[Adopted 1932]

35. By the election of grace we mean this truth, that all those who by the grace of God alone, for Christ's sake, through the means of grace, are brought to faith, are justified, sanctified, and preserved in faith here in time, that all these have already from eternity been endowed by God with faith, justification, sanctification, and preservation in faith, and this for the same reason, namely, by grace alone, for Christ's sake, and by way of the means of grace. That this is the doctrine of the Holy Scripture is evident from Eph. 1:3-7; 2 Thess. 2:13, 14; Acts 13:48; Rom. 8:28-30; 2 Tim. 1:9; Matt. 24:22-24 (cp. Form. of Conc. Triglot, p. 1065, Paragraphs 5, 8, 23; M., p. 705).

36. Accordingly we reject as an anti-Scriptural error the doctrine that not alone the grace of God and the merit of Christ are the cause of the election of grace, but that God has, in addition, found or regarded something good in us which prompted or caused Him to elect us, this being variously designated as "good works," "right conduct," "proper self-determination," "refraining from willful resistance," etc. Nor does Holy Scripture know of an election "by foreseen faith," "in view of faith," as though the faith of the elect were to be placed before their election; but according to Scripture the faith which the elect have in time belongs to the spiritual blessings with which God has endowed them by His eternal election. For Scripture teaches Acts 13:48: "And as many as were ordained unto eternal life believed." Our Lutheran Confession also testifies (Triglot, p. 1065, Paragraph 8; M. p. 705): "The eternal election of God however, not only foresees and foreknows the salvation of the elect, but is also, from the gracious will and pleasure of God in Christ Jesus, a cause which procures, works, helps, and promotes our salvation and what pertains thereto; and upon this our salvation is so founded that the gates of **** cannot prevail against it, Matt. 16:18, as is written John 10:28: `Neither shall any man pluck My sheep out of My hand'; and again, Acts 13:48: `And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.."'

37. But as earnestly as we maintain that there is an election of grace, or a predestination to salvation, so decidedly do we teach, on the other hand, that there is no election of wrath, or predestination to damnation. Scripture plainly reveals the truth that the love of God for the world of lost sinners is universal, that is, that it embraces all men without exception, that Christ has fully reconciled all men unto God, and that God earnestly desires to bring all men to faith, to preserve them therein, and thus to save them, as Scripture testifies, 1 Tim. 2:4: "God will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." No man is lost because God has predestined him to eternal damnation. -- Eternal election is a cause why the elect are brought to faith in time, Acts 13:48; but election is not a cause why men remain unbelievers when they hear the Word of God. The reason assigned by Scripture for this sad fact is that these men judge themselves unworthy of everlasting life, putting the Word of God from them and obstinately resisting the Holy Ghost, whose earnest will it is to bring also them to repentance and faith by means of the Word, Act 13:46; 7:51; Matt. 23:37.

38. To be sure, it is necessary to observe the Scriptural distinction between the election of grace and the universal will of grace. This universal gracious will of God embraces all men; the election of grace, however, does not embrace all, but only a definite number, whom "God hath from the beginning chosen to salvation," 2 Thess. 2:13, the "remnant," the "seed" which "the Lord left," Rom. 9:27- 29, the "election," Rom. 11:7; and while the universal will of grace is frustrated in the case of most men, Matt. 22:14; Luke 7:30, the election of grace attains its end with all whom it embraces, Rom. 8:28-30. Scripture, however, while distinguishing between the universal will of grace and the election of grace, does not place the two in opposition to each other. On the contrary, it teaches that the grace dealing with those who are lost is altogether earnest and fully efficacious for conversion. Blind reason indeed declares these two truths to be contradictory; but we impose silence on our reason. The seeming disharmony will disappear in the light of heaven, 1 Cor. 13:12.

39. Furthermore, by election of grace, Scripture does not mean that one part of God's counsel of salvation according to which He will receive into heaven those who persevere in faith unto the end, but, on the contrary, Scripture means this, that God, before the foundation of the world, from pure grace, because of the redemption of Christ, has chosen for His own a definite number of persons out of the corrupt mass and has determined to bring them through Word and Sacrament, to faith and salvation.

40. Christians can and should be assured of their eternal election. This is evident from the fact that Scripture addresses them as the chosen ones and comforts them with their election, Eph. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13. This assurance of one's personal election, however, springs only from faith in the Gospel, from the assurance that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; on the contrary, through the life, suffering, and death of His Son He fully reconciled the whole world of sinners unto Himself. Faith in this truth leaves no room for the fear that God might still harbor thoughts of wrath and damnation concerning us. Scripture inculcates that in Rom. 8:32, 33: "He that spared not His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." Luther's pastoral advice is therefore in accord with Scripture: "Gaze upon the wounds of Christ and the blood shed for you; there predestination will shine forth." (St. Louis ed., II, 181; on Gen. 26:9) That the Christian obtains the personal assurance of his eternal election in this way is taught also by our Lutheran Confessions (Formula of Concord, Triglot, p. 1071, Paragraph 26, M. 709): "Of this we should not judge according to our reason nor according to the Law or from any external appearance. Neither should we attempt to investigate the secret, concealed abyss of divine predestination, but should give heed to the revealed will of God. For He has made known unto us the mystery of His will and made it manifest through Christ that it might be preached, Eph. 1:9ff.; 2 Tim. 1:9f." -- In order to insure the proper method of viewing eternal election and the Christian's assurance of it, the Lutheran Confessions set forth at length the principle that election is not to be considered "in a bare manner (nude), as though God only held a muster, thus: `This one shall be saved, that one shall be damned"' (Formula of Concord, Triglot, p. 1065, Paragraph 9; M., p. 706); but "the Scriptures teach this doctrine in no other way than to direct us thereby to the Word, Eph. 1:13; 1 Cor. 1:7; exhort to repentance, 2 Tim. 3:16; urge to godliness, Eph. 1:14; John 15:3; strengthen faith and assure us of our salvation, Eph. 1:13; John 10:27f.; 2 Thess. 2:13f." (Formula of Concord, Triglot, p. 1067, Paragraph 12; M., p. 707). -- To sum up, just as God in time draws the Christian unto Himself through the Gospel, so He has already in His eternal election endowed them with "sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth," 2 Thess. 2:13. Therefore: If, by the grace of God, you believe in the Gospel of the forgiveness of your sins for Christ's sake, you are to be certain that you also belong to the number of God's elect, even as Scripture, 2 Thess. 2:13, addresses the believing Thessalonians as the chosen of God and gives thanks to God for their election.


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Some thoughts
 

Some thoughts
 

Was just reading in Genesis re Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel and Seth.

This is the verses that got me thinking:
Genesis 4;16-17 So Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cainwas then building a city and he named it after his son, Enoch.

I have been asked this, as I am sure all Christians have, where did Cain's wife come from.

My understanding is that ALL humans came from Adam and Eve - therefore Cain's wife would have been a 'sibling.'

Then the question comes up - Cain moves to Nod and it is there that 'his wife' becomes pregnant. So is his wife from 'Nod'

I was searching on the internet and found a very good article on this - and am going to put it up here - it is LONG but worth the reading - I found it made sense.

After reading the article, any comments?

We don't even know her name, yet she was discussed at the Scopes trial, mentioned in the play and movie Inherit the Wind[1] and the book and movie Contact,[2] and has been talked about in countries all over the world. Is she the most-talked-about wife in history?

Skeptics have used Cain's wife time and again to try to discredit the Book of Genesis as a true historical record. Sadly, most Christians have not been able to give an adequate answer to this question. As a result, the world thinks Christians cannot defend the authority of Scripture and, thus, the Christian faith.

For instance, at the historic Scopes trial in Tennessee in 1925, William Jennings Bryan, the prosecutor who stood for the Christian faith, failed to answer the question about Cain's wife posed by the outspokenly anti-Christian ACLU[3] lawyer Clarence Darrow.[4]

The world's press was focused on this trial, and what they heard has affected Christianity to this day -- Christians are seen as unable to defend the biblical record. And skeptics then make the logically fallacious jump of concluding that the biblical record is indefensible!

The agnostic Carl Sagan used this same question in his book Contact[5] (which was on The New York Times best-seller list), and the movie Contact, which was based on Sagan's book, also used it.

In the book, the fictional character Ellie could not get answers about Cain's wife, and other questions, from a minister's wife, who was the leader of a church discussion group.[6]

Sagan cleverly used common questions -- such as "Who was Cain's wife?" -- questions that are often directed at Christians in an attempt to prove the Bible cannot be defended.

Sadly, most Christians probably could not answer these questions! And yet, there are answers. But, since most churches are lacking in the teaching of apologetics,[7] particularly in regard to the Book of Genesis, most believers in the church are not "ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope in you" (1 Peter 3:15).

Why Is It Important?

Many skeptics have claimed that, for Cain to find a wife, there must have been other "races" of people on the earth who were not descendants of Adam and Eve. To many people, this question is a stumbling block to accepting the creation account in Genesis and its record of only one man and woman at the beginning of history -- a record on which many Old and New Testament doctrines depend.

Defenders of the gospel must be able to show that all human beings are descendants of one man and one woman (Adam and Eve) -- as only those people who are descendants of Adam and Eve can be saved. Thus, believers need to be able to account for Cain's wife and show clearly that she was a descendant of Adam and Eve. (The relevant Bible passage is Genesis 4:1-5:5.)

Before we answer this question, we will first show how important it is to the meaning of the gospel.


The First Man

Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed on all men inasmuch as all sinned (Romans 5:12).

We read in 1 Corinthians 15:45 that Adam was "the first man." God did not start by making a whole group of men.

The Bible makes it clear that only the descendants of Adam can be saved. Romans 5 teaches that we sin because Adam sinned. The death penalty, which Adam received as judgment for his sin of rebellion, also passed on to all his descendants.

Since Adam was the head of the human race when he "fell," we who were in the loins of Adam "fell" also. Thus, we are all separated from God. The final consequence of sin would be separation from God in our sinful state forever. However, the good news is that there is a way for us to return to God!

Because a man brought sin and death into the world, all the descendants of Adam need a sinless Man to pay the penalty for sin and the resulting judgment of death. However, the Bible teaches that "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23). What is the solution?


The Last Adam

God provided the solution -- a way to deliver man from his wretched state. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15 that God provided another Adam! The Son of God took on a human nature in addition to His full divinity, becoming a perfect God-man -- Jesus Christ. In His humanity He was a descendant of Adam (through Noah, Abraham and David) -- He thus became our relation! He is called "the last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45), because he took the place of the first Adam. He became the new head and, because he was sinless, He was able to pay the penalty for sin:

For since by a man came death, by a man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).[8]


Christ suffered death (the penalty for sin) on the cross, shedding his blood ("without shedding of blood is no remission" Hebrews 9:22) so that those who repent of their sin of rebellion and put their trust in His work on the cross can be reconciled to God.

Since the Bible describes all human beings as sinners, except the God-Man Jesus, and we are all related ("And He has made all nations of men of one blood to dwell on all the face of the earth" Acts 17:26), the gospel makes sense only on the basis that all humans alive and all who have ever lived are descendants of the first man Adam.[9] If this were not so, then the gospel could not be explained or defended.

The Book of Hebrews amplifies how Jesus took upon himself the nature of a man to save mankind (Hebrews 2:11-18).

Thus, only descendants of the first man Adam can be saved.

All Related

Thus, there was only one man at the beginning -- made from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7).

This also means that Cain's wife was a descendant of Adam. She could not have come from another "race" of people and must be one of Adam's descendants.


The First Woman

In Genesis 3:20 we read, "And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living."[10] In other words, all people are descendants of Adam and Eve -- she was the first woman.

Eve was made from Adam's rib (or side) (Genesis 2:21-24) -- this was a unique event. Jesus (Matthew 19:4-6) and Paul (Ephesians 5:31) use this historical and one-time event as the doctrinal foundation for the marriage of one man to one woman.

Also, in Genesis 2:20, we are told that when Adam looked at the animals, he could not find a mate -- there was no one of his kind.

All this makes it obvious that there was only one woman, Adam's wife, at the beginning. There were never any other women around who were not Eve's descendants.

If Christians cannot defend that all humans (including Cain's wife) can trace their ancestry ultimately to Adam and Eve, then how can they understand and explain the gospel? How can they justify sending missionaries to every tribe and nation? Therefore, one needs to be able to answer the question about Cain's wife, to illustrate that Christians can defend the gospel and all that it teaches.

Cain's Brothers and Sisters

Cain was the first child of Adam and Eve recorded in Scripture (Genesis 4:1). His brothers, Abel (Genesis 4:2) and Seth (Genesis 4:25), were part of the first generation of children ever born on this earth.

Even though only these three males are mentioned by name, Adam and Eve had other children. In Genesis 5:4 a statement sums up the life of Adam and Eve -- "And the days of Adam after he had fathered Seth were eight hundred years. And he fathered sons and daughters." This does not say when they were born. Many could have been born in the 130 years (Genesis 5:3) before Seth was born.

During their lives, Adam and Eve had a number of male and female children. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that, "The number of Adam's children, as says the old tradition, was thirty-three sons and twenty-three daughters."[11]

The Bible does not tell us how many children were born to Adam and Eve. However, considering their long life spans (Adam lived for 930 years -- Genesis 5:5), it would seem reasonable to suggest there were many! Remember, They were commanded to "Be fruitful, and multiply" (Genesis 1:28).

The Wife

If we now work totally from Scripture, without any personal prejudices or other extra-biblical ideas, then back at the beginning, when there was only the first generation, brothers would have had to have married sisters or there would be no more generations!

We are not told when Cain married or any of the details of other marriages and children, but we can say for certain that some brothers had to marry their sisters at the beginning of human history.

But what about God's Laws?

Many people immediately reject the conclusion that Adam and Eve's sons and daughters married each other by appealing to the law against brother-sister intermarriage. Some say that you cannot marry your relation. Actually, if you don't marry your relation, you don't marry a human! A wife is related to her husband even before they marry because all people are descendants of Adam and Eve — all are of "one blood." The law forbidding marriage between close relatives was not given until the time of Moses (Leviticus 18-20). Provided marriage was one man to one woman for life (based on Genesis 1 and 2), there was no disobedience to God's law originally when close relatives (even brothers and sisters) married each other.

Remember that Abraham married his half-sister (Genesis 20:12). God blessed this union to produce the Hebrew people through Isaac and Jacob. It was not until some 400 years later that God gave Moses laws that forbade such marriages.

Biological Deformities

Today, brothers and sisters (and half-brothers and half-sisters, etc.) are not permitted by law to marry because their children have an unacceptably high risk of being deformed. The more closely the parents are related, the more likely it is that any offspring will be deformed.

There is a very sound genetic reason for such laws that is easy to understand. Every person has two sets of genes, there being some 130,000 pairs that specify how a person is put together and functions. Each person inherits one gene of each pair from each parent. Unfortunately, genes today contain many mistakes (because of sin and the Curse), and these mistakes show up in a variety of ways. For instance, some people let their hair grow over their ears to hide the fact that one ear is lower than the other -- or perhaps someone's nose is not quite in the middle of his or her face, or someone's jaw is a little out of shape -- and so on. Let's face it, the main reason we call each other normal is because of our common agreement to do so!

The more distantly related parents are, the more likely it is that they will have different mistakes in their genes. Children, inheriting one set of genes from each parent, are likely to end up with pairs of genes containing a maximum of one bad gene in each pair. The good gene tends to override the bad so that a deformity (a serious one, anyway) does not occur. Instead of having totally deformed ears, for instance, a person may only have crooked ones! (Overall, though, the human race is slowly degenerating as mistakes accumulate, generation after generation.)

However, the more closely related two people are, the more likely it is that they will have similar mistakes in their genes, since these have been inherited from the same parents. Therefore, a brother and a sister are more likely to have similar mistakes in their genes. A child of a union between such siblings could inherit the same bad gene on the same gene pair from both, resulting in two bad copies of the gene and serious defects.

Adam and Eve did not have accumulated genetic mistakes. When the first two people were created, they were physically perfect. Everything God made was "very good" (Genesis 1:31), so their genes were perfect -- no mistakes! But, when sin entered the world (because of Adam -- Genesis 3:6, Romans 5:12), God cursed the world so that the perfect creation then began to degenerate, that is, suffer death and decay (Romans 8:22). Over thousands of years, this degeneration has produced all sorts of genetic mistakes in living things.

Cain was in the first generation of children ever born. He (as well as his brothers and sisters) would have have received virtually no imperfect genes from Adam or Eve, since the effects of sin and the Curse would have been minimal to start with (it takes time for these copying errors to accumulate). In that situation, brother and sister could have married with God's approval, without any potential to produce deformed offspring.

By the time of Moses (a few thousand years later), degenerative mistakes would have built up in the human race to such an extent that it was necessary for God to forbid brother-sister (and close relative) marriage (Leviticus 18-20).[12] (Also, there were plenty of people on the earth by then, and there was no reason for close relations to marry.)

Cain and the Land of Nod

Some claim that the passage in Genesis 4:16-17 means that Cain went to the land of Nod and found a wife. Thus, they can conclude there must have been another race of people on the earth, who were not descendants of Adam, who produced Cain's wife.

And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bore Enoch: and he built a city, and he called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.


From what has been stated previously, it is clear that all humans, Cain's wife included, are descendants of Adam. However, this passage does not say that Cain went to the land of Nod and found a wife. John Calvin, commenting on these verses, states:

From the context we may gather that Cain, before he slew his brother, had married a wife; otherwise Moses would now have related something respecting his marriage.[13]


Cain was married before he went to the land of Nod. He didn't find a wife there, but "knew" (had sexual relations with) his wife.[14]

Others have argued that because Cain built a "city" in the land of Nod, there must have been a lot of people there. However, the Hebrew word translated as "city" need not mean what we might imagine from the connotations of "city" today. The word meant a "walled town" or a protected encampment.[15] Even a hundred people would be plenty for such a "city." Nevertheless, there could have been many descendants of Adam on the earth by the time of Abel's death (see below).


Who Was Cain Fearful Of? (Genesis 4:14)

Some claim that there had to be lots of people on earth other than Adam and Eve's descendants, otherwise Cain would not have been fearful of people wanting to slay him for killing Abel.

First of all, in the days before civil government was instituted to punish murderers (Genesis 9:6), someone would want to harm Cain for killing Abel only if they were closely related to Abel! Strangers could hardly have cared. So the people Cain was afraid of could not have been another race of people.

Second, Cain and Abel were born quite some time before Abel's death. Genesis 4:3 states:

And in the course of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord.


Note the phrase "in the course of time." We know that Seth was born when Adam was 130 years old (Genesis 5:3), and Eve saw him as a "replacement" for Abel (Genesis 4:25). Therefore, the period from Cain's birth to Abel's death may have been 100 years or more -- allowing plenty of time for other children of Adam and Eve to marry and have children and grandchildren. By the time Abel was killed, there could well have been a considerable number of descendants of Adam and Eve, involving several generations.

Where Did the Technology Come From?

Some claim that for Cain to go to the land of Nod and build a city he would have required a lot of technology that must have already been in that land, presumably developed by other "races."

However, Adam and Eve's descendants were very intelligent people. Jubal made musical instruments such as the harp and organ (Genesis 4:21), and Tubal-Cain worked with brass and iron (Genesis 4:22).

Because of intense evolutionary indoctrination, many people today think that our generation is the most intelligent that has ever lived on this planet. But just because we have jet airplanes and computers, it does not mean that we are the most intelligent. Modern technology results from the accumulation of knowledge. We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.

Our brains have suffered from 6,000 years of the Curse (since Adam). We are greatly degenerated compared with people many generations ago. We may now be nowhere near as intelligent or inventive as Adam and Eve's children. Scripture gives us a glimpse of what appears to be great inventiveness from the beginning.[16]

Conclusion

Many Christians cannot answer the question about Cain's wife because they focus on today's world (and the problems associated with close relations marrying), and do not understand the clear historical record God has given to us.

They try to interpret Genesis from our present situation, rather than understand the true biblical history of the world and the changes that have occurred because of sin. Because they are not building their world view on Scripture, but taking a secular way of thinking to the Bible, they are blinded to the simple answers.

Genesis is the record of the God who was there as history happened. It is the word of One who knows everything, and who is a reliable witness from the past. Thus, when we use Genesis as a basis for understanding history, we can make sense of questions that would otherwise be a mystery.

[ Read more about Cain in our Bible Encyclopedia. ]

Hi!
 

Pixie- Shopping for new clothes is always fun, hope your computer is up and running soon.
Dance4joy- How did your potluck dinner go? They are usually such fun. Our church has one every Sunday evening after service.
Mavnan- Pray all goes well with selling and buying, Enjoy the time with DS and mum.
E.Z.- Yum! sounds good! Whens dinner. I have to go back and read it all again, its to early to focus. I agree that there is an elect and the only ones in that are chosen by Christ. He chose us before we chose Him. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN! HOPE YOUR DAY IS SPECIAL!
Wilma- Is that anything like duck al'orange. That's yummy Please share the recipe It is always good to study the bible, very often you find a nugget that you missed before.
I gotta work today prayers that all has an awesome day.
Godbless! Sue

Journal for today February 27, 2006
 

dance4joy -- hehe thanks! I did.. I bought a hoodie and my mom bought me two shirts:D and it was fun;).

Sue, :) thank you. The "good news" (as the guy who looked at it put it) is that my hard drive is a newer kind so it is faster and more efficient but the bad news is that it had to be sent off to be fixed/replaced so the paper I got back said it's scheduled to be completed on 03/26/06 and then has to be shipped back to me, oh well:lol:. It doesn't usually take that long so yay.

Gary, happy birthday:hug:. Hope you are having a good one! :hb:

My aunt has been diganosed with breast cancer about the size of a walnut so I ask for prayers for her please. She has a good rate of coming through it fine but we always need prayer! Thank you guys.

I have to run again but I'll be back. Prayers for all<3.

:hb: :hb: :hat: :flow1: :flow1: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GARY!!:woo: :woo: :balloons: I hope it's been a good day for you!

Pixie: My prayers are with your aunt.

Sue: The recipe is so easy and it's heart smart too. Here it is:

Chicken A L'Orange

1 6 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate, unsweetened
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. unsalted margarine (I used canola oil)
2 tbsp. Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy seasoning blend
1 large fresh orange, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 tbsp cornstarch

Mix orange juice concentrate with water and set aside.

Melt margarine in large non-stick skillet over medium heat, brown chicken breast on both sides.

Sprinkle breast with Mrs. Dash seasoning, top each with one slice of orange. Reduce heat, pour half of orange juice mixture into skillet, cover and cook, simmering for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. When done, remove chicken to serving plate, keep warm, discard orange slices.

Whisk cornstarch into remaining juice and stir mixture into skillet, cooking 1 or 2 minutes over low heat until slightly thickened.

To serve, pour sauce over chicken and garnish with remaining orange slices.


(My family loved this recipe except found the sauce too strong so I would dilute the orange concentrate a bit more than the recipe calls for.)

Sprout: HOw's the painting going? Is your house listed? I appreciate all the food for thought. challenging!!

Well, it's off to bed for me. Good Night!

Hi, all. I got some unexpected news from a friend that, I must admit, was quite surprising. They see it as a good thing, and I'm trying to - really - but it's been emotional for me. My first inclination was to pig out and good! I was going to "start my diet" tomorrow anyway, so I am giving myself today to eat some junk, but I don't want to totally overdo it. I had planned to make bran muffins with chocolate chips this morning. We all had two a piece.

After getting the news, I really felt like I need to focus on who I am and what I have more than I've been doing. I need to put a lot of time and energy into things I've let slip. Please keep me in prayer that I will do that.

I will need courage tomorrow. We'll be going to another town for my daughter's braces appointment, and even though it's just an hour away and the appointment takes only twenty minutes, we usually stay in the city and go to the big Walmart or the mall and *always* have lunch before we come home, lately at Arby's. I know if I go there looking for a salad, I won't order it - I'll go for my usual. I'm thinking maybe we should skip the shopping and the lunch and just come home. What do you think?

P.S. I'm changing my signature from Sue to sue55 because I saw there's another Sue on here. :-)

Sorry, this will be quick........
 

Prayers for everyone for good health and strength and courage to fight temptations.

Wilma and Gary Yum. Thanks for the recipes

Marilyn Awesome article. We discussed Cain and his wife in our Disciples II Bible study and talked about how Adam and Eve had many children and how Cain and his wife were probably siblings. Something that we find taboo in contemporary society, however, probably a necessity during those times as there weren't many people around.

Accomplished alot during lunch - errands, bank, paid bills and managed to eat too.

Gotta run. Have a blessed day!

Hi Sue

Actually I am Sue too so there must be three of us here... that is why I post as Dance. :)

Oh and since you asked. <G> What I think you should do is pick up your courage, to out to eat and order the salad!!! Think positive!! We can't always avoid being in places where there are temptations!! Go for it... you can do it!!

Dance aka Sue