Thank You

Ladies,

To each and every one of you, I want to say: thank you for the countless sacrifices you have joyfully made this past year for the sake of the gospel, in the service of your husband and children, and on behalf of the church. Though your role is not as public as your husband's, your service is no less strategic and influential for the advance of the gospel and the building of the church.

"For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God...?" 1 Thessalonians 3:9

I hope you feel my gratefulness and, more importantly, the Lord's pleasure.

C.J.

The Promise of Christmas

"The incarnation is the supreme example of fulfilled prophecy, the supreme example of God’s faithfulness to his promises….

What God did when he sent his Son into the world is an absolute guarantee that he will do everything he has ever promised to do.

Look at it in a personal sense: ‘All things work together for good to them that love God’—that is a promise—‘to them who are the called according to his purpose’ (Rom. 8:28, KJV).

'But how can I know that is true for me?' asks someone.

The answer is the incarnation.

God has given the final proof that all his promises are sure, that he is faithful to everything he has ever said. So that promise is sure for you.

Whatever your state or condition may be, whatever may happen to you, he has said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’ (Heb. 13:5, KJV)—and he will not. He has said so, and we have absolute proof that he fulfills his promises.

He does not always do it immediately in the way that we think. No, no! But he does it!

And he will never fail to do it.”

D. Martyn Lloyd Jones
from Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, ed. by Nancy Guthrie

Whatever your state or condition this Christmas, may the incarnation fill you with joy, peace, and faith in the God who always keeps his promises.

Your friends at the Sovereign Grace Pastors’ Wives Blog

Christmas Help, Part 2

With only eleven days left before Christmas, many of us are busy practicing for special programs, making memories, preparing for out of town guest or finalizing travel plans, shopping, baking, decorating, wrapping, participating in or hosting parties, all while keeping up with regular life in a pastor's home. In other words, it is a busy month! Adding to last week's post, here are a few recipes and a fun group activity for anyone looking for something fun to try. We pray you are enjoying this season of "Immanuel, God with us" and the reality of God's grace in fresh ways as you focus on the birth of our dear Savior!

Cracker Candy

from Linda Teeter

Ingredients

35 soda crackers
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Place crackers in rows on foil. In a saucepan, melt butter; add the brown sugar and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes. Pour over crackers and spread until completely covered. Bake at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes (crackers will float). Remove from the oven. Turn oven off. Sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts over crackers. Return to the oven until chocolate is melted, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the oven; using a greased spatula, press walnuts into chocolate. Cut into 1 in. squares while warm. Cool completely; remove candy from foil.

This was a staple in our house when the girls were around. It was a quick and easy way to get a chocolate fix. Make sure to coat foil. We have picked this off the foil in desperation many times and usually gets put in freezer to speed up the cooling process. I'm sure it will be a Christmas treat this year if all else fails or gets eaten.

Chili for 30

from Janis Shank

6 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained

Saute the following ingredients in oil:

3 medium onions, chopped

1/2 bunch of celery, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

Add ground beef and the following (requires a very large mixing bowl or pot or you may need to divide it into two and add these ingredients divided in two for each pot)

2 TBS chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. salt or more to taste

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 TBS cocoa

1 gallon diced tomatoes with juice

1 gallon kidney or red bean with juice

Mix well and heat through

Fits in 2 crock pots

Serve with shredded cheddar, sour cream, onions or other desired toppings

React and Act!

A funny icebreaker in which players randomly select a sheet of paper that has an occurrence on it (for example, winning a million dollars in the lottery) and they must react to the occurence using animated expressions, gestures, and words. After a set amount of time, other players try to guess what happened that caused those reactions and actions.

React and Act is an active icebreaker game that can work with a variety of group sizes. It can work for small groups of five people, or adapted for very large groups by selecting volunteers. This game is best played indoors. Materials required include paper, pens, and a bag. React and Act works with all ages, including adults.

Setup for React and Act

React and Act involves some preparation; however, this is part of the fun! Pass out sheets of paper and pens to the players. Have each person write an event. Tell them to be creative! Examples of events can include:

• Being surprised by a large, aggressive bear in the woods
• You just won the lottery
• You have just been proposed for marriage with an engagement ring
• You just got fired by an incompetent boss
• Making the game winning pass to win the Superbowl
• You just fell in love

Once everyone writes an event, fold the paper once and place it into the bag. Divide the group into two teams (or select five volunteers if it is a very large group).

Instructions for How to Play

Ask five people on each team to randomly select an event from the bag. Instruct them to react to this event, without explicitly giving away what the event is. Choose a time limit (usually 30 seconds to a minute works well) and when you say “Go!”, have all five people to simultaneously react to their event using exaggerated gestures, facial expressions, and their voice.

For example, the person who has just won the lottery could raise his or her arms and scream excitedly, jumping up and down. The person who has just confronted a bear might make a terrified look, shake in fear, and call for help. And so on. Each of the five actors can interact with each other, but they must stay “in character” and continue reacting and acting based upon what their sheet said.

After time expires, the other members of the team try to guess what happened for each person. If you wish to keep score, each team gets a point for each correct guess. This game is a great way to break the ice, while watching people act out silly (and usually hilarious) things.

Christmas Help, Part 1

A helping hand is usually welcomed if you are a busy pastor's wife, especially around the holidays with the extra demands of shopping, baking, wrapping, memory making, travel, parties, practices and Christmas programs, to name a few. Though we can't hire Merry Maids to show up on your doorstep (we wish we could, as a thank you for all you do!), this week and next we are offering a few tried and true recipes and activities to help with the hospitality you may be hosting or participating in this Christmas season. We all have our favorite "go-to" recipes and traditions, but sometimes we are faced with, "What will I make this year?" or, "What can we do for fun in this gathering?" We hope this helps!

from Kimm Harvey

Holiday Meatballs (appetizer)

1 lg bag of frozen Italian style small meatballs (turkey or beef – Sam’s club)
1 or 2 pkg Lil’ Smokies (mini smoked franks)
1 can jelly or whole berry Cranberry sauce
1 jar Chili Sauce
2 T (heaping) brown sugar
3 T Dijon or any champagne mustard
1 c BBQ sauce (any flavor)

Place Meatballs in large Crockpot. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl and pour over meatballs. Cook on low for up to 8 hours or high for 6 hours. Add “Smokies” half way through cooking time. For a sweeter sauce add additional cranberry sauce. For a milder flavor add 1 can tomato soup. To serve remove meatballs from crockpot and serve on holiday platter with sauce on the side for extra dipping or simply serve from Crockpot.

from Liz Emerson
Crab Meat Dip - from my dear friend Linda Teter, the senior pastor's wife of Living Faith Church in Franklin, West Virginia. I have used this recipe many times for a Christmas open house or family Christmas Eve parties.

1 pound canned crab meat (Three - 6 oz cans canned crab meat works great- does not have to be fresh)
2 – 8 ounce cream cheese 1 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Triscuits or Wheat Thins

Blend all ingredients but 1 cup cheddar cheese in a mixer. Spread into a greased 13 x 9 pan. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Cover with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese and bake 5 minutes more. Serve warm with crackers.

from Rachel McConnell

Grace Bible Church

Philadelphia, PA

Memory Game

This works best if the group isn't all related or even super close. supplies: 3x5 cards & pens. Ask the participants to quickly jot down a holiday memory (nearly everyone there chose Christmas) without using any names. Mix up the cards & redistribute. Now they have to go around asking everyone what seems like random questions to figure out the author of their card: "Do you have a sister born on New Year's?" or "Did you get a halloween mask for Christmas?" or "Did you find a bandaid in the gravy one Christmas?" until they find the person on their card. It can be quite fun to hear some bizarre family life experiences!! (I found 3 ladies with sisters born on New Years before I finally found the one that actually wrote that on her card). It definitely got everyone talking.

More to come next week! Remember to send a favorite if you like!