bread and wine

...the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.

He blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand."

He gave him a tenth of all.

The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself."

Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for f ear you would say, 'I have made Abram rich.'

Satan came out to meet me in the King's land.

And Christ king of Jerusalem sacrificed and gave His body and blood; He interceded to God Most High. He blessed me and said, "Blessed be Miriam of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand."

I gave Him an offering.

Satan said to me, "Give me your soul, and take the comfort and fun and ease."

I said to Satan, "I have promised the Lord God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not give into your temptations, or else you might say, 'I own Miriam's heart."

Mom's Banana Bread

I'm sure this is not my mom's original recipe... I'm thinking there are probably few actual original recipes. Kind of like quotes. Plagiarizers keep getting the credit.


So I'll perpetuate this tragedy and give Mom credit for this great banana bread recipe, or at least give her credit for passing it along to me, as well as the love of banana bread.
I've determined that most of the breads we eat are actually cakes that we call "breads" so we can eat them for breakfast. Kind of like how muffins are basically cupcakes. But I'm not complaining!



Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3 bananas
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
(choc chips)


Instructions:
Mix all ingredients well.
Butter, vanilla, sugar, then add eggs, bananas, then dry ingredients.
Pour into greased loaf pan.
Bake @ 350 for approx. 60 min 
(makes one loaf pan)

life is our tutor to God

I have to wonder...

Did God call Himself our "Father" to show us how to be good parents? or did He give us parents to show what He does for us? to show how perfect of a parent He is?

Did God call us "children" to show us how dependent and needy our children are? or did He give us dependent, needy children to take care of to show us how much we depend on and need Him? to show us how we can't survive without Him and that He will take care of our every need?

Did Jesus use the idea of a groom and bride to show us how we should be loving, submissive, and committed to our spouses? or did He give us the marriage relationship and roles to show us how He feels about and how He treats the church? to show how perfectly He loves and sacrifices?


Therefore, the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:24

Why did God set up the sacrificial system, the tabernacle/temple, the priesthood, the laws regarding cleanliness, ALL the laws? Why did He allow His children to receive promises of a great blessing, nation, land, to become enslaved in bondage, to be saved miraculously, to enter into a covenant with Him, to wander in a wilderness, to be fed only by Him, to conquer seemingly impossibly battles, to be governed by kings, to reject Him, to be taken captive, to be recipients of grace and mercy, to be brought back into their land, to be allowed to continue serve Him, to wait and hope for a coming King?


WE are not hard to comprehend. GOD is. So He helped us out by giving us some "lessons" to guide us to Him. And His plan is so amazing and beautiful because all the lessons not only show us how good He is, but how much better He is than anything physical. We have so much to gain from learning to comprehend Him and so much to look forward to.

...what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them.
Romans 1:19