by Cathy Baker | Faith |
I’m a stickler when it comes to maximizing my time, sometimes to a fault. Lists leading to further lists, setting my timer when cleaning, and monitoring my TV intake unite to rein in my minutes. Of course, one call to keep the grandsweets and all this merrily flies out the proverbial window.
I share the above to say I value your time as much as I do my own. With this in mind, I’m trying a new format this summer by posting on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- Tuesdays will be focused on tea but in a NEW way! Introducing Sharing Life Together…One Sip At A Time. Each Tuesday, you’re invited to join me at the tea table where I’ll share a verse we can “sip” on throughout the day. As a Bible teacher, I’m the first to encourage spending time studying the Word in depth but meditating on morsels of scripture is also a vital part of our spiritual growth. (Check out my post from 2012, Spiritual Pre-Mastication.)
- Thursdays will include posts on serendipitous moments, photography, guest posts, God-glimpses, etc.
It was exciting to win an award for this blog at The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference a few weeks back. However, my delight comes in staying connected with friends, making new ones, and hopefully encouraging the hearts of all those who stop by for a whiff of Christ here at Fragrant Ink.
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. Psalm 119:15
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
“We have to chase them, Grammy! We have to chase them!”
Despite trying to convince Piper that she could enjoy the hot air balloons without having to chase them, she never wavered. Although she delighted in the sight of crayola-like bubbles floating overhead, pursuing them remained at the forefront of her mind.
As the words We don’t have to chase them, we can simply enjoy them! spilled from my lips I somehow sensed they were not meant for Piper alone.
Like on those days when I get caught up in the chase “doing” part of my life and ignore the “being.” Jesus beckons me to slow down, to rest in His accomplishments, and delight in His presence. He doesn’t call me to chase after Him, but instead, to stay in step with Him.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25
Or, for instance, when I felt pressure from within during last week’s conference to chase “make things happen.” Lynn Blackburn’s words to Edie Melson awhile back echo in my spirit today, Jesus is your agent and He’s doing a pretty good job of it!
I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
Job 42:2
Now, am I saying we shouldn’t seek God? Absolutely not! No one explains this quest better than John Piper via his post What Does It Mean to Seek the Lord? I am saying, however, motivation played a key role in the above pursuits. I’m learning that when I sense a bit of frenzy churning within, chances are I’m chasing the wind instead of resting in what Jesus has already accomplished on my behalf.
Needless to say, I will never look at those crayola-like bubbles floating overhead quite the same as I did before. Thank you, Piper.
Father, thank you for using the innocent desire of a child to draw me closer to You, revealing misguided desires on my part. Help me to rest in You as I seek Your face in all I say and do. Amen.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Kayla Cron
- I remember the day she was born.
- I remember the day(s) I caught her eating crackers off the other children’s plates if they turned their head for a split second (and the adorable unrepentant grin she displayed when I caught her eye.)
- I remember the night her #10 jersey was displayed on the Brashier gym walls in recognition of the 1308 points she scored during her b-ball years there. Yes, 1308 points! (I’m still convinced it was the glow-in-the-dark b-ball we gave her years ago that was the catalyst for such proficiency!)
- I remember the invitation we received this past week for her high school graduation and the cookout that would follow.
Kayla’s
family has been an integral part of our lives for over 20 years now. Her
mom, Teresa, and I co-taught a women’s Sunday School class and bible
studies for years and have remained best friend’s ever since. All of
Teresa’s children feel much like my own. Her four girls feel more like
daughters and I suppose they always will.
Rach, Christi, Kayla, Steph, and Andrew
As we sat around the table last night during the graduation celebration, I couldn’t help but think of my grandmother, aka Ma-Ma (my dad’s mother) and the many life-long friends she made during her 60+ years at Fairforest Baptist Church. Throughout my life I watched as she not only loved her friends, but their children as well. I think Ma-Ma especially gravitated towards the daughters, seeing how she had her hands full with four boys at home!
Today’s “church years” don’t seem mirror those of my grandmother’s, when people remained in one church their entire lives. Nowadays, prayer partners part and families follow.
Yet, nights like last Thursday remind me that we, as the Church, are one regardless of the walls we choose to sit within on Sunday mornings. Relationships can last far beyond the goodbyes. It requires a little intentionality and sacrifice but it’s worth every effort. Our lives are richer for knowing Kayla (Miss Graduate!), her parents, and siblings, as well as other friends we no longer attend church with but remained connected to.
I’m grateful that in some ways my friendships—and the friendships developed with their children—mirror those of my grandmother’s days.
How about you? Did God bring anyone in particular to mind while reading this post? If so, I encourage you to make the effort to touch base with them. It may just be God’s perfect timing at work!
The next best thing to being wise oneself
is to live in a circle of those who are. – C.S. Lewis
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Friends…they cherish one another’s hopes.
They are kind to one another’s dreams.
-Henry David Thoreau
Dee Dee Parker and I arrived a day early to the writer’s conference—not to play, but to work on a beloved project. We’d planned on trying to find a conference room as soon as we reached the campus. After all, sitting on a cushy mattress isn’t the most conducive way to work. Within minutes of arriving, however, God surprised us with a place to meet in the middle, literally.
On Saturday and Sunday we prayed, brainstormed, took notes, and giggled like girls. I may have even spotted a few bolts of brilliance fly over Dee Dee’s head a time or two. (She’s amazing!)
One night, around 11:30 p.m., we decided to end “lobby time” (where everyone gathers after dark) a little early. We dropped our things just inside the door and patted ourselves on the backs for turning in earlier than normal. It was then the rush of wind took its cue and began to whistle. Trees swayed to and fro, leaning to the side as if to kiss the grass, and dry lightning struck gold. Dee Dee urged me to turn off the lights and take a seat. She on her couch…and me in my chair. There we sat, in the dark, cheering on the storm until close to 1:00 a.m. Oh, what a moment in time!
As
for the rest of the week, I’ll borrow the Las Vegas line: What happens
at Ridgecrest stays at Ridgecrest. Ha! Let’s just say I’m thankful no
one chose to walk past our window while I was dancing to Barry Manilow’s
Copacabana. (I kept forgetting we were on the ground level!)
(The view outside our window)
Perhaps those few snippets from our week give you a glimpse into why I chose the above quote from Henry David Thoreau to describe my friendship with Dee Dee.
When all is said and done, our writing aspirations may differ in some ways, but we are kind to each others dreams because we know the One who placed them within us—and that alone is something to truly cherish.
Whose hopes are we cherishing besides our own? Are we being kind to each others dreams?
For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ Acts 17:28
(One of greatest blessings you’ll discover at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference is how eager others are to to join you on the journey. I encourage you to make your plans to join us next year. Hope to see you in the lobby!)
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
by Cathy Baker
My grandmother, Elsie Knighton, didn’t bake this cake often but when she did, oh my! Of course, I’m a bit partial because I loved everything she cooked and white cake is my favorite. This sweet delight is perfect for spring and summer tea parties, Fourth of July gatherings, and well, for no reason at all.
Special White Cake with Cherry Frosting
3 cups self-rising flour (she used White Lily)
2/3 cup shortening
1-3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1-1/4 cup milk
4 egg whites stiffly beaten
Cake:
Sift flour and then measure into bowl; cream together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add extracts, then flour mixture and milk alternating to cream mixture. Blend well, fold in egg whites. Pour into greased 9 inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Frosting:
1 pound box 4x sugar
4 tablespoons evaporated milk
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
2 tablespoons cherry juice
Sift one cup sugar in mixing bowl. Add well-drained chopped cherries, cherry juice and milk. Blend well. Add remaining sugar until frosting is firm enough to spread.
– Recipe by Elsie Knighton
Enjoy!
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Remember this post? My favorite word in the title is “almost.”
This weekend, I, along with hundreds more, will be heading to the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. Some of the things I’m most looking forward to?
- Seeing friends and making new ones.
- Catching a glimpse of Becky Gansky’s sweet smile. I don’t know her well but when she enters a room, you immediately sense the presence of the Lord.
- Worship time.
- Sitting in Aaron Gansky’s class with Dee Dee Parker. Poor Aaron. (As we say here in the South, bless his heart.)
- Cloud 9 Cafe and the volunteers who work there. Love those little ladies!
- Seeing Edie Melson’s Steam Punk outfit on Tuesday night.
- Grits in the cafeteria. Yes, grits.
- Learning more about Flash Fiction in Ben Wolf’s class (hopefully along with Dee Dee and Susan Stilwell)
- Lobby time at night. It usually ends late and includes lots of giggling. Wheeee!
- Cheering my friends on at the Awards Banquet!
If you’ve never attended The Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference, I encourage you to begin saving for next year. It’s a wise investment.
Would you pray for me, as well as all those who’ll be heading to the hills this weekend? I ask for a teachable spirit, abundant energy (afternoons are sometimes a challenge), and for God to be glorified through everything I say and do. And lastly, to remain alert to the ways God may want to use me to encourage someone else.
I’ll be taking a break from blogging next week while at the conference but I look forward to catching up with you the following week.
Thank you for stopping by and especially for your prayers.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the
Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive and inheritance
from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24
