Grape Salad

This recipe is so very easy and looks elegant in individual fruit compote dishes but can be served beautifully in a nice serving dish as well.     (recipe from Rhoda Martin)

8 oz. cream cheese

8 oz. sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Add red and/or green seedless grapes (about 2 lbs.)  

Top with 1/2 cup brown sugar and crushed pecans or walnuts.

Yummy Yeast Rolls Recipe (from Indiana WOW retreat in March)

This is the recipe for the rolls that were served at lunch at the Central Indiana Women of Worth Retreat in March 2014.  This is the recipe for the rolls, only.  The cook used this roll recipe and stuffed these rolls with various meats (sausage, ham & pepperoni) for the retreat luncheon. They were delicious!

YUMMY YEAST ROLLS RECIPE

10 Servings	100 servings	200 servings
2 to 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour	18 cups	36 cups
3 Tbs sugar	1 ½ cup	3 cups
1 pkg ¼ oz quick-rise yeast	½ cup	1 cup
½ teas. Salt	1 ½ Tbsp	3 Tbsp
¾ c. warm water (120-130 degrees)	6 ¾ cups	13 ½ cups
2 Tbsp butter, melted	1 ½ cups	3 cups

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine 1 ½ c. flour, sugar, yeast & salt.  Add water & butter; beat on medium speed for 3 min or until smooth.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface, knead until smooth & elastic, about 4-6 minutes.  Cover and let rest for 10 min.  Roll dough to 3/8”  thickness; cut with a lightly floured 2 ½ inch biscuit cutter.  Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled; about 1 ½ hours. 

Bake @ 375 degrees for 11-14 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove to a wire rack.

Recipe for Baked Spaghetti (a Sankey 5-star dish)

Baked Spaghetti

2 (8 oz.) boxes Kraft Spaghetti dinner (tangy Italian style)

2 lbs. ground chuck

1 finely chopped onion (optional)

1 small can buttons/pieces mushrooms (optional)

1 lg. jar Prego spaghetti sauce

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 pkg. pepperoni (sliced)

Saute onion, brown ground chuck and drain. Add mushrooms and two packets of tangy herb spices (found in Kraft spaghetti packages) to ground chuck. Stir. Add jar of Prego sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.  Cook pasta as directed, then drain.  Mix cooked pasta with ground beef mixture.

In 9 x 13 inch baking dish spread 1/2 of meat and spaghetti mixture. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups each of cheddar and mozzarella cheese.  Add remaining meat mixture on top and  sprinkle the remaining cheddar and mozzarella cheese on top, then top with pepperoni pieces.  Place in preheated 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese melts and pepperoni is lightly browned.

- Janet Sankey

Recipe for Streusel Coffee Cake

Streusel Coffee Cake    

Filling:

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. melted butter

2 tbsp. flour

1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Mix together with fork and set aside.

1 1/2 cup sifted flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

Sift dry ingredients. Cut in shortening and blend in well beaten egg mixed with milk. Spread 1/2 mixture in greased and floured 6 x 10 inch pan.  Sprinkle with half of the streusel filling mixture.  Add remainder of batter and sprinkle the rest of streusel mixture over top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Heidi (Weingard) Echols

Born to Stand Out

Born to Stand Out

- Kristina Clemens

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.”   Romans 12:2

In the book Little Women, the precocious Jo laments to her mother, “I’ll never fit in anywhere!” to which her mother inquires, “Why are you trying so hard to fit in, when you were born to stand out?”

 Summer clothing poses a unique challenge and can be hugely discouraging to the woman whose Biblical ideals clash with her culture. Short skirts and strapless dresses abound, taunting in their easy availability, while the most basic of items, like a blouse with sleeves, seemingly evades the most experienced shopper.

My precious summer lasts a mere seventy days which means the challenge is to look fresh and current while building outfits from my basic year-round wardrobe. I’ve found that focusing on accessories is the simplest and most cost-effective way to get through the warmer days. Some ballet flats in a bold shade, a striped beach bag, or a fun watch or headband in a popular color are all inexpensive and fun ways to build outfits that are on point, reflecting the relaxed nature of summer. Invest in a denim button up shirt (a cooler alternative to the cardigan), which can be worn with any floral or basic colored skirt. You can also wear these shirts unbuttoned and tied in a knot over the prolific amount of strappy summer dresses available in stores this time of year. A maxi skirt in a versatile shade can be paired with multiple tops in various colors to help you look cohesive without sacrificing comfort or style.

As Christ-followers, its true...we don’t fit in. Our clothing will never truly reflect the styles of our culture, because we live by a different set of principles. While we aim to look culturally relevant, we are required to meet that goal while being Biblically obedient.  

We were created to be in the world, but not of it…always in pursuit of a gracious inner beauty that is reflected in our attractive outward appearance.  

So, don’t lament about not fitting in.

You were born to stand out.

Good Thing or god Thing?

Good thing or god thing? 

                                                                                                  - Liz Stetler

          

      “They despised my judgements…for their heart went after their idols.” Ezekiel 20:16

              

  “The human heart is an idol factory.” -John Calvin. 

We were driving thru the hills, red clay and short trees of the Oklahoma country-side when I began to understand this statement. I had searched for contentment, tried to “will” myself into content feelings in so many areas of life.  Yet, true, deep contentment remained an elusive thing.  I would begin to feel like maybe I was discovering lasting joy, when a serious case of “the blues” would attack.

I began to ask God, “What is stealing my joy?  At a moment’s notice, it can be gone!”  That question to my Creator began a journey that continues today.

What Is an Idol?

Idols – those are gold and silver statues, right?  Since childhood, I’ve known of the idols that the Israelites worshipped instead of the true God.  Looking back at Old Testament history, I have wondered why in the world they would continue to create idols for themselves.  Perhaps I’ve even felt a little smug that I would never do that . . .

 But, over the last few years, God has opened my eyes to see that my own heart is no exception.  He has used scriptures, sermons, and conversations to shine His light into my heart, and His work continues.

What is an idol?  Anything that we care about more than God, anything that we run to for comfort or direction instead of God, or anyone whose opinion we care about more than God’s. When something is raised up as an idol in our hearts, we begin to expect God-like responses from it (or them) - perfect judgment, omniscient timing, even saving from our troubles.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

Idols exalt themselves against our desire to know God – they satisfy temporarily like a snack when what we really need is nourishment that only He can give. 

Dethroning the Idols

Pastor Mark Driscoll says "Idolatry is taking a good thing, making it a god thing, and that's a bad thing.”

I will never forget the Friday night.  I was up late listening to a testimony on-line, the kids were tucked in and my husband, Darrell, was at a youth group fundraiser.  God began to reveal that I had allowed my husband to be raised up as an idol in my heart.  I love him, I respect him, I treasure the gift of our marriage, but I had raised him to a dangerous place in my heart.  Tears flowed, and when Darrell happened in to grab something he needed from the house, I sincerely apologized and he was relieved.  People know when they are being placed on a pedestal, and they know they will disappoint. That’s too much pressure for any human. 

Shortly after that, God added a few other things to my idol-removing list. Here are a few that might resonate with you as well:

·         People – especially husband, children and extended family. They can’t give me identity, purpose, and meaning in my life. When a person is idolized, his or her opinion is raised above God’s.  The misunderstanding or disapproval of people can then be mistaken for God’s disapproval – or their approval can be mistaken as God’s.  That gives the person who is idolized a lot of power over us – power that God is jealous for.  It is a delight to get to be a wife and mother, and it is a privilege to have extended family that care for us. They are gifts of grace -- but they must not take His place.  Don’t take a good thing, and make it a god thing.

·         Heritage – if I idolize the ideas and convictions themselves, they will disappoint and ultimately lead me astray. I have been given a Christian, holiness-pursuing heritage.  I believe it is a path of blessing for me and my children (see Psalm 78). But like the Jews of Jesus’ day, it is not enough to say “We have Abraham as our father!” Jesus desires my loyalty before all others. Don’t take a good thing, and make it a god thing.

·         Food – Do I calmly retreat to the kitchen to nibble on something when in crisis, lonely or discouraged, or cry out to God and look to His word for direction and strength?  Food is a gift, but it must be enjoyed to God’s glory. Don’t take a good thing, and make it a god thing.

·         Money – believing that “Going shopping will medicate away my troubles” and “If I have it, it will fill the God-sized hole in my heart.”  Not really.  It too will leave me needing something else. Don’t take a good thing, and make it a god thing.

·         Information – thinking that if I can find the right information, this problem will be solved. “But God, I just love to read!”  “No, you are looking for a ‘savior’ from your ‘hell’ of organization-impairment, too many pounds to lose, children-training issues.”  It is easier to get lost in Google, Youtube, Facebook, or the latest fad, than it is to act on the information that I already have. Don’t take a good thing, and make it a god thing.

 Honestly, the Idol Factory is still going, and the fight to pull them down is a daily battle I face.  But I’m looking for God’s perspective on each of these areas. They may not be wrong in themselves, but they can only be a blessing if they are dethroned.  I know that this daily battle for my mind and heart has eternal significance. 

Questions for Personal Discovery

Here are some questions that might reveal idols that are taking up precious space in your heart:

·         What is your greatest fear?

·         What do you long for most passionately?

·         What do you care about? 

·         What do you think about?

·         What are you motivated by? 

·         What do you give yourself to?

·         Where do you run for comfort?

·         What makes you happiest?

·         What makes you angry?

Idolatry used to sound so far away, but the concept has been brought home to my heart.  My journey has been very painful and personal at times, but I’m finding that as the idols topple, deep joy and contentment increase. I want to know – truly know – that only God is above all the stuff of this life – only God is filling that place in my heart.  “I’ll worship only at the feet of Jesus . . . there’ll be no other gods before Him, just Jesus only will never fail.”

Plans of the Heart

Plans of the Heart

- Sarah Fry

My kids are always coming up with big, zany, wild ideas.  I love to sit back and listen to them scheming. Upgrades on the play fort using free scrap wood. Businesses, bakeries, restaurants and menus they are going to develop. Concerts and shows and circuses they create.

One of their grandest schemes ever is “Mapalacock”—an imaginary island directly on the equator (0° latitude / 0° longitude) with virtually every terrain earth has to offer, except for snowy tundra.  There is an extremely vicious lizard-like animal they named the Petraphilious (which they tell me is Latin for rock lover).  For days their heads hovered close over the table, scheming and drawing their exquisitely colorful land with its desserts and jungles and beaches and swamps and lagoons, creating their imaginary creatures and naming them.

Sometimes a child will follow me around as I work, talking incessantly, describing in great detail their latest plans for something grand.

“Mom, do you have some wire so I can make a zip line in the back yard?”

“Mom, would you PLEASE get me some of that free wood so I can build a fort that covers the swingset?”

Sometimes, I admit, I am tempted to bring them swiftly back down to earth.  I look at their little stack of wood or handful of wire and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that today’s scheme is not going to work.  

Sometimes I offer suggestions that might make the dream just a little more practical.  But mostly I just peek out the window as they work or listen in as they plan.  And I realize that something miraculous is happening.  They are developing their heart-imagination.  They are daring to dream.  Learning to endure. Through trial and error and reworking of plans, they are learning about life. 

I remember one day feeling sorry for one of them as she worked and worked to turn our backyard clothesline into a zipline.  When one idea failed, she tried another.  What if she got discouraged when her plans didn’t work? What if she got the idea that the dreaming and effort weren’t worth it? What if that happens a lot? What will she do when she realizes that many of life’s dreams don’t come true? Will she learn the truth of Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”? (NIV)

Maybe you’ve been there, too?

Dreams of babies, with empty arms and aching hearts.

Plans for life companionship that don’t come true or end too soon.

Ministry roads that twist and turn and leave us hurt and weary and confused.

Financial efforts that dissolve like sand.

Times when so much effort seems to bring so little effectiveness.

Children who choose a path of pain in spite of all you tried to teach.

Hopes that deflate.  Dreams that fizzle.

Confidence that is bruised and wavering.

We plan, we dream, and our heart is hopeful and ready, and then things change.  And we have to readjust our imagination and re-direct our hearts and settle into a new dream.  But that’s a good and healthy thing. After all, if my kid ever did succeed in turning the clothes line into a zipline, what’s stopping her at the end? The seven-foot steel beam anchoring the other side? Is “Mapalacock” really a land my kids would want to live in, after all?

I see things in a way that they do not…I see beyond the dream.

And then, God reminds me of how big He is.  How his plans are so complex and intricate and beautiful my little imagination can’t possibly comprehend.  He reminds me that in it all,  He loves me with a fiery, consuming love.  He is protecting my heart….letting me learn.  He lets me dream - wants me to dream - so that he can bring it all together into something Divine.  Something I could never have put together myself.  Something God-sized.

He reminds me to keep dreaming.  Because a heart that is His…..carries HIS dreams.  They are like seeds.  Sometimes they grow quickly and burst into colorful beauty and maturity with amazing directness.

But other times, the seed sits awhile.  And soaks and softens and breaks.  Sometimes it even dies a little.  And no one sees what is happening in the darkness where the dream-seeds wait.  But then slowly, God begins to grow something that only He could create.  Something very different, maybe, than what we originally imagined.  But it is good. Always good.  Because no one knows my heart like He does. 

So dreaming is a good thing, after all.  As long as I remember to hold them loosely so that He can shape them into something better than I can imagine.

Recommended Resources from previous WOW website

One of the challenges we have as women is to stay inspired and energized to do our daily tasks with beauty and loveliness.  Sometimes things feel boring and mundane or overwhelming and tiresome.

 Reading helps us to stay focused - even if the concepts are things we've heard many times, revisiting good truth helps to motivate and keep us seeking to do our best.

Here we are revisiting some classics:   tried-and-true resources to inspire you to fulfill your roles with fresh inspiration.

Spirit of Loveliness - 
by Emily C. Barnes

                                Purposeful Programs - 

                              Women's Programs for Every Month

                           by Kathy Sanders and Diana Hobbs

If Tea Cups Could Talk - 
by Emily C. Barnes

 Welcome Home -

 by Emily C. Barnes

The Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman - 
by Anne Ortlund

Spiritual Mothering 
(The Titus 2 Model) 
by Susan Hunt

The Training of Children - 
by William Booth

Solid Answers - 
By Dr. James Dobson

The Gift of Grandparenting - 
by Eric Wiggin

Featured Group - Lima, OH Women of Worth

On the third Monday evening of each month, September through May, you’ll find a warm welcome at the Lima, Ohio Women of Worth chapter meeting.  This is a tradition that is now in its 15^th year.  The Lima group was started by its current group leader, Mrs. Ruth Nichols, and a couple of pastor’s wives from area churches.  The first meeting was held on February 21, 2000, and since that time the Lima WOW has connected, challenged, and inspired women of a variety of ages and backgrounds. 
 

L to R: Lynette Spencer, Ruth Nichols, Brenda Estes

Each monthly meeting has a unique theme that is chosen by the chapter leader, along with committee members Mrs. Lynette Spencer and Mrs. Brenda Estes.  The decorating team does a fabulous job dressing the tables with linens and seasonal or thematic décor, and the food coordinators plan a light menu for those in attendance to enjoy during the meeting.

 

The chapter committee makes it a priority to organize meetings that are both informative and inspirational and time is always set aside to for the group to share burdens and blessings. A typical group meeting consists of prayer, door prizes, food and fellowship, announcement of future events, and a themed devotional or informational session. 

A few of the memorable themes from meetings past:

 ·       Bassinet of Blessings – This meeting was a “baby shower” for Heartbeat of Lima, a local crisis pregnancy center, and one of their directors came to speak to the group about the ministry and services they provide to women and children in the area.   A bassinet overflowing with gifts was donated by the WOW ladies, and the group enjoyed eating a beautifully decorated baby shower cake.

·       Nests (9 month theme)  – Single Nest (living single), Borrowed Nest (making your home away from home), Blessed Nest (benefits of a Christian home), Decorated Nest (décor for the holidays) , Stricken Nest (how God sustained through the birth, life, and death of a special needs son), Love Nest (keeping the romance alive), Full Nest (a guest from children’s services spoke about foster care), Empty Nest , Protected Nest (guarding the family).
·       Personalities (9 month theme) –  Personality profiles were given at the first meeting in the fall, and the four personality types as authored by Florence and Marita Littauer, were introduced.  In subsequent months, topics relating to how personalities impact interpersonal relationships in the home, church, and workplace were examined. 
·       Women’s Health Issues – A radiologist from the women’s center shared concerning breast cancer, biopsies, and other health concerns.  She answered questions and distributed literature and gift bags to each of the attendees. 

Chapter Leader, Mrs. Ruth Nichols



Local health professionals share regarding women's health issues



Women's Health Month

A unique characteristic of the Lima WOW is the variety of events that take place throughout the year.  This potpourri of fellowship keeps things fresh and exciting, and helps this chapter appeal to a diverse group.

December is a special month for the Lima WOW because it involves a cookie exchange, and each participant takes home a nice variety of baked goods at the end of the evening.  In 2013, the group added Christmas caroling to the December agenda.  They split into three groups to bless three elderly ladies, two of which live in long-term care facilities.  After caroling, the three groups met at Pizza Hut to share a meal.
 

For the first 11 years, the Lima WOW held a Mother-Daughter Banquet each May.  This was the final event of the year, and typically attended by approximately 75 ladies and girls.  For the last two years, the group has celebrated at a steakhouse. 

The addition of a summer day trip has been exciting.  In 2012, the ladies spent a day in Holmes County, Ohio. In 2013, they traveled to Shipshewana, Indiana.  These day trips have been beneficial in strengthening the bond of friendship among those who are able to attend. 

 

 

If you live near Lima, Ohio, and aren't currently part of a local Women of Worth group, the Lima WOW encourages you to join them at the next meeting.

When?  3^rd Monday of each month, September-May @ 7 p.m.
Where? Pilgrim Christian School - Commons
             2100 W. Breese Road
             Lima, Ohio 45806
For more information: Call Ruth Nichols @ 419-234-8140