Heart Hope by Olga

If you were asked the question “Who is God” how would you answer it? But maybe the more important question for you to answer would be do you know Him well enough to tell someone else who He is to you personally? God is Creator and Sustainer of the universe Hebrew 1:2-3 God is Grace, Mercy, and Peace and gives those as gifts to us 1Timothy 1:2 God is King over all the earth Psalm 47:2 God is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End--Eternal         Revelation 22:13 God is my Shield, my Fortress, my Rock and my Deliverer in times of trouble 1 Samuel 22:2-3 God is Love, and nothing can separate us from His love; it is only because of Him we can love Romans 8:38-39, 1 John 4:8-10 God is One, but exists as three Persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit Matthew 3:16-17 God is Just, Holy and Righteous Isaiah 5:6 God is Almighty, Powerful and Sovereign Revelation 19:6 God is the Giver of eternal life and it is His desire that none should peri...

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup chopped onions 3/4 cup chopped carrots 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 cup chopped red bell pepper 3/4 cup chopped celery 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped 1 (19 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid 1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, and garlic until tender. Stir in green pepper, red pepper, celery, and chili powder. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes.  Stir in mushrooms, and cook 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, kidney beans, and corn. Season with cumin, oregano, and basil. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with sour cream or avocados.  www.hearthope.org

A phone call from the emergency room quickly alerted me to the fact that my budding ballerina, Molly, had cut her foot. This evening as she was dancing through the house in preparation for bed she passed a magazine rack and a metal edge caught her foot, making a long gash between her pinkie toe and its neighbor.  This is not the first trip to the emergency room for my daughter Margaret and her children. Five year old Will has had stitches a couple of times and a broken arm, so he was familiar with what Molly was facing as they raced to the hospital.  Will’s little mind must have had multiple thoughts swirling around as he reflected on his previous trips to the ER, but what came out of his mouth were precious words of love, kindness and compassion. As he sat wringing his hands in apprehension he said, “Molly, you can squeeze my thumb when it hurts.” These were soothing words he had probably heard before which had brought him comfort in a time of pain. Scripture tells us that...

1-2 lb wheel of brie, chilled 6 thin slices of ham or prosciutto ¼ c apricot preserves 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed 1 egg beaten with 1 T water Cut chilled brie horizontally in half. Place sliced ham on the bottom half. Spread apricot preserves on top of ham. Replace top of brie. Roll out puff pastry to get rid of folds. Cut puff pastry into large circle. Place brie in center of circle. Fold pastry over cheese, enclosing the entire piece. Brush egg mixture over seam. Place on baking sheet, seam side down. Brush top side with egg mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes until pastry is golden brown. Let cool several minutes before serving. Serve with grapes, apples, pears, or any other fresh fruit. www.hearthope.org

Living in the mountains has many wonderful benefits—the beautiful views, the four seasons, the physical activities, the cool crisp air… I could go on and on, but don’t want anyone who lives somewhere else to get too jealous.  However, there is one thing about living in the mountains does bother me—the dirt. It is on shoes, on walkways, in the house, but worst of all it is on the cars from about November to June. This is not just any kind of dirt; it is mixed with sand and gravel. We try to keep things clean, but if there is one bit of moisture in the form of rain or snow, you can’t help but pick it up wherever you go.  The car washes are jam packed on beautiful days and you might wait an hour or more, just to get your car clean for one short day. Yesterday when my car was overdue for a wash I was excited to find only one car in line in front of me. As I drove into the stall, I was embarrassed by the dirt on my car, but when exiting, I felt clean not just on the outside of...

I have multiple songs going through my head at once—You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd, Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Good Golly Miss Molly, Deep and Wide, and If You’re Happy and You Know It—the reason is I have been listening to them for days. They are my Granddaughter’s favorites and I have been visiting her and singing them over and over again with her.  We have all had songs that get stuck in our minds and the more we try to get rid of them, the more they haunt us. This just goes to show that the things that we hear invade our minds and even as harmless as a children’s song or a hamburger jingle might be, they can plague us for days. Is that what we want our minds filled with? Probably not, but there are countless other things that penetrate our minds because of what we are hearing each day. The music that we listen to, the TV shows that we watch, the people we hang with can also overrun the thoughts that should be occupying our minds.  I have observed t...

St. Patrick’s Day--On this day in 1904 a baby girl was born that became my beloved great aunt, “Bibby.” Born Anne Elizabeth Heard, she always loved the fact that she got to celebrate her birthday on this Irish holiday, because of her Scotch-Irish heritage. She always wore green and handed out shamrocks on her special day. (By the way—did you know that shamrocks are the symbol of the celebration because St Patrick used the three-leaf clover to explain the Trinity when he was evangelizing Ireland.) Bibby was like an extra grandmother to me. She taught me to sew, including matching plaids, putting in zippers and lining a tailored garment. I even followed in her footsteps and became a Home Economics teacher. She bought me my first sewing machine and we would compare teacher stories even after she had been retired for more than 30 years.  Since she never married, Bibby was not wealthy and didn’t have a lot of material possessions; in fact she always wore the same purple oval ring. Whe...

3 T olive oil 1 c rice 1 t garlic salt ½ t cumin ¼ c onion ½ c tomato sauce 2 c chicken broth ¾  t taco seasoning Sauté onions in oil until tender. Cook rice in oil mixture until transparent. Add other ingredients and bring to boil for 20-25 minutes. You may need to add additional broth to keep from being too dry at the end. Serves 4-6. www.hearthope.org

The first time I took my grand-dog, Sadie on a walk I was surprised to find out that this normally self-assured dog had one huge fear—she was terribly afraid of walking over bridges. On that walk, when we neared a bridge, she crouched down and refused to go any farther, so I picked her up to continue along.  The next walk we were on together, she again hunkered down, but I was able to pull her along even though she had her brakes on. It was a step in the right direction for Sadie in facing her fear; it seemed that on each walk crossing the bridges got a little bit easier.  This past summer, I was impressed with the progress that she had made when she hesitantly walked up to the bridge, put one foot onto the wooden structure and walked carefully along. She was showered with praise and seemed quite pleased with herself. Had she conquered her fears? The next walk would verify her outcome.  So today, we went on our usual route and upon reaching the bridge, there was not on...

A devastating earthquake happens in Japan, throwing off a tsunami of great magnitude which completely destroys areas of that country, even changing the coastline. It is a horrific event, but it does not just affect Japan, because it causes ocean turbulence to speed across the ocean to Hawaii and even as far as the western coast of our country. The event affects us all in some way or another, some economically, some relationally, some physically, some emotionally and some politically.  It is the same with our actions; they affect others around us both directly and indirectly. Our behavior usually is not life threatening to others, but it certainly may influence them in a variety of ways. It might make a job more difficult or it could cause a broken relationship. It may cost you financially or possibly lead to anger and frustration. No matter how small of insignificant you feel, you are important, therefore the things you do and the decisions you make are important because of the r...

In April of 2010 I was let go from my job—downsizing they call it and yes it does have that feeling…you are being cut down to size. It is humbling and challenging to be terminated, especially in a bad economy. What were the prospects of finding a job in a small community such as mine? But God had other plans in mind; He determined that it was time for me to begin the ministry opportunity that He had placed on my heart several years prior.  My daughter told me about a Proverbs 31 Conference called She Speaks put on for women just like me—women whom God had called into a variety of ministry opportunities. I was on their site registering for it immediately, not knowing how I could possibly afford it, but God provided. Months after registering it was finally time to leave the comforts of home and fly to North Carolina alone, yet not lonely, since my best friend, Jesus, was going with me.   Not only that, but after the conference started I was connected with hundreds of “sis...

1 box Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice (cooked) 4 T butter ½ c chopped onion 1 c sliced mushrooms ½ c flour 8 c chicken broth 1-2 c chopped chicken ½ c grated carrots (optional) 1/ c toasted almonds 2 c half and half Sauté onions in butter add mushrooms and sauté. Add flour to paste. Gradually add chicken broth until slightly thickened. Add chicken, carrots, almonds and rice. Simmer five minutes. Add half and half and heat thoroughly. www.hearthope.org

Recently we went out to eat at an all you can eat buffet. Kids under 3 were free; kids 4-12 were $2.99 and adults were $7.99. After sitting down at the table we were checking out the receipt just to be sure we had been charged appropriately for the 3 and 5 year old children. Margaret discovered that there had been an additional 10% discount given. Upon closer examination, it was revealed that I had been given the Senior Citizens Discount. Now I don’t really mind the fact that it had cost less for me to eat...buuuut…it does kind of bother me that all the man did was look at me and issued the discount without stopping to ask if I was old enough for the reduced price.  Isn’t it funny that I don’t seem to mind when people think I am younger than my years, but I don’t want them to add years to my age. In Africa, it is considered an honor to be old, since many people die at an early age from illness, poverty, hardships or AIDS. So why are we in the US consumed with the concept of lookin...

While recently spending time with my grandson, Will, he asked me the question, “Why do you talk about Jesus so much?” My quick reply was “Because I love Him.” I thought it was an interesting question for a 5 year old, but it made me realize the importance of the words we speak. Others are evaluating and processing our words even if we don’t know it. They can quickly tell our thoughts, our passions, our desires and our heart just by what they hear coming out of our mouths. I have a challenge for myself and for you. Examine the words that come from your mouth during a regular week and see what your conversations revolve around. Notice, I said a regular week because that will be most telling. If you have a problem or something out of the ordinary going on it will probably be the focus of your words and will not be a true evaluation. It might be helpful to just jot down on a notepad what you talk about—finances, fashion, people, health, scripture, praise, news, job, complaints/complime...