A Taste Away from Home: Pumpkin Crisp

Pumpkin Crisp
From the Church at Star City

1- 29 oz. can of pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. allspice

Mix above ingredients together and pour into a sprayed 9×13 dish.

Topping:
1 yellow cake mix (dry)
1 cup butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Melt 1 cup of butter and pour over the dry mix.  Sprinkle 1 cup of chopped pecans over melted butter. If you like, you can do a little extra.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees until golden. Serve with ice cream or a dallop of whip topping. It is extra pretty when cool whip is lightly sprinkled with cinnamon or nutmeg.

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When the crisp is warm, there’s a slight pumpkin flavor, and ice cream goes wonderfully well with it. If you’d rather a pumpkin pie flavor, serve cold!

Enjoy!

He Shall Give His Angels Charge Over Thee

Last Friday afternoon, we ran into an interesting bus situation. Someone accidentally (smile) ran two self-tapping bolts into the bottom of the bus fuel tank. It had been done a few days earlier but the growing puddle of diesel fuel under bus was an indication there was a problem. The only solution would be to drain the almost FULL tank of diesel (about 200 gallons) into many large trash cans, so it could be reused, pull the fuel tank out, and have the holes welded. John called many welders who said they didn’t want to have anything to do with welding a fuel tank. Finally, the Lord gave him someone who would do it. And yes, the man still is alive and well. We understand there is a trick to doing it and not having it explode.

You could hardly see John!
You could hardly see John!
What a mess!
What a mess: diesel, oil, kitty litter!

John and Jesse worked hard to drain the fuel Friday night, and Saturday morning, the project to be tackled was getting the tank out. It all took on a different twist, when John was loosening a bolt, and the wrench slipped. Two of his knuckles were cut open. I had come to take pictures when he calmly appeared from under the bus, announcing he needed to wash his hands off, he had split open his knuckles. I hurried into the utility sink and turned the water on. When I saw a gush of blood, I knew this was no small cut! His hands were also black with grease and dirt. Mom took him into the doctor, and instead of stitches, they glued his skin closed. The nurse spent a long time trying to clean the wound, and when she came in with a toothbrush, that wasn’t a good sign. (Much to John’s relief, she didn’t use the brush on his wounds!)

John--
John--after the accident happened.

We are grateful for God’s protection over John–it could have been much worse. As soon as he got home, he wanted to start on the bus again. He can even play the banjo two-fingered!

While John was gone, Dad, Joseph, and Jesse worked on pulling the bus tank out. They succeeded!

As of today, the two holes in the tank have been welded and the tank is back in the bus and all the fuel pumped back in. There is just one stubborn fuel line left to connect and hopefully that will be taken care of tomorrow.

After the beast was out, they pushed the tank to the driveway.
After the tank was out, they pushed it to the driveway.
There are two small holes in the fuel tank, so now the tank has to be taken to someone to weld. Then, the whole exercise of putting the tank back in will begin. The adventure is only half way done....
There are two small holes in the fuel tank, so a man welded those.
Notice Johns finger?
For those who are observant: notice John's finger (you'll have to click into the picture to see it up close).
Galloons of diesel going back in!
Gallons of diesel going back in!

“For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” (Psalms 91:11)

God is Good, ALL the Time

It has been a challenging last week (really several weeks!), but as Dad encourages us, God IS good all of the time! We have had many opportunities to rest in Jesus, and we praise Him for all that He has been doing and continues to do.

The “main” event this past week was the bus emergency (a forthcoming post on that one!). I was talking to a friend in Canada on the phone today, and she asked how we were. As I told her what had been going on, she said the Lord had prompted her to pray for us this last week. She didn’t know why, but she obeyed, and prayed often for our family! Wow! We were very touched that the Lord had moved in her heart, leading her to pray for us, when we definitely needed it.

In the midst of everything, we shared through music and testimony at our wonderful nursing home church. We were glad for Nathan to join us (and we missed Christopher who was sick!).

A view from the listeners...
A view from the listeners...
The family
The family
The five younger doing a special
The elderly loved it!

Rejoicing in our Savior!

Sarah

“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not” (2 Corinthians 4:1).

Dad: A Man of God

As we reflect on this day to honor fathers, my heart is grateful for my dad. He has many responsibilities in leading our family and the Titus2 ministry: sometimes, it’s hard for me to imagine how he makes all the decisions he needs to and gives direction to all of us. His desire is to serve the Lord Jesus in everything.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for a man of God who loves us all so much. Oh, and did I mention he also is a great Moody “editor” 🙂 ?

We like to decorate the door :-).
Dad and Mom
Dad and Mom

Sarah

“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine” (1 Timothy 5:17).

The Fruitful Season: Part 5

I don’t think Steve has mowed a lawn, except a time or two, for about twenty years since Nathan turned twelve and was given lawn mowing responsibility. All of our son’s have been lawn mowers for our family. Now our youngest son is thirteen, and this is the third year he has been in charge of our lawn plus he mows Grandad and Grandma’s and a few others in the neighborhood.

Not only has Jesse whole heartedly accepted the responsibility for the mowing – which he does with no reminding – but he also has taken on the maintenance of the yard. He observes weeds and pests in the yard, discusses them with his dad, and does research on how to deal with the problem, completing the designated course of action.  Jesse is learning the fertilizing needs of the yard, the fertilizing schedule, plus how to apply it to the lawn. Jesse has learned how to give a lawn mower a tune up, and he is beginning a little mower tune up business in addition to the neighborhood yards he mows. Recently he took a riding mower that was given to him but wasn’t working, did some troubleshooting of it, bought parts for it, fixed it, and sold it for a nice profit.

While Jesse mows and fertilizes, Steve’s time is freed up for his writing. In addition, Jesse is serving the family, being responsible, and developing income-producing skill.

Jesse mowing the lawn.
Jesse mowing the lawn.

These are the fruitful years. The Lord has been faithful in teaching us, through His Word, the importance of implanting His Word in our children’s hearts in a practical day-to-day manner. Those years of planting can become discouraging when you give the same encouragement over and over but don’t see the results immediately.

Just as the farmer does what he needs to do and waits for his harvest, so we as parents do what the Lord Jesus calls us to do, looking forward to the fruitful years with expectation not discouragement. “Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain” (James 5:7).

We, as parents, are the ones who first get to enjoy that fruit that the Lord Jesus produces in our children’s lives. “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits” (2 Timothy 2:6).

Jesse
Jesse

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri