Servanthood and Cheesecakes??

You might ask how does Servanthood and Cheesecakes go together. Serving others for me is a passion. Some might say, "Why spend time doing things for others when you could do the same thing and get paid for it?"

My answer to that is in the New Testament, Jesus told His followers to treat others better than themselves. This statement is called the "Golden Rule". There are many ways to do things for others. An example is I provide breakfast for our church's worship and production crews on Sunday mornings, plus I have the opportunity to provide meals when there is a need in our church family. Another way I serve is by helping our friends and family. Serving can be in the way of sewing, cooking or just helping where needed. When I have the opportunity to serve others, God blesses me in ways I can't explain. I have a chance to show others God's graciousness and love and this can lead conversations into "why serve?" It provides an opportunity to share my testimony and how God has changed my life for the good.

What do I get in return? A simple "Thank you" is enough to warm my heart and let me know that my actions are appreciated. Or when I make something to eat and someone says, "That's the best I've ever had" or "That's so good."

My friends who know me know that I love to help our family and friends when a need arises. This past month, I've had the opportunity to do some little things for a bride and her family. The joy on their families' faces was all I needed to know that my "helping and serving" were so appreciated. I made almost 300 mini cheesecakes and several people wanted the recipe so here is the one that was requested the most: Lemoncello.

Last but not least, I want to thank my daughter who worked hard on my blog site updating and building some cool things to look at. Thanks Sarah.

Lemoncello Cheesecake

1 8 oz package of cream cheese - room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 package instant lemon sugar free pudding mix or regular lemon instant pudding mix
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Lemoncello liquor (yes, you heard me right) It just doesn't have the same flavor if you leave this ingrediant out.

Mix the cream cheese sugar and vanilla until creamy and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup milk and continue mixing, then add the Lemoncello liquor. The last step will be to add the instant lemon pudding mix. Beat until all ingrediants are blended and smooth.

Cookie crumb crust. I used "Mother's Iced Lemon cookies" that I put in the processor to make crumbs. I then added 2 Tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 cup melted butter. Mix until all blended.

If you have mini cheesecake pans, use these and press 1 tablespooon in the bottom of each cup. If you don't have the pans, go ahead and use a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners. You may need a bit more crumbs if you use a muffin tin so use your own judgment. Pour the cheesecake batter over the crumbs and freeze until firm. When you're ready to eat these cheesecakes, take them out of the freezer and let them stand for 30 minutes or so. Use a whipped cream topping flavored with lemon flavoring and powdered sugar to top off the confection. This recipe will make about 10-12 mini cheesecakes depending on how full you fill the cups. If you use a muffin tin, it will make about 6-8 cheesecakes. Enjoy.....

A different kind of anniversary

I have a different kind of anniversary coming up on February 10th. I tell this same story every year so my family doesn't forget the power of God's gracious gifts and prayers being answered.

In 1979 I lived in Lawton, Oklahoma. For some reason (another story for a later blog), I wasn't able to get pregnant and after being married for 7 years, we put in an application for an adoption of an older child. Being 32, I felt that my baby years were over but I still wanted a child. After about 2 1/2 years, I got a call on a Monday afternoon around 4 pm from the adoption agency. The caller announced we were getting a baby and we should pick the baby up on Wednesday around noonish. I kept telling myself to breathe....and yeah, the screaming started. I couldn't believe we were going to get a little baby girl. The called wanted to know if she should call back after I calmed down a bit and I empathically said, "NO", stay on the line. I started to ask questions, "boy or girl", "age?" "Weight?", etc. The panic started because I was going to have this newborn one month old baby girl live with us in 30 hours. How does one plan for an instant baby? Again panic mode set in and I cleaned house fervently and didn't sleep all Tuesday night. On Wednesday, we headed out on one of Oklahoma's worst snow and ice storms and drove to Tulsa.

The most beautiful baby came into my life. Talk about love at first sight!!!!! I had one box of disposable diapers, one can of formula and one blanket. This baby girl had only the clothes on her back and a baby rattle from her foster parent who took care of her from the day she was born. Her first night in my home, she slept in a dresser drawer. Who says you need all the fancy nursery stuff......

The 10th of February is this child's adoption anniversary and every year I tell her the same story. Only this year, I'm sharing it on my blog. So how does one segway into a recipe from all this??

Here's the recipe for this post.

Recipe name - God's blessings

1 person who loves the Lord beyond all else
1 person willing to seek God's will in their life
9 years of prayer
1 prospective mother's heart
1 longing mind for an older child but would still love a baby even more
Searching the scriptures daily
1 person willing to make the sacrifices for a child
1 person who is selfless

Accept God's gift of Jesus as your Savior. Nurture this gift through prayer and Scripture.
Let God do His work and wait until God is ready to give answers because God knows what's best for me. Once God gives the answer, mix all other ingrediants and continue to grow in God's love passing this love down to family and friends.

Okay, so this is a stretch, but you get the idea. God gave me the desires of my heart after 9 years of waiting to be a mother this child has blessed me in so many different ways. God knew the type of child I needed and when to give me this child. She is now a mother herself and she has an inner and outer beauty that comes from God.

Thanks God for your gift of children. (I now have a total of 9 children, 16 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.) My quiver is full.

Proverbs 3:5&6