“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”   Matthew 6:21

Fun Stuff For Kids

For cousin’s night last Thursday, I decided to let all the grand kids decorate little wooden treasure boxes.  I asked them to cover the top and sides of the box with glue using a glue stick and then one at a time I let them shake their boxes in a zip locked bag that I had filled with sequins, tiny bits of shiny colored cellophane paper and gold glitter.  I personally made sure the bag was well zipped before they began to shake it and I asked them to please shake it gently.  Then they placed their box on a sheet of wax paper to dry. To complete their boxes I gave them a shiny red jewel heart to glue on their box and talked about Matthew 6:21.  A couple of days later I opened each box and inserted a tiny twig in it to hold it open and sprayed the boxes with Design Master Clear Finish Gloss so that the decorations would not come off.

This week for cousin’s night I am going to give each of them a small notebook and ask them to write out their bible verse for this month and place it in their treasure chest.  I have told them that from time to time I intend to draw out one of the verses and there will be a special reward for anyone who is able to say it.  I hope this will encourage them to not forget the verses they learn.

In The 12 Month Challenge To Great Riches:  The Hunt for Gold ages 5-8, the verse for February is Proverbs 3:3,4:  “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”

For The Hunt for Gold, ages 8 and up, the verse for February is Matthew 6:20,21:  “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

For The Hunt for Diamonds designed for those who have completed the Hunt for Gold, the verse for February is Jeremiah 29:11-13:  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

If you would like to read the verses for the rest of the months of the year I have copied The Challenge To Great Riches in my January part II post.

My Favorite Banana Bread:  It has the most delicious crust!!
This is an old family recipe from Martha, the Great Grandmother of Christy’s children.  Martha owned and was the head chef of the very successful restaurant, Wadlingtons in Western Kentucky.  Martha has written the cookbook, “Martha’s Kentucky Kitchen” which I believe the Joseph Beth bookstore still has for sale.  Martha dedicated her cookbook to her husband, children, grand children and great grandchildren and said a special thanks to God for blessing her with such a wonderful family and for the special times and memories she has of each of them and the joy it is to her to be their Grandmother.

BEST EVER BANANA BREAD

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon buttermilk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  In another bowl add eggs, bananas, oil, buttermilk and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add flour mixture to banana mixture.  Add nuts with flour stirring just to combine and do not beat.  Grease one 9x5x3 inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until bread tests done with cake tester. (I place a piece of foil like a tent over the bread after 50 minutes to protect the crust from browning too much.  I generally find that it takes between 10 and 15 more minutes for my bread to get done.  I always make it without nuts because that is the way our family likes it.)  After bread is done let set in pan 15 minutes before removing from pan.  Cool on wire rack.  Yields one loaf.  Note:  Recipe does not double well.

Mind illumination

This morning on day five in my Beth Moore Bible study on James, “Mercy Triumphs” I read in Acts 15:14 how God from the Gentiles took a people for himself.  Then in Deuteronomy 14:21  read that “Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.”

While I was still pondering the wonder of this, I walked from my reading chair into the kitchen and discovered that the sunlight coming in the window was reflecting tiny rainbows on my floor.  I had never seen this before and could hardly believe it and I was reminded to pray for Betty over in China.  I counted seven tiny rainbows and decided to step on each one.  I know this was God’s wonderful way of confirming to me that as His treasured possession, I can stand on His Promises and trust in His Unfailing Love.