Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

Don’t Forget This Past Year

don't forget 2020 hard year god's faithful

In less than two weeks we’ll have what we’ve all anticipated for such a long time: a new year.

There has always been a big part of me that thrills over the fresh beginning of a new year laid out in front of us.  It’s like a fresh blanket of white snow free of footsteps.  It feels like a book with blank pages, just waiting for you to write your own story.

But this year, well, walking into this new year just feels so different.

I think we can all agree we would like to honestly forget that 2020 ever happened.  It was hard, devastating and heart wrenching sadness perpetually hid around every corner.  It was fast and unexpected and aggressive.

It was so easy to get caught up in the worry, panic and anxiety that the year threw at us.  Hand washing, hand sanitizer, gloves and masks were seemingly screamed from every rooftop.  Shut downs, lock downs, job losses and the loss of dear people we loved so incredibly much.  And the unrest we all felt as a whole, at times, was taken out on each other.

We’re wrestled with anxiety, depression, loneliness, civil unrest, political nightmares and death.

Our lives are forever changed by 2020.

Unfortunately, the hard we’ve been through will not magically disappear when we turn the calendar to 2021.

But through all the hard our God was still faithful.  And He will still be faithful in 2021!

Throughout this entire past year I’ve felt a gentle nudge at my heart.  I’ve heard that still, small voice speaking to me.

Focus on me, I’m still good even when life isn’t.

By shifting my focus from the fear in the world to God’s goodness, it allowed me a sense of freedom.

Freedom to enjoy having my husband and daughter home with me for over two months, we’ll never again get that amount of dedicated time together.  To feel blessed to watch church service online, even though I terribly miss the in-person fellowship.  To be thankful I have a warm house to stay inside, even though it’s lonely to only leave my house once a month.  To know my dear family members that passed from this horrible virus are rejoicing in Heaven, and I’ll get to see them again someday.

God loves all of us extravagantly.  And He’s not finished with a single one of us.  The fact is, He has a sovereign plan that is for good and not evil.  For joy and not sorrow.  He is writing a story of on-going redemption with each of our lives even in the midst of a pandemic.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;  A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 sums up the segment in a few simple, powerful words: He has made everything beautiful in His time.

HIS TIME.

Everyone’s degree of suffering in the past year was different.  But one thing is certain: it has a purpose and we have hope.

Having this outlook on suffering doesn’t lessen it’s pain, but it does inspire hope.

Do you remember in John 11 when Mary and Martha were heartbroken that their brother Lazarus had died?  They were not only sad for the loss of their brother, but also that Jesus had taken so long to get there and allowed death to find them.  Then, Jesus wept.

Jesus wept because suffering is real and it’s hard and it hurts.

And what happened next?

Jesus spoke the words that brought life where there was only death, hope where there was hopelessness and joy where there was heartbreak.

Joy comes in knowing Jesus, experiencing His presence and trusting His timing.  Joy comes when we fall more in love with the One who loves us most.  To experience joy is to experience Jesus!

And though 2020 was incredibly hard, it was a season we all had to walk through.

Can I encourage you, sweet friends, with this last thought.  In a few days we will celebrate the arrival of Jesus.  As we rejoice that our Savior was born, let’s make the choice not to dismiss this hard past year but to let it remind us of God’s unfailing love for us.  Let’s shift our focus on 2020 and look for God’s marvelous works in it.  Let’s spend some time being honest with our Father about how hard this year has been and at the same time praising Him for all He has done.

Our God is, always has been and always will be, Good.  Merry Christmas friends.

The Best White Bread | For Loaves, Bowls & Rolls

Anyone who knows me decently well knows about my love affair with all things bread.  Bread loaves, bread bowls, homemade rolls…I love them all.  Seriously y’all, I went through 150 lbs. of flour in one year.  ONE YEAR!

For years I was obsessed with my bread machine.  And then I got a Kitchenaid.  Lord have mercy, I fell in love with bread all over again!  There is something so comforting to me about the entire bread baking process, from beginning to end.

This is the most versatile dough I’ve ever worked with.  I’ve made loaves, bread bowls and rolls with it and they were all equally scrumptious.

I suggest you scurry to your kitchen and get started on some homemade bread.  Trust me, you won’t regret it!

Print Recipe
 The Best White Bread
This is a classic, easy and versatile white bread recipe.
Course bread
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
loaves
Ingredients
Course bread
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
loaves
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of your Kitchenaid combine the water, yeast and 1 tsp of sugar. Mix this well to combine. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes to bloom (until foamy).
  2. Add the melted lard and stir to combine.
  3. In a separate bowl add the flour, 4 tbs white sugar and salt. Whisk to combine these well.
  4. With your dough hook on your Kitchenaid, turn it on to low speed. Gradually add your flour mixture about 1 cup at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides as needed. Once all the flour mixture is added, bump the speed up one notch. Continue to knead the dough with your mixer until the dough is smooth, elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  5. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl (I grease the bowl with lard as well). Turn the dough in the bowl to coat the entire outside with lard. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set it in a warm place to rise until it is doubled in size (1-2 hours).
  6. For loaves: Gently punch down dough and turn it out on a very lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into three even pieces. Working with one piece at a time, gently pat it into a 9x12-inch rectangle. Roll up the rectangle, starting on the short end, into a very tight cylinder. Pinch to seal the seams and the ends, tuck the ends of the roll until the bread, and place into greased 9-inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves loosely and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°. Bake the loaves for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden brown. I also use a food thermometer and insert it in the center. It should read 195°. Remove the loaves from the oven and let them set for 10 minutes. Remove them from the pans and place them on a cooling rack.
  7. For bread bowls: Gently punch down dough and turn it out on a very lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 6 even pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place your hand over the dough ball and pull it towards you, the tension will create a perfect circular ball. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle cornmeal over it. Lay each dough ball on the parchment several inches apart. Using a bread lame mark the top of each ball with an x. Preheat oven to 425°. Cover again with a kitchen towel and rise for 30-45 minutes until doubled in size. Whisk one egg with 1 tsp water. Brush the top of each ball with egg wash. Place bread bowls in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. They are done when they sound hollow when tapped.
  8. For rolls: Gently punch down dough and turn it out on a very lightly floured surface. To divide the dough, pinch off pieces and weigh on a kitchen scale. Each dough ball should weigh 2 ounces each. You can also eyeball it, pinching off pieces approximately golf ball size. To shape them place your hand over the dough ball and pull it towards you, the tension will create a perfect circular ball. Place the dough balls in a greased baking dish. Cover again with a kitchen towel and rise for 30-45 minutes until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake for 20-25 minutes on the lower rack of your oven until they are golden brown. Once done, remove them from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter.
Recipe Notes

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Reignite Intimacy | Resources

Thank you so, so much for joining me in this blog series on intimacy!  To end our time together, I wanted to share some great resources with y’all.  You’ll find the links below.

Blogs

Intimacy in Marriage – A blog by Julie Sibert who speaks and writes on sexual intimacy in marriage.

Authentic Intimacy – A unique teaching ministry by Dr. Juli Slattery called to teach on sexuality

To Love, Honor and Vacuum – A blog by Sheila Wray Gregoire whose passion in this life is to help strengthen families–to equip women to be the best wives and mothers they can be, and especially to cultivate marriages that are rock solid.

Holy, Hot and Humorous – J. Parker is a Christian sex author, speaker, blogger, and podcaster.

KHS Ministry – Finally, a resource for Christian husbands!  J. Parker from Holy, Hot and Humorous joined forces with Chris Taylor from The Forgotten Wife to combine their knowledge and insight to bring you information that can help you pursue deeper sexual intimacy in your marriage.

Podcasts

Sex Chat for Christian Wives – A a podcast for your marriage bed featuring J. Parker, Chris Taylor, Gaye Christmus and Bonny Burns.

Sex Within Marriage – Jay Dee from the blog uncoveringIntimacy.com explores married sexuality from a Christian perspective.

Sex Chat for Christian Wives – Four Christian wives encourage other wives to enjoy God’s gift of sex in all of its awesomeness by presenting a biblical view, practical tips, and engaging discussion about godly sexual intimacy.

To Love, Honor and Vacuum – The podcast that goes in-depth into marriage, parenting, and even sex–to see how we can live the passionate life we were meant for.

Books

Sacred Sex: Embracing Your Sexuality as God Designed it (The Kingdom Agenda) by Tony Evans – Read my review here

Intimacy Ignited: Conversations Couple to Couple: Fire Up Your Sex Life with the Song of Solomon by Dr. Joseph and Linda Dillow and Dr. Peter and Lorraine Pintus – read my review here

The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex: (And You Thought Bad Girls Have All the Fun) by Sheila Wray Gregoire – read my review here

31 Days to Great Sex by Sheila Wray Gregoire

The Passion Principles: Celebrating Sexual Freedom in Marriage By Shannon Ethridge – read my review here

Passion Pursuit: What Kind of Love Are You Making? by Linda Dillow and Dr. Juli Slattery – read my review here

Hot, Holy, and Humorous: Sex in Marriage by God’s Design by J. Parker

Xes: Why Church Girls Tend To Get It Backwards…and How To Get It Right by Joy McMillan

Every Man’s Marriage: An Every Man’s Guide to Winning the Heart of a Woman (The Every Man Series) by Stephen Arterburn

Lovemaking: 10 Secrets to Extravagant Intimacy in Marriage by Dan & Linda Wilson

Thanks for sticking with me for this Ignite Intimacy study!  We have a few more posts coming in the following weeks.  Hopefully you’re surviving without blushing too awful much.  I pray these resources are helpful, that you’re open to learning and hearing about God’s design for sex in marriage and that He can speak to your heart.