One of my favorite summer treats is a cherry chocolate milkshake, so it is no big surprise that this Cherry Hot Chocolate recipe is a favorite of mine as well! Read on for the recipe and for a little reminder, from me to you, that YOU ARE LOVED. A Valentine's Day Message This time of year, with Valentine's day approaching, for those of us who are single, widowed, in a troubled marriage, looking for love, or on the outskirts of a break up...we can feel a little sad, heartbroken, less than, maybe even a little depressed. Maybe even feel unloved. But let me remind each and every one of us, that the greatest love of our lives is Christ. No one will love you more. No one will love you so unconditionally. And no matter how you are feeling in this very moment, know that.... YOU ARE LOVED. Let me repeat it again. YOU ARE LOVED. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 Every time you see a heart this season, see the heart of Christ in it and remember... His love for you is abounding Psalm 86:15 His love for you endures forever Psalm 136:26 His love for you drives out fear 1 John 4:18 and nothing can separate you from His love! Romans 8:37-39 Take some time today to spend with the greatest valentine you will ever have, the One who's sweet whispers of love to you will endure and never fade. Keep scrolling for the hot chocolate recipe, make a cup, grab a blanket, and enjoy some quiet time! The Recipe Cherry Hot Chocolate Ingredients: 1 cup of hot chocolate (made the way you like it) I jar of maraschino cherries (all you will need is a few cherries and 2 tbsp of the cherry juice) Whip cream Directions: This one is so simple! Make your cup of hot chocolate the way you like it, add 2 tbsp of maraschino cherry juice (1 tsp if you like a little less cherry flavor) and mix well. Add whip cream and top with a cherry or two. Then enjoy! For more hot chocolate recipes and faith inspiration, check out more "Mornings With Jesus" or follow my pinterest board "Hot Chocolate and Jesus".
Blessings, Elizabeth
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My grandmother often gathered her friends over for a meal and for fellowship. Over the years, I heard many stories of their conversations and the time they spent together. Shortly before she passed away, I was invited to come sit at this table, too. She had her china set out and her fancy, green antique chairs were being used. It was inviting. It was obvious she put time into setting that table, but what lingers most in my heart is the warmth I felt gathered there. The welcoming feeling. The laughter. The stories. The overlapping of generations that spoke to me. No matter our age-90 or 30-we were all just women. Women who need to talk, to listen, to share our stories and struggles, to know we are not alone. We all need a place where we can be vulnerable, where someone understands. A place to have both the tough conversations and to laugh those belly laughs. Gathering. Community. Building fellowship. We are called to it. And we are called to share the table with Jesus as well. As I share various tablescapes each month, it is my hope that you not only remember that Jesus has a place at His table for you, but there is a place at the table right here with me too! If you have a prayer need, or a subject to tackle-I'd love to know! May this place be a warm, inviting one. May this be a place to encourage you, not only in faith, but to reach out in hospitality to those around you. To have a place waiting for family, friends, and strangers alike. To make a place at the table to share love, friendship, and the light of Jesus with those around you. Especially those who might not have a place at any other table than the one you and Jesus invite them too! Come take a seat here at this table month after month! Come take a seat at the table.... Break bread over a meal, over some coffee... With Jesus, with a friend -new or old, with a group of friends, with loved ones, with your spouse, with your neighbors, with your children. Come to the table... Have those intimate, vulnerable conversations, reach out to grab another's hand and say, "I have been there. I understand", pass down stories to future generations, let others know they are loved and they are welcome. Come sit at the table. There is a chair waiting for you... Check out below, a winter tablescape that brings a little warmth into this blustery season! This winter, at least here in Wisconsin, has been blistery, snowy, icy, freezing cold, and even rainy. And while every winter is a little different here, one thing always can be counted on-some dark, dreary days. Those days can be hard for me. Maybe they are for you too? I have found that there are two things that help me during this time. Gathering with friends and creating some warm inviting decor with candles and a few things that reflect the wintery season. So keep scrolling and I will share how I set up this winter tablescape! (Please note: I am not an affiliate for any of the places I mention in this post, just sharing where I got some of the pieces from in case you are wondering.) These wood chargers are so versatile. My daughter actually got them for me for my birthday this year. She knew I had been wanting them for years. I would probably use them with each tablescape if I didn't need some variety once and awhile. They bring a warm, earthy element to just about every tablescape! And just in case you are wondering...they came from World Market. I like to switch things up a little sometimes. For this tablescape I decided to use to different style/color napkins. I orginally was just going to use the silver, but something about mixing it up, when I placed both the white and the silver napkins on the table, spoke to me. This is also a great idea if you are having a larger group of people over and don't have enough matching napkins- use two different styles to add some dimension and no one will ever know why! The silver napkins I got on clearance last Christmas at Target (do I have any Target lovers here?) and the white napkins I got on clearance (for $1.50!) at Pier 1 (Pier 1 lovers can raise your hands with me here). The bigger white plates are just my day to day dinner plates, but the smaller white plates with the gold rim and raised snowflakes? I got those from Goodwill. I had been eyeing them up, and we they went on clearance for $.75, well, I couldn't pass that up! They fit perfectly into this tablescape. These snowflake napkin rings are really one of my favorite winter table decor. I have had them for a few years (another treasure from Pier 1) and the way they capture the light is just stunning! I like to mix up drinkware as well! For this tablescape, because I wanted to highlight both silver and gold, I used silver and gold drinkware. I like to use what I have to make totally new settings. Both the gold and sliver drinkware were ones I had for several years (from Target). I used gold silverware to add a little more gold to the tablescape. When Christmas is over, I like to use some of the more neutral decor as my winter decor. Like these white trees (from world market) and these green trees with the burlap. And yes, I keep a few smaller trees (with no ornaments) lit with white lights through the month of February. This helps me on those dreary days! I love candles. If you follow me on Instagram, which if you don't already-just click the button below, then you probably know that I have a lot of candles and light them often. These metallic candlesticks from World Market truly are my favorite! You might be able to tell because they are burned down quite a bit from usage.... This house lantern just seemed to fit as the center of this tablescape. I grabbed it from somewhere else in the house, but it has found a new home here on the table. Found it at Walmart! Last but not least is the blanket. It adds warmth to the bench and I feel is so inviting, not to mention it matched perfectly with the table decor. I grabbed it out of my blanket bin. I rarely buy anything at full price, and this blanket is another World Market product that I waited for over a year to go on sale. It finally did! Whether it is an inviting tablescape, a delicious meal, or just a cup of coffee, I hope, this winter (and always), you stay warm, gather often, be the light of Christ, and love others well! Join me again "At The Table", for more tablescapes, and encouragement in faith and building relationships! Blessings,
Elizabeth We don't remember our first steps. Those first wobbly attempts in early childhood that we made to pursue a freedom we couldn't totally understand yet. But each of us, before we could walk, had to stand.... Paul and Barnabas went to a city named Lystra. There they preached the Gospel. A man who had been lame all his life (since birth) listened to the preaching. Acts 14:9-10 says: "He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk." There are times we don't feel qualified, times we fear failing, times we feel paralyzed, times we are unsure of where the next step is. And let's be honest, maybe we have experienced a time where we couldn't even put one foot in front of the other. Maybe that time is now. A difficulty in front of us. A calling we don't feel equipped for. Our confidence shaken. Brokenness that seems despairing. During these times, God is not asking us to walk alone! He is not asking us to walk on newly healed legs of our own strength or ability! He is asking us to STAND UP. Stand up in FAITH! There is nothing the man did except have faith. It was that faith that initiated the healing. It is by our faith, and God working through us, that he equips us for tasks ahead, strengthens our wobbly legs in the midst of difficulty, and that He begins to peel back the layers of brokenness. Note above, the man didn't just stand up- he JUMPED up! This action of jumping shows exuberance and even expectation. When God calls us to move in faith, do we slowly get up, checking to make sure of the stability of our legs before walking? Or do we, like this lame man, take a leap...a jump...in faith...with the assurance that when we leap up, God will place our feet on the ground. That He will strengthen, and guide, and equip us? When God calls us to walk in faith, let's not only stand up but jump! Let us trust Him, with great assurance, to move our feet, to walk, when we thought we could not! Because, before any of us can walk, we need to stand.... I'd love to hear how you have been standing up-or jumping up-in faith!
As always, I welcome any prayer requests that you may have. Blessings, Elizabeth Hope your are staying warm in this cold burst of weather! I have been curling up with a lot of blankets and hot chocolate the last week. How about you? This week I wanted to share a fun hot chocolate recipe with you, Birthday Cake! Two of my kids have birthdays coming up and I plan to serve this little cup of birthday love with them in the morning. And speaking of birthdays...and new years...it reminded me of being a new creation in Christ. So, I thought I would share 2 Corinthians 5:17 on this "Mornings with Jesus".... The Mini Devo 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" A new year is here and 2018 is gone. As believers in Christ, our old selves are gone as well and we are created new in Christ. With new hearts. With new hearts...and new perspectives. Paul wrote this verse to the Corinthians, who while they were believers, were stuck in a place of continuing to judge and evaluate others on external appearance. They were influenced by the world view around them. A world view that judged outward, physical presence. An ancient view and yet a modern view. A view that Paul says should be an old view: "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view." (2 Cor 5:16) Sometimes, it is much easier to remember that we ourselves are new creations in Christ, than it is to remember that our brothers and sisters are new creations as well. It can be difficult at times to remember to see others through spiritual eyes. To assess spiritual nature rather than physical nature. But as new creations, that is what we are called to do. Our culture today, with it's large emphasis on physical appearance, can influence us the same way the culture in Corinth influenced the Corinthians. Let us remember to see others in light of the new creation and new nature they have been given in Christ. The old is gone, the new is here! Let's make 2019 a year we look to see the newly created hearts in others. Let's make a lifetime of looking inward rather than outward! The Recipe Birthday Cake Hot Chocolate Recipe Ingredients: Serves 1 1 cup of milk 2 ounces of your favorite white chocolate or about 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips 1/8 tsp of vanilla extract 1/8 of Butter vanilla (more or less to your taste) Whip cream Sprinkles 1 candle Directions: Place milk, white chocolate, vanilla and butter vanilla in your favorite mug. Mix and then warm on stovetop or in the microwave. Add whip cream, sprinkles, top with a candle, and serve to that special birthday person! If you have been made new in Christ, believing in Him and no longer living your life for yourself but rather living for Jesus, go ahead and serve this hot chocolate recipe to yourself as well- and remember the new creation you are!
Blessings, Elizabeth |
Meet ElizabethWife. Mother. Writer. Photographer. Child of God. Encouraging others in faith through a lens of grace and seeing beauty in the ashes. All images and content belong to me (Blue Jean Gypsy), unless otherwise noted. You may use an image ONLY if it is linked back to this blog! Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!
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April 2020
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