Saturday, November 21, 2009

On Thanksgiving... (in paraphrase)

How do we understand what being thankful really means? To explore this, I went to some favorite verses and put them in my own words...


Be thankful in every situation because this is what God wants from you if you are in Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Don't be anxious about anything, but pray about everything. Ask God for what you need, showing Him that you have a thankful heart for everything He has done for you. (Philippians 4:6)


Come into His presence by showing Him genuine thanks and praise. (Psalm 100) Let Christ have absolute rule and reign in your life and heart, since you are one with Him and with one another. If He rules in your heart then His peace will be evident in your relationships with one another. The manifestation of this in your life should cause you to be truly thankful. (Colossians 3:15)


Prayer should be something you devote yourself to because you are constantly watching for what Jesus wants to do in your life and because you are thankful to Him. (Colossians 4:2) Now that you have received Jesus as your Lord, be sure that you continue to live in Him. Make sure your roots are growing deeply in Him, so that you will grow tall and strong in your faith as you were taught. When this happens, your thankfulness will naturally overflow. (Colossians 2:6-8)


Since we are assured of receiving a kingdom that can never be shaken, we can't help but be thankful. Our thankfulness, then, should cause us to worship God in a way that shows we hold Him in higher esteem than anything or anyone. We stand in awe of what He has done and acknowledge that while our ways are flawed, His ways are perfect. We are also in awe of what He will do because we know that He could choose to consume everything. (Hebrews 12:28-29) I will sing praises to His name and bring Him glory by being thankful. (Psalm 69:30)

As you gather together with family and friends this Thanksgiving, I pray that you will truly understand what it means to be thankful. And in the spirit of thankfulness, I wanted to share with you a recipe that I tried for the first time last year. Delicious!



Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake Recipe

CAKE:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
1 (14 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce

GLAZE:
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Stir in vanilla extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition.

Grease a 10" fluted tube pan. Sprinkle the pecans into pan. Spread half of the batter over nuts; top with half of the cranberry sauce. Repeat layers.

Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over coffee cake. Yield: 12-16 servings.


Happy Thanksgiving!

9 comments:

  1. Amen!!! A lovely post.
    I wish you a very blessed Thanksgiving...Don't eat to much!
    XXOO Marie Antionette

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good morning Christi,(What a lovely name!)
    Thank you for visiting my pink post! I think we have run into each other once or twice! Thank you for coming to visit me, and what a beautiful post. I have so much to be thankful for as well, and TO GOD be all the glory. May you have a wonderful celebration with all your loved ones! Anita

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's very nice - and looks good.
    Alfazema

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the Scriptures you're shared here...absolutely putting Thanksgiving in its proper perspective.

    Oh, and glad you're well from being sick for so long. You need to be rested up to enjoy this week. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love how you explained the scriptures in common language. I want to copy your post and save it. I love meditating on the Word.

    Your cake looks so YUMMY! I copied the recipe to try sometime.

    May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family. This year it will be just Alan and me. We plan to do more working than eating. =) We are so thankful for another year of God's grace.

    Hugs,
    Cheryl

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, thank you! I needed to be reminded of some of these wonderful verses. The photos are so lovely as well.

    I do, indeed, have much to be thankful for....

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

    ReplyDelete
  7. OOh...and that cake would be wonderful to serve at Christmas Tea..Hum...Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Christi!
    What an absolutely lovely post! I am blessed and thankful this year to have such wonderful friends (you!) who fill my heart with such happiness! Hope you have a sweet and peaceful holiday weekend!! Lots of love, Bebe :)

    P.S. I want that cake....mmmmmmm!

    ReplyDelete
  9. The verses that you shared were a perfect reminder to me this Thanksgiving. I appreciate that you shared each one. And, I am going to copy that coffee cake recipe. I know my family would love it!

    Happy Thanksgiving to you!

    ReplyDelete