A Bit of Encouragement: Sweet Easter

Hello Ladies! I hope and pray you are having a wonderful and blessed week.  It's Sunday as I write this and it's such a relief the sun is out and it's so pretty after such a cold day yesterday for Thunder over Louisville! We watched it from the comfort of the indoors....in the nice warmth. However, it wasn't quite the same as being there. But we didn't want to brave that cold shivery weather.

I so loved our memory verse for last week, and I even memorized it.....was so glad about that because I haven't always been so disciplined throughout the study. I just felt the verse really spoke about Paul's heart. And it was ironic, to me, that this same week of that particular verse (Acts 26:29), I got to sit in on a tender moment when one of our own sisters was baptized into the faith of her father, that specific heartfelt yearning from Paul coming true before our eyes. Praise God!

I hope to get back to interviews next week. I'm having technical difficulties. My camera broke!

I think of the garden after the rain;
And hope to my heart comes singing,
At morn the cherry-blooms will be white,
And the Easter bells be ringing! ~Edna Dean Proctor, "Easter Bells"

Miriam's Not-So-Secret Challah (from Allrecipes.com)

By: MIRIAM571

"A surprisingly sweet, yet light, challah that makes any night special. Feel free to knead some raisins into the dough if you like."

Prep Time:
30 Min

Cook Time:
45 Min

Ready In:
3 Hrs 10 Min

Ingredients

2 cups water
1/2 cup margarine
7 cups bread flour, divided
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 tablespoon salt
4 eggs

1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Directions
1. In a small saucepan, combine water and margarine in a small saucepan. Heat until margarine is melted and very warm, but not boiling.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 3 cups flour, white sugar, brown sugar, yeast and salt. Add water and margarine mixture; beat well. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
4. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into six equal pieces and form into long 'ropes'. Braid the pieces together to form two large loaves. Place the loaves on two lightly greased cookie sheets, cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
6. Brush the risen loaves with the beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

The Legend
of the Dogwood Tree

When Christ was on earth,
The dogwood grew to a
Towering size with lovely hue.
Its branches were strong and interwoven
And for Christ's cross
Its timbers were chosen.
Being distressed at the use of this wood,
Christ made a promise
Which still holds good:

"Not ever again shall the dogwood grow
To be large enough for such a tree,
And so slender and twisted
It shall always be with cross-shaped Blossoms for all to see.
The petals shall have bloodstains
Marked in brown and in the
Blossom's center a thorny crown.
All who see it will think of Me,
Nailed to a cross from the dogwood tree.
Protected and cherished this tree shall be
A reflection to all of my agony." -Author Unknown