Photo Tribute to Allen

I'd wanted to post this short video tribute when we heard Allen had died, but with the internet off for most of the past week and only the use of a slow cell phone modem, I wasn't able to post it. So I prayed tonight that God would please get my internet working so I could talk to Scott via Skype while he is gone and now it works! God really does care about the little things.

It's been a bittersweet day with Scott on a plane back to the states while I stayed finished up a novel due tomorrow that I'd planned to dedicate to Allen. Much of the inspiration for this story came from him and from books in his wonderful library. What brings me joy is knowing he is in a much better place. Thank you so much for all the precious words of encouragement from so many of you. What a blessing to know so many people are praying for Janelle and her family as begin a new season of life.

Be blessed today!

Lisa

Tribute to Allen

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, Allen Avery, Scott’s uncle, passed away Saturday night after struggling with a brain tumor for many months. I want to thank all of you who have prayed for him during this time, and for his wife, Janelle, and their family.

I couldn’t begin to count the number of miles Scott and Allen traveled together throughout Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, and South Africa, teaching and preaching across southern Africa. Allen was our mentor, co-worker for the past six and a half years, friend, spiritual counselor, and a father. He was, to my children, their grandfather, who shared his life with them.

But while are hearts remain heavy, we rejoice that his body, mind, and spirit are now free as he is no longer confined to his physical body. After serving in Africa for forty years, he is receiving his reward.

Thanks to you who have already sent us your heartfelt condolences. We have been having some serious issues with both the Internet and phones lines, so if you’re waiting to hear from me and haven’t, that is why I am slow in responding.

Scott will be leaving for the US in the next day or two to attend the funeral. We would appreciate your prayers for his safety, and for Dez, a close friend from South Africa, as they travel. And of course, for Janelle, and the rest of the family as we all miss this wonderful man.

I’ll close below with a poem Mariah wanted to share.

Blessings,

Lisa

GRANDPA

Grandpa, oh Grandpa!
Why? Why?
Why did you have to leave us and die?
All I can say is good-bye.
I love you, I love you, so very much.
You were my present worth so much,
More than many, many pieces of gold.
My heart’s desire is to see you again,
But you’ve met with God, today.
I love you Grandpa.

Mariah

What's for dinner?

My youngest recently told me how lucky I was to have a son who loves to cook with me. I agree. He has aspirations of becoming a chef, but also wants to be able to cook for his wife and family. What a sweetie!

Our latest hit at the family dinner table was a new curry recipe (we love experimenting with different combinations) and Naans which are a fabulous yeast flat bread. Everyone loved the meal, so we thought we'd share with you.

CHICKEN CURRY

Ingredients:

3 T oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 t grated ginger root
3-5 T curry powder (to taste)
1 t cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 t sugar
salt to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut up into small pieces
1 C plain yogurt
1 can coconut milk
3 T lemon juice

Directions:

Saute onions, garlic and ginger until lightly brown. Add curry powder, cinnamon, bay leaf, sugar and salt. Stir for two minutes. Add the chicken, tomato paste, yogurt and coconut. Stir until the chicken is well coated, then bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is no longer pink, for about 20 minutes. Remove the bay leave and stir in the lemon juice. Simmer another couple of minutes. Serve with rice and Naams.




NAAM

Ingredients:

1 package of dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 c sugar
3 T milk
1 beaten egg
2 t salt
4 1/2 C flour
1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water with a tablespoon of the sugar. Let stand about ten minutes until the mixture is frothy. Stir in the rest of the sugar, milk, egg, salt and flour until you have a soft dough. Knead for about six minutes on a floured surface. Place the dough in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.



Punch down, then pinch off golf ball sized sections of the dough. Roll them into balls and place them on a plate or tray. Cover with a towl and let them rise again for about thirty minutes. Preheat a non-stick flat plan. Dip the balls, one at a time, with a light dusting of flour and roll out into a thin circle. Brush one side with a light coating of butter and place on the grill, butter side down. Butter the top side. Cook until bubbly, about 2-3 minutes then turn. Continue until finished with all the naan.

These recipes will make enough for a family of four or five with no leftovers! We'll share more favorite recipes soon!

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EXTRA! EXTRA!

Read about Dave Gibbs, a man on a mission at Inspire. Be inspired. This is a truly inspiring story of people making a difference in our world today!

I'll choose a winner of the Crazy Contest Monday, so if you have a recipe to submit, you have a couple more days. And if you haven't checked out the recipes in the comments, there are a lot of great, summer recipes to make with your kids or just for fun.

Enjoy!

Lisa and Jayden

Father/Son Bonding

Everyone is home after their father/son bonding weekend to see the World Cup. As you can see from the photos, they had so much fun!

Sunday Devotional Series: Finding Peace in a Chaotic World

Before I share today's devotional, I'd like to wish all of the fathers reading this (especially my own sweet hubby!) a very Happy Father's day!

My mother and I are going to start posting devotionals on a weekly basis. Today we want to look closer at our Heavenly Father, and as you read through this, we pray that you will be blessed and encouraged as you seek Him.

KNOWING GOD

On Monday, January 9, 1956, five women huddled together at Shell Mera, Ecuador, waiting to hear news from their husbands. These five men, each with a passion for sharing Christ’s love, had spent months making contact with the Auca tribe, one of the most hostile and murderous Indian tribes in all of South America, in an attempt to share with them the gospel of Christ. And now they were missing.

Two days later, four bodies were recovered from the river, some with wood spears still sticking through their clothing. Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Roger Youderian, Nate Saint, and Ed McCully, whose body had apparently been washed away, died as Christian martyrs in the hands of the very people they longed to reach for Christ.

Knowing the numerous obstacles against them, why did these men still decide to go ahead with this mission? Why did they persevere after being strongly cautioned regarding the extreme danger in working with these people? The answer is that these men had their foundations anchored in Christ, and they were ready to die for the salvation of the Auca. They believed not only that God had called them to Ecuador, but that He went before them as their divine leader. These couples believed that no matter what happened, God was still in control.

In our own lives, in order to trust God, we have to know Him, and the Bible is our guide to finding out who God is.

*What He is like: “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.” Psalm 145:13

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

*What He expects from us: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37

*How deeply He cares about us: “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7

If we are to persevere in our Christian walk through both the good times and bad times, it is essential for us to know God and to set our foundation firmly on Him. Only then will we be able to trust Him no matter what is happening in the world around us.

DIGGING DEEPER: The Bible gives us many names for both God and Jesus. Names like the I AM, Alpha and Omega, and Almighty give us a greater insight into who He is. Write down as many names for God as you can think of and what those names tell you about God.

PRAYER: Lord, may we truly come to the point in our lives when our foundation and our identity is firmly set only on you.

“In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” I Timothy 6:19

Be blessed today,

Lisa and Ermalee

Crazy Contest!

Things have been rather hectic lately and I've had to really limit my online time to focus on writing and edits. An Ocean Apart--the new name for my Summerside historical--and macro edits for Blood Covenant, book two in my Mission Hope series with Zondervan are both due by the end of the month. And of course, there is still school and ministry and everything else that comes up.

So for a crazy month, I thought I'd host a crazy, somewhat jiggly contest.

Jiggly, you say? Oh yes.

I've mentioned how much fun I've had researching the 1920s on both sides of the Atlantic, and since one of the things I enjoy is cooking, I thought I'd add a recipe to the back of the book. But I need your help!

Salads back in the early 1900 had always been a bit...messy. The solution? Pour your fruits, canned and cooked vegetables and even meats into gelatin. This brought about things like jellied tomato and pimiento salad, sardines in aspic, fruited Jello-salads, and jellied anchovy moulds.

Yum, I know.

But be honest. How many of you still love Jello? Okay, maybe not with pimientos and sardines, but the yummy fruit and whipped cream kind. My favorite growing up was lime Jello with pineapple with and shredded cheddar cheese. (Yes, really.)

Here's what I need from you. All you have to do is leave a comment below and include your favorite gelatin recipe. (One that doesn't include meat and fish products!) Not only will one of you win, but the rest of us will have some summertime recipes to choose from! The winner will have their recipe included in the back of the book with an acknowledgement and will recieve a complimentary copy of the book once its released in February!

So let me hear from you!!
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On another note, here are a couple places to connect with me on line.

I'll be chatting on the radio with John Gaessler who is with Solace Wealth Management today (Friday the 11th) at 10:00 AM central time here about Blood Ransom and life in Africa. This link goes to John's show page and you can call in and talk 1-347-855-8163. The show will be saved on John's home page about one hour after we end the show.

One of the things that I've been challenged by recently in writing An Ocean Apart is the spiritual theme which revolves around finding our identity in Christ. I'll be writing a post on this soon, but in the meantime, I'm a guest blogger on my agent's blog today where I talk about this topic. You can read the post here.


CONTEST: Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

If you could travel anywhere...

I've spent the past couple weeks researching 1920's New York City for my next release with Summerside Press and have found it fascinating. Between gangsters, food, fashion and music, New York City makes the perfect contrast to Africa for the second half of my story, Oceans Apart.

With around 6 million people, New York was a modern industrial city with a large immigrant population. It boasted of huge buildings, a subway, sewer lines, and water lines and had a huge port for arriving passenger liners from Europe and other parts of the world.


Yesterday, I compared historic maps with modern maps and found out exactly where my heroine stays. I was even able to find photos of street corners, house plans, and taxis.

While I've never really thought about visiting New York City as a tourist, my research has changed my mind and I've just added the Big Apple to my wish list of places to visit.


With our 20th anniversary coming up next month, Scott and I have enjoyed dreaming of places we'd like to see together. (Thankfully, dreaming is free!)

Below is my partial list of places I'd like to visit one day. Now it's your turn. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would that be? Dream big and leave a comment. I'd love to see your top five!

1. England/Scotland/Ireland
2. Arctic Cruise
3. Tour of the Greek Islands
4. Morocco
5. New York City

Coming next...Fun trivia from the 1920s and a recipe contest with a really cool prize!

Be blessed today,

Lisa