Tag Archives: Sandy Kirby Quandt

Wedding Invitation

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wedding cakeThe Invitation

Pilot and I received a wedding invitation to attend the marriage of a friend in Paris. Oh my goodness. How I wish we were able to fly to Paris and celebrate with Brian on his special day. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to. This makes me sad.

As I thought about Brian’s invitation, I thought about another wedding invitation. Fortunately, this is a wedding invitation I am able to accept.

The Bride of Christ

The Bible speaks of a wedding. The wedding of Christ and his bride, the church. It tells how Jesus laid down his life for his bride, ascended into heaven to prepare a place for her, and will return to take his bride back home with him to heaven to live with him forever.

Similar to an engagement to be married, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we enter into a covenant with him. We make a commitment to him, and he with us.

The Wedding Feast

Although I do not know what will be served at Brian’s reception, I know that whatever it is, it will be beyond grand. How do I know? Because I know Brian.

There will be a day when those who are Christ’s Bride approach him in the confidence of his love. On that day, he will take us to his home in heaven.

At that time, there will be a marriage feast unlike anything the world has ever known. How do we know? Because we know Jesus.

In Revelation John speaks of the new Jerusalem. That place prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. The dwelling place for those who claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior. (Revelation 21:2)

Isaiah speaks of God rejoicing over us the way the bridegroom rejoices over his bride. (Isaiah 62:5)

Our Choice

Brian extended his invitation to attend his wedding. However, it was up to us whether we would accept or not. It was our choice. Although Brian hoped we would share this special day with him, he won’t force us to attend.

God extends his invitation to all to attend the wedding of his son, the Lamb, and his Bride, the Church. It’s up to each of us to decide what we will do with that invitation. God won’t force us to accept.

When Christ’s wedding invitation is extended to us, will we decline the invitation? Or will we excitedly accept with all our heart and devotion?

Your Turn

The Bible also tells us we won’t know the hour or the day when God tells his son, “Go get your bride.” What the Bible does say is we need to watch and wait for that day. We need to be ready. (Matthew 24:36-44)

How should we make ourselves ready?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

Let us rejoice and be happy and give God glory, because the wedding of the Lamb has come, and the Lamb’s bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given to her to wear.” (The fine linen means the good things done by God’s holy people.) And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who have been invited to the wedding meal of the Lamb!” And the angel said, “These are the true words of God.” Revelation 19:7-9 (NCV)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Photo courtesy blackstarvideo / 61 images

Pause for Poetry — The Refiner’s Fire

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meadow lake courtesy pixabayThe following poem, The Refiner’s Fire, was written by James M. Gray and comes from Streams in the Desert.

The Refiner’s Fire

He sat by the fire of seven-fold heat,As He watched by the precious ore.And closer He bent with a searching gazeAs He heated it more and more.

He knew He had ore that could stand the test
And He wanted the finest gold,
To mold as a crown for the King to wear,
Set with gems of price untold.

So He laid our gold in the burning fire,
Though we fain would have said Him, “Nay.”
And He watched the dross that we had not seen,
As it melted and passed away.

And the gold grew brighter, and yet more bright
And our eyes were so dim with tears,
As we saw the fire, not the Master’s hand,
And questioned with anxious fear.

Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow,
As it mirrored a Form above
That bent o’er the fire, though unseen by us
With a look of infinite love.

Can we think that it pleases His loving heart
To cause a moment of pain?
Ah, no, but He saw through the present cross
The bliss of eternal gain.

So He waited there with a watchful eye,
With a love that is strong and sure,
And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat
Than was needed to make it pure!

James M. Gray

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I wish you well.

Sandy

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After the Shadows Book Review

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woman walking toward mansionThere is so much to like about Amanda Cabot’s latest Christian historical fiction novel, After the Shadows. Well-developed characters to love, an intriguing mystery to solve, a blossoming romance to root for, and of course, several characters to dislike.

Set in 1882, when Emily Leland returns home to Sweetwater Crossing, Texas, after her abusive husband dies, instead of the welcome she expects, she finds her father dead. Not believing the doctor’s report for the cause of death, she sets out to discover the truth. Along the way, she reconnects with old friends and makes new ones. One such friend is Craig Ferguson who works with Emily to solve the mystery of her father’s death.

After the Shadows is a fast-paced page-turner whose mystery unfolds bit by bit right up to the final page. If you enjoy Christian historical fiction with a touch of mystery thrown in, this may just be the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House for a fair and honest review, which is exactly what I gave.

Have you read this book? If so, what was your impression of it?

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

Gluten-free Hearty Sausage Breakfast Muffin Recipe

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sausage muffinThese tasty 4 ingredient gluten-free hearty sausage breakfast muffins are super simple to make.

  • 1 pound roll of breakfast sausage
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 cup gluten-free Bisquick baking mix

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

Crumble the sausage into a skillet over medium-high heat and cook until no longer pink. Drain off the fat and set the sausage aside to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the shredded cheese, gluten-free Bisquick, and the fully cooked sausage. Mix well.

Fill the prepared muffin pan about ¾ full with the mixture. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

These taste best warm. We discovered they are even tastier with maple syrup drizzled over them. They can be frozen and reheated.

Enjoy!

I wish you well.

Sandy

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In Times of Crisis

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man in despairCrisis

According to the Oxford online dictionary, crisis is defined as a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger. It is a time when a difficult or important decision must be made.

Merriam-Webster online dictionary further describes crisis as an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending.

We might consider different things a crisis by varying degrees. What one person considers a crisis, another may view differently.

When I hear reports of earthquakes or other natural disasters, I think crisis.

When I read reports of devastation in times of war, I think crisis.

When I talk with friends with about their major relationship concerns, I think crisis.

When I consider those without food, housing, or safety, I think crisis.

When I consider those with life-threatening diseases, I think crisis.

What I have found with the crises in my life is this. Crisis often catches us off guard, and always requires attention.

Joseph’s Life of Crisis

We don’t have to go past the book of Genesis to find someone whose life was one major crisis after another. At the beginning of chapter thirty-seven, we read about Joseph, the seventeen-year-old son beloved by his father Jacob.

By the middle of the chapter, we read Joseph was hated and rejected by his brothers. So much so, they decided to kill him.

By the end of the chapter, Joseph’s brothers changed their mind. Instead of outright killing their younger brother, when a caravan of Ishmaelites arrived from Gilead on its way to Egypt, they decided to sell him into slavery instead.

Crisis Number Two

In chapter thirty-nine, we see that a man named Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, bought Joseph from the traders. Because the Lord was with Joseph, Joseph prospered. Potiphar noticed God was with Joseph, and put him in charge of his household and everything he owned.

Potiphar’s wife made sexual advances toward Joseph. He refused. She falsely accused him of rape. He was thrown in prison.

Forgotten in Prison

Chapter forty-one tells us that after two years in prison, Pharaoh had a dream. A former prison remembered Joseph had a gift for dream interpretation, and suggested Joseph might be able to help. By now, Joseph was thirty-years-old.

Elevated to the Palace

After interpreting Pharaoh’s dream, Joseph was placed second in charge of Egypt by Pharaoh himself.

What We See About Joseph’s Crisis

During Joseph’s times of crisis, we see someone who remained faithful to God. We never see Joseph getting angry or blaming God. We see someone God walked with through each turn of events. Not only did God walk with Joseph through each crisis, others noticed.

Near the end of Joseph’s story, we see someone who endured his life of crisis. We also see someone who forgave those who set that life in motion.

Joseph declared that what his brothers meant for evil, God meant for good. It wasn’t Joseph’s brothers who sent him to Egypt. Joseph said it was God.

Forgiving his brothers didn’t mean Joseph forgot what they did to him. What it meant was that although what they did was extremely painful, the wound of their betrayal could no longer hurt him.

In fact, he reminded them of their betrayal when he said, “Whom you sold into Egypt.” No denying what they did. No denying Joseph knew what they did.

Although Joseph’s times of crisis caught him off guard, his response was to trust God and remain faithful to him.

Your Turn

I pray you never find yourself, or someone you love, in a state of crisis, but I fear you might. One thing I’ve learned through the crises I’ve faced, and the crises my loved ones have faced, is this. Our particular crisis may have caught us off guard, but it didn’t catch God off guard.

Before the beginning of time, God knew the exact moment our crisis would hit. He allowed it to happen. And because God filtered our crisis through his hands before it ever reached us, we can trust he will see us through it.

God may not get us through our crisis in the way we’d like, but he’ll never leave us as we walk through it. Like Joseph, may we trust God, and remain faithful to him in our times of crisis.

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Genesis 50:19-20 (NLT)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Photo courtesy Pixabay

Faith, Doubt, and God’s Mysterious Timing Book Review

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One of the things I especially appreciate in Faith, Doubt, and God’s Mysterious Timing by Laurie Polich Short, is the way she takes familiar stories from the Bible, and points out how God met each person in their faith and doubt to show his perfect timing and sovereignty.

We read about Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Joseph, Moses, David, Paul, and others in these pages. We see how, through faith, they navigated God’s seeming unanswered prayers, and way-off timing. And we understand, just like them, we can trust the One who orchestrates our path.

There are many nuggets of inspiration within the pages of Faith, Doubt, and God’s Mysterious Timing. In case you’re wondering if this is a book for you, here is one of Laurie’s nuggets. The call to hardship is not a sign of God’s displeasure. Laurie Polich Short

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House for a fair and honest review, which is exactly what I gave.

Have you read this book? If so, what was your impression of it?

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

Six Lessons From Hannah

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smiling infant

Hannah, A Woman Who Trusted God

Last June I reviewed The Path to Peace by Ann Swindell. Today I would like to mention six lessons we can learn from Samuel’s mother Hannah that I gained from her book.

In 1 Samuel we read the story of Hannah, the prophet Samuel’s mother. Her husband had two wives. Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children. Hannah did not.

For years Hannah prayed for a child. For years God answered no.

Lesson Number 1

While it is difficult to live in bodies that don’t work and don’t seem to measure up, there is peace in knowing our hope is not ultimately in the healing of our bodies, but in God.

Even in the midst of her troubles and grief, Hannah made a deliberate choice to worship God. She turned toward God instead of away from him.

Lesson Number 2

Comparison can cause deep pain.

Hannah chose not to compare herself with Peninnah and her ability to have children. Instead, Hannah looked to God for her identity and purpose.

Lesson Number 3

Take our sorrow to God in prayer.

Hannah poured out her heart to God in prayer. She was honest with her hurt and pain.

Lesson Number 4

Leave your requests with God.

After Hannah prayed, she got up and continued with her life. She surrendered her dreams, got off her knees, and moved on, doing the everyday things that needed done.

Lesson Number 5

Trust that God is at work in your situation in his way and his timing.

We must decide if we will continue to follow God even if he doesn’t answer our prayer the way we want him to. Hannah’s obedience and worship weren’t dependent on God’s answer to her prayer. She chose to trust that God heard and saw her, and that he would do what was best.

Lesson Number 6

Even when we receive what we most desire, it is ultimately for God’s glory, not for ourselves, lest it become an idol.

Hannah prayed for a son. She promised to dedicate him to the Lord as soon as he was weaned.

When Samuel was about two-years-old, Hannah took her precious, long-desired child to the temple to serve God. She left Samuel at the temple under the priest’s care; returning once a year with a new tunic for the gift God gave in answer to her prayers.

Your Turn

I love Hannah’s heart. I love her obedience. I love her dedication to God, even in the midst of such anguish and pain. There is much to learn from this woman of God.

For me, the hardest thing she did was walk away from her son after all the many years of tears and prayers asking God to give him to her. It was her choice. It was her way of honoring and glorifying God. And through Hannah’s sacrifice, Israel received one of its greatest prophets.

Would it have been difficult for you to leave Samuel at the temple?

We can choose to praise God for who he is and for what he has done for us, even after waving good-bye to what we hoped to keep. Ann Swindell

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there. 1 Samuel 1:24-28

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Photo by Chiến Phạm on Unsplash

Search Me and Know Me Psalm 139

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Bible open to the Psalms courtesy pixabayToday’s guest post, Search Me and Know Psalm 139 written by Anthea Kotlan first appeared on antheakotlan.com.

Search Me and Know Me: Using a Self-Examen Practice in the Season of Lent

Some years the season of Lent can feel chaotic. In contrast, this season is designed to be a time of spiritual renewal and contemplation. Since life may throw me endless curve balls, disruptions, and changes, sometimes I need to push a pause button and take a moment to practice a spiritual discipline known as self-examen.

What is Self-examen?

It is the practice of setting aside time alone with the Lord and seeking the Holy Spirit to check on my spiritual health. I decided to use Psalm 139 as a map to guide me and travel through each verse, stopping to ask these questions. These questions, created by author Ruth Haley Barton, can serve as a prayer guide that allows me to take each verse and see what God had for me there.

Self-Examen Questions

  • Adoration, what is a way I could praise and adore God for the quality in this verse?
  • Confession, what is something I need to ask God for forgiveness regarding this verse?
  • Has God used his word to illuminate a sin?
  • Thanksgiving- what do I need to give thanks for God in this verse?
  • Supplication -what does this verse bring to mind that I need to pray about?

Psalm 139:1-24

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.

3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me!

20 They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain.

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

22 I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:1-24 ESV)

Prayer

Lord, would you use this practice of self-examine to “search me, O God, and know my heart.” I am easily fooled and distracted. Please send a fresh wave of your Holy Spirit to guide me. Lord, “try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting!” Lord, fill my mind with your truth and your guidance. Please help me to glorify you.

In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

I want to thank Ruth Haley Barton for her suggestion of using this Psalm for this practice of self-examination. Check out her brilliant work on spiritual disciplines. (Barton, Ruth Haley. Sacred Rhythms. IVP, 2006)

Your Turn

I would love to hear how God spoke to you through your self-examen. What did you find in Psalm 139, and what did God find in you?

*Lent falls at different points on the church calendar each year but lasts for the 40 days leading up to Easter. This year Lent 2023 begins on February 22nd. This season can invite us to take a spiritual inventory and consider taking on and giving up certain practices to make more room for Jesus in our lives.

Anthea KotlanFor over thirty years, Anthea Kotlan has served as a women’s ministry leader in the church and community. She has a passion for discipleship and encouraging women to walk confidently in their God-given calling. She designs women’s retreats, teaches Bible studies, writes, and enjoys speaking at events. Recently, she began serving on a church plant team in Conroe, Texas with her husband, a bi-vocational priest. Every chance she gets, she spends time laughing with her two adult daughters or snuggling her two grandchildren. Check out Anthea’s blog for weekly soul-tending devotionals from the Psalms. antheakotlan.com 

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

The Lord Bless You Book Review

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Author Terry A. Smith states his book, The Lord Bless You: A 28-Day Journey to Experience God’s Extravagant Blessings is about how much God wants to bless the people he created. He says it is about how we can embrace God’s blessings in our life, and how we can bless the world around us.

The author defines blessing as being in harmonious relationship with God who wants to do good in us, to us, and through us.

Perhaps The Lord Bless You can best be summed up as this. God is good. God wants to be in relationship with you. He wants to do good in you, to you, and through you.

In short, God wants to bless you so you can be a blessing to others.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House for a fair and honest review, which is exactly what I gave.

Have you read this book? If so, what was your impression of it?

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!

Gluten-free Sour Cream Banana Pudding Recipe

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bowl of banana puddingThis delicious gluten-free Sour Cream Banana Pudding recipe is adapted from my Aunt Alma’s recipe.

  • 1 large box instant vanilla pudding (You can also use 2 small boxes of banana cream pudding. That’s what I did.)
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 1 1/2 boxes of gluten-free vanilla wafers
  • 4 or 5 large bananas
  • 8 oz container whipped topping

Mix pudding with milk. Beat two minutes.

Add sour cream and 1/2 of the whipped topping. Mix well.

Layer bananas, wafers, and pudding in a large dish.

Top with the remaining whipped topping.

Enjoy!

I wish you well.

Sandy

Please enter your email address on the form located on the right sidebar to sign up to receive posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks!