Tuesday, November 03, 2009

In A Jam?

When you are in a jam, what do you do?

Over the weekend, I was in a bit of a sticky situation, and I let it get the best of me. When it was all over and my sight was then 20/20, I wished that I would have trusted the Lord. Not trusting was like making a batch of jam and letting it burn!

There are so many sticky situations in life, that we can get stuck in them if we don't trust the Lord.

Well, I found this perfect verse for when we get in a jam:

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him" (Nahum 1:7).

Our Friday morning Bible study is going through the book of Mark, and as I was reading verse 45 of chapter six, this portion of the verse hooked my attention...

"Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them."

... He saw ...
His eye is on us!

... He saw them straining ...
His eye is on our struggle!

... He saw them straining at rowing ...
He knows the what the struggle is!

... For the wind was against them ...
He knows what we're up against!

When those straining disciples finally saw Jesus, He said to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid" (vs. 50).

That really seemed like a funny thing to say in the midst of straining and struggles and fear. Being of good cheer was definitely the opposite of my bad mood in my own little jam.

And that is one reason why the winds of life are necessary - to teach us to live opposite!

Opposition blows our way so that we blow God's way -- learning to have faith instead of fear, trust instead of straining, good cheer instead of bad moods, dependence on Him instead of self-sufficiency.

Anyhoo, those are some lessons I learned this weekend about jams!

And so... with jams on my mind, I yanked from the freezer all the collected strawberries from summer. I had enough berries to make two batches, which I love to give away as small gifts during Christmas. However, I only had enough empty jars and sugar for one batch of jam! Phooey! So, for the first time ever I made a Strawberry Pie! Oh, yes, I did. Superman loved it!!!

The recipe I used was from here.

One handy trick I learned long ago was to roll my crust around my rolling pin, to get it off the bread board and into my dish. Like this...



Then, after the crust was all gently tucked into the lightly greased dish, I poked air holes in the crust, like I was taught.

Trouble is, the crazy crust shrank!

CAN ANYBODY HELP ME?

If you are a pie maker, please share your tips for keeping that silly crust in its place, and get me out of this recurring jam!!!

Thanks!

9 comments:

Scuba Wife Life said...

I am not a pie maker...unless its pumpkin pie I am not a fan of pie (but yours always look so stinkin' cute!). I thought it was funny because our high school youth group on Sunday mornings is worker our way through the ENTIRE NT. Guess where we are at?? Mark! Chapter 6 is even in our reading this week! Totally crazy! :) Thanks for giving me your insight to that part of chpt 6!! :) I can't wait to share it with my girls! :) Love you Auntie! <3

Farm Girl said...

you could try pie weights. When you are making crust, let it rest a bit before you bake it. If you don't have pie weights I have used small pieces of foil rolled up in balls and that helps too.
Happy Pie Baking. :)

Aimee said...

I make pies for Thanksgiving and that's about it. I have no idea what's going on with your crust...I wish I could help.

Thanks for your wonderful insights. You really live up to the name of your blog! Thank you!

Smilie girl said...

A great reflection. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you again for my lovely gift. It looks beautiful and is so wonderfully made. I will have to try your tutorial and see if I can make it some friends.
Your strawberry pie looks delicious!

joeysgirl said...

Yum!!!!

Kathy said...

Thank You for taking the time to share with us how the Lord is speaking to you through His Word. I can't tell you how much God has used you when I was going through a very difficult time (long story/ move to another state away from all I love/ God moving us back again/ MIRACLE!!!!)
God is so awesome as He speaks to us everyday in His Word.
I had a plaque with the word FAITH in sight everyday. I got through each day looking at that plaque and holding on to all the things I know about God and His faithfulness, reading His word, and following your blog. Even when I didn't understand, He was faithful, so very faithful.
God Bless You
Kathy

Melanie said...

Can I suggest you FREEZE your pie crust before you pop it in the oven. It works for me. By the time the crust realizes it's in an oven and should shrink it's too late!

Hope this helps!

an encourager said...

Hi Kathy, I couldn't pull up your blog, but wanted to tell you that I am so glad the Lord 1) moved you back to the place you love, 2) uses my blog to encourage you!!! Yahoo!

Celina Abel said...

Make the crust bigger, so it rolls over the edge of the pan. Or freeze it first. Looks yummy!!!!!!