Victory's Frontlines

Singing songs at 2010 VBS

Sunday School songs have been part of my repertoire for as long as I can remember. As a child, we gathered in the basement of the Byers United Methodist Church and sang tunes like "Deep and Wide," "Wide As the Ocean" and "Do Lord!" We dropped our coins through the little slot in the top of the white plastic church and then sang some more before we went into our Sunday School classrooms.

But somehow, we missed the children's song, "I'm in the Lord's Army." I didn't hear that song or learn those actions until we partnered with another church for a Vacation Bible School years ago.

I may never march in the infantry,
Ride in the cavalry,
Shoot the artillery.
I may never fly o'er the enemy,
But I'm in the Lord's army!
Yes Sir!

May is the time when we honor our military heroes - past and present. Saturday, May 21, is Armed Forces Day. Our church bulletin lists military men and women with Stafford connections. There are 24 names on the list, which seems like a lot for our small town of about 1,100 people. After looking at a wall of military personnel at school, I think there are even more than that.

I heard on the radio the other day that there's a disproportionate number of enlistees from rural areas because they have been raised to honor America and to serve their country. It seems to be true for my little part of the world.

Like the song says, I've never marched in the infantry, ridden in the cavalry or shot the artillery. But I am deeply appreciative of the sacrifice our armed forces and their families make for me, my family and my country. We list our service men and women in the church bulletin each week and have their pictures on the wall at school so we are reminded to pray for them and for the other brave military personnel who keep us safe.

I do believe we are all called to take different paths and serve God in the ways that best use the time and talent that He grants us.

From I Corinthians 12:
⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. ... ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. ¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

I don't fight on the frontlines of a battlefield. But I can honor the men and women who currently serve. And I can make sure that Memorial Day on May 30 is more than a day at the lake or a family barbecue. It is a time to honor our service personnel, past and present. And it's a time to honor family members who have gone on before us.

When we were cleaning out my grandparents' house, I found an old cookbook. It was dated 1942 and was compiled by the Ladies of the W.S.C.S. of the Byers Methodist Church. As I looked through the cookbook, I found recipes from both my grandmothers, as well as childhood neighbors.

The cookbook was produced during World War II. Children collected scrap metal. Families did without sugar and other staples. Women in some parts of the country had to go to work in factories and other jobs outside the home to fill the void left by men who were serving overseas.


In Victory Hints, found at the front of the cookbook, it says, in part:

Victory is more than just another word. It is a challenge to the ingenuity of womanhood. Victory means taking care of and making the most of what we have. It means saving time and strength as well as material things.

Those are valuable ideas, even today.

A friend shared another cookbook published in 1943, also during World War II. In the preface of The Connecticut Cookbook, the writer included a section called Cooking in War Time:

Today, when sacrifice is demanded of us, we have learned the true value of each and every comfort. ... Meat and bread, vegetables and fruits, coffee and milk have become symbols. They are no longer merely the sustenance of physical being, but the strength of the will to win. It has been said many times and cannot be said too often, that this is a war to maintain spiritual ideals. It is a war of progress against savagery, of the power of right over the rule of evil.

During World War II, Americans were called upon to sacrifice.

Food used to be an accepted necessity instead of a luxury. We gave little or no thought to our good fortune in having enough to eat, just as we thought not at all of giving thanks for warm blankets on cold nights or enough fuel to keep from freezing.

Makes you think, doesn't it? Today, military personnel and their families are making a sacrifice, but the rest of us go on our merry way. We give little or no thought to our good fortune in having enough to eat, a roof over our heads and gasoline in our cars (albeit more expensive than we'd like!)

So maybe this is our call to arms. Be that prayer warrior that you are called to be. Be that "service" person who is serving their neighbor or their church or their community. Figure out what gifts you have been given and then endeavor to serve the Lord through those special gifts. Be the Lord's hands and feet in the world today.

Join the Lord's Army ... Yes sir!

***

Want to make a patriotic treat to celebrate Armed Forces Day or Memorial Day? Try these bar cookie recipes.

Tending the Garden

I probably will have to turn in my Kansas farm wife title, but here's a confession: I'm not much of a gardener. I am an indoor girl and always have been.

While my little sister had a worm collection, I had a collection of Trixie Belden mysteries. Give me a choice between curling up with a good book and getting covered with sweat and dirt? I'll choose the book every time.

But that's not to say I don't love fresh garden produce. There is nothing like fresh tomatoes lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper ... unless it's the perfectly ripened cantaloupe ... or a raw cucumber sliced into a sweetened vinegar mixture. It's the very taste of summertime! Is your mouth watering yet?

Yes, I love the garden produce. I just don't want to do the work.

Isn't that true of most everything in life? I want to lose a few pounds, but I'd sure like to be able to do it without giving up anything I love to eat or adding something different to my hour-a-day exercise routine.

I want to declutter my house, but I can't ever seem to move it off the TO-do list and actually DO it. (Check out Suzanne's blog Home Matters here on the Vine Press. She has lots of practical advice for doing this. Just click on the red words, and it will take you right there - after you're reading this, of course!!)

I want closer friendships. But do I call someone up and invite them over for coffee or supper? Do I make a date to go for an out-of-town window shopping excursion? Or do I instead log into Facebook or send someone an email? There's nothing wrong with cyberspace friendships, and it's been a great way to reconnect with people. But do those "relationships" take the place of true, face-to-face connections?

I say I want to grow in my Christian walk. I want to be a "lovely branch of righteousness." But do I really invest the time I should? Do I do more than read my daily email devotional? Do I commit time and effort to Bible study? Do I spend time in prayer? When I say I'll pray for someone, do I do more than just "throw" a prayer upwards and call it good?

Just like gardening, all these things require work. They require an investment of time and effort. They may require us to get a little sweaty and dirty.

"Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law, they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper." Psalm 1: 2-3

It takes time, commitment and "weeding" for our garden to grow, whether we're talking about a summertime plot in the backyard, housekeeping, a friendship or Bible study. We can't expect to grow "fruit" overnight or without water, nourishment and cultivation.

Fruit grows when we spend time doing the hard work, getting out in the hot sun and hoeing the weeds, watering the plants, tying up tomato vines so they can grow.

It also takes some work to build friendships with others. I think it's more than "commenting" on someone's Facebook status.

It takes effort to truly grow on this Christian journey. Fruit grows as we spend time in Bible study, prayer, devotional reading, worship and fellowship with other Christians. It grows as we work at living our faith in service to others, becoming the hands and the feet of Jesus.

And it's OK that I'm not a gardener, despite the stereotypical image of the farm wife bringing bushel baskets of fruit and vegetables to the kitchen for canning. We all bring our special God-given talents and gifts to the table.

I love the imagery of I Corinthians 12.
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." I Corinthians 12: 4-6.

It illustrates the different gifts given by comparing the body of Christ to our human body, something we are all intimately familiar with.

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." I Corinthians 12: 12

(I encourage you to click on the link above to Bible Gateway and read the whole chapter. This is just a "taste.")

Yes, to be a gardener I have to do the work. To be a friend, I have to do the work. To have a clean house, I have to do the work. To be a Christian growing in my faith, I have to do the work.

Find the work you are called to do. And then do it well and abundantly.

And you can always enjoy the fruit of the other laborers in God's world. I didn't grow all the vegetables I used in the illustration at the top of this post (I do have a few tomatoes this year, but that is the extent of my gardening.)

But I do enjoy visiting farmers' markets when I have a chance or even choosing from the array of produce in the grocery store this time of year.

And, despite the joke about avoiding your gardening friends this time of year when they are pawning off sacks of zucchini "gone wild," I never turn down fresh produce from my green-thumb-blessed friends (hint, hint!)

I asked one of those friends for some recipes she and her family enjoy as they celebrate the bounty of their large garden. Of course, fresh garden produce is wonderful prepared simply as well - in a fresh salad or cooked crisp-tender in a nonstick skillet (with or without a little olive oil!)

But if you're looking for a little variety, here are some favorite ways Kim Volker and her family enjoy their abundance of squash at this time of year. I tried them all, and they are yummy! Enjoy!

***

Squash Casserole

2 lbs. squash, peeled and cut up (yellow or zucchini: I used yellow)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup sour cream
1 8-oz. pkg. seasoned stuffing mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Cook squash and onion in salt water for 3 minutes. Drain. Combine chicken soup and sour cream. Stir in shredded carrots, squash and onions. Mix well and add salt to taste.

Combine stuffing mix with butter. Spread half of stuffing in bottom of 12- by 7-inch baking dish. Spoon vegetable mixture on top. Then put rest of stuffing on top of vegetable mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serves 6 (generously!)

***

Baked Chicken and Zucchini

1 egg
1 tbsp. water
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup dry bread crumbs or cracker crumbs
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
5 medium zucchini, sliced
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1cup (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tsp. fresh minced basil

In shallow bowl, beat egg, water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Set aside 2 tablespoons of bread or cracker crumbs. Place the remaining crumbs in a large resealable plastic bag. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then place in bag and shake to coat.

In a skillet, cook chicken in 2 tablespoons of oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown; remove and set aside. In the same skillet, saute zucchini in remaining oil until crisp-tender; drain. Transfer to a 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved bread crumbs over the zucchini. Top with tomato slices; sprinkle with 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese, basil and remaining salt. Top with chicken.

Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Serves 4.

***

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

1 pkg. (18 oz.) carrot cake mix
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In large bowl, combine the cake mix, applesauce, oil and egg for 30 seconds. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in zucchini, raisins and pecans.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: About 16 muffins (I got 18).