One of my very favorite things about church is corporate praise and worship. There is just something about hearing the voices of my brothers and sisters in Christ, united with my own, lifting our sacrifice of praise to our God and King. There are no words to explain the peace and beauty that overwhelms my soul when I feel Him inhabit those praises, and His Spirit fills the room. Times seems to stand still; I feel whole, and I want to stay wrapped in His love, forever.

Yesterday morning I was scheduled to work in our church nursery. I absolutely adore this sweet time that I get to spend with God's latest creations. I get to love on them, snuggle, and bask in new baby smell. It doesn't get much better than this.

However, it does mean I miss out on church that day. It's really not too big of a deal because I can listen to the sermon online, and I wouldn't trade my time with those precious babies so that their parents can participate in our service, but there is no reclaiming that lost time of praise and worship.

Or is there?

After church, I was running around completing various errands that I had procrastinated for several days. I was in and out of my car for the better part of three hours. The second time I got in my car, I noticed a pattern: as soon as the car started, I would hear the last few notes of a song, and the next song would be one of my favorite songs of worship, followed by another and another, for as long as I was in the car.

I was singing my heart out and enjoying some priceless fellowship with my Lord. He filled my heart until it overflowed with His love, and joy spilled out of my eyes in tears.

About halfway through my errands, it occurred to me that this same phenomena happens every time I miss church while serving the Lord. More tears filled my eyes as I realized this little act of love that means so very much to me.

I know He loves me, but Oh! How He loves me!

He's is truly the ultimate parent. I know that I can always count on Him to meet my needs. While I don't take it for granted, it is an expectation, much like our children expect us to meet their needs. For example, I was recently told by my dentist that I would need braces to save my teeth. Insurance would not cover a penny of it, and it's A LOT of money. Before I could even take my prayer request to my Bible study group, the money fell in our laps. I was so grateful, but at the same time not surprised. That's what parents do.

This loving gesture that He showed me on Sunday is different, though. It's the parenting that goes beyond meeting basic physical needs. It's the parent spending time with His child. I need the same from Him that my children need from me: time, fellowship, loving gestures, the little things that build bonds and memories. This is what He does for me: He shows me His glory, His sovereignty, and His grace in little ways that take my breath away and allow me to soak up His love.

I am grateful in a fall-to-my-knees-and-face kind of way: so grateful that He chose me, that He loves me, that He removed the veil from my eyes so that I can experience Him.

I am my beloved's and He is mine.

I've been bored with my normal recipes, much to the dismay of my quite unadventurous family, so I've been playing around with some new recipes.

Last night, I tried a new lasagna recipe, modified a bit, and the result was yum! Seconds for everyone in the house means I'll be adding this to the monthly rotation. It makes quite a lot of meat sauce, which is nice because I can use that later for another dish. I'm still considering doubling it and freezing half next time, just because it is so time-consuming.

Quiet Table Lasagna















Ingredients:
3/4 lb hot Italian sausage
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, minced
minced garlic, to taste (I probably used 3 or 4 cloves worth)
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (12 oz) can tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 Tbsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 (6 oz) packages sliced mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Brown sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic in Dutch oven. Add next 10 ingredients, and simmer over low heat (covered) for two hours.

When meat sauce is ready, combine ricotta cheese, egg, parsley, and 1/2 tsp salt in a small bowl.

To assemble, spread 2 cups of meat sauce in bottom of 9x13 pan. Arrange noodles, slightly overlapping, to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture over noodles, then top with 1 package of mozzarella slices. Spoon another 2 cups of meat sauce over the cheese, and repeat layers, ending with an additional 2 cups of meat sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over final layer of meat sauce, then top with the last package of sliced mozzarella.

Cover with sprayed foil and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before serving.