How to make raw brownies? How about crepes? (Recipes included)

Sunday, August 10, 2025

We talk about practical faith at the IES Bandung Gathering. That includes honoring other people, respecting those in authority, and obeying the government. (See 1 Peter 2:11-17 below.) People share lively takeaways afterward. Titik is back and has outdone herself on the hall flowers.

Close up, the detail of the leaves, roses, and mums are lovely.

We eat at #HomeGround, with spicy Szechwan beef and rice for me and chicken for W. I walk back, noticing electrical boxes dangling from the trees along the street. (That can't be good!)

The hoya vine on the Porch is flowering again, scenting the entry. The little (6"/15cm) pot half-filled with soil seems unlikely to support the lush growth but it blooms off and on all year.

W and I stay on the Porch for a few hours, reading and wrapping up post-Gathering Sunday chores.

Monday

We walk all 3 dogs on a leash, with Anton occasionally jumping over Juno's back toward cats. W drapes the leash behind his legs so Anton is pulled back if he tugs - his choice.

The beautifully woven standard from the weekend's wedding has been pulled down. Now it's just strips of grass that will be burned with whatever else is lying along the street.

We take some calls and work while the morning is young. W and our grandkids enjoy the gaming aspects (and competitive nature) of the Duolingo language app. I just want the information. W has a streak of +1300 unbroken days while I'm at 1100. We have completely different experiences. He uses his computer and is learning quickly. Because he likes music and background noise, he constantly plays Indonesian jazz radio. He hears more language. Meanwhile, I crave silence to refresh my sanity.

The pine cones from last week's hike are starting to dry and open.

I write next Sunday's talk, toss the ball for Anton, and start writing the introduction to my book. After 2 hours, my focus is kaput. Meanwhile, W leads a hybrid study = online and in person.

On some trip, I bought an Indian cuisine packet (spinach paneer). I mix it with azuki beans. Along with okra and mushrooms, it's a healthy lunch.

Tuesday

Juno comes to be petted after her morning wriggle in the garden. What a mess - though the mud flakes off and she'll be dry within an hour.

During a few meetings online, I throw the ball for Anton to run off some of his energy. It works. When we walk the neighborhood, Anton ignores 5 cats without jumping at them. Wow. That's never happened so is worth noting in my journal. ha.

Look at this pretty clump that is fruiting along the neighbor's driveway.

Fruit and flowers are constantly in season.

I taste the Raw "Brownies" I made last night: no eggs, gluten, or dairy. Pretty good! Here's how to make it for yourself:

• Soak in hot water for 15 minutes: 1 1/2 c raw or roasted walnuts and 1 1/2 c dates. (Can adjust the size with 1 part walnuts; 1 part dates = as long as you have at least 1 c. of each.)
• Drain off the water. Add 4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa, 1-2 Tbsp chia seeds, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/4 tsp salt.
• Blend in a blender until fairly smooth.
• Press into a lined pan or roll into balls. (I lined a 5"X7" teflon saucepan and pressed the mixture flat into it.)
• Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

110 people have signed up for movie night tomorrow. Only 70 can fit comfortably in the house and Porch. I shop for salads and prepare sauces for movie night (tomorrow). PakG drives me "straight down the hill" to the supermarket and back.

Team meeting is online today. After that, we check on the project. It's coming along ... the roofline is almost done. I get an idea of the trajectory of the sun for transplanting our garden in a few months. Much of the ground is in deep shade under tall pines.

Back home, I think about lighting and imagine the hallway: 4 sockets in a row. What do we already have ... besides the white IKEA paper globes that cover every naked bulb in our place?

Hmmm? Didn't we get bulb covers on a trip years ago to a handmade paper factory in Chang Mai? Yes - there are 4 small ones for the hall plus a larger cover for another room. Good enough!

For supper, I feel like eating crepes. It takes a few minutes to whip them up and a few more for W and me to enjoy them with orange marmalade and whipping cream. Want the recipe? I usually heat 2-3 little saucepans (6-8") at once, so it's a quick process.

SIMPLE CREPES

Mix together: 

• 1 c flour
• 1 tsp each baking powder, vanilla (optional), and sugar (optional)*
• pinch of salt

Beat together:

• 1 T melted butter
• 1.5 c milk
• 1-2 eggs

Whisk the dry and wet ingredients together until the batter is minimally lumpy. (HINT: A pourable measuring cup will make it easy to add batter to the pan.)

Swirl oil/butter around a hot pan, dumping excess fat from the pan into a glass measuring cup. (Reuse that hot butter/oil between crepes to re-grease the pan.)

Pour 2-3 T batter into one end of the oiled hot pan. Tilt the pan to cover the bottom with a very thin layer of batter.

Cook for up to 2 minutes. When the batter is dry on top, the crepe can be tipped out of the pan onto a serving plate. No need to bake it on both sides.

*If you skip the sugar and vanilla, it's ideal for savory fillings.

W and I have read the Sunday talk so I confirm events on the weekly calendar: women's study (hopefully), movie night, a hike, a family-style supper and travel night, and a potluck on the weekend. Sounds like a lot of cooking, eating, and people, doesn't it?

Read more:
*Put away the foreign gods that are among you and incline your hearts to the Lord. Joshua 24:23

*Paul said, “I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” Acts 20:20-21

*Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority; whether to the emperor as the supreme authority or to the governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong adn to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil. Live as God's slaves. Show proper respect to everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 1 Peter 2:11-17

Moravian Prayer: God, when we stray, guide us back to your loving embrace. Grant us the courage to repent, the strength to seek forgiveness, and the humility to return to your divine presence. This we pray in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The hazards of God's "Yes"

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you begged God for it? Kept asking, perhaps even trying to blackmail God into a response using the parable of the widow and the unrighteous judge (who gave in to her request because of her nagging)?

Be careful what you ask for.

Jesus promised that His followers that if they lived in truth, doing the work of the Father, that they could ask anything in His name and it would be given.

That's a lot different from things we really really want because they sound good to have, move us forward in ambitions, or seem to prove to us that God likes us. We don't want to be ill. We don't want to lose our jobs. We want a bigger house (or to keep the one we have). Don't we deserve a good life if we are Christ-followers?

The Israelites thought they knew what would help them stay on track. They asked Samuel to find them a king like the nations had around them. Samuel prayed about their request and listened to God's response:

So Samuel passed on the LORD's warning to the people who were asking him for a king. …

But the people refused to listen to Samuel's warning. 'Even so, we still want a king,' they said. 'We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.'

So Samuel repeated to the LORD what the people had said, and the LORD replied, 'Do as they say, and give them a king.' Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home." 1 Samuel 8:10, 19–22

Even though God warned the nation about what would happen if He gave permission, they recklessly persisted in their request. So God said, "Yes." Subsequently, Israel's kings turned the nation to idolatry and war. Within 3 generations, the tribes split into two countries. After a few centuries, both were dragged into captivity and the Promised Land lay in ruins.

He also allowed Lot to become the father of two enemy nations of Israel through his daughters: we're talking about Lot, the nephew of Abraham (who was promised great blessings.) Moabites and Ammonites were Lot's descendents. 

God also let Hagar become the mother of Abraham's son Ishmael. And what a mess that's made of Middle East peace!

God allowed Hosea's wife to be a prostitute. He let Judas betray Jesus. He let well-intentioned Pharisees kill Stephen. And let churches choose to be lukewarm and indifferent. 

He warned against all of these things but didn't' prevent people from making choices that had severe consequences. 

Are we insisting God give us something (or allow us to indulge in behavior) that may bring more harm than good? Let's be careful what we ask for this Christmas season!

Read more:

*Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. Psalm 25:8

*Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn't wait for his counsel! In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God's patience in that dry wasteland. So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it" Psalm 106:13–15

*“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 1:18-20 NIV

*Through Jesus forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38

Moravian Prayer: O God, we sin, we speak too quickly, we give in to anger, we hold hate in our hearts, but you stand calm. May we feel the calmness of sin forgiven and may we be made clean now, today. Amen. 

Artist date

What's your hobby? How do you refresh your soul?

Every once in a while, I take an artist date. After church yesterday, I played with W&N watercolors at a Daniel Smith "Travel Journal" workshop. Since W and I will be traveling here and there this summer, it seemed appropriate to play while learning something new.

I'm a complete beginner who "does" art in occasionally workshops or classes. Why? Probably because I can't sit still long enough to "finish" anything that seems so optional and fun ... but requires a few hours of focus. I have the Sitzfleish [ability to sit still] of a gnat.

I found a photo of Dutch houses on a canal in Curacao and played around with that for a while. The pleasure of holding a paintbrush settled on me like a warm cloak.

I'm so grateful for a God who invests his creativity in us. I'm glad I come from a family of musicians. My husband flings his "can-do" skills at construction, music, computers, and words. Our sons design computer stuff; our daughter was born a fashionista and decorator; our daughters-in-law include a genius at accounting and an amazing people connector. Most such gifts and skills are acquired by ongoing work and practice.

What is your family's primary "art?" Numbers? Painting? Engineering? Wordcraft? Hospitality? Preaching? Construction? Thank God for his lavish love in spreading out gifts among the children of humanity.

Read more:
*Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
Psalm 33:22

*I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be dis-dained. Jeremiah 30:19 (NIV)

*When the mustard seed is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. Mark 4:32

*By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

Moravian Prayer: Faithful and steadfast God, our gratitude is too great for words. You have offered us the gift of grace and you have shown us by your son's birth, death and resurrection how to accept this gift through faith.

As we see small sprouts return to earth in springtime, evidence of new life's return after the winter, remind us of the good gifts sent from you, the promise of eternal life with you. Amen.

Real abundance

I'm going to quote two writers and let them speak for themselves. I was struck to the heart reading them. I would love your comments as I think about the implications, wrapping up 2009 and moving toward the New Year:

1. For many of us, raised to believe that money is the real source of security, a dependence on God feels foolhardy, suicidal, even laughable... we want a God that feels like a fat paycheck and a license to spend as we please. Listening to the siren song of more, we are deaf to the still small voice waiting in our soul to whisper, "You're enough."

"Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all things will be added to it," we have been told, often since childhood, by people quoting form the Bible. We don't believe this. And we certainly don't believe it about art. Maybe God would feed and clothe us, in a pinch, but painting supplies? A museum tour or Europe, dance classes? God's not about to spring for those, we tell ourselves. We cling to our financial concerns as a way to avoid not only our art but also our spiritual growth. Our faith is in the dollar...

We are operating out of the toxic old idea that God's will for us and our will for us are at opposite ends of the table... Thinking like this is grounded in the idea that God is a stern parent with very rigid ideas about what's appropriate for us. And you'd better believe we won't like them. This stunted-god concept needs alteration.

On the one hand, we give lip service to the notion that God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free. On the other, we secretly think that God wants us to be broke if we are going to be so decadent as to want to be artists [or follow our dream in any direction]. Do we have any proof at all for these ideas about God?

Looking at God's creation, it is pretty clear that the creator did not know when to stop. There is not one pink flower, or even fifty pink flowers, but hundreds. Snowflakes, of course, are the ultimate exercise in sheer creative glee. No two alike. The creator looks suspiciously like someone who just might send us support for our creative ventures.

The God who has a job for us? The God who has fulfilling work? The God who holds abundance and dignity, who holds a million possibilities, the keys to every door? This God can sound suspiciously like a flimflam man.

And so, when it comes time for us to choose between a cherished dream and a lousy current drudgery, we often choose to ignore the dream and blame our continued misery on God. We act like it's God's fault we didn't go to Europe, take that painting class, go on that photo shoot. In truth, we, not God, have decided not to go. We have tried to be sensible--as though we have any proof at all that God is sensible--rather than see if the universe might not have supported some healthy extravagance...
(Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way, is not a Christian but has a grasp of God's nature and his abundance that is hard to ignore.)

2. Then someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Master, tell my brother to share his legacy with me."

But Jesus replied, "My dear man, who appointed me a judge or arbitrator in your affairs?"

Then turning to the disciples he said to them, "Notice that, and be on your guard against covetousness in any shape or form. For a man's real life in no way depends on the number of his possessions.

"Don't worry about life, wondering what you are going to eat. And stop bothering about what clothes you will need. Life is much more important than food, and the body more important than clothes.

"Can any of you make himself an inch taller however much he worries about it? And if you can't manage a little thing like this, why do you worry about anything else?

"You must not set your hearts on what you eat or drink, nor must you live in a state of anxiety. The whole heathen world is busy about getting food and drink and your Father knows well enough that you need such things. No, set your heart on his kingdom, and your food and drink will come as a matter of course. Don't be afraid, you tiny flock! Your Father plans to give you the kingdom.

"Sell your possessions and give the money away. Get yourselves purses that never grow old, inexhaustible treasure in Heaven, where no thief can ever reach it, or moth ruin it. For wherever your treasure is, you may be certain that your heart will be there too!"
(Luke 12:13-15, 22-26, 29-34. Phillips translation, 1958)

***
Three questions to self:
1. How are we living in God's abundance today?
2. How are we planning for this Christmas season and the New Year, to make anxiety-free space so that we and our families can rest in his provision and follow him on the paths of possibility?
3. How are we planning to share his abundance as his provision for those he has chosen to bless through us?

I'd love to hear from you on this one. RK

Lent 4: God of our parents

Every generation wants to reinvent life and meaning. As an adult, it’s been fun to look for generational patterns in the families of my husband and myself. Worthwhile things don’t necessarily need reinvention; they need contextualization in current life.

My husband's family can trace preachers back to the Renaissance (1400-1500s) on his dad’s side, while his mom’s father was a church leader in Poland. His great-uncles planted many immigrant churches in Canada after WWII, and his parents pastored several churches before retirement. My mother-in-law is a source of Christian friendship and inspiration for many.

My maternal grandmother came to faith in Christ when she was 43. Her father was a “religious” Christian who taught her hymns and prayers as a child. Grandma sought out a personal relationship with God throughout life, and in middle age made a choice to commit her life to God through Jesus. Her life changed dramatically. Her conversion shaped every interaction thereafter. My mom decided to follow Christ as a young teen, about the same time Grandma did. In my teens, my mom would occasionally say, “I don’t want to be like my mother.” Yet, in her 70s, she admits being like her mom in many ways. For one thing, she prays a lot, like my grandmother did.

My dad’s father became a Christian as a young adult. His mom's family included itinerant German preachers in Russia. My dad served on various boards and volunteer posts over the years. Both our families were active on committees, in music, and as Sunday School teachers. We kids naturally began volunteering at church from a young age.

We’re watching our children, young adults with a history of Christian devotion, prayer, and service on ancestral tongue. Hoping they and their families follow the example of those who loved God. We’re praying they understand fully how their heritage centers on giving back the life that God has given us… and that they continue to live the story.

If you're the first believer in your generation, you can change the course of your family's His-story, too.

--
God's peace to you today!
*[Solomon] prayed, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You keep your covenant and show unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion. You have kept your promise to your servant David, my father. You made that promise with your own mouth, and with your own hands you have fulfilled it today.

And now, O LORD, God of Israel, carry out the additional promise you made to your servant David, my father. For you said to him, "If your descendants guard their behavior and faithfully follow my Law as you have done, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel." Now, O LORD, God of Israel, fulfill this promise to your servant David. … May you hear the humble and earnest requests from me and your people Israel when we pray toward this place. Yes, hear us from heaven where you live, and when you hear, forgive." 2 Chronicles 6:14–17, 21 NLT

*The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father's early years and did not worship the images of Baal. He sought his father's God and obeyed his commands instead of following the evil practices of the kingdom of Israel. So the LORD established Jehoshaphat's control over the kingdom of Judah. All the people of Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so he became very wealthy and highly esteemed. He was deeply committed to the ways of the LORD. He removed the pagan shrines and Asherah poles from Judah.

In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah. … They took copies of the Book of the Law of the LORD and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people.

Then the fear of the LORD fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat. …So Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful and built fortresses and storage cities throughout Judah. 2 Chronicles 17:3–7a, 9–10, 12

*Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal, John 6:27 NIV