“Pentecost”….It’s
P as in Paul
E as in Edward
N as in Nancy
T as in Tom
E as in Edward
C as in Charlie
O as in Oscar
S as in Sam
T as in Tom.

With a maiden name like “Pentecost”, I found myself begrudgingly spelling it mnemonically during my pre-marriage years. Every bank, dry cleaner, reservation and such, required precision spelling. Regardless of the hassle, in my heart, I secretly treasured the name God graciously gave me and would often say ‘Pentecost’, like the ‘Day of’ and leave it at that.

People asked me if I came from a religious home, uh, well, we went to church but I wasn’t raised in a religious home so to speak. Even now, as far as i know, I’m the only one of my siblings who actively embrace the day our name highlights.

As a teenager, my appreciation grew for what is considered the beginning of the christian church. As noted in Acts chapter 2 when, fifty days after Christ’s resurrection, the power of the holy spirit was imparted and poured out among various people and transcended even their languages. People acknowledged Christ as Saviour and the church exploded with growth.

Who wouldn’t want to recognize a day commemorating the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Talk about a celebration – the people were so overcome by the Spirit that those who saw them thought they were drunk at 9:00 in the morning!

Overwhelmingly people acknowledged Christ and they became a body of believers, the church, full of active love and compassion for one-another.

I’m glad I have such a special ‘Christian/biblical’ name to commemorate each year – albeit it’s my maiden name now. My name speaks of an important day in the life of the church and oh how I pray my life reflects the power of the Holy Spirit as I trust in Jesus. I love how the name’s origins are firmly planted in the Bible.

The online etymology dictionary describes the word’s origin as from:
Old English Pentecosten “Christian festival on seventh Sunday after Easter,” from Late Latin pentecoste, from Greek pentekoste (hemera) “fiftieth (day),” fem. of pentekostos, from pentekonta “fifty,” from pente “five” (see five). The Hellenic name for the Old Testament Feast of Weeks, a Jewish harvest festival observed on 50th day of the Omer (see Lev. 23:16).

Basically Pentecost is the Greek word referencing the feast of weeks, fifty days after Passover which tied directly to what Christians know as Pentecost, fifty days after Easter. In the future I’ll have to write about this relationship, meanwhile, if you are interested in its study, search the Internet for further details.

As Pentecost Sunday approaches I renew my commitment to Christ and to his ministry poured out through the power of the Holy Spirit. May I receive Him and may the Spirit’s power flow through me as I remember my name.

My prayer is that we will ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with power to know Christ in his fullness and be equipped to humbly walk with him. We all need continual growth and renewal, so even after all these years, I take it seriously and know there is much to learn and once again acknowledge my need for His power in my life.

When I am weak, he is strong. Come Dear Holy Spirit, Come.

Day of Pentecost Dates
2013 – May 19
2014 – June 8
2015 – May 24
2016 – May 15
2017 – June 4

Yes, we know. It is nearly impossible to find.

Occasionally we venture to local pizzerias for a GF pizza, but most GF crusts are nothing more than cracker-like ‘topping transporters’. When desperate, a ‘topping transporter’ can do the trick to satisfy one’s taste for a pizza pie…but don’t you want more?

Recently, I bit the bullet and ordered pricey Cup4cup gluten free pizza mix from Williams Sonoma…and low and behold…it makes a pretty darn good thin crust pizza

The mix makes two 12 in crusts and contains dry ingredients with a yeast packet. We only wanted to use half the mix since we don’t eat pizza often. What would we do with a single mix?
1 – Use the whole mix and refrigerate one half the dough or
2 – Measure the ingredients and use only half or
3 – Bake both crusts and freeze one.

We didn’t want to eat pizza again within 3-4 days and freezing seemed risky. It was easy to measure the dry ingredients and a bit tricky halving the yeast…but definitely do–able. We used half the warm water then mixed up one egg. I confess, we didn’t use half an egg!

If you have more than two people this halving ritual shouldn’t be an issue. You will need two pizzas!

The dough was simple. Just add warm water and egg to the dry ingredients and knead. The instructions specifically say not to add additional flour when forming the crust. When our dough got sticky, a tiny bit of olive oil on the fingers did the trick. Once the dough is together, simply pat it into a 12 inch round and put it on an olive oiled pan. Add olive on top of the crust and par-bake it in a 500 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.

Once your crust is par-baked, add your favorite toppings. We used Muir Glen organic pizza sauce, mozarella and parmesan cheese, roma tomatoes and crumbled Aidell’s GF organic meatballs.

For visual instructions and videos see Williams Sonoma’s website.

Here are some quick highlights:

Pros:

- High quality
- Easy to make
- Great flavor and taste
- Great texture as a thin crust. Nice and crunchy, stays together well.
- Helpful Instructions and videos
- Makes better leftovers than any gluten filled crust I ever had.

Cons:

- Price 14.95 for two 12 inch pizzas
- Texture is not as chewy as gluten crust
- Can’t easily halve the mix to make one crust

Tips:

- Let the egg come to room temperature before adding to mix if possible.
- Rub a little oil on your fingers if the dough gets too sticky to handle.
- Make the crust thin. Don’t try to make a thick crust – you’ll notice the lack of gluten’s chewiness more as the crust gets thicker.
- Use toppings at room temperature or warm them before you top the pizza. This will make the pizza cook more quickly and keep the crust from over baking or burning.

Be prepared for your next pizza craving and keep Cup4cup GF Pizza Crust mix on hand!

Good Friday was a change for the world. Contemplating on Jesus and his sacrifice for us and the darkness he faced, infuses my heart with the reality that we are called to serve and to sacrifice as Jesus did. We are called to follow the passions of our heart and serve him – that we may produce ‘much‘ fruit.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 NIV

Our sacrifices in bearing ‘much fruit‘ are small compared to his walk to the cross, and as we are on the cusp of celebrating the great resurrection, we can’t help but remind ourselves that this resurrection came with great sacrifice. If we want to be like him, let us seek him even as we are called to potentially dark hours, suffering and sacrifice in our lives.

Let us give our ‘selfish” selves today, recommit and devote our all. We will be rewarded – and though grief may come – there is a promise of joy. Pure joy. Freedom.

Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything. James 1:1-2

Those of us who experience and treasure this great joy are rich and without lack, and with hope, no matter what our circumstances say.

Remember Jesus. Give him your all today. Share in his suffering and his joyous reward, and if you are someone who has dismissed him, or does not believe in this great hope…I pray you genuinely would ask Him to reveal himself to you. What do you have to lose?

Love and prayers to you my friends. -Madge

Almost ready to go home from the hospital in my brand new wheelchair. My half butchered hair is hidden as we pulled it back to cover the bald spots from traction and surgery.

Home Sweet Home?
Eleven weeks after the accident I was discharged from rehab. Coincidentally,  my accident occurred the day I left for my sophomore year of college and I arrived at home the day I would have come home for the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. Yes, that was an interesting semester and definite learning experience.  The true training was just beginning.

The transition to ‘every-day’ living was what I remember as the most difficult adjustment. I no longer had a host of new friends and therapists who understood my ‘different body’. It was ‘game on by myself’. Most of my friends were away at school, and yes, my family was there, but whoa…it was an awakening. A hospital bed was set up in the living room for the first six months while we worked on an addition to the house on the ground floor.

We set up a temporary shower in the hallway between the kitchen and laundry room right in front of the door going out to the garage.   I remember threatening to charge admission when someone needed to slip in or out during my shower.  When showering seems to involve the whole family you get a new perspective on life!

Finding Help
We had no idea how to hire helpers and we learned life lessons as we saw the good, the bad and the ugly up close and personal in our house. We tried both ‘live in’ and ‘visiting’ helpers. One night I was awakened to flashing blue lights at 2:00 AM as the police entered the house. One of our hired helpers had stolen my mother’s wedding rings!  Redemption came when her father bought the treasured diamond back from the pawn shop where she sold them.

It’s heart-breaking to see such desperate people. Gratefully, we honed our approach to hiring and I have developed many wonderful and lasting friendships through my dependence on others for personal care.  As you might imagine there are times of joy and challenge with this dependence and these relationships. I highly recommend a couple of my go to scriptures for courage and relief during the tough times….No kidding, I use these now to remember and to move ahead.  Yes, I still have my struggles just as I know you do. This very year has been replete with pneumonia and other health challenges. I repeat my short verses over and over:

March on my soul, be strong. Judges 5:21 NIV
Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord! Psalms 27:14”  The NET Bible

Friends Stick Close
Many friends helped lighten the family’s load and ministered to physical and emotional needs.  It is overwhelming to look back at the many ‘mini’ miracles and the glorious evidence of God’s amazing grace.  A good friend, Julia,  cared for me during my first summer just before she went to college.  I know it was difficult for her to stay with a different family caring for a needy, exposed paralyzed friend, but her young soul offered safety and continuity as she served selflessly.

One of my former full-time helpers and amazing friend, Michel, has a special gift of care giving and was with me for a good part of ten years as she lived with us and became part of our family. She helped when I first moved away from home and was a great support when both my father and mother passed away.  She was in our wedding and even went to Aruba to help us with care-giving on our honeymoon.  She now lives in Arizona and I rarely see her, but we had many memorable times together.  One of my most tender memories of her were the nights she spent at my mom’s bedside during her final days of fighting breast cancer.  Mom seemed to eat and move around best with Michel…it was beautiful…and a great comfort to mom and our family.

Precious Gifts
A couple nights before mom died, unable to sleep, I drove to her house at eleven or so and Michel put me in the small hospital bed with mom in her semi-conscious state to cuddle.  A precious and priceless time.

You see, through the struggles and difficulties of my ‘different’  life I have seen the caring, loving touch of so many extended to me and those so dear to me. As if that was not enough of an example of God’s great love and faithfulness, he surprised me with the gift of a loving, caring husband!  Great is His faithfulness!

If you are currently struggling I’d be honored to hear your heart and pray for you.  Drop me a note or post a comment.  Love to you and more to come next time my friends.   - Madge