“God told Abram: “Leave your country, your family, and your father’s home for a land that I will show you.
“I’ll make you a great nation
and bless you.
I’ll make you famous;
you’ll be a blessing.
I’ll bless those who bless you;
those who curse you I’ll curse.
All the families of the Earth
will be blessed through you.”
So Abram left just as God said, and Lot left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.” Genesis 12: 1-4
“What are you doing, Dad?”
I had wandered into my dad’s basement to find his John Deere lawn tractor partially suspended with both front wheels off. My dad is a retired electrical engineer who, at the age of 85, is constantly looking for new things to learn.
“My tractor has a flat tire and I’m going to fix it. I’ve watched YouTube tutorials and ordered tools; I’m going to change both front tires, clean the rims and change the spark plugs.”
My very practical husband insisted he could have taken the tractor to the shop and for $12.00 had the tire fixed, but my innovative, inventive, ready to try anything father wanted the chance to try something new; to achieve proficiency in a new discipline. Just a year ago he took and passed the test to get an HVAC technician license.
Meanwhile, my 13-year-old grandson has been shipped off to the state capital for an exciting three-day learning adventure and he did everything but fake his own death to get out of the opportunity. Some people are born for adventure and challenge, others prefer the comfort of the familiar.
My sweet spot is somewhere in the middle, living in my familiar, comfy space with the option of trying new activities and adventures that suit me. Admittedly I live a life of privilege that tends toward the self-centered. I don’t fear all change and adventure, I just want to pick and choose the particulars of any change and adventure.
If you have any time to read an amazing story, read the Abraham story in the book of Genesis. I’ve given you a few verses to start with, including the one where we learn that Abram (his name was later changed to Abraham) was instructed by God to leave his familiar, comfy space to travel to an unknown land. At the age of 75. God gave Abram several promises, something about becoming a great nation and the entire world being blessed through him, but not much detail on where he was headed, what to expect when he arrived, and what the timeline on the whole blessing thing would be. It was sort of an ancient contract where the employee signs on, not understanding the health care plan, the vacation package, or even the pay package.
I wonder if Abram’s relatives thought he had lost his mind when he told them he was leaving for parts unknown, forever, because God had spoken to him. And I wonder if Abram had any moments of doubt–was that really God speaking? did he actually tell me to go? where am I going? will I ever see my homeland again? what will my wife think? a great nation? I’m 75 and childless.
No matter what thoughts flitted through Abram’s mind, it is recorded that he left the familiar and headed out in obedience to the call of God. Without GPS or a YouTube video to go by. Not ordered by his parents, guilted into obedience or faking his own death to get out of it, Abram seems to have been a willing adventurer led by God.
What adventures have you taken on lately, either by God’s call or just an inner urge to do something new, out of the ordinary? Winter can feel like a stationary time, a time to hunker down and retreat from the outside weather, a time to hibernate and isolate from any new voices. But what if the voice is God’s? And what if He is calling you to try something new or go someplace different, no matter how old you are, no matter how crazy it sounds? What if God wants to use you to bless the world? or at least your little piece of the world? Would you, like Abram, be willing to step out in faith and obedience, even before you knew about the vacation package?
My fear is that we live so far from Abram that we might not recognize the call of God unless it arrived as a text message. My second fear is that even if we understood God’s call we would insist on a written, notarized copy of all instructions, ingredients, liabilities, and contingency plans to insure success. My third fear is that even once we recognized the call of God and tried to alleviate any possibility of difficulty or hazard, we would turn the assignment down in favor of our comfortable, familiar lifestyle.
When was the last time you heard the call of God? Have you ever spent any time listening for the voice of God? He may have an adventure for you, but you will have to leave your comfort zone to participate. Faith calls us away from the familiar into the unknown, uncertain and unfamiliar; otherwise it is not FAITH! In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, the apostle Paul says he “walks by faith, not by sight.” Have you exercised your faith lately?
Two days after finding my dad’s tractor without the front tires on, I returned and found his tractor restored and parked in the shed. He had replaced the tires, cleaned the rims and changed the spark plugs. It took time and effort, was a filthy task and required a bit more than he had anticipated, but he had accomplished a task and learned a new skill. At the age of 85.
I doubt it will ever be a part of my bucket list to learn how to change tractor tires, but I hope I never tire of listening for God’s voice and stepping out in faith to go where He leads me. I want my life to be adventurous enough to model a faith lifestyle for my grandson and everyone around me. Who needs a YouTube video when the omnipotent God is ordering my path?
My latest culinary adventure involved finding a new recipe to use up some almond paste in my pantry. Combining the almond paste with butter created lovely, moist scones that are quite easy to make.
Jam-Filled Almond Scones
- 2 cups Gold Medal Flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 3.5 oz almond paste
- 1/4 cup chilled butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 extra large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- seedless preserves, raspberry or blackberry
- slivered or sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 375*. Butter a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl stir together dry ingredients, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Place the coconut in a food processor and process until coconut is of a fine consistency. Stir this coconut into the flour mixture.
Cut almond paste and butter into half inch pieces, then distribute them over the flour mixture. With a pastry cutter or knife, cut the almond paste and butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
In a large measuring cup stir together the milk, egg, vanilla and almond. Add this to flour mixture and stir well. Batter should be just a little sticky, easy enough to work with floured hands.
On a floured surface, pat dough to 3/8” thickness. With a 2 1/2” cutter, cut nine rounds and place on prepared baking sheet.
Using the back of a Tbsp, press a small indentation into the center of each round. Fill centers with jam.
Cut nine more rounds. Top each jam filled round with another round, pressing sides together and sealing firmly.
Brush tops of scones with egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1/2 tsp of water). Then sprinkle with almonds, pressing nuts down into the dough.
Bake for 17-22 minutes until tops are lightly browned.
Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or cold. Top with clotted cream if desired.
