Sometimes kids say stuff that is closer to the truth than they realize, like in this funny story from Tricia—
Background: Sometimes when our kids ask us “Where are we going”, my husband or I will respond “We are going crazy”. So a couple of weeks ago I was in bed with an injured back when our energetic 3 year old returned from going to the store with her daddy. I asked her “Did you go to the store with Daddy?” and without a thought her response was “No, we went crazy somewhere else.”
If you checked out the 52home picture from Monday, you saw a large piece of chocolate cake swimming in a bowl of milk. Makes me hungry just writing those words. My brother, Chad, was about to make quick work of that piece of cake.
I titled the picture, “Cake the Mahaney Way” to avoid confusion, but this tradition actually comes from my mom’s side of the family—it is “Cake the Layman Way.”
You see, my grandfather was raised on a dairy farm in rural Virginia, and for as long as I can remember Grandpa Layman would only eat his cake drowned in a bowl of milk. So his kids grew up eating cake that way, and now, so do his grandkids. Even Mike ate his cake this way the other night. I’m telling you, it’s catching!
The cake you saw in the picture is a family favorite: Sour Cream Fudge Cake. We got the recipe from our friend Valori. She’s the mother of five boys, so you know this cake has to be good! Per your request, we wanted to pass it along.
The bowl of milk is optional, but I’m saying give it a go!
Bring the butter, cocoa and water to boil in a large pan. Remove from heat and add the flour, sugar and salt. Mix together the eggs, sour cream and baking soda; add to the mixture. Pour into a greased (13x9-inch) cake pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven. While the cake is baking, make the frosting by bringing the butter, cocoa and milk to a boil. Beat in the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Spread on the hot cake when it comes out of the oven.
These words are all we need to hear. But we need to hear them again and again.
Peter needed to hear them again. We see in John 21 that v. 22 was the second time our Lord said this to Peter. He had just told him the same thing a moment before: “Follow me” he commanded, in verse 19. But already, Peter needed to hear these words again.
So Jesus said it a second time, only more emphatically: “You follow me!”
Aren’t we just like Peter? We need to hear God’s words to us again and again.
And like Peter, sometimes we need to hear them again, right after we’ve heard them!
Because of the envy in our hearts that can lead us away from God, we need to hear these words over and over again.
This is why we must daily pursue the spiritual disciplines. They are a means of grace whereby we hear the Lord say to us again: You follow me!
This is why we need to regularly gather for corporate worship and the preaching of God’s Word—because this is where we hear the Lord say to us again: You follow me!
This is why we must continually pursue biblical fellowship with other believers—so they can remind us again of our Lord’s words: You follow me!
Ordinary. That pretty much sums up my life of late. A stomach virus recently made its way through my little family, one at a time. So the most exciting event in the last two weeks was a trip to the bank. Needless to say, I was looking forward to free lollipops from the teller.
But even though we are healthy now, not much has changed. We’re pretty much home, all day, every day, doing what we did the day before.
So when I listened to my dad’s message from Together for the Gospel, entitled “Ordinary Pastors” I was very encouraged. I know, it is addressed to pastors (obviously!), but substitute the “ordinary pastor” for “ordinary wife and mother” or “ordinary _________(fill in the blank with whatever you do)” and I think you’ll find a lot of relevant truth.
When my dad identified with the temptation to discouragement that ordinary pastors face, I could certainly relate as I am often discouraged about my mothering.
When he reminded pastors that the gospel (and not their administrative skills or creativity) was most important, I was reminded that the power of the gospel is also at work in my heart and home.
When he exhorted pastors to imitate the patience of Jesus Christ, I was encouraged to persevere in patience as I train my four-year-old.
Each point was relevant for me in my ordinary days as I seek to love my husband and care for my children.
So, the next time you find a few moments in your ordinary day, consider listening to this message as though it were addressed to you—and see if you aren’t blessed.
After Jesus told Peter to stop comparing himself to John, he told Peter what he must do:
“Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:22)
In order for Peter to face his future martyr’s death—which he didn’t want, but couldn’t do anything about—he needed to hear these words from his Lord: You follow me!
In fact, this was all Peter needed to hear. It was enough.
He did not need to hear or do anything else. These three little words were sufficient to enable him to face the agonizing death assigned to him by God: You follow me!
Our Lord gives us the same command. For every unwanted experience or withheld blessing, the Lord would say to us: You follow me!
And just as these words were enough for Peter, so they are enough for us.
They are all we need to hear and obey in order to glorify God in every difficult experience God assigns us.
You repent and resolve to put away envy, but the feelings only grow more intense. And so do the circumstances: five more of your friends get pregnant, or that one friend with the big house gets a bigger one!
Can anyone relate? I sure can.
At these times we can be tempted to discouragement and despair. We think, “This is not working. I might as well give up.” We may even become more entrenched in self-pity and envy than before.
But it helps to remember that this is a battle. The enemy (our sin of envy) won’t give up after just one jab. We may need to settle in for a long-term fight.
I remember a time I was struggling with envy: I prayed for God’s blessing on this person every morning for many months. My feelings didn’t change overnight, but over time, God transformed my heart to one of love for this person.
So let me encourage you—don’t give up in your battle against envy! Each time you pray, each time you meditate on God’s Word, each time you reflect on God’s goodness, you are weakening envy. Even though you might not see results at first, God will give you victory, if you persevere and do not give up.
“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:8-9
If you checked out the 
After Jesus told Peter to 
