Better for You Cookies

It's no secret that this family like sweets. (It's more of a mystery why we're not all 500 lbs!) Realizing that the horde will not stand for a moratorium on treats and apart from trying to convince them that smoothies constitute dessert, I've been manipulating recipes by reducing the sugar and switching to whole wheat flour. But when I find a recipe that doesn't call for any refined sugar like Laura's breakfast cookies, I'm in the zone. I realize that molasses, the main sweetener in tonight's yummy treat, is a sugar cane product. Yet this recipe contains less sugar than most cookie recipes.

Gingerbread Treats
(makes 4 dozen)

adapted from a recipe found in the More-With-Less Cookbook

Mix together:

1 cup hot water
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup molasses

Combine separately and add:

3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

Add:

1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup raisins (we left these out because the cupboard was bare)

Mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

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Disclaimer discussion with my youngest:

Me: "Wow! So aren't these great? Can you believe they don't have any sugar in them?"

LB, after snarfing down two cookies and reaching for another: "Yes. I could tell. They're good, but they aren't good enough to have sugar in them."

There you have it folks. These cookies are darn good, but don't expect molasses crinkles.

A different hall of faith

Sometimes I wonder exactly what they prayed for us, our parents, Sunday school teachers, and youth leaders in that small church with the blue-green windows and folding chairs.

I wonder if they fretted over us in our stubborn toddlerhood or ever thought of giving up on us in our rebellious teen days. We surely weren't anything special; just a bunch of mismatched kids growing up Baptist. But they trusted God and chose to sacrifice for us. They played with us in the nursery long after their own children were grown. They tirelessly mimeographed coloring pages for us. They taught us a different Christmas musical every year and endured months of practice before the final performance. They spent Wednesday nights trying to teach us to pray while we were often times silent. They slept (or attempted to sleep) along side us on Army cots during our summer mission trips when they could have been enjoying their own vacations. They did all of this without knowing what God would do with their efforts, but trusting that they served a faithful God.

These people are my "cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1). They inspire me to hold on to Jesus, to trust Him when I don't see the faith I want to see in my kids or the grace I want to see in myself. They encourage me to keep praying and teaching and reaching out. And the results of their sacrifice--the Christ-following teachers, business people, pastors, ministry wives, moms--assure me that God is indeed faithful with the mite and the talent.

All I can say is, "Thank you."

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Shannon is one of these results. She has a beautiful blog tracing the hand of Christ through daily life called In a Mirror Dimly. It has been a great delight to me. Below is our senior piano recital photo. Can you figure out which beauties we are?