Happy Fourth of July

I trust that everyone is enjoying the celebration of the birthday of our country! I keep having to remind myself that for all of its issues, the Good Old U S of A is the best place on this planet and I praise the Lord for the gift of living in America!

I mentioned in my last entry that July 4 has a special place in my heart and the reason is that on July 4th of 1955, my Grandma Wakemen went to Heaven very suddenly at the age of 62!! She was way too young and I didn’t really know her very well, but she was my grandma, so I had a very special place in my heart for her and for this day ever after. My parents had been missionaries in Nigeria until the summer of 1954, so we hadn’t been in the US very long at the time she died. All of us were together there with my mother’s sisters and all of our cousins and I think that is almost the last time we were all together.

Anyway, I just want to remind us all that the way to really have an impact on our country for the Lord is to pray for it! Our tendency is to complain and talk about all that is wrong, but God has told us that we need to pray for those that are in authority over us and He has worked in history in spite of and even through some pretty awful kings! So there is precedence for some victory among us in spite of the leadership. REMEMBER: II Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land!”

Here are a couple of July 4th recipes.

Patriotic Layers
1 small box of strawberry jello
1 small box of blue jello
1 cup blueberries
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip
Stir one cup of boiling water into each package of dry
jello in separate bowls.
Stir until jello is completely dissolved.
Add ½ cup cold water to each and stir.
Place blue jello in refrigerator to thicken and leave red
jello at room temp. After about 1 ½ hours, add blueberries to blue jello and place it in a clear glass bowl to get firm. Now place red jello in refrigerator to thicken for about 1 ½ hours. Refrigerate blue jello for about 30 minutes and then carefully spread Cool Whip over blue jello. Now add strawberries to thickened red jello and spoon over cream layer. Refrigerate for about three hours until firm. Top with more topping to decorate if desired.

Jamaican Lemon Pepper Chicken
3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 ½ Tblsp. Black pepper ( May want to cut this back a bit)
¾ cup lemon juice
5 Tblsp. Olive oil
1 teasp. Salt
1 teasp. Garlic powder
½ teasp. Oregano
1 Tblsp. Pickapeppa ( you may have to ask for this at your larger grocery stores)
1 Tblsp. Thyme
Place all of the above in a plastic bowl with a lid and let it marinade for 24 hours. Grill and serve.

Happy 231st Birthday, America!!!