Author Archives: Janis Van Keuren

‘Tis the Season

Janis Van Keuren

Flicker/Creative Commons        While rushing around preparing succulent meals and desserts for family and friends,          ‘Tis the season to prepare a meal for the needy in our community.     While selecting just the right gift to demonstrate our love to someone special          ‘Tis the season to demonstrate Christ’s love to someone at a shelter who would appreciate any gift.     While giving thanks for the abundant blessings that fill our homes          ‘Tis the season to abundantly bless those who do not … Continue reading →

Delectable, Divine Ganache Chocolate Cake

Janis Van Keuren

          My first taste of this heavenly treat was about a week before my birthday.  One of the teachers at school brought a chocolate cake to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The cake looked appealing with the chocolate fans on top and the crumbly fresh cake under the frosting. Once the velvety chocolate slid across my taste buds, though,  appeal changed to tantalizing delight.  My flavor senses tingled as every rich morsel inched its way over my taste buds. … Continue reading →

Walk in His Ways

Janis Van Keuren

Sands of Carmel      Lord, grace me with your Holy Spirit that I may walk in Your ways. Fill my heart with a desire to follow You.      “Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.” Psalm 119:133 NIV      Where is the Lord leading You on this journey with Him? From My Heart to Yours, Linking up with Word Filled Wednesdays at the Internet Cafe

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Believing What God Says About Me

Janis Van Keuren

Janis in her majorette boots            “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13&14 NIV      Accepting God’s word on this matter has never been easy for me. I can find numerous traits about myself I do not like (wearing majorette boots was not one of them). Not to mention those imperfections … Continue reading →

Leaning on the Rock–A Contingency Plan

Janis Van Keuren

           Life can batter us at times. Our plans and hopes crumble before our eyes.  People disappoint us. Loved ones get sick. The job we’ve relied on for 20 years is yanked out from under us. Our savings is depleted and we wonder where the next dime will come from.       But in the midst of our terrible circumstances, there is One who has a plan. We think it’s a back-up plan but it’s really the original plan … Continue reading →

Grace and Forgiveness Rain Down

Janis Van Keuren

     The rainbow promises hope      The cloudy skies promised to rain fear and hopelessness on my joyful moment.  In the kitchen while I breaded the chicken breasts, the thoughts assailed my mind like searing arrows.     “Prepare for the pain,” they kept saying. “He won’t be coming back.”     I carefully placed a piece of chicken in the hot oil of the frying pan.     “Suffering with Christ is part of my walk as a Christian,” I told myself trying to brace … Continue reading →

Most Viewed Posts This Week

Janis Van Keuren

     Hope everyone is enjoying a restful weekend drenched in the Lord and filled with happy family memories.      If you’re looking for something to read, try one of the Top Three Posts from my blog this week:     1) He is so Faithful    2) The Real Life    3) Change is Inevitable      May your weekend be blessed with His Love and Peace. Abide in Him. From My Heart to Yours,

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Campfire Omelet

Janis Van Keuren

Campfire Omelet      In the early days of our marriage, I used to make omelets, frittatas, and egg foo young. Easy enough for just a couple of us. As the family grew and our boys became young men, I could see that an omelet was not filling them up for dinner. So I began to try the hearty campfire egg dish. With biscuits and a vegetable, there seems to be enough to hold them over–at least for a while.      … Continue reading →

The Real Life (guest post at (in) courage)

Janis Van Keuren

Homeless in Vancouver by andrecarol, courtesy of Flicker      I clicked the remote key pad and the car door unlocked.  Opening the door, I was blasted with heat from the oven inside my car created by the sweltering Arizona summer. I quickly rolled down the windows to expel the furnace and twisted the air-conditioning knob to maximum.       I started the engine and as I drove away for the last time, I wistfully memorized the scenes my eyes were taking … Continue reading →

Change is Inevitable

Janis Van Keuren

        My dish washing bottle of Joy detergent stood valiantly on our kitchen sink bearing a glaring red tag. A tag that said, “I’m not in demand any longer. I’m not with it.” Yet to me, it would always been the only brand of dish soap that I had ever used in our 34 years of marriage–and that I ever wanted to use. Just two months ago, we discovered that our favorite bar soap is no longer available, either.  … Continue reading →