Dear Fellow Believer in Christ: Greetings in the name of our Lord!
We pray that you are in good health and that God is with you daily! Luke 2:13-14 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." |
 The Birth of Christ
The Supreme Sovereignty of God in the coming of Jesus into the world. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." It is so wonderful to know that God had a plan for Jesus to come into this world to be our Savior in order to give us hope for an eternal future in heaven with Him. God was able to bring His plan to completeness, despite constant attacks by the devil, so that Jesus could not only be born but also take our place on the cross and die in our place. Luke 2:4-7tells us, "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Does this sound like the way a king is born? The Messiah, our Savior,came into this world in a totally unexpected way. While unplanned by Mary and Joseph, every detail of the birth of Christ was carefully crafted by God in order to fulfill His plan for us to have a Savior. Just as Godwas at work in the timing of the birth of Jesus Christ,He is also concerned about every detail and aspect of our lives.Even when things don't go as we would like, God is still in control and has a plan for us. He faithfully uses ALL circumstances, both good and bad, to develop us so He can fulfill His plan in our lives. God is so concerned about us that He has a plan for us from before the time we were born untilthe time He takes us to His Eternal home in Heaven.As Psalm 139:16 states, "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." Just as Mary and Joseph trusted God even when things didn't make sense, we too can trust our heavenly Father in every detail of our lives... even the ones we wish would just go away. In this life, we have all experienced hardships and disappointments. My mom and dad, both farm kids, were very poor. Dad worked for the government building bridges for 50 cents a day and Mom suffered 3 miscarriages.They also had a son, Daryll,who lived a short time and died.When my brother Floyd was born, the family lived in a tent in Thompson, Iowa and had to cover the tent with snow like an igloo in the winter. Life was hard! Maybe you have gone through hard circumstances and asked God "Why? Where do I go from here?"One thing is certain, God will not leave you and has never forsaken you. I remember questioning God when I was 16 and became paralyzed with polio. In the second week of lying in a hospital bed, unable to do anything for myself, Jesus appeared to me. That is when I gave my heart to Christ and He gave me a vision- a mission for sharing the Gospel with people of the Islands of the Pacific. I have now been in Hawaii for 50 years and God is still fulfilling that vision through me. God's Gospel, or Good News, is given to us through the birth of Jesus Christ, His Son. As Jesus says in John 10:10, "I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly."Our responsibility is to share this Good News with others. We don't need to force this message on anyone,we simply need to be obedient and the Holy Spirit will do the rest! What is God's plan for your life?  Pastor William Ashpole
http://www.ashpolebam.net |
Merry Christmas, Everyone! |
Feeding the spirit, feeding the body ~ Enjoy this month's recipe: Cranberry Obsession  Snow Cake - 10 ounce unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pans
- 3 1/2 cups cake flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 7 large egg whites, at room temperature
- Cranberry filling
- 3 3/4 cups cranberries, divided
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups cranberry or cherry preserves
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 12 ounces white chocolate (bars or a block, not chips), divided
- 1 pound unsalted butter, cut into pieces and at room temperature
- Assembly
- 1/2 cup colorless liqueur such as crème de cacao or kirsch
- About 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
How to Make It Preheat oven to 325°. Butter two 9-in. cake pans; set aside. Make cake: In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together on low speed until light and fluffy. Add egg whites in 3 batches, scraping inside of bowl as needed. Beat in flour mixture in 5 batches, adding 1/4 cup water after each addition (you will begin and end with flour); make sure flour is completely blended each time before adding water. Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing evenly. Smooth tops with a spatula. Bake until center of cake feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool cakes completely in pans on a rack. Meanwhile, make cranberry filling: Combine 3 cups cranberries, the sugar, preserves, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until cranberries pop and preserves melt, 5 to 10 minutes. Add remaining 3/4 cup cranberries, stir to combine, and remove from heat. Transfer to a small bowl and chill until ready to assemble cake. Make buttercream: Fill a 2-qt. pan with about 1 in. water and bring to a simmer over low heat. Put egg whites, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine. Place bowl over hot water, making sure bottom of bowl isn't touching water, and heat whites, whisking constantly, until hot to the touch, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan and bowl from heat. Put bowl of warm whites on the mixer and whisk on high speed until tripled in volume and side of bowl is cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop 4 oz. white chocolate, put in a medium metal mixing bowl, and set in same pan of warm water off the heat to melt slowly, stirring occasionally. Remove bowl from pan and let cool to room temperature. Reduce mixer speed to low and whisk butter into whites, about 1/4 cup at a time, until incorporated. Continue to whisk on low speed until smooth and fluffy, about 10 minutes (mixture may look grainy at some point but will come together). With a rubber spatula, gently fold melted chocolate into buttercream until completely combined. Assemble: Rub tops of both cakes gently with your hands to remove browned outer surface, then carefully invert cakes and rub undersides so that cakes are completely white. Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate, top side up. Using a pastry brush, brush top with half the liqueur. Spread about 1 1/2 cups cranberry mixture over layer with a metal spatula, leaving a 1/2-in. empty border around edge. Place second cake layer on top, flattest side down, and brush with remaining liqueur. Spread top and sides of cake with a thin layer of buttercream to seal in crumbs and chill 30 minutes. Cover with remaining buttercream, starting with the sides and covering the top last. Use the palm of your hand to warm remaining chocolate. Shave smooth side of chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler to make thin curls; scatter curls over cake's top. Sift powdered sugar over cake. Serve with remaining cranberry mixture on the side. Make ahead: Baked cake layers can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature or in the fridge up to 2 days ahead. Cranberry filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and chilled. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cranberry-obsession-snow-cake |
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We welcome your comments or requests for prayer. May God continue to lead you and bless you! If you feel led to support our ministry, send your check to the address below. Sincerely, William Ashpole Bill Ashpole Ministries
57 Ilima St, Wahiawa, Hawaii 96786 |
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