Summer 2017

tHe Master’s Seminary wives

We who have taken refuge

would have strong encouragement to take

hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as

an anchor of the soul.Hebrews 6:18 b -19 a

Testimony Pg.2

Anita Biedebach

Anita and Brian Biedebach, her husband,

and their four children returned to the USA

from Malawi, Africa, in 2016. Now he is

serving as Director of Distance Education

at TMS, Dr. Biedebach (‘96, MDiv TMS)

is focusing on the development of TMS

Distance Locations.

Our Journey

with Reflections Pg.5

Shilo Thompson

Chaplain Glen Thompson and his wife,

Shilo and author of this testimony, are

stationed at U.S. Army base, Ft. Sam Hous-

ton, in San Antonio, TX. They have three

children. Glen is currently chaplain over

the 56th Signal Battalion, but that will

change in two years. Glen graduat-

ed from TMS in May of 2008.

Kids Birthdays while in Seminary and beyond... Pg.8Jennifer Whitney Jennifer is married to Brent Whitney, 2009 TMS graduate. Brent is the senior pastor at Country

Oaks Baptist Church in Tehachapi, CA. Jennifer has enjoyed homeschooling their four children

for the past twelve years and also enjoys discipling young moms in their church and community.

Pastor’s Wives Panel Pg.11June DeCourcy, Joanna Hargrove and Andrea HernandezJune is wife of Philip DeCourcy, pastor of Kindred Community Church, Anaheim Hills, CA.Joanna, is wife of Carl Hargrove, long time pastor, now

an Associate Pastor at Grace Community Church and Professor in Pastoral Ministries and Director of

Graduate Placement for TMS.Andrea is married to Kempis Hernandez, pastor of Calvary Bible Church, Burbank, CA.

The Hospitality

Commands Pg.12

Louise Essex

Louise, a long time Semwives leader, is wife of

Dr. Keith Essex who has just retired from TMS

where he has been Professor of Bible Expostion

and former Director of the D.Min. program.

They enjoy their large family. They look for-

ward to continuing a ministry of hospitali-

ty when home, as well as traveling for

ministry here and abroad. Letters to Pastors’ Wives: When

Seminary Ends and Ministry

Begins Pg.13Mary Somerville

Mary, a Semwives leader, is married to Dr. Bob

Somerville, a retired pastor and retired from the

MABC at TMU. They enjoy mentoring others

as well as counseling. Mary is also the

author of One With a Shepherd: The

Tears and Triumphs of a Ministry

Marriage.

Blueberry Lemon

Scones Pg.15

Jessica Youngstrom

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cake Pg.16

Sarah Ives

Frozen Peanut Butter Turtle Pie Pg.16Betsy Harris

ARTICLES

RECIPES

BOOK REVIEWS

1

able of Contents

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By Anita Biedebach

Testimony

Johannesburg, South Africa, is where I spent my growing up years enjoying a wonderful, carefree child-hood while my parents were serving faithfully in their local church. My dad had theological training and became the associate pastor. Later we left that church with a group of people who were looking for “more of the Holy Spirit leading” and went to a charismatic church. It was during this time at a children’s revival meeting that I de-cided to give my heart to Jesus. Later at a youth event when I was about twelve, I appeared to speak in tongues, and later tried to help my sister who also wanted the experience by telling her that she should just make up some higgledy-piggledy words and then say them over and over and over again.

But God: in His grace and in His perfect timing opened my dad’s eyes to the truth. My dad began to recognize several inconsistencies within the charismatic church that we were attending. After confronting the leaders of the church about biblical inconsistencies and being brushed off he soon decided to leave that church.

We started to attend a much smaller church where a Master’s Seminary graduate was the pastor. I hon-estly didn’t like the church. People who attended there didn’t seem like they had the joy of the Lord. There was no hand clapping, no dancing, no flags, no drama. Just teaching from the Bible. I didn’t attend very often, but in July 1999, my parents decided to invite a new missionary pastor, Brian Biedebach, to our home for dinner to make him feel welcome in our country. Brian had come from The Master’s Seminary to serve our small Bible church because our South African pastor was returning to the USA to further his seminary training. We had a wonderful time at the dinner table and the conversation between Brian and I was electric! There was a problem though, I had a boyfriend. When Brian found out that I was ‘attached’, he began to back away. When I expressed my disappointment, he quickly stated the obvious. Namely, that if he and I were to pursue any kind of friendship, I would need to break up with my boyfriend. And so, the next day, I did.

Brian and I had some ups and downs during our courting relationship, but God is sovereign and after three proposals I agreed to marry him. Brian would argue that fake proposals don’t count, but in my opinion, anytime a guy gets down on his knee with a ring box it’s pretty much a proposal! The third proposal occurred when we were in a hot air balloon and he ‘accidentally’ dropped the ring over the edge. It left me speechless until he got down on his knee and pulled the REAL ring out of his pocket.

When we got married, I instantly became the pastor’s wife, a mis-sionary wife, and I became a member of our church. Our first year of marriage had some challenges, especially as I was struggling with sin. The reality is I am MUCH worse than I think I am! Brian confronted me on some sin issues and I began to realize how offensive sin is to God, who alone is holy!

It is crucial to attend a church that teaches Biblical truth. Growing up in a church that didn’t teach sound doctrine allowed for me to have many misunderstandings. I had never really understood why I needed God. I had never understood my need for repen-tance, my need for change, no one had re-ally pointed out sin issues in my life. In our first year of marriage, I remember crying out to God that I didn’t think that I was saved. I asked Him to save me, to change me, and to take away all my sin. I felt completely bro-ken over my sin and I wanted Him to make me clean. So, there I was, the new pastor’s wife, being

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“Heaven ultimately is our home and this earth

is fading away. The less we are attached to it, the better.”

saved. I was later re-baptized in front of our congregation. It was humbling to stand before them, but I was convinced that since I

had not been saved before my first baptism, and because bap-tism is supposed to be an outward sign of an inward change,

that I should be baptized as a believer.

I loved our ministry in South Africa. I loved serv-ing the ladies in the church, teaching in the children’s Sunday school and ministering alongside my husband. While ministering in South Africa, God allowed several trials into our lives. When our daughter, Ami, was two years old, Brian backed over her with our car. By God’s grace, she survived. Four months later, our two children

and I were held up at gunpoint by three men in our home. Five months after that my dad was shot in an attempted

hijacking at my parents’ home. Though the doctors were able to save his life I remember saying to Brian, “I cannot do

this anymore!” I was overcome with fear. In the emergency room hall area, after just having seen my dad covered in blood,

I asked Brian if he would consider serving in ministry elsewhere. He told me that if we were to go anywhere it would be to Mala-

wi, where he had once served before moving to South Africa. Malawi, which is one of the poorest countries in the world, is the place that I had

told everyone on our wedding day that I would not be moving.

By the next year we were in Lilongwe, Malawi, with three children ages three and under. We had a tremendous time of ministry in Malawi. I loved living in Malawi. I loved the Malawian people. I loved our church there. I loved living on the campus of African Bible College. I loved seeing Brian training up the pas-tors at the preaching academy and at the college. I loved it that it was only two hours away by plane from South Africa so I could see my folks often. It became a real home for me where we were raising our children without the materialistic pressures of being in a first world country. We did go through several medical trials while in Malawi. Our family faced, malaria, bacterial meningitis, and other serious medical issues. But I never felt like I wanted to leave. There are still days where I find myself longing to be back in Malawi.

However, God had plans for us to be here in California and I need to trust Him fully in whatever He wills. I have had to remind myself often that heaven ultimately is our home and this earth is fading away. The less we are attached to it, the better. I need to be obedient to what the Lord has called me to—to serve and honor Him, to serve and honor my husband, to serve and love my children, to serve and minister to others, whether that be in South Africa, Malawi, the USA, or even in an undesired (by me) cold climate such as Russia.

There are so many ways that God uses trials in our lives and the way He works through them just astounds me. Scripture tells us, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).

Trials keep us humble and dependent upon God. Trials help us to examine our priorities and our hearts. Trials allow us to witness to others through demonstrating trust in God’s sovereignty. Trials strengthen our spir-itual character, which prepares us to help others. Trials can be exciting because they help us to see God glorified in ways we would not otherwise see. I am thankful for the trials He has brought our way, because I have learned so much as God has brought us through them.

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5

“Wow, two whole decades…at the same church…I wonder what that feels like,” were my thoughts while attending a recent celebration for our pastor’s 20th year of ministry. His preaching, teaching, and service to our church in San Antonio, Texas, has made an obvious difference in the lives of so many, and it was a blessing to be a part of sharing in this anniversary milestone. The pastor and his wife were graciously honored through the testimonies of many who had been impacted by the Lord through their consistent min-istry to this church. And although I was deeply encouraged to hear what God had done through them, as I listened to the stories from people God had blessed through their faithfulness, I began to honestly reflect upon how different our own family’s journey through life in the ministry has been.

Our Journey with Reflections

By Shilo Thompson

6

Let me begin by saying my husband, Glen, graduated from TMS in 2008. We met at a Crossroads Bible study in the summer of 2001, and were paired the next day to do an evangelism outreach at Venice Beach. Glen’s boldness and gentleness with individuals we witnessed to definitely made an impression on me. For the next three years we were casual friends who saw each other occasionally around Grace Community Church. It was only later, while I was working as a secretary at The Master’s Seminary, that we bumped into each other there. Glen just happened to be back in the States for a time of rest from his duty station in Iraq and Kuwait where he

was serving as a chaplain assistant for the US Army. We went to lunch (for 3 hours!), and after that kept in touch for three months via e-mail and phone

calls. When he finally completed his service and returned home we were soon married in June 2005. It was our prayerful plan to enter pastoral ministry and

hopefully be planted for many years at a church where we could take root and make a lasting impact for the sake of Jesus Christ. Oh, life with a thriving ministry was going to be wonderful!

We were never the type to hold our plans tightly (we do have other issues

of course) but could have never predicted the whirlwind we were about to face. Since graduation from seminary, we’ve lived in four states, been employed by two very different churches, and even let go from one of them (it’s a long story). I was weary from the roller coaster our life seemed to be on and yet knew deep down the

Lord was changing my perspective and transforming my faith through those years of hardship and heartache. And then in late 2011 my husband was offered a position

with the US Army as a full-time chaplain to hundreds of soldiers from all walks of life.

Glen was thrilled to receive this acceptance. He often looked back at the five years he had served in the Army prior to our marriage, and also, had always had a heart and burden to minister

to our soldiers and families. I suppose you could say God gave him the desire of his heart…although it took us awhile to get there. By the summer of 2012, we were living in Washington state and were seemingly “planted” at least for the next few years. We were raising three young children when we got the call we knew eventually could come—Glen must deploy to one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan for eight long months. The normal fears entered my

mind…Lord, why him? How am I going to do this on my own? Is Glen going to be safe? And how are the kids going to do without their dad around? It was as if my world was falling apart, and

yet I realized I was going to have to lean upon the Lord in every way…or I would never make it.

Well, to share all the ways the Lord took care of our family and the things I learned in the process, would be another story itself, but thankfully Glen returned safely. To say the road has been an easy one as a chaplaincy family would not be true. We’ve dealt with several more separations, struggles of loneliness, the sorrow of death on the front lines, telling parents about the loss of their son or daughter, the confusion and heartache of suicides, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the many horrific situations the soldiers are exposed to, divorces, at times very aggressive schedules, packing-loading-moving-unpacking-repeat, and never really knowing what each day will bring. And yet, there has been SO much joy woven through the midst of these challenging times! We’ve seen individuals and families grow in their faith, lives changed through the gospel, and have had many opportunities (whether through preaching, teaching, counseling, etc.) to share our faith in Christ. We are thankful for the great privilege to come alongside our military and count the cost. Whatever the Lord will bring our way we know we can wholeheartedly say, our GOD IS FAITHFUL. And He will be to you as well…in whatever journey He has laid out for you.

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1Commit to regular Bi-

ble reading, meditation, and

prayer. You may find yourself ask-

ing the question, “When can I spend

devoted time with the Lord,” but it is my

prayer you come to a place where you ask,

“How can I go about my day without spend-

ing time with my Lord?” One of my favorite

quotes comes from George Muller who said,

“The vigor of our spiritual life will be in ex-

act proportion to the place held by the

Bible in our life and thoughts.” We

need our Father daily, the very

source of our life!

2Glean as

much as you can

from seminary wives’

leaders and those who

are over you (Titus 2, older

women). They will help pre-

pare you for the ministry

years ahead, and will be a

great resource of coun-

sel and prayer.3

Cultivate deep friendships with other seminary wives. These friendships for me have been a rich source of encouragement, prayer, and accountability throughout the years

4Continue to remind yourself of Christ’s example. He didn’t come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28). There is joy in the sacrifice.

6Guard yourself from

comparing to other wives

and ministries. We each

have our own unique talents,

spiritual gifts, and paths. Stay

focused on your own “narrow

road”, and learn to be con-

tent (Phil. 4:11-13).

5Embrace each season. Re-

cently, I was reflecting on this

very thing as I raise and homeschool

our children, and yet sometimes wish I

had a little extra time to spend counsel-

ing other women, writing, or doing other

types of ministry. God never wastes a season

and there is always some way to grow in our

faith. We persevere and look to our great

reward, anticipating the end of finishing

strong when we hear Him saying, “Well

done, good and faithful servant…en-

ter into the joy of your Master”

(Matt. 25:21).

Ladies,

as you approach your

post-graduation time and your

journey begins, here are some

reflections I’ve learned in our

ministry so far:

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Kids Birthdays while in Seminary

and beyond…

By Jennifer Whitney

9

We were flipping through photo albums a while back and I almost laughed out loud at all I did for my kids’ birthdays when they were too little to even remember any of it. My older kids first and second birthdays included guests lists that often topped 50 people, commercial party favors and decora-tions, jump houses and anything else that the glossy catalogs could talk me into. Now, I have nothing against these kinds of parties to-day, but looking back we really couldn’t afford the expense that these would take and often went into debt to “keep up with the Joneses.” All my children’s friends had these types of expensive birthday parties and some-how it seeped into my brain that if my child didn’t have one too (and invite all the friends who had invited them to their parties) then my child would be scarred for life and become a so-cial outcast (not that I ever said these things out loud). Like so many things, it comes down to a matter of the heart and motivation. Why am I throwing this party? To impress others? To make myself feel good? So my child will like me? Does it fit in with the goals we have for our children and family? Do we have the time and finances for it? Will this make an already self-absorbed child more self-absorbed?

As so many things in our lives changed when my hus-band was called to go to seminary, this area of our lives did too. There was no money in the budget for large parties and with four children whose birthdays are spread throughout the year I could quite easily always have been planning someone’s special day. It took some time, but eventually I came up with some guidelines that work for our family.

1) If you have parties, keep the guest list short! You don’t have to invite every friend or acquaintance that your child has ever made or even everyone who has invited your child to their party in the past year. This year my oldest turned ten and was al-lowed to invite 1/2 his age in friends (5 – not including siblings). Keeping the party smaller cuts down on the expenses, cuts down on the number of gifts (what child in America needs MORE clutter, I mean toys?) and actually, gives the birthday child a chance to interact with each one of their guests, making it more memorable for the child and the guests. At the same time, help your child in planning the guest list and ask them to pray about and possibly invite at least one person who might need a friend (someone new in town, new to your church, or who doesn’t seem to have as many friends, etc.).

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2) Make a budget beforehand, in the years you have parties to prevent overspending. If your budget is limited here are a few areas that will give you the biggest cost savings:

• Although it’s tempting to buy the invitations from the store or online (they are just so cute!), it is often cheaper to make your own from the

computer with paper you already have on hand or simply purchase some from a dollar store. If you are really short on time or money, just call or e-mail the invited families. In reality, one of those invitations MAY make it into the scrapbook, but the rest will be thrown away by the parents when the party is over.

• If your child has chosen a certain character or theme, only purchase one character party item (ex. cake plates) and then purchase the less expensive solid color coordinating napkins, cups, balloons, tablecloths, etc. from a dollar store.

• Homemade cake or cupcakes are always cheaper than store bought. (Example: a box of cake mix plus frosting is under $5

vs. $20 or more for store bought cake. Making from scratch is even cheaper!) If your child really wants a certain charac-ter for their cake, purchase the special candle from the party store of the character and you will still be money ahead. • By scheduling your party in the late morning or early

afternoon, you will not need to serve a meal. Some simple snacks, drinks, and your cake will be plenty and children won’t remember the food for long anyway.• Plan to do some type of craft project that will become the party favor for the guests to take home rather than a goody bag.

3) You don’t NEED to have a party every year for every child! Once I truly realized the truth in this guideline, there was such freedom!

We could celebrate and recognize the child’s special day without going through all the expensive and time intensive hoopla! And guess what? None

of my children have been scarred or are social outcasts! So, for our family, we switch off each year. Our boys get parties one year and the girls get parties the next. What surprised me was that they didn’t even seem to mind…on their “off years,” we still celebrate, but it’s as a family and usually involves a fun fami-

ly activity. Other families we know only do big celebrations in birthdays that are the multiples of four or five.

4) Make birthdays fun and memorable even when you don’t have par-ties! In our home, the birthday child always gets to choose the dinner and the dessert. We also pull out their baby books and tell them their birth stories and now that they are older, we pray as a family for the birthday child and share what qualities in them we are grateful for.

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Pastor’s Wives PanelBy June DeCourcy, Joanna Hargrove and Andrea Hernandez

Has your congregation done something encouraging for you as a couple? What was it? Andrea says one family sent them away for a week’s paid vacation. Another couple sent them to a resort for their anniversary. Someone else paid for car repairs three times. She reminds us that God is faithful and that ministry requires constant dependence on the Lord. Seek first the kingdom of God – trust and obey- and all these things will be added to you (Matt. 6:33).

How should a pastor’s wife dress? June: “Do all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). How you dress should reflect who you are and to whom you belong. Ask yourself, “Am I loving God and others by wearing this? Is what I am wearing reflecting Christ?” We must be modest in our dress. Your husband is being paid by the church so he should look respectful and you should too as a reflection on him. Make your budget stretch. Learn the best times to shop and look for bargains.

What do you do for your quiet time? How did you determine when you would have it? June says she is in a season of life when she can make her quiet time anytime. Because it is easy to be-come distracted she tends to go to the same place each day. She finds the goal of her quiet time in Psalm 27:4: “to behold the beauty of the Lord” to draw close to Him. She has her Bible, spends time in the Psalms, and loves devotional books. A favorite is Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman. June also keeps a notepad for prayer requests or to remember something someone said at church. When she sees them, she follows up. She faithfully prays for the elder’s wives and stays in contact with them. June prays for her husband, children, extended family, congregation and for wisdom. She also writes many notes of encouragement. Andrea says with five children ranging in age from four years old to high school, she must be purpose-ful and doesn’t really have quiet times but noisy times. She puts earbuds in and has the kids busy but visible. She has her Bible and notebook and says that prayer is a vital part of this time. She advises that whatever your season of life to stay rooted and to find time. Do what you can.

What one piece of advice do you have for the future pastor’s wife? Joanna: Start now as a seminary wife to be faithful in even the very small things (Luke 16:10). Be very careful not to just gather head knowledge, but be diligent to obey and apply all that you are learning now. Learn to be connected and abide in Christ (John 15:5) just as we charge our cell phones each night. Learn to find satisfaction and joy in Christ alone. He is the only one who can meet all your needs. Learn how to draw from Him wherever He has you. Andrea: The greatest thing you can do for your congregation and others is to have a vibrant relation-ship with Christ. Your congregation needs to see your love for Christ. Pray for your husband and make that a pattern now. He needs your prayers. Be his cheerleader as you may be the only one to encourage him. Draw strength from the Lord. June: Look after yourself so that you will be able to care for others. You must know who you are in Christ. This will sustain you. Stay in the Word, love your congregation and find balance in life. Remember that we have a great God who has called your husband and you and He will sustain you.

This is the third or three parts; see also the Winter and Spring issues of The Distaff.

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Are you aware that the New Testament commands us to be hospitable? Strauch begins this helpful book, The Hospitality Commands, by relating many disturbing examples which illustrate the ne-glect of hospitality by today’s Christians. He clearly demonstrates the fact that hospitality is becoming an almost forgotten Christian virtue, a valuable but missing jewel in the crown of Christian life and service.

Hospitality was very important to the early Christians. In fact, Paul, Peter, John, and the author of Hebrews made hospitality a scriptural command, a duty:

Therefore, Strauch states that as Bible-believ-ing Christians we need to answer four vital ques-tions: Why should hospitality be a command? Why should hospitality be important to Christianity? Why should it be considered a Christian virtue?

What does hospitality have to do with religion? He believes by answering these questions we will rediscover the New Testament’s dynamic teaching on hospitality as well as awaken Christians to their scriptural duty to practice hospitality.

The subject of hospitality may stir up fear in you, raising many uncomfortable questions to which you can think up an amazing number of cre-ative excuses to explain why you cannot be hospi-table. Nevertheless, it is a command and there are rich blessings that await all who practice hospitality. Strauch states, “We need a fresh vision of hospitality’s potential for strengthening our church and for reach-ing our neighbors and friends with the gospel” (p. 7).

This very short book, only 53 pages, is packed full of very helpful and thought-provoking information. It is a must-read for all believers, es-pecially for those in ministry who ought to lead the way for others to follow.

The Hospitality Commands

Review by Louise Essex

• …practicing hospitality. Romans 12:13a• An overseer, then, must be . . .hospitable… 1 Timothy 3:2• Let a widow be put on the list … if she has shown hospitality to strangers … 1 Timothy 5:10c• Practice hospitality gladly without complaint. 1 Peter 4:9• We ought therefore to show hospitality … 3 John 8• Do not neglect to practice hospitality… Hebrews 13:2a

In his book, you will learn how hospitality will: 1. Build a loving Christian community 2. Strengthen the love of the Christian family 3. Build bridges to friends and neighbors 4. Be a launching pad for the gospel

By Alexander Strauch

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These Letters to Pastors’ Wives: When Sem-inary Ends and Ministry Begins are written to fledg-ling pastors’ wives and come from seasoned wives who have lived out the advice they give over years in ministry. It comes out of their experience but more so from hearts that love the Lord and desire to pass on what they have learned to another generation of wives who are taking the baton to run in their place. The letters are passionate, inspirational, and challenging. Any one of us in ministry could benefit from the wis-dom imparted!

The book is divided into three sections: Part 1 contains letters addressing the piety, or devotion to Christ, of the pastor’s wife. The writers talk about priorities, personal devotions, humility, and communications both spoken and written.

Part 2’s letters come under the heading of “Practical Counsel for Us All.” The authors write on “Expectations: God-centered or Self-imposed,” “Hos-pitality: Fellowship or Entertainment?,” “Friendships over the Long Haul: Our Need for Female Fellow-ship,” “Respecting My Husband: The Foundational Principles,” “Sharing My Husband: With Whomever and Whenever,” “Handling Criticism: Two Approach-es,” “Conflict within the Church: Keeping Your Heart Pure,” “Ministry Moms: Perspectives from a PK,” “De-pression: A Dark Valley” (by myself, Mary), “Lone-

liness and Bereavement: Common to All, Unique to Some,” and “The Lord’s Day: A Hard Day’s Rest” (which we may not agree with but we can be like the Bereans and search the Scriptures to come to our own biblical understanding).

Part 3 addresses particular circumstances with letters addressing “Habitual Sin in the Life of My Hus-band: Now What?” (by our own Janie Street), “Min-istering in a Different Culture: Aliens and Strangers,” and “Campus Ministry: Life at the Crossroads.”

Each letter writer is introduced by her hus-band, giving us insight into their relationship and how he views her as his helpmeet. What a challenge for us all! Study Questions are given at the end of each letter and the authors also give a helpful list of supple-mental resources to do further study on the topic.

Martha Peace writes, “An exceptional book written by 17 different pastors’ wives and one pastor’s daughter. The letters are personal, warm, convicting, and engaging… I highly recommend this book to all women and especially to pastors’ wives!” I say a hearty “Amen” to Martha’s endorsement! There is no set mold you have to fit as you see all these wives are different in many ways except for these common threads through-out the book—they desire to serve Christ, honor His Word, and effectively serve alongside their shepherd husbands. May you be blessed as you glean from this worthy book!

Letters to Pastors’ Wives:

When Seminary Ends and Ministry Begins

Review by Mary Somerville

Edited by Catherine J. Stewart

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Sweet Recipe

s

15

Instructions:Prep Time: 20 min. Bake Time: 25 min.

Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Adjust baking rack to the middle-low position. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Grate the frozen butter (I use a box grater; a food processor also works). Combine the grated frozen butter and the flour mixture with a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the cream, egg, and vanilla together. Drizzle it over the flour mixture and then toss the mixture together with a rubber spatula until everything is moistened. Gently fold in the blueberries. Dough will be a little wet, but don’t overwork the dough. Form the dough into a ball with floured hands as best you can and transfer to a floured surface. Press into a neat 8” circle and cut into 8 equal wedges with a very sharp knife. Place scones at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. To make the glaze, simply whisk the confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice together until smooth. Add another tablespoon of lemon juice to thin out, if necessary. Drizzle glaze over scones right before serving.

Tips: It’s all about the butter! Using cold butter is super important in this scone recipe because when the little crumbs of butter melt as the scones bake, they release steam and create little pockets of air. This makes the scones a little airy on the inside while the outside stays crisp and crumbly! The colder the butter the more pockets of buttery goodness. Simply place the stick of butter in the freezer for about 30 minutes ahead of time.I like to grate the frozen butter before cutting it into the flour. If you grate frozen butter, it will only take a few sec-onds to incorporate into the dry ingredients. The butter, while remaining frozen, keeps the dough cold.Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature for 2 extra days. Scones freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and heat up to your liking before enjoying.

*Notes: I use 1/2 cup of granulated sugar when using frozen blueberries or if the berries are on the tart side, but

fresh blueberries in the summertime are already so sweet. I reduce to 5-6 tablespoons total.

Blueberry Lemon Scones

Ingredients: 2+ cups all-purpose flour

*6 tablespoons granulated sugar2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt zest of 1 large lemon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, frozen 1/2 cup heavy cream

1 large egg1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Glaze:1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

By Jessica Youngstrom

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Instructions: Beat cream cheese spread, peanut butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add Cool Whip; mix well. Spread caramel topping onto the bottom of crust; cover with cream cheese mixture. Freeze 4 hours. Top with nuts just before serving. Melt chocolate as directed on package and drizzle over pie.

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter/spray a Bundt pan*. Place cake mix, pie filling, eggs, and extract in mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until it springs back when lightly pressed with finger. Cool for 20 minutes and prepare the glaze.

Place the sugar, butter, and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips. When the chips have melted and the glaze is smooth, pour it over the warm cake so that it covers the entire surface. Cool for 20 more minutes before cutting. Note: My friend Julie made this cake for me and it was so delicious that I thought it must have taken her forever. When I asked for the recipe, she laughed and said I wouldn’t even believe how easy it was. Since then, I’ve made this recipe numerous times and am almost always asked to share the recipe. I keep a box of devil’s food cake mix and a can of cherry pie filling under my bed (isn’t that where every seminary pantry is?) just in case I’m asked to bring a dessert somewhere.

By Sarah Ives

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cake

Ingredients:1 package devil’s food chocolate cake mix

1 can, 21 oz., cherry pie filling 2 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

Glaze:1 cup sugar

1⁄3 cup butter1⁄3 cup milk

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ingredients:1 tub (8oz.) Cream Cheese Spread

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter½ cup sugar

2 cups Cool Whip ¼ cup caramel ice cream topping

1 Oreo Pie Crust (6oz.)¼ cup coarsely chopped Pecans, toasted2 squares Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Frozen Peanut Butter Turtle Pie

By

Betsy Harris

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