We are one in the Spirit

Our Daily Bread
I sang a LOT of songs around bonfires at church camps growing up and in college.  One of the favorites was "We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord".  The haunting melody and repeated words really struck home!

The devotional talks about this unity.  It is a crucial part of the Christian life and body of Christ.  Discord harms more than just the few folks involved.  It can harm the entire body!

I took a class called "The Way to Forgiveness" last year at church.  One of the big questions was "what do you do when the other person does not want to reconcile?".  The best you can do is pray for them and also pray for yourself.  I found there were more hurt feelings than I realized in myself, so interactions, if they do come, do not go as well as what they should.  Pray for them and yourself.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will gently guide their hearts towards forgiveness and reconciliation.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will help you forgive the hurt and pain, known and unknown.  Imagine yourself acting the way you should act if you meet the person unexpectedly on the street or at a concert or at a social gathering.

Lord, thank you for making us one -- if only we will work hard to make it so!

Foodie Friday
We had a last minute change of plans for my church dinner group.  It will now be at my house Sunday night and I am cooking!  Woohoooo!  I like to entertain, so it will be fun.  I am making homemade lasagna this month.  I haven't tried this before, so it should be interesting.  The recipe below is what I decided to use.  It is possible I might cut some corners and use Carfargna's sauce instead of making my own.  I will see how things go on Sunday.  ;-p

World's Best Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
You have scaled this recipe's ingredients to yield a new amount (24). The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield (12).
1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, andwater. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit - Romans 15:13