Triple Layer Stout Cake

Ingredients: 2 cups stout beer (I used Guinness) ⦁ 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter ⦁
1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder ⦁ 4 cups all purpose unbleached flour ⦁
4 cups sugar ⦁ 1 Tbsp. baking soda ⦁ 1½ tsp. salt ⦁ 4 eggs ⦁ 1½ cups sour cream  

First: preheat oven to 350℉. Grease three 9x9 cake pans. Simmer butter in beer on
low heat, until butter is just melted. Add cocoa, & mix well.  Cool slightly. 

Beat eggs, vanilla  & sour cream. Then add melted butter mixture. In a separate bowl, mix all remaining dry goods, then slowly add dry ingredients to the wets. 

The batter was bubbling & fizzy. Tasted really good. ;)_  

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cakes cool on rack for about 20 minuets, or until completely cooled. 

I made chocolate icing. Ingredients: 9 Tbsp. butter, softened ⦁ ¾cup cocoa powder ⦁ 3 or 4 cups powdered sugar-(depending on how thick ya want your icing to be) ⦁ 6 tablespoons milk ⦁ 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ⦁ sift sugar & cocoa slowly into mixed wet goods. Beat well. You know the drill. 

It serves 16. The pieces are big & tall. Very rich, but not too sweet.
Could taste the beer in it. 

A Quote by Martin Luther

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)   

‘Yet not I.’ That is to say, not in mine own person, nor in mine own substance. Here he plainly showeth by what means he liveth; and he teacheth what true Christian righteousness is, namely, that righteousness whereby Christ liveth in us, and not that which is in our own person.

And here Christ and my conscience must become one body, so that nothing remain in my sight but Christ crucified, and raised from the dead.

But if I behold myself only, and set Christ aside, I am gone. For Christ being lost, there is no counsel nor succour, but certain desperation and destruction must follow.”

— Martin Luther

Galatians has been rocking my world. That book is SO good, it's truly the living word. I found this quote by Martin Luther. Thought that it was worth sharing. :)

AXED: A film project—

Okay folks. Check it out: AXED: The End of Green

Filmmaker J.D. King is creating a documentary that will tell the truth about the green movement. Axed will reveal the dark side of the green movement, the agendas behind it, as well as the consequences  from it. The film will be built upon one simple, proven historical fact: Liberty works! But, in the name of "being green," our liberties, our private property rights, & our standards of living are constantly being chopped at  & splintered away. Axed is going to document the stories of individual Americans & natural resource based companies who are being sacrificed on a green altar. The truth needs to be told! Please back this project  & help us spread the word! It's worth your time & money. But hurry, the kickstarter campaign ends in November!

On a side note, my bother, Thomas, is a musician & composer. (A few of his early works can be found here.) He composed the score for the Kickstarter trailer of Axed. Thomas also composed the cinematic score for King's first Jubilee award winning film. Crying Wolf.  Be sure to check it out!

Here's the music for Axed:

Walk on the Riprap

We took a walk down to the river, on a late autumn day. 

The sky was cobalt blue, the clouds were low & grey. . . 

It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by
His wisdom, & by His understanding stretched out the heavens. ~Jeremiah 15:51

Bestest littlest brother in the world. :) 

Mud Boots. Yes.

Hope you have had/are having a wonderful autumn! Get out there, & enjoy the small things! Take a walk.  Smell the dead leaves. Watch the birds fly south. Feel the warm air blowing away…… 

When Memory Fades…

Psalm 62:6-8

There are beautiful memories you want to hold on to. Memories of people. Fleeting moments. Feelings. These memories will play through your mind like a flickering movie. Off & on. Off & on. The memory fades. Over the past 5 years, several people I've known have passed away. Two dear mothers & friends, Deaun and Theresa were killed in a car accident. Another friend Denise, mother & beautiful example, was taken by cancer. A childhood friend fell victim to homicide. A precious baby boy named Isacc, was triumphantly taken to Heaven, after only spending several short days here on earth. A Godly father & husband left this world suddenly at Christ's bidding. Another Christian woman, succumbed to cancer. My grandfather & grandmother both passed away. A beautiful girl of 15 years, was swept up to Heaven, called home to sing & dance for the first time before her Savior, free from all her earthly disabilities. It's strange to think about, we are all here for such a short time, but when we feel our time ends too soon, often we are troubled. We need to remember everything happens as God justly preordained. Remember, EVERYTHING is all about God's glory! I rejoice in knowing that all those people I mentioned above, truly loved the Lord. & that the Lord loved them enough to call them home, in HIS perfect timing. They are now free from Death's grasp, & are in a far better place then we could ever imagine; they are truly home, resting in Jesus' arms with all the other saints who have come & gone before us. 

When we feel like we are losing perspective & forgetting the details, we should continually go back & read God's word. It's so important, we need to trust in HIS promises... I also enjoy looking at old photos. They are my memory keepers. & smells too. The smell of railroad tracks always takes me back to Virginia, & reminds me of my dear Pappaw. What are your memory keepers? How do you keep beautiful memories alive?

We've all had bad experiences. You will welcome the fading of these unpleasant memories, so you can keep on going with your life. But you should never forget. To forget is to say, it didn't happen. When hardship comes, I believe it's our calling as Christians, to be Jesus visible. Sometimes it's hard. People will try to pull you down or speak out against you. We need to stand out, be a light to the world in the midst of everything. Let others see that Christ is our Rock. People tell you that the unpleasantness of the moment will dissipate. It will. The jagged edges will soften in time. Some very profound & comforting words spoken to me, during a hard time in my life, were: There will be a new normal. Everything will be okay. -It is so true. Everything is okay. 

God works all things for the good of his people, to bring glory to Himself, in ways we often don't understand. Who hasn’t had their heart broken, watched a friendship fade or lost someone dear to them? I remember feeling relief when I unknowingly came to the place when painful memories weren't forefront in my mind. Sometimes from time to time they will still wander through my mind. But whenever they do, it doesn't hurt anymore. I rejoice & thank God for what I have now & had then. I try to remember the happy memories & moments of people now gone, the beauty of their lives & remember the good times we had together. I've been gratefully living the dream; the new normal, for the past 4 years. I'm now surrounded by amazing people, 2,000 miles away from where the old normal used to be. I'm so grateful for the grace of God in my family's life! How has God worked in your life? 

-GB

The garden in October

Today, I'm thinking of Fall.

Of all smells. 

The scents dead leaves yield, 

Dry corn stalks, and the farmer's crop,

The golden grasses in the field.

The smoke's smell, too,

Flowing from where a wildfire burns,

The dead, the green, all in its path,

Everything to ash it turns. 

Today I'm thinking of Fall. 

Of all sights.

The sight of loosened leaves as they blow,

Pale sky, high clouds, of summer's end,

The autumn foliage set aglow. 

The frosts' beauty, too,

Settling over earths' fading verdure,

Leaves bronzed, garden gone, all things silent,

Glistering hoarfrost covers all in white splendor.

Today, I'm thinking of Fall.

Of all tastes.

The flavors hot teas yield,

Warm maple custards, and zucchini bread,

The ripened apples freshly peeled.

The pie's flavor, too, 

Orange pumpkins picked and carved, 

The sugar, the cinnamon, all things delicious,

 In the oven everything waits, soon to be served. 

-GB