Saturday Morning Devotional – From the Archives

Friends and Pound Cake

Some of you may remember around 2007ish when I had a blog called Out of the Nest and Beyond. I recently found the weekly devotionals I posted back then, and I thought it might be neat to share some of those old posts every now and then. I pulled them up to take a look for this week and asked for the Lord’s guidance. I had to take a quick break to set out ingredients to make a pound cake for school. When I returned, I found one on friendship that I liked. As I scrolled down to read all of it, the recipe for the pound cake I was in the process of making was part of the devotional. Certainly the signs could not have been any more clear! So Friends and Pound Cake it is!

From the Archives – July 2008

Friends

As a 6th grade teacher, I am always dealing with the drama of friendship issues. I used to have a poster hanging in my classroom that said, “If you want a friend, you need to be a friend.” How true this saying is, not only for kids, but for adults as well.

Unfortunately, very few people are blessed with true friendships. We all have many acquaintances, but Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times.” I think it would benefit us all to take a refresher course in what true friendship really is.

F – Fun – Friends are fun to be around because you can be yourself without fear of rejection.

R – Respectful – A friend will always treat you with respect.

I – “I” doesn’t apply – A friend is always concerned with “You.”

E – Encouraging – Friends will lift you up with words, notes, emails, songs, & prayers.

N – Needs – A friend goes out of their way to help with whatever needs to be done.

D – Daily – A friend may not have daily contact, but thoughts and prayers are continuous.

S – Share – Friends share everything (burdens, praise, thoughts, ideas, laughter, & tears).

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I am thankful to have been blessed with some wonderful friends. Some of these friendships are within my own family, and there are several outside of family. As the acronym portrays, friendship brings about responsibility. I need to constantly monitor what kind of friend I am being, because, “If you want a friend, you need to be a friend.”

Since friends are known for sharing, I would like to share a family favorite recipe that was actually given to me several years ago. This pound cake is the best I have tasted. It is very moist and tender while the top ends up crunchy and sweet. Please enjoy!

Cold Oven Pound Cake

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Ingredients:

3 sticks of butter
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese
3 cups of sugar
3 cups of sifted flour
6 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

Cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar well with a mixer (I like a stand mixer, but a hand mixer works great too). Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Next, add flour and extract. Beat well. Place in a well greased and floured Bundt pan (I have my grandmother’s Bundt pan which is cast iron and wonderful). Bake in a cold (non-preheated) oven at 300 degrees for 2 hours.

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Once the pound cake has finished baking, remove it from the oven and run a butter knife around the edges of the pan and the center part of the pan as well. As a result, the cake will be loosened so that it comes out nicely. Put a cake plate on top of the cake, and carefully flip it. Remove the pan very carefully. Using a mesh strainer, I like to dust the top of the pound cake with powdered sugar, but it is not necessary. Serve it while it is still warm if at all possible.

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Current Thoughts

I am no longer teaching at the 6th grade level; I am a counselor at a high school. It is funny to see that the same types of friendship issues 6th graders had are at the high school level as well. To take it a step further, I see them in adults too. I guess it is universal – we all need to work on being a friend!

Friendship Quotes

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Friends Song & Resource

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Who remembers “Friends” by Michael W. Smith? It is a classic!

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Dr. Michelle Bengtson shared a great post – How to Support a Friend in Crisis. It gives very practical and helpful ideas.

As we go through the weekend and into a new week, let’s keep in mind and practice – “If you want a friend, you need to be a friend!” I hope you enjoy the pound cake and share it, because there is nothing like friends and pound cake!

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Have a Grace & Joy-filled day!

Susan

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“When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy.” Psalms 94:19