Author Archives: Becky Pliego

About Becky Pliego

I am grateful because God, in His grace, called me out of darkness and into his admirable light. When I did not look for Him, He found me. When I was in a pit of sin, He rescued me. I am not walking this road alone, my family is always with me, and we love Him, because He loved us first.

>Summer Children’s Gallery

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I am sure that your children (or grandchildren), just like mine, love to paint, create, craft, model with clay, design with cardboard boxes, cook, or even write throughout the summer; and I am also sure they like to show the world what they have created.  That is the reason why I thought it would be a wonderful idea to invite YOUR children to display their art every Saturday during this summer in this place, in the Summer Children’s Gallery.

If your children (or grandchildren) want to participate, it is very simple:

1. You must be a friendly reader of this blog (a “follower”, or a subscriber)

2. Email me a picture (or two or three) of their art work, or culinary abilities (including their recipe), and I will display it here. Be sure to include their age, the media they used, and maybe a note written by them.  (dailyonmywaytoheaven (at) yahoo (dot) com)

3. Please, pass the voice and share the fun!

I would love to see what your children are creating; I am sure we will be surprised.

Soli Deo Gloria

Becky

>When Living in the Moment may Distract you from Living for the Eternal

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It has been some years now that with the help of the Lord, I have been learning how to live fully every day, every minute. I remember when my children were little and we were in that season of our lives when we ran all day to all those extra classes. We used to live under the pressure of the clock, the constant tic-tac that steals away moments of joy.

But living in the moment, enjoying the minutes, living fully each one of them, is not necessarily a godly thing to do. Actually, it may keep us from seeing beyond the minute and into eternity.

When our children were little I had to teach them about time, time-lines were hanging all over our walls, and we had to teach them about the calendar, the months, days, hours, minutes. Now they are older and we must teach them to live with their eyes fixed on what is not in that time-line. We are teaching them that what matters the most is not the moment, per se, but eternity.

Before I keep on going, please don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that how we live every minute counts. I believe that our lives are made of minutes, and for the life we live in that sequence of minutes we will give an account to God.

But when we live only with eyes for the moment, we may find ourselves believing that we are the main character in God’s story.

Remember Martha and Mary and how they responded when their brother Lazarus was ill and then died (John 11 please read it all.). They were living in the moment, and for a moment they thought that because they were Jesus’ friends, and Jesus loved their brother, they were the main character in the story and Jesus had to come and help them. But Jesus didn’t live for the moment, He lived with His eyes fixed on eternity, on his Heavenly Father; He says on verse 4:

“This illness does not lead to death, It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it”

Having this goal in mind “when he, {Jesus}, heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was”. 

Michael Horton says,

“In terms of the unfolding plot, Lazarus is a character in Jesus’ story, not vice versa. The glorification of the Son as the Messiah is the real “show” here, as was the case with all of the miracles. They are signs, not ends in themselves.”

“Lazarus had to die in order for the greater miracle to occur. There is something more important than the healing of his friend. Jesus knew the great work he would accomplish in the power of the Spirit when he came finally to Bethany. It is like Elijah pouring water on the fire pit, just to make sure God’s glorious power will be obvious. As the greater Elijah, Jesus was engaged in a cosmic contest between Yahweh and the serpent. That was the larger story behind all these other stories. “

How many times do we live “in the moment”, forgetting that each one of those moments, good or bad, are not an end on themselves? All those moments are part of a larger story that has not been unveiled before our eyes, a story that ultimately will bring glory to our Triune God. He is the main character of the story.

When I give thanks for the little things that make up my day, when I see a beautiful sunset, or beautiful bees playing in a fountain; when I see my sister carrying a baby in her womb, and my son coming from behind to kiss me; when I see how my husband loves me every minute, and how blessed I am to have a full pantry, I need to raise my eyes and look beyond the moment, beyond the time-line and remind myself that all these blessings come to me, not because I am the main character, but because in all these, God will be glorified. It all happens “so that the Son of God may be glorified through it”.

And the same is true, when the moments we are going through are more like those moments that Martha and Mary went through, moments of confusion, pain, uncertainty. When we expect Jesus  to come because He is our Lord, our Saviour, our friend, and He doesn’t and we don’t know what to think. Let us keep in mind, sisters, that those moments are only part of a whole story that is beyond our sight, beyond our minutes. Those moments are part of God’s grand plan to bring all things subject to Him, and to bring glory to His name. We are not the main character. Our moments, our times are in His hand.

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky

>A New Way to See and Browse this Blog

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>I just found that there is a new, fun and creative way to see and browse this, and many other blogs powered by Blogger. You can choose one of five different views: Flipcard, Mosaic, Sidebar, Snapshot, or Timeslide.

These are screen shots of two of my favorite view options:

 Mosaic View

Or the Flipcard view

In this last option, you can click on one of the options on the left upper corner (Recent/ Date/ Label/ Author) to find the post you are looking for.

To see other blogs, click the “Daily On My way to Heaven” title and enter another URL.

You can read more about Dynamic Views here.

Hope you enjoy this new feature.

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky

HT: How About Orange

>From Christina’s Kitchen to Yours -Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting-

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>Summer is a good time to try new recipes. So I will be sharing with you every week a recipe from the kitchen of some of my friends.

This week Christina shares with us her recipe for Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese topping.

 

This is, hands down, the moistest Red Velvet cake recipe I’ve ever made. I discovered this recipe, adapted from the New York Times Heritage Cook Book, a few years ago on a blog called Pinch my Salt. I’ve done it a few times and my only variations, if you will, are that I use shortening (as the original recipe calls for) instead of butter.

 

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (Sift once before sifting again as per directions below with other dry ingredients)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk @ room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder and set aside.
3. In a large bowl (using a hand mixer or stand mixer) beat butter and sugar for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.
5. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk.
6. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then the second half of buttermilk.
7. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
8. Make sure you have cake pans buttered, floured, and nearby.
9. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Add cake batter and stir well to combine.
10. Working quickly, divide batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven.
11. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
12. Cake is done when toothpick comes out clean.
13. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
14. Remove the cakes from the pan.
15. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting (I like to double the ingredients below & add a little more confectioners sugar to make it extra sweet!)

16 oz. cream cheese (2 packages) softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick) softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
sifted
pinch of salt

1. Blend cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth.
2. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in confectioners sugar, salt and vanilla extract.
3. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy.

Thank you, Christina!

May your day be sweet, dear friends!

Becky

Would you like to share a recipe with us this summer?
Contact me at dailyonmywaytoheaven@yahoo.com

>Being Specific in our Gratitude – Why it Matters-

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Stones of Diverse Paths

What a wonderful thing it is to continue, after the Lord’s Day, praising God for all His benefits and graces!

It is my joy to share with you what the Lord has been doing here, in me, with me, around my family and friends; so that you may be moved too, to praise Him, and see His hand even in those little things that happen in our lives, and make our days, our life.

I have learned that being specific on my gratitude towards God, helps me grow in contentment. It is definitely, much easier to say “Thank you, Lord for all you give me”; than “Thank you, Lord for this and this, and this, and that…” And the same happens with our confession of sin, it is easier to say, “Lord, forgive all the sins that I have committed today”, than to stop and take the time to search my heart and lay it open before God and say, “Lord, forgive for me for this, and that, and this thing that I should have done and I didn’t…”

Another important thing I have learned, is that we are so “physical” oriented, so bound to all the things on earth, that if we are to grow in contentment, we must raise our eyes beyond the things that we enjoy in this world, and not only give thanks for them, but also for all the spiritual graces that we enjoy. It is, when we give thanks to our Heavenly Father, for all those spiritual graces, that our gratitude looks different than that of the unbelievers who are also trying to live in gratitude.

Today I am grateful, my heart is overflowing with gratitude because…

#1269- 1280

He has given me faith. And as the Puritan prayer reads, so I pray today:

“My God
I bless thee that thou hast given me the eye of faith,
to see thee as a Father,
to know thee as a covenant God,
to experience thy love planted in me…

Be pleased to live and move within me,
breathing in my prayers,
inhabiting my praises,
speaking in my words,
moving in my actions,
living in my life,
causing me to grow in grace”

I am grateful because I can read my Bible. I can feed my soul with the bread of life, and drink from the Word to satisfy my thirst.

I am grateful that the Lord is helping me to memorize the epistle of James; and for all the practical, day-to-day challenges to live the Christian life found in this epistle.

I am grateful for my friend, Elizabeth Hankins. The Lord has brought our paths together to encourage one another to memorize, meditate, and study the Word of God. You are a precious gift to me!

I am grateful, for my sons, see them playing, laughing, spending hours together is nothing else than the grace of God working in our family.

I am grateful for my daughters, their sweet spirit, and gentle heart blesses my soul every day.

I am so grateful for the gift of a new life! A baby, all complete, still in her mom’s womb is getting ready to be borned in a covenant family. It blesses my heart! The prayers, expectations, all the joys, the tiny clothes, and the big brothers awaiting with a heart full of love. Those are blessings from our Heavenly Father!

I am grateful for all the summer plans ahead of us; but mostly, because we can rest knowing that God holds our times in His hand and He knows the longings of our hearts. To be able to rest in His Divine Providence is a gift of grace.

I am grateful for my son, who is willing to laugh with me and have fun with mom, as I took a series of pictures of him tasting a bacon and dark chocolate bar. Just wonderful memories!

I am grateful for my son’s  friend visiting our family for a month. What a joy to share our home with this godly young man!

I am grateful for this day, for the errands, and the provision to buy all we need at home. His faithfulness never fails.

Praising God with you today.

Becky