Ephesians 2- Part 2

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Study and learn. Be changed.  Ephesians 2 Made Alive in Christ 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not
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All about Cookie Swaps!

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Last night I went to one of my favorite Christmas time traditions..with a practical side…a cookie swap.

A cookie swap is when friends come together to visit, catch up, sip on hot tea, and swap cookies.  What do I mean by “swap cookies”?  Each friend bakes a batch of his/her favorite cookie, places two cookies into a sandwich bag for each person attending the swap, and attaches the recipe for that cookie to the baggie.  After visiting for awhile, eating a few treats as we talk, each attendee of the cookie swap takes a large bag, box, or basket and gets one set (two or three cookies per baggie) of each person that attended.  You come with 60 of the same kind of cookie…and leave with 60 different kinds of cookies.

Why do this?  It provides you with a wonderful sampling of homemade goodies for your Christmas guests.   It saves you time…who has time to cook more than one kind of cookie?   You  gather new recipes AFTER you try the cookie to see if you like it.   AND, most important of all, …it is just plain fun…

How do you host your own cookie swap?  You use EVITE or FACEBOOK to send out invitations.  You DO want to invite double the people you feel you can accommodate, as not everyone will be able to attend, due to the busy time of year.  Ask each visitor to bring their favorite cookie recipe and cookies…for swapping.  (We prepackage ours into groups of 2 or 3 in baggies..to make it easier).    Then,  prepare hot tea, coffee, a cake, or some kind of finger food for your guests…. Have fun!


ps. Here is the recipe I shared...
Gluten free-coco cookies.. Ingredients
·      3 cups confectioners' sugar
·      3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (spooned and leveled)
·      1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
·      5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
·      1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (or other type of nut)
·      4 large egg whites, room temperature
Directions- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa, and salt. Stir in chocolate and pecans. Add egg whites and stir just until incorporated (Do not over mix).
Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls, 3 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake until cookie tops are dry and crackled, about 25 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cookies cool completely. (To store, keep in an airtight container, up to 3 days.)

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