April 2020 – Here is what one of our Lenten Challenge participants shared about their experience this year…

“I signed up for the Lenten challenge because for me, it helps to have structure to my spiritual time. The reflections each week that were sent helped to center the topic for that week. During that week, each day presented a different way of looking at the topic.

For example, the week on “honesty” included questions directed about honesty and God, honesty and self, honesty and loved ones, honesty and my community, honesty and creation. Some of these were extremely personal for me, like, how honest am I with God?

Some were not as pertinent, such as honesty and creation, although I’m concerned about creation and environment, that is not a priority for me right now. I really had to think about some of the questions posed, which was good during the Lenten season, as we can use that time to reflect.

The topic of forgiveness was most personal for me, as I question whether I have truly forgiven those who have hurt me. I think I have, but I need to reach out to God and ask for help if I have not been able to forgive. I also need to forgive myself constantly, as most people say, “you are too hard on yourself”. Funny to be thinking of forgiveness in relation to me; may God help me in this area. The Lenten reflection ended with a “bonus” week, that of Holy Week. I was so glad to end the Lenten challenge with “Christ is risen.”

Reflection by Sue Buchholz from Atlanta, GA, Lenten Challenge Participant

Change is all around; can you feel it? The heavy and somber season of Lent has been replaced with the light and joy of Easter! More and more people throughout the country are getting vaccinated, which is allowing for glimmers of normalcy. It has been touching to read about the grandparents who are finally able to travel and visit their grandchildren, some for the first time. And, for many of us, springtime changes, the bursting forth of the beautiful trees and flowers, has meant always having a tissue box close at hand!

Change is always happening all around us… good change, fun change, painful change, unexpected change, unknown change. Sometimes, we are able to anticipate it before it happens, and other times, we are blindsided by it. Experiencing change is part of what it means to be human; however, how we adjust and adapt (or not) to change significantly impacts our overall health and wellbeing (as individuals, communities, and beyond).

I find that the fifty-day Eastertide season, in which, as I write this, we are on day six, is a wonderful time to reflect on the various changes that are taking place in our lives and how are we being moved to respond. This liturgical season is a reminder that, through Christ’s death and resurrection, our lives were, and are forever, changed. How do we adequately respond to this amazing good news?

In addition to reflecting on change and movement as it relates to Easter, Travis and I have been experiencing these themes physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as we packed up our belongings in Decatur, GA, at the end of February and moved to Murrysville, PA (20 miles east of Pittsburgh). 

Leaving Decatur was bittersweet. It was the place where we had lived the longest as a married couple. It was there where Travis and I felt called by God to establish HSHC. It was there where we had established many wonderful relationships. 

Yet, it was also there, after much prayer and discernment with others, that we felt God calling us to move to Murrysville, PA, so that Travis could become Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church’s next associate pastor and so that I could continue to develop and expand the outreach of HSHC.

In the midst of all of our recent changes and new beginnings, one of the scripture passages that helped us stay grounded (moving is stressful enough even without COVID… yikes!) is Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” While we are starting to settle into our new home and community and are excited to be here, we are both a bit anxious as to how the next chapter of our lives is going to unfold. However, knowing the consistency of God’s love, in and through what Christ did for us, gives us great comfort.

During this season of new beginnings and change, we want to invite you to reflect on the following questions:

• How do you feel about change right now? Are you ready for it? Fearful of it? Exhausted by it? Something else? 
• What does it mean to you that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever? 
• “Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have—and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up.” – James Belasco and Ralph Stayer, Flight of the Buffalo (1994)  Do you agree or disagree with this quote? Why?
• Do you feel God calling you to make some sort of change (big or small)? 
• Where do you find God in the midst of change?

Peace, 

Karen and Travis Webster 
HSHC Co-founders

Ingredients:

Berries:

• 3 cups (444 g) fresh blueberries
• 1 tsp lemon or lime zest
• 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar

Biscuit Topping:

• 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, or a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose
• 3 tbsp almond flour, or use more flour to make nut-free
• 1¼ tsp baking powder
• 1/3 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• pinch of nutmeg
• 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (half coconut cream and half thin milk from a can)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add blueberries to a baking dish ( 8-9 inch) or cast-iron skillet. Add lemon zest, juice, sugar, and mix well to coat.
2. In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and spice and mix well.
3. Add 1/2 cup of the coconut cream+milk mixture and mix in. Add more milk a tbsp at a time to make a thick muffin-like mix (see substitutions).
4. Drop spoonfuls of the thick batter on the blueberries. Spread a bit to cover most but not all of the berries. Place the skillet on a baking sheet to catch any spill. Sprinkle a tsp of coconut sugar/other sugar on the batter (optional).
5. Bake for 35 mins. Broil for half a minute for browning if needed
6. Remove from the oven, let sit for a few mins. Serve with ice cream or whipped coconut cream.
7. Refrigerate (after cooling completely) for up to 3 days.

Substitutions:

• Almond flour can be subbed with more all purpose flour. 
• Coconut milk: use alternate non dairy milk such as almond or soy and add 1-2 tbsp oil or vegan butter. Mix in butter into the flour mix until crumbs, then add milk.
•  Gluten-free: Use any gluten-free blend of choice or use this following mix: Mix 1/3 cup white rice flour/oat flour, 1/2 cup almond flour, 3 tbsp potato starch or a mix of tapioca and potato. Use 1  cup of the flour mix (skip the additional almond flour used with regular flour), and add more as needed.
• Nutrition is for 1 serve without the ice cream or whipped cream

Recipe adapted from Veganricha.com