Chistmas Gingerbread Biscuits

Ingredients

150g Butter
60g Caster Sugar
60g Soft dark brown sugar
60g Golden syrup
360g Plain Flour
1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1.5 tsp Ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1) Preheat oven to gas mark 4/180C/350F. Line a baking tray
2) Melt butter with both types of sugar and golden syrup
3) Sieve flour, bicarb, ginger and cinnamon into a large bowl, then add melted mixture and mix together.
4) Knead the mixture for a few second until to comes together. add a little water if needed, but keep the sough soft, not sticky.
5) Flatten the dough into a round, 2cm thick, then wrap with cling film and put in the fridge for 30 mins.
6) Dust work surface and roll out dough. Stamp out shapes with a cookie cutter.
7) Bake in the oven for 10-12 mins or until golden. Remove from oven, cool on wire rack and ice then cool.
8) Icing - icing sugar and water to desired consistency (remember not very much water is needed at all)

The season of Giving

I absolutely love this time of year. I know any time of year should feel this way, but this season particularly is such a season of giving. We are busy with all sorts of activities, Operation Christmas Child boxes; Preparing winter food hampers for our members in need and interested contacts and homeless friends; Collecting and buying toys for the local children's hospice; Preparing food and manning the soup kitchen in town; baking for friends and neighbours! Whatever people believe about Christmas, whether it should be celebrated or not, whether we should get caught up with and involved in the festivities, you cannot deny that it is such a wonderful opportunity to GIVE and such a brilliant opportunity to preach Jesus our Saviour to those we come in contact with, seeing as many have their minds on Jesus at this time of year anyway.

Just sit down and brainstorm the kind of things you could do in your community at this time of year, what you could do for your neighbour or friend, and once you have your ideas, they can be carried on throughout the whole year in service to God. There is just SO much need. Yes, so much need for God in peoples lives, but showing God to people isn't always effective by preaching the gospel in word, it is more effectively proclaimed by LIVING the gospel.

I think of how Blessed I am, not just this season, but every day of the year, with such abundance of food, and warmth in my home, and love. I am so content curled up on the sofa with a book and a hot chocolate, but do I spare a thought for my elderly next door neighbour who is so lonely and longing for company, or the big issue lady at the roundabout who spends all day in the cold trying to get a few pounds for her 6 children? SERIOUSLY! This world is in such need. This city is in such need! We need Christ SO bad, but until then we have GOT to DO SOMETHING! We have got to think outwardly, selflessly. I hope and pray this time of year leads us all to think outwardly, not of our own arrangements and festivities, but of others!