Meticulous Sovereignty

A few weeks ago at home group, Allen said something that has stuck with me..."for sovereignty to stand, it has to be meticulous."  Well, I know that the Lord is sovereign (thought I confess that I often don't live as if it is so), but I have never before given much thought to His meticulosity.  Think about it.  Once you do, you'll begin to notice it everywhere and in everything.


Have you ever thought about how many different kinds of grass and trees and bushes there are?  The sovereign Creator made countless varieties of each, and each is unique - some wither with the first frost while others can survive in a frozen tundra; some thrive in direct sunlight and others shrivel up and die; some produce poisonous fruit while others bear things that are good to eat; some remain green year-round and others have foliage that changes and falls with the seasons.  The Master specifically made each one the way it is; He is meticulously sovereign.


Now look at your life.  How awe-inspiring and humbling to realize that the one and only God is intimately involved in the most minute details of our lives!   He didn't just ordain where I would be born or go to school or work or live, but He sovereignly, specifically orchestrated each of the seemingly insignificant events and circumstances that led to these things.  If I had an earthly king and discovered that he knew about me and my life and was actually interested and involved in my everyday affairs, I would be humbly grateful that he had taken the time to learn about one of his subjects and therefore much more willing to submit to his rule.  How much more should my heart long to serve and worship the King of Kings who knows the number of hairs on my head, the One in whose book were written all the days that were ordained for me when as yet there was not one of them?

Mocha Dream Cream Cupcakes

So, these are the cupcakes I made this week for our family fun day at church...

Ingredients:

• Cake
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs, room temp
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 t vanilla
• 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups boiling water
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• Filling
• 12 oz cream cheese (1 1/2 pkgs), room temp
• 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg + 1 egg white (save yolk for icing)
• Frosting
• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled to room temp
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 egg yolk, room temp
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 T instant expresso powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Chop chocolate for filling and cupcakes in food processor...I suggest you do it on low, because when I tried it on high, the chocolate began to melt.
3. Cream 2 sticks of butter and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. Add 3 eggs and beat another 3 minutes.
5. Add buttermilk and vanilla.
6. Mix boiling water and 4 oz chopped chocolate.
7. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into bowl.
8. Alternately add flour and chocolate mixtures to batter, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Pour batter into cupcake pans liked with paper liners, filling each 2/3 full.
10. Cream together all filling ingredients except chocolate for 3-5 minutes.  Fold in chopped chocolate.
11. Drop filling by the tablespoonful into the center of each cupcake...part of it will peek out the top.
12. Bake 18-20 minutes.

When they are cooled, begin the icing.

1. Beat butter on med-high about 3 minutes, until light yellow.
2. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat another 3 minutes.
3. On low, gradually add powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium until smooth and creamy.
4. Dissolve the espresso powder in 2 tsp of the hottest tap water.
5. On low, add the melted chocolate and espresso to the butter mixture and mix until blended...don't whip.
6. Spread on cupcakes and enjoy!

*Makes about 24 cupcakes.

If you are like me and don't have buttermilk, you can mix 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 T white vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes.  I didn't know what cake flour was until not long ago and had to look it up...to sum it up, cake flour has a finer texture and is milled differently than other flours, making the cake/cupcakes lighter and fluffier.  It really does make a difference!