Peaceful Pie: The Recipe for a Calm Heart

Claire Black: Welcome to True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us, one drive at a time.Buckle up! You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus.

In this season of the podcast, we’re discovering “A Recipe for a Fruitful Life!”It’s based on the fruit of the Spirit. Those are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Have you ever felt stressed or anxious? Today, Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph are serving up the perfect recipe to calm your heart and help you stay steady, no matter what storms come your way! 

And, they’re baking one of Dannah’s seasonal specialties. So, let’s listen to Episode 4, called, “Peaceful Pie: The Recipe for a Calm Heart!”

Staci Rudolph: Okay, Dannah, making this apple pie is giving me all sorts of ideas!

Dannah Gresh: Well, what kind of ideas? Like how much you want to eat it? That’s what I’m thinking about!

Staci: Naw, you know me. More like, “What do you get when you cross an apple with a Christmas tree?”

Dannah: Oh boy, here we go. You know I can never guess your jokes!

Staci: Come on. Just give it a shot.

Dannah: Okay. Hmm. Apple . . . Christmas tree . . . Christmas pie? No. Christmas apple? I don’t know, Staci; just tell me! What do you get when you cross an apple with a Christmas tree?

Staci: Okay, okay. A pine apple!

Dannah: Oh, Ba-dum-tss. I should have known that! You got those apples peeled yet?

Staci: Yep, I’m just finishing up slicing them. Do you have your crust ready?

Dannah: Almost. Just gotta roll it up on the rolling pin . . . drop it into the dish . . . and there. Now, go ahead and put the apples in.

Staci: Anything else?

Dannah: We’ll add a few spoonfuls of sugar, a little bit of flour, and here, sprinkle on some cinnamon. Then here we have my favorite part of the pie, the streusel for the top! 

Staci: It looks yummy! Can we just eat it right now?

Dannah: Ha ha, very funny. 

Staci: Perfect.

Here, let me get the oven.

Dannah: Thanks, Staci. 

Staci: Dannah, you make that whole thing look so easy.

Dannah: Well, it really is pretty easy once you get used to it.

Staci: Hey, Dannah, are we talking about peace today? I think that’s the next fruit of the Spirit.

Dannah: We sure are! In fact, I already have my Bible opened to it. Here’s Galatians 5:22 and 23.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

So Staci, first, I want to talk about some different meanings of the word “peace.” Can you guess what the first one is?

Staci: Uhh, maybe political peace? Like when two countries are at war, and then they decide to make an agreement and stop fighting, they’re at peace then, right?

Dannah: Exactly. That’s a common one, and lots of times when people talk about peace, that’s what they mean: countries or other groups of people not fighting with each other.

Staci: But by now I know there’s more meaning in all of these words than the most common one.

Dannah: Yep, there sure is.

Kind of like the first one, two people can be at peace with each other when instead of conflict (fighting, arguing, or unkind thoughts) there is love and kindness between them. 

Staci: Yep.

Dannah: We’ll talk about that a little bit today, but I especially want to talk about this next meaning of the word “peace.” 

Staci: Which is . . .?

Dannah: Personal peace is what happens in your heart when you aren’t worried or fearful. 

Staci: Oh, I like that definition!

Dannah: Me too! This is God’s peace, the kind that comes as a result of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Staci: So, what can we learn about God’s peace?

Dannah: Well, God’s peace is sort of two kinds. 

God the Father and Son and Holy Spirit (the Trinity) loved each other before the world was created!

Staci: Right, we talked about that before.

Dannah: Because God loves so much, each member of the Trinity enjoys peace with each other. They’re always completely in agreement. No fighting or disagreement. Total peace and unity!

Now, go back to the Garden of Eden with me, Staci. Imagine all of creation in perfect peace. Birds singing. Lions laying happily and contentedly in the sunshine. Bees buzzing and doing their jobs as pollinators. Flowers blooming beautifully. Everything is perfect. Peaceful.

Staci: It sounds lovely, especially on a cold day like today.

Dannah: Yeah. Well, when God created Adam and Eve, they were at peace with Him. He walked with them in the Garden of Eden and talked to them and there was perfect love and happiness. 

Staci: Right.

Dannah: And there was just one rule God made: don’t eat the fruit in the middle of the garden.

Now think about this: the garden was full of trees. Imagine the fruit they could eat!

Staci: So much fruit!

Dannah: Yes, but then Satan showed up in the form of a snake. And he told Eve, eat this fruit God put in the middle of the garden.

Staci: The one God said not to.

Dannah: The only one God said not to! And Eve picked one of those pieces of fruit off the tree and took a bite. And then she handed some to Adam, because he was standing right there next to her, and he ate from that fruit too. 

Staci: Uh-oh!

Dannah: Yeah.

When Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God, they no longer had peace with God. They did not love Him perfectly anymore; they loved themselves more than they loved God. That meant there was a war between God and Satan. No more peace!

Staci: Wow. I knew that, of course, but you make it sound so sad!

Dannah: That’s because it is, Staci.

Staci: But, there’s good news, right?

Dannah: Yes! There’s always good news. One place we find that good news is in Isaiah chapter 9. That’s where Isaiah prophesied about Jesus, hundreds of years before He was born. You’ve probably heard this verse at Christmas time. It says,

For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
   and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Staci: Prince of Peace. That’s a beautiful name. 

Dannah: Yeah. It means that Jesus brought peace back to humans. When he came to earth, died on the cross, and rose again, he ultimately defeated sin and Satan. He makes people who were His enemies into children, and now we can be at peace with Him!

Staci: Yeah, I think it says that in Romans!

Dannah: You’re right; Romans 5:1. Do you know it?

Staci: Sure do. It says that “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Dannah: So in other words, followers of Jesus can experience some of that peace—the kind that comes from God. But then, God gives us the other kind of peace, the kind that means we’re not worried or fearful. Jesus says that in John chapter 16, verse 33. He said: 

“You may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Staci: So, He’s not saying hard or scary things won’t happen.

Dannah: No, actually they will. Trials and sorrows will come. But Jesus says He has overcome the world! That means it doesn’t ultimately matter what happens, because God’s children are safe in Him, and He has a plan.

Staci: And that reminds me of another verse! It’s Isaiah 26:3. Can I read it?

Dannah: Yes!

Staci: It says, 

You [God] keep him in perfect peace
   whose mind is stayed on you,
   because he trusts in you.

Dannah: That is one of my favorites, Staci! I love that verse. It reminds us that if we keep our mind on God, He keeps us in perfect peace. 

Staci: You know, there are lots of things we could be worried about.

Dannah: Oh yeah. And I’ve got to tell you, I’mnot perfect about not worrying, are you, Staci?

Staci: Not at all! But God is helping me, little by little, to trust Him more instead of being worried.

Dannah: Yeah, me too.

True Girl, I bet you are sometimes scared or worried, too. Maybe about, I don’t know, a test at school.

Staci: Or about going to a new school.

Dannah: Or maybe you fear something could happen to your family.

Staci: When I was younger, I was super scared of going to bed at night. It took me a lot longer to fall asleep than everyone else, and I hated being up alone.

Dannah: Oh, I used to have the same scary dream over and over! But . . . if you know God loves you so much that Jesus died to save you from your sins, you can trust Him, and you can experience peace, even when you’re having a hard time falling asleep or you had a scary dream. It’s true. 

Staci: It sure is. Hey Dannah, have you ever had a time where something scary happened, but God gave you peace even through it? Even if it didn’t ever seem like it was going to turn out okay?

Dannah: Yes. Oh, yes! So many times . . . over and over. Once, I was scared because Farmer Bob had been in a really bad accident. I was driving with my mom to meet him at the trauma hospital in New Jersey. I didn’t even know what to pray. I just knew that whatever had happened was really, really bad. Well, my mom and I drove and prayed, and drove and prayed, and drove and prayed. And before I knew it, instead of being terrified, I just felt peace! I knew that God was in control of my life and Bob’s. And I could trust Him. So, I guess what I am trying to say is: spending time in prayer didn’t change what was happening, but it changed my emotions!

Staci: Hmm. That’s the fruit of the Spirit…it’s a result of God’s Spirit in our lives. When you prayed…He changed the way you experienced that hard day.

You know, I think with this fruit of the Spirit it’s easier to understand how it’s something that the Holy Spirit does in our hearts. Because, there isn’t really anything you can do to make peace for yourself. With joy, you can pretend to be happy even when you aren’t. Or, you can act kind when you really don’t mean it in your heart. But with peace, you can’t really pretend to have it.

Dannah: Wow, that is a great point. Thanks for the reminder that all the fruit of the Spirit is from God, it’s not from us!

[timer beeping]

Oh, that means it’s time to take the tinfoil off!

Staci: That does not look at all done.

Dannah: It’s not meant to be. It needs another half hour or so.

Staci: Oh, okay.

Dannah: Which better hurry up and fly, because I really think I need a piece of it!

Staci: Dannah, you made a pun! You’re being “punny”!

Claire: Well, True Girl, is there something happening in your life that seems like it can’t possibly turn out okay? Will you pray right now and ask God to help you to trust Him so that you aren’t worried or scared? And then, talk to your mom about it. She can pray with you! Trust me, it makes a difference.

Okay, Dannah’s really proud of her apple pie, so she would really love it if you made it too! There’s even a secret ingredient in it. She says you’ll never make a pie crust without it once you’ve tried it! 

If you and your mom want to make it, you can find the recipe by visiting the transcript of this episode, “Peaceful Pie: The Recipe for a Calm Heart.” Find it at ReviveOurHearts.com.

Have you ever felt impatient when things don’t happen the way you want? In the next episode, we’re diving into the secret ingredients for patience. Could you use some of that? Yeah, me too. But for now, you’ll have to be patient until next time. See you then!

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ!

Dannah’s Apple Pie

Filling

1 cup sugar

¼ cup water

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups sliced apples

Mix cornstarch and sugar. Add water and cook until it boils. Add apples and boil again. Set aside.

Crust

1 cup shortening

2½ cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vinegar

water

Mix egg and vinegar in a cup and add enough cold water to fill to ½ cup of liquid. Set aside.

Use a fork or pastry blender to integrate shortening, flour, salt, and baking powder. When this makes pea sized balls, add the liquid. Mix, then roll out. This makes a single pie shell.

Fill pie shell with apple filling.

Crumb Topping

1½ cups flour

¾ cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ cup butter

Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle on pie. Bake at 375° F for 45 minutes. Enjoy with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

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