Post-Thanksgiving '10

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting."  (Psalm 107:1)

My heart is thankful and my spirit is grateful for the wonderful blessings of my great God.  He alone is worthy of praise is worship.  Amen!

He has truly blessed me abundantly and has given me so much.  I am especially grateful for His gift of salvation.

It was nice to be able to spend time with family yesterday.   While the dinner preparation did not go without glitches, everything turned out okay.

• The turkey actually was really good, and my concern about marinating too long with lemon was unfounded.   The rosemary and lemon smelled and tasted good.  I also roasted the turkey in a bag with the breast-side down; and the it breast-meat turned out well.  The drumstick and thigh, though needed a little more cooking afterwards.   
• However, the beef stew was a disaster.   First, when I was washing the slow cooker, it slipped and fell and broke.  Then, I decided to cook it in on the stove, but I stepped away right before browning the meat; and the pot smoked and caught on fire; causing my smoke alarms to go off.     Then, when, I was reheating the stew right before serving, it got burnt, and my whole kitchen (and the dish) smelled like it.  Fortunately, this was the only ruined dish.
• The mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy - the milk was actually enough, and the sour cream wasn't really needed.   Next time, I will probably just heat milk with butter and garlic; and skip the sour cream and chives.
• Raisins actually went well with the cranberry sauce - would probably do it again
• Stuffing turned out pretty well.  Next time, I will not leave it in the oven to reheat, because it got dry.  Also, I will not use honey cornbread or honey bread; since it caused to stuffing to be a little sweet; so regular cornbread and bread would be better.  Putting cornbread in, is actually more work - having to bake it and then crumble it.   I might just stick to just toasting regular bread and cutting it into cubes.  I did add celery and that went well.  I might skip the egg also next time.
• I did a thin layer of the mashed sweet potatoes and topped it with a layer of marshmellows.   That turned out well.  I added cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, and maple syrup.  I probably didn't need the syrup, since it was sweet enough already.
• The spiced pumpkin bread was good; and pumpkin butter was a really good complement to it.
• I felt that simmering the apple cider in the slow cooker was okay; except that it seemed like it got less sweet over time.
• There was nothing really of note for the rest of the dishes - green beans, asparagus, gravy, dutch apple pie, rice, and corn soup

I am grateful for God's provision; and for blessing us with so much.

Thanksgiving '10

I have so much to be thankful for.  God is gracious and His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Thanksgiving Day is actually still five days away; but, I'm, somewhat surprisingly, fairly prepared for it.   I took care of cleaning and organizing the house; planned the menu; and bought the food.   I even marinated the turkey, although, I'm a little concerned that I did it a little too early.   This year, I decided to use a lemon rosemary marinade with garlic, olive oil, butter, and poultry seasoning.   We'll see how it turns out....

The other items I have planned on my menu are beef stew, stuffing (I'm planning to make it with bread and corn bread), asparagus, green beans with fried onions, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin bread, corn soup, and Dutch Apple Pie.  This year, I also plan on adding some orange and raisins in the cranberry sauce.

I now have time to focus on the true meaning of Thanksgiving, to have a grateful heart, and remember the abundant blessings from my Father in Heaven.  I am reminded of one passage we studied in our current class series:
"That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever."  (Psalm 30:12)

John 21

I can only imagine how Peter must have felt after having denied Christ three times, being the one who had said “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” (Matt 26:33) But, whether or not he still felt like it, he just was a natural leader (e.g. John 21:3).  We're not told why he and the disciples went fishing, but, they likely just didn't know what else to do; and went back to what they used to do before Jesus called them to be "fishers of men" instead.  By providing a large catch of fish, after they had caught none the night before, Jesus probably effectively reminded them of their calling and showed them that they are most effective in obedience to Him.

With quiet grace, Jesus, their Lord and Savior, serves them breakfast.  And, in a conversation with Peter, in vs 15-17, Jesus lovingly restores and reinstates Peter as teacher and pastor of the Church.  First, Jesus addresses him as "Simon", maybe to bring him back to the beginning and rebuild the foundation, because Peter didn't quite feel like "the Rock".  When Jesus asks "do you agapeo me more than these?",  Peter felt he could only reply "I phileo you"; because he didn't feel like he could claim to love Christ supremely and unconditionally, after the denial.   The second time Jesus asks, He drops the "more than these" because maybe Peter didn't feel like he could admit to loving Him with supreme priority.  The third time, Jesus used Peter's word "phileo", and Peter was grieved, probably b/c this seemed like Christ acknowledging his flawed love.  But, each time (once for each denial), Christ still commissioned Peter to feed and shepherd His flock.  And He even told Peter that he would glorify God even in his death (vs 18-19).

Through this passage, it makes clear that even if we may have experienced personal devastation and feel like we have failed God, He can restore us, and we can still be used by Him as long as we LOVE Him and are willing to "bear the cross".  In fact, we may even be better able to be used because of it.   We know that God was able to use Peter as one of the great leaders of the early Church.  Maybe, the boldness and courage he showed in Acts, like when he appeared before the Sanhedrin and responded to their command to stop teaching about Christ by saying that he could not stop teaching what he had seen and heard, came from what he had learned through his experience with denying Christ and knowing that he never wanted to go through that again.

Also,  we will be most effective when doing what He has called us to do.  And, we are to be focused on following Christ, and not be distracted by what others are called to do (vs 20-23).

More Cooking - Quesadillas

I made Quesadillas yesterday, and they turned out really well.  I just pan fried cut-up chicken breast meat with onion and taco sauce.  Then in a separate pan I heated the flour tortilla in butter till brown on both sides, poured in the cooked chicken, added cheese, and folded the tortilla in half.  And then, flipped it a couple of times to cook evenly in and out.  Next time, I can add cilantro and maybe mexican seasoning to the chicken meat for extra flavor.  And of course, it can be served with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.

RTB

I went to an RTB lecture where Hugh Ross was speaking in response to Stephen Hawking's book "The Grand Design".   While Hawking concedes that there is design, he questions who the designer is; and postulates that once the laws of physics are put into place, there is no longer a need for God or the Designer.   Hugh Ross showed that the premise can be scientifically proven to be incorrect.

Some of the areas focused on are:

• Biblical cosmology says that there is a singular beginning (e.g Gen 1:1), continual expansion (e.g. Isaiah 40-51), constant physical laws (Jer 33:25), and a pervasive law of decay (e.g. Rom 8:20-22). 
• SpaceTime theorems show that an external agent is needed for expansion, which shatters the assumption that all causes are natural.  
• Data also shows that the Bible is not only qualitatively correct, but also quantitatively (e.g predictive temps matching known measurements). 
• In studying Dark Energy or the Cosmological Constant, we see that as the universe gets older there is stronger dark energy and therefore greater expansion.  Also, that this expansion has to be fine-tuned "just right" (too fast and too slow won't allow matter to properly form, but remain in gaseous state) -> needs external agent and existence of miracle
• If cause is not personal but man is, this causes a problem since greater cannot be derived from lesser, since personal > impersonal
• From scientific testing and data, we still do not find any galaxies, stars (e.g. sun), planets, or moons that are the same as ours that would be able to sustain advanced life

Overall, people have admitted being adamant about denying the existence of God, since they don't want to submit to the authority of God due to the rebellious nature of man.  However, scientific evidence is growing for the existence of a Creator.   And from scientific testing and data, we still do not find any galaxies, stars (e.g. sun), planets, or moons that are the same as ours that would be able to sustain advanced life; so our universe is still uniquely created for life.

Origins of Life

• Biblical Predictions - early, under hostile conditions, complex/diverse/abundant, miraculous/instantaneous, and marine only
• Deistic Predictions (matches Hawking's view) - later after enormous time, under benign conditions, huge/concentrated soup, first life very simple, and one species only

=>  Problems with Deistic view:  no time, no soup, oxygen/uv crises, and no homochirality source


A term that came up during the Q&A which applies to many discussions I have often come across is "doctrinally insignificant".    Hugh specifically used this in context of describing the Old Earth vs Young Earth debate.

Genesis 8:1-9:17

Studying the Genesis 8:1-9:17 passage, I can see that it contains much more than the cute storybook version of Noah's ark that I learned as a child.

The Flood was God's judgment upon the terrible wickedness of the human race.  As recorded in possibly one of the saddest passages in Scripture:
"The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the LORD said, 'I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.'"  (Genesis 6:5-7)

After the Flood, the condition of man still had not changed and "every inclination of the human heart is [still] evil from childhood" (Gen 8:21b).  Yet God still makes the covenant that "Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life"  (Gen 9:15b)  and gives the rainbow as the sign of this covenant.  This displays HIS great Mercy, Patience, and Grace; a reminder of His Faithfulness to keep His Promises.

Noah also provides a good example to follow.  He patiently waited for God's command before leaving the ark, even after gaining assurance of dry land and new life using the raven and dove.  And the first thing he did upon coming out of the ark was to build an altar and offer burnt offerings.   Walking off the ark, he probably saw first-hand, the devastation of the earth and everything in it.  What a stark reminder of man's sin and the need for forgiveness; and of God's power and judgment.

I came across a quote this week, "In order to see the rainbow, you must first endure the rain."   After the rains and floods, God gave man a chance to begin again, even offering the same blessing that he did after the Creation, to be fruitful and multiply; with the reminder of the sanctity of life and that man is created in God's image.  In the midst of the difficulties of the "rain", what a blessing to have the hope displayed in the rainbow, of God's Grace and Promises.

I am truly grateful that God is with us through our challenges; and just today, I experienced His guidance and the comfort that comes from the hope that He is able to cause all things to work together for good.

More Cooking

I've come to really like the Roast Rub - Herb & Pepper from Super Spice.  This time, I did try the rub with rotisserie chicken; and it turns out the baked chicken was better.  The oil is needed in both cases, to provide some moisture for the rub and to prevent burning on the pan; since the juices from the chicken aren't really released until towards the end.

I also made ginger garlic green beans with soy sauce and a touch of fish sauce.   The flavor was pretty good; and provides a little variation from the standard stir fry.

I also steamed an acorn squash, with honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg.   After it was soft, I scraped out the insides and blended it.   It was not bad; but, seems to be a lot of work for not a lot of food.   It came out similar to my mashed yam dish; and I actually like the yam flavor more than the squash.

Psalm 30

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness"   (Psalm 30:11)

As God lifted David from the depths of life-threatening illness, death, and "mourning"; David lifted up or exalted God's name in praise, and used the analogy of being clothed in joy and gladness, "dancing" in celebration.  Verse 5 is the "Beauty for Ashes" message:  
"For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."

In vs 6, David confessed his sin of arrogance; and cried out to God for His mercy (vs 2, 8, 10).  Once again, the themes of salvation, deliverance, and praise are threaded through this passage as well.

I am encouraged, that God's message is becoming more clear, as I see the recurring themes emerge in this series.   Essentially, in this fallen sinful world, we inevitably face Ashes (i.e. mourning, broken hearts, darkness, etc); but, in the midst of it all, believers have the HOPE that God is able to raise Beauty (i.e. dancing, healing, light, etc).

Come before Winter

"Make every effort to come before winter."  (2 Tim 4:21)

It's been awhile since I had previously gone through Chuck Swindoll's book "Come before Winter and Share My Hope".  I decided to use it as my next devotional, for I've always found Paul's last letter to Timothy to be particularly poignant, containing heartfelt words from a faithful minister of the gospel to one whom he loved like a son.

There were some things that were said in the Introduction to the book that really spoke to me, being very applicable at this time of my life:

• "People...occasionally find themselves in depressing places of confinement or restraint, with no sense of purpose or direction.   I call such experiences the winter of our lives."  - I do feel like I'm going through a "winter" season.   Though I have much to be grateful for, and even have meaningful areas of ministry, I feel like I'm just "going through the motions"; almost as if I'm in hibernation, waiting for spring to come.

• "No other season in life's annual cycle better represents reality as we attempt to live out what we claim to believe.  Just as a calendar cannot skip those bone-chilling months, we cannot escape the barren days!" - This is similar to the message through our studies on trials, that we should expect these as part of life.   I like the comment made in the book that winter can be endured with much greater success if we prepare for its arrival.

• "Perseverance steadies our course.  Though days are bleak and time seems to stand deathly still as the darkness thickens, He stays near."  - This is a reminder and promise I need to hang onto.

• "Finally, in grace, God's other hand pulls back winter's drape." - This is the HOPE that we have as believers.

In short, this is the message of the "Beauty for Ashes" series - we will inevitably face "winters" in our lives; but, we have the HOPE that this season will pass and there will be joy and renewal in "spring".

More Cooking

Having bought chicken and vegetables this week, I ended up making the following:

• Baked chicken using a marinade rub.   The rub is pretty good, and the dish turned out fine.  I had intended to make rotisserie chicken; but, forgot to use that setting on the oven (maybe next time)
• Brussel Sprouts with honey mustard sauce.   The honey mustard actually balances out well with the natural "bitterness" of the vegetable.  I did blanch them first in water (next time, probably should do it for a shorter time).
• Tex-mex chicken with vegetables, which turned out to be more of a chicken vegetable soup (with corn, tomatoes, and broccolli)
• Broccolli stir-fry.  I used Hoisin sauce; but, the oyster sauce is much better.  However, adding the fish sauce was a good little accent.
• Ginger Mushroom Chicken.  This actually turned out really well.   I cut the chicken breast into thin slices and added honey and cornstarch.   Over high heat, I put ginger, garlic, and mushroom in a pan; and then put in the chicken and teriyaki sauce.  The chicken turned out to be flavorful and juicy.
• Chicken Breast.   This was really simply done with just oil on high heat; and then sprinkled with a chicken seasoning while cooking.   The pounding of the meat till it was tender and even really helped.

I am grateful for the blessings and provisions of food; and a chance to experiment with cooking.

New Fall Shows

It's actually kind of funny that this Fall season I've found myself watching a couple of shows that are not normally "my kind of shows" - Hawaii Five-O and Nikita.   These would generally fall more into the category of Action-Adventure dramas.   And it turns out, that unlike my usual track record, these two shows are considered "hits" and currently are not in danger of being cancelled.  It made me wonder if this means that my tastes have shifted to fit more with the general mainstream; or that these just happen to be interesting shows that appeal to a wide audience. 

In trying to determine why I am drawn to watching these shows, as opposed to the ones I typically watch, I do think that these blend characteristics from other genres as well, and thus are able to attract different audiences.  These shows go deeper than just shoot em' up action and adventure with lots of dangerous stunts.  They develop the characters, like Michael being so conflicted and Steve showing a caring side.   The writing and the acting are interesting and multi-dimensional; and it does not hurt that the casts are attractive.   Overall, these do depict "good vs evil", with good mostly prevailing.