This morning on the way to work, I listened to an interview with a professor from Notre Dame and a radio host regarding the discussion of Christianity giving, volunteer work, and generalized generosity vs. the secular world.
I can't remember the statistics, but it was overwhelming at how much more Christians gave, even to secular needs / causes as opposed to the secular world. There was also another issue mentioned and that was the subject of having Christian neighbors versus non-Christian neighbors. There was an extensive poll done to prove that regular church attending Christians make better neighbors and citizens than non-regular attending citizens.
This is a small clip from USA Today opinion spurred from discussion of the book "American Grace" by David Campbell and Robert Putnam. I think it's definitely something to think about.
This is just one of those thought provoking things I found interesting and since most of the people who read my blog are regular church attendees, I thought I'd share the thoughts!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Sweet Memories
This morning, after getting up, I checked my email. A newsletter for the month had arrived in my email from one of my favorite writers. Actually, she's a singer, but although she's on my short list of favorite singers, she's probably at the very top of the list of favorite writers. After you finish reading my post, if you like this style of writing, I feel sure she'll make it to the top of your list.
This particular email sent my way back to reminiscing about many things of my past. It's a beautiful thing! It's such a blessing to have such wonderful childhood memories to look back upon....and not something I dread to think about.
Here's the "post" that showed up in my mailbox this morning. By the way, the writer is Janet Paschal.
There is an old Chinese proverb which says, ‘Distance lends enchantment to the view.’ I think that’s probably true, but, still, there are days I’d love to go back - back to childhood summers, dinner around our family table, and Sunday mornings at our house. I honestly think they were as great as I recall.
Our summers at home were fun: Kay, indoors, practicing her homemaking skills and I, outdoors, locating the perfect tree to climb. We had a real playhouse, a swingset and a bicycle, not to mention a forest of Carolina black pines behind our backyard.
One of our favorite indoor pasttimes was constructing a tent in the kitchen (a quilt pulled tight over chair backs and held by heavy books.) We’d take pimento cheese sandwiches inside and watch ‘I Love Lucy’ on the 19” black and white tv my dad won at the local car dealership. Pimento cheese never tasted as good, or Lucy’s antics seem as comical.
Because we had a very strict upbringing and were not exposed to the worldly vices of that day, one summer afternoon Kay and I decided to take matters into our own hands. We agreed to say all of the bad words we knew. We walked outdoors to our dad’s workshed, went inside, closed and locked the door, and proceeded to say the bad words. There were two. It was so strange hearing them in our voices. A few minutes later, we repented fervently and left the shed. Our conscience plagued us for a long time over that one.
My mom cooked dinner every night (and breakfast every morning.) We all sat at the table, together, at the same time and everyone shared what had happened at work or school. Kay always told her stories so well (aiding and abetting where necessary) that I usually deferred to her. Even as a child I remember looking forward to ‘supper’ because that’s when everyone just talked together. That is still one of my favorite things.
Sunday mornings were extremely predictable. My dad sang hymns along with the television singers, Kay dressed early and practiced her piano, and my mom took a few extra moments to dress. Each week she looked more beautiful. We’d load into the car, Kay and I in patent leather shoes (she with matching purse,) and head for my grandpa’s church. My grandmother taught our Sunday School class for several years and we loved that. At one point, they purchased an easel board complete with individual Bible characters made of felt that stuck onto the board, allowing the teacher to illustrate stories and people more colorfully. We thought we’d moved into the ranks of the high church.
At the bell we’d run - ah, walk - to the sanctuary for the worship service. In my mind’s eye I can see every detail: Mrs. Payne sitting at the piano with her pocketbook at her feet, my grandmother sitting on the inside row, second pew, and my grandfather making sure he shook every hand in the congregation before he mounted the pulpit. Following announcements and prayer requests we’d grab a hymnal from the pew in front of us and turn the worn pages to the familiar pieces we sang over and over. After identifying the song, some of us would smugly close the book again just to emphasize the fact that we knew the words. Oh, the crazy things we did....
As a child, I did not realize that the hymns we sang found lodging deep inside the core of who I am. I did not realize that the theology contained in the great songs of the church would strengthen and uphold me years later when, as Job, the thing I most feared came upon me. I did not know that the poetry and rhyme of the ancient writers would help shape the person I am or who I will yet become.
Now, when I hear an old familiar lyric, it is almost like riding up the road, over the railroad tracks, past the small white mission, and left at the country store. The driveway goes uphill - to the big oak tree where Larry Perkins used to tease me and say that he was my boyfriend - to the little church that was air-conditioned before any of our homes or cars - to the graveyard where my grandfather waits for his bright tomorrow.
While the hymns can’t transport me back to those days, their rhythmic words on a page help define my faith. They ignite my memory. They lend perspective to grim days. They woo me back to my first love.
So, on a given day, I’d go back if I could; not to change anything much, but just to live it all again. It was so simple and so pure. Well, except for that shed thing.
Have a blessed November...
Janet
This particular email sent my way back to reminiscing about many things of my past. It's a beautiful thing! It's such a blessing to have such wonderful childhood memories to look back upon....and not something I dread to think about.
Here's the "post" that showed up in my mailbox this morning. By the way, the writer is Janet Paschal.
Hey Everybody,
There is an old Chinese proverb which says, ‘Distance lends enchantment to the view.’ I think that’s probably true, but, still, there are days I’d love to go back - back to childhood summers, dinner around our family table, and Sunday mornings at our house. I honestly think they were as great as I recall.
Our summers at home were fun: Kay, indoors, practicing her homemaking skills and I, outdoors, locating the perfect tree to climb. We had a real playhouse, a swingset and a bicycle, not to mention a forest of Carolina black pines behind our backyard.
One of our favorite indoor pasttimes was constructing a tent in the kitchen (a quilt pulled tight over chair backs and held by heavy books.) We’d take pimento cheese sandwiches inside and watch ‘I Love Lucy’ on the 19” black and white tv my dad won at the local car dealership. Pimento cheese never tasted as good, or Lucy’s antics seem as comical.
Because we had a very strict upbringing and were not exposed to the worldly vices of that day, one summer afternoon Kay and I decided to take matters into our own hands. We agreed to say all of the bad words we knew. We walked outdoors to our dad’s workshed, went inside, closed and locked the door, and proceeded to say the bad words. There were two. It was so strange hearing them in our voices. A few minutes later, we repented fervently and left the shed. Our conscience plagued us for a long time over that one.
My mom cooked dinner every night (and breakfast every morning.) We all sat at the table, together, at the same time and everyone shared what had happened at work or school. Kay always told her stories so well (aiding and abetting where necessary) that I usually deferred to her. Even as a child I remember looking forward to ‘supper’ because that’s when everyone just talked together. That is still one of my favorite things.
Sunday mornings were extremely predictable. My dad sang hymns along with the television singers, Kay dressed early and practiced her piano, and my mom took a few extra moments to dress. Each week she looked more beautiful. We’d load into the car, Kay and I in patent leather shoes (she with matching purse,) and head for my grandpa’s church. My grandmother taught our Sunday School class for several years and we loved that. At one point, they purchased an easel board complete with individual Bible characters made of felt that stuck onto the board, allowing the teacher to illustrate stories and people more colorfully. We thought we’d moved into the ranks of the high church.
At the bell we’d run - ah, walk - to the sanctuary for the worship service. In my mind’s eye I can see every detail: Mrs. Payne sitting at the piano with her pocketbook at her feet, my grandmother sitting on the inside row, second pew, and my grandfather making sure he shook every hand in the congregation before he mounted the pulpit. Following announcements and prayer requests we’d grab a hymnal from the pew in front of us and turn the worn pages to the familiar pieces we sang over and over. After identifying the song, some of us would smugly close the book again just to emphasize the fact that we knew the words. Oh, the crazy things we did....
As a child, I did not realize that the hymns we sang found lodging deep inside the core of who I am. I did not realize that the theology contained in the great songs of the church would strengthen and uphold me years later when, as Job, the thing I most feared came upon me. I did not know that the poetry and rhyme of the ancient writers would help shape the person I am or who I will yet become.
Now, when I hear an old familiar lyric, it is almost like riding up the road, over the railroad tracks, past the small white mission, and left at the country store. The driveway goes uphill - to the big oak tree where Larry Perkins used to tease me and say that he was my boyfriend - to the little church that was air-conditioned before any of our homes or cars - to the graveyard where my grandfather waits for his bright tomorrow.
While the hymns can’t transport me back to those days, their rhythmic words on a page help define my faith. They ignite my memory. They lend perspective to grim days. They woo me back to my first love.
So, on a given day, I’d go back if I could; not to change anything much, but just to live it all again. It was so simple and so pure. Well, except for that shed thing.
Have a blessed November...
Janet
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Fall Apart Ham Shank
If you are anything like me, you really hate "carving" a ham. So, recently, I took it upon myself to try a new experiment. I decided to cook a ham shank and cook it the same way I cook a picnic ham. And let me tell you, I was ever so happy about that decision and the result. Picnics can be a tad saltier than the human tongue can bear at times (which I personally don't mind, but others do), so the shank is not quite so salty. However, I much rather prefer the way a picnic falls apart after cooking it, much more than that the huge shank that stares you in the face and dares you to start slicing to do something with it.
So, here's my new ham recipe. I don't advise you to do this on Thanksgiving day for a crowd without experimenting, so I recommend a test run on the smallest shank you can find!
Fall Apart Ham Shank:
Preheat oven to 310 degrees
Ingredients:
- ham (shank portion)
- 1 can of Mtn Dew
-----------------------
In a roasting pan, place tin foil on the bottom before placing ham portion in. (use enough to cover the ham completely after prep)
Place ham on tin foil and pour Mtn Dew all over ham - use the entire can.
Completely cover the ham and place in oven.
Cook at 310 for at least 1 hour for each pound.
Note: Please don't panic if your ham appears to be a little bit browner on a few edges than normal. The sugar caramelizes and it gives that appearance, but your ham is not burnt.
After you pull the ham out of the oven, you should be able to stab it with a fork and withdraw a delicious piece tender, delicious ham.
At some point, drain the "gravy" out of the roaster and thicken it up with a little corn starch and you have some delicious gravy for the ham.
YUMMY!! I think I'll go get a ham now!!
So, here's my new ham recipe. I don't advise you to do this on Thanksgiving day for a crowd without experimenting, so I recommend a test run on the smallest shank you can find!
Fall Apart Ham Shank:
Preheat oven to 310 degrees
Ingredients:
- ham (shank portion)
- 1 can of Mtn Dew
-----------------------
In a roasting pan, place tin foil on the bottom before placing ham portion in. (use enough to cover the ham completely after prep)
Place ham on tin foil and pour Mtn Dew all over ham - use the entire can.
Completely cover the ham and place in oven.
Cook at 310 for at least 1 hour for each pound.
Note: Please don't panic if your ham appears to be a little bit browner on a few edges than normal. The sugar caramelizes and it gives that appearance, but your ham is not burnt.
After you pull the ham out of the oven, you should be able to stab it with a fork and withdraw a delicious piece tender, delicious ham.
At some point, drain the "gravy" out of the roaster and thicken it up with a little corn starch and you have some delicious gravy for the ham.
YUMMY!! I think I'll go get a ham now!!
Cream Cheese / Beef Cheeseball Recipe
This recipe is truly awesome and loved by almost all that try it. Serve it with some Town House crackers and I promise you'll make some fans of it!!
Ingredients:
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 4 stalks of green onions (more or less - depending on your like or dislike of onions)
- 1 jar of dried beef (found in the aisle with the canned meats)
- 1 tbsp of mayo
In a bowl, cream the cream cheese and mayo together with a mixer.
I use a chopper to chop the green onions and dried beef into fine pieces.
Once the onions and dried beef are in fine pieces, mix them into the cream cheese mixture well with the mixer.
You have several options once the last step is completed. I usually put mine in a glass, decorative serving bowl and cover it with saran wrap. You can also refrigerate it for a while, then once it has stiffened back up a little, then make into a "cheeseball" to be set into a tray for serving. You may also coat with pecans, but personally, it's my preference not to do this!
Ingredients:
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 4 stalks of green onions (more or less - depending on your like or dislike of onions)
- 1 jar of dried beef (found in the aisle with the canned meats)
- 1 tbsp of mayo
In a bowl, cream the cream cheese and mayo together with a mixer.
I use a chopper to chop the green onions and dried beef into fine pieces.
Once the onions and dried beef are in fine pieces, mix them into the cream cheese mixture well with the mixer.
You have several options once the last step is completed. I usually put mine in a glass, decorative serving bowl and cover it with saran wrap. You can also refrigerate it for a while, then once it has stiffened back up a little, then make into a "cheeseball" to be set into a tray for serving. You may also coat with pecans, but personally, it's my preference not to do this!
Cooking Time
Thanksgiving and Christmas are my two favorite holidays on the calendar. I think it's probably a combination of a few things.....first off, what the holidays represent and secondly, all of the memories and nostalgia that surround them. And, man do I have loads of those!!
I thought I would do something a little different on my blog for the next little bit. I have never done this, and these days I'm kinda busy, so I would like some help from you readers in making this next month pretty busy with postings.
I'm looking for "holiday" (Thanksgiving and / or Christmas) recipes and traditions.
If you have a recipe that is special in your family, I'd love to post it. I love to cook, so I love new recipes. I'll post a few myself just to get it started. I'd also be happy if you jotted down a little note about something special / traditional that you do in your family during the holidays.
So think about some recipes, and send them over to me at boomerrn79@gmail.com.
I thought I would do something a little different on my blog for the next little bit. I have never done this, and these days I'm kinda busy, so I would like some help from you readers in making this next month pretty busy with postings.
I'm looking for "holiday" (Thanksgiving and / or Christmas) recipes and traditions.
If you have a recipe that is special in your family, I'd love to post it. I love to cook, so I love new recipes. I'll post a few myself just to get it started. I'd also be happy if you jotted down a little note about something special / traditional that you do in your family during the holidays.
So think about some recipes, and send them over to me at boomerrn79@gmail.com.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Birthday Boy
Saturday night, Jeremy and myself, along with approx. 50 or so of our other church members, attended an awesome Brian Free and Assurance concert. The front rows were lined with young boys / teenage guys from our church. They are really getting into the "quartet thing." It was really great to see them enjoy something so much what we have loved for years and years and have invested time and money into such a hobby! And we're talking serious time and serious money! It's so funny to me to watch their eyes light up and hear them holler and whistle when the quartets do some pretty amazing things like......the bass singer rattles the walls with his low bass singing and Brian Free lifts the roof off with his high voice.
It was a special night for all of us because we got to witness one of the greatest events that could ever happen in one of those young fan's lives. His name is Bradley Mingledorff. He is our fill-in drummer at our church and likes being a clown. I think he's a good kid and has a great personality. Knowing what a fan of Assurance he is, what happened that night made us all smile and almost get as excited as he did.
Bradley turned 16 the day of the concert. His wish for his birthday was that all of his family come to the concert with him. So, his two brothers, mom, dad/stepmother, and grandmother all showed up. He had the time of his life singing along and hooting and hollering after each song. After intermission, Brian Free comes back to stage with a little white bag and picks it up and begins to tell the audience how it's Bradley's 16th birthday. And how proud he is to see all of the young boys so interested in their music.....and how easy it would have been for them to be anywhere else besides the front row of a gospel music concert. He then began to unload his little white bag, giving Bradley 2 new CD's, a signed picture of the group, and an autographed t-shirt for his birthday. Bradley was over the moon. Everyone was clapping and yelling and carrying on so......
And he thought he'd been handed the world. Unknown to him, it wasn't over yet.....at the end of the concert, as BF&A sang their last song, "King Jesus," they called Bradley to the stage to sing with him. He went over and shared a mic with Derrick Selph, the baritone, since that was his range. After a few seconds, Derrick Selph handed the mic to Bradley and he got to complete the song and the concert with BF&A. Talk about a birthday present. I'm not sure who was most excited, Bradley, or the entire crew of family and friends who got to witness it. I grabbed my camera out of my purse and got it turned on and rolling just in time to catch the last solo part of the night. And over and over again, I have watched and smiled about the excitement of Bradley Mingledorff's big moment and how much love was shown to a 16 year old who loves gospel music! What a night!
It was a special night for all of us because we got to witness one of the greatest events that could ever happen in one of those young fan's lives. His name is Bradley Mingledorff. He is our fill-in drummer at our church and likes being a clown. I think he's a good kid and has a great personality. Knowing what a fan of Assurance he is, what happened that night made us all smile and almost get as excited as he did.
Bradley turned 16 the day of the concert. His wish for his birthday was that all of his family come to the concert with him. So, his two brothers, mom, dad/stepmother, and grandmother all showed up. He had the time of his life singing along and hooting and hollering after each song. After intermission, Brian Free comes back to stage with a little white bag and picks it up and begins to tell the audience how it's Bradley's 16th birthday. And how proud he is to see all of the young boys so interested in their music.....and how easy it would have been for them to be anywhere else besides the front row of a gospel music concert. He then began to unload his little white bag, giving Bradley 2 new CD's, a signed picture of the group, and an autographed t-shirt for his birthday. Bradley was over the moon. Everyone was clapping and yelling and carrying on so......
And he thought he'd been handed the world. Unknown to him, it wasn't over yet.....at the end of the concert, as BF&A sang their last song, "King Jesus," they called Bradley to the stage to sing with him. He went over and shared a mic with Derrick Selph, the baritone, since that was his range. After a few seconds, Derrick Selph handed the mic to Bradley and he got to complete the song and the concert with BF&A. Talk about a birthday present. I'm not sure who was most excited, Bradley, or the entire crew of family and friends who got to witness it. I grabbed my camera out of my purse and got it turned on and rolling just in time to catch the last solo part of the night. And over and over again, I have watched and smiled about the excitement of Bradley Mingledorff's big moment and how much love was shown to a 16 year old who loves gospel music! What a night!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Exercise Your Right!
Just in case it has slipped anyone's mind, don't forget that today is Election Day. I'm sure if you have listened to the news at any time recently, you have been reminded, but this is just one more friendly reminder. I am with the rest of you that I'm ready for it to be over. The phone calls are endless!!
Anyway, I think of elections like this: it is one of my greatest opportunities to let my voice be heard and my displeasure be known for the route in which my country is headed - and attempt to change it. And I'll just go ahead and say, I am extremely displeased. The talk consistently around my job is where the new health bill will take us. There are emails coming rampantly to my work email to enjoy the pleasures as I know them now, because soon they will change, if things continue as they are. Let me just say, I'm not happy about that possibility. And the doctors that are actually worth something are going to be run over by the ones willing to conform all to government standards.......that just turns my stomach. I really like my doctors that I have chosen in this city, and unfortunately, I see them being some of the first to be punished.
Anyway, I could go on and on, but this is one of the things that really bothers me about the direction of our country. It affects me the most, the quickest. It's standing over me like an impending doom!
So, exercise your right today!! GO VOTE!! Don't count on someone else to make their voice heard - in your place. I always say and firmly believe: "If you don't vote, don't complain! You could have changed something with your vote!!" Alot of the time when it comes to listening to people complain about the way things are, I ask them if they voted before they start in about it. It matters that much to me. Don't complain about something you could have prevented and didn't.....and if you voted for the problem, at least have the guts to say you make a mistake!!
Enough said.....now GO VOTE!!!
Anyway, I think of elections like this: it is one of my greatest opportunities to let my voice be heard and my displeasure be known for the route in which my country is headed - and attempt to change it. And I'll just go ahead and say, I am extremely displeased. The talk consistently around my job is where the new health bill will take us. There are emails coming rampantly to my work email to enjoy the pleasures as I know them now, because soon they will change, if things continue as they are. Let me just say, I'm not happy about that possibility. And the doctors that are actually worth something are going to be run over by the ones willing to conform all to government standards.......that just turns my stomach. I really like my doctors that I have chosen in this city, and unfortunately, I see them being some of the first to be punished.
Anyway, I could go on and on, but this is one of the things that really bothers me about the direction of our country. It affects me the most, the quickest. It's standing over me like an impending doom!
So, exercise your right today!! GO VOTE!! Don't count on someone else to make their voice heard - in your place. I always say and firmly believe: "If you don't vote, don't complain! You could have changed something with your vote!!" Alot of the time when it comes to listening to people complain about the way things are, I ask them if they voted before they start in about it. It matters that much to me. Don't complain about something you could have prevented and didn't.....and if you voted for the problem, at least have the guts to say you make a mistake!!
Enough said.....now GO VOTE!!!
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