A Kindred Spirit

This whole Sarah Palin thing just keeps getting better and better. If you haven't read about her and allowed yourself the opportunity to get REALLY excited then perhaps it is time to do so.

Tonight I learned that Mrs. Palin comes from a long line of Assembly of God believers. Not only is she pro-life, pro-second amendment, pro-marriage protection, but she is also pro-baptism with the Holy Spirit!

In other words, no matter what her actual experience has been, she does believe that one must be 'born-again' and have a personal walk with Jesus Christ in order to make Heaven their home. That is surely a far cry from 'Mr. Mecca Prayer Rug-bama.'

McCain

Palin 08

O- who?

Wow- that’s just about all I can say… well… almost!

Today John McCain announced his running mate in his bid for President of the United States, Governor Sarah Palin. I, like most of the country, can only imagine what it must have been like in the B. Hussein household this morning. Crumpets and tea no doubt!

So many people have asked me what I am thinking about the whole situation and I really wish I had something great to say; however, that is not the case. In fact, the one thing that is on my mind today is how sad it must be for those Americans who identify themselves with the political party that is always left looking stupid… or just left ‘looking’ for that matter!

If I were not a freedom loving American and were a member of the Democratic Party, I imagine that I would have been looking forward to the focus my party should have received from its National Convention. After all, National Conventions are times when your party shines. It would have been nice to stand in the spotlight, showcasing our groundbreaking decision to nominate a socialist as President of the United States.

Imagine the headlines! Imagine the talk! Imagine the polling points! We would be the first party ever to nominate a socialist man- and hush, don’t tell anyone, but we painted him black to hide it!

I am having the time of my life thinking of all those surprised democrats who found out that all of today’s headlines have nothing to do with their party’s hope, B. Hussein.

It must get old. In spite of a media love affair, they always seem to have someone else undermining what they thought was the ‘perfect storm.’

The Democratic Party tries so desperately to be the image of hippie love vans, economically disadvantaged blacks, poor white trash, devoted church goers, tree huggers who stuff dead babies into trash cans, and working class Americans all mixed into one ‘separate-but-equal’ community. In the end, they just seem hopelessly inept at everything they touch. It is so sad… yet so fun to watch!

What am I thinking? I’m thinking, “My how those ‘blue-ties’ seem awfully ‘red-in-the-face!”

School Days Again

Who knew this song was so involved and had so many words? Not I.

Nothing to do, Nellie Darling,
Oh, there's nothing to do, you say,
Let's take a trip On the Memory Ship,
And sail back to the good old days.
Sail to the old village schoolhouse,
Anchor outside the school door,
Look in and see,
There's you and there's me,
A couple of kids once more.

School days, school days,
Dear old golden rule days.
'Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic,
Taught to the tune of a hick'ry stick.
You were my queen in calico,
I was your bashful barefoot beau,
And you wrote on my slate,
'I love you, Joe,'
When we were a couple of kids.

'Member the hill, Nellie Darling,
And the oak tree that grew on its brow?
They've built forty stories Upon that old hill,
And the oak's an old chestnut now.
'Member the meadows so green, dear,
So fragrant with clover and maize,
Into new city lots
And apartment block plots,
They've torn them up since those days.

School days, school days,
Dear old golden rule days.
'Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic,
Taught to the tune of a hick'ry stick.
You were my queen in calico,
I was your bashful barefoot beau,
And you wrote on my slate,
'I love you, Joe,'
When we were a couple of kids.

Meet Shivam

Tonight I thought I would take a moment and introduce you to Shivam.

Shivam is from India and he was born on February 22, 2003. I received a copy of his report card today as well as a current copy of his health check up and the status of his family. I support Shivam and his family each month through a Christian organization called World Vision.

I send Shivam birthday cards, stickers, letters, and once we even exchanged palm prints. All of our communication is done through a World Vision translator who visits him once a month and helps keep me informed on various conditions surrounding Shivam and his family. Whenever something arrives from World Vision, it is the FIRST thing I open!

Shivam has told me that his favorite hobby is ‘playing.’ He thinks the best thing about him is that he is honest. I have also learned from him (and the translator said the same) that he is very talkative… so I guess he really is honest… but most five year-olds are talkative… at least when they want to be!

Shivam Ishvardeen: August 2008

For families with children, I don't think there can be a better lesson in learning about the importance of missions giving beside supporting a child or giving to a Missionary family that is willing to allow their children to correspond with others. Receiving mail from a child in another country was an eye opening experience for me as a child as it would be for any.

Maybe you can do a little something extra? As an Apostolic whose church is so important, it can be easy to hide behind the church by telling ourselves that we ‘support’ it, and we don’t have to support anything else. Supporting your church is necessary; however, I believe supporting other things can be just as biblical and healthy.

Perhaps there is a Christian organization that seems to exemplify a burden you have? Maybe it’s a secular group that does a great deal with humanitarian issues? Whatever the group or cause may be, as long as you are not robbing your church, giving of your time or finances can be very rewarding as well as an invaluable teaching tool.

Don’t be the type of Christian who is ‘moved’ by what you hear, see, and know: thinking that someone else who is more fortunate can ‘do.’

A Cool Tidings

My air is fixed and my house is cold!

Thank God for air conditioning!

World Record Smashed by Phelps

The Olympians That Weren't

Normally I do not post more than once in a day but as I continually sit here waiting for the air conditioner guy to come and fix my air (and now it is 4:13) I had a chance to open some of my mail. In the spirit of the current olympics... here is one for you to enjoy!

Cooking with Alcohol

Another Cooking blog… I seem to be in that vein!

My mother had an incredible recipe for a shrimp & scallop scampi cooked in a white wine sauce that was incredible. Last year, for Christmas, I did a similar dish using pasta shells.

First I sautéed my shrimp & scallops in the wine and then used the sauce to create a Munster cheese bisque. Next I stuffed my shells with spinach and various cheeses. Finally I covered the shells in the seafood bisque and baked the dish for about half an hour. It was very good.

I had always heard that when you cook with alcohol all of the alcohol cooks out of the food; so cooking with it has never really concerned me. I have recently learned that this is not always the case. In fact, if one were to cook the above recipe the way it is written the dish would have about a 5% alcoholic content at consumption. Needless to say... I will be changing it! :o)

Apparently the way you cook the alcohol is important in removing it. Since I am not an alcohol connoisseur, I did not know this and since most of my readers are seemingly similar, you probably didn’t either. So in my quest to never leave my guest unable to depart from my house of their own free will, I did some research.

First, know how much you are using. Your wine bottle should tell you how much alcohol is in one cup. How many cups you use determines your starting alcohol content in your dish.

You should never use alcohol without it being heated in some way. Alcohol can only be removed from the drink with heat- no heat, no removal. Second, backing it and simmering it are always better than boiling it or flaming it. In fact, boiling it is just a bad idea altogether. Boiled wine and beer still have 85% of their starting content. If you do boil it, do it the night before and store it overnight, this will remove a lot more alcohol.

Baking and simmering are always the best ideas. The longer you bake and simmer wine the less alcohol you get. Simmering for about two hours leaves only about 2% of what you started with. This may sound like a lot, but keep in mind you did not start with a whole bottle of wine, you started with a cup, or in most cases a half cup.

If the wine you use has only about 5% alcohol in a cup and you simmer it for about two hours the remaining liquid now only has a .01% alcohol content. This is less than half of a single percent. This small amount does virtually nothing to your body in any way. You could drink the whole pot and still be completely fine!

I also discovered a lot of companies that make several non-alcoholic wines as well. These wines already have the alcohol removed from them before they are packaged and shipped. Many beer companies offer this same service. Your food will still get the effects of the strong marinade without the alcohol that preserved it.

Eating Out

One of my favorite things to do is meet up with family and friends at nice restaurants. Eating out isn’t something that should be done all the time, but it sure is relaxing when done right.

Last Friday night I took my Aunt to Ft. Worth to spend the weekend with Jason and Julie. She had been staying with Brandon and me for a week and would be flying home to New York from the DFW Airport. We decided to go to Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Dishes for dinner. If you have never been to Joe T.’s, you need to go.

The restaurant was started in the mid 1930’s and has never advertised. The original owner: Joseph T. Garcia, believed that if something was good enough word of mouth would do the trick. History has proven him right. The restaurant he created takes up one whole city block. His family has also opened a Mexican bakery and also has made it possible for you to find some of Joe T.’s items in the grocery store.

The restaurant is fantastic and seats well over 1,000 people. This time we ate on the Zocalo, one of the many outside dinning areas. Jason and I both had the enchiladas, while Julie and my Aunt had the chicken and beef fajitas. As always, I was not disappointed with the food or the service. It was great.

On Tuesday of this week Jason, Julie, Brandon, Julie’s Mom, and I all went to III Forks in North Dallas. The restaurant is the ‘perfect dining experience like no other… providing an equal and mouth-watering balance between fish and beef.’ And their claim is true.

We had three courses. Everyone but me started with the III Forks Salad- a National award winning salad with pecan-maple vinaigrette, sliced apples, and bleu cheese. I had the zesty Shrimp & Artichoke Bisque- it was the perfect, light beginning to my meal.

For the Main Course, Julie and I had the Almond-Crusted Brook Trout lightly drizzled in a Champagne Cream Sauce. We had potato, sugar peas, off-the-cob cream corn, rip tomatoes and spring onions to round out our course. The course provided a perfectly balanced palate. Everyone else at the table had the Roasted Beef Tenderloin with a Lyonnaise Sauce. I am sure the tenderloin was good but my fish was quit possibly the best fish I have ever had.

To round out the meal I had a slice of the chef’s handmade chocolate cake with whipped fudge and drizzled in chocolate sauce. As wonderful as it was I could only have three bits. Thank God for Brandon, he ate his dessert, mine, and finished Jason’s New York style cheesecake with fresh raspberry topping as well!

It was so nice to be together, talking and having a wonderful time. I know some people have a hard time spending money when it comes to something like a nice evening out but every once and a while it is well worth it. And if you are interested in doing so anytime soon, I recommend either one of these places… they are both well worth the time and money.

An Exciting Harvest

Summer is slowly fading away and today the fade was highlighted by rain. Summer is always nice; however, it is always nice to get back to school and back to a regular schedule. I am excited about the possibility of the next few months but not just because of school.

It kinda seems like a 'season' of our church is fading away. Fading not in a bad way, but in the way that has to be for a new season to begin. I am so excited about the 'newness' that seems to be budding up all around us. It almost seems out of place to use spring analogies as fall closes in.

In September we will be starting a new children’s ministry at our church. I find myself wanting at least another three ‘summer’ months to give myself completely to our new endeavor. I find myself with too many ideas for too little time!

Last night we had an incredible service. After choir practice I walked into the prayer room and noticed a difference in Bro. Holley’s prayer. It is funny how you get to ‘know’ someone’s spirit. It is almost as if everyone of us seem to have our own unique gift of the Holy Ghost.

Like my previous pastor, I didn’t know what he was praying for but I recognized he was burdened with something. I started saying to God, “I don’t know what he is praying, or what burden it is, but let me help carry it.” When talking after service it seemed that many others did the same.

It wasn’t but a few moments into the service when God began to move. Life Tabernacle stretched herself upward and God’s hand brought us to another level before the conclusion of the service. It was a fantastic service that ended with much rejoicing.

I am excited… excited about the future, excited about what is to come, excited about the Harvest!

Go TEAM, GO!!

Although I have never really been a rabid fan of any sport in particular, there is just something about the Olympics that really gets me excited. I think it has something to do with the ole 'my team' attitude that existed in High School. The one that I know would be very dangerous if ever really let out of the bag with a professional sport! lol

There is nothing like the Olympics. You can't help but get interested in them if only for the fact that your country is sending athletes to compete against all other countries in the world! The Olympics are more than just a sporting event, them seem to be a way of saying to the rest of the world, "Hey, our way of life works best." Maybe I read a little too much into it!

Every year the United States sends young men and women who trained for the Olympics because the wanted to. Not because some government agency forced them to do so. Those who go, go because they decided to dedicate themselves to the games. It is that spirit of individual will- that spirit of freedom to do so- that makes our athletes such a contention. It was that same spirit that caused Hitler to walk out of the games when his blond-haired blue-eyed star was defeated by a dark-skinned dark-eyed free American.

No other nation has won as much gold as America. Only one time in our nation's history has any other country beaten us in the final metal tally. Our way of life is best and I get so excited for those men and women who are able to compete in our name.

Whether you agree with the idea of sacrificing yourself for such things or not- many of our athletes have truly amazing stories. Take some time to read some and inspire yourself to do more for the cause you believe most in.

Go

TEAM U.S.A.

One Last Time

For all of those who didn’t know, I am back again. After VBS and painting my den, this past weekend I stopped by Ft. Worth and picked up Jason and Brandon before heading to San Antonio to visit my Uncle and his family. Julie was already in San Antonio for a Music Director conference.

We spent all day Saturday on Canyon Lake- one of my favorite Texas lakes. The water is very clear and always relaxing. David and I are dark skinned and tan easily. Brandon, Jason, and Julie burn if they are not lathered in some sort of SPF 30 or more. I always take my tanning lotion with an SPF of 4 or less just to ‘rub it in’. We had a great time on my Uncle’s boat visiting with his family and my Aunt from New York.

Sunday we attended church at the H.O.P.E. Center. Service was great and a special treat for us was that they had a visiting evangelist- Bro. Creekmore. Not the Creekmore that I had grown up hearing but his son, Shane. He had a lot of his father’s characteristics when he preached and yet he also has his own as well.

On our way home we stopped by a Czech bakery on I-35 in the town of West. Julie had stopped before and promised us that it had the best authentic kolaches anywhere. She was right. I learned that a kolache is a Czech and Slovak pastry made with cream cheeses and fruit filling. Americans added the meat (Of course)! On most trips I am not a fan of stopping, but I do like to find small places around the state that you can stop at and make the trip more interesting from time to time.
On Monday my Aunt flew in from San Antonio and will be visiting here for the next week. It is sad to say, but this is now the finial days of my summer vacation. It has been an enjoyable one, but you can always use another week- or two