Life With Girls

Recipe: Q's Pig 'n Potato Soup

2011-01-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

In years past my church would serve up a full Thanksgiving dinner the Sunday before Thanksgiving. This past year, however, they did something different. Instead of spending money on making a full Thanksgiving Dinner for hundreds of people, it was decided to serve soup, salad, bread and dessert. The money saved is being used to help people in the community. I chose the Ham and Potato Soup over the Turkey Vegetable and really liked it, it was one of the best soups I had ever tasted. So I set out to develop my own recipe only adding same additional ingredients. I added.... Bacon! Because everybody knows everything is better with bacon. So here is my recipe, which also can be found over at http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/soups/qe28099s-pig-e28098n-potato-soup/

Q's Pig 'n Potato Soup

Ingredients:

¾ pounds Bacon
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Tablespoon Onion, Finely Diced
10 cups Water
5 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon (or 5 Cubes)
½ teaspoons Black Pepper
½ teaspoons Smoked Paprika
½ pounds Cubed Ham
6 whole Medium Potatoes, Sliced Into 1/4 Inch Slices And Quartered
1-½ cup Heavy Cream
Shredded Cheddar Cheese And Chives For Garnish

Procedure:

1. Cut 1/2 pound of bacon into about 1/4 inch pieces prior to cooking. Saute 1/2 pound of the bacon with the garlic and onion over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Set aside.
2. Fry remaining 1/4 pound of bacon and once it’s crispy, remove from grease to cool. Once it’s cooled, crumble it to be used as garnish.
3. Combine water, bouillon, pepper and paprika in an 8 quart stock pot and heat to boiling.
4. Add bacon from step 1 and potatoes and cook until potatoes are soft (about 20 minutes).
5. Add cream and heat on low until heated through (do not boil).
6. Serve with a garnish of cheddar cheese, bacon (from step 2) and sprinkled with chives.

Koran Burning

2010-09-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Media outlets are now reporting the event is being called off. This does not invalidate my thoughts on the subject, but hopefully healing can now occur and true Christian love can be shown to the world.

A church in Gainesville, Florida has been receiving lots of media attention recently. The church is planning on burning Korans on September 11th. I admit at first I was not necessarily against this, but not supporting it either. I cracked a few jokes about it, but in hindsight that was not the right thing to do. So here is my official statement concerning this event: I do not, nor will I ever condone such an event from this day forward.

I think it is sad and appalling that those who claim to be Christian would espouse such disdain with an in your face attitude toward another group. At the same time I am not agreeing with Islam or its tenets. However, if we are to follow the commandment of Christ in Matthew 22:39, "Love your neighbor as yourself," we have no choice but not stand against this hateful act. How is this showing love? Are we not commanded to even love our enemies?

⁴³ “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴ But I say, love your enemies!Pray for those who persecute you! ⁴⁵ In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. ⁴⁶ If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. ⁴⁷ If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. ⁴⁸ But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48, NLT)

Here it is in black and white (some Bibles red and white) we are to love our enemies. Not only that but we are to be kind as well. How is burning the Koran showing either love or kindness to Muslims? How many hearts will be hardened by this display of venomous hate? I have friends who minister to Muslims, how much will this set back their ministry, how much damage will be done? Souls will be lost because of the hate this group has for Muslims.

I will leave you with one more passage repeating the above command found in Matthew but ending with a stern warning:

¹³You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. ¹⁴The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁵If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. (Galatians 5:13-15, NIV)

Meditate on that verse, what do your thoughts and actions say about how you feel toward your enemies?

Obligated?

2010-09-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

Last night it struck me, my prayers are stale and lack sincerity. Have you been there? Are you there now? What if our friends and family spoke to us in the same manner we speak to God? What if at best they only spoke to us three or maybe four times a day? How would we feel? Neglected? Unloved? Unappreciated?

Why should God be any different? How His heart must ache when we treat Him as an afterthought? Or even worse -- as an obligation. We think to ourselves, "Oh, time to eat, better pray." Then we say something such as, "Dear God, thank you for this food. Amen" Well, truth be told it may sound more along the lines of, "DearGodthankyouforthisfoodAmen." Said as fast as we can, after all we would not want our food to get cold. Never mind the fact that it is our spiritual lives that have grown cold. This is where I am at in my journey. My spiritual life as grown cold. I want to change and hopefully my journey through studying and meditating on prayer will be valuable to you.

Football season is here and each Sunday and Monday night will present a "big game" to someone. Maybe you are the person who works extra hard on Saturday in order to clear up the schedule on Sunday. There is an air of excitement as the players take the field and you want to be there to catch that excitement. What if, what if, we had that same excitement and enthusiasm to come into the Arena of God? This game is big folks, it is huge. Football games will be forgotten over time, but the effects of prayer are eternal.

Is prayer just an obligation for you? If so, join me in making a change. Join me in making coming before our King, our Saviour, our God, a desire and passion so deep it will change us forever.

Green Bean Recipe

2010-08-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is the first year we will be hosting our family for Thanksgiving. We finally have the space to do so and are really excited at this prospect. A couple of things I am working on are the turkey (more on that later) and side dishes. I like cooking with flavor, no bland tasting food at my table, so when I began to think of a way to prepare green beans. I know I wanted it to include bacon but at the same time did not want to go the casserole route. I knew I wanted fresh minced garlic as part of the recipe and a bit of minced onion as well. I then began to think what else I could throw into this dish. I decided on a bit of Balsamic Vinegar might go well and some paprika. Just a note about the green beans, I used frozen green beans as this would be what would be available in late November. Feel free to use fresh green beans in season.

2 cups frozen green beans
4 strips of bacon, cooked
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp minced onion
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika

Cook the green beans until tender. Once green beans are done cold shock them in a bowl of ice water (we don't want mushy beans). While the beans are cooking, fry the bacon reserving about 1/2 tsp of the drippings (I just used the same cast iron skillet throughout). Crumble the bacon and set aside. Add the garlic and onion to the skillet and saute until golden brown. Add the green beans and paprika give it a good stir to mix them in with the onion and garlic. Add the vinegar while continuing to stir. Finally add the bacon and cook over medium heat until everything is heated through. Serve.

Baked Beans

2010-08-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well, if you've been waiting for my recipe for baked beans you will have to wait a little longer. It was a complete failure. But, like every good chef, failure will only lead to another attempt and eventually success. The first failure was I did not soak the beans in enough water, lesson learned. Secondly, the sauce was not quite what I had envisioned. This, however, is not the end and at some point I hope to post a baked bean recipe made from scratch. Oh and I must add, no bacon was wasted in this failed attempt. A bacon rescue mission was initiated and all bacon pieces were successfully recovered.

Tomorrow I plan on sharing a green bean recipe I tried yesterday. This, unlike, the baked beans turned out pretty good.

Recipes in Progress

2010-07-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

I soon hope to post some new recipes within the next few days or coming weeks. I have been wanting to try some new things in the kitchen\grill recently. I have been working on a pizza crust and pizza sauce recipe that is nearing what I think would be a good recipe. Just a bit more tweaking and it should be ready to post.

Summertime means firing up the grill and grilling and smoking a variety of meats. This is one of my favorite ways to cook. Summertime also means BBQ Baked Beans. And once again I find myself reading the list of ingredients with names of preservatives I can not begin to pronounce. So, off to the drawing board. Hopefully, tomorrow night or Friday I will post the recipe, so be sure to check back.

Is this really June?

2010-06-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that it has barely reached 60 degrees today. After all we are half way through the month. We should be having sunny skies and much warmer temps. My wife noticed my youngest daughter this morning was covered in goose bumps and asked her if she was cold. She nodded her head yes and went to go put on her bathrobe. My wife and oldest daughter both stated they were cold as well. Being the great husband and father that I am, let it be known that I turned the furnace back on after several weeks of being turned off. Alright, I admit I was cold too.

The forecast had called for partly sunny skies and mid 70's, but now that my weekend has arrived it is cold and rainy. But the forecast looks good in a few days -- just in time to return to work. I guess I can't complain too much at least my lawn is nice and green.

I hope to post some more recipes here in the near future. I will be posting my chili recipe and a pizza sauce that is nearing where I want it to be. So check back soon.

Jeff

Recipes and Weirdness

2009-12-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

My Mother-in-Law knows I like to cook and occasionally will ask me for a recipe or my thoughts on how to do something. She recently asked me for recipe for an egg casserole. And of course I was more than happy to answer her request. The recipe was my Mom's recipe that I grew up with but I took certain liberties with the way the recipe was written, deciding it just was not whimsical enough. Thought I would share it here as well.

Sausage Egg Casa... Kasero... Sausage Egg Breakfast Goodness Baked in a Glass Baking Dish

3 Eggs (the chicken kind)
1 Cup milk (the cow kind)
1 Slice of day old bread (doesn’t matter what kind)
1/2 Teaspoon salt (I use the Kosher kind)
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese (the yellow kind)
1/2 Teaspoon dry mustard (the powdery kind)
1/2 Pound sausage (the pig kind)*

Lube up an 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish with your choice of food grade pan lubricant. Brown the pig, I mean sausage, drain the fat and set aside the cooked meat. Now go out to the hen house grab 3 eggs and bring them back inside. Crack the shells and dump the internal parts of the eggs (that would be the yellow part and the white liquidy part) into a bowl. Beat this up real good. Add the milk that you got from old Bessie earlier in the morning with the salt and dry mustard and then add this to the eggs that you just beat the tarnations out of a few minutes ago and mix it up real good. Now add the yellow cheese, stale bread and the browned pig to yonder egg mixture. Pour all of this into that glass baking dish that you most likely slathered with lard. Get out your plastic wrap and attempt to cover said baking dish. After fighting the plastic wrap for ten or so minutes, give up and just cover it with a piece of the real shiny metal stuff. Stick in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or best left in the cool confines overnight. When you get a hankerin’ to eat it the next morning, preheat your oven oven to 350 degrees and bake it (without the shiny covering on top) for about 45 minutes. Then eat it and enjoy

* I suppose you can use the meat of your choice -- sausage, bacon or ham. But it all comes down to the same animal. Guess if you really wanted you could use all three. Also if this ain’t enough to feed your clan, then just double all the ingredients and bake in a lubed up 13 x9 inch glass baking dish.

Give Thanks

2009-11-25T23:11:00.000-08:00

¹ Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
² Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
³ Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Psalm 100 (NLT)

On this day of Thanksgiving praise God with a shout of joy that you are able to worship him freely and are worthy to be called one of his people. Come before him thanking him for his goodness, grace and love. Be thankful always not just today, but every day.

Christmas Wish List

2009-11-20T12:50:00.000-08:00

With Black Friday just around the corner, I can't help but think about the coming mayhem. Every year seems to bring more and more stories of fighting, shoving, and people getting injured. All in the name of saving a few bucks. I particularly remember last year's death of Jdimytai Damour, a Wal-Mart employee in Valley Stream, New York. So great was the greed that a man lost his life. Is this what we have become?

Growing up I could not wait until the Sears Wishbook came out. I would sit down and dream of all the toys I would want to get for Christmas. In hindsight I am so glad I was never as spoiled as I wish I could have been. Even today people in my family will ask me what do you want for Christmas? I usually answer something like, "I don't know." But this year I have a definite answer...

Water

That sounds like a simple enough request. But for millions in this world the simple request of asking for a cup of water can bring about sickness, disease and even death. Take a moment to check out the above link. Look around the site and watch the videos. Hopefully, it will change you as it has me. What if we put aside our greed. What if we thought of others outside of our families? What if we cared? Dare to ask yourself...

What if?

Photo credit: www.water.cc

Chopsticks

2009-08-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

No, I am not talking about the simple little tune which may be familiar to you. I am talking about those seemingly impossible to use eating utensils found in Asian restaurants. That is what I used to think anyway until one day I was challenged to use them while eating at a Chinese buffet. My first attempts were quite humorous. I am sure food was flying all over the place. I am not too certain about this as I have repressed these memories and there they shall stay. But the more I used chopsticks the better and more adept I became.

I soon learned not to try too hard, it takes a light touch. If you try to squeeze too hard the chopsticks will not work and you will end up with a stained shirt. Nice and easy, with just enough pressure to hold the food is all it takes.

So often, this lesson can apply in so many other areas of life. One place is in the Christian life, so often I feel we as Christians want nothing more than to change people who are not Christians. We try too hard by protesting, picketing, yelling, and demanding people change. I do not think that is what we are called to do, at least not using such harsh tactics. Several years ago I came to the conclusion I can not change anyone except myself. I can not force someone to follow Christ. I can not force someone to give up sinful behavior. The only thing I can do is point people to the one who can change. That is God the Father, through Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit.

I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6 (NLT)

I have no doubt Paul felt much the same way. He could only plant the seed, and others would water. Paul knew that only God could bring about real change in a person's life. In the broader context of his passage Paul is reminding the Corinthians that at one time they were immature and they allowed sin to rule their lives. Paul knew it would not be effective to go in shouting slogans and waving pickets demanding people change their ways right then and there. No, he preached the Word with love and gentleness, planting seeds of the Gospel in order that the Word of God would grow in the lives of the Corinthians. Paul knew the importance his role played in bringing people to saving grace in Christ. He could only tell others about a loving Father who gave His Son to wipe away the sins of those who believed in Him.

We are called to do the same, some of us to plant the seed, to evangelize, to share the Good News of Christ. Others are called along side to answer questions and provide gentle direction. Like using chopsticks it is the gentle touch that will be the most effective. We as Christians need to put down the signs, stop shouting, stop protesting and show love, kindness and gentleness.

My challenge to you is this: Learn to use chopsticks, it will change your life.

Special thanks to Aaron, who many years ago encouraged me to use chopsticks. God bless Brother.

What To Wear?

2009-08-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Being of the male persuasion, it has always been easy for me to get "ready" for the day. Wake up, shave, shower, find something to cover the bottom half of my body, and find something that covers the top half of my body. Pretty simple, it does not even have to match. Living with three females has taught me that the fairer of the sexes does not have it quite so easy. There seems to be so much more involved and I just do not have the capability to understand it all. Things have to match, it has to look right (whatever that means) and it has to feel right. There also is too many choices for them to have to make. "Do I wear a dress? Or maybe a skirt and blouse. May I should wear slacks and a sweater. Maybe jeans and a t-shirt." And it goes on and on it seems.

All of this brings me to share with you a little conversation that took place between my wife and our two daughters. This happened the other day while traveling over to my parents house.

My wonderful, beautiful, and loving wife asking our youngest daughter, "What do you prefer to wear, pants of dresses?"

"Dresses!" exclaimed the youngest.

"And what about you?" asked my wonderful, beautiful and loving wife to our oldest daughter. "Do you prefer pants or dresses?".

"Pajamas!" came the immediate reply from the backseat.

So maybe it is not as difficult as I thought. At least not for my eight year old.

Well it sounded like a good idea...

2009-08-13T17:07:00.001-07:00

Ever have one of those ideas in your head that just seemed to perfect? It is so vivid in your mind you can practically touch, smell or taste it? Today I had one of those moments. We decided the kids needed to get out and have some fun today. Ok, ok, I will admit it was as much for the kids as it was for the parents. We decided to go to a local park and let the kids run around and my wife and I sit back and watch. They had one of the twirly slides and I had a vision. Here is a picture of the play structure:

I had the idea of taking a picture of the four of us on the slide. We don't have many pictures of our whole family since usually I am behind the lens. I envision the perfect picture of us lined up youngest to oldest at the bottome of the slide. I placed my camera on a park bench and set the self-timer to 20 seconds and to take 10 pictures. It didn't turn out as I expected. Imagine and 260 pound bald guy lumber up this thing and trying to come down the slide in time to be in the picture. Well, it almost worked, it took longer for me to get in place than expected. But nice picture of my girls, so all is not lost:

My wife was really panicked at this point. She would take the brunt of the collision had I came down too fast.

"Hey, where's Daddy?"

Trying to stop:

Almost, drat! I must have moved the camera slightly while hitting the shutter button:

Well, we regrouped and tried it again. This time I set the self-timer to 30 seconds and ran a little faster. This time it worked a little better. I had envisioned myself being closer to my wife, but my width and the slide's width did not necessarily get along. So I had nowhere to place my left leg. But I will accept it, it still turned out pretty good and we had a blast doing it:

A Good Day

2009-08-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

Living in a small two bedroom apartment with three members of the opposite sex at times can be rather difficult. Now I am not complaining nor would I change a thing. I love each one. My oldest, who is eight years old, is beginning to need her own space. Unfortunately, having a five year old sister she must constantly fight to not have her somewhat limited space constantly invaded. And I mean fight. We have been looking at larger apartments but rent seems so high for this size apartment, way out of our budget. We recently started looking in a small town about 15 miles from where we currently live and found a great deal on a three bedroom apartment. It is a townhouse, so we will have bedrooms and full bath upstairs and kitchen, laundry, living room and a half bath on the lower floor. To say the least we were thrilled when we found today that our application had been accepted and we get to move in October! Now the girls we have their own rooms and their own space. Not to mention that half bath we really come in handy. So now the hard part comes.... packing. Ugh, I am not looking forward to that.

RECIPE: Q's Southern Fried Chicken Strips

2009-07-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I've posted here, so what better way to update than with a recipe. I love to cook and as evidenced by my mid-section, I love to eat too. Recently I have begun cooking more foods from scratch, therefore I am better able to control what goes into our food. Typically, I will make out a weekly menu and this particular meal had been on the menu for some time and had been pushed back several times. It turned out pretty good and will definitely be going into the meal rotation. I would have included a picture but it did not last long enough to dig the camera out.

Q's Southern Fried Chicken Strips

4 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
4 chicken breasts
Cajun Seasoning to taste (I use Cajun's Choice Blackend Seasoning), or seasoning salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Heat oil in large cast iron skillet (if you don't have a cast iron skillet use a large heavy pot) to 350 degrees F.

Cut chicken into strips about 1/2" wide by 3" long. Place chicken strips in baking dish and sprinkle with blackened seasoning or seasoning salt according to your taste. Be sure to give seasoned chicken a good rub to be sure seasoning sticks to chicken. Pour buttermilk over chicken and turn to coat.

While chicken is absorbing the buttermilk goodness combine flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and paprika and mix thoroughly. Place mixture in shallow dish (I use a pie tin).

Dredge chicken strips in flour mixture and carefully transfer to hot oil a few at a time (do not overcrowd chicken strips) and cook until outside is golden brown and inside is thoroughly cooked. To ensure doneness remove the largest piece and cut strip in thickest part. If done, eat the piece of chicken without being noticed and remove remaining strips and allow to drain on paper towels. As you will most likely be cooking in batches you may need to do this with each batch. Once all chicken is done serve with your choice of sides and enjoy.

A Lesson Learned

2009-07-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

You know that saying, "You never stop learning." Well, I fully believe it. Especially since I learned something new today.

Today is a warm day in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. The temperature reached into the lower nineties and the old apartment was beginning to get a little warm. We are not allowed to have window air conditioners and the portable units are too expensive to even consider. However, our car does have air conditioning and a drive is still a whole lot cheaper than a movie. Off we went and on the way we dropped a couple of letters at the post office and then headed over to the car wash. I pull up to the attendant and pay for the wash. Then I do a ritual "checking of the windows," making sure they are all fully in their closed position. I then hit the "window lock" switch to make sure none of the backseat passengers can suddenly open their window. With that checked and locked I decide we are ready for the car wash. I soon feel a drop or two of water on my left arm and double check my window. Yep, it is up. Then came the soap, and I notice a few soap bubbles coming in at the top of the door. Once again I check my window and indeed it is still up. Then comes the high pressure rinse and my second shower of the day (for the left side of my body anyway). It is at this point I realize that my door is not fully closed. I am laughing, my wife is laughing, the kids are laughing, and I am wet. Once we pull out of the car wash I grabbed a towel from my trunk and dried both myself and the inside of the car.

So next time you get a car wash, heed my advice and be sure not only that your windows are up but that your doors are also fully closed.

We continued on our little drive enjoying the countryside and ending our trip at the local Dairy Queen. Nothing like a little frozen treat on a hot day, not to mention a cold shower.

Heavy Thoughts

2009-07-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

Over the past week or so I have attempted to write several blog posts but have stopped short of completing any of them. I will not get into any of those thoughts or ideas tonight, at least not in detail. I have been thinking about the condition of our country. I believe the total collapse of our economy is near, not just our economy, but the world economy as well. I fear what will arise out of the ashes. Integrity and morality do not seem to have a place in our society. God and Christian Faith are under attack and I fear a time of great persecution is just around the corner. I see so much happening, I am in disbelief. I often ask what can I do? I do not have any influence. I am not an articulate speaker. I only have a handful of readers on this blog. What can I do? I can only come to one conclusion, and that is to pray. Pray that God will deliver us from this turmoil and strife and if it is not His will, then gives us the strength to persevere.

I often find myself hoping for a trumpet sound and the glorious return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Now that really is hope and change I can get into. Come Lord Jesus, come.

"Q"

2009-06-25T13:11:00.001-07:00

I have threatened at various times to shave my head. For many years now my hairline has been receding back and to the sides, leaving a few scraggling hairs remaining on the top. I blame this on Dean. He was my youth group leader back when I was in High School. Yes, he was bald, and yes we made sure to point that out. And now I am paying the price for making fun of him. Dean, would often respond by saying, "God created some heads perfect, the rest he covered with hair." Other times he would remind us of the story Elisha and the youths who made fun of him for being bald.

²³ Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, baldy!” they chanted. “Go away, baldy!” ²⁴ Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them. 2 Kings 2:23, 24 (NLT)

Ever since those days of my youth, I have been wary of bears. Dean was a great guy and a great mentor. All was in fun and he didn't seem to mind. But he also mentioned that someday I might be bald too. I never believed him... I should have.

About 10-15 years ago the hair on the top of my head started to thin. At this stage of my life I was not ready for 'male pattern baldness' to be a reality. I tried Rogaine to no avail. Finally, I succumbed to the fact that I was going bald. More recently, I decided to embrace baldness. It began one day after paying a barber $18 to cut my hair. I found this to be ridiculous. So, I asked my Uncle, who has done some barbering, where to find a pair of good clippers. He ended up giving me one of his older clippers (still in mighty fine condition too) and showing my wife how to trim up the sides and back of the neck. I started out with a size "2" guide. Over the last few months I have reduced it to a size "0". Until this morning that is. After breakfast I quietly slipped away into the bathroom with my clippers, razor and shave cream.

Ah, the freedom. When I emerged from the bathroom, my wife kept saying, "I don't believe you really did it!" My kids were shocked and think a little afraid of this completely bald guy who suddenly appeared before them. My oldest even stated, "you were more handsome with hair." Oh well, guess you can't please them all. I don't think my youngest knew what to think, and she still gives me a quizzical look every now and then.

My friends on Facebook are now trying to encourage me to get a tattoo or piercings. To which I say, "No way, I am too much of a wimp to have needles stuck into me voluntarily."

So here I sit at my computer keyboard with a shaved head. I sprung the news on my parents and in-laws by emailing a picture. Normally, I send one picture of each of my girls out every day under the subject, "Picture of the Day." I am sure they were excited as usual to find a picture of their sweet, pretty grand-daughters, but were shocked to find a picture of their bald Daddy. My Father-In-Law called almost immediately to see if I had my wife's permission (no, I didn't). My Dad sent me email in response reminding me it will only grow back in "darker and courser." Which if that is the case, maybe I should have done this a long time ago. I have yet to hear from my Mother-In-Law or my own Mother. I am guessing my Mom is still in a state of shock and has not been able to formulate a reply. But I am sure she will come up with a good one.

Oh, and my Dad has given me a new nickname -- "Q" -- I think I like it. Thanks Dad!

Q

edit: The picture of my girls is not the actual reaction to my bald head. It was however a funny prank my wife pulled on them. Hopefully, she will blog about it, if not I might.

edit 2: She blogged about The Roach, click hear to read about it and see a video.

Cherrios -- My New Drug of Choice

2009-06-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

I read the following article on FoxNews.com this morning and personally I think this is just another shining example of how big our current administration is becoming. It seems to me the Obama administration is seeking to take more and more control of our everyday lives. The government already controls the financial and American automotive industries and now they are seeking to take control of the food industry. For another example read the following post over at fellow blogger Cedar Grove Farm: Food Freedom or Food Fascism? We are heading down a dangerous road, one which I fear has no return. We need to act now my fellow citizens before it too late and we no longer have the freedom to do so. Contact your representatives and urge them to vote against bills providing for bigger government.

FDA Takes Cheerios to Task for Boastful Labels
President Obama isn't just rewriting rules regulating the environment and the financial markets -- he is also going after the food industry.
Target and example No. 1: Cheerios.
"Based on claims made on your product's label," the FDA said in a letter to manufacturer General Mills, "we have determined (Cheerios) is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation and treatment of disease."
If the government's enforcement action against Cheerios were to hold up, the cereal would be pulled from grocery shelves and consumers would need a prescription to buy a box of those little oats.
That's unlikely, but experts say the message is clear: There is a new sheriff in town and when it comes to false, misleading and exaggerated labeling, you had better clean up your act.
"It is showing us that there is a new era," says dietician and a former advertising executive Ashley Koff. "They are saying, we are coming into town and we are going to show you what will and won't be allowed, and we're going to be going after every single claim, whether it's on a package or in TV."
Bruce Silverglade of the consumer advocacy group, Center for Science in the Public Interest, said it was a welcome and needed change.
"The Obama administration is reversing course, thank goodness, and enforcing the law," he said. "Cheerios was the first target. We hope though the FDA under the Obama administration clamps down on misleading health claims by other food manufacturers as well.
"During the Bush administration the Food and Drug Administration essentially took a policy of non-enforcement and failed to stop what became increasingly exaggerated claims, first by small food companies and by larger and larger food manufacturers," Silverglade told FOX News.
At issue are two claims made by Cheerios on their cereal box.
1. "Cheerios is clinically proven to reduce cholesterol 4 percent in 6 weeks."
2. "Cheerios can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, by lowering the 'bad' cholesterol."
Both General Mills and the FDA declined to comment -- but issued statements saying the two sides were in negotiations over the claims that have helped make Cheerios America's best-selling cereal, amounting to one of every 8 boxes of cereal sold in the U.S.
General Mills is a titan of the food business with an army of lawyers. If the FDA can make it back down, others will follow.
"If I were an industry member and I saw what happened with Cheerios, I would look at this example and say the FDA is going after General Mills," said Koff. "If I'm a maker of a small product I better start to look at any study that I am basing my claims on and what I put on my packaging."
Koff argued that the General Mills study was suspect, as the company paid for the research and two staff members helped author it. That is not the type of rigorous, double-blind, peer-reviewed science necessary to back up drug claims.
"What we are seeing today is a government that understands that the obesity problem in America and the disease that is everywhere in America is not solely a consumer responsibility nor is it solely a marketer responsibility," said Koff, who agrees with the FDA action, but said there are many other more egregious cases on store shelves.
Consumers outside a Los Angeles grocery store were less supportive of a move some called "silly" and heavy-handed.
"No, Cheerios should not be regulated by the FDA, because this is not a drug."

To view the original article click here.

Lucky Fortune?

2009-06-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

I love Chinese food. Especially Chinese buffets where I can sample many different flavors. Yesterday my kids took me out to an early Father's Day dinner at a buffet here in town. As usual I ate too much and was hungry again two hours later. The bill came and along with with it four fortune cookies. I like fortune cookies, some are better than others, these were ok. We always have fun reading our fortunes and having a good laugh. Sometimes they are pretty wacky and for the most part always positive in some way or another. I don't remember who had which fortune but here they are:

You will have many important meetings,  visits, and chance encounters.  We must not become complacent over any success.  
You're transforming yourself into someone who is certain to succeed. Love yourself first and  everything falls into line. 

After reading the last one my first thought was, "Isn't this what got us into this economic mess in the first place?"  This is the problem with society today, it is all about self.  I find this very sad.  Used to be a time when people cared about one another. Too bad for us, that time is in the past.

Photo credit: www.buzzle.com

Trust

2009-06-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

It is easy to become overwhelmed when we look at our own resources and think, "How will be ever be able to do this?" Let's face it, very few people have not been impacted by the current economic crisis. My wife recently lamented, "I wish money were not such a big issue." It seems every time we are just about to get ahead, something breaks, something needs repaired, the kids have grown again and their clothes are too small, or simply the costs of everyday necessities keep increasing. What are we to do? So often, I will look at the checking account balance and think, "How am I going to pay the bills?" or "Where am I going to get the money for this?" I begin to rely solely upon myself. I begin to worry. I become irritable. I lash out. This has often been the pattern that I followed and I have been wrong.

Recently my wife and I rented the movie Flywheel, which is put out by the same group that released Fireproof. It was Sherwood Pictures' first full length film. Sherwood Pictures gives the following synopsis of the film:

Jay Austin wants to sell used cars in the worst way ... and that's exactly how he does business at his dealership. Promising much more than he can ever deliver, he'll do whatever it takes to sell a car. His manipulative ways permeate all of his relationships—even his wife and son know they can't trust him.

But as Jay works on restoring a classic convertible, he begins to see that God is working on restoring him as well. Coming face-to-face with the reality of how he truly conducts himself, Jay Austin begins the ride of his life as he commits to honoring God with his business, his relationships, and his life!

At the turning point of Jay's life a verse comes alive for him. It is from Proverbs 3:5, 6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (NLT)

I have thought about this verse quite a bit over the past several weeks. The more I think about it, the more I realize just how difficult this verse is to put into practice. After all I am a man, and men like to fix things, well I should say attempt to fix things. One thing I have learned over my almost ten years of marriage is that I can not fix my wife. The main reason being she ain't broke. But men are like this, if something is broken and needs to be fixed, we want to fix it. Sometimes when I have attempted this it ends up being broken even more and in a bigger mess than had I left it alone.

Finances are big thing with me. I worry about them. I used to get upset when something went wrong with the car or we needed to replace a worn out item. But now this verse comes to mind, and it is as if God is asking me, "Jeff, do you trust me?" The hard part is answering this honestly, because God doesn't just want to hear me say "Yes Lord, I trust You." He wants to see it in how I respond. He wants to know I trust Him with all of my heart, not just the part I want to give Him. He wants me to depend upon Him fully without any reservation. So many times it is so easy to try to depend upon my own finite understanding.

The hard part for me is putting away my own understanding, my own fears, my own worries and my own solutions. It is when I put all of this aside and ignore all the paths that I have made up on my own and decide to follow the path God has prepared for me, that I can receive His divine providence.

So when difficult times come, give it all over to God. Trust in Him completely and He will show the way out. Scripture does not guarantee an easy path or an instant solution. It may require hard work and diligence on our part, but God will see us through. He will provide the strength we need to persevere.

Almost There. . .

2009-06-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

My wife and I decided to educate our children at home for a variety of reasons. It is a decision we have not regretted. I remember when we first started and feeling of being overwhelmed with such a great and important task. While there are times of struggle and difficulty this journey as been rewarding and enriching.

My wonderful wife takes on the brunt of the teaching and I cover the subject of Science. It is a subject I enjoy personally. This year has had some ups and downs. There have been desert periods where it seems we have been going nowhere fast but at last the school year is drawing to a close. There is a light at the end of this tunnel. And we are beginning to look forward to next year when our oldest will be entering Third Grade and our youngest will be starting Kindergarten. This past year has been fun and is finally drawing to a close.

The learning will not stop when the last book closes in about two weeks. We are planning on taking a few day trips which be mainly "Family Fun Days" but will include educational information as well. I look forward to the summer break and wait with anticipation for what the new Fall term brings. It has been a good year.

New Respect for a Small Instrument

2009-06-03T17:56:00.001-07:00

The Ukulele is not an instrument I have paid much attention to in the past. In fact I most ofter associated it with a toy or a gimmick, most often in relation to Tiny Tim.

It was not until a few months ago when my parents started paying for Ukulele lessons for my oldest daughter. At first I was not so sure about this. But as I found out more about this particular instrument the more I came to appreciate it.

In searching online I found videos from such masters as Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Jake Shimabukuro, John King and James Hill. There is also the very entertaining Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Do yourself a favor and search YouTube for some great talent.

I have even started to learn a little bit myself. Tonight I learned four chords (not bad for an old dog). I might consider learning even more.

It was listening to my daughter play that really moved me to appreciate this little instrument even more. She is a quick learner and music seems to come naturally to her. She has a fantastic ear, often time when I thought the Ukulele was in tune she knew it was not. She enjoys playing and has even written a couple of her own songs. I plan on putting some videos up in the near future.

I suppose it could be said that while I have developed an appreciation for the Ukulele that I have developed an even greater appreciation of my daughter. I am one proud Daddy and look forward to watching her cultivate this new found talent.

An Awesome Day

2009-05-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

Today I had the great honor of baptizing my oldest daughter. She has been a follower of Christ for about 4 years now, but today she fulfilled the command to be baptized. She is becoming quite the young lady and I look forward to seeing how God uses her in the future.

There are certain days in the life of a father/daughter relationship that are truly special. The day of birth is one of these special days. As is the day a father gives away his little girl in marriage. I have told my daughter she will have to wait 64 years for this one, since she has to be 72 years old. But, in the life of a Christian father there is another special day - the day a child is baptized into Christ.

Following is a short video of this wonderful event. I could not help getting choked up.

Blog Title

2009-05-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

Do you struggle with coming up with catchy user names, email addresses, blog titles? Well I do. I don't remember what the original title of this blog was so many months ago. It then went to "Who Writes This Stuff, Oh That Would Be Me." A true Browncoat would understand this reference. It is an homage to Hoban "Wash" Washburn from the television show Firefly.

Then came "Oh Yeah, I Forgot I Had a Blog." This came about after a long hiatus from the blog world. After another short hiatus the name changed to "Ramblings From a Bald Headed Fat Man." While this may have been aptly named, it just did not sit well with the Missus.

Then for a couple of days it was simply "?," maybe I was thinking back to the days of the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. I don't know. This was only a temporary solution thankfully. The "Blog Formerly Know As..." just didn't seem to fit me.

Tonight I decided I really need to come up with a good title. So I began to think what things were important to me. First is God and my relationship with Christ. And while this blog will occasionally have a more religious tone I wanted something a little broader. So on to the second most important thing in my life -- my girls. That cinched it and "Life With Girls" was born.

Meeting my wife is one of the best things that has happened to me. She is one special lady who loves me with all her heart and looks past my rough edges. I love her and I just want her and everyone else to know how special she is. Then came my two daughters, now ages 8 and 5. They are truly special as well. I will admit sometimes they can be somewhat aggravating, but what kids don't. If you don't believe me, just ask my parents.

So that will probably be the main topic of this blog. Exploring the task of being a Husband and Daddy, with its many joys, foibles and challenges. Occasionally, or possibly more often, I will branch off into other areas to be determined.

Until next time,
Jeff

(Symbol) Image Credit: http://www.wikipedia.com

Family Fun Night

2009-05-27T22:20:00.001-07:00

Used to be that Wednesday's would be AWANA night for our kids. But now it is over for the summer we decided it would be good to do something as a family. So "Family Fun Night" was born. Tonight we played a game called "Harold and the Purple Crayon." The game is a lot of fun as you never know what to expect and we tend to get a little crazy.

The game consists of several cards with pictures of various objects on them. A player takes a card off the top of the pile, and then draws that object on the game board.

After drawing the object on the game board the player then makes up a story about the object. In the picture above the first card was a tree. So a story started about a tree. The next player received a card with a leaf as the object. The story started off with a line about a tree and then a leaf. As the game goes on a story soon develops. Each player must remember the original order of the drawings. If one is missed or said out order that player is then out. The winner is the last one left who gets everything in the proper order.

As I mentioned before, things can get pretty crazy...

Everyone had a blast and it turned out to be a great family time.

So until the fall, my wife and I won't be able to get our weekly "date night" but it will be worth it. Until then we will continue to have fun... all four of us.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

A lot of men and women have sacrificed their lives for defending freedom throughout the years. We must never forget this sacrifice. Others have been wounded and bear the scars of battle, we must always honor them for their sacrifice. Men and women are currently fighting for the freedom of others and we must lift them up in prayer and support their efforts. Family members of our brave troops also sacrifice greatly and we must remember to aid them when ever possible.

To those who have served and to those who now serve our great nation, to those families who have loved ones serving, and to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. . . . Thank you.

Photo Credit: http://www.united-states-flag.org/

Computer Problems...

2009-05-20T00:25:00.000-07:00

While working at my computer today I heard a loud noise emanating from within my computer's case. After clearing several books, pieces of paper, coin jar, tape recorder and what ever else was piled on and around my CPU I was able to open the computer's case. The sound was definitely coming from a fan. I quickly surmised it was the video card's fan. It would appear the bearing was giving out. A quick log on to my favorite computer parts supplier, newegg.com, yielded the purchase of a brand new video card. It should be here Friday, until then my computer will sound like a Cessna at take-off.

Of course this could not possibly be the end of my problems. Oh no, my printer had to decide to give me grief as well. How do you spell PAPER JAM? Oh, I guess I just did. More papers, books, coffee mug, pictures among other things were quickly moved so I could pull out the printer and access the rear panel in order to remove the stuck paper. I swear I pulled gently, but the paper tore anyway. With a little bit of work the paper was freed and the printer was back in action.

So I am out 40 bucks on the new vid card and consider myself lucky I am not buying a new printer as well. Now I just have to clean up the mess left behind from the mess I relocated from my desk. It might be a few days...

Direction

2009-05-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of this blog I had anticipated using this as a means of sharing devotional thoughts on at least a weekly basis. As you can see, this did not happen, and in fact the blog posts were few and far between.

I am thinking of taking this blog in a new direction. While posts may include an occasional devotional thought, I hope to share more of my experiences as a husband and father, random thoughts of just about any topic (if you know me well, this could prove to be quite interesting) and the occasional what is on Jeff's desk?

Photo credit: http://www.emich.edu/

New post coming soon

2009-05-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned.... new posts coming soon

'First' Communion

2008-01-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

Interesting visual lesson from Daddy this morning.

Today was the first Sunday since my youngest daughter asked Jesus into her heart. She was excited about taking communion and was talking quietly as the trays were being passed. She was saying the bread is the broken body of Jesus and the juice was His blood. The trays came to our row and I began to take a cup for myself and one for her. Next thing I knew I was spilling grape juice all over her pretty white dress. There was a look a shock on her face and I was feeling terrible that I had just done this. We finished communion and then she went to her class. My wife brought me the outer, white part of her dress and I went to wash it out. The stain came out. I was relieved. As I was taking the previously stained clothing to the car it was as if God, Daddy, was saying, "How did you like the lesson? Share it with her." So after church, I showed her the dress. I told her sin is a lot like the stain, it damages us, but Jesus makes us clean by taking our sin.

Thought I would share this simple, yet profound lesson. It is one I have know for many, many years, yet today, it was if it was new. Sometimes I forget and it takes a simple lesson like spilled grape juice to remind me to not take His love and sacrifice for granted.

Ants

2008-01-18T06:45:00.000-08:00

We have ants. Those pesky little sugar ants to be exact. I can't stand them. They arrive like the plague and it is difficult to get rid of them. Grrr... they really bug me. No pun intended.

Usually, we keep our counter pretty clean, or at least try to anyway. But Wednesday of this week we pretty much slacked off and let dishes pile up in the sink (well, ok they were over the sink). Dishes were on the counter too. I walked into the kitchen to start making lunch when I noticed them, hundreds if not thousands of ants marching to and fro across out counter. "Oh my goodness! It's an invasion!" I grabbed the bottle of Windex and started spraying. This stuff is awesome let me tell you, it pretty much kills them instantly. I then proceeded in cleaning up the large mess. And it took a good deal of time and effort. Definitely more than had we actually cleaned up the mess right away. But I got it clean and the ants have mostly disappeared, but still it was not fun.

If you think about it this is not much different than our lives. We try to keep our heart clean, yet we stumble and fall. We sin. Things get messy, and we leave it this way. Then evil begins to consume us, it covers us, it devours us. Then there is Jesus, He forgives, He cleans us up and makes us presentably to the Father. Jesus also shows us how to keep our hearts clean through the Word. We are to study and meditate on the Bible, and then to live it out. This is how we keep our hearts and lives clean and pure. Scripture tells us:

When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation. Matthew 12:43-45 (NLT)

The problem is not that the house was clean and in order. The problem is the house is left unoccupied. Our spiritual lives may be cleaned up and left in order, but left unoccupied will once again be filled with the mess of sin. Protect yourself from the evil one, occupy your heart with God's word.

Photo Credit: http://www.entm.purdue.edu/ants/research.php

Happy Birthday

2008-01-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

First of all... yeah, yeah, it's about time. It is true that I have neglected my commitment to write in this blog at least once every new moon, or something like that. But here I am, with some great news.

Today, started out well. I got up early and drove across town to have my car serviced by a good Christian friend. While waiting for my car I got a call from my wife and she stated she had something to say about our youngest daughter (4 years old). She had come to my wife and stated, "Mommy, I asked Jesus into my heart, but I didn't see Him go in." Cute. Later when I got home I sat down and talked to her. She told me she asked Jesus to live in her heart. I asked her why?

"Because I love Him."

"Why do you love Him?" I asked.

"Because He loves me."

"What did He do to show that He loves you?"

"He died on the cross for me." She responded.

"Why did He do that?" I asked.

"Because we sinned."

"What is sin?"

"It is when we are very bad."

"And sin keeps us away from God, right?"

"Yes, and Jesus wants us to be with God."

"So Jesus died for us."

"He died on the cross, and was put in the cave, and then He walked out, and then He went to heaven and is building us a house."

We talked a little more, re-enforcing that she really knows and believes Jesus died for her sins. She is a bright little girl and today is her spiritual birthday. Thought I would share this awesome little story.

Identity

2007-08-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

You've no doubt heard recent headlines or news stories regarding identity theft. One's life can be thrown into complete chaos in a matter a few keystrokes. Bank accounts are drained, credit is ruined and life becomes more of a struggle. One's identity can be put back in order after it has been stolen. But, it takes hard work, great expense and determination.

Have you had your identity stolen?

Think about it carefully. Mine has... and so has yours. A master thief has stolen your identity. In fact, he has stolen the identity of every person whoever has been on this earth. Through our sin we have had our identity stolen by Satan. Satan then wants you to believe this identity is now tarnished, destroyed and utterly worthless. If you believe this, then he wins.

So what do we do with our seemingly worthless identity. We take it to Jesus. It takes hard work to bring about changes in one's life. It takes determination to live out this changes in every day life. It also comes with great expense. When we take this broken and tattered identity to Jesus for Him to fix, He takes it to the cross. It is at the cross our old identity dies, it is at the grave it is brought to new life. But something changes, it is no longer our identity alone. We find that now our identity is with Christ, so that when others see us they see Christ. It is this new identity that God the Father sees when He looks at us. Christ paid the cost -- His life -- so that our stolen identity is made better than brand new. If you believe this, then you win.

Where is your identity?

Stains

2007-07-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Laundry day. Two words that make most people cringe. My wife and I share this duty in our household. Basically, the duty belongs to whomever the pile of laundry lands when it falls over. Recently the duty was mine. I strongly dislike doing laundry. It is an all day job. Separate lights and darks. Check for stains, which with two young children and myself, means quite a few stains. Load the washer. Wait... Load the dryer, unload the dryer and clean the lint screen, load the dryer. Wait... Check the clothes and add more time. Wait... Finally they are dry, but they don't fold themselves, and you can only go so many days of pulling a shirt out of the dryer to wear, so then comes folding. A couple of hours go by and it is time for bed. The folded clothes are still on the bed. Too tired to put them away they go back into the basket and are placed on the floor. After a couple of days they need to be refolded again. This time they are put away immediately. I hate doing laundry. Oh well, it has to be done.

The thing I dislike the most is folding and putting away the clothes, but since I can't really come up with a spiritual application for this (however, I reserve the right to come up with something in the future though), I will talk about stains. Which does come second on my list of what I dislike about laundry duty. Like I said between myself and my two wonderful daughters we go through plenty of stain remover. In fact I am thinking of buying stock in the company whose product we use. Stains sometimes get forgotten from the time they happen to the time they hit the washing machine. Have you ever missed a stain only to find it after the shirt is pulled from the dryer? Frustrating because now it is set and won't come out. Then the ones you do catch you just hope they will come out. Some do and some don't.

We are a lot like a pile of stained shirts. We can't do anything to remove the stain ourselves, the stain detracts from our inherent beauty, and we are not as useful with the stain as we are without. Sin, is our stain. But unlike us, God is a master cleaner. He misses no stains, they always come out in the wash, and He is proud to display us and use us for His purpose. The old hymn "Jesus Paid it All" says:

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

“Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. ~ Isaiah 1:18 (NLT)

Baby Ethan

2007-06-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

I ran across a website today. It tells the story of Ben and Becky Powell and their little boy Ethan. Ethan was born on December 5, 2006 and was diagnosed with Leukemia on February 6, 2007. I cannot imagine the heartache and the emotional distress of this situation. It is truly a tremendous burden to carry. But here is the beauty of the situation Ben and Becky are Christians and just reading the posts on their website it is evident they have a tremendous faith. If fact they say "prayer works" and I believe and know it does. According to a counter on their website close to 900,000 people worldwide are praying for Ethan's healing.

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16

The Powell's believe exactly what these verses state: Prayer can bring healing to the sick. They are our brother and sister in Christ and they have come before us to intercede on their behalf. Please join us in prayer for Ethan's healing and for the comfort of his family.

You can visit Ethan's website by clicking here.

Flood

2007-06-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't written anything recently, but it has kind of been a dry spell as far as creative writing goes. That is until last night. It was somewhat eventful, but not as bad a it could have been I suppose. However, I have learned one thing: That the words "Urgent" and "Care" should not be allowed to be used together. I also learned something else, but more to that later.

I received an email from my wife about 6:00 last night while I was at work. She stated that she was back from her walk and had fallen and hurt her knee. I immediately called her and while her words downplayed the seriousness of the matter, her tone of voice revealed the broader scope of the situation. I told her I would be right home to look at it (one of the great things about living one mile away from work). As soon I as I saw her I could tell she was in a great deal of pain. Looking at her knee I knew we needed to have it looked at by a doctor. I then announced we were going to the ER or Urgent Care. I looked up the info on the Urgent Care center and saw they were still open so I said let's go. Leaving home the car began to run rough while stopped at red lights. Then the check engine light came on. I thought, "Ok, what else can go wrong?" We made it to Urgent Care just fine. All said we were there for about four hours.

Four hours to think and pray, think some more, play some games on my cell phone, pray, watch people, make jokes about "urgent care," pray some more. But not once did I worry. Now, I am about to let you into a secret room of my life (those of you who know me well already know this about me), but I tend to worry about financial matters. Typically, I would be thinking, "Ok, this is going to be expensive, and the car too. This is great, just great. Not just one thing but now two..." I just kept saying over and over "I trust you Father, I trust you. You will provide, you will get us through this." Then God slowly began to show us that He would take care of us.

Turns out Emily only has deep bruising of the ligament in the knee, and not a broken knee cap. It will still take some time to heal, but she'll do ok. We are praying for a speedy recovery. The car is going to be fine too. The car ran just fine on the way home, but the check engine light was still on. However, after bringing Emily home, I had to go back out to get her perscription. When I started the car the check engine light did not stay on. God is good. And yes, He did take care of us.

One of the lighter things to come from this is that the song playing on Emily's mp3 player when she went down was "Flood" by Jars of Clay. Even more so, the line she remembers playing at the particular moment was "Lift me up so high, that I cannot fall, lift me up." Ironic, coincidental, weird? Yeah, maybe.

I think The Message sums up Matthew 6:34 the best:

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Typically, I would get all worked up thinking what is going to happen next? How much are the bills going to be? How much is the car going to cost to repair? What about this? What about that? Worry, worry, worry. What happened was a life lesson from my heavenly Daddy. He was asking, "Do you trust me?"

Yes, Dad, I trust you! Thank you.

Comfort Zone

2007-05-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

Face it, we like to be comfortable, right? I sure do. When we buy furniture or a new bed for instance, what is one of the most important factors? Comfort. Even some thermostats have an area marked as "comfort zone." We like to be comfortable in all areas of our lives, including our spirituality.

I remember one day back in seminary myself and group of classmates were having a discussion while waiting for class to begin. Somehow we got on the topic of church size. Most of us agreed that church size was not a big issue for us and would not mind working in a large congregation. However, one gentleman adamantly disagreed. He, a pastor, stated he did not want his church to be more than 30 or 40 people at most. I was quite shocked by this statement and asked why. He stated he would not be comfortable with a congregation larger than this because he wanted know everyone. In other words he did not want to step outside his comfort zone. We cannot afford to allow our comfort zone affect how we serve our God.

I think back at my own life and wonder how many times did I choose comfort over potential. I then ask myself, "How many times has God opened a door and I close it on Him?" If I really think about I can come up with several instances. However, I cannot come up with one good excuse as to why I did not trust God. I became selfish with my life because I did not want to step outside of my comfort zone.

We need to look to the Bible for examples of men and women who stepped out of their comfort zone and allowed God to work in their lives. Noah built a huge boat while people laughed. Abraham left his home and went to a new land. David conquered a giant. Esther stood before a king to save her people. Peter and Andrew put aside their nets to become fishers of men. Paul was beaten and jailed numerous times and did not once stop preaching the gospel of Christ. It all comes down to this: Great men and women of the Bible and throughout the history of the church have one thing in common - they stepped out of their comfort zone. They allowed the Father to define the comfort zone.

Who defines your comfort zone?

Stepping Out,
Jeff

Where Does My Help Come From?

2007-05-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

PSALM 121
A Psalm of Ascent

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Living in the Willamette Valley of Oregon has many advantages. For one there is the rich and fertile soil created from volcanic activity long past. There is the relatively mild climate. Then there are the mountains, to the west is the Coast Range and to the east are the Cascades. Mountains are beautiful and majestic. They rise up out of the earth stretching out towards the sky. Today, mountains for the most part don't pose much of a challenge. Superhighways have been carved out of the landscape and modern jets soar high above their peaks. But not long ago pioneers struggled to cross mountains on their pilgrimage to the west. Many dangers existed in the mountains. Wild animals, thieves, and treacherous terrain are just a few. This was nothing new.

The writer of Psalm 121 also recognized the dangers of the mountains. As often would be the case the Hebrews would have to pass through such hills on their journey to Jerusalem. The hills are thought to have harbored thieves, wild animals and shrines to pagan gods. I remember my Old Testament professor describing the journey. He stated the Hebrews would travel through a valley and as they lifted up their head the could see many shrines which had been erected to honor false gods. To the traveler they would seem to be surrounded by evil and trouble on every side.

Not much has changed in this sense. Today we are surrounded by evil and trouble. Sex, greed and power have become the false gods. Difficulties come at us from every conceivable direction. Where does our help come from? It comes from God.

I don't believe the author of this Psalm was crying out in desperation, but instead making a statement grounded in faith. Maybe he was looking up at the pagan gods on the hills, knowing that there is no real power or help in wood and stone. He was saying, "My help comes from the living God. He is my protector. He is my provider. With Him I do not have the fear the evil which surrounds me." Our God is with us on our journey through life

Where does your help come from?

Serving Yahweh,
Jeff

Conditioned to Complain

2007-05-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

I was out with the family last night. We went out to dinner, and then stopped by a couple of stores to pick up some needed items. We walked into the first store (specialty type), and were immediately greeted by two store employees. One of them even greeted me with a handshake. Pretty cool. Every time we passed by an employee we were greeted and even engaged in a brief conversation at times. The employees of this store truly had a genuine interest in our being there and how they could help us. Anymore this kind of service has become a thing of the past. This was not the typical "Hi, welcome to (insert store name here)." And that is the last you hear from them. It truly was really great service.

This morning I called the store and asked to speak to a manager. Now, I will admit to having a little fun with this. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hello, may I speak to a manager please?
Manager: Yes, my name is Bob and I am manager. How can I help you.
Me: Yes, I was in your store last night and I have not received service like I did last night in a long time.
Manager: I am sorry, I...
Me: No, no, no. You don't understand. The service I received was extraordinary...

I went on to explain the great service I had received. I then called the corporate customer service number (they are a national chain) and the person I spoke to there also seemed surprised to be taking a call with a compliment.

This led me to think, "Have we become conditioned to complain?" The manager was ready to hear a complaint as was the customer service rep. We have become a society in which we live to complain. We say things like: "The food is cold." "The service is too long." "The music isn't the right style." "I can't believe they don't open more lanes." We don't we think to stop and say a word of thanks and gratefulness when we receive good service or when we appreciate something someone did.

"So encourage each other and build each other up. . . " 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

Make it a point today to build someone up giving them words of encouragement and appreciation. Let them know of a job well done! Let's become a society in which we are conditioned to encourage.

Thanks for stopping by,
Jeff

My Amazing Daughter

2007-05-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Like most any Dad, I like to brag about my kids. Tonight my six year old, Aimee, said some really profound things. My wife sent me the following email:

Tonight Aimee and I were at the table, working on math problems. I was sitting in my usual spot, she was standing next to me. Aimee backed up to walk around to the other side of the table, then screamed, ran around the table, and started crying. Autumn was sitting nearby, so I asked if Autumn scratched her. "Yes," was her teary reply. I said, "Bad kitty!" Autumn was surprised at that, she thought when I got up I was going to feed her! She cowered back a little, then came right back to me and rubbed against me, I guess to ask for forgiveness... I checked on Aimee and her ankle was bleeding a bit. So I got her a wet washcloth to cover it with. I told Autumn I hoped we didn't have to get rid of her, but I don't want a bad kitty in the house. Aimee said, "Mommy! It was probably my fault! I probably got too close to her face. It's ok, Mommy, she wasn't trying to be mean!" Then she said something that I really liked. Aimee said, "Mommy, it's like with God. Even though sometimes we disobey, he still loves us and doesn't want to get rid of us. So even if Autumn is mean sometimes, we still love her, and shouldn't get rid of her." Quite the insight from a little girl who just got scratched, unprovoked.

Wow... such insight from a six year old. But she is right, no matter what we do, no matter how badly we mess up, God still loves us! God could, and yes, should condemn us for some of the stupid things we do. But...

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1,2

Read that again. "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!" Aimee had it correct. Even though we disobey, God still loves us and doesn't want to get rid of us. Read the rest of chapter 8 sometime today. Meditate on what Paul wrote. Who will you live for?

Forgiven & Loved,
Jeff

Mulligan

2007-04-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

I like to golf. I am not the greatest golfer, in fact I am really not good at all. But I have fun playing. In fact I really don't play golf as much as chasing the little white ball. One of my favorite aspects of the game is the mulligan. Otherwise known as the "do over." Hit a bad shot, have a bad lie, hit into water... take a mulligan. I love the mulligan.

Life is a lot like golf. My intention is to play my best game, to always hit the perfect shot. I address a decision or situation and I aim to go straight. Swing. Disappointment. My "shot" goes far to the left. Sometimes I do make a wise decision, other times a foolish one. Sometimes my intention is to avoid sin, yet temptation leads me to miss my target. I give in, I take my eyes off of Christ. My life is out of bounds. But, here is the beauty of being forgiven. I can take a "mulligan" and start again. Because Christ died and rose from the dead to forgive my sin I have another chance, and another, and another, and another.

I don't always take a mulligan with every bad golf shot, sometimes I just play the ball from where it lies. Life is like this too. I am still forgiven for sinful decisions, but consequences of sin still have to be faced. Much like a sand trap, it is not impossible to get out, but just requires more hard work, dedication and better aim.

Hebrews 10:17 tells us God chooses not to remember our sins. "I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds." What an awesome God we worship and serve. A God who chooses to forget.

Life and golf... for me the connection is easy to make. Although I don't have a chance to play much golf (too expensive and not enough time), every day is a chance to play "life." To step up to the ball and hit straight.

Go with God,
Jeff

Photo Credit: http://www.sdyouthservices.org

Who Do You Serve?

2007-04-22T00:04:00.000-07:00

Ask me this question and I won't be able to give you the answer I would like to give. The answer I would like to give and the answer I have to give are diametrically opposed. What I would like to say is that I serve God and God alone. The truth of the matter is in reality I serve myself. I live my life for me. I want this, I want that, give me this, give me that. No wonder where my kids get this, the watch me.

Jesus tells us in Luke 4:8, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ” Yet, it seems I get so wrapped up with the things and stuff of this world I lose sight of the One I need to serve. I become selfish and only interested in serving myself. This needs to change and given time and devotion to God's Word I will become the servant He wants me to be.

I have chosen the name Doulos-Theou as a reminder of who I want to become. The word doulos is greek for "servant" and Theou means "of God". I am therefore a "servant of God". God must be first in my life and everything else a distant second.

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." -- Joshua 24:15

Photo Credit: http://www.garychapman.org