Glenn Packiam is one of the pastors at our church, and a very wise man of God. I’ve recommended both his books (Butterfly in Brazil and Secondhand Jesus) in previous posts; this time I want to direct you to his blog.
Everything Glenn writes is gold—but this post I’d rate as platinum—or iridium! He has managed to take something we can all relate to and use it to convey a priceless spiritual truth. And he did it in under 200 words. You gotta read this!
The weather is hot, so we’ve been eating a lot of salads lately. We’ve also been using the grill a lot, keeping the heat outside and the kitchen cool. Today’s recipe combines both of these features, creating a main dish that’s perfect for summer.
Next time you make some BBQ’d chicken (perhaps for an upcoming 4th of July party), throw a few extra pieces on the grill. Anything with a Mexican, Mediterranean, or Asian flavor is fine. Chill the extra meat, remove any skin or bones, and use it the next day in this main dish salad. I love a dinner that can be thrown together in less than 30 minutes, especially when I don’t have to cook a thing.
If the salad alone doesn’t fill you up, try serving it with fresh or grilled fruit, quesadillas, or splurge and serve Dulce de Leche ice cream for dessert.
The internet is a strange and wonderful place. You can find information on pretty much anything, from how to blow your nose (over 100,000 Google results!) to a life-sized photograph of a blue whale. And everyone knows that mixed with the fascinating facts and helpful tips is an tremendous pile of pure, er, nonsense.
I recently came across a website that might take the award for “most audacious” among the myriad of con artists trying to swindle suckers out of their cash. These guys should receive a Pulitzer prize for their skill at sounding scientific while spouting unbelievable quantities of double talk.
Standing in front of the open refrigerator door, you survey the contents. What do you want to snack on? In today’s globalized world, this is a complicated question. In April I commented about our nutritional choices. Today I’m more interested in the environmental repercussions.
How is the food grown? What fertilizers are used? Are the plants sprayed with pesticides? And are organic growing methods automatically better? How about the use of fossil fuels to transport food over long distances? Or the energy and other resources used in processing, preserving, and packaging those convenience products? If you believe all the hype, you could be convinced that an environmental apocalypse is just around the corner, all because of our food choices.
Can you trust God?
That’s the question this book raises—is God someone we can trust, not only when things are going well, but when life is one catastrophe after another? In the midst of our pain and trials, can we depend on God to come through for us?
Rather than spouting off unsatisfying pat answers, authors Mimi Wilson and Shelly Cook Volkhardt take the reader through a series of easy-to-understand lessons—digging into scripture to find God’s promises, and illustrating each point with examples from their own experience or the experiences of those they know. You feel that you’re sitting at the kitchen table, having tea together, while they relate what they’ve learned in the valleys of their lives.
The truth of God’s goodness, the very essence of His character, forms a firm foundation for a series of practical applications anyone can relate to.
Each car you own is a huge investment, one of the biggest you’ll ever make. It stands to reason that you’ll want to take proper care of it, to make sure it lasts as long as possible. Yet, most of us don’t know all that much about proper automobile maintenance. (I’m grateful for a wonderful son-in-law who is an expert in these things.) There are plenty of companies who are eager to take advantage of our ignorance.
Ads for oil additives target our concerns about engine longevity. By claiming to reduce friction, add a protective coating to the metal, and/or prevent the build-up of engine deposits, and they supposedly protect damage incurred by “cold starting” your car, as well as increase gas mileage and horsepower. Wow, that sounds great!
So, should you be buying those cans of Slick 50, STP, and Tufoil? Do they actually do what they claim to do, or are they a waste of money? Worse, can they damage your engine?
I found a very helpful article that answers these questions. While I certainly can’t recommend everything* on this website, in this case, I think the author is spot on.
__________
* Sadly, author Robert T. Carroll denies the existence of God and clearly holds His followers in disdain.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
How many times were we asked that as kids? And how many kids announce that they want to be a “nobody” when they become adults? We want to be astronauts, firefighters and doctors, or perhaps president. In many Christian families, the goal is more spiritual: pastor or missionary. The bottom line is, everyone wants to be significant.
I was raised with the message that “I could be anything I wanted” when I grew up. Of course that’s ridiculous. I’m such a klutz, I fell off my stool in art class in 8th grade (and the social fail of it obviously scarred me for life). Clearly, I wasn’t going to be a professional athlete… or a whole host of other things.
I saw this posted (as written) on Facebook a while ago:
ok this may be a little harsh but I really don’t care….why do foriners look at us with a dumb ass look on thier face when we don’t understand what they are saying….hello you are in America at least make an effort to learn our language I mean come on your welcome here but don’t make us feel like ass’ becuase your to F$%king lazy to learn english. Sorry everyone just had to get that off my chest.
Hmmm. My first thought was that this person is being a bit hypocritical—clearly they haven’t learned English either! And in my experience, usually the situation is reversed, with American tourists rude and frustrated that English isn’t spoken in other countries.
Summer weather is finally here, and it’s time for some fun. After last week’s post about leaving your comfort zone, here are some suggestions to motivate you to pack your bags.
As a California kid riding along in the back seat of our family station wagon, I’d often see cars with bumper stickers advertising the Trees of Mystery, with its huge statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox plunked down in the middle of the redwoods. Other signs beckoned you to visit the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot, where the law of gravity has been repealed.
As I got older, I regularly drove from my home in Silicon Valley to my parent’s house south of LA. A major milestone along the way was the Casa de Fruita, with its prolific billboards advertising a can’t-miss opportunity to enjoy a variety of dried fruit. Over the years, the place expanded, adding the Casa de Restaurant, Casa De Gas (and Casa de Diesel), Casa De Diner, Casa De Vino , and the Casa De RV Park. Apparently, there is now a Casa De Petting Zoo, complete with a Casa De Cow, Casa De Buffalo and Casa De Camel. Unbelievable. Located along Hwy. 152 south of San Jose (near Hollister), the parking lot is always full of out-of-state license plates and tour buses. Clearly the owners have a good thing going.
I love veal piccata, but veal is ridiculously expensive, if you can even find it at the market. Author Jeff Smith introduced this pork version in his Frugal Gourmet cookbook. I think it’s one of the best recipes in the whole book. As usual, I’ve tweaked it a bit. This is how I make it.
This is a great dinner choice for hot weather. You don’t have to turn on the oven, and the time spent over the stove is minimal. Plus, the lemon flavor seems refreshing on summer evenings.
I make pork piccata for company quite a bit, as pork roasts are relatively inexpensive. This Italian recipe goes well with asparagus or broccoli, and a white bean salad. If you make the salad ahead of time, and have the veggies ready to microwave or steam, you won’t need to spend too much time at the stove instead of with your guests. (If you try to make the pork ahead of time, the sauce seems to disappear into the meat.)
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