Random Thoughts on a Friday Morning

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Wanted to type something profound today and just don't have it in me, so I thought I'd pass along some others who are speaking better than I.

Doug Groothuis over at Culture Watch: Thoughts of a Constructive Curmudgeon writes one awesome post after another. His most recent on suffering ties in well with some of the themes I've explored this last week in The Practice of the Practical Gospel and The Purposefully Wayward Servant Syndrome.

A Slice of Infinity asks why there are so few worship songs written today that seek to find God in the midst of suffering. Very good question and perhaps a reflection of the American Church's revulsion for anything but party time.

Popping the balloon of complacent discipleship, Dallas Willard ponders the fire insurance religion we've made out of the Gospel and wonders if that insurance even exists. Again, nice tie-in to my previous posts this week.

I pray that everyone who reads this will take the opportunity this weekend to draw alongside someone who stumbled or who is torn by suffering. Take them out to lunch or dinner and pay for their meal. Just listen to them and let them talk. More than ever, we need each other now and in the days to come. Be the Church.

The Pestilence That Stalks in Darkness

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He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
—Psalms 91:1-16 ESV

With “bird flu” now in Romania and Turkey, knocking on the gates of Europe, the HN51 virus is poised to mutate into Tamiflu chemical compositionsomething far worse than the bird-to-human disease that it now is.

We should be praying, folks. This flu kills half the people it infects.

Should HN51 and its variant, HN52, turn into a human-to-human transmitted disease, a world of hurt could be coming our way. It’s fully resistant to two of the anti-virals that previously mitigated the disease slightly (amantadine and rimantadine) and is showing increasing resistance to oseltamivir, more commonly known as Tamiflu.

It surprises me that more Christians are not discussing this global threat. If we believe in the power of God through prayer, do we believe that God can halt this disease before any more people die, and especially before it makes a leap from bird-to-human to human-to-human transmission, as so many influenza strains typically do?

Why the silence? I believe that a lot of Christians don’t believe that God will protect us from disease if we abide in Him. Even if we did not believe that at some point, we better believe and be praying to that effect now.

Father God, we pray in the name of Jesus that you would show us mercy. By your great strength and supremacy over all that is, mitigate the effects of this influenza so that it does not result in a pandemic. We pray that you would not only halt its spread, but render it harmless to us as it mutates over generations. We lift Europe and Asia now to you, Lord, that you would watch over the people there and keep them safe in your arms. Your people are petitioning you now that You spare us this threat and the grief it would cause. Be our shield and our defender, Father. May all who put their trust in You be spared from the pestilence that comes in the darkness, now and in days to come. For your glory Lord, we pray these things. Amen.

The Recipe for My Winning Chili

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A few of you have asked for the recipe for the chili that won my church's chili cook-off, and though I adhere to the purposes of this blog pretty closely, I'll indulge giving recipes—but just this once! 😉

  • 1¼ lbs Laura's Lean ground beef (support organic farmers!)
  • 1 Vidalia onion—large (chopped)
  • 1 Can hot chili beans
  • 1 Can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
  • 1 Can pinto beans (rinsed and drained)
  • 1 Can petite diced tomatoes
  • 2 Cans tomato sauce
  • 5 Bay leaves (Use a higher quality leaf if available. There's plenty of variance in the quality of bay leaves, I've found.)
  • ½ Cup red wine (Preferably a Shiraz, Zinfandel, or Malbec with good tannins. Nothing sweet!)
  • ½ Cup zesty (not overly sweet) barbecue sauce (Being from Cincinnati, I prefer Montgomery Inn brand.)
  • ¼-½ Cup of McIlhenny's Chipotle sauce
  • 2-3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
  • Ground cumin (to taste)
  • Chili pepper powder (to taste)
  • Garlic powder (to taste)
  • Onion salt (to taste)
  • Black pepper (to taste)

Combine all canned products into a large pot. Add the bay leaves and stir them in. Set on medium-low heat.

Brown the meat and chopped onions together. Drain excess fat. Season with onion salt and pepper.

Add the first round of cumin to the base. I put in enough to cover the top of the base to the size of a small saucer.

Add the red wine, barbecue sauce, chipotle sauce and Worcestershire. If your barbecue sauce has a strong vinegar taste, hold back some on the Worcestershire sauce. Keep base simmering.

Add the meat and onions to the base.

Now comes the personal preference part. I like my chili spicy, so I add another round of cumin half the size of the first round. Chili pepper powder amount is to your taste, too. I want some sweat to roll down the back of my neck, though I kept it much milder for the chili that won the contest. You can add garlic powder, plus more salt and pepper if you wish.

Simmer till the base reduces. The chili should be thick and not have any runniness.

Remove bay leaves and serve. Makes about 8-10 bowls.

That's it!

For a variant, you can cut the beef down to ¾ pounds and add a ½ pound of hot pork sausage (like Bob Evans or Jimmy Dean brand ) mixed in with the beef. Adding diced and roasted red bell pepper brings some sweetness to the mix if you like a sweeter chili.

Bon appétit!