Prosperity is not a known side effect of Ambien

( This series starts with: racism, pride, pro-life, debt,)
Welcome, the party theme is the second gilded age, rich get richer, poor get poorer, debauchery is the word of the day. It was back in Amosland:

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Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring us some drinks!"
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Costco just opened a branch near my house. This was my second Costco grand opening, a gargantuan dose of sensory overload. When you see a Costco cart completely loaded you have to wonder, really, you need all of this? We had just come back to a house that has been vacant for 7 months and between us only picked up about 20 items.

For me, as a cook, one measure of conspicuous consumption is letting food go bad in my fridge. Letting food go bad in a time people are going hungry. A fragment of a story in Luke, talks about reckless and squandrous living and wouldn't you know it, as the money left, the famine arrived.

If we are blessed to have more than we need or owe some week or month we don't have to run out and spend it all, every dime, every time. There is this idea of savings, if we try to invest wisely, (and according to the Bible bit, by bit), makes a lot of sense. You've heard the stores of the person that wins the lottery, but loses it all.

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Proverbs 13:11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. 
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As voters we need to understand that this current party is paid for with borrowed funds. If a political candidate says I voted for tax reform so this prosperity party could exist does that qualify that person to govern? The current bull market either did, or did not, begin March 2009. It either is, or is not, the longest bull run in US history. But what goes up, must come down.

To one group in this country, it will be a correction, a natural event in investing, may have to skip the penthouse suite on the Carribbean cruise this year. To the rest, life just gets one step harder. And I suspect with the tariff mess, feeling the pinch in the pocketbook will come sooner than later.

If I am blessed with extra, I should save, but as a Christian, I should also give, sounds easy doesn't it? Have you ever given a gift and it worked out so badly you wish you just done a gift card? If so, come on over and we can share stories some day. Giving wisely is really hard these days, I've heard it all, from funding "Christian military organizations to Creflo Dollar and his jet.

The bottom line is that I am trying to avoid excessive consumption especially at the expense of others. I'm blessed, I know that I am, but I need to be mindful to save and invest when I can. I need to be willing to be generous with my time, talent and treasure.

The next post in this series is fear.

Debt is not a side effect of Ambien, at least not always

( This series starts with: racism, pride, pro-life,)

Wasn't Paul Ryan a heartbreaker? Smart, sharp, fiscal conservative. And that big, "tax reform", bump to the economy, gotta juice those returns. Shouldn't judge him, he's been under incredible pressure.

Of course, while it did little for the vast majority of US citizens, it added to the debt. It isn't hard to find economic scholars warning of a debt bubble. National, corporate, and individual debt are all very high right now, that means no room to maneuver.

Somebody has to pick up the check. And those people will rightfully be in disgust of our excesses. The good news is that it has taken us a long time to get to this point. There is a phrase that sticks in my brain, The Republican Party left me.

I guess I have become an RIVO, Republican In Values Only. Right now, I don't feel comfortable being called a Republican. Believe in fiscal conservatism? Yes. Believe in manageable government and regulations? Of course.  My question is what do the individuals that sport those labels, Republican, believe, as evidenced by their actions.

Back to the theme of the post, debt, leaving our kids the bill for our excesses just does not seem right. Jesus might not return tomorrow, so we'd best be fiscally responsible today.

The next post in this series is prosperity.

Pro-Life is not a known side effect of Ambien

( This series starts with: racism, pride,)

Bill Clinton's reelection was a dramatic time for New City Fellowship church with its emphasis on cross-cultural ministry. The hottest hot button was: abortion, pro-life, pro-choice, right to choose. I remember Ms. Murdoch quietly saying, "there are more issues to each campaign than just abortion".

Abortion is one I want to try to get right. As a citizen, we enjoy the right, (and responsibility), to vote. Twenty five years ago it was possible to make the pro-life stance an accurate factor in our vote. Today, if a candidate declares they are pro-life, learning about the funding sources and the voting record is important.

If a candidate's largest donor is the NRA, a little more questioning what pro-life means to them is called for. I support the 2nd Amendment, even more, the Bill of Rights, but if the act of abortion is all that pro-life means, call it anti-abortion for Wade's sake.

We hope our politicians are transparent. A red flag is Super PAC donations, politicians, (conservative, or liberal), that suck from that straw tend to be in it for the money, not a desire to serve.

The hard truth is that we, the evangelical church, have guaranteed abortion will have legal support. We either, (voted in, or did not try hard enough to stop), and incredible cast of, (apparently), criminal legislators who sang the second amendment and pro-life song. And once in power, moved swiftly to enrich the rich, weaken the rule of law, and damage the reputation of this country with our allies and enemies alike. Mr. Cavuto from Fox News said it fairly and respectfully. But I would like to twist his words, that's our stink. So now, both the unborn AND the born children are going to curse our generation for such foolishness.

I've come to a place where I believe our responsibility as citizens is to test the sincerity of the candidate's claims. Perhaps this fragment of a Bible story brings back memories of the first time you heard it.

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And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey."

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The next post in this series is debt.

Pride is not a known side effect of Ambien

(This follows the previous post)

People see the guitars hanging up in the Hawaii house and say, do you play? No, I might play again someday. The guitars would not even be there but for the love of my neighbor John Sovitsky in Fredericksburg, who had the knowledge to pack and ship them.

At the New City Fellowship church startup there was a need for servants and that included the praise band. I had played guitar since a young teen, largely because of advice from my black sheep uncle Donny, "if you want to get the girls, learn to play the guitar". When I went to school in Hawaii, one of our rec classes was ukelele and that was a fun instrument. Jamming with friends was a good social experience and my parents and siblings were patient in this respect, as were my shipmates on the USS Kennedy.

Nothing prepared me for being in the praise band under Carol Becker. She somehow had that special gift from God to play cross culturally, modern praise, black spiritual, latino, carribbean. I was hanging on by a thread. When I wasn't a strong member of the team, I could see her eyes flash, but she never said a cross word and tried to coach me from time to time.

Little did I know I would soon be the worship leader in the Kairos prison ministry, drawing deep on what I had learned under Carol.

I will never look at the praise band of a church the same. The stresses and forces of serving in that capacity are outrageous. One second you are afraid you are doing it wrong, or worse, certain you are.

But what you will never be prepared for until it happens is that moment, you are in the groove, people have their hands up high, you feel like a successful performance artist. I was feeling like a rock star when I was supposed to be worshipping. Yikes!

The people that have that unique gift to play skillfully and actually worship the LORD have been greatly blessed by God. For me, at least for now, I am content to let those guitars hang on the wall.  Once you step into the shoes of a praise team member, you will never think about Hebrews 13:15 the same, "Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name."

Pride is a sneaky little sin. I've been blessed to have accomplished some incredible things in the cybersecurity world. But, there, I have always known that I simply had a front row seat to watch and see what God was going to do. I think all of us have areas where we think we do it in our own strength and cleverness. Danger Will Robinson. The worst thing about pride is that it makes it hard to apologize, to be genuinely sorry when we make a mistake. Hurts and slights don't heal and sometimes fester and that makes the world just a bit harder than it has to be.

The next post in this series is pro-life.

Racism is not a known side effect of Ambien

Sanofi is not the cause of our plentiful plague of racism. I am not qualified to speak of its causes or cures, but prejudice in all forms exists in my life and if it can't all be removed, I should like it reduced.

25 years ago Fred Kerby and I would stop at a tiny Pentacostal church on our way to work for morning prayer. Just outside the building was the Fredericksburg Va slave auction block on the corner of William and Charles. That pointed reminder often spurred intercession for racial reconciliation. Before they went to Japan my missionary friends, Dan and Karen Ellrick, would often join us for prayer, and sometimes for meals.

At one of these meals, they shared they had been to an organizational meeting for a church startup at Picker's Supply's performance stage, Street Cry. The church was to be intentionally racially balanced. There would be co-pastors at New City Fellowship, Bob Becker, (caucasian), and Lance Lewis, (African American). We joined.

It was a real startup effort, converting a building in a predominantly black part of town into a church. Finding God's talented servants for the many positions that are needed to help a church launch. Kathy and I have been part of other church startups since then, (Calvary Chapel North Shore, Calvary Chapel Lihue), and there is a wonderful energy.

There were rich people, poor people, dark people, light people, young, old, and we were all willing to confront our differences, at least from 10:30 - 12:00 on Sunday morning. And then came politics. William Jefferson Clinton was already the 42nd president of the United States and he was running for his second term. Many white Christians, (moral majority), felt he had to be stopped at all costs, Many black Christians, at least at New City Fellowship, appreciated the efforts on social justice issues. It was stressful enough that we had special meetings just to talk.

One of the vocal families at the special meetings were the Murdochs, (Doc Murdoch is now a ruling elder), it wasn't just what they said, it was the intensity and sincerity that made me realize I had been fed a different information stream, a different world view. I still get chicken skin when I remember Ms. Murdoch quietly saying, "there are more issues to each campaign than just abortion".

I am sure someone left the church over this divisive time in American politics, but there was no church split. Looking back, I think they had something "terribly right" at New City. One of their core scriptures was 2 Corinthians 5, 18 - 20, (the ministry of reconciliation):

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

In my next post in this series, I would like to talk about pride.

Pulled Pork 4 ways

We are getting ready to take the new van on a shakedown cruise. Our budget for each small trip allows for one restaurant visits per day, (all of our hotels have breakfast included). However, Yogi will be coming with us, so we may have to eat in the vehicle or hotel sometimes. We have a plug in cooler and I am going to make some food for lunches, or suppers when that works best.

Step 1 the base.
I took a 2 lb sirloin roast, cut off all fat and ligaments, (cooked and gave those to Yogi), cut the lean meat in thick slices put in crock pot with 2 tablespoons marsala wine for a bit of sweetness and 1/4 c olive oil. For spice I used 2 tablespoons WinCo Backyard Rub, but any similar rub would do.

After it is cooked we use portions for the various flavors. First is Southern BBQ, I use Ollie's Sauce from the famous Birmingham Alabama restaurant. You can still buy the sauce, if you live in the Lake Tapps area and want to split a case I am usually willing.

IMPORTANT: I take the time to label each batch, date and something to remind me of the ingredients. Over the years I have thought, I cooked it, I will know what it is, only to stare blankly at the vacuum sealed bag.

The next flavoring is Szechuan. I use gluten free sauce, powdered ginger, some green peppers and peanuts. It was still too spicy so I added a small can of Mandarin orange slices.

Next, a sandwich spread. I add the mustard and mayo right into the meat and then cut some slabs of Gouda cheese. All we need is a place to spread it on GF bread and we are off to the races.

Finally, something from the Caribbean, There were a couple spoonfuls of salsa left, 1/2 cup of rice pilaf, can of pinto beans, (rinsed), some parsley and an ear of corn. The controlling spice is Sazon Carribbean seasoning from Grocery Outlet. Kathy and I tasted it when it was finished and yumm!

Smoked salmon breakfast bread

1 package Costco smoked salmon (12 oz.) chopped
1.5 cups cornmeal
.5 cup oats
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 cup leeks, white part, blanched
.25 cup olives
.25 cup capers
.25 cup olive oil
.25 cup feta cheese
1 tsp baking powerder

Spices:
pepper to taste, (egg white can be bland)
parsley for color, (if you are using egg white be generous)
Salt optional

I use egg white as the liquid. It produces a high protein dish. I keep adding it until I have the right consistency for a bread then just a little more because the oats absorb liquid.

350° 45 minutes, turn off heat, let it cool slowly.

Chimichurri Kauai Beef

Chimichurri Kauai for safflower rice. Beef cut small and thin. Chili powder, parsley, generous squeeze of ginger, cover with pineapple juice, (add olive oil before cooking). Maridade overnight.

Safflower Rice

Some people call it poor man's saffron, only thing they have in common is the yellow colored rice. Delicate flavor that works as an excellent foil to spicy food, especially South American.

1) Make tea with loose safflower
2) Strain tea, (A MUST)
3) 1 part rice, 2 part tea

Operation Christmas Child

This Christmas, consider giving the gift of joy.

Tuesday, May 2, 2018 A cargo plane from Samaritan's Purse loaded with disaster relief supplies landed on the island of Kauai. Folks from churches all over the island came to help unload and transport to the impact zone on the North Shore.

One of the volunteers was Mike Ensman from Breath of Life Christian Ministries. According to Mike, Samaritan's Purse is involved in more than disaster relief. He knows this because he and his wife Christina are coordinators for Operation Christmas Child, (Mike says, his wife is the coordinator and he is the strong back).

They have been in this leadership position for seven years and meet monthly with the core team on Kauai. Christmas Child starts with the willingness to fill a shoe box with items to delight a child in over 100 countries at the celebration. One size does not fit all; the box is destined for a boy, or a girl in an 2 - 4, 5 - 9, or 10 - 14, age bracket; what child do you visualize?

Imagine that child receiving their box, It could be the first Christmas present they have ever received. The local coordinators in that country bring the children together, each child matched to a carefully screened shoebox, and then in that language 1, 2, 3 and they open their boxes. Wow, a stuffed toy animal, or soccer ball with pump, something incredible! There is also a booklet, The Greatest Gift, the good news of Jesus Christ in the appropriate language.  This will be a foundation for future evangelism work.

The core volunteers on Kauai work around the year collecting items, reaching out to local churches, but show time is November. The boxes go from distributed collection points to the central location, get inspected, sorted, loaded and shipped. One of the unique characteristics of the ministry is the work stoppage every hour to pray for the children. If you attend church regularly, the odds are good there is already a point of contact there. If not, visit: https://www.facebook.com/BreathofLifeChristianMinistries/