Have you ever felt like your were invited to dinner for reasons you weren’t quite expecting?
Tag Archives: Food
Decaffeinated Christianity
Like vs. Love
I like coffee, but I wouldn’t say I love it. My wife and kids, on the other hand, are worth dying for. I love them. I only like coffee. I’m not going to jump in front of a moving train to save an espresso.
But there are times when I like coffee more than I like my wife. Every once in a while I want a cup of coffee more than a kiss or a hug. I still love my wife, but she won’t fit into the French press.
Now, it must be said that I also like tea. Thanks to the influence of certain English folk, my tea consumption has increased a thousand fold! Yet, tea is not coffee. Sometimes I want coffee more than tea. Sometimes tea needs to leaf me alone. There’s a big difference between loose-leaf anything and some medium roast Jamaican Blue Mountain. That’s real coffee, and I really like it.
What is Real?
But wait! That raises a question. What is real coffee? What is the difference between freshly brewed coffee and let’s say, uh, freeze-dried instant? Both are real, aren’t they?
Fake coffee. Whoever still drinks that stuff on purpose should be psychologically evaluated. Coffee is only coffee if it comes about as the result of gently ground coffee beans being caressed by steaming hot water. Chicory is of the Devil.
Instant coffee. It comes packaged in a jar, but it is made from real coffee. It may not taste as good as fresh-brewed, but it’s real, nevertheless. The worst instant coffee is still better than dandelion tea, believe me.
Nasty coffee. Even the stuff you find in a gas station, an army mess tent, or a crazy relative’s thermos is still coffee. Coffee is coffee, even if it tastes like road tar.
“Unleaded.” What I don’t understand is decaffeinated coffee. Sure, it tastes the same to most people, but why would anyone want it? Without the caffeine coffee is…well…it’s just not coffee. It has the look and taste, but no umph, no kick, no power.
Powerless
Decaffeinated Christianity is the same way. It looks like the real thing. It smells like the real thing. It tastes like the real thing. For crying out loud, it even outsells full-strength, real Christianity 10 to 1! People love it! They wear t-shirts promoting their favorite brand. Yet, decaffeinated Christianity is no better than decaffeinated coffee without the Power.
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! – 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLT
What are you drinking?
Spring Break Slide Show
The Story
Over the last few Saturdays I’ve shared my thoughts about the “selahs” in the Psalms. More will come in the weeks to follow. But for today I want to change pace.
This past week my wife and I, along with Haley, Freaya (our exchange student), and Jack (Haley’s dog) traveled to Charleston, S.C. to spend sometime with our daughter and son-in-law, Alicia and Josh. So, instead of writing a traditional post, I’m going to share some highlights with pictures.
Worth a Thousand Words, or so
For most of the trip I was driving eastward into the sun. smart me brought my sun glasses.
Cold and windy…no hat or jacket. But hey, it was the beach.
See Haley and Jack. See Jack smile. Don’t see Freaya (because Korean culture has some serious vanity issues).
See Haley try to convince Jack to go into the water. See Jack say, “Not even for a Scooby snack.”
What a beautiful place to worship!
The Angel Oak tree. One of the cool places one can visit for free.
Part of our family tree under a tree. The photo was taken by a nice girl from New Jersey. i returned the favor.
If you are going to visit a tree, why not visit the restaurant?
This was a really neat place. Low country charm.
It’s been a while since I’ve done food stories, but the food at Angel Oak was superb. Here I ordered their take on Shrimp and Grits, with sweet tea and a side of collard greens. Fantastic.
The faithful steed. Oil changed and new wipers. Outside washed. Ready to say goodbye to the palm trees, Fred Anderson Toyota, and Charleston, S.C. Tennesse here we come!
Not pictured are late-night card games, going to a movie, visiting a wonderful Bible study, and getting the oil changed in our van before heading home (correction: I just added the Saturday morning oil change). By the way, Fred Anderson Toyota in Charleston is a great place to buy a car.
Instead of a sunburn, I got some relaxing study time in while on this break. Now I’m just looking forward to preaching on Sunday!
Filed under Food, places, Relationships and Family, Vacation
Forbidden Food
Originally posted in Sept. of 2012, but nothing’s changed…I opened another box – same results. Just read, and you’ll understand.
Breaking the Law
Just because I am a recovering legalist, that does not mean that I advocate breaking the law. The law is there for a reason…which is a whole other theological issue.
But when it comes to laws around the house, especially ones which my wife makes without letting me have a say, anything is up for grabs. The law that says I can’t steal a box of Nilla wafers because she was planning to use them in a banana pudding is absolutely crazy. Who does she think she is?
So, what you will see in this post are actual photographs of a crime in progress. In order to show you one of my favorite foods, I had to break the law.
Nilla Wafers & Peanut Butter
Yesterday, I talked about comfort food. Well, this is another comfort food…at least for me. And it is more than a comfort – it is a thrill.
I like peanut butter. I also like Nilla (pronounced like “vanilla,” but without the “va”) wafers. But when you put them both together you get something akin to a drug. But this drug is not available on the street; it has to be dug out of hiding places around my house.
You see, my wife makes some awesome banana pudding (that’s another post), so she need these wafers. And because she knows that I really like putting peanut butter on them, she thinks she can hide them until she needs them.
Not always, dear.
How They’re Made
What you do is take a box of wafers, open it up, and pour out a random amount into a plate (and let’s get this straight, if they are not Nabisco brand Nilla wafers, they are nasty). Next, you count them. But, there has to be an even number, because you need two to sandwich the peanut butter. It’s not an obsessive-compulsive thing.
Once you have determined that you have an even number, you take a clean knife (obviously) and spread any kind of peanut butter (unless it’s that generic toxic waste stuff) on one wafer. Make sure there is enough, too. Because what you want is enough to squeeze out around the sides when you press the two together. That’s the part you lick off (but I won’t show you that part).
There is also another reason for having an even number. Having an odd number will only make you want to go back for more. When I do, that is when my wife catches me.
Busted
As I was writing this post, my wife walked in the front door. Then, as she came by me sitting at the computer, I handed the box of crispy wafers to her – smiling. She smiled back with an understanding look…like she perfectly understands how she is going to remind me of the “law.”
Thankfully, she’s forgiving. Unfortunately, no banana pudding tonight.
Do YOU have a favorite comfort food?
Please, Daddy! Just try it!
Fish
I like tuna fish (mostly). I like it when it comes out of a can or when it is dolled up with a little Tuna Helper.
I like catfish, just as long as I can find all the bones and not choke.
I like whatever kind of fish my black brethren fry up in big pots. Honestly, it wasn’t until about three years ago that I attended my first “fish fry.” It was fantastic! One of my daughters and I were the only white people there and we didn’t have any idea what to expect, so when we were asked if we wanted mustard, hot sauce, and slaw on our white bread, what else could we say but, “Of course!” Heavenly, I tell you. Heavenly.
I like perch, brim, and bass caught fresh and pan fried on the shore. Oh…my…goodness!
I even like fish and chips.
But I DO NOT LIKE SUSHI!
Yellow Tail
Yesterday I went out to lunch with someone who picked up the bill. Since I didn’t have to pay, I chose not to be picky when it came to where we ate.
“Do you know where (a certain Japanese restaurant) is?” he asked. “I think so,” I replied. “Great! I’ll meet you there at 11:30.”
When my daughter, Katie, found out where we were going to eat she insisted I try one particular item – the “Yellow Fin” (as in raw, uncooked Yellow Tail tuna).
I did. Here’s the proof. I took a picture.
Why I Don’t Like Sushi
It’s raw. Raw is good for things like vegetables and language, but not meat.
It’s cold. Cold fish is just wrong…unless it’s tuna on lettuce.
It’s sticky. I like sticky rice. I like sticky candy. I don’t like sticky meat.
It’s practically flavorless. By “practically” I mean it has a little flavor, but not much. The flavor it does have is that of raw, cold, sticky, dead, fish market. If you have to eat it with ginger and wasabi to make it edible, it ain’t.
I’m an American. What we catch and kill we cook before we eat it. At least that’s the kind of American I am; all others are sushi-sissies.
and lastly,
I could take a laxative and have the same effect. Do I need to explain? At least the meeting went well.
YOUR THOUGHTS?
Leftovers and Sermons
Sandwiches
What do you think of leftovers? Do you like them? Hate them? Some people never eat them, while others save every crumb to make meals for days to come. Personally, it really all depends on what is being saved, like turkey.
Believe it or not, I am planning to be enjoying Thanksgiving turkey well into the week before Christmas! I froze just enough of the leftover meat so that I could have leftover turkey sandwiches whenever I wanted for weeks to come! Brilliant!
Sermons
The Sunday morning after Thanksgiving I preached an unusual topical sermon about “Leftovers,” one even the most died-in-the-wool expositionalist should enjoy. I would love for you to listen to it, so I am including it in this post (and posting a link in the Sermon Archive page).
If you don’t want to listen to the whole thing (it is unedited and includes all my misspoken words, flubs, etc.), then at least fast forward till you get to the “Personal Context” part – that’s my favorite 🙂
Click on the photo to listen 🙂
If you’d like, you can follow along while looking at the actual outline I used as I preached (it’s not much, but it was a guide – I don’t normally use outlines).
III. Personal Context – For those who feel like leftovers.
For those who may feel they’ve already given away the best & freshest, good news! God loves you! And if we’ve learned anything from the feeding of the thousands, the Lord hates letting things go to waste. As a matter of fact:
- God loves to SAVE!
- He will save YOU! 2 Peter 3:9 “…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” In Luke 19:10 Jesus said the reason He came was to seek and to save the lost. I personally believe that if you were created, you’re not meant to be wasted.
- He even saves your SORROWS! Psalm 56:8 NLT – “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”
- What God SAVES, He SEALS! 1:13; 4:30
- God is a SPECIALIST in making new recipes out of leftovers!
- God can’t use me… Really? “There are no leftovers with God. Adam plunged the human race into sin. Moses was a murderer. Jacob was a liar. Samson lusted after heathen women. Rahab was a harlot. Peter denied the Saviour. God used them all.” If He used these people, even Paul, then he can use us.
- 21:5 “…I make all things new…”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV – “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Remember, our God wastes nothing, including our tears!
Filed under Depression, Food, God, Love of God, Preaching, self-worth, Thanksgiving
Coffee…Better Than Beer
National Coffee Day!
Did you hear? Did you know? Today is Nation Coffee Day!! It might be Tea Day in other places, (I don’t know) but it’s the day of the roasted, ground, and steeped coffee bean here, and praise God for it!
When did National Coffee Day begin? I have no idea, nor do I care. All I know is that I woke up this morning to the news of today’s significance and rejoiced, offered to exchange gifts of sweetener and cream, and wore a #2 filter on top of my head.
So, celebrate along with me! Go enjoy a hot cup of coffee somewhere, especially at one of the wonderful establishments where free cups of coffee are being served – yes, places are doing that!
Responding to the Legalists
“Oh, but Anthony! You shouldn’t drink coffee, my liberal, over-gracious, backslidden friend (my friend in private, at least; not in public…Doctrine of Separation, you know). Coffee is no different than any other drug; it’s just as bad as drinking beer. You may even lose your testimony if you continue to promote the drinking of such an addictive, dark, seductive liquid!”
Well, in response to those who are so legalistic that you won’t even give us a break when trying to enjoy a cup of … let me take a sip … store-brand instant meant to taste like instant Folgers, let me just suggest a few reasons why coffee is at least a better drink to consume than beer.
- Coffee costs less than beer, which means I’m being a better steward with my money.
- Coffee never gives you a “coffee gut.”
- Drink too much beer before driving a car and you’ll get somebody killed, or at least you may end up in prison. Drink a few coffees before driving and everyone benefits: you get where you’re going quicker, happier, more aware of your surroundings, no one dies (unless hit by a drunk driver), and no one goes to prison – unless you’ve had TOO much coffee, and then road rage might be an issue, depending on the caffeine level of the brew.
- Drinking beer can lead to spousal abuse. Drinking a seriously good cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain might make you slap your mamma.
- Coffee will wake you up and help you conquer the day; beer will turn you into a stereotypically worthless brother-in-law who won’t get off your couch and get a job.
- Smart people who sit in a cafe drinking coffee tend to have calm, stimulating conversations which further increase what intellect they already have. On the other hand, smart people who sit around drinking beer kill brain cells and laugh about it, especially when somebody falls off a stool, beats up somebody for rooting for the wrong football team, or thinks the Irish Setter is an Irish redhead.
So, thank God for grace and coffee grinders, then celebrate this wonderful man-made holiday!
Keep your brain cells! Have some coffee!
Filed under Alcohol, America, current events, Food, legalism
Biscuits, Jelly, and Legalism
Here’s the deal…
One can easily make rash judgments about people based on certain actions. A legalist will look at those actions and come to the conclusion that the ones being judged are in need of spiritual growth, revival, or maybe total repentance. How then should a “recovering legalist” judge, if at all, people who can’t get your biscuit order right? Ever!
Image via Wikipedia
For years I have been going to Hardee’s for breakfast. Don’t misunderstand, I don’t go there every day, just once in a while. Usually, I order a chicken or sausage biscuit with cheese and a cup of coffee. That is my standard, but occasionally I order a jelly biscuit, too. I get the jelly biscuit many times for my wife. But no matter how many times I go to the drive-through window, the outcome is always the same:
Speaker: Hello, welcome to Hardee’s, would you like to try our new gravy-covered, bacon-stripped, egg-wrapped, ham-filled, spicy jalapeño, smoked sausage biscuit breakfast meal?
Me: No, thank you. I would like a jelly biscuit and a medium coffee, please.
Speaker: Would you like to make that a combo and add hashrounds, a larger size drink, a bigger bag, more calories, and a bigger bill?
Me: No, thank you; just the jelly biscuit and coffee.
Speaker: Would you like to add one of our new multi-fruit, caramel and nut covered, sugar-dipped, candy biscuits?
Me: No…thanks. Just a biscuit with butter on it and two packs of jelly (for the jelly biscuit), and the coffee.
Speaker: Will that be all?
Me: Yes.
Speaker: Is your complicated, hard-to-understand order correct on our high-tech, flashy, electronic order-confirming screen?
Me: Yes, it is.
Speaker: Ok. Please drive around to the next window, please (2 please’s are always nice).
So, I drive around to the window to pick up my simple order of a jelly biscuit and coffee. How hard could it be? The sign that I was just looking at had all the stuff this place is supposed to sell, including, for $.99, a JELLY biscuit. Did I say, JELLY BISCUIT?
I get to the window, and then an older lady (at least she looks older, but her hard-living lifestyle has probably made her look like a sweet, old granny, even though she’s 23) leans through with my coffee. Got it….coffee….just like I ordered.
Next, after taking my money, I am handed a greasy, paper bag containing the simple (or maybe complicated) order of a JELLY BISCUIT. Granny says, “Thank you, sweetie. Have a nice day and come back!” I then look in my bag which is supposed to contain Hardees’ completed portion of our transaction.
I stop my car….sigh….mutter something under my breath….bang my head on the steering wheel…..and do just what granny asked….
I go back!
When you order a JELLY BISCUIT, shouldn’t you expect blankity-blank JELLY?!!
Back to the window I go to get my jelly for my JELLY biscuit. 2 PACKS! Window opens:
Granny: Can I help you, dear?
Me: Yes, I need jelly. I ordered a JELLY biscuit, and there was no JELLY in the bag.
Granny: Oh, I’m sorry, you have to ask for the jelly.
Me: (Look of disbelief, feelings of high blood pressure not caused by the high-sodium content of the biscuit I have not yet consumed…because I didn’t get any JELLY for a JELLY BISCUIT!) Really? Well can I have 2 packs of strawberry?
Granny: How many do you want, sweetie?
Me: TWO.
Granny: Here you go, sweetie. Now you come back!
I do go back, but I don’t know why. Maybe I just have a big heart for the “order-taking” challenged.
All I want is a jelly biscuit with, oh, I don’t know……..JELLY!
Obviously, someone at Hardee’s needs to get their heart right with the Lord…or am I being too legalistic? Maybe I need to show a little more grace. Maybe I need to do as some have suggested and just have a stash of jelly with me at all times, just in case.
Or maybe, I should keep in mind the words of Proverbs 10:12, “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins,” and just keep my jelly-mongering to myself and “granny.”
I really like Hardee’s……..but anyone claiming to be right with God should automatically give JELLY with a JELLY biscuit….it’s the LAW! Isn’t it?
Oh well, see…..living a life of grace isn’t always easy……sometimes you have to eat your biscuits plain.
UPDATE: I wrote the above piece in 2011. This morning I went to Hardee’s and ordered a Jelly Biscuit. The order-taking lady asked, “Do you want any jelly with that?” Amazing, isn’t it?
6/27/15…It happened again.
Ten-Minute Post
I literally only have about 10 minutes to write this post. I decided to write it after I found two half-eaten donuts in a box fixing to be put into the garbage.
Now wait a minute, let me clarify something. The two donut halves were not eaten off of; they were cut in half. But yes, they were being put into the garbage, but they were in their original boxes. Is there a problem with this? It was in the teacher’s lounge. So what’s the big deal?
Evidently, there was nothing wrong with getting these two donut halves. Actually, I got no strange looks from anyone when I asked for them. The only thing I got criticized for was buying a Diet Coke.
“You’re not going to drink that are you?” “Well, yeah,” I replied. “I’m evening things out, that’s all.”
“That’s… that’s bad for you! It’s got aspartame in it!”
“True,” I said, “But the regular stuff has corn syrup in it.”
“Well, that’s better than aspartame,” they retorted with a sneer.
Then I said, as I walked away, “Yeah but how many corns had to die in order to make that corn syrup? Don’t you care about the corn?”
All things in moderation, folks. All things in moderation.
Grace Given, Not Lent
There are times when I feel I need to write about an issue, but have not prepared. This is one of those times.
Today is Ash Wednesday; it’s super cold outside; our Wednesday evening church services were cancelled due to weather; I don’t have to work tomorrow – because of weather; and a candle with a cedar wick is burning on my computer desk.
I think I will share my thoughts, in no particular order of importance, about Lent.
First, I am a Baptist (just not of the Reformed persuasion).
Never in my religious/denominational traditions have we ever celebrated Lent, much less Ash Wednesday. The only ashes that I ever got on me was from stoking a fire. So, I cannot speak with authority regarding Lent or mid-week ashes, only getting burned by a wood stove.
On the other hand, I do know a little about grace. It was by God’s grace that I was saved by faith, not by my own works, otherwise I’d have something of which to boast (Eph. 2:8). Mercy was something shown to me, unworthy as I was, by the grace of a loving God; it was a gift.
For thousands of years people did all kinds of things which pointed forward toward the day in which all sin would be nailed to a cross – the cross. When Jesus shed His blood on that cross, and then later rose from the grave, my sin was forgiven (should I accept the gift by faith) and Christ’s righteousness was imputed to me (Rom. 4:22-25).
Penance is no longer necessary, only praise.
Second, you do what you want.
Just because I don’t do the whole Lent and ash-on-my-forehead thing, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. Back in my more legalistic days I would consider anyone who would go through all the motions of Ash Wednesday, the stations of the cross, or whatever, as…well…ungodly. Now I know better.
Many times we like doing things that cause us to be more focused on, to remember, or to celebrate an important event. If done with the right heart, nothing is wrong with that.
“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day [alike]. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth [it] unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard [it]. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.” – Romans 14:5-6 KJV
Third, I will keep my fasting between God and myself.
Friends, I am not a scholar on par with Joel Osteen, but the best as I can tell, regular fasting was not as big a practice in the Bible as many think. Sure, people fasted, but have you ever considered the context each time it’s mentioned? For the most part, fasting was done as a response, not an obligatory (or otherwise) tradition. Most fasting was done in sorrow and with a heart of repentance, or as a product of mourning (2 Samuel 12:16-17). I certainly don’t remember any references suggesting fasting to lose weight (Rick Warren).
What’s more, Jesus Himself told us that when we do fast (for whatever reason), it should not be a public spectacle. On the contrary, Jesus told his disciples “when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast” (Matt. 6:16). So why put ash on one’s face?
Giving up things?
I guess what really gets me about the whole “fasting for Lent” thing is that Jesus gave His life for us so that we could have life, and life “more abundantly.” What makes people think that giving up something for a month, like chocolate or meat, is a true sign of spirituality? What makes one think it earns brownie points with God? Is that too simplistic a question?
You see, here’s the thing for me: Jesus wants us to present our bodies a “living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is [our] reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). That’s a year-round thing. I mean, seriously, what is giving up cheeseburgers for Lent in comparison to Christ humbling Himself and becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil. 2:8)? Do we think giving up cigarettes will impress Him?
God doesn’t need us to sacrifice a thing or two for a little while, only to return to it after Easter. God wants our praise, our worship, our obedience, and our love all year long.
Ash on my forehead?
Personally, since I already have a gold cross on my seminary class ring, I hope others will be able to tell to Whom I belong by something other than an ashen cross on my forehead. They should know I’m a Christian by the fruit I bear year-round, and by my love (John 13:35).
The rest of you can do what you want. If it makes you feel more devoted, go for it. If you feel more spiritual, have at it. Just make sure you wash your face before you lie down on my clean, white pillow case.
Oh, and could you please be so gracious to donate the food you don’t eat to your local Baptist food bank? We’ve lent a lot, already. 😉
Filed under current events, Easter, Food, General Observations, legalism, worship
The Recovering Legalist 