Jesus' disciples asked him this question one day, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?" He called a little boy from the crowd and said "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:1-4
I never have really gotten the full meaning or understanding of the beginning of this chapter until I read this book.
The footnote in my Bible says "Whoever humbles himself until he becomes as this little child exhibiting trust, openness, and an eagerness to learn. These are childlike qualities that constitute greatness." The only great child I can think of is the Dalia Lama who was a child in the movie Seven Years From Tibet. I am thinking that this is not what they meant. Were the disciples asking about the hierarchy of heaven like the Jehovah Witnesses believe? The more people you save the closer you get to sit to Jesus? Again I don't think so. Was Jesus trying to get them to understand about humility?
In the book, Heaven is for Real; the father asks this question of himself after Colton, the son, talks about the lights above the angel's heads. What is childlike faith? What is childlike humility? "It's not the lack of intelligence, but the lack of guile. The lack of an agenda. It's the precious fleeting time before we have accumulated enough pride or position to care what other people might think. The same un-self-conscious honesty that enables a three-year-old to splash in a puddle, laugh with a puppy, or point out loudly that you have a booger hanging from your nose, is what is required to enter heaven. It is the opposite of ignorance-it is intellectual honesty: to be willing to accept reality and to call things what they are even if it is hard."
I think about the lack of an agenda, who doesn't have those? How is this going to benefit me? What will I gain from it? What about pride, position, and what others think. We are a society that has the mindset of keeping up with the Jones', looking out for number one, driven to work 50 hours a week to move up the ladder. What about the lack of guile? The definition here says "deceitful, cunning". Yikes neither of what I want to be known for.
Childlike faith is intellectual honesty. WOW Think about what that is; They, children, are not afraid to tell it like it is. They do not care who is around. If someone smells bad they will let you know. If someone is disabled they have no problem asking, loud enough for all the world to hear, why that person can't walk. I have hairy arms, most kids don't think twice about letting me know my arms are hairy. After I agree, yes they are very hairy, they always ask why, I say God made my like this. They accept it for fact, with faith that what I have told them is true. Childlike faith.
Why is it so hard for my to have this kind of Faith? Why do I struggle with giving things to God and then an hour later take that worry back? Why do I try to fix things myself? Why don't I always trust that he has plans "to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future." A promise from my father who knit me together in my mothers womb. He knows what words I am going to say before I even speak them. He know how many hairs are on my head. He loves me a lot! he has a plan for me!
Lord give my a childlike faith!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Steel Cut Oat Bread
Background first on how I cook my oats:
I make steel-cut oats (SCO) as follows
3 cups SCO
12 cups of water
1 stick Butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
I brown the oats in the butter first. Then I cook it for about 30 minutes or so and enjoy. My boys didn't like the extra nutty taste at first but they have since learned it is really good. I make a HUGE batch and keep it in the refrigerator. They are creamier reheated and I don't have to wait for it to cook. To reheat I chop it up with a wooden spoon and add hot water. Heat until hot. Another plus about browning it, the butter keeps the oats from boiling all over my stove. Moving on....
This bread recipe uses the oats how I cooked it above. You can cook them with out browning them but add the fat, EVOO or butter to the dough.
2 cups Cooked SCO room temperature
1/2 cups Black-strap Molasses
Butter or EVOO (see above) 1-2 Tab.
2 cups warm water
4 cups unbleached white flour
4 cups graham flour
2 tsp sea salt
1 Tab lecithin granules
1/8 tsp vitamin C powder
1 tab and 2 tsp yeast or 2 packets
This may be a tricky dough, depending on how wet your SCO are, so you may need to add additional flour. This can be halved. The amounts listed above made 5 pounds of dough. Kneed 10 minutes. Let rise till doubled, punch down form into loaves, let rise till doubled. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. I weigh my bread dough. I have 1 pound and 1.5 pound pans depending on your pan size is why the time varies. Bake until golden brown and when tapped with the back of your finger nail you get that hollow sound.
This is my new favorite whole grain bread. It is not very sweet, if you like your bread sweeter than I would add some sucanat.
Let me know your thoughts.
I make steel-cut oats (SCO) as follows
3 cups SCO
12 cups of water
1 stick Butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
I brown the oats in the butter first. Then I cook it for about 30 minutes or so and enjoy. My boys didn't like the extra nutty taste at first but they have since learned it is really good. I make a HUGE batch and keep it in the refrigerator. They are creamier reheated and I don't have to wait for it to cook. To reheat I chop it up with a wooden spoon and add hot water. Heat until hot. Another plus about browning it, the butter keeps the oats from boiling all over my stove. Moving on....
This bread recipe uses the oats how I cooked it above. You can cook them with out browning them but add the fat, EVOO or butter to the dough.
2 cups Cooked SCO room temperature
1/2 cups Black-strap Molasses
Butter or EVOO (see above) 1-2 Tab.
2 cups warm water
4 cups unbleached white flour
4 cups graham flour
2 tsp sea salt
1 Tab lecithin granules
1/8 tsp vitamin C powder
1 tab and 2 tsp yeast or 2 packets
This may be a tricky dough, depending on how wet your SCO are, so you may need to add additional flour. This can be halved. The amounts listed above made 5 pounds of dough. Kneed 10 minutes. Let rise till doubled, punch down form into loaves, let rise till doubled. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. I weigh my bread dough. I have 1 pound and 1.5 pound pans depending on your pan size is why the time varies. Bake until golden brown and when tapped with the back of your finger nail you get that hollow sound.
This is my new favorite whole grain bread. It is not very sweet, if you like your bread sweeter than I would add some sucanat.
Let me know your thoughts.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Bacon Jam
Yes you read it correctly Bacon Jam. Of course I have revised this to make it more healthy. Is it even possible with 2 pounds of bacon in it.... of course it is, I can talk myself into anything. For instance chocolate is a vegetable, as is coffee. Gummy bears or any fruity candy that has at least 1% fruit juice is a fruit and so on. So now onto the healthy version of this recipe.
2 pounds of bacon cut into small pieces with scissors
3 medium onions (about 3 cups)
4 cloves of crushed garlic. (2 1/2 tsp.)
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sucanat
1/4 real maple syrup (NOT Log Cabin)
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1/2 cup bourbon
1/8 tsp real salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
Brown the bacon drain on a towel (no paper napkins in my house), leaving 1 Tab bacon "juice" in the pan. Saute onions and garlic for about 5 minutes on low. Add remaining ingredients and stir well to remove the brown bits off of the pan bottom. Pour the contents into a crock pot. Cook on high uncovered for 3 1/2 to 4 hours until thickened. Coarsely pulse in a food chopper. Chill for up to a month. I am freezing some of this too.
My healthy changes areas follows:
-I used raw vinegar with mother. Click the above link to find out why it is better for you.
-I used sucanat instead of brown sugar. It is pure cane sugar not refined white with color and flavor added.
-Real Maple Syrup, expensive, but it doesn't contain HF corn syrup.
I plan on making some bread on Friday to try this out on in the morning.
The alcohol cooks out of this so it is safe for children.
Leave me a comment if you give this a try.
2 pounds of bacon cut into small pieces with scissors
3 medium onions (about 3 cups)
4 cloves of crushed garlic. (2 1/2 tsp.)
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sucanat
1/4 real maple syrup (NOT Log Cabin)
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1/2 cup bourbon
1/8 tsp real salt
1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
Brown the bacon drain on a towel (no paper napkins in my house), leaving 1 Tab bacon "juice" in the pan. Saute onions and garlic for about 5 minutes on low. Add remaining ingredients and stir well to remove the brown bits off of the pan bottom. Pour the contents into a crock pot. Cook on high uncovered for 3 1/2 to 4 hours until thickened. Coarsely pulse in a food chopper. Chill for up to a month. I am freezing some of this too.
My healthy changes areas follows:
-I used raw vinegar with mother. Click the above link to find out why it is better for you.
-I used sucanat instead of brown sugar. It is pure cane sugar not refined white with color and flavor added.
-Real Maple Syrup, expensive, but it doesn't contain HF corn syrup.
I plan on making some bread on Friday to try this out on in the morning.
The alcohol cooks out of this so it is safe for children.
Leave me a comment if you give this a try.
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