Recipes: Jicama-Apple Salad and Cardamom-Juniper Burger

• 1 large jicama, 1/4 inch cube
• 4 Jonagold apples, 1/4 inch cube
• Dry spice of your choosing, season to taste (I chose chili powder and smoked Spanish paprika for the version in the picture; next lunch, who knows.)
• Olive oil to taste

How

1. Cube the jicama and apple.
2. Toss with spices and allow to marinate.
3. Toss in evoo to taste.
4. Enjoy.

Makes four servings

• 1 teaspoon cardamom, ground from whole seed (not including pod)
• 5 juniper berries, ground
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 pound 15% fat ground beef

How

1. Mix the coconut oil into the meat.
2. Grind cardamom seeds and juniper berries and mix into ground beef mixture.
3. Add soy sauce to ground beef mixture.
4. Allow to come to near room temperature before cooking.
5. Form patties (I made four).
6. Add about a tablespoon of coconut oil to a heavy fry pan and pan fry each burger about three minutes on each side (and remember, no squishing: put them in, let them fry, turn over, fry, remove).
7. Let the burgers rest a bit before consuming to let the juices redistribute.

Makes four 1/4 burgers.

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What if each city had one church?

Inter-congregational partnership--the minimum needed if each city is to have one church--must prioritize three things.

• Partnership occurs by means of mutual submission, with a willingness to follow and to give self for the other, in order to partner with Christ.
• Unity exemplifies a submissive manner, with a willingness to set the self aside wholeheartedly, actualizing our inherent oneness in Christ.
• Mission prioritizes Christ rather than us, holding Christ as primary, considering the other as more important, and following Christ as he leads.
  

Informants

• City church
• Ephesians 5:21-33
  

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Think (General Definition)

forming new, yet related knowledge, while developing new, yet related connections with current knowledge.

Thinking has at least four overlapping characteristics. It is

• Deliberative
• Investigative
• Liberative
• Iterative

Informants:

• definition of "think" in Merriam-Webster 7.0 for Windows Mobile, (c) 2004-2007.
• definition of "tangent" in Merriam-Webster 7.0 for Windows Mobile, (c) 2004-2007.

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Recipe: Bison Tri-tip with Cumin and Coriander

• 3 pounds bision tri-tip
  
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon whole coriander
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 3 bay leaves

How

1. Grind all spices and herbs.
2. Mix herbs with vinegar in a zip top bag.
   
3. Add bison to bag.
   
4. Remove as much air as possible, seal bag, and refrigerate at least over night.
5. Enjoy.

Makes 4 meals.


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Blogging as Service: pondering how and why

This week, Michael Anthony spoke in Talbot chapel on the subject of E ticket Christianity. His three key words got me thinking about how and why I (should) blog. Here are some initial ponderings.

How

• short and scan-able format
• recognizing both the pain and hope of regular life
• content with substance

Why

• seek to add value to the readers, not readers to the blog
• write for the readers' needs
• seek healing and wholeness

Informants

• Anthony's chapel sermon: see-->feel-->heal--> (Matt 14:13-14)
• How and why of blogging
  

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Coconut-Feta Burgers

• 1 can coconut milk, reduced by half
  
• 1 yellow onion, fine dice, cooked in coconut milk
  
• 1 teaspoon cardamom, ground
• 8 ounces Feta cheese
  
• 2 pounds 15% ground beef

1. Saute onion until beginning to brown.
2. Add coconut milk and reduce until water is gone.
   
3. Allow coconut milk and onion mixture cool.
   
4. Add cardamom.
5. Combine mixture into ground beef.
6. Crumble and add feta to ground beef, mixing well.
7. Pan fry in oil, about 3-4 minutes on each side, or according to preference.
8. NOTE: Do not, I repeat, do not smash the burger in the pan. That squishes out the yummy juices! Just put it in and let it fry until it's time to turn it over. Turn it. Then leave it until it's time to take it out. (sorry for the little rant...)
   

Makes 5 big burgers

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Ruminate (Definition)

going over an idea, again and again, using a variety of mental filters and following the flow of material; making intuitive, rather than intentional, connections and comparisons

Informants:

• definition of "ruminate" in Merriam-Webster 7.0 for Windows Mobile, (c) 2004-2007.
• definition of "tangent" in Merriam-Webster 7.0 for Windows Mobile, (c) 2004-2007.

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Literalist Humor: One more reason to watch how things are worded

So, if the pedestrian is not in the crosswalk, are they fair game?

[Side note: as a pedestrian on this campus, the 15 mph speed limit is NOT a suggestion. Urg!]

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Pan Seared Top Sirloin with Hatch Chilies, Garlic, and Figs

• 4 each Top Sirloin steaks
  
• 5 Hatch chilies, oven roasted and medium chop
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 4 cloves Garlic, find chop
• 1 box black mission figs

How

1. Roast whole chilies in the oven (~350 F) until at least browned, remove roasted skin, and medium chop.
   
2. Combine chilies, garlic, and cider vinegar for marinade.
3. Place 4 top sirloins in zip top baggie with marinade and allow to sit at least overnight.
4. To cook steak, remove from bag, pat dry, place in medium hot pan with halved figs; for rare, cook 3 minutes on one side--DO NOT TOUCH IT!--flip using tongs, not a fork, and cook 2 minutes on the other side. For medium to well, adjust times.
5. Let steak rest 8 minutes for rare before eating.
6. Makes enough for four meals.
   

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Fig-Celery Salad

• 2 boxes of figs (~15 figs in each box; I used one box of green and one of brown), halved
  
• 3 each heirloom tomatoes, medium dice
  
• 1 bunch celery, medium dice
• cocoa powder to taste

How

1. Chop figs, tomatoes, and celery; combine.
2. Dust with cocoa powder.
3. Enjoy.

Makes 3 large servings
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Pondering a Prodigal's Hurdles

rather like the proverbial
chicken and the egg question
(it's the chicken, btw),
which comes first,
trust or understanding?

do all our intellectual hurdles
need to be swept away
before we trust
the Sovereign Creator?

or is it merely a leap
of trust
without knowledge?

rather, might it be an intertwining,
understanding and trust
in a complex dance,
each informing the other?

Informants

• Isaiah 48
• return of a prodigal

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Recipe: Celery-Blueberry Salad

• 1 bunch organic celery, diced
  
• 1 box organic blueberries
• 1 each organic red bell pepper, medium dice
• 1 each yellow heirloom tomato, medium dice
  
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 8 juniper berries, crushed
• 1 tablespoon dried hops

Directions

1. Chop and toss all veges.
2. Combine vinegar, juniper berries, and hops and microwave one minute
3. Allow vinegar mixture to sit covered until cool to combine flavors.
4. Add vinegar mixture to veges (straining if you desire).
5. Stir or shake to combine and allow to sit at least twelve hours before serving.
6. Makes five servings.
   

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Isaiah 48: Tentative Flow of Thought

Isaiah 48

• 48:1-11
• Yahweh calls his chosen, yet rebellious, people to recognize that prophecy disproves idols. 1-5
  
• Yahweh clarifies that some prophecy is withheld because of his people's rebellion. 6-8
• Yahweh restrains his anger at rebellion for his own sake, for he does not share his glory. 9-11
• 48:12-22
• Yahweh, who is sovereign Creator, will use Cyrus to deliver; therefore, Israel should listen up. 12-16
• Yahweh alone is Lord and Redeemer; Israel should obey and will be saved. 17-21
• The wicked have no peace. 22
  

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Muse (Definition)

focused daydreaming for the purpose of exploring notions and making intuitive connections; making historical inferences while following a memory trail; an intentional mental dance in response to a situational stimulus

Informants:

• definition of "muse" in Merriam-Webster 7.0 for Windows Mobile, (c) 2004-2007.
• definition of "tangent" in Merriam-Webster 7.0 for Windows Mobile, (c) 2004-2007.

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Recipe: Cucumber-Asparagus-Avocado Salad

• 3 each cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks/slices
• 1 bunch asparagus, lightly steamed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  
• 3 avocados (reserved to be added just before eating)
• 3 limes (reserved to be added just before eating)

Instructions

1. Prepare the cucumbers, asparagus, and tomatoes.
2. Combine prepared veges and toss with rice vinegar.
3. Refrigerate at least over night.
4. Before serving, cut avocado into 1/2 chunks, add to salad, squeeze on the juice of one lime, and toss.
5. Enjoy.

Makes three servings.

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Don't Put the Ladder on the Drop Cloth: a wisdom tidbit

Tuesday night, a friend related how, in a rush to get a painting job completed, he had placed the foot of the ladder on the drop cloth on the tile floor. You can see where this is going.

Wednesday morning, seeing the tiny traffic cones around the road work near my house, I was prompted to compose a bit of poetic wisdom for the moment before you put the ladder on the drop cloth on the tile.

don't assume.
know your resources.
triple-check the safety measures.

don't assume.
clarify your limits.
watch the work zone.

PS: My friend was saved from certain destruction by his lovely wife. Whew!

Informants:

• Isaiah 46-47: the futility of arrogance and the futility of false hope
• Roadwork: safety measures, work zone
  

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Post-Labor Day Primal Health Update

• Saturday: homework, lounging, and mostly primal food (prime rib, potatoes, steak, kim chee and sardine soup)
• Sunday: one hour moderate walk; mostly primal food (pork rinds, plums, broccoli, tuna, baby back ribs, tri tip, fruit salad, and green salad)
• Monday: 4x10 workout (push ups, lat pull downs, delt flies, squats...wore me out!); so-so primal food (pork rinds, plums, baby back ribs, chili with beans, amazing banana malt, goat milk)

Result: Gained about two pounds, probably water from the salt and carbs. Happily sore from the work out and ready for the week day mile walk. Feel good all 'round.

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Isaiah 46-47: Tentative Flow of Thought

Isaiah 46-47

• 46:1-13: Yahweh warns Israel that he alone is God, there is no other, and he is coming to deliver; non-trusters are warned.
• vv 1-2: Bel and Nebo, gods of Babylon, bow to Yahweh
• vv 3-4: Yahweh calls Israel to listen to him who has cared for them their entire life and brought the nation into being.
• vv 5-7: Yahweh confronts Israel with the uselessness of useless, non-gods.
• vv 8-11: Yahweh calls Israel to remember his past acts and conclude correctly that he alone is God, he will call Cyrus, and he will punish Babylon.
• vv 12-13: The non-trusters in Israel are warned that Yahweh's deliverance is near and he will restore Israel.
• 47:1-15: Yahweh warns Babylon that her greatness will not stand and her gods cannot help.
• vv 1-3: Babylon, the princess, will be a humiliated slave.
• v 4: Israel/Isaiah interjects praise for God, Redeemer, Yahweh of armies, the Holy One of Israel.
• vv 5-7: Yahweh commands Babylon to sit i silence, for despite her usefulness as a rod of discipline for God's people, her arrogant boasting shall bring her down.
• vv 8-11: Yahweh warns Babylon that her arrogant boasting will result in the boasts being turned against her.
• vv 12-13: Yahweh mocks Babylon, calling her to continue trusting her useless magic.
• vv 14-15: Yahweh warns Babylon that her magician-priests are utterly useless, despite their best efforts.
  

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Meditation (Definition)

chasing inferences and pinpointing connections; hunting divergent depths and following the common threads; sometimes intuiting solutions and exploring logical flows

Informants:

• definition of "meditate" in Merriam-Webster 7.0 for Windows Mobile, (c) 2004-2007.
• definition of "tangent" in Merriam-Webster 7.0 for Windows Mobile, (c) 2004-2007.

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Blueberry, Apple, Feta Salad

• 2 each Pink Lady apples
• 1 box fresh blueberries
• 1 block Feta cheese
• bunches of spring salad greens
• evoo to taste

1. Chop or crumble what needs it.
2. Toss.
3. Saturate in yummy olive oil.
4. Enjoy.
   

Made five lunches...almost. Doh!

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What is Behind a Holistic Life of Trust?

Holistic
Emphasizing the importance of the whole
and the interdependence of its parts. [1]

Body and soul function together.
I am the immediate whole.
Yahweh, creator of the universe, is ultimate
and everything is understood in relation to him.

So,

the body is contingent,
needy,
yet living toward a glorious purpose,
though dust comes first,
but even then,
I am safe.

the soul,
realizing its relation to the Creator,
the Holy One,
fears a fear
that worships
rather than shakes,
and then relaxes
in the decided love
of this one true God
whom I trust.


[1] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Hunch: What's the best motorcycle for me?

I did this on a whim yesterday and came up with the motorcycle I've been wanting for years (but haven't had the $$ or nerve to buy): 2009 Honda CMX250C Rebel 250.

You?

What's the best motorcycle for me? - make thousands more decisions on Hunch.com

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Beef and Beet Stew(esque)

• 2 lbs stew beef
• 1 bottle Stone IPA
• 1 bunch beets
• 2 T coconut oil
  

Instructions

1. Marinate stew beef (~1 inch chunk) in Stone IPA overnight.
2. Sweat chopped beets over very low heat (~1/2 inch chunk) in coconut oil for about 15 minutes.
   
3. Add drained, marinated stew beef.
4. Cook over low heat until the beef has cooked and tenderized acceptably.

Comments: this could use a bit of an upgrade; recommendations welcome. It's quite tasty, but I like simplicity.

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