Reading along with the good folks of the Diocese of Lansing: Matthew 10

 I love this commentary from Scott Hahn and Mark Shea, posted with to-day's reading on the Diocese of Lansing's web: Matthew 10:

In the tenth chapter of his Gospel, Matthew continues the theme of shepherding lost sheep. Jesus reveals that the message of the kingdom of heaven first is to be preached to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Even though the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria in 722 BC, God hasn't forgotten them. Jesus comes as the Father's emissary, sent to seek and save the lost. In God's divine plan, Jesus chooses 12 of his disciples to help him continue his own mission: “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (Jn 20:21). The road to restoring humanity to divine sonship isn't easy. Disciples of Jesus can expect to encounter many dangers and trials. Because of this, they must be equipped with the heart, mind and power of their master. To be an apostle — a word that means “one who is sent” —one first must be a disciplined learner. Once Christians grasp the fact that they're joining God in an all-out search-and-rescue effort to bring back the Father's lost children, they'll be able to face trials and tribulations with true apostolic zeal. 

'...equipped with the heart, mind and power of their (M)aster.'

Perfect Father, soften our hearts, that we might carry on with true apostolic zeal, to bring back Your lost children. Give us the grace to accept our mission as sent disciples; open our hearts so that we become disciplined learners. In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen.

 The Twelve Disciples

1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
 

The Mission of the Twelve

5 These Twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And preach as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay. 9 Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, salute it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
 

Coming Persecutions

16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly,
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-elzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
 

Whom to fear

26 “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
 

Taking Up One's Cross

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man's foes will be those of his own household. 37 He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.
 

Rewards

40 “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. 41 He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. "

So much in this chapter! And much of it speaks contrary to our yuletide mantra of peace on earth. Jesus says 'have no fear of them' that would flog in the synagogue and deliver unto death; rather, fear He Who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Wow. He who does not 'take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.' Wow. 

I think about all the things I fear (and I would be too ashamed to name them here), and then see Christ's words in this chapter and am really humbled. There is much in my worldview that needs adjusting, to be sure.

Forgive me, LORD, for being so scared. Forgive me for seeking after my self instead of seeking You and Your Kingdom. Forgive me for not having the fortitude to accept my mission, and to take my cross daily. And forgive me when I haven't received a righteous man, or a prophet, or one of these little ones. To-day is a new day, a new beginning; and I thank You and praise You for being the God of new beginnings. All glory, honor and praise to You, God In Three Persons! Alleluia, alleluia!

Bible Commentary; Scott Hahn and Mark Shea, Gospel of Matthew, ed. Jennifer Phelps, Catholic Scripture Study (Charlotte, NC: Catholic Scripture Study International, 2007), 91.

Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this.

Mindy Gledhill - Patapan

Fr. James Martin, S.J. on "Good King Wenceslas" by the Roches

What Child is This - The Petersens (Live)

 We have been doing some interior work on the home this past summer, starting with laying down 3/4" plywood in the kitchen and living room. We extended this into the bathroom, as the previous thin plywoods I had put down were crunching under our feet. The bathroom is still not finished, but i have a good sheet down where we walk and what a difference it makes! We are thankful - no more soft spots in our floors anywhere! The LORD provided us a new roof almost a year ago now, we are so blessed to not have leaks or a squooshy floor. Next item is gutters (drip right over our doors), a new washer (drum beats on the cabinet when it spins - loud!), and a new fridge (long story:-)

Alexa played us 'traditional CHRISTmas carols' all day yestreday while we worked on finishing the fireplace wall and above-mentioned floor. 

 

 

Last winter mantle for comparison

 

We're going to next paint the rest of the living room and kitchen walls white, add some more black to trim and accessories, and then trim it all out in pine. So excited to see what it will look like.

Straight No Chaser - The 12 Days of Christmas (original from 1998)

Coventry Carol - Pentatonix Cover Lyric Video

 I have had very few events in my life that would be considered 'life-changing'. I have never had a broken bone or lost a very close loved one or been hit by a car or a falling piano. Our Lord let me deal with diabetes, heart failure, and partial blindness; and hopefully these have helped draw me closer to Him, but they certainly haven't pushed me hard enough to make the life long changes I know I should make. 

I still have a very strong affinity towards pizza and bourbon. I remember when I was first diagnosed with diabetes melitus, one friend told me I will have to give up pizza. That was thirty years ago, and my average monthly DEP (days eating pizza) are probably higher now than then. In fact I guarantee it's higher now than then. I trained myself to seek out and frequent establishments that provided slices of pizza with minimal to no wait time. The first one I can remember is Toaramino's on Ford Rd in Dearborn Heights back in the 90's - their slices were wrapped in foil to keep them moist and were about 16 inches long. Oh even as I type I am drooling, mercy!

Driving across State to various jobs has allowed me to investigate and frequent the finest pizza Michigan has to offer: Shepherd Bar (didn't have slices, but the best THICK crust pies) Fowlerville Grand Nickel party store, St John gas station, Bear Lake Blarney Castle right across from the lake, Ellen's Corners in Mesick had seven or eight pies to choose from, The Cabin just west of Mt Pleasant had phenomenal pizza, along with the coldest tap beer. Stofer Rd Marathon on N Territorial used to have fantastic slices but have moved into a bigger building and now host Ultimate Pizza and Chicken, whose chicken tenders are exceptional. There was a dirty little gas station on Whitmore Lake Rd in Brighton that I hadn't been in ever until about a year ago. They had a girl come in and bring her baked goods and pizza to sell - it was pretty darn good. East of town, the Brighton Market sells fried chicken, sandwiches, and of course great slices. Gus' Pizza in town also sells pretty good slices at their little shop on Grand River. On the west end, O'Connor's Deli has very good pizza slices along with cheese bread, and their very pricy garlic dip.

I must say, I grow weary of these monkeyshines.

MAGA YMCA parody 2.0

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George W Bush sings Hallelujah to Donald Trump!

Autumn Meatloaf - Recipe #1567

Still this morning slightly in shock and having not allowed the total joy of the Sparty victory at the Big House in front of 639 fans yestreday to sink in. Wow.

I am making a meatloaf for dinner/lunches this week and a cheesecake which is a practice for Thanksgiving. It's a pumpkin cheesecake and I see already that it is cracked all around the perimeter but who cares?!? Not I - it's the flavor, not the appearance, don't you know.

Put up some shiplap on the fireplace wall tonight before pulling the cheesecake out. Now the meatloaf is in our new oven happily cooking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Gloria is playing at the Trump rally in NC while the folks wait for him.

Combine, blend, and allow to meld:

1# ground chicken

1# ground venison

1 sweet onion diced

1/2 green pepper diced

6 oz mushrooms diced

asparagus ends diced

1 tbs diced garlic

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs Dijon mustard

3 slices of rye bread diced fine

2 eggs

parsely, sage, rosemary, thyme seasoning - a pinch

ground black pepper

 

For the topping:

1/3 c catsup

1 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs red cider vinegar

I put this one in a three quart saucepan and baked it at 350 about 55 minutes until it got up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit internally.

Served with leftover whipped potatoes and a big yum from us here.

World Without End

These kids were just good.

God be praised!!

One Girl Army

Sweet Talkin Woman

 T H E    E L E C T R I C   L I G H T    O R C H E S T R A       FIF

The Untimely Death of Brad

I know, I haven't really written in a while. But these guys must be heart. 

Listen closely as the plot unfolds.

.

How to Make Homemade Apple Cider with David Venable

Donald Trump - Interview with Donahue 1987

See Phil, whose show I enjoyed as a youngster, try to fake news the crowd by incessantly pushing his leftism.

Then see Donald, whose shows I have never ever watched, rationally pulverize the host.

Joe Biden's Body Language During Interview About Tara Reade

Georgia State Rep. Vernon Jones on why he's voting for Donald Trump

"NOT A RACIST" Black Pastors PRAY and DEFEND President Trump In Atlanta

Policeman - By. Paul Harvey (Tribute to our Police Officers)

So God Made a "Farmer", by Paul Harvey

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow - The Petersens (LIVE)

Thief

One of my hunter buddies just blessed us with several pounds of ground venison, and I experimented with the first pound tonight. I made meatloaf, and it was good.

I used my Kitchen aide stand mixer to combine

1# ground venison

1/2 # ground chuck

1/2 # ground sirloin

four garlic cloves

one yellow onion diced

two sahuaro peppers diced

1 c mushrooms diced

1 egg

1/2 c breadcrumbs

2 tbs Worcestershire

1 tbs Dijon mustard

herb seasoning  

After bringing it all together, I let it rest while the oven warmed up. Then in a 9x9 brownie pan it cooked at 350 for about an hour and 20 minutes, til the temp got up to 160.

No ketchup and brown sugar needed on this one, so moist and flavorful it was. 

Peace!

Queen - Killer Queen (Lyrics)

Fastidious and precise.

Rolling Stones- You Can't Always Get What You Want: Donald Trump Greates...

2020

 

Looking East Toward Whitmore Lake

 Last Saturday as we began our morning excursion, God blessed us with a gorgeous sky - bright and awesome!

So I have one very healthy Carolina Reaper plant...

And I didn't want to just give them away to people in little plastic bags covered with a skull and crossbones

So I found a recipe to make hot sauce with them. Let me repeat: hot sauce. Emphasis on hot.

Say it with me: HOT sauce.

After I had chopped the stems off outside, i brought the cutting board and knife inside to wash, and had to open the window in the kitchen for the fumes were quite noxious

I roasted one bulb of garlic, one yellow onion, and about 25 Reaper pods over wood briquettes for almost an hour

These little buggers grow green to yellow/orange and then turn a bright shiny red. They carry the inherited scorpion tale, which is a warning in and of itself

They smelled a fruity, nutty smell, they did, while roasting (if you do this inside, be sure to open windows)

Ran a cord outside for the blender; also pinch of salt, three tbs cider vinegar, and probably a cup and half of water - to get the consistency you want.

I wish I could tell you how the taste turned out, really I do. 

I dipped a flour tortilla in just about a quarter inch, for my first taste

Two chews, and I knew I had made a mistake, and should have listened to my beautiful and wise wife

Not wanting to give up easily and be a sissy, I tried two more chews. In a split second, this all ran through my mind: Do I REALLY want what I am experiencing on my tongue, gums, and palate right now to also assault my throat and digestive tract? I answered an infinitely fast 'no' and spit out the tortilla. Umday Issysay

It took about an hour of ice water chased by bourbon from my freezer to get my mouth to stop watering and cool off. Five hours later and there is still a slight lingering burn...

I have the sauce in the frig in three mason jars, and will give them as gifts :-)

 

On our deck

In the cool of the morning

He is here with me.

Before all else

He is here with me.

He permeates all, He fills the air with sweetness

Then the cock crows not far off - bravely, proudly; like you would want your morning alarm to sound like.

Created by Him.

The thin sliver of moon is directly overhead in the waning darkness.

Our Father set it there.

A not far off tweet, tweet, tweet: the cardinal has come

An early bee buzzes by sniffing at the roughcut lumber

Faintly the drum bumpety drum of traffic on the expressway can be heard from almost two miles away

The cranes greet each other brightly not far away

Cigarette smoke drifts up the hill, reminding me to be thankful

The hummers come by swiftly, one after another. They are on their morning tour: geraniums, asters, garden phlox, the catmint, a rest in the dappled willow, then to the plum tree and then the feeder ... the sparrows begin to chatter

Next the doves come, one at a time, to the safflower. These, too, are gifts to us from Almighty God. 

Soon there is a merry throng gathered around the bath, the cakes of suet, the safflower seed and all the nearby resting spots. 

Jesus loves me, this I know; 

For the wildlife shows me so

Little me to Him belongs

I am weak, yet He is strong.

All praise to You - Mighty God - Father, Son, Spirit!

Your love abounds

Your mercy is everlasting!

My Meijer Dilemma

 

                                                   

Heart crazy on you

Dig this intro....

Siervas Del Plan De Dios (Confía en Dios en vivo )

Turkey Creek String Band - "Swallowtail Jig"

Siervas - Desde La Cruz

Ken Burns’s Country Music: Connecting the Country (Commercial)

Recipe # 27 Mexican Strata

 I think I may be racist. Have I written about this before?? Anyhoo, I built this more or less from leftovers last night and we both loved it. I even have some for lunch to-day.

I had made the salsa the night before, then cooked the meat right before I layered everything.

You can leave the seeds in or even add other kinds of peppers for different heat/flavor levels. Also, I used four different varieties of tomatoes for the salsa (mostly sweet ones), so this could be amended towards your families likes and dislikes as well.

I cooked the meat and then set aside, then started the oven at 350 while i shredded the cheese. The top was covered with cotija cheese, which I had never heard of before a couple weeks ago, but I had it in a taco from a local taqueria. 

1 turn of the pan EVOO

1 # Ground turkey

2 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced

2 sahuaro peppers seeded and diced

1 ear of good local sweet corn

½ red onion diced

2 garlic cloves diced

 

Turn of the pan EVOO

1 large boneless chicken breast diced

Tsp chili powder

Tsp garlic powder

 

Salsa

Garden tomatoes

2 jalapeno seeded

2 sahuaro seeded

Tsp cumin

Tsp oregano

Tbs cider vinegar

Blend until desired consistency

 

Small brick of cotija cheese shredded

6 oz montery jack shredded

8 oz Colby jack cheese shredded

 

1 cup of tortilla chips

2 8” flour tortilla cut into 1” strips

 

9x13 glass bake pan with non-stick spray; to build, layer

 Chips

Turkey meat mixture

Salsa

Colby cheese

Tortillas

Chicken meat

Salsa

White cheese

 

Bake 25 minutes or until top cheese begins to turn brown.

Sprinkle with some chopped green onion, and serve with guacamole and sour cream.

 

 

11 year old Gospel great Keith Green

All You Can Eat The Fat Boys from Krush Groove 1985

Rio Bravo

Why I like Rio Bravo

When I first saw Rio Bravo, I don't know how old I was. But I knew that John Wayne played in alot of westerns, Rick Nelson and Dean Martin were singers, and Angie Dickenson played a cop on TV in the 70's. But as I watched this film first once and then as many times as I could catch it on Turner, I was attracted more and more by the sheer believability of the characters. 

To me, that is the quality that makes it or breaks it for a motion picture. 

Russel Crow was believable in Gladiator. You felt his love for his Caesar, and then you felt his absolute disdain for the replacement.

James Stewart was believable in It's A Wonderful Life. My angst built throughout the picture while his did, as his dreams one by one were dashed by life events and a demon banker.

Jeff Bridges is believable in The Big Lebowski. Laid back, but determined to get reparations for his micturated-upon rug, The Dude makes me wish I was an unemployed layabout with a passion for bowling and white Russians (and with such friends as Donny and Walter).

In Rio Bravo, every main character contributes to drawing me into the story - as if I am sitting at the bar with them, or walking down the street with them, or sitting in the jail with them. 

Dean Martin's character, Dude, is a recovering alcoholic (due to a woman who came through on the stage a while back) deputy fighting his own personal battles as well as the local bullies. His skill with a revolver makes him an invaluable asset in the un-named town in the County of Presidio, Texas. 

As the story unfolds, and you start to feel comfortable with the Dude character, he helps draw you in with facial expressions and body language that are outward signs of the emotions he's experiencing inside.

Fellow Deputy Stumpy, played wonderfully by Walter Brennan, walks with a severe limp, and is charged with keeping watch over the prisoner, who happens to be the town bully's no-good brother. The character is quick-witted, sympathetic, loyal, and feels unappreciated. Again, his comments and gestures during the picture all contribute to his being thought of as some lovable uncle with enough BA in him that you don't want to mess with him.

Wayne's character, Sheriff John T Chance (cool 60's film name, eh?!?), is a man's man. A leader with compassion, he - throughout this hour and a half picture - deals benevolently and decidedly with his drunken deputy, the loss of a good friend, a talkative girl half his age who falls in love with him, and of course the town bully with thirty or forty paid killers in his back pocket.

I could go on and on about the characters (the fact that this was Burt Ward's final major role is interesting by itself), but I recently read also that Hawks and Wayne both wanted to do a picture where the sheriff was up against some pretty bad odds, but DIDN'T go around asking everyone for help. As opposed to 1952's High Noon, with Gary Cooper as the town sheriff. 

According to 'Lloyds Beware the Blog' ( http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2017/10/howard-hawks-rio-bravo-remade-as-el.html), 

In his famous "Playboy Magazine" interview for the May 1971 issue. John Wayne stated he considered "High Noon":

the most un-American thing I've ever seen in my whole life

Howard Hawks shared Wayne's views about "High Noon". According to a Turner Classic Movies article, by Jeff Stafford, Hawks stated:

I didn't think a good sheriff was going to go running around town like a chicken with his head cut off asking for help, and finally his Quaker wife had to save him.

The two men came together in 1958 to remake "High Noon" as a revisionist Western called "Rio Bravo".

Hawks originally wanted a young sensation named Elvis Presley to play the Colorado role, but Elvis wanted top billing and top salary and neither Hawks nor Wayne were having any of that. 

Dimitri Tiomkin (It's a Wonderful Life, Red River, High Noon, Dial M For Murder, The Guns of Navarone), does the musical score. This picture is one of my all-time favorites, and I think I need to watch it again. 

God bless you all <><

Lutheran Morning Service

"Thy Strong Word"

The Lord Bless You And Keep You - Lutkin - performed live by Octarium

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Be Thou My Vision | Celtic Worship

Oh, The Deep Love of Jesus - Epic Version!

Keith Green - Oh, Lord You're Beautiful (Live)

Recipe #52 Skillet Meatloaf

It's been so hot and I've been so lazy; I haven't done anything on the grill in a good while. Ground pork was on sale this morning at Kroger, and I took that as divine instruction to make us a meatloaf. 

Our old cast iron 12 inch skillet got the call for this one, and the Royal Oak Hardwood Lump charcoal kept us right between 300 and 350 degrees during the whole cook time.

For the slathering on top towards the end, I use 1/2 cup of catsup, 1 tbs of dijon mustard, and 1 tbs dark brown sugar whisked together well. But this only goes on after you get that good crust going on top :-)

For to-day's meatloaf:

1.5 # ground pork

1.5 # 80/20 ground beef

1 red onion diced

several small Sweet Heat peppers from the garden diced

1 tbs diced garlic

6 oz (1 small can) tomato paste

1 squirt of Dijon mustard

1 nice dash of Worcestershire sauce

I mixed everything in my stand mixer and let it set up in the fridge for most of the day before grilling. Per some instructions I read online, I warmed up the skillet before adding a teaspoon of cooking oil and then the meat, and let it sit at room temperature while I prepared the fire.

I noticed maybe two thirds of the way through that the grease in the pan was up to the level of the meat. I cooked the meat in the pan this time to keep it moist (right on the grate and all the juice is lost), but I didn't want it too greasy, so I poured off a bit.

At 160 degrees, I added the slathering sauce, and let it go another 20  minutes or so.

I let it rest for 20 minutes, while the entire house began filling with this goodly aroma...

.

I cut out a wedge and had it with some fresh french bread and warm butter. No veggies on the menu tonight hmm?

But Deans County Fresh 100% Real, Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream for dessert. Yeah.

Blessings and peace to you all!