The Blazing Center

The following is a re-post from a great blog that I follow:

Read and enjoy :)

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We Don't Know What We Have

Believers in Jesus Christ are the richest people on earth.

We have every reason to be cheerful, optimistic, glad-hearted, generous servants, because we have been immeasurably blessed. In Jesus we lack nothing. Though we may lack material goods and suffer affliction in this world, we look forward to an eternity of Christmas mornings where God will continually unwrap for us new riches in Christ, our Treasure. 

As Paul worshiped God for our blessings in Christ, so should we:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, (Ephesians 1:3)

Paul regularly prayed for those he served to be able to grasp more of their riches in Christ. He prayed because they needed God himself to reveal his riches to them.

“Our problem is not lack of blessings, but lack of insight and wisdom to understand and use them properly and faithfully. Our blessings are so vast that the human mind cannot comprehend them. In our own minds we cannot fathom the riches we have in our position in Jesus Christ. Such things are totally beyond the human mind to grasp. Only the Holy Spirit himself can search the deep things of the mind of God, and only the Spirit can bring them to our understanding.” –John MacArthur, Ephesians

MacArthur recounts a Warren Wiersbe illustration:

William Randolph Hearst once read of an extremely valuable piece of art, which he decided he must add to his extensive collection. He instructed his agent to scour the galleries of the world to find a masterpiece he was determined to have any price. After many months of painstaking search, the agent reported that the piece already belonged to Mr. Hearst and had been stored in one of his warehouses for many years. –John MacArthur, Ephesians

How can I be discontented when I’m rich in Christ?

How can I be selfish when God has blessed me with every spiritual blessing in his Son?

How can I grumble when I know the Treasure of Treasures?

How can I be unhappy when I’m a joint-heir with Jesus?

How can I not want to serve others when God has been so lavish toward me?

How can I not praise God for his steadfast love and goodness to me in Christ?

How can I not marvel that he saved me?

Heavenly Father, thank you for your lavish, incomprehensible grace toward us in Jesus.
Thank you Jesus, for living, dying and rising again to make us joint-heirs with you.
Holy Spirit, thank you for opening our eyes to see the glory of Jesus. Please show us more today.

-From The Blazing Center

Stuffing on the Run

Clint has been mentioning that he'd really like fried chicken for dinner for some time now. Since my mamma isn't coming for a visit anytime soon (probably his favorite thing she makes). I came up with my own little "down home" meal. As usual I didn't really measure anything... but I say with some certainty that this is easy to make even if you are just wing'in it ;)

Here was the finished product:

The fried Chicken actually turned out to be the supporting actor to real star of the show... the Rosemary Almond Stuffing!!!

As a disclaimer... I had never made stuffing from scratch before. I thought it was one of those things that are so complicated that you only go to all the trouble and toil once a year... for thanksgiving or maybe Christmas... well boy was I wrong. Stuffing, or "dressing" rather... since I didn't "stuff" the mixture into a bird... is super easy to make and can be seasoned and flavored any number of ways!

I need to get going so I'm going to fly through this.

Here is my not-so-exact recipe for Rosemary Almond Stuffing

Saute 1/2 cup chopped onion and bout 1cup chopped celery and 2-3 cloves garlic in bout 2 tbs of olive oil

Add bout 1-2c chicken stock and let lightly boil for 3-5 minutes (I thought the broth would get more infused with the onion/celery/garlic mixture)

In a separate (oven safe) bowl I tore up pieces of dried bread. I recommend ciabatta bread from whole foods. I had a loaf that was going to go stale so I put it in the oven at 200 for bout 30 minutes and it was nice and dry.

In the bowl with the bread I added one egg, salt, pepper, chopped rosemary, and some marcona almonds (thanks for sending them Jana) and mixed the ingredients altogether.

I then poured the hot broth mixture into the bowl with the bread until moist, but not mushy.

I then put some butter pats on the top of the stuffing and baked it at 350 for 10 minutes.

Ok, I hope that was understandable. Gotta Run!
Leave comments if you want me to clarify anything.

Stuffing on the Run,
Taylor

BBQ Brisket & Brews

Ok,
It's been a month to the day that I last posted a blog entry. I have been somewhat scattered about what to write or post. I have a few videos that I have filmed, but still need editing. So I will simply post some fun pics from today...

Clint's Bday isn't until August 16th... but since it falls on a Tuesday this year, we decided to celebrate last night.

We went over to the Westside of the island to "play tourist" a little bit. First, we met our friends Jeremy and Beth and ventured together out to a natural geologic formation called "Dragon's Teeth" and then we enjoyed a seaside picnic in Kapalua.

This formation was created by a lave flow from the now extinct West Maui volcano. The pounding ocean surf met up with the flowing hot lava and created the upturned shape. Throughout the last hundreds of years of salt spray and constant Maui sunshine has whitened the lava.

I remember coming here 5+ years ago, before I moved to Maui. I was in my last semester of college and I talked my geology teacher into letting me miss a class because I was going to Hawaii and I promised an awesome "field experiment" in Hawaiian geology. If I remember correctly I got an A :)

Anyways, back to Clint's celebration.

Our next stop was Maui Brewing Company. Our friends Kyle, Monica and Akasia met up with us and the boys enjoyed a few local brews before we headed to our third stop.

I love this 3rd picture of Clint. He had ordered a "select" microbrew that they serve in a brandy glass.

Our third and final stop was Famous Dave's BBQ in Lahaina. There was no shortage of food or friends as about 6 more of our friends joined us to celebrate Clint!

Not pictured above: Andy, Jes, Akasia

Even though Clint's birthday isn't until August 16th, I appreciate everyone for coming out and celebrating the wonderful man I married!

BBQ Brisket and Brews,

Taylor