The Responsibilities of the Church

  A few days ago, while reading through my twitter feed, I was overcome with the displeasure of those I'm following with the US government. Equal disdain for both Republican and Democratic leaders and policies, debt and spending, healthcare, marriage, social security, abortion... just about everything you can imagine, was clearly stated and lines were drawn. And an underlying sentiment from many "twitterers" was the issue of separation of Church and state.

   There SHOULD be separation of Church and state. Period. The Church should avoid political rambles, and the government should let the Church take care of itself. Remember when Jesus told his detractors to "Give to caesar what is caesar's and give to God what is God's" (Mark 12:17)? This makes it clear that God views the Church and the governing state to be two separate entities. He doesn't say "Give to caesar what is caesar's, and he will divide it amongst the government and the Church accordingly." Nope. Two different entities indeed.

    And though many contend that our founding fathers agreed there would be separation of Church and state solely to keep the government from regulating the religion in our country and to allow for religious liberty, I would argue that it went both ways. Although the founding fathers DID want our nation to be one of religious liberty, where people were allowed to worship (or not) as they personally saw fit, they also didn't want the Church to control the government as it had in many countries in Europe, and as seems to be the case in many troubled regions of the world today.

   So, what do Christians "do about this," in order to "fix" the problems goverment faces today -- you know, social programs that many have such problems with, such as healthcare, social security, taxes, national debt? Well, it's simple. We carry out the responsibilities of the Church.

   Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burders, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Philippians 2:4 says, "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but to the interests of others." Deutoronomy 15:11 states, "For there will never cease ,to be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you 'you shall open your hand to your brother, the the needy and poor in your land." James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: Look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep yourself from being polluted by the world."

   What does all of this mean? In context, these scriptures not only refer to caring for the spiritual and monetary needs of others, but the healthcare, physical, mental, and emotional needs of others as well. What's that you say? Christians are actually supposed to DO things for people? Which people?
 
   That's an easy one, too. All of them. Scripture also tells us in Matthew 5:43-48,“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^h and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

   What I'm getting at is this: Christians need to stop complaining about the government, spending, healthcare, and all these other issues and DO WHAT WE'VE BEEN COMMANDED TO DO! If Christians would step up and care for the poor, provide for the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give hope to the hopeless, the government wouldn't have to act as a poor substitute! Think about that for a second... if the Church did their/our job, there would be NO NEED for these government programs! There would be less debt! Christians wouldn't have to worry about whether the government sponsored abortion or not! There would be fewer poor that needed monetary hand outs. There would be fewer hungry people needing food stamps. There would be fewer homeless needing government-funded housing! How much headache could Christians prevent the government from "causing" if we just carried out what has been commanded of us?! Wouldn't that be lovely!

  Oh, but then we play the separation of Church and state card. You know, when it's beneficial to us. Because we don't really think *WE* are supposed to do these things. You know, we hear things like this, "Well, I think it's great that the Church wants to care for the poor, but I know who those people are. I personally won't be giving them any donations. They're just going to use it to buy drugs." But guess what, Church? If they do, it's on them! Luke 6:29-30 tell us, ^" If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.  Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back." That's right, Church! We're supposed to give it anyway!  In a nutshell, my point is this: Christians, put up, or shut up. If we are not doing as commanded by the teachings of the Bible, (the one that many of us are so quick throw in the faces of our "pagan" enemies,) then we have no right to whine and bellyache about what the government does. Period. End of story.

So, Church, now that this has been put out there..... Our move.

Whirlwind Weekdays

Well, I've sort of been slacking on the blog for the past couple of weeks, but things have been very... chaotic... around here.

Let me catch you guys up a little:

June 29: Found out that hubby was being sent to Ohio for a couple of months. Yep, you read that right. MONTHS. We had to pack, prepare, and generally freak out for a few days.
Meanwhile..
July 3: Our next door neighbor's house was burglarized. That's right, they tried every single door and window until they finally broke something and got in. Took all sorts of stuff, and even drilled the safe. Cue complete freak out mode for me, since I'm to be home alone.. so, needless to say, security system: INSTALLED.
July 5: Hubby flies out to Ohio. :( Cue violin music. We both pretty much cried the whole time until his flight left, and then some.
To take the mind of this sad incidence, little cuz and I went to every freaking flea market within a 2-parish radius to try to find her the perfect vanity. She's doing this whole shabby-chic bedroom makeover all by herself, and I have to say, she's a little designer in the making. It looks fantastic.
July 7: Worked and painted for 10+ hours in the youth building at church with one of our pastor's teeanged sons. Ridiculously exhausting.
July 8: Church, visit with my mom, and then that evening, worked 2 more hours on the youth building.
July 9: Worked 8-9 hours on the youth building with pastor, 5 teeangers, and a friend. Dinner with said friend afterwards.
Purchased plane tickets and tickets to the Saints game to travel to Ohio and visit the hubs in August.
July 10: Worked 8+ hours on youth building with friend and pastor's son.
July 11: Left house at 8 AM, drove over an hour to where I graduated college, picked up a transcript, drove over an hour in another direction to my school board office, sent off for teacher re-licensure. Drove another 30 minutes to my school. Picked up supplies, cheer uniforms, and dropped off paperwork. Drove 30 more minutes home. Napped for 30 minutes. Drove 30 more minutes to church. Worked on youth buidling for 2 more hours.
July 12: Slept late. Created cheer signs. 2 teenagers, a preteen and a mom in my house for 2 hours. Drove 30 min to pick up a kid. Cheer practice. Total team meltdown over 2 people having to switch spots. Drove 30 minutes to drop kid off. (Her dad had surgery, say a prayer!)
July 13: DREW BREES GOT SIGNED! *stir the pot dance* ....and now I'm off the shop for VBS supplies, go decorate my VBS classroom, dinner with friends, and then back home.

I'm really tired. I'm sure you didn't need my itenerary, but I just wanted to give you an FYI of where I've been. It's exhausting, really.

I miss the hubs. But I do love my life. :)

Mmmm.... Dole Whips! :)

Ok, remember how I've promised you (twice now) that I would post a yummy recipe for a dessert/snack? Well, guys, today's the day. Today's the day!

If you have ever been to Disney World, I'm sure you've passed by the Aloha Isle snack stand which is located in Adventureland right across from the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. Have you ever stopped there? Surely you have.. right? Well, if you have, you know the dreamy sweet goodness that is a Dole Pineapple Whip float. Oh. Em. Gee. It's absolutely delicious!

I found a recipe that you can make at home, and with a few of my own alterations,  let me just say, it is pretty darn tasty. It is best served immediately after the initial freeze time, but I guess you could thaw it in the fridge a little if you needed to make it ahead or had left overs. I haven't had leftovers. ;) Anyway, here ya go! (Make sure you read this all the way through before attempting.)

Knock-off Dole Pineapple Whip Floats

2 20z cans of Dole crushed pineapple
2 T lemon juice
2 T lime juice
Any eeeeensy weensy bit of lemon and lime zest, added to the pineapple
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream, whipped

Drain your pineapple, and reserve the juice in the fridge. Place pineapple, lemon and lime juice, zest, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice in a blender. Cover and blend until it's nice and smooth.

Pour this mixture into 2 one-quart zip top freezer bags. Place bags FLAT in the freezer and freeze until slushy. It usually takes about 1.5 hours.

Once the pineapple mixture is slushy, gently fold it into the whipped cream in a large bowl until it is just lightly blended. (You don't want to kill the fluff of the whipped cream.)  Cover, and return the entire mixture back to the freezer until it's completely frozen. It should take about 1 hr. At this point it is ready to serve.

You may serve the Dole Whip "ice cream" exactly as it is, or you can serve it as a float. (My favorite!) To serve it as a float:
Fill a glass about 1/3 of the way with the chilled, reserved pineapple juice. Add a hefty scoop of your Dole whip, and then top with a little more juice if needed. YUMMO!

Personally, I like to use my straw to stir the extra juice into the "ice cream" and drink it as a thick, cold, creamy drink. Mmmm...

I think I may go "whip" some of these up now! :) Enjoy! ....and let me know if you try it!

Road trip!

     Anyone who knows me knows I love to travel. I haven't done nearly as much traveling as I would like thus far in my life, but it is something I really enjoy. I love to see new places, try new cuisine, observe new cultures, etc. I also love to visit regions of the US that I haven't before. My dear hubby grew up all over more than any place else. He's lived in Louisiana, Florida, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Wyoming, California, and probably some others that I forgot to mention. I have lived in 3 towns in the same state.. one until I went to college, one until I married, and now the other.

        Anyway, although I haven't seen near as many places as I would like, I love to soak in a new place when I do. This past week, we traveled to one of my favorites.. Sunshiney Florida! (Ok, so I know it hasn't been terribly sunshiney for the past few days since Debby Downer came to town, but generally speaking...) Anyway, we decided to make it a road trip. We drove down (in 15.5 hours) to lovely
Melbourne.

Indian Harbour Beach near Melbourne, FL

      While there, we drove to this amazing, beautiful state park about 18 miles south down A-1A (the coastal highway.) Sebastian State Park is absolutely gorgeous. The picture is an aerial view, and it will sort of help you to see the whole layout of the place. Basically, as you are driving down A-1A, you go across a massive bridge across this inlet. (Sebastian Inlet, actually.) On the right side of the bridge, there is a beautiful lagoon, and on the left, the most gorgeous beach and fishing pier ever. Well, here.. have a look.

Sebastian Inlet, Sebastian, FL. LOVELY!

                                      

     You can see that this photo was taken with the beach side and pier in the foreground, to the right of the picture. To the right of the pier is the GORGEOUS beach, which is actually very quiet. It has spectacular waves, and lots of surfers like to hang out there. We saw quite a few doing their thing, which was a first for me. There are also a ton of porpoise and dolphin sightings out past the waves. So incredible to see them play!
        If you look just behind where the bridge crosses the inlet, you'll see the shallow lagoon. It's a fantastic picnic spot with its own little beach, tables, etc. The lagoon is roped off for swimming, and it's only about chest deep at the deepest point. A lot of times, manatees make their way into the lagoon, but we didn't happen to see any while we were there.
        In addition to the beach and lagoon, there are also hiking and bike trails you can take. I hear it's an absolute haven for bird lovers, and there are many different types of small wildlife in the area. The best part about it is you can stay there all day, bike, kayak, surf, fish, frolic, swim, hike, relax, nature watch, etc. for only $8 for an entire carload of your family and friends!

   Another really cool stop we made was Kennedy Space Center. I expected a launch pad and a museum. I got so much more! I really had no idea that KSC was located on a wildlife preserve! Wow! It was incredibly beautiful. We saw a giant nest of bald eagles, marsh, forest.. lovely. I found out that Merritt Island is home to many, many alligators (approximately 1800 per sq. mile!), manatees, fish, birds of all kinds, deer, raccoon, and basically any other animal you can imagine being located in the southeastern United States.
     Aside from the wildlife, there's also a ton to learn about the space program, past and present. We saw an IMAX presentation of images from the Hubble Telescope (narrated by Leo DiCaprio, no less), which was astounding. We saw pieces of Apollo shuttles, we saw pieces of the moon, we watched an entire presentation on the first moon landing, the inception of the Apollo program, etc. We went to a launch pad. We did a simulation of a launch. We saw space suits! It was incredible. I loved it.

Stole this from the website.. Apollo modules

    After leaving KSC (we had been there ALL day!) we stopped at a gem of a restaurant in Titusville called Dixie Crossroads. I'd been there before when I was in college, but didn't realize it until we got inside. It was a moderately-priced restaurant, and was typical of most seafood restaurants in the area, but it was really enjoyable. The highlight of the menu, I think, was the meal my hubby and I shared. (Yes, that's right. We shared one entree. It was HUGE.) Here's a photo:

Our amazing seafood feast!

                                

     Yep. That's one plate. Crab legs, an entire lobster, shrimp, scallops, and 2 side dishes! He had cheese grits, I had the baked potato (not shown.) It also came with an entire basket of sweet corn fritters. The best part? The entire meal was only $35. Yes, a lot if only one person was eating this, but I'm telling you, it was plenty to share. And it was very tasty. We also split a piece of  key lime pie afterwards, but I didn't get a pic of that. It was homemade, and it was deeeeeelish! Check this place out if you are ever in Titusville.

     It's the day after Kennedy! What are you going to do? I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD! That's right, folks. My first ever trip to Disney World. Keith grew up going to Disneyland in Cali, and Disney World, so he wasn't nearly as excited as I was, but let me tell you.. I was pumped! Since we only had one day to spend at Disney, we decided to opt for Magic Kingdom -- the Disneyest of all.

The Happiest Place on Earth!

                                

     I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. I was very impressed that the lines and the rides were mostly indoors, so even though it rained off and on all day, it was manageable. Yes, we did get completely soaked at one point (and had to buy t-shirts to change into),  but it was great. My favorite ride of the day was the Haunted Mansion. More of a drive-through show than ride, it was amazing. Loved the holographic ghosts. Super, super cool. My favorite part? Meeting Mickey and Minnie, of course. Hubby totally made fun of me, but I don't care. He wasn't nearly as thrilled as I was, but what can I say? I'm a kid at heart! (I'm working on uploading a photo of that, but it isn't cooperating. I'll try to get to it later.)

     For dinner at Magic Kingdom, we ate at Tony's Town Square. (Think Lady and the Tramp sit-down Italian.) The highlight of the meal? Surprisingly, it was a tomato and mozzerella salad dressed in balsamic vinegar. What's that you say? "Don't you hate tomatoes?" Yes. But I guess there was some Disney magic going on, because it was fantastic. I think the combination of all the components is what did it for me. It was less about the tomato and more about the dish itself. And it was pretty.

Yummy tomatoes.. something I never thought I'd say!

                                      
  

   We also had yummy snack, but I'll share more about that tomorrow! (Hint: it comes with a recipe!)


   Finally, on our food and fun road trip, one more Italian place. (We like it, can you tell?) We had originally planned to dress all up and head to a nice steak house on our last night in Florida. Unfortunately, the directions we had for the one we planned to go to were pretty crappy, and we couldn't find it. So, we set back toward the hotel intent on finding something good. Well, a mile before we got back to the hotel, we spotted this place we'd passed by all week long, Melo's Ristorante. We decided to give it a try. It looked pretty run-of-the-mill on the outside, but the parking lot was packed, and that's always a good sign.

Melo's Ristorante, Indian Harbour, FL

     I had to steal this picture from the restaurant's website because the photo I took that evening didn't save. Anyway, it looked nice enough on the outside, so we stopped. What we found inside was even better! It is a really nice, quaint-upscale (is that even a thing?) Italian restaurant. The owner has been doing the cooking for over 20 years. He uses fresh ingredients and everything is homemade - pasta, sauces, hand-pounded cutlets, hand cut steaks, you name it. The service was excellent. We shared a server with only 2 other tables. Tuxedo pants, white shirt, white towel, bow tie. They filled your water glass nearly every time you took a sip, and were incredibly friendly and professional.

      We had some calimari for an appetizer, and HOLY COW. I love calimari, but I don't think I'll ever enjoy it as much from the chain places. It was hand cut, perect light breading, and melt-in-your-mouth tender, which is atypical of calimari. My entree was veal parmigiana (one of my favorites,) and it was fantastic. The homemade linguini and sauce was to die for. Hubby had a veal porterhouse and some kind of green vegetable that I'd never seen or heard of. The steak was thick, cooked to perfection, and although the greens were a little bitter for his taste, he said they were cooked and seasoned wonderfully. Although we were absolutely stuffed, we couldn't turn down house-made dessert. He had a half-slice of key lime raspberry white chocolate cheesecake (yep), and it was wonderful. Mine was better, though. I had a cannoli.. mmmm... I can almost smell it now just thinking about it. Perfect.


   Our week-long vacation was pretty amazing, but I have to say it is wonderful to be home in my own bed, in my own space, and with my sweet "Fur-Baby" Asa. Hope you enjoyed your virtual trip alongside us, and happy travels to you this vacation season! :)



Super Quick Update!

Hello, faithful followers! (Ok, I think there are 2 of you.) Just a short and quick update to let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, and to (hopefully) intrigue you of things to come.

Here's what I have in the works for you lovelies in the days to come! (In no particular order)

*Travel Update!
*Products I LOVE test runs and thoughts
*A tasty recipe :-D
*A crafty project
*Classroom things

I know, I know! I'm a magical conglomoration of topics. I like to think of it as "a little something for everyone."

Until then....

Painting with a ....Twist ;)

I just wanted to take a couple of seconds to share with you guys the most fabulous game I've ever played! Who doesn't love to get silly with a game of Twister? Well, tonight for the last night of youth VBS, we took it to a completely different level!

Here's what you will need:
A large disposable plastic table cloth
Green, Red, Yellow,and Blue paint (I used 2 large-size bottles of acrylic paint in each color -- you could use tempera if you wanted it to be washable. We wanted to stain our shirts, so we chose acrylic.)
White paint (optional, just for extra messiness.. )
A Twister board spinner
(You can make cards to draw out of a hat if you don't own the game!)
Old clothes
That's it! You play just like regular Twister, but here's what happens....



During the game.... we had just started!

The aftermath!

Happy Twister-ing! :)

Youth VBS and an easy, yummy snack!

So, Sunday night we started youth VBS for our kiddos. We kicked off with our first night of the series "visiting" Victoria Falls and Devil's Pool, followed by a super fun pool party in my back yard. I have to say, it was just about perfect. We had an absolute blast.

Last night, we "visited" the Paricutin Volcano in Mexico. Wow.. what a shock it must have been for the guy just casually plowing his cornfield with then ground split open and a volcano began to grow. Insane! I cannot imagine..

Anyway, in tribute to our Mexico lesson, we had fajitas for dinner (picked up from Los Pantalones in PVille...) and I made the snack suggested for dessert...  sopapillas!

Have you guys had sopapillas? (Come on, I know you have!) They are so yummy! Puffy little airpockets rolled in cinnamon sugar, drizzled with honey...  I've made them before, but it has always required a good bit of time.. mixing and kneading the dough, rolling them out, cutting them into pieces, frying, sugaring.. Don't get me wrong, they are fantastic, but they just take a lot of time.

Well, guess what! I found a SUPER easy short cut that I'm about to share! I looked at several different recipes before I realized the sopapilla dough and homemade tortilla dough are VERY similar, so here is my twist. Pretty tasty if I do say so myself!



Short-cut Sopapillas

8-10 flour tortillas -- the fresher the better!
(I used handmade tortillas from the Latin section in our local deli)
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/4-1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Honey and/or Chocolate syrup for drizzling


Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a small paper bag. Set aside. In a heavy pan, heat about 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, insert the tip of the end of a wooden spoon. When it gives off a steady stream of small bubbles, it's ready.
Cut the tortillas into wedges (I cut them into fourths). When your oil is ready, place 4-5 wedges into the oil (single layer) and fry, flipping frequently. Your tortilla wedges should reach a light golden color. (Takes about 2-3 minutes). Place on paper towel to drain slightly.
Once your tortillas are fried, but before they are completely cool, put a few at a time in the bag of cinnamon sugar, and shake to coat! That's it! Serve them drizzled with honey or chocolate sauce.
They can be stored in a ziploc bag to give as gifts or to save for later.. if you have any left! Yummy!
Enjoy!


Chel with her yummy sopapillas!