Good Food for a Cold Winter Night

Normally recipes find their way to my other blog, but I hesitate to put this over there because I doubt that you could classify this as healthy food. Oh, it's good food and I wouldn't say that it is unhealthy, but it does have a lot of fat in the way of cheese and cream.

In any case, I just threw a few things together to come up with my own Chili Verde con Queso y Limas.

1 lb dry lima beans
2 boneless chicken breasts
3 cups shredded Colby/Monterrey Jack cheese mix
1 cup shredded asiago cheese
1/2 cup cream
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped spinach leaves
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 onion (chopped)
2 jalapeno peppers (chopped)
4 Serrano peppers (chopped)
garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste

I did the quick soak on the lima beans, bringing them to a boil in a pot for 2 minutes and then covering them and letting them sit for an hour.

I put the chicken breasts in the crock pot on high with some garlic, chili powder and 2 cups of water.

After rinsing the beans, I moved the chicken breasts and remaining liquid to the pot with a little more water and continued to cook them on med/high heat. The limas went into the crock pot on high with 2 cups of water and 2 cups of chicken broth.

I added the rest of the ingredients as they were ready. (The only reason I added the shredded zucchini is because it was in the freezer for green smoothies!) I added the cheese a cup at a time to let it melt in slowly.

When the chicken breasts were fully cooked, I chopped them up, added them (along with the remaining liquid) to the beans and continued to cook on high for about 90 minutes, seasoning it to taste.

I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out!
If you give it try, let me know what you think.

Bon Appetit!
John <><

From the Kitchen!

For those of you that don't follow my other blog, you might want to check it out for a couple of pretty good recipes!

Healthy Living (by an unhealthy guy!)

John <><

Writers are Readers, Right?

One of the pleasures of a little more leisure time is having the time to read.

In the coming weeks, I hope to post about some of the books I'm reading (or have recently finished) and perhaps get some suggestions for reading material, as well. In recent years, I haven't been much on works of fiction other than an occasional read from one of my author friends. I've been leaning more towards books on apologetics, health, science and other works that are more about learning than about escape. I am certainly not opposed to works of fiction; I just haven't given much of my limited time to it, recently.

I'm in a constant battle with myself over time spent reading articles in my social media news feeds and time spent reading more worthwhile stuff. Not that there isn't worthwhile material on the news feeds, it's just that you have to sort through so much crap to find it.

It might be time to sort through my Twitter account and eliminate accounts that I follow like I did my Facebook account several months ago. The truth is that I scroll past many of the posts without ever really checking them out. I am learning from them, though. I do find that I'm more likely to click a link that has a picture than one that just has an address link. So...I guess I should include pictures if I want people to click on my posts!

Currently, I am beginning to read more as research for my own book. I don't have any self imposed deadlines and am not particularly motivated to be in a hurry to get anything published. I'm more interested in just moving in the right direction ... and to keep moving, even if it's slowly.

I'll spend more time with you later. Right now, there are books to be read, other posts to be written and life to be lived!

Have a grand weekend!
Be well,

John <><

(I just added the bookshelf pic for the link!)

"God told me to..." and other things I hate to hear people say.

I hate to use the word hate, but sometimes I can't think of another word that really describes how I feel. I guess I could say that it really disturbs me when..., but I feel like that is its own kind of PC/patronizing kind of phrase.

Maybe I'm just jealous that God doesn't speak to me in such a clear voice that I can say, "God told me..."  I have certainly prayed over situations and felt that God was leading me in a certain direction. I have shared in sermons and posts things that I feel that God has revealed to me as I read the Bible. But I can really only think of one time when I felt the confidence to say that I heard God speak to me about a matter that I was praying about.

When a politician says that God told him (or her) to run for office, what do you say when you lose? That God didn't say you would win? That the hundreds of thousands of dollars of others people's money spent on your campaign was for your personal growth? That God was defeated by ungodly people at the polls?

When God tells you to quit your job and move to another city and it doesn't work out, was God wrong?

I know that we often go through hardships that make us stronger and prepare us for things to come. I believe that God uses our past to help us in the present. I know that I have no understanding of God's ways nor knowledge of His plans. I know that I have misread God's instructions and direction in my own life as much, or more than pretty much everyone I know. Maybe I need to have more faith that God really is speaking to me and my decisions are not clouded by my desires.

Okay, so I'll concede that maybe I just don't understand how somebody can be so certain that their actions are by God's command. I'm still going to find it difficult to place a lot of trust in that person, but I'll relent from my hatred of the phrase.

I was going to go on about a few other things that bug me, but I'll save those for another post.

I should mention that there are things that God does clearly tell us. He commands us to love Him and to love one another. He commands us to tell others about his love and grace. Best of all, He tells us that he loves us!

Whether or not God spoke to me in an audible voice or through his Word, I do believe that God told me to tell you that He loves you and sent his Son, Jesus, to die for you.

John <><

Fat, Dumb and Happy

Fat, dumb and happy -- a phrase generally used to describe someone that is oblivious to the situation around them and goes about their life as if there was nothing wrong.

It's unfortunate that I have harshly criticized others for their complacent ignorance in the past when I can say that find myself in that very place today. It has been a short while (six months or so) that I have really avoided most "news" channels on TV. I am careful about what I read as news on the internet (choosing not to get news sources from Facebook and Facebook friends). As a rule, I would say that I am uninformed, or at least under-informed, about most current events today. Another unfortunate reality is that I would still do better than most Americans that believe they are well informed but have believed the lies they've been told by today's media outlets. (Sigh)

I didn't watch the Grammy's last night and don't know, nor do I care who won. I have no idea about the latest news on Kim's big butt or if it is still in the news. I read the text of President Obama's address about the realities of religion in the past and don't get the big offense that conservatives are taking from it. I didn't watch yesterday's Blackhawks/Blues hockey game but know that the Blues lost. I know that next week pitchers and catchers report to MLB's Spring Training Camps, but have to keep in mind that nothing that happens on the diamond is of any real importance ... to anybody that doesn't have a financial interest in the game.

All of my ignorance makes writing a blog pretty difficult.

I doubt there are very many people that care to know all of the things that I don't care about. What is there to write about when you are uniformed or apathetic about the great stressors in most people's lives. (Did you know that gas prices are going up again?)

As much as I enjoy writing and would like to spend some time every day doing so, I just don't know if that's going to continue to be the case.

I guess I'll just write about the things that are important to me and not really worry if anybody else cares to read or not. There was a time when I wrote what ever popped into my pea-brained head and didn't care about who agreed or disagreed. I managed to alienate many readers and even some friends. At some point I sold out and began to write what I thought people would read and come back for more. Shame on me.

I don't know what is next for Out of My Hat. I think I'll go back to the archives and read some of the early posts, some of the popular posts and some of the not so popular posts. I think I'll need to decide if writing is for me to vent or if it matters that I share ideas and stimulate thought. It's pretty obvious that this post is just a rant to help me sort things out in my own head. If you've manged to stay with me this far, let me give you a little gem that you can take with you today.

It's the least I can do.

God loves you.
Jesus died for you.

John <><

Spiritual Health Reality Check

Most of you are aware that I have recently taken on some pretty big health changes. A little over a year and a half ago I made the decision to get healthy. I started to eat better. I cut out junk food, fast food, most processed foods and most starchy foods. I started eating less at a time and eating more often. I ate more fruits and vegetables, fewer calorie dense foods and drank more water.

After I dropped about 30 pounds, I started walking ... every day. On most days it was around two miles. On many days it was more. I walked in the rain. I walked in the cold. If it was too bad, I rode a stationary bike. For about six months, I exercised with very few days off.

I knew that to get from being very overweight and in poor physical condition to being more healthy was going to take three main things; changing my diet, getting some physical activity and time.

I managed to lose 54 pounds in a year, 60 in the 54 weeks before my 54th birthday.

I'm sharing the high points of my physical journey to better health because I think the the same process needs to take place in a spiritual health journey. When I take the time to make an honest assessment of my spiritual health, it looks a lot like my physical health once looked -- overweight and badly out of shape.

To change my spiritual intake, I'm going to have to cut out a lot of junk food. I've already managed to reduce exposure to some negativity in the way of people interaction, but there is so much more that needs to be cut out. I've been spending a lot less time of Facebook where there is a pretty constant stream of rants, lies and childlike whining. I've pretty much quit watching any "news" stations that all seem to have their own warped ideas of how and what they report as news. In many ways, I've become less informed about the things that are going on in the political sphere, the economic world and even the lives of many of the people I know. In truth, these things have very little to do with my day to day life. I have little or no power to change them. They have little to no impact on how I will live today. And worrying about them, gossiping about them, getting other people to worry about them serves no good purpose, whatsoever.

It's just junk food for the mind and soul. It's the kind of stuff that fills you up so that you are unable to enjoy the good wholesome, encouraging stuff that you need for a healthy attitude and healthy spirit. Filling up on that crap all day and then expecting to be spiritually "healthy" because you've managed to read a few chapters in your Bible is like pigging out on donuts for breakfast, burgers and fries for lunch, snacking on chips, cookies, and twinkies (do they still make those?) all day and then feeling all healthy because you have a salad for dinner.

We know that it doesn't work that way physically (we keep doing it anyway), why don't we see that it doesn't work that way spiritually. Not only is there a need to fill up on good conversation and interaction with like-minded people, but there is an even greater need to stop filling up on the toxic conversations and interactions that are killing your spiritual growth.

And as much as we need to change our spiritual diet, we also (desperately) need to get some spiritual exercise! We need to -- uh oh, get this -- practice what we preach! We need to DO something!

I know that there are people of different faith backgrounds that read this, but for the moment I'm going to address those that share the same Christian beliefs that I have.

Being a (spiritually) healthy Christian is going to take more than going to church on Sunday. It's going to take more than reading your bible every day. It's going to take more than preaching about going to church and reading your bible. And it's going to take more than only hanging around the church with other spiritually unhealthy believers.

I think that it's time for me to get some spiritual exercise.

Like with establishing a habit of physical exercise (I've started, stopped and restarted numerous times), it's going to take some time.

Changing my spiritual diet is going to mean getting good nutrition from reading the Bible and other good, spiritually nutritious books as well as cutting out the toxic junk that tries to make its way onto my spiritual plate.
Getting some spiritual exercise is going to mean that I will have to have some interaction with people and bring them the Good News that God loves them and Jesus died for them. This will take more than just preaching at them; it will take building relationships with them and teaching them the ways of my Lord and Savior (making disciples).

And like with the physical part, good spiritual health is going to take some time.

Be patient with me, my friends.
I'm working it.

John <><

Going with the Flow

It's another beautiful day in the Ozarks -- a sunny, but cool winter morning. There is a light dusting of snow and frost on the street in front of my house that will melt off pretty quickly today. It is not supposed to get too warm today, but the weekend is supposed to be very springlike in its temperatures.

In keeping with my introverted tendencies and my retirement isolation, yesterday's personal interactions total (other than Chris) was 1. That was the guy that came to do the appraisal for our re-fi.

Today will be different as the Missouri Baptist State Evangelism Conference begins in Springfield. This afternoon and tomorrow will find me greeting old friends and talking about evangelistic events and revivals that will be taking place throughout the state this year. It would be a tremendous blessing to book a couple of events.

One of the things that I've noticed in my mini-isolation period is that I don't keep up on the news very well. There is plenty of unreliable news available on Facebook and there are good news sources in my Twitter feed, but I tend to ignore most Facebook links and just haven't felt the need to follow up on many of those Twitter links. Right now, my little corner of the world is a peaceful place and I like it that way.

I managed to get somethings done yesterday without interacting with anyone else. I didn't have the radio on for news or music. The house was ... quiet. It was wonderful!

Today will be different, but that's okay. I'll stop for coffee on the way to the conference and I will enjoy my time talking with old friends. If I feel like I need to get away, I can. I'm sure that it will be a good day. There has been no real stress in my life this week and I don't expect any today. Plans have been pretty loose and I am just going with the flow.

So far, it's been a pretty smooth ride.

John <><

Time Management

How many times have you heard some old, retired person say, "I'm so busy now that I don't know how I ever had time for work!"

Okay, so I'm not that busy yet, but there is something on my calendar for every day this week and something for every week this month! Granted, some of it is just personal stuff and has nothing to do with work or ministry of any kind, but it's still something that has to be done or someplace that I need to be.

I'm slow, but I have been making the transition to using the calendar on my phone rather than carrying a day planner or pocket calendar. I'm trying to get used to checking it daily but it's still a habit in its formative stages. I know that there are many features on this little device that I carry with me everywhere (my "smarter than me" phone) that I do not use. I think it's kind of a generational thing. Yesterday, I was taking notes on my phone and got a couple of looks from others at the meeting. When I had the chance, I let them know that I was using it to keep notes, not ignoring what was being said.

In any case, I'm curious about how others manage their time. some people seem to be very good time managers while others never seem to get things done. Some work very hard at it. Others make it look easy. Some people take great pride in letting you know how busy they are and why they can't do one more thing. Other very busy people always seem to be able to make time for one more thing.

Calendar, clock, alarms; how do you manage your time?
How do you guard your time? How do you block personal/family time, study time, exercise time, down time?
How do you keep from wasting time?

Without that eight hour work day, the hour and a half of travel time and the get ready for work time, I have about ten additional hours to manage on my own. Before, somebody else had control of that time. I want to make it productive. I could use some help in figuring out how to do that.

I know, it's definitely a first world problem...and it's my problem, not yours. Still, if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

John <><

It's February!

While much of the country is getting snow this weekend, the Ozarks managed to get rain (when it was above freezing) and wind (now that the temperature has dropped).
On the one hand, that's good since you don't have to shovel rain or wind! On the other hand, I was kind of hoping for some wintry weather just because I don't have to get out in it!

We have had a pretty mild winter so far, but there are still plenty of days ahead and I doubt that we'll escape unscathed.

But it is February!

February is the month that pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training Camp!
February is the month that baseball gets underway.
February is the month that baseball fans across the country realize that if baseball is starting in Arizona and Florida, then spring is just around the corner! I can already taste that ball park hotdog!

I know, I know. February is more than just baseball.

For me, it will also be a time for me to plan much of my ministry calendar.
With two evangelism conferences (one at the beginning of the month and one at the end) I hope to make a few contacts and secure a few dates for camps, revivals, special events, etc. The year is already shaping up nicely.

I hope that you enjoy your February!

John <><

What is a Christian?

We all have our ideas of what makes somebody a Christian. Some might have the simple answer of someone that is trusting in Jesus for salvation. Someone else might be a little more vague and say a Christian is a follower of Jesus. Some will be more literal and say a little Christ.

Personally, I don't like the word Christian.

And in today's world, it has come full circle and is back to being spoken with disdain and disrespect. Unlike the original derogatory term, today's disrespect for Christianity may be deserved.

We are told that first century disciples of Jesus called themselves...well, disciples of Jesus or Followers of The Way. I wonder if those terms would work for us today. Are we (those that claim to be Christians) disciples of Jesus or followers of the way? Are we studying His ways and following His commands?  Are we making disciples? Are we loving others as ourselves? Are we living life as He would live it?

If modelling Jesus' behavior and following His commands are prerequisites for wearing the label of Christian, then I find myself falling far short of the mark. I am not a dedicated student. I am not a close follower. And I am certainly not anything close to being a little Christ.

At best, I am a pitiful sinner, saved by God's amazing grace.

In today's multi-cultural, politically inspired, self-serving language, I don't think I want to be called a Christian -- not by any sect of our society (including self proclaimed Christians). And I often think that I am a poor spokesperson for the God that has saved me from eternal condemnation. Maybe the pulpit preaching and "professional Christian" thing isn't really for me.

Until I get it figured out, I guess I'll just keep working on being a better me...one small step at a time.

John <><