SORRY NO BLOG TODAY!!!

I have much to do and the deadline is breathing down my neck! My entire future relies upon the next 72 hours. Okay well maybe not THAT serious, but pretty darn close! Maybe if I can make some head way then there will be a Food post tomorrow. Those always make me happy. 'Til then.

Gotta Go Wrestle This Beast!

Sorry there is not going to be more of a post today, but I am tired and have many miles to go before I sleep. This is just turning into quite a busy week and I need to get caught up on a few pressing items. I am preaching this weekend so you can remember me in prayer.
Well it also looks as though the price of things will be going up over the next two years. With Democrats running the House there is sure to be a rise in the minimum wage. I still can't believe these yahoos keep trying to get votes by talking about improving the standard of living by raising the minimum wage. What's worse is poor people keep voting for them thinking their lives will be better.
People People People! If a candy bar costs $.50 today, and the guy running the store pays you $5.15 an hour to sale said candy bar, then when the minimum wage goes up $.1o then the price of the candy bar goes up. The guy has to make up the difference somewhere, and he sure ain't gonna cut into his profits to pay you more! Hence the price goes up!!! Your standard of living has not changed one iota!!!
Then there's the war! The war on terror! Remember 9/11!!! Cause it seems as though a lot of people have forgotten. War is tough, soldiers die, it's tragic, and yet Iraq is the right thing to do! They're gonna hang Saddam! He needed to be taken out of power as did Hitler. We need to stay the course.
Okay I guess watching election results has got me in a frenzy!!! I really do need to go and do other things. So I am off! Hope you enjoy your day!

People Don't Change

I have heard this before from many people. This is a lie! Thank God people change!
The first and most important change that a person can go through is changing our relationship to God. We are all born sinners, serperated from God. We seek our own desires and will always seek the pleasures of our flesh. We are sad unhappy beings trying to find meaning and a purpose in this life. After we come to Christ though, we become new creatures! Certainly there are hints of that old person there but the Holy Spirit is daily working to make us more Christlike and into the person that He would have us be. We think less of ourselves and more about what would bring Christ the most glory.
Another change is simply just the maturing of life. The move from childhood to adolescence to college to adult. Now I will admit that these lines are very fuzzy in some people. It would also seem that many people are stuck in one of these stages even though the years keep rolling by, but eventually time will catch up. Desires start to change and responsibility grows.
Anyway the picture you see above are all friends from college. I have done many outrageous things over the years with these guys. Seeing these guys brings back a lot of memories of a lot of STUPID things. The thing that really amazes me is to think about where we are all now and how we got here. We have had to bail each other out of some many crazy situations and yet in that picture you see a future doctor, lawyer, three ministers, a restaurant manager, and a teacher! Oh the places we have come from! I'll be the first to admit that for many men growing up comes with the presence of a woman upon the scene, but hey we did it didn't we!
Congratulations guys! I am proud of you!

Oh and thanks Missy for marrying me so that I do not have to live in a cabin in the woods with one of these guys! HA! There was a time I would have loved nothing more, but I really like curling up with you every night instead!!!

The Weekend Harvest

This weekend my friend Benji and I went hunting on a farm that he has permission to hunt on. We have been hunting there for a few weeks now, seeing a few deer here and there but nothing really encouraging. Then last Saturday we did a little scouting on a different part of the farm. There we found some really good sign.
For those who do not know, bucks will rub their antlers on the bark of young trees in the fall when they feel their testosterone levels going up. This scratches the bark making sign typically known as a rub. They will also make a scrape. A scrape is an area where a buck will scrape the leaves away fro the ground leaving only bare ground. After standing over the bare spot, they will then urinate on their tarsal glands which are on the back of their legs. This will leave scent behind so that other deer will know that he is using this area. Typically there will also be a licking branch over the scrape.
I know I know! This is really weird behavior, but seriously is it any weirder than any typical teenage boy when he feels the surge of testosterone rushing through his blood!? HA!
Well last weekend we found some really good sign, a lot of good rubs in a row plus a couple of scrapes. We decided to hang some tree stands in this area and come back this Saturday. Benji would hunt the trail leading to the rubs, and I would hunt a nearby ridge that looked to be a good bedding area.
Saturday morning we got up REALLY early and headed out. I got up in my stand and got settled. It was still too dark to see so I sat down. I soon heard what sounded like a herd of elephants moving through the thickets on top of the ridge but it was still too dark to see. It soon got a bit lighter as the sun was coming up. I checked to see whether or not I could even see the pins on my bow yet (if I can’t see the pins then I cannot know what I am aiming at). I couldn’t see the pins though, so I waited. I soon heard something coming my way from behind my stand. I turned to see the buck coming my way. I have a few places open enough to shoot an arrow, but I had one clearing that was really open. Well the buck headed right into the opening and stood. I drew my bow knowing that I may not be able to see my pins. My top pin is a green color. I looked through my peep sight. As soon as a saw a glimmer of green I let lose the arrow. It was a direct hit! The buck went down, before the morning even began.
Since it was still early I stayed in the stand. An hour later a doe came right underneath my stand so I shot her as well. After she was down, Benji radioed and asked if we could stay a little longer. I said sure. I looked out into the field and there stood two HUGE does. They milled around for awhile but soon turned to head straight towards Benji. Five minutes later Benji radioed and asked if I was ready to work. He had gotten a doe as well!
Well like he said, then the real work began. We had to drag the three deer out, skin them, clean them, and butcher them. It was a long process but with two people working we made fairly quick work of it. Now all that is left is to finish trimming the fat, cut the tenderloin, and grind the rest into burger.
This takes care of meat for next year. I hope to get maybe one or two more because some deer jerky is QUITE a nice snack!

Epicurean Delight or Fish Bait?

That's right it's Friday and time for another post about food! Today I think I will discuss one of my favorite foods in the world-sushi!
Sushi is so good that I do not know even where to begin. But first let me address the obvious gagging that is going on in the room. That's right! I know some of you are already getting sick thinking of eating RAW FISH! I have heard all of the jokes. The most common is, "Hey fella, around here we call that Bait!" I understand the joke. I even think it is a little funny, but man what you are missing out on.
I cannot remember the first time I had sushi. It must have been in college sometime. I just remember really wanting to try sushi. I mean I love trying new and adventurous foods, so raw fish was right up my alley. I got started eating sushi, as many do, by just having a roll of some type. This is when they take a bit of raw fish, some vegetables, and roll the whole thing in vinegar rice and seaweed. I loved it!
The next step was to finally just eat large chunks of raw fish served on top of rice. The is when you really get to taste the flavor and the texture of the fish. The flavors are so mild yet taste really clean.
Most sushi is served with a side of wasabi which is basically a type of ground horseradish that is made into a paste. This is the really HOTTTT stuff. You basically only need to tip your chopstick in this to get the desired flavor, any more and you overpower the taste of the sushi. Another typical side is soy sauce for dipping. This is also a flavor that can overpower the sushi so it needs to be used sparingly. Just a quick dip of the sushi piece is all that is needed. Lastly most sushi is served with a few strips of thinly sliced ginger root. Man I could eat me weight in this stuff. I absolutely LOVE ginger! If I understand right, though, the ginger is there to cleanse the palette so that a new flavor can be enjoyed. I don't know if I an using it correctly, but I always eat all of my ginger.
This brings us to one of my most favorite dining experiences of my life. The problem with sushi is that there is A LOT of different varieties. I would love to try them all but sushi can get rather expensive if you try and eat very much at all. Well...that is until one day I noticed that there is a place here in Louisville that offers All-you-can-eat Sushi!!! Man I was so excited, but it was of course pretty expensive for them to let you just start piling on the sushi. Missy gave it to me one year as part of my birthday present. I know many of you think that eating ONE meal is a horrible waste of a birthday present, but this is me! I know you may think I should spend it on something that lasts for longer than just a hour or so, but trust me this memory will be with me for a lifetime!
We have already discussed how my wife's tongue is broken. She does not like sushi. Of course that might have something to do with the fact that I gave her a whole glob of wasabi to eat, because she did not know what it was. This was when we were dating and she would trust me with anything. You can't expect someone to not have a little fun with a person THAT trusting. Man I miss those days! HA!
Well anyway, she wanted me to experience the all-you-can-eat sushi but did not want to go herself. So we asked my friend Ashby to go. If an event involves food and the words "all-you-can-eat", then trust me you want Ashby to come along! The boy can hammer down some food! So we went, we ate, we CONQUERED! It was magnificent! It was great being able to just keep ordering different pieces of sushi at will. Plus we got to actually sit at the sushi bar and watch the artists do their thing! The guys that roll sushi are really awesome to watch. There is a lot of training that goes into rolling sushi and handling raw fish.
Well this night I became the Fullest I have ever been. When I say full, I don' just mean "we had to unbutton the top of our pants" full. I mean at one point I was chewing on a bite thinking to myself, "I am gonna have to spit this thing out, because I can't swallow! There is no more room in my belly!" Needless to say we were both miserable the next day at work, but man was it worth it!
So get out there and go try some fish bait!

The Wandering Sheep

All of us have one thing in common. We are all sinners in need of grace. That grace HAS been offered by a loving and sovereign God. We have only but to turn from our own path and towards the LORD.
I know many people that read this blog have already accepted Christ, but do we all live like it. Do we live like people that have been ransomed? Do we live like people who were once lost but now found? Do we live with the daily thoughts that our sins have been forgiven?
No! Most of us live with a lot of baggage. We let the weight of past and present sins cover us up with guilt and shame. What we are REALLY good at is helping others to remember their failures. Therefore no one in the church is living to their full potential. Those outside of the church see the church as a placed to be judged and condemned. This is not the gospel!!!
Our Sovereign LORD sacrificed much so that we might be offered forgiveness and a new start. Let us live the life of new creatures! Let us seek repentance not only from God but from each other. By going to your brother and seeking forgiveness, the opportunity is there for you to both lay down some of your baggage. The healing can begin.
One of my favorite songs telling the story of God's limitless love for His people is by Andrew Peterson.

The Ninety and Nine
There were ninety and nine that safely layIn the shelter of the fold
But one was out on the hills awayFar off from the gates of gold
Away on the mountains, wild and bare
Away from the tender shepherd's care
Away from the tender shepherd's care"

Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine
Are they not enough for Thee"
But the shepherd made answer"
This of mine has wandered far from me
And though the road be rough and steep
I go to the desert to find my sheep
I go to the desert to find my sheep"

But none of the ransomed ever knew
How deep were the waters crossed
Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through
Ere He found His sheep that was lost
Out in the desert He heard its cry
Sick and helpless and ready to die
Sick and helpless and ready to die

But all through the mountains, thunder riven
And up from the rocky steep
There rose a glad cry at the gates of Heaven
"Rejoice, I have found my sheep!"
And the angels echoed around the throne
"Rejoice for the Lord brings back His own!
Rejoice for the Lord brings back His own!"

It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's My Nephew!

Last night was Halloween. I am NOT going to argue the point about whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween or not. I know many of my good protestant friends celebrated Reformation Day as an alternative to Halloween. I guess that's perfectly fine, but really whatever floats your boat!
Recently I have discussed the idea of being a kid, especially a little boy. One of the best parts of being a kid is the boundless realm of possibilities that come from an overactive imgination. I can honestly remember training in my backyard to be a superhero! I knew that one day my warrior skills would be called upon by the masses to save the world! Maybe I am still waiting on that day.
These thoughts of becoming something larger than yourself are only strengthened by the process of putting on a costume. In a sense, you really dress the part. You can lose yourself in the character by the costume. Actors and little kids have long known this. Maybe we all incorporate this into our daily lives to a degree. We get dressed up before a big date knowing that if this relationship goes any further then the other person is going to have to see us one day as we really are with the messy hair, the stretchy sweatpants, and the old torn t-shirt. Yet we still put on the tie,as uncomfortable as it is. We all have those outfits that really do boost our confidence. I remember guys talking of their lucky boxers. It always kinda made me laugh thinking back to my superhero Underoos!
I guess as a hunter my costume days still continue on. I love putting on my full camo(coveralls, facemask, gloves, the works)!!! I know that when I walk into a gas station to get the required coke and snack that I am gonna get some pretty weird looks from people. I really don't care, because I am a hunter! Hunters get pretty particular about their "costumes." Just look at the success of companies like Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops.
So anyway, we all enjoy looking different. Escaping our normal routine for something a little more exciting. I guess that is the reason Halloween has survived as a holiday. Well that and all of the candy! Boy if you want to see a sight. Watch an almost two year old boy after he has had FOUR SUCKERS! The boy really does think he IS Superman!!!