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I plan on taking some more classes at GBS this fall. I’m reading ahead so all my reading will be done by the time class gets here. I have to read a bunch of systematic theology and books on apologetics. One book I’m reading right now I am really enjoying is called The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
So far, it’s a really good read and the nice thing is Jody bought me the book a few years ago for my Easter basket. It’s nice when I have most the textbooks they require.
Today is my 19th spiritual birthday. On June 20, 1988, in Anderson, IN at the Pilgrim Holiness Campgrounds, Jesus forever changed my life. My best friend prayed with me that night and he told me later that he looked down at me and said, “Poor Travis, he won’t last 3 weeks.” Well, I showed him! When I made my way to the altar the devil told me that I would lose all my friends. When I turned around to see if they were laughing at me about 7 or 8 of them were following me to the altar! The devil’s still a liar!
To this day I can’t believe how immediate the transformation was that took place in my life. I went from heavy metal to gospel in like .004 seconds. I walked down to the altar loving Anthrax, Slayer, Ratt, Iron Maiden, Metallica…and when I got up from the altar I liked the Victory Trio, The Edwards Family, and The Sheridans. Go figure! I guess it’s really true when the Bible says “old things pass away and behold all things become new.” The things I loved, I now hate; and the things I hated, I now love!
This is one my favorite meals to make. It is so quick and easy and it is so delicious. My kids literally beg me to make this meal. My wife loves it as well. The Italian name for this dish is Aglio Olio E Peperoncino (Garlic, Oil and Chili Pasta Sauce). My kids call it Pasta Lasta Hasta Ole`. I’m not sure what that means, but they love it.
Here are the ingredients:
Three to four turns around the pan of extra virgin olive oil
A couple pinches if crushed red pepper
4-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Spaghetti
A couple handfuls of chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt & pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add the crushed red pepper and garlic, and gently fry for about 1 minute, until the garlic is just beginning to color. Take care not to let it burn. Burned garlic tastes bitter. Is there a better smell in the world than garlic frying in olive oil?
3. Add the cooked pasta with a little of the pasta water and the parsley, and season to taste with the salt & pepper.
4. Add cheese.
5. Toss well and serve immediately.
6. Add cheese.
7. Add cheese.
8. Add cheese.
The chicken is so quick & easy to make to. My kids call it Chicken Licken. I just call it Italian Herb Chicken. Here are the ingredients & instructions:
Olive oil, for frying
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
Salt and pepper
1 cup flour
2 large eggs whites beaten with a pinch of corn starch & juice from half a lemon
Breading:
2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
6 sprigs or stems fresh thyme leaves, stripped and chopped, 2 to 3 tablespoons
6 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped, 3 tablespoons
2 handfuls chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
About 6 fresh basil leaves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat 1/2-inch oil in a large nonstick skillet or frying pan over medium to medium high heat. Put a clove of garlic in the olive oil to flavor it a bit & then take out before you start frying the chicken. Sometimes I add a little butter to the oil. It gives it a good taste, plus you don’t have to use so much oil.
Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper.
Place flour in a shallow dish. Beat eggs with corn starch & lemon juice in a second dish along side the flour. Make sure you season the flour too with salt & pepper.
In a third dish, combine the breading ingredients with the grated cheese.
Coat chicken in flour, then egg, then bread and cheese mixture.
Cook chicken until golden on each side, 3 to 4 minutes.
Transfer to baking dish in preheated oven and finish off for another 5 minutes cooking time.
You could put some marinara, mozzarella cheese, & some parmesan & then bake it & have a quick chicken parmesan.
I preached last night from Colossians 3:1-14
Today I was still meditating on this passage. In verse 5 Paul says, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
I think we would all agree that these sensual sins are not accepted in the church. If someone within our membership or on the church board would be guilty of sexual immorality we would all agree that that person needs to be disciplined and probably even removed from office if they hold such. Of course the purpose of discipline is restoration. Something we aren’t very good at in the CHM, but that’s another story…
But take a look at verse 8: “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.”
These are the social sins, but sadly they are also “acceptable sins”. If we are quick to discipline a board member for infidelity why aren’t we as quick to discipline him for anger, malice, slander, & obscene talk?
I am so blessed here at Frankfort to have never witnessed a bad attitude in a board meeting, but unfortunately I can’t say that for all my pastoral charges. Why is it people sitting on church boards all across the country can erupt in anger, hold malice, slander other people, and tell crude and filthy jokes and nothing is ever done about it? In fact some of the crudest, filthiest jokes I have ever heard have come from people who say they believe in “second blessing holiness” and will fight for that doctrine tenaciously.
What we need is some “trickle down theology.” What we say we believe in our head better travel that long road south right into our heart. Then in needs to travel farther down in be reflected in our walk. The bottom line is that our beliefs need to be reflected in our behavior. And people need to be held accountable even for the so-called “acceptable sins”. The gossip needs to be held just as accountable as the immoral.
I’ve vented and I feel better!
What do you think?
This week I’ll be speaking in the morning sessions at the Pilgrim Holiness Youth Camp. It’s right here in town so I don’t have to go far. For some reason or another their evangelist didn’t want to speak in the day sessions so they asked me to. That evangelist doesn’t know what he’s missing! The day sessions are the best! That’s the time to really connect with the young people and when you connect than you can communicate more effectively. But I’m sure he has his reasons.
This is the youth camp I attended when I was a teenager. I got saved there every year! I also used to get in a lot of trouble. One time I snuck out of the dorm with a bunch of guys to meet some girls. Of course the girls didn’t show up! We snuck back into our beds and to my surprise someone was in my bed. The lights came on and there lay the youth camp director waiting on me. They made me “run the hill.” In Anderson, at the old camp grounds, there was a hill they made you run up and down when you got in big trouble. You ran up and down until you nearly barfed! Oh, by the way, the youth camp director way back in 1986 was a young man named Don Davison. Don is the youth camp speaker this year! Who would have ever thunk it?!
God sends no one away empty
except those who are full
of themselves.
Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899)
American evangelist
Last week I stole a Bible from my father-in-law. Which leads to this ethical question: If you steal a Bible is it OK? Anyway, I love this Bible! It’s called the Maxwell Leadership Bible. I hope he doesn’t ask for it back anytime soon.
He outlines the different leadership styles of Joshua and Moses. Moses led through 40 years of desert travel; Joshua led through 30 years of conquering Canaan.
Moses was a political, diplomatic leader; Joshua was a military, in-your-face leader.
Moses patiently listened to complaints; Joshua confronted laziness and fear of the enemy.
Moses led people as a peacemaking shepherd; Joshua led people as a tough commander.
Moses provided water from a rock when the people got thirsty; Joshua told the people to dig their own wells when they got thirsty.
My senior pastor and I are a lot alike. My wife and her two sisters remind me of that quite a bit. Yet we both have different leadership styles. Neither one of us are a Moses or a Joshua (although he is closer than I am), but often I feel that we strengthen each others weaknesses. We balance each other out. I’ve been here at Frankfort now for six years and its a joy to work here!
For some time now my wife has been begging me to cook some Italian food. So I decided yesterday that I would make her Spaghetti & Meatballs. Now, I rarely use store bought spaghetti sauce. Have you read the ingredients on some of that junk? Who wants corn syrup in their marinara? Make your own. It’s easy, cheap, & tons better. Here is a pictorial step by step.
Alyssa & Daddy cooking together
To make the meatballs cut up a few cloves of garlic, fresh (never dried!) basil, Italian parsley, add some hamburger, ground veal, ground Italian sweet sausage (I buy the links & squeeze it out of the casings), add Italian breadcrumbs, and one egg per pound of meat to tie it together. I also add a pinch of nutmeg & salt & pepper.
To cook the meatballs you can either fry them in olive oil & then add to the sauce or bake them. Because of their size you don’t want to add them to the sauce raw; it will take forever to cook through. I just boil them in water until they’re about 3/4 done & then let them finish in the sauce.
To start the marinara you cut up some garlic. I use about 6-8 cloves. Add some onion & pinch or 2 of red pepper flakes & saute in some olive oil with a pinch of salt to help “sweat” the onion. Don’t burn the garlic or it will become bitter!
You then want to add the tomatoes. I usually use a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes. Yesterday I used some tomatoes that I canned last year from my garden. I then blend it in a blender because my wife doesn’t like it chunky. I do, but if mama ain’t happy…
Here are a few pictures of the type of tomatoes I use & then what it looks like once it’s added.
The next step is a very critical one. You add what gives the marinara sauce its flavor—the fresh herbs. I can’t stress to you enough how important it is to use fresh herbs. I used some Italian parsley, Italian oregano (from my garden), & the most important—fresh sweet basil. I’m not sure there is a sweeter smell in the world than fresh basil! Below is a picture of the herbs & what the sauce looks like once the herbs are added. Make sure you cut them up! Duh!
Tomatoes are naturally acidic, so when you taste your marinara & it tastes a little acidy, what should you do? Add sugar right? NO! NO! NO! No self respecting Italian adds sugar to their marinara. Here is my secret. I add some grated carrot. It’s sweet & it dissolves in the sauce. Make sure you add salt & freshly ground pepper as well.
Once the sauce comes to a boil you want to let it simmer. The nice thing about this is you can simmer it for 10 minutes or 6 hours! This is when you want to add the meatballs. This will enhance the flavor of the sauce.
Another thing I love to do is make dipping sauce for the bread. Take a good amount of olive oil, fresh garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, freshly ground pepper, & fresh herbs. I use rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, & Italian parsley. By the way, I always use Italian parsley in cooking. It is also known as flat leaf parsley. The curly parsley is only good for garnish. It has no taste at all. Anyway, sauté all that together & then pour into a dipping dish disposing of the herbs. They are for flavor only.
The finished product! Just before serving add some fresh grated parmesan reggiano cheese to the sauce.
Buon appetito!
On Sunday afternoon I overheard Bro. Snider telling someone that he was going to visit Dr. Dale Yocum’s grave. Dr. Yocum was an awesome Wesleyan scholar & I have many of his books. Anyway, I thought that this sounded like a good idea. So after dinner Bro. Snider, I.C. Holland (a legend in the Church of God Holiness), and myself went and visited Dr. Yocum, C.E. Cowen, & Leroy Adams grave. On the way to the cemetery I found out that Bro. Snider (a serious church history teacher) is obsessed with this hobby. He has been to hundreds of graves all over the US & in other countries. He mostly visits the graves of early Wesleyan preachers & writers. I have to admit it, I really enjoyed it. I think I found a new hobby. My wife is thrilled.
I.C. Holland & Bill Snider
Dr. Yocum’s grave
Our kids in the childrens service
Camp workers: Carol & Mark Avery, Bill Snider, & my family
Our good friends, Jack & Patsy Smith. Jack is the Home Missions Director for the Church of God (Holiness). He is also the camp platform chairman.
