San Antonio. Tamales! Festival Dec.7th In San Antonio. Orange Dip! Cold War. Hospital.

 

For "Travel Tuesday":  Let's visit an event in San Antonio, TX, in the Texas Hill Country region.

"The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful regions in the country. Rolling hills, spring fed rivers and lakes, diverse art and music offerings, specialty shopping, and the state's capital city make the Hill Country a favorite destination for Texans and out-of-state visitors alike. Discover the beauty of the Texas Hill Country Region."

 

 

 

 

 

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"Tamales At Pearl" 

Saturday, December 7, 2013.  Noon-6pm

Pearl District, 200 E Grayson St, San Antonio, Texas 78215  210-212-7260   

 

"The Annual Tamales! Holiday Festival began in December 2010 as an event centered around San Antonio tradition with tamales, culture, music and fun for the whole family. With more than 30 different tamales vendors, a kid’s craft area, and live music and entertainment Tamales! is a celebration of family, food and fun that San Antonians have come to associate with the holidays."  http://atpearl.com/tamales/

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ABOUT PEARL

 
"Pearl, located north of downtown San Antonio, provides a unique experience as a top culinary and cultural destination. The mixed-use space features retail, dining, picturesque green spaces and paseos, a riverside amphitheater, educational institutions such as the Aveda Institute and the third campus of the Culinary Institute of America. 

As a former brewery operating from 1883 to 2001, Pearl reflects a vivid past while embracing the future with LEED-certified complexes mixed with historic architecture.
The 22-acre Pearl site is home to the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio and Aveda Institute San Antonio and the year-round Pearl Farmers Market. Pearl restaurants include Il Sogno Italian Osteria and the Sandbar Fish House and Market, both by CIA graduate and James Beard Award-nominated chef Andrew Weissman, La Gloria Ice House by CIA graduate chef Johnny Hernandez, NAO New World Flavors, from The Culinary Institute of America San Antonio featuring Executive Chef Geronimo Lopez and, Blue Box Bar featuring craft cocktails from Olaf Harmel. Pearl is also known for its shops including Melissa Guerra Latin American kitchen store, the Twig book shop, Adelante Boutique, Lee Lee Loves Shoes, Dos Carolinas, Run Wild Sports, The Synergy Studio and Bike World. 

The Center for Architecture houses the AIA San Antonio and the Architecture Foundation of San Antonio.  Office tenants at Pearl include the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber, the Nature Conservancy, the CE Group, WestEast Design Group and other creative firms.  The Can Plant offering urban contemporary apartments with a place in history.  Event space includes the Pearl Stable, the Pearl Studio and the Pearl Park, a community gathering space, which includes amphitheater seating overlooking a stage alongside the San Antonio River Walk. For more information go to atpearl.com  "

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aka “Have you tried the Orange Dip?”

"San Antonio’s annual Tamales! Festival, which takes place this year on December 7 at the former Pearl Brewery complex.   A 22-acre site that now boasts restaurants, shops, apartments, and—soon!—a boutique hotel. With free admission, free parking, and more than 40 vendors offering treats ranging from tamales to kettle corn, Tamales! is a great kick-off to the December holidays. I attended the event last year in preparation for this year’s story, but first—to get an idea of the hard work involved in making tamales—I attended a tamales-making workshop at the Witte Museum hosted by longtime tamales queen Gloria Solis.

Gloria walked us through the labor-intensive process, showing us how to make beans (for bean tamales), season and mix the masa, spread the masa on corn husks (I never imagined that husks had a “good” side and a “bad” side), and steam them until they’re done. (I will admit to feeling a bit deflated when I posted a photo of my tamales to Texas Highways’ Facebook page, only to read comments from a reader whose tamales turn out far prettier than mine. Upon seeing my stack, he suggested that I should depart immediately—and permanently— for another state.)

So it’s funny what we hold close to our hearts, culinarily speaking. At the same tamales class, I encountered a family from Pennsylvania who didn’t know what tamales were, and then confessed that they weren’t even sure what pinto beans were. So I got to thinking about food items that we take for granted.

For example, I’m always surprised when non-Texans find the idea of a breakfast taco unappetizing—until I realize they’re thinking Taco Bell instead of fluffy scrambled eggs wrapped in a flour tortilla, hot off the griddle.

What are some of our regional specialties? I always think of a neighbor who claimed that a favorite treat in Wichita Falls is a dish of vanilla ice cream with Fritos. I tried that combo, and actually liked it (sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy)—but I’ve never been able to find anyone else in Wichita Falls to corroborate that “regional specialty.”

Orange Dip at the Old Mexican Inn, Corsicana

But recently on a trip through Corsicana, I encountered a mysterious and apparently widely praised sauce known as “Orange Dip,” which might take the cake. There’s a restaurant in Corsicana called The Old Mexican Inn, which has been owned by the same family since the 1940s and has a basic, straightforward Tex-Mex menu full of things like taco salads, tortilla soup, and multiple combo platters featuring tacos, enchiladas, and Mexican rice. The service was prompt and friendly, and my bowl of tortilla soup proved savory and well-balanced with chicken, vegetables, and melted jack cheese. But The Old Mexican Inn is famous for two things: Its $1 frozen margaritas and its Orange Dip. I’ll have to return sometime at cocktail hour to try the margaritas, but I DID try the Orange Dip. And I’m confused.

Is it mayonnaise with ketchup and perhaps some juice from a jar of pickled jalapeños? Corn oil mixed with Thousand Island dressing? I tried to figure out the ingredients but couldn’t. And while it’s certainly worth tasting, I wouldn’t drive out of my way for the Orange Dip. Although plenty of people do. Later in my trip, I met a young girl and her grandmother on a boat trip in Jefferson, and sometime during our small-talk, they mentioned they were from Corsicana. I asked them about the Orange Dip, and their faces lit up. “Oh yes!” the older stranger commented. “I’ve been eating the Orange Dip since I was a teenager!”

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On This Day:

Bush and Gorbachev suggest Cold War is coming to an end, Dec 3, 1989:

"Meeting off the coast of Malta, President George Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev issue statements strongly suggesting that the long-standing animosities at the core of the Cold War might be coming to an end. Commentators in both the United States and Russia went farther and declared that the Cold War was over.

Despite the positive spin of the rhetoric, though, little of substance was accomplished during the summit. Both sides agreed to work toward a treaty dealing with long-range nuclear weapons and conventional arms in 1990."

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Yesterday:

In the late afternoon, as I started to write this, I began to feel kinda weird.  I didn't want to drink juice or eat, but I fed my critters.  So I thought that I would lie down for a bit, but I just couldn't get comfy.  Then I realized that as I was feeling nauseous, clammy, having difficulty breathing, and had a pressure feeling in my chest radiating to between my shoulder blades, that I had better call 911.  Ray came over and waited with me until the ambulance arrived.  They did an EKG right there in my living room, and said that I wasn't having a heart attack, which was my worry.  I didn't want to go with them, but Ray insisted that I go to the hospital to be checked out.

After having to sit in the cold Emergency Waiting Room with a long line of sneezing, coughing, sick people, I got some coffee, and rolled my wheelchair outside the door for fresh air.  So, I was starting to feel better, I was all ready to check my self out, called Ray, and he came to get me in my van.  But when he took my armband back in to tell them that I was leaving, they said that they now had an empty exam room.  Several doctors came in and talked to me and they did a more thorough EKG, and Ray stayed there and talked to me while we were waiting. Then they wanted to admit me to do more tests.  So I sent Ray home.

Getting a room took until about 2.00 AM.  Finally, maybe I could get some rest, but no!  They velcro-ed  some legging things on me, which were hooked to a machine which would massage each leg.  They said that would stop me from getting DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) from lying still in bed all night, even for one night!  That, and the bed which would undulate every ten minutes was not conducive to sleep.  I got cramps in my legs from not being able to move, so I took the leggings off so that I could walk around to exercise my legs, and went back to bed.

At last, I dropped off, only to be woken me up about every 45 minutes to have something else done to me, and they wouldn't let me eat or drink anything.  They put a cordless heart monitor on me, X-rayed my chest, did a sonogram of my heart, took vitals, and several blood tests, all through the night.  Each time a different person would hook wires up to me they used different patches, so I looked like I was all terminals. They even woke me up to give me an anti-reflux pill, even though I hadn't eaten.  Said everyone in the hospital had to take one.  I said, 'that didn't say much for your cooking!!' 

They said my tests all looked good, but they wanted a cardiologist to see me.  By 2.00 PM, I was really hungry, thirsty, and in tears.  I hadn't had but one cheese sandwich in the last couple of days.  The food trolley would pass my room, wafting delicious smells.   Even though I knew that Ray would take good care of the animals for me, I just wanted to go home.  No one could tell me when the cardiologist would be in to see me, so I said that I would go to his office instead.  I called Ray, signed the discharge papers, grabbed a cup of coffee from the Emergency Waiting Room, and walked to where Ray could pick me up in the parking lot. That was all I could take of that.

When I got home, Ray had done a great job with the critters, so I drank some juice, and warmed up some canned organic ravioli. That was the easiest thing to eat after a day like today.

But now that it is so late, there might not be a post tomorrow.  Maybe, I need to take off a day!

It’s National Mutt Day! Cold Weather Care. Best & Worst Foods. Dog Food: Is There A Cancer Risk? First Nuclear Chain Reaction.

 

For "Mammal Monday":

It’s National Mutt Day!

"Today is going to the dogs—and for good reason. It’s National Mutt Day! That’s right, a whole day dedicated to embracing, saving and celebrating mixed-breed dogs. We can’t think of a more deserving crew."

"There are actually two National Mutt Days, July 31st, and today, December 2nd. The purpose of National Mutt Day is to celebrate and save the lives of mixed breed dogs across the U.S. The goal is to save 10,000 mutts on both days.

Why should you adopt a mixed breed dog? There are lots of great reasons, including the ability to pick the right size and temperament dog for your family … cost considerations (breeder fees are much higher than shelter adoption fees) … the fact that mutts can participate in all the same sports and events purebred dogs do … and, you’re saving a life!

If you’re considering adopting a mixed breed dog, be sure to do your homework. Learn which breeds are best suited for your activity level and lifestyle. The dog's age will also be a factor – puppies and young dogs generally require more effort than older dogs."  Complete article at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/12/02/national-mutt-day.aspx

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Cold Weather Care For Your Pet

"It appears that winter has settled in. I was not, and am truly never, ready for it. It's easy for me to deal with it though: I dig my boots and mittens out of the drawers and pull my winter coats and scarves out of the closet. I am prepared as I will ever be.

If you have pets, how do you prepare them for the colder months ahead? I know blustery, snowy days mean that Henrietta will be donning her jacket before she heads out the door. She refuses to go out without her coat but she also refuses to wear booties so I carry her down the porch when we have salted it.

Here are my tips for pet health care in the cold winter months ahead:

• Don't use rock salt (to melt the ice and snow) in areas that your pet will walk on. I carry Henrietta down the porch steps because salt between tender paw pads is painful. 
• Use rock salt that is not harmful to pets. Become a label reader. 
• Do not leave your pet in a cold car. Just as a car in the summer heats up too quickly for your pet to be safely left in it, your car in winter is frigid and could lead to hypothermia, frost bite or even death. 
• Don't leave your pet tied out in the cold weather. If you have an "outdoor" dog make certain he has shelter and a warm place to escape from the cold. I don't honestly understand the "outdoor dog" concept as I couldn't imagine ever leaving my best friend out in the cold although our one dog, Spencer who is a husky-lab mix loves the cold weather. 
• Remember that antifreeze has a sweet taste to pets but is toxic. Keep it stored out of the reach of your pets. 
• Make certain if you have a pet that spends time out of doors that he always has access to fresh (not frozen) water and increase his food intake as he will be burning off more calories staying warm than he will during the summer months. 
• If your pet has arthritis navigating the stairs may be more tricky and painful for her than in the warm summer months when the pain of arthritis may not be so prevalent. You may need to either carry your pet outside or find an alternative to making him navigate the steps. 
• If you have "outdoor cats" let them indoors during the colder months. Don't let them succumb to the cold weather or risk their paws or other extremities getting frost bite. 
• If there are cats that roam your neighborhood, make sure you check in and under your vehicle before you start it. They may be drawn to the car when you pull in the driveway because of the heat of the engine and could be seriously injured if you start the car if they're under the hood. 
• Did you know that dogs can lose their sense of scent in the winter? If you typically let your dog run loose, be aware that he may have a hard time finding his way back home if he wanders too far. The best advice I can offer is to keep him on a leash. 
• Keep a towel by the door to wipe off any snow or ice that has fallen on your dog while he's outside. Make sure you wipe between his paw pads as well. 
• Be aware that if you get a puppy in the winter you may have a harder time housebreaking her than if you were trying in the summer months. Puppies simply do not tolerate cold well and this could impact their desire to relieve themselves out of doors. You may need to housebreak your puppy indoors using puppy pads when the cold winter winds are blowing. 
• Make certain your dog has a warm, cozy place to sleep in the house when you go to bed at night. Offer them a place that is free of drafts and where they can sleep without being chilled. In my house that means Henrietta is under the blankets taking advantage of the heat generated by the electric blanket but that may not work if you have a larger dog!

Common sense trumps all when it comes to cold weather. Put yourself in your pet's position and think, "Would I go outside without a jacket on in this weather?" If the answer is "no" for you, then it is likely "no" for your pet.

What steps do you take to keep your pet safe, healthy and protected during the winter months? "  From: http://www.blogpaws.com/2013/11/pet-health-awareness-cold-weather-care-for-your-pet.html

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Do you feed your pet to just survive, or really thrive?

Best and worst foods for your pet.

"An integrative wellness veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker discusses her best-to-worst recommendations for diets for dogs and cats and explains how to improve the quality of the food you feed your own pet."

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The Quality of Pet Food Ingredients (Part 1 of 2)

"Dr. Karen Becker visits an upscale pet boutique to evaluate the quality of the different types of pet food. (Part 1)  Here she discusses frozen raw, canned, dehydrated food, and a good dry food."

The Quality of Pet Food Ingredients (Part 2 of 2)

"Here Dr. Becker discusses some grocery store-bought dry kibble food, and the worst and best treats for your pet." 

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Most of this applies to human's food, too.

Dog Food: Is There A Cancer Risk?

"Naturally, when we talk about the  cause of cancer, diet is brought up.

Many will immediately poo-poo the notion that what is eaten can have an impact on cancer development.  It is amazing.  Watch the condemnation without investigation.

On the other hand, many feel there is a link, and there is evidence to support that view.

Why are we so reluctant to think about food contributing to cancer?  Likely because it becomes inconvenient.

Well, most of us would rather get information than be in the dark, so let’s do just that.What about a dog’s diet might contribute to cancer?  Here’s a look at a couple of things.

First,  high temperature cooking of meat or fish, or the creation of their extracts can produce nasties called heterocyclic amines. You can read a little more about this here and here.  These little guys have been shown to promote tumors in lab animals.  Do dogs eat food that has been exposed to high temperatures?  The truth is: yes.

Another carcinogen is polyacrylamide, again from high temperature cooking, this time of sugars in starch.  Oddly, different strains of potatoes will produce different amounts of acrylamide when it is cooked.  The bottom line though is that the different sugars influenced how much of the carcinogen is made. Here is some more on the topic.

Yet another is acylamide, related to polyacrylamide. Acrylamide levels go up when food is fried, and it is estimated in this paper that the levels of the acrylamide from fried food, in lab animals, might increase to risky levels contributing to possible cancer risk.

So what does this mean?  Well, we don’t want to go around saying that every dog who eats dog food in a bag (and pressed through an extruder at high temperatures) will get cancer.  That would be irrational and untrue.

However, there are genetic differences and lifestyle differences and carcinogen exposure differences, all from one dog to the next.

Since we know that cancer is created by many separate hits to the system, in certain dogs, diet might be the thing that tips the scale.

These carcinogens hit the DNA, and damage genes. If the damage occurs to genes that are controlling cell growth, and enough hits happen, cells can start getting deranged.  They divide and divide, instead of getting dismantled into their component parts by a process called apoptosis.

Deranged cells are supposed to be taken apart.  Apoptosis is the thing that does it in the body. When cells become unhealthy, the apoptosis genes should get turned on to subvert the badness.

When there are too many cells with their growth genes stuck in the “on’ position, avoiding apoptosis, cancer can develop.

The take home message is that the folks pushing for less cooking may have a point.  I am not advocating an entirely raw diet for dogs by the way, and especially not for cancer patients.  Raw from the grocery store is not raw out on the plains of Africa.  Germs grow on the surface of meat in the store and dogs with cancer usually have immune compromise.  That’s a bad mix.

But trimming the outside off and cooking red lean meats in low sodium broth at around 200 degrees while keeping the inside rare seems logical.

For more on diet and dog cancer, read The Dog Cancer Survival Guide.  Best,  Dr D."  by DEMIAN DRESSLER, DVM

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On This Day:

Fermi produces the first nuclear chain reaction, Dec 2, 1942:

"On this day, Enrico Fermi, the Italian-born Nobel Prize-winning physicist, directs and controls the first nuclear chain reaction in his laboratory beneath the bleachers of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago, ushering in the nuclear age. Upon successful completion of the experiment, a coded message was transmitted to President Roosevelt: "The Italian navigator has landed in the new world."

Following on England's Sir James Chadwick's discovery of the neutron and the Curies' production of artificial radioactivity, Fermi, a full-time professor of physics at the University of Florence, focused his work on producing radioactivity by manipulating the speed of neutrons derived from radioactive beryllium. Further similar experimentation with other elements, including uranium 92, produced new radioactive substances; Fermi's colleagues believed he had created a new "transuranic" element with an atomic number of 93, the result of uranium 92 capturing a neuron while under bombardment, thus increasing its atomic weight. Fermi remained skeptical about his discovery, despite the enthusiasm of his fellow physicists. He became a believer in 1938, when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for "his identification of new radioactive elements." Although travel was restricted for men whose work was deemed vital to national security, Fermi was given permission to leave Italy and go to Sweden to receive his prize. He and his wife, Laura, who was Jewish, never returned; both feared and despised Mussolini's fascist regime.

Fermi immigrated to New York City--Columbia University, specifically, where he recreated many of his experiments with Niels Bohr, the Danish-born physicist, who suggested the possibility of a nuclear chain reaction. Fermi and others saw the possible military applications of such an explosive power, and quickly composed a letter warning President Roosevelt of the perils of a German atomic bomb. The letter was signed and delivered to the president by Albert Einstein on October 11, 1939. The Manhattan Project, the American program to create its own atomic bomb, was the result.

It fell to Fermi to produce the first nuclear chain reaction, without which such a bomb was impossible. He created a jury-rigged laboratory with the necessary equipment, which he called an "atomic pile," in a squash court in the basement of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago. With colleagues and other physicists looking on, Fermi produced the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction and the "new world" of nuclear power was born."

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Yesterday:

Ray came over wanting to help me around here, he said he had to get out of his house.  Shay and her sister were arguing again, and driving him nuts.  The sister is getting over another open heart surgery, and was milking the care-giving to the max.  I know how she is, as I have taken care of her in years gone by.  Shay was trying to get her out of there, and go to another sister's house.  They had had enough.

Ray and I carefully measured a triangle of screen wire to go up at the top of the screen porch.  After we had that stapled up, we were going to put some reinforcing wire over it, as that is a nice shelf for the cats to lay.  Prime always loved it up there.  We didn't want the cats to lean against it, push the staples out of the wire, and fall out of the screen porch. 

Then I came up with the idea of screwing white plastic lattice over it, instead.  I just thought that it would look better.  We found a piece that would make the two triangles for each end of the porch.  We made a cardboard template, just to make sure that it would fit right, and cut the lattice with a saw. We washed the lattice to remove the green algae, as it had been stored for a while, but didn't screw it in place yet.

By the time we had been interrupted by Shay several times, and her sister had driven off, it was enough for the day.

 

 

The Lord's Prayer. 'Knockout' Game. Hasty Judgments. The Strange Tale of Simon the Magician. Elfego Baca. Rosa Parks.

 

For "Scripture Sunday":

The Lord's Prayer.  Power!!

"Our Father Who Art In Heaven.
Yes?
Don't interrupt me. I'm praying.
But -- you called ME!
Called you? No, I didn't call you.. I'm praying. Our Father who art in Heaven.
There -- you did it again!
Did what?
Called ME. You said, "Our Father who art in Heaven" Well, here I am.. What's on your mind?
But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me feel good. Kind of like fulfilling a duty.
Well, all right. Go on.
Okay, Hallowed be thy name .
Hold it right there. What do you mean by that?
By what?
By "Hallowed be thy name"?
It means, it means .. . Good grief, I don't know what it means. How in the world should I know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way, what does it mean?
It means honored, holy, wonderful.
Hey, that makes sense.. I never thought about what 'hallowed' meant before. Thanks. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in Heaven.
Do you really mean that?
Sure, why not?
What are you doing about it?
Doing?  Why, nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if You got control, of everything down here like you have up there. We're kinda in a mess down here you know.
Yes, I know;  But, have I got control of you?
Well, I go to church..
That isn't what I asked you. What about your bad temper? You've really got a problem there, you know. And then there's the way you spend your money -- all on yourself.
And what about the kind of books you read ?
Now hold on just a minute! Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as some of the rest of those people at church!

Excuse ME.. I thought you were praying for My will to be done.. If that is to happen, It will have to start with the ones who are praying for it. Like you -- for example ....
Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that you mention it, I could probably name some others.
So could I.
I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I really would like to cut out some of those things. I would like to, you know, be really free.
Good. Now we're getting somewhere. We'll work together -- You and ME. I'm proud of You.
Look, Lord, if you don't mind, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does. Give us this day, our daily bread.
You need to cut out the bread.. You're overweight as it is.
Hey, wait a minute! What is this? Here I was doing my religious duty, And all of a sudden you break in and remind me of all my hang-ups.
Praying is a dangerous thing. You just might get what you ask for. Remember, you called ME -- and here I am. It's too late to stop now. Keep praying.  (pause ….) Well, go on.
I'm scared to.
Scared?  Of what?
I know what you'll say.
Try ME.
Forgive us our sins, As we forgive those who sin against us.
What about Karen?
See? I knew it! I knew You would bring her up! Why, Lord, she's told lies about me, spread stories. She never paid back the money she owes me.. I've sworn to get even with her!
But -- your prayer -- What about your prayer?
I didn't -- mean it..
Well, at least you're honest. But, it's quite a load carrying around isn't it?   

Yes!

You know how unhappy you are -- Well, I can change that.
You can? How?
Forgive Karen. Then, I'll forgive you; and the hate and the sin, will be Karen's problem -- not yours. You will have settled the problem as far as you are concerned.
Oh, you know, you're right. You always are. And more than I want revenge, I want to be right with You . . (sigh). All right, all right . . I forgive her. There now!
Wonderful! How do you feel?
Hmmmm. Well, not bad. Not bad at all! In fact, I feel pretty great! You know, I don't think I'll go to bed uptight tonight.
I haven't been getting much rest, you know.
Yeah, I know. But, you're not through with your prayer, are you? Go on.
Oh, all right. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't put yourself in a place where you can be tempted.
What do you mean by that?
You know what I mean.
Yeah. I know..
Okay. Go ahead. Finish your prayer.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Do you know what would bring me glory? What would really make me happy?
No, but I'd like to know. I want to please you now... I've really made a mess of things. I want to truly behave like Christ, I can see now how great that would be. So, tell me .. . . How do I make you happy?
YOU  just did".

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"What is the Lord's prayer and should we pray it?"

   "Many people misunderstand the Lord’s Prayer to be a prayer we are supposed to recite word for word. Some people treat the Lord’s Prayer as a magic formula, as if the words themselves have some specific power or influence with God.

The Bible teaches the opposite. God is far more interested in our hearts when we pray than He is in our words. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (Matthew 6:6-7). In prayer, we are to pour out our hearts to God (Philippians 4:6-7), not simply recite memorized words to God." Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/Lords-prayer.html#ixzz2mB6Xrlre

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Should We Repeat The “Lord’s Prayer”

"Another important key to understanding this prayer is explained clearly in Matt. 6:9. Notice: “After this manner therefore pray you.” He did not say to repeat His words verbatim. He said this is the manner, or outline for your prayers. Pray about these things! He said, “Pray thus,” not “Pray this."

Jesus Christ forbids us to parrot these words. Jesus Christ made it clear that our prayers are not to be “vain repetition as the heathen do” (Matt. 6:7).  Christ wants us to pray from the heart. To pray with intensity, feeling, purpose, and sincerity, and not just to repeat words.”  More at: http://www.cognwm.org/articles/screenarticle.php?article_id=431

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"WHEN THE POWER OF LOVE, OVER POWERS THE LOVE OF POWER,  THERE WILL BE PEACE!"

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Senseless Violence Rises With 'Knockout' Game

"The games of youth are the training ground for adult behavior. What do violent "Knockout" games mean for the future?

The trend of violent "Knockout" games has made the news again. While youth violence is usually associated with theft or gang related revenge, a relatively new trend has emerged in which an individual, filmed by others and posted online later, attempts to knock unconscious a complete stranger with one blow. Leaving the victim potentially dead, or fatally wounded.

  Experts explain that what is so frightening about this trend, and what is says about our culture in general, is that it stems not from excess of emotion, but by lack of feeling emotion at all. Violence as sport with anonymous victims. Life is no longer sacred, but only marginally important. (Dr. Keith Albow, " 'Knockout' Game Part of Epidemic of Senseless Violence," FoxNews.com, November 21, 2013).

History is full of bad news about societies that indulge in senseless violence for entertainment. They usually end up explored by archeologists thousands of years later and discussed in hushed tones, eventually becoming the subject of epic movies about gladiators. The civilization suffers, and the people suffer, horribly.

But let's take a different perspective, how do you separate yourself from such a society, even while living in it? Let's explore two key points:

- Respect human life.

"You shall not murder." God lays down the law, literally the sixth commandment of the ten big ones in Exodus 20:13  - Guard your thoughts, don't dwell on excess violence in entertainment or video games.

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks," (Luke 6:45 ).

Thoughts beget words and words beget actions. Know how to say no to peer pressure that demands evil actions."  From:  http://www.ucg.org/character/vertical-news-senseless-violence-rises-knockout-game/  Article by Amanda Stiver

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Hasty Judgments.  Beauty is, as beauty does!

"Judging others based upon what they look like is a common human nature trait. It's also an erroneous one. What does God base His judgments upon?

My family and I were gathered around my mother's bedside when a young man who worked for the convalescent center entered the room. My wife tells the story far better than I could; here's what she wrote:

"As soon as he stepped into the room I formed an opinion of him. The young man had long hair pulled back in a ponytail. A large metal ring protruded from one ear. His body, though covered with a white lab coat, seemed to me thin and weakly.

I imagine you've formed an opinion of him just from this description.

Without looking in my direction he approached my mother-in-law's bedside.

"How are you today, Thelma?" he asked in a pleasant, cheerful voice that somehow didn't go with the perception I had formed of him.

Of course Thelma wasn't at all well. She had come to the convalescent center with the knowledge that her days were numbered. Her kidneys had failed and she was slowly dying. It was small wonder, then, that she had complaints. As I watched the young man listening patiently to her list of woes and trying as best he could to alleviate them my perception of him changed.

Here was a young man who genuinely cared about people. He did not have a prestigious job. In fact, he probably got paid little for his labor. Yet he was putting his whole heart into what he did, trying his best to ease the discomfort of those whose lives were drawing to an end."

I had much the same first impression of this young man. My wife and I didn't realize that when we judged this young worker because of his appearance we were failing to follow God's instruction found in John:7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. "Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

We made a mistake. Yet it's a mistake we've all been guilty of at one time or another. Judging others based on what they look like is a human trait that's hard to rid ourselves of. Of course, part of the reason we make hasty judgments is because sometimes they work; sometimes a person does reflect their character in how they look. In this particular case, however, we were able to see our mistake and changed our opinion of the young worker.

How often, though, do we make lasting mistakes because of outward appearance? Such mistakes can harm relationships, and if we voice or act on our judgment, it can negatively effect how others view the person we've judged.

The Bible tells us repeatedly that God is not a respecter of persons. He shows no partiality. Yet it's so easy for us, as physical human beings, to look on the outward appearance and decide what a person is like inside. Showing partiality to some while disdaining others.  That's pretty serious.

If we are to reflect God's character doesn't it follow that we too should show no partiality?

God looks on the heart and our willingness to serve others (1 Samuel:16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.).

If you read Galatians:3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

We know that in the world things don't usually work that way. Studies show that teachers, even female teachers, show partiality to the boys in their classes, calling on them more often than they do the girls. An attractive young woman gets faster and better service at the store than does an older person. We've come to expect that sort of treatment in the world today."   More at: http://www.ucg.org/character/hasty-judgments/   Article by Joanne Rutis, John Ruti

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The program on WGN TV this morning:

The Strange Tale of Simon the Magician

"This obscure individual may have had a profound impact on what you think is true, biblical Christianity."

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-program/doctrinal-beliefs/strange-tale-simon-magician

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On This Day:

Elfego Baca battles Anglo cowboys, Dec 1, 1884:

"Elfego Baca, legendary defender of southwestern Hispanos, manages to hold off a gang of 80 cowboys who are determined to kill him.

The trouble began the previous day, when Baca arrested Charles McCarthy, a cowboy who fired five shots at him in a Frisco (now Reserve), New Mexico, saloon. For months, a vicious band of Texan cowboys had terrorized the Hispanos of Frisco, brutally castrating one young Mexican man and using another for target practice. Outraged by these abuses, Baca gained a commission as deputy sheriff to try to end the terror. His arrest of McCarthy served notice to other Anglo cowboys that further abuses of the Hispanos would not be tolerated.

The Texans, however, were not easily intimidated. The morning after McCarthy's arrest, a group of about 80 cowboys rode into town to free McCarthy and make an example of Baca for all Mexicans. Baca gathered the women and children of the town in a church for their safety and prepared to make a stand. When he saw how outnumbered he was, Baca retreated to an adobe house, where he killed one attacker and wounded several others. The irate cowboys peppered Baca's tiny hideout with bullets, firing about 400 rounds into the flimsy structure. As night fell, they assumed they had killed the defiant deputy sheriff, but the next morning they awoke to the smell of beef stew and tortillas--Baca was fixing his breakfast.

A short while later, two lawmen and several of Baca's friends came to his aid, and the cowboys retreated. Baca turned himself over to the officers, and he was charged with the murder of one of the cowboys. In his trial in Albuquerque, the jury found Baca not guilty because he had acted in self-defense, and he was released to a hero's welcome among the Hispanos of New Mexico. Baca was adored because he had taken a stand against the abusive and racist Anglo newcomers. Hugely popular, Baca later enjoyed a successful career as a lawyer, private detective, and politician in Albuquerque."

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Rosa Parks ignites bus boycott, Dec 1, 1955:

"In Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks is jailed for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man, a violation of the city's racial segregation laws. The successful Montgomery Bus Boycott, organized by a young Baptist minister named Martin Luther King, Jr., followed Park's historic act of civil disobedience.

The boycott stretched on for more than a year, and participants carpooled or walked miles to work and school when no other means were possible. As African Americans previously constituted 70 percent of the Montgomery bus ridership, the municipal transit system suffered gravely during the boycott.

On November 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Alabama state and Montgomery city bus segregation laws as being in violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. On December 20, King issued the following statement: "The year old protest against city buses is officially called off, and the Negro citizens of Montgomery are urged to return to the buses tomorrow morning on a non-segregated basis. The boycott ended the next day. Rosa Parks was among the first to ride the newly desegregated buses.

Martin Luther King, Jr., and his nonviolent civil rights movement had won its first great victory. There would be many more to come.

Rosa Parks died on October 24, 2005. Three days later the U.S. Senate passed a resolution to honor Parks by allowing her body to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda."

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Yesterday:

Wendy and I had our usual Saturday phone call and she told me about the plans they have for the lot that they just bought next to their property.  Their son Tony, my grandson, is trying to decide which college to attend, or whether to go in the service.  His main interest is computers, just like my son, Peter, who lives in England.  After my son retired from a career in the service, he made computer websites into a business, mostly dealing with rare and antique books.

After I had tended to my critters, I got ready for church.  There was no sense in calling to see if Jay was going with me, as if he wanted to go, he would have called me.

At church, our regular guitarist, Jeff, didn't bring his keyboard this time, his burned fingers were healed enough for him to graduate to a steel guitar.  He said that was easier for him to play it rather than his acoustic guitar, right now.  Mary, the lady who  started coming to our little church about a month ago, accompanied him on her acoustic guitar.  Several families were absent for different reasons, so our Songs of Praise sounded a little thin, but two guitars, and enthusiasm of those there, made up for that.

The Bible readings were Genesis chapters 23-25:18, and I Kings 1:40.   The message was about 'Rest That Satisfies', about God's perpetual covenant about our physical and spiritual rest, on the Sabbath, Exodus 31: 15-17.

The pot luck was great, as usual, mostly organic food. We spent a lot of time just chatting to each other and having great fellowship.  It's such a small congregation that it is like being with a family.  Something that I didn't have as a child.  My mother took off with the neighbor's brother at the start of the war when I was 4 years old.  I was put in my father's custody, but he was off serving in the war, so I lived in different places until I was 15, and then went out to work to support myself.  So I didn't really know my parents, or have any family life.

Mary brought a lot of eggs from her free-range chickens, which were divided amongst the ladies. 

As there wasn't a chilling north wind, it felt like a much warmer day.