I love this passage so much…have faith, my friends, and believe.
So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to Him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
Hey friends – happy Monday!! I have just enjoyed a hearty lunch of…well, peanut butter and jam sandwiches. It will tide me over to dinner, at least! And as of two minutes ago, I’ve bought symphony tickets for a few weeks from now(Faure’s Requiem, which I’ve never heard, but excited about!).
Now, in the few minutes I have left before I resume work, thought I’d post a recipe I made last night and also begin a new tradition called “Hungry Monday”. Oh wait no. That is truly a most terrible name. And I also fully expect this tradition to last exactly one week as I doubt I’ll remember it next week…but nonetheless, I made a pretty good dinner last night(if I do say so myself!) and I want to write down the recipe now before I forget what I did. And…well, just in case anyone is reading this and wants to try and mimic this utter delight of a meal. Without further ado…
This recipe shall be entitled: Chicken and Leek Creamy Goodness, which if that’s not too much to scare you off, then…read on!
Basically, this is a super easy meal. I just wanted chicken and leeks and rummaged through a bunch of online recipes(None of which had what I wanted!) so I ended up combining a few recipes and doing my own thing(like adding peppercorns because I like peppercorns!)
Ingredients: -Some chicken breast pieces(preferably boneless/skinless) -Bottle of some kind of white wine -Leeks! I used three, because they came in a bunch of three. -One regular sized white onion -2 lemons -Ground black peppercorns -Garlic powder(or if you’re less lazy than I, just get actual fresh garlic!) -Some dijon mustard -A very little bit of olive oil -2 cans of coconut milk
And that’s it. I hope you like the precision of my ingredient list…truly, you can play with this and alter as you see fit…
Directions: 1) Brown the chicken(I had three breast pieces, cut them in half) in the olive oil. Don’t use very much oil, just enough so the chicken won’t be sticking to the pan! Once chicken is done, take out of the pan and place on a plate for a while. 2) While chicken is cooking, chop your onion into small pieces and place aside. Also chop up your leeks into pieces and place the pieces in a bowl of water and rinse to get all the dirt out. Let them sit in that water for a while – you won’t need the leek until the end. 3) Throw the onion pieces into the frying pan with the oil remnants and add a cup of white wine. Add a bunch of peppercorn and garlic powder and let the onion pieces cook for a little while! 4) Add a little bit of mustard(however much you want, really) and the coconut milk, stir and let boil for a while. 5) Add the chicken and let the chicken pieces cook in the sauce as it continues to boil. Squeeze the lemons into the sauce, continue to add spices and mustard to taste and really…just let it simmer until it starts to thicken. It may take a little while(but worth it!!) 6) Once sauce starts to thicken, add all the leek pieces and stir(maybe adding more spices too, mmm!). 7) Once the sauce reaches desired consistency, turn off heat and you’re done. Chicken and leeks and creamy goodness! I served over a potato(because I *really* wanted a baked potato…), but I think this would also go great over rice. Enjoy. (I hope)
And again, I really only posted this for my benefit, because I tend to forget my recipes if I don’t write them down and I don’t have my handy little notebook with me…but I thought I may as well post it on here too. For posterity! Oh and side-note…credit to whom credit is due. This whole idea was pretty much entirely inspired by Chris, who mentioned making having chicken and leeks a few weeks ago and it sounded so good I thought I needed to give it a try. So thanks Chris. (This would probably be even better with a glass of Tokaji, which sadly is hard to find at a reasonable price around here…)
Good morning, friends, from New Orleans!!! This is a quick entry as I wait for my breakfast to arrive at the table…already had a delicious biscuit and my fresh hot coffee tastes simply amazing just now. Of course part of the reason for that may be I got very little sleep last night…since I was rocking out to Mumford and Sons – they put on an incredible show and I definitely don’t regret driving here from Houston to see them!! …of course, the main reason I was here was to see Maryanne and enjoy the show with her. Hurrah for good times!!! Reading Psalm 105 just now and reminded how good it is to thank and praise the Lord for all his many blessings to me. So…praise the Lord!!!! Now, my chicken and waffles and potatoes have arrived. Breakfast time. Peace and love.
Hi friends!! Thought I’d jot something down quickly here, even though I really should be starting work momentarily! Anyways, it’s a simply gorgeous Friday morning…streaks of pink and purple fill the sky as the sun rises above the horizon…beautiful. Now, I’m drinking my peppermint mocha and pondering a new day, wondering what adventures I’ll encounter today. After work today, going home to have a quiet evening and rest in anticipation of trip to New Orleans this weekend to hang out with Maryanne and see Mumford and Sons! (of which I’m much more excited about the former than the latter!!) I must be off now for real – be well, my friends – peace and love.
A mount untraveled, a tree not blooming, a flag yet unfurled, and the sweet colour of the pale of dawn.
I look upon a crescent moon and I sigh in unbridled wonder that there could be such beauty.
And behold tulips blossoming in purest white, stars singing sweet and strong in dazzling night, fields of wheat rippling in warm sunlight, that music bliss and those blue eyes bright oh behold!
Beauty that there could be such in unbridled joy now and I sigh – I look upon a waxing moon.
The path is winding through the wild moors, The trees stand tall and kiss their brethren, And upon the terrace of brick and stone, look and behold the aching sweetness – oh the tale of dawn.
Happy Friday, friends!!! I’m much enjoying my peppermint mocha this gorgeous day. Even though summer fast approaches with all the heat it can carry, today it feels simply amazing outside. It was storming as I sat inside reading…the crackling sound of thunder and bright lightning flashes reminded me of how much I do love thunderstorms(when I’m inside that is!). And as I walked into work this morning, the storm had passed. Only a few wisps of clouds passed across the sky and the moon shone down soft upon me. A breeze kissed my cheek and I looked up to the fading stars and it was indeed beautiful. And now I must be off. A full day of work to dominate and then off to Dallas to see Mikaela. A wonderful weekend awaits!! And as I think on how much I am blessed, before anything else, I bow my head and thank my God. Indeed, does my heart sing to Him. Forever and always. Peace and love, dear friends.
As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!
Dirty feet and dirty floors, See how all the filthy money pours across counter-tops and tables stained, not a cent is clean or rightly gained.
Who dares overturn our ways, crack the whip and halt our days? Who dares let his eyes grow sharp in rage Who dares shout aloud and then say,
This was to be a house for prayer, but upon this holy ground your dirty feet quick into wickedness have trod; This was to be a house of love, but upon the poor and weak your dirty feet quick and merciless have trod; This was to be a house for peace but now comes near a sword and flames, oh how I weep, return, return, come nigh to God.
Hey friends!!! It has indeed been far too long since I’ve posted anything here…And I can promise this will be short, since I’m using my unwieldy phone to write this. But I just wanted to say hi this beautiful Sunday evening!! I’m just about to have a yummy dinner of leftover pizza and a tomato salad…after having enjoyed a wonderful Palm Sunday concert at church!! Hearing lovely voices being lifted up to our God in praise – oh what rapturous delight filled my soul. And as I think about what Jesus did on this wounded weary earth over two thousand years ago…He gave of Himself and emptied all that we might live. He bled and suffered and died. For us. Think on that, my friends. And rejoice. We who have done nothing but scorn the God of all things. Jesus weeps over us as He wept over Jerusalem…He longs to gather us all to Himself…but we are unwilling. Oh how foolish are we!! So now before I say more, just think on Jesus and who He is. God Himself who died. For us. That we might be called children of God. And such we are. Is that not wonderful my friends?? Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Rejoice in our salvation – sing a song of love and hope and wonder!!
Peace, my friends – peace and love. Now…dinner time for me.
Morning all!! It’s Monday morning once again – the beginning of another (hopefully busy and exciting!) week. I’m sipping on my hazulnut mocha and enjoying the slow lightening of the western sky as the dawn continues its inexorable march. I really don’t even have that much to write about(since I just posted two days ago…two posts in three days – shocking!), but thought I would at least say hi.
A slow and ponderous turn of earth, seems so heavy at times, so full of nickle and iron and far too many broken dreams.
Yet soaring through the not quite vacuum, Soulful dance of nebulae and stars, Not so heavy now, see? Tapestry of space flutters, dreamily.
Something Weird 