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The Texas Slow Cooker
The Texas Slow Cooker
Even great cooks, such as Cheryl Jamison, one of the preeminent authorities on American regional cuisine and the author of many award-winning cookbooks, occasionally prefer the make-ahead convenience, easy cleanup, and depth of slow-cooked flavor that you get when you use a slow cooker.
Co-author of the pioneering book Texas Home Cooking, Cheryl reveals in these pages that a stunning range of…
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Dollopween 29: In Sight Podcast: The Jamison Family
Dollopween 29: In Sight Podcast: The Jamison Family
Podcast and Podcaster: In Sight Podcast, Ali and Charlie: The Jamison Family https://d15mj6e6qmt1na.cloudfront.net/attachments/23471101/007-the-jamison-family.mp3 In Sight explores mysteries, true crime, and forgotten history. In this episode, Ali and Charlie explore the baffling mystery of the Jamison family. Why did they go up to the San Bois mountains? What happened to them after they got…
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Day 33: Joyful Giving
The most recent experience I have regarding Joyful Giving in my life was the day that our grandson, Trenton, was born. Steve and I were headed out the door to go visit him at the hospital for the first time after the morning of his birth, and it hit me…how can I go see one of the greatest treasures of my life empty handed. Keep in mind, there have been a lot of gifts given already – the crib and changing table had been given as a special gift from us….a LOT of adorable clothes and fun gifts – but all of that paled in that moment as my heart’s desire was not to go empty handed. At the same time, we were in the study of the book of Nehemiah and that day I was teaching on this portion of scripture out of Nehemiah 10:32-39: “We assume the responsibility for carrying out the commands to give a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God: for the bread set out on the table; for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed festivals; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings to make atonement for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God. “We—the priests, the Levites and the people—have cast lots to determine when each of our families is to bring to the house of our God at set times each year a contribution of wood to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law. “We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the Lord each year the first fruits of our crops and of every fruit tree. “As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God, to the priests ministering there. Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and olive oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work. A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury. The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and olive oil to the storerooms, where the articles for the sanctuary and for the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians are also kept. “We will not neglect the house of our God.” The people of Jerusalem were having their lives put back in order, the temple was rebuilt and customs were restored to serve God with their whole lives. The final pieces of obedience were to bring restoration in the area of joyful giving. As you read this scripture, their giving covered more than coin, it covered every area of resource that they had because they realized every good gift comes from God and we return back to God with thanksgiving a portion of all that He brings into our lives. In context for where I was that day, in verse 36 it speaks of bringing our firstborn sons to the house of our God, and on that day I was visiting my first born son who had just been given his first born son. How could I celebrate empty handed? There was no time to shop, run to the mall, pick up a gift card. No, this gift needed to come from something I already had, from the gifts God had already given to me. Being the resourceful woman that I am ☺, I searched through our house for a gift of sentiment and found a bank that we had given Josh from a trip we were on when he was a young boy. Then I thought about what I had to put in that bank and remembered I had been saving a $100 dollar bill from my birthday two years earlier, wanting to assign that money to a special purchase and had never found anything to buy that lived up to the value that money had to me. With tears of joy I put that $100 dollar bill in the bank and with a heart full of thanks I handed it to our family as we went to visit our grandson for the first time. It was a moment of overflowing joy and gratitude, recognizing that God is the giver of all the gifts that come into my life. How could I ever thank Him with empty hands?
Day 2: Let Love Turn Your World Upside Down
Love has a whole new meaning in our family this year with the addition of our precious grandson. Trenton doesn’t have to do anything to thrill us except breathe, and with every breath we are in awe of God’s great love for us and the command He gives us to love others. As we talk about “Do it All in Love,” we have to stop and consider the focus on the word ALL. It brings front and center the message that means “nothing is excluded,” the good or the bad. Better yet, no one is excluded. We change, burp, comfort, laugh and smile with Trenton and give God thanks for this gift to our family. It is amazing how three short months have turned our world upside down! I can’t help but think that is how God wants us to love, to do all things in love, in fact to do it so much that it turns lives upside down!
The book of Philippians says this: “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Philippians 2:1-4 Value others above yourselves, that is such a challenge, but when we have overwhelming love for someone it makes it so much easier. We are called to not just begrudgingly serve others, but to be so overwhelmed with love, compassion and tenderness that we are moved to love. The bonus is that in that moment, scripture talks about making our joy complete. That is a full circle kind of sacrificial love, where we have overflow in our lives because we were obedient to love someone else. Who is breathing next to you today that needs your comfort and compassion? Trust me, your joy will be complete as you walk in obedience on behalf of someone else. Look for the opportunity because it is coming your way to Do it All in Love.
Day 34: Love Stronger, Reach Farther
They say that every person has their own love language. The meaning behind that phrase is that every person has a unique way of expression or action of showing and speaking love to others. One of the love languages that I find myself using is in the form of gift giving. I am constantly on the look out for unique gifts that I know will speak value and meaning to someone.
I think that the gift of giving is God’s love language as well. It is amazing when you think about an all sovereign God who gives us His very best. His best in gifts like grace, mercy, forgiveness and unconditional love, and above all, the sacrificial gift of His one and only son. Each of these are expressions of how much He loves us.
The greatest part about giving a gift is to watch the joy and gratitude that is shown by the person you gave the gift to. There is usually a great exchange of thanks and appreciation and the feeling is left in the person receiving the gift of wanting to reciprocate in some way.
It makes me consider how much do I look to joyfully give back to God for all the life-giving ways He gives to me. How can I ever out give the one who has given me everything, and how can I consider anything I give to him a burden when it is all to be given with a heart of gratitude and joy? When we consider giving to God, let it be in context of what He has done for us, with thanks and overflowing joy. This is the love language that He wants to stir up within us.
Day 27: Love Stronger, Reach Farther
Today is the Monday of the first week of Lent. If you are like me then Lent was not a practice that you grew up with as it stems from the Catholic traditions, but it is a worthy exercise to increase our awareness of God’s presence and our need for His redemption, not just once in our lives, but every day in our lives. By definition Lent is a 40 day season that leads up to Good Friday, by practice it was a time when believers would “sacrifice or give up” something during those 40 days that would remind them of the sacrifice of Christ and prepare their hearts for the celebration of the resurrection.
Ruth Haley Barton, wrote regarding Lent, “It is a space in time in which we are called to stop whatever we are doing, no matter how important it might be, and enter more intentionally into the disciplines of prayer, self-examination and repentance. But these disciplines—as significant as they are—are not ends in themselves. They are a means to an end and that end is that we would return to God with all our hearts.
Unfortunately, the practice of entering into the Lenten season has often been reduced to the question: “What are you giving up for Lent?” This is a fine question, but it can only take us so far. The real question of the Lenten season is: How will I find ways to return to God with all my heart? This begs an even deeper question: Where in my life have I gotten away from God and what are the disciplines that will enable me to find my way back?”
As we focus on prayer this week let’s allow the Holy Spirit to sweep our hearts of the things that are taking up space that was meant for God alone to consume. Ask God to show you, remind you, and renew you in ways that you can belong fully to Him. The best things to “give up” in our lives are the things that stand in the way of growing, walking and serving our risen Savior. Let your prayer life be alive, and full of expectation as you walk out confession and faith. Today could be a day of a new beginning, seeking the One who seeks you first, by returning to Him with all your heart!
Day 20: Love Stronger, Reach Farther
When I think of Stewardship I almost always think of finances first, but I have learned that to be a good steward of something means that you have proven that you can be trusted with it, with anything. It isn’t just about finance, it is about anything of worth or value trusted into your care. Webster’s defines stewardship as “the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially : the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care.” That is what I am talking about, the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to you and to me. You could be the steward of a Fortune 500 company or you could be the steward of a precious two-year-old – both require careful and responsible management. How about your marriage, your health or your spiritual life? All these things require good stewardship if they are to be cared for with excellence. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). When we realize that every blessing that comes into our lives comes from the One who owns it all, we will take on the call of being a good steward of these blessings to a whole new level in our lives. The desire to be found faithful lives in all of us; we want approval. Unfortunately we are driven for this approval so much that we turn to find it in the wrong places, with the wrong things. The right kind of approval will be found when we make the right kind of actions; there are no short cuts, no semi-homemade remedies that can pass the test of stewardship. Only faithful obedience and a heart to serve the One who owns it all will bring the right response that we are looking for, God’s approval. So what has been entrusted to you? Are you caring for it with careful and responsible management as someone who must give an account for your actions? Let today be a day of recalibrating your level of stewardship, you will find all that you are looking for when you walk faithful as a trusted servant in these words, “Good work, you did your job well.” (Matthew 25:23, The Message)
Day 13: Love Stronger, Reach Farther
Faith, the Greatest Gift of Legacy
“So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” Galatians 3:9
My heart is moved when I think about leaving a legacy for our family. I am so grateful for the gifts of faith-filled people who have made deposits into my life. Generations before me modeled what it looked like to live as a person full of faith, what a wonderful gift it was to me. I have very strong memories of my grandparents praying together nightly, naming each of us grandchildren by name and standing in faith on our behalf. That is the treasure of legacy.
This desire motivates me as I develop my own walk of faith, the realization that it isn’t all about faith for the moment, but faith for the journey, that is a legacy. This scripture that we read in Galatians speaks of those who rely on faith, they are blessed. Do you feel the blessing that comes with being a person of faith? If not, this may be a good time to take a closer look. It is easy to miss the blessings that surround you when there are burdens that place great weight on you. Take a moment and push back the places that have great compression in your life and ask the Lord to give you eyes to see His blessings all around you. When I take the time to pause and reflect, I am overwhelmed by how He watches over every detail of my life, He calls me by name and I am His. My faith surges when I recount His blessings and I am empowered to make bold steps and life changes with the backdrop of God’s faithfulness leading the way.
You may not have had a family legacy that stood in the gap for you, but I want to affirm that you have a church family standing in the gap for you! Every week as the prayer requests of this body are assimilated, they are lifted up by men and women who are prayer warriors and take these needs to heart before the Lord. They call you by name, as they stand in the gap for you, full of faith and believing for a new legacy to take hold of your life.
Today could be the first day to embrace a Faith-Filled life in a whole new way, going forward with the thought of what will be attributed to you as legacy. Abraham came through many trials and challenges. Some were met with great faith and he saw great victories, others were encountered with fear and doubt and he experienced failure. Through it all he became a man who grew in faith and trust in an almighty God. In scripture the account of his life is given this way; he was known as "The Man of Faith." This great exchange of fear for faith, doubt for trust, what a legacy!
