This week in ministry

Why does it always seem that the summer goes so fast. I was picking up Caleb yesterday; he had been gone all week at a Bible camp in western NE cabin leading a group of 4-6 grade students. I was talking with another parent, we came to the conclusion that summer is nearly half over for the kids.

We had a excellent week in ministry this past week. It started with City Impact, LBC, and a Swedish church partnering together to have outreach at Peter Pan park. City Impact held its annual end of the year BBQ and potluck. Berean came with volunteers to help serve and a team of people that are going to Sweden on a mission trip. They set up bounce houses, concerts, and snow cones. We saw a number of people from the community come of for the free event including ones that have had up to this point no relationship or connection to City Impact. I would estimate the crowd to be about 500 or so! I had a great chance to talk with some of the students I did not know from Bible Club or ILA, just kids from the neighborhood. We'll get back to them.

Monday morning we sent Caleb off to camp. He had a great week...but it was a big sacrifice for him. The building he was in had no air....They were opening widows and using fans to cool off the rooms. Caleb had severe breathing problems out there. In fact when he came home last night, his asthma was in about the worst shape we have seen since his diagnosis and treatment began. Caleb said he had a great time ministering to the students he got to work with...but he would have much rather us had been there with him like we were in the past.

Tuesday... Challenge Circle ministry kicked off in Peter Pan Park. All of the ILA that signed up to help were there, except Caleb (due to him being at camp). We had a great turn out of our Bible Club students. Faith said it was the best thing she had experienced ever! She can't wait to go back and work with the students next week. More importantly some of the students that I had talked with a few days earlier showed up, participated, were fed, and want to be a part of City Impact....Praise God!

Awesome to be a part of the work God is doing! We look forward to this week...ILA pool party, Challenge Circles, and meeting with Messiah Lutheran about VBS at Peter Pan Park.

Playoff Pressure

I love the NBA, I have watched almost every single playoff game over the course of the last month and a half (I did not watch all of the first round games...but a good chunk). And I will openly admit that I am a LeBron hater! I think my biggest gripe against him has been the inordinate amount of hype, for someone who had never accomplished anything. I will gladly admit he is the most physically gifted athlete in the NBA I have seen in a long time, but to say he is, was or will be the greatest player...well he had to win at least a ring first. I watched him play and have followed his career since the beginning, and I was fairly convinced he would never be able to accomplish that goal: winning an NBA championship.  Mostly because of how he responded under pressure...he would take all of the ownership of having to win the game on himself..or he would collapse under the pressure of needing to be great. Sometimes he could deliver, he has freakish ability ask the Boston Celtics this year, or the Chicago Bulls last year, or the Orlando Magic a few years ago when Cleveland made the finals on LeBron's back. He can win a series by himself...but not a Championship.

This year, something was different. Oklahoma City doubled and sometimes tripled LeBron all series. It did not have a tremendously negative affect on his game...He averaged 28.6 points per game...What it did do was force Lebron to grow up! He did not settle for many ill-advised jump shots...he drove, he dished, he got to the foul line (too much if you ask me, David Stern and Joey Crawford should both get rings from Miami... but that is another story). Oklahoma City, by ratcheting up the pressure on LeBron forced him to trust his teammates! Mike Miller stated this point during the game 5 half-time interview..."They gotta double LeBron" when asked he got open for all of his 4 of his first half three point shots.

Here is some comparison stats... In the Boston Series, LeBron was hardly ever doubled, in fact the C's even mixed in some zone defense to confuse the Heat... and it worked. They forced LeBron into a Herculean performance to get past them...Lebron averaged almost 40 points a game and he was good enough to beat an older declining team. Only two other Heat players averaged double digits in the Celtics series Mario Chalmers (14) and D-Wade (25).

This may sound counter-intuitive but by OKC doubling LeBron...saying we are not going to let you beat us, they in fact handed him the key Miami's victory. They took the pressure off of LeBron by increasing the pressure they put on him. He became a distributor and facilitator for Miami's offense.  5 Heat players averaged double digit points in the Finals: Battier (11.6), Bosh (14.6), Chlamers (10.4), James (28.6), and D-Wade (22.6). James was not a one man band, he was forced to trust his teammates and they did not let him down.

I wonder if LeBron would have "allowed" or even challenged to average 40 points like he did against the Celtics if he could have under the pressure of the NBA Finals.....Kudos to Miami, I still don't like LeBron... and I think OKC vs Miami is your finals for the next 3-4 years (assuming no major injuries) and we get to see who will be the best player of this era will be KD or King James. This has the chance to turn into Bird vs. Magic in the 80's. I don't think Lebron and the Heat are so far ahead of everyone else that they will be like the Bulls of the 90's. And KD will end up with more rings.

Music Monday

I LOVE Pandora! How did we ever listen to music prior to streaming it instantly off the internet? I listen to Pandora everyday while working. I like that it introduces me to music that I might not have heard of, but is similar to other music I like. The artist I have really come to enjoy is a singer/songwriter that goes under the name of Secondhand Serenade. He has been out for a few years, and I had even heard some of his music before, but for some reason it didn't really resonate with me until I heard some of the songs from his first album, Awake. Today's Music Monday is my favorite track "Last Song Ever", this is a slightly different version than on the record but still nice....Enjoy!

Father's Day

How many of us grew up with an awesome Dad? Who was blessed to be brought up in a way that is noble and honoring?  I have been a part of many different Men's Groups- Bible Studies where the primary focus is Fatherhood! How our fathers did....how are we doing as fathers...what does it really mean to be a father? In these groups I have discovered that fathers are seldom good, and even the best have left holes or scars that are hard to fill. Wounds that never truly go away. Stories that will not be forgotten. We fail....

In the movie "Fight Club" "Tyler" played by Brad Pitt articulates a worldly view of what it means to be a father....and how that can affect our relationship with our creator by saying "Our fathers were our models for God. If our fathers bailed what does this tell you about God?... You have to consider the possibility that God  does not like you. He never wanted you. In all probability, he hates you." How many of us struggle with the image of God as our "Father " based on our earthly father? I am sure that it can be a challenge for many!

Paul has a different take, he sates in Romans 8 "Instead you received the Holy Spirit, who makes you God's child. By the Spirit's power we call God "Abba." Abba means Father.The Spirit himself joins with our spirits. Together they give witness that we are God's children." The God of everything, creator of all, imparts His Spirit it to us, so that we can call Him "daddy" ... this is only available to us by believing that God's Son, Jesus took the punishment for our sins! God loves you...and He is a perfect Father, even if our dads were not (which I can guarantee they were not perfect)! He desires to be in relationship with you, even if your father has "bailed".

If you have a great dad, be grateful for him this weekend. If your dad was not winning father of the year anytime soon, and there are things between you and him, take it to your Heavenly Father and see what His will for you is, because He love you and gave up everything just to be with you!


Happy Father's Day!

Update on Dad

Thank you all so much for your prayers yesterday! Dad successfully had his surgery on his left ankle. It was a long process ( in the OR for a little over 4 hours) and recovery has just started. We have a long list of medical supplies to pick up for him before he comes home. He is non-weight bearing on his surgically repaired ankle for 12 WEEKS! Then I am sure that he will have some additional PT to go through after, so it will be a process but the really scary part is over! Praise God for His faithfulness to Dad!

Mango Salsa

This past weekend we celebrated all of the wonderful people on the Ministry Team for ILA. We spent a fantastic night with some wonderful food in a beautiful home of a City Impact co-worker. I love to cook so anytime I can show off my talents in the kitchen I try to meet the challenge. The hit of the night was was Fresh Mango Salsa.... here is how! (Another veggie lovers dream)

3 - Ripe Mangoes
1 - Small-Medium  white onion
2 - limes
1 - Tablespoon Cider vinegar
3 - Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
2 - teaspoons sugar
salt, pepper

(Cooking is an art...I did not use a recipe and these are approximations...be sure to taste and season accordingly)

Cut limes in half and juice into medium size bowl. Add vinegar and sugar whisk together. Peel and chop mango into ship size chunks then add to bowl. Finley chop onion and cilantro, add to bowl and mix. Chop tomatoes to about the same size as the mango, lightly salt and pepper, then add to the bowl. Mix and chill before serving with your favorite tortilla chips (I especially like yellow corn tortilla chip with this salsa)

Breaking Bread!

One of the important elements of fellowship-koinonia is the practice of sharing a meal with friends, family, fellow believers, and others who may need a meal. We were blessed to have my boss and his family over for some koinonia recently. It was a really fun night. I cooked which for those of you who know me well should not come as a surprise. I made pasta, which of course would not be at all unusual either. The fun part came in the fact that my boss's wife is a herbivore! Vegetarian...Vegan even! This caused me a challenge I had not faced before but was glad to try! I wanted to share the menu with everyone.

Menu:


Appitizers:


Nonnie's Tomato Salad
Fresh Lettuce Salad

Main Dish: 


Veggie Pasta with Oil and Garlic Sauce

Side Dish:
Garlic Bread

Dessert: 
Fruit Salad


This is a great menu for any family that wants a "healthy" night to try something new. All food was delicious and easy to prepare!

Fresh Lettuce Salad:  -                       Prep time 5 min.                                            Very easy!
A blend of Romaine, Iceberg, and Radicchio. Topped with craisins, mushrooms, sliced red onion, croutons, and choice of dressing, we used a balsamic vinaigrette to stay in the vegan theme.

Nonnie's Tomato Salad -                    Prep. time  60 min.                                          Easy!   
I learned how to make this dish from my Nonnie (Grandma) and nothing says summer quite like it! One of our family favorites!

1 - medium to large white onion.
2 - Fresh Roma Tomatoes
1 - Medium Cucumber (pealed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
5-7 fresh sweet basil leaves (fine chopped)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup of water

Cut onion in half. Then cut each half into 8 wedges (similar to cutting a pizza). Put into a medium size mixing bowl and add salt. You will "cook" the onion by squeezing it with you hands for about a minute. The onion should become softer and translucent as it reacts with your hands and the salt, it will also become "juicy". Add sugar and mix well by hand. Dice the tomatoes into bite size pieces and add to bowl with onions. Thinly slice cucumber and add. Add all other spices and mix by hand. Add oil, vinegar, and water, stir with a spoon. Cover and regenerate for at least 45 min. before serving.

Garlic Bread -                                       Prep time - 15 min.                                      Very Easy!


This one was tricky at first...love love garlic bread but it usually covered in butter and cheese. I came up with this great alternative.

1- Loaf of Italian bread ( You can get from bakery at local store)
3/4 Stick of Fleischmann's OLIVE OIL spread (sold by the butter) leave out on the counter to soften!
2 cloves of garlic
Garlic powder
Dried crushed parsley flakes

Pre-heat oven to 350. Cut loaf of bread in half to form a top and bottom. Cut olive oil spread in two equal parts and place in the center of each half of the bread. Press a clove of garlic onto each half of the bread. Spread the olive oil spread and garlic evenly over bread. Sprinkle each half generously with garlic powder and  parsley. Bake for 8-12 minutes ( I usually put in the bread just before the pasta hits the water and take out as the pasta is draining) Slice and serve!


Veggie Pasta with Oil and Garlic sauce  Prep time - 35 min.                                Moderate! 

Often referred to as "Poor-man's Pasta", pasta with oil and garlic packs a ton of flavor in a simple dish that I learned from my Grandfather. Basically pasta with oil, garlic, and fresh herb "pesto"-ish dish is the basic building block. I have modified the recipe to make "Seafood Pasta" and pasta carbonara.  But this was the first completely veggie pasta I have made.

2-3- Roasted Red Peppers (you can use canned or jarred if you don't want to roast them on your own)
1 - small to medium yellow squash
1 - lemon
1-  small - medium white onion
6-8 cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil (plus more if needed)
2 Lbs of  pasta ( I used Barillia Rigatoni noodles, farfalle or mostacholi would work well too)
1 dash of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of sugar
oregano, basil, salt, and pepper
1 can of vegetable stock

 In a large stock pot begin heating water  for pasta, add 2 tablespoons salt to water. Take garlic (except one clove) out of husks thinly slice and set off to the side. Begin making sauce by starting with lemon; zest the entire lemon, set he zest off to the side for later. Cut in half and squeeze juice in a large skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of EVOO to skillet. Add one clove of garlic pressed.  Chop onion, not a fine chop but not big pieces either. Add to skillet over medium heat, begin to cook until they become translucent. Add sugar and turn heat to medium low, continue to cook until onions are caramelized. Add dash of balsamic vinegar to deglaze pan. Saute chopped yellow squash for about 2 minutes. Add vegetable broth and roasted red peppers (chopped) and spices/herbs. Cook until reduced over medium low heat. Add pasta to water per directions on packaging. About a minute before draining pasta add lemon zest and sliced garlic to sauce.  After pasta is drained put into a large serving dish, add sauce over the top and toss together. If needed add extra EVOO to pasta. (Veggie pasta so no cheese, however, grated Romano is excellent with this dish)

The other fun news is this is a highly customizable dish, you can use capers instead of lemon zest, sun dried tomatoes, broccoli, whatever you like...just put it in at the right time so it doesn't over/under cook!

I had a blast cooking for a Vegan, I hope you enjoy the menu and some great fellowship with friends!