They are odd. Unless you know what you’re looking for, you’ll never buy them. If you buy them by mistake, they’ll sit on your shelves for years. If you know what they are and how to use them, when you find them, you’ll buy every box they have. Of course, we are speaking about the manicotti pasta shell. A substitute is the large sea shell, but most of the time you’ll only find the small / medium sea shell which are a bear to stuff and not more than a mouthful per shell, but if you’re going to do it right… manicotti shells. Recipe you ask: here you go. What is so brilliant about this recipe is that it is a no boil (the shells) before cooking, so you’re not trying to insert the ricotta cheese, etc. into a wiggly squiggly chicken neck. Mix up the cheeses et al and then put them all into a zip-lock bag, snip off one corner and pipe the deliciousness into the shell. Easy peasy and very very tasty! Serve up with some homemade bread, Caesar salad, and a bit of homemade wine and folks will be oh so very happy. End it with whatever desert the guest brought and a bit of Benedictine…. are you wanting a reservation yet?!… and the evening is set and perfect. I recommend a bit of Sting or Dido in the background.
One of the more “attractive” loaves of bread I’ve made.
For the record: I did have this one tonight and…. yeah. Who’s your daddy?!
Today is Monday–for 1:15 more minutes–and I’m about done. Caught up from the vacation, as far as I can tell, and moving into the quieter summer months. The Queen appears to be happy (although I think she wanted a bit of Manicotti) and she allowed me to clean her box.
Have ordered the grape juice (not Welch’s) for the next batch of wine. Making a Pinot Grigio this round. This is a fun one to make. The last batch looked as cloudy and “bleh” as a pot of gumbo, but when it finally cleared… golden deliciousness. Elsie is so very tasty! Have not decided on a name for it yet, but generally that doesn’t come along until after we have fermentation… then… yeah… I’m thinking it will be delicioso! or however they spell that one.
Hoping you have a great Tuesday!
Thought for the day: Some things that hurt are worth the pain.
The Day of Pentecost has been good. Church went well, the sermon preached better than I had expected, and the picnic was a success. Still looking for more to return to church, but it was great to be there minus the mask. Summer is always quiet around St. M’s, so I’m not expecting it to get too crazy over the next couple of months, but I’m hopeful that by the time we reach early fall, folks will be returning. We shall see… or I may have to give a few lectures! Ha!
I’ve been having some thoughts on the direction that I would like to go with regard to the St. M’s. I’m hoping they will be up for it. I keep asking myself how far we can reach… just within Enid city limits, Garfield County, or…. I’m thinking “or”, but I’m still working on what that will look like. We’re the only Episcopal Church for 60 miles, so maybe we can… hmmm. Enough for now. Don’t want to start scaring folks off before I’ve got a vision. It is percolating.
Time for a bit of reading. Pray you have a blessed evening.
She told her mother, “David proposed to me an hour ago.”
“Then why are you so sad?” her mother asked.
“Because he also told me he is an atheist. Mom, he doesn’t even believe there’s a Hell.”
“Marry him anyway,” mom replied. “Between the two of us, we’ll show him how wrong he is.”
There have been many who have been proven wrong on some very large scales:
In 1934, the president of IBM said, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” And in 1977, the founder of DEC said, “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” On that same note, in 1966 it was predicted that remote shopping (online shopping) would flop because “women like to get out of the house, like to handle the merchandise, like to be able to change their minds.” Hello, Amazon. In 1876, the telephone was said to have “too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication” and as late as 1981 it was predicted that cell phones would absolutely not replace landlines. The list goes on. In many respects, it seems that making a prediction or stating what you consider to be a truth is a bit like daring someone to prove you wrong… and there are more than enough folks who will take you up on the dare. The same is true with our faith. How so?
Today, we will say the Nicene Creed: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty…”, then we will say the Confession and receive the absolution that is promised by God, and a bit later we will receive the Body and the Blood of Christ, food for the soul and for our salvation; we will speak all these things that are truths, and in doing so, we are daring the devil and the world to prove those truths wrong. And you know what? The devil and the world go to work on us immediately. No sooner have we walked out the doors, than they both go on full assault.
It can begin by the insertion of events that may not cause you to full on doubt, but that do rob you of a little bit of peace that you experienced while here. It can come in the form of small questions to what we believe: “Ya know, that ‘born of the Virgin Mary’ business seems just a bit too far fetched. It’s nice at Christmas, but… eh.” Then we run up against some of the bigger problems: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” “Good… all except for Bob, because God and all the angels know that Bob is unforgivable.” And then there is the one that trips most everyone up: “Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins….” Absolution of our sins. We can never really believe that one.
You know the game Jenga? It is the one with the stack of blocks built into a tower. The objective is to strategically remove blocks from the tower to destabilize it without making it fall in hopes that those you are playing against will make a mistake and bring the entire thing down.
We’ve come in here and we’ve spoken the truth about who we are and what we believe, but no sooner have we left the building—if not sooner!—than the devil and the world begin to play Jenga with our lives. Like Samantha and her mom who intended to prove there was a hell to the unsuspecting David, those that would come against us have taken the dare and one piece at a time they will seek to bring us down, but… the only way they can truly accomplish this is if we believe them instead of believing the truth spoken by the God who created us, and we know this truth because our Creator has given us a part of Himself. God has given us His Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”
I believe that I’ve shared this with you before. It was said by, the Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius IV of the Greek Orthodox Church while speaking to the World Council of Churches in 1968: “Without the Holy Spirit God is far away. Christ stays in the past. The Gospel is simply an organization. Authority is a matter of propaganda. The Liturgy is no more than an evocation. Christian loving is a slave mentality. But in the Holy Spirit, the cosmos is resurrected and grows with the birth pangs of the Kingdom. The Risen Christ is here. The Gospel is the power of life. The Church shows forth the life of the Trinity. Authority is a liberating service. Mission is a Pentecost. The Liturgy is both renewal and anticipation. Human action is deified.” This is the Spirit that was given to us by God and it is this Spirit that speaks the truth into our souls and minds. Those that would sow seeds of doubt into our beliefs and our faith are very much aware of this Spirit. They know of the strength and courage that this Spirit provides to us, therefore, they enter in to crush that truth. They cannot destroy the truth, so they spread lies, whisperings that take hold within us, causing us to question the things we hold most dear and the promises of Christ. So what are we to do?
Remember Peter: he and the others are out on the lake when they see Jesus walking on the water. They think it is a ghost, but Jesus says, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Jesus has spoken a truth. So Peter says to Jesus, “If it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come.” So Peter stepped out of the boat and he too walked on the water, but then the wind blew and the waves rolled and the doubt entered in. Peter began to sink. Yet Peter kept enough sense about him to turn to and call out to the only one who could save him, “Lord… Jesus.. save me!” We know that he did and I can imagine Jesus laughing and smiling broadly when he said to Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have been given the truth about our faith and the truth about who we are—sons and daughters of God—when you begin to sense those seeds of doubt being planted, like Peter, call out, “Lord, save me.” Lord, save me from those who would seek to hide the truth from me by spreading lies within my soul. Lord, save me by kindling the fire of your Spirit that is within me, so that all doubts are burned away. Pray, “Lord, save me,” and he who died for you will hear you and he will reach out his hand and snatch you out of the grasp of those who would come against you.
Let us pray (a prayer of St. Augustine): Breathe into us, Holy Spirit, that our thoughts may all be holy.
Move in us, Holy Spirit, that our work, too, may be holy.
Attract our hearts, Holy Spirit, that we may love only what is holy.
Strengthen us, Holy Spirit, that we may defend all that is holy.
Protect us, Holy Spirit, that we may always be holy.
So the first day back from the vacation consisted of 12.5 hours of work (there was a 2.5 hour Zoom call in there, which really makes it seem longer!) However, days two and three back from work are my days off (and yes, I will be working, but still!) It could be worse. What I missed most about the day was having the opportunity to do Morning Prayer with my online group (see 2.5 hour Zoom call if you’re wondering where I was.) That has turned into a very special time of day for me. It seems that sometimes I have something to say and other days… not so much, but… we prayed together and that is a good thing. God makes great even our most feeble attempts!
While on the vaca, I finished reading the book Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Loved this book. There are several quotes I could share (and will in some upcoming sermons), but the one that made me laugh out loud (causing the person next to me on the plane to be concerned for the next hour or so) involved the goose….
You mustn’t throw stones at birds. We all agree on that. Except maybe swans, because swans can actually be passive-aggressive little bastards. But apart from swans, you mustn’t throw stones at birds. And you mustn’t tell lies. Unless… well, sometimes you have to, of course, like when your children ask: “Why does it smell like chocolate in here? ARE YOU EATING CHOCOLATE?” but you definitely mustn’t…
When you actually type out the word “mustn’t” you really do wonder how that word truly exists!
… steal or kill, we can agree on that.
It goes on from there and you eventually fall into the rhythm and style. The last 20-30 pages of this one are worth reading more than once, just to make sure you put it all together. The author also wrote, A Man Called One. That one is next, following the current read, Project Hail Mary (sci-fi) and One Hundred Years of Solitude (not sci-fi).
Thought for the day: Enjoy interruptions. They are really God trying to get you off your butt to do what it is you are supposed to be doing.
As has been pointed out, online journaling may not be all that wise, seeing as how yesterday I posted about spending ten minutes in an airport bathroom stall just so I wouldn’t have to wear my mask, but… here we find ourselves.
The Queen at rest…
This is the last day of my two week vacation and the Queen and I have spent it together doing just about what you see her doing here. Besides, she was laying in my lap and it would have been quite rude of me to disturb her. Yesterday, after I picked her up, she was a hissing spitting alley cat, but she has remembered that I am her faithful servant, forgiven me, and is once again deigning to allow me to scoop her poop (which has no stink… naturally.)
I have had some guilt about not working today and responding to emails, but I have managed to overcome those feelings with a nap of my own. Interesting that we need vacations, take vacations, and feel guilty for not working on vacations. I keep reminding myself that St. Matthew’s survived 120 some odd years without me and they’ll be just fine whether I’m gone for another a day or forever. Yet, I enjoy them and I enjoy being their priest, so perhaps it’s not so much me feeling guilty as it is me ready to get back in the mix doing the work…. it is a good work. Even so, I can’t help but think of this song…
Don’t forget to dance, even if you have two left feet.
Thought for the day: love is neither a verb or noun. Love is a person.
I’ve decided to give something a try: online journaling. On the main journal page you will read….
A place to wander and think. Not sure how long this will last or how often I will post in this category. It is an experiment. Feel free to ignore, comment, etc… just don’t argue. It is a place for thinking and all my thunking might not agree with your thunking, but that really is OK. Perhaps between the two of us, we’ll figure something important out or at least enjoy a bit of time together. If you have a place where you like to think, share that and I’ll join you along the thinking journey.
That’s pretty much it for the official notice. Please feel free to unsubscribe if you’ve signed up for email notifications of blog posts and just don’t want to receive this much information.
Arrived at the airport in Helena, Montana around 6 p.m…. yesterday! Flight left an hour or so later. Arrived in Salt Lake City and hung about for an hour or so, then at 11 p.m. caught the red eye to Atlanta. Why Atlanta, you ask: because I’m headed to Oklahoma City. Oh, wait… we just passed it and I’ve got to turn around and fly another couple of hours to get back to it. Well, such is the life of one on vacation: you occasionally have to pay for it.
To the confession: I’ve been wearing a mask the entire time. I am tired of the mask. I get the mask, but… so, as I’m walking the never ending concourses of the Atlanta airport, I see a fella has just finished cleaning the “Men’s”. No one else is around and I’m a rebel. I find myself a nice clean smelling stall, lock the door, rip off my mask, and just sit there for about ten minutes breathing eye-watering disinfected air free of my mask. It was brilliant! Please! No one tell the CDC.
It is now 5:52 a.m., “Dirty Laundry” is playing loudly in some closed up bar, and I’m in search of coffee, because I’ve also learned that as long as you are holding something to eat or drink, you can legally keep the mask off. My coffee may be as cold as a divorce lawyer, but I won’t be setting that cup down until it’s time to board.
Here’s hoping you have a mask free day from one living on the edge in toilet stalls across America.
