Triple Threat Diary #1 from spiphywarfare on GodTube.
For more information on 2015 Hotter’N Hell Hundred events, go to www.hh100.org.
This article was first published on January 24, 2015 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
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The Death of Humility
Merriam-Webster defines humility as “the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people.” What a strange alien concept that is to this world anymore. Working for a public safety agency brings me into contact with people from across the spectrum of society. Some of them are employees, some are prisoners or criminals, some are elected officials, and some are members of the general public. I’d be a liar if I said I never saw someone say, “No that’s OK. You go ahead” or show some similar deference to another; the more egregious lie would be to say I witnessed such an act routinely. Instead, society is sadly becoming more and more self-centered, self-serving, and in the process self-defeating.
It seems that time-and-time again I’ve witnessed the unintended effects of an action are longer-lasting than the intended effect. In government a slight policy or process change result in an effect no one expects or is looking for. As a result it goes undetected for some time. When it’s finally discovered, the original cause is either forgotten or so entrenched that undoing the effect is difficult if not impossible. The point here is that our actions frequently produce results that are both unintended and more durable than what we sought.
Our lives are the same way. The more we work to gather honor and glory for ourselves, the less likely it is that we will truly get it. More likely is that we hurt people in our efforts. We leave a path of pain and hurt that eventually catches up to us. Like those changes mentioned above, we can find ourselves at a loss for why we are in that position. The book of Proverbs provides some interesting points on humility. It tells us:
- Pride brings disgrace and humility brings wisdom,
- Humility comes BEFORE honor, and
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- Fear of the Lord,
- Wealth,
- Honor, and
- Life
When we seek those things listed above directly (wealth, honor, and life), all we really end up attaining is our own distorted perception of them. I would encourage you to help someone else succeed next week. If you find yourself in line at a cash register, invite someone to move ahead of you right before you get to check out. Thank a truck driver for all they do to help keep our economy and goods moving.
Do something to put others first. You will be rewarded. The payoff from putting others first is an unintended positive payoff. It makes no sense that practicing humility will be so rewarding, but it is.
This article was first published on January 22, 2015 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
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Never Give Up
If you’re struggling with food don’t bury yourself under failure. Don’t think something must be wrong with you. Don’t give up and think you can’t succeed. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” is never more appropriate than it is in this struggle. It’s a struggle mankind has dealt with since the dawn of creation.
I was raised in church. By that I mean if the doors were unlocked, we were going through them. The story of Creation and the fall is as familiar to me as my own bed. In spite of that it only recently struck me that God established all of Creation with only one, single, solitary prohibition. Don’t eat from THAT tree.
Look, I have given you EVERY seed-bearing plant on the surface of the ENTIRE earth, and EVERY tree whose fruit contains seed. This food will be for you. [emphasis added] GEN 1:29
God basically said, eat from ANY plant on the entire planet except from one particular one. One single solitary plant on the entire planet. Now, with all the cries of deforestation and environmental destruction that man wreaks upon the planet one can assume that there were more trees at the dawn of mankind than there are today. Today, according to ask.com there are an estimated 400,000,000,000 trees on the planet. I don’t know about you but if I had at least 400 billion options to choose from and God said leave that one particular option out….. Well.
We all know what happened.
Mankind corrupted all of Creation. Eve was tempted, gave in to temptation, and the first physical manifestation of sin ever is the act of eating. I’d love to beat up on Eve for what she did. As a matter of fact, there were times in the past when I literally wished I could reach back through the ages and slap her right across the lips and shout, “WHAT. IS. WRONG. WITH. YOU?!?!”
Eve, I owe you an apology. For years I ate things that I knew I shouldn’t be eating. If someone brought donuts to the office, I could count on the fact that there’d be some blueberry donuts in there. Pie, chips, fast food, and buffets. Buffets were my favorites. Each one was a personal challenge to me. If I didn’t leave feeling miserable I felt like a failure. I intentionally, routinely, and with great enthusiasm engaged in that pesky little sin of gluttony. You know, the one paired with drunkenness in many places in the Bible and worthy of drastic punishment.
When I started changing my dietary habits I caught myself countless times reaching for a piece of hard candy here, a couple of pieces of chocolate there, “Oooh rolls? Yeah I’ll take one.” Putting garbage into my system was a habit I was totally unaware I had developed. It was one not easy to get over, but it happened. I know if I can do it, anyone can do it.
This article was first published on January 10, 2015 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
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Go Together Like a Horse and Carriage
We’ve talked about marinated mozzarella balls, and now we have discovered their perfect companion: oven slow roasted tomatoes.
I took some grape tomatoes, halved them, sprinkled with sea salt, and drizzled olive oil all over.
I popped them into an oven for one hour at 225 degrees farenheit. They didn’t quite look how I wanted them to so I left them in another one hour at 300 degrees farenheit.
Then they looked perfect.
They were perfect eaten with these beauties:
.We used fresh mozzarella pearls instead of the balls, and we will continue to use the pearls for marinated mozzarella.
The above pearls were marinated in olive oil, salt, fresh parsley, fresh thyme, fresh basil, minced garlic, dried dill, and red pepper flakes. The hard part is waiting a few hours while they marinate.
This article was first published on January 6, 2015 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
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Cardamom Sesame Crackers
I had reason to buy some cardamom during the holidays. Because of that, I have this spice sitting in the pantry that I’ve used only one time. This morning I set out to find another use for it. I was also itching for some crackers. After all, going back to eating right after the holidays is not reason to make yourself feel deprived.
Enter the Grain Mill Wagon. I love stumbling across new food or health sites. I do believe I’ll be spending some time there to see what other yummy treats can be found.
The ingredients were few and it only took about ten minutes to get the dough mixed up.
With the oven preheated to 350° it only took about 15 minutes for them to cook. They came out great!
She mixed up some cheese dip for them with a base of shredded cheese and mayonnaise. A little jalapeño, minced garlic, and green onion made the perfect toppers for these crackers. I had no sesame seeds so I substituted 1 teaspoon of sesame oil for some of the olive oil.
This article was first published on January 3, 2015 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
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Quicker than Quick
onions, garlic, and butter
hot dogs (Hebrew National)
heat up sauerkraut
super quick supper
Hey, it’s not gourmet, but it will keep you out of the drive-thru.
This article was first published on January 2, 2015 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
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Groceries to Get Back on Track
We ate too much of the wrong foods over the holidays, and now it’s time to get back on track.
Having the right foods in the house help tremendously to stay on track of eating real food.
fresh parsley, thyme, and basil
green onion, avocado, onion, limes, lemon, mushrooms, garlic, and green beans
eggs and fresh mozzarella
all beef franks, roast, steaks (on sale), and frozen chicken breasts
This article was first published on January 2, 2015 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
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On This Cold Winter Day….
I have an easy roast going in the crock pot for some warm comfort style food. Easy roast is placing a bed of chopped onion in the bottom of the crockpot, placing the roast on the onions, and then salt and pepper. I cook it on high for an hour or two and then turn it down to low to cook all day.
Then to add some brightness and fresh herbs to the day, I will marinate some fresh mozzarella balls. Plus, one of the kids asked very nicely at the store yesterday for fresh mozzarella to marinate.
This article was first published on December 30, 2014 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
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It’s That Time of Year
About this time of year many are looking to the new year and perhaps some changes they want to make. By looking at marketing and sales that roll around every January, I would guess those changes include weight loss and exercise.
My recommendation is fix your diet first, then add your exercise. I am not suggesting being a couch potato, but put off the serious stuff for later.
To jump start your weight loss and break any sugar/carb addiction, start with the Atkins two week induction
After two weeks move to a LCHF (low carb high fat) diet as described by Andreas Eenfeldt, MD.
Happy New Year!
This article was first published on December 26, 2014 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
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Quick Breakfast
Fried eggs over chili and cheese
Workability is key to any changes in dietary patterns. If you can’t keep up with it or stick to it because it is too difficult, it won’t work.
One way to help make things easy is to take part of one day a week and cook. Use a couple of hours worth of time to make things like chili, roast, or just cook a large quantity of meat seasoned with only salt and pepper. We refer to these as planned-overs.
Planned-overs allow variety and quick meals. The chili above has been eaten alone, in a salad and this morning tasted great with some cheddar cheese and a couple of fried eggs.
The good thing about planned-overs is the base food can be something that requires time to cook but most of it can be unattended, e.g. chili simmers in a pot, roast… well, it roasts. It does require some time but not a huge amount and the payoffs are worth it.
This article was first published on December 23, 2014 and was recovered using AI and web.archive.org.
