My mom always hosts Thanksgiving for our family, and she does an awesome job. Everything is beautiful, festive, and most importantly delicious! My husband and I typically arrive earlier than requested and get in her way, attempting to “help” as we fill up on all the tempting appetizers on display before us. My dad runs around trying to take pictures of us when we’re feeling the least photogenic and also captures the details of all the finely crafted foods. Later my husband’s parents arrive and more chaos ensues until we’re finally ready to sit down to eat way more food than any human should. That’s Thanksgiving #1. My mom prefers to buy her own turkey, but I also receive a turkey from my employer every year. Since I have no room to store such a large bird until the next holiday, I have no choice but to cook it the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Twenty pounds of turkey (yes, my employer gives us a huge turkey!) is a bit much for two people to eat alone, so we started a tradition several years back that we call “Second Thanksgiving.” On 2nd Thanksgiving, my hubby and I cook our turkey, heat up all the leftover side dishes from 1st Thanksgiving and invite our family to feast all over again on Saturday! Even then we still have tons of leftovers. God has richly blessed us! Our turkey turned out so good this year on 2nd Thanksgiving that I wanted to share our method for anyone who struggles to cook a turkey. It takes a long time, but it’s super easy. Cooking a Perfect TurkeyI’ve found that the “low and slow” method produces awesome results every time, not just with turkey, but with any meat. I didn’t follow any particular recipe this year, as I was tired and just wanted to throw it in the oven, but it sure turned out great! Here are the steps I took that yielded such perfect results:
So why is this recipe on a Jesus blog? Oftentimes following Jesus is less about learning and knowing theology and more about living it. It's about people and daily life, serving others, being hospitable, and sharing what you have. It’s about doing your daily tasks with excellence. During the holidays, it’s easy to get behind on Bible reading because you’re busy doing things for other people and living out what Jesus has been teaching you, and I think that’s OK. While reading the Bible is important (and I highly recommend doing so regularly), Jesus certainly didn’t spend his life with His nose in a book, but everything He did stemmed from being connected to His Father.
Through your busy days, be full of Jesus. Let your actions and your service be an overflow of what He has done in your life. Reflect His goodness through your cooking, your giving, your housecleaning, and all that you do. You don’t have to be the best cook or have the tidiest home, but let your actions be seasoned with the love of God and a love for others. When you work to honor God, you will have a greater joy in what you do, and others will be blessed by the love that goes into it. May you have a blessed holiday season! Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! P.S. I didn’t anticipate writing this when we were preparing our turkey, or I would have taken more pictures of the process! All I have is a photo of the final product. Next time I cook a turkey, probably next year, I’ll try and take more pictures and edit them in to this post.
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Now that we've all had our turkey, let the Christmas season begin! I've put together a fun little quiz about the biblical nativity story to get you thinking about the birth of Christ and the reason for the season. Enjoy!
Last week left me with no words. Donald Trump won the election, and the world went haywire. It all felt so surreal. I fully anticipated riots in the streets or perhaps even an assassination attempt, but what caught me completely off guard was the way people turned so bitterly and venomously against each other. I couldn't tear myself away from the news and Facebook, just sinking deeper and deeper into depression and disbelief at everything I was seeing. On Facebook alone, there were venomous words towards those who voted the "wrong" way, unfriending, unfollowing, and story after story of racial hatred towards others. For a few days after the election, I just felt like being quiet as I took it all in. I shouldn't have been surprised at the depravity that was spewing from people's hearts, but I was. The last straw for me was watching a video on Friday night of a mom torturing her child by telling him he was kicked out of the house for voting for Trump in the mock school election. This poor boy, probably no older than nine years old, was crying and screaming, thinking his mom was truly kicking him out into the streets. I cried with him. It was just too much. This week still leaves me at a loss for words, so I'm just going to share some of God's. These words that follow are a portion of what I read on Saturday morning as part of a read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan, and they reminded me of the hope we have in Christ. They felt particularly applicable and/or encouraging given the events of the last week. One day God will put all things right! These are words of prophecy about Jesus from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, and some words to Christians in the New Testament imploring us to walk in the unity and love of Christ, giving direction on how we should treat one another. Enjoy. Isaiah 9: 1-71 But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. 3 You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. 5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. 6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 11:1-101 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; 4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. 5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist. 6 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. 7 Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea. 10 Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious. Isaiah 121 Then you will say on that day, “I will give thanks to You, O Lord; For although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, And You comfort me. 2 “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.” 3 Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation. 4 And in that day you will say, “Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted.” 5 Praise the Lord in song, for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth. 6 Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. Ephesians 41 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. 17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. 25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. 29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. How would Jesus introduce Himself? Most folks have heard of him, at least as a historical figure, but who does He say He is? How would He describe who He is to people don’t necessarily know or understand Him? Have you met Jesus? Meet Him! He’s pretty amazing. In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven statements introducing Himself in various ways to us, each starting with “I am…” Each of these statements involves a different way He relates Himself to you and me. All of them are quite tangible for us to have a better picture and understanding of who He is and who He claims to be. Of course Jesus says many other things about Himself through Scripture, but these seven word pictures are quite intriguing. 1. I am the Bread of Life (John 6:35-51)"Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst." (John 6:35) Why do we eat bread? Because we’re hungry! Our physical bodies need food to live. Our souls are hungry too, and Jesus says He is the bread that fills that hunger and gives life to our spirit. 2. I am the Light of the World (John 8:12)“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’” We need light to see, to live life effectively, and to appreciate the beauty of the world around us. Without it, we stumble around in the darkness. While we can manage to get through this life blind (some people don’t have a choice in the matter), when you can see, it opens up a whole new dimension to life! Light shines on things in the darkness – if you have to crawl into a dark attic or crawlspace, you definitely want to have a flashlight to avoid obstacles and creepy crawlies. Jesus not only shines light on the world around us, but He shines light on our own hearts. That’s why some people hate Him – they don’t want the sin in their hearts to be revealed, and Jesus infringes upon their comfort zones. But that’s what He does – He exposes what’s in the darkness with His light. 3. I am the Door (John 10:7-9) “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’” In this chapter, Jesus is speaking metaphorically about entering through Him, the “door,” to find abundant life. He is not just “a” door, but “the” door. We have to come through Him to find life in God, just as He says later in John 14:6, “no one comes to the Father but through Me.” 4. I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” The full context of the chapter talks about how hired hands run from the wolf that would do harm to the sheep, but Jesus as the Shepherd is willing to lay down His life for us, because we are His, and He loves us as His own. A shepherd’s job is to protect the sheep, guide them to safety, feed them, pasture them, and find them when they wander off. That’s what Jesus does for us. 5. I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)When Jesus was talking with Martha after her brother Lazarus died, He made this statement to her: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” Later, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, as proof that He had power over life and death! We will all die a physical death, but the kind of life Jesus is talking about is an eternal spiritual life. He gives us that life – He is that life. Most of us understand eternal life to be heaven (as opposed to eternal death in hell), but it is more than that. According to Jesus in John 17:30, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Eternal life does mean spending eternity in heaven with God, but it starts earlier than that when you begin a relationship with Him now and experience a new life within yourself that He gives you! 6. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6)“Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'” This statement, more than any other, renders false the idea that “all paths lead to God.” Jesus didn’t say that He is “a way” or “a truth,” but “the way” and “the truth.” He claims to be the only way to God. Either He is right and all other religions are wrong, or other religions are right, and Jesus was wrong. But they can’t both be true; it just doesn’t work. Jesus made Christianity different from any other religion, because He didn’t just teach us to follow a way or a set of teachings; rather He said He “is” the way. The only way. 7. I am the Vine (John 15:5)“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Jesus is saying that He is our source. Our nourishment, strength, and very life come from Him, just as a branch draws those things from the main vine. If we are not connected to Christ, we cannot survive, particularly in a spiritual sense, but since He created us and gives us breath, also in a physical sense. One more “I am"All of these seven statements start with “I am.” Jesus also makes an eighth statement in John 8:58 about Himself that is simply “I am.” What does this mean? This one is less tangible, but it’s huge. With this statement, Jesus is making a claim to his eternal nature, and more importantly, He’s making a claim to divinity, a claim to be God Almighty! How do we know this? Read this heated little dialogue that Jesus had with a group of Jews in John 8:39-58: Jews: Abraham is our father. Jesus: If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. You are doing the deeds of your father. Jews: We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God. Jesus: If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God. Jews: Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon? Jesus: I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death. Jews: Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’ Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be? Jesus: If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad. Jews: You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham? Jesus: Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am. And then it says, “Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.” The Jews whom Jesus was talking with tried to stone Him because they understood Jesus’s reference when He said, “before Abraham was born, I am.” He was referring to a passage in Exodus 3:13-15, when God speaking to Moses announced that His name was “I AM.” Jesus in that statement was making Himself out to be God, and the Jews wanted to stone Him for blasphemy. So that's Jesus!Jesus makes some pretty radical claims about Himself, and He also makes it very apparent that He loves us and wants to be our everything. Most of these statements equate Jesus with life itself, and Jesus claims to be the unique and only way to God. In fact, He claims to be God Himself.
Early in the book of John, it is written that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," (John 1:1) and a few verses later it says, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). Jesus was God in the flesh, born of the virgin Mary, who came to be the bridge between God and man. Jesus said, “He who has seen Me, has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) God made Himself reachable and tangible in the person of Jesus. Want to know God? Meet Jesus. He already knows you, loves you, and came to give His life for you! |
AuthorFull time office worker, full time wife, and full time lover of Jesus. I'm kind of a Bible nerd, and I have a passion for finding ways to introduce Jesus in a practical way to everyday people doing everyday things. Archives
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