Just kidding, let's talk about Jesus instead. And food...I love food.
I love Jesus and I love church, I even love the excessive cheesiness of the worship songs, but I've found myself at a standstill on Sunday mornings. Why? Because most Christians just suck. Sure, the majority of people go to church to have a relationship with their friends God, and most pastors want to help themselves the needy, but in this Christmas season, it's hard to listen to a bunch of people speaking Christianese about "running the race of Christ towards the finish line" and "living out the plans He has for us" when people in the world are starving to death and we are eating so much we feel like barfing. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but something tells me "running the race" doesn't include trampling people to get an extra 30% off the day after "giving thanks" and that the plans He has for us are not to waste our lives chasing money. Jesus didn't just sit around in a small group and chat about helping others, he actually did it.
When did "being the church" turn into donating money so pastors could bring home half a mil every year (Mark Driscoll anyone)? And when did helping the poor turn into donating a little bit of cash on Christmas? Don't get me wrong, helping people is always great, but there are three hundred and sixty five days in a year, why do we only think about the people freezing to death on our streets on one of those days?
We have one life on this earth, one chance to make a difference, one chance to love the people who need it most, and once chance to give back because we are so fortunate to live in a country where we can.
"Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other.
-Romans 12:9-10
On a brighter note, I made some seriously delish beef stew the other day and who would I be if I didn't share it with the nonexistent viewers of this blog? So here you go, maybe you can whip up a big pot and pass it out to some hungry peeps.
Beef Stew
*This is a mash up of a few different recipes I have come across
-4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
-1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
-5 red potatoes, chopped
-1/2 cup frozen pees
-2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
-2 celery ribs, chopped
-1 1/2 lbs grass fed beef stew meat
-2 Tbs olive oil
-4 cups beef broth or stock
-1/4 cup whole wheat flour
-2 Tbs dijon mustard
-1/2 tsp ground cloves
-2 bay leaves
-1 Tbs fresh rosemary, minced(plus more for garnish)
-1 tsp fresh thyme, minced (plus more for garnish)
-salt and pepper
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium/high heat. In a large bowl, add the stew meat and season liberally with salt and pepper, add the flour and toss until all of the meat is evenly dredged.
Add stew meat and remaining flour to heated pot and let beef cook on each side about 2-3 minutes.
Once the beef is browned, add beef broth or stock, garlic, mustard, ground cloves, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme. Cover and let simmer about 1 1/2 hours.
After 1 1/2 hours, add the remaining ingredients and cook another 30-45 minutes (depending on how soft you want the veggies). Add a little bit more salt and pepper if desired and enjoy!
This recipe made enough for me and the hubs to eat for dinner two nights in a row.
*quick shout out to my amazing talented Aunt Guyla for making that awesome bowl in the picture!
