Dinner Tonight

Those of you who know me know that I love to cook. Last Sunday was "she who must be obeyed"'s birthday.The problem was, one of my children, a girl-child was skiing in West, by god, Virginia, and I had to preach three worship services and then head to the mountains for a week for my rich uncle in DC. So, tonight, we finally did the birthday dinner and presents. The guest of honor was a nice standing rib roast that I had a buddy of mine cut for me. A little EVOO, some fresh ground pepper and kosher salt and it was ready to go.

Next was the sear. I got the egg (Big Green Egg)up to about a million degrees and seared the roast on each side. After that I let the roast rest for 20 minutes while the Egg cooled to a reasonable 350 degrees

Then it was back to the Egg where I took it to an internal temperature of 120 degrees, tented it with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes. After that it was a sharp knife and the following:

This was all served up with some extra small English peas that I had seasoned well. I also did some great mashed potatoes. They were Yukon golds that I boiled after cubing them. I took a head of garlic, sliced off the top, drizzled with EVOO and roasted for about 45 minutes in a 400 degree oven. A little heavy whipping cream, a stick of butter, some salt and pepper, and BAM!, fluffy garlic whipped taters.

After a week away from cooking this is as good as it gets!

Happy birthday Pam!

The Lenten Experiment: Bible Study

Today marks the first Sunday in the Lenten season. We began the season last Wednesday with a great Ash Wednesday service. During Lent I am preaching on the spiritual disciplines. During my sermon this morning I mentioned several study bibles and one "looser" translation.

The looser translation that I mentioned is The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language by Eugene Petersen. You can buy one of the cheaper editions at Cokesbury (the retail arm of The United Methodist Publishing House) at http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=569878

The two study Bibles I metioned are The New Oxford Annotated Bible http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=392577. This is the bible I used for study for many years, and I use a leather bound copy for preaching. However, since the HarperCollins Study Bible has been published that is the bible I have used for study. You can order it at http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=385829

Most of these bibles are also found at your local bookseller. You can find nicer versions of these bibles (hardbound or leatherbound) at Cokesbury, Amazon, or your local book store.

Happy reading!

It's Been a While

Yes, it's been a while since I have blogged - but I have several excellent excuses!

I have been doing a little traveling lately for some continuing education. The week of January 21st I was in Orlando, a great place to be in January. I was attending The Large Church Initiative National Conference. Each year 600 or so of the Senior Pastors and staff of our largest United Methodist Churches gather together to share best practices and learn from some of the best minds in our denomination. I was able to spend time with Gil Rendle, author of When Moses Met Aaron: Staffing and Supervision in Large Congregations. Gil used to work for the Alban Institute and has great insights on leading a large congregation. I was also able to hear from Dr. Gary Mason about the work he is doing in East Belfast Ireland. Gary recently received an award from the Queen for his work in ending interfaith violence in Belfast. I also heard from Rev. David Beckmann, President of Bread for the World, about his work in overcoming hunger and poverty. I attended workshops on Implementing Your Vision with Wesley Habits, Human Resource Management, and a Senior Pastor's Affinity Group. All in all, it was a most worthwhile week.

Last week I was in Alpharetta at the International Leadership Institute Training. The goal of the International Leadership Institute (ILI) is to accelerate the spread of the Gospel around the world by training and mobilizing leaders of leaders to reach their nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Strategically selected leaders receive advanced training in leadership, evangelism, and multiplication. McEachern will be hosting one of the ILI conferences in Venezuela this Fall.

I should be around for a while and have more time to blog. One of the things I will be sharing with you soon is our Vision Forum. I'm excited about it, and hope you will be as well.