The Gift of Snake Oil

Both our current world and history are ripe with men and women with satin-coated though forked tongues.  The wild West had a name for such individuals:  snake oil salesmen.  A recent example on a national scale would be Bernie Madoff.  By all accounts he was intelligent, charming, remorseless, conniving.

As a newborn, Jesus faced just such a person: Herod.  But in addition to the above attributes, Herod was also deadly. Herod applied his craft to the Magi, telling them to "Go and make a careful search for the child.  As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." (Matthew 2:8)  The Magi listened politely but did not swallow the snake oil.  Instead, they returned to their land by a different route.  Herod, finding himself bested, showed his true colors and ordered the massacre of possibly hundreds of little boys, Jesus' contemporaries born in and around Bethlehem.  Herod not only sold snake oil, he was indeed a snake.

If only history would cease to repeat itself, but alas, Jesus was offered a drink of the same kind of toxin from the chief priests and teachers of the law in Luke 20:1-8.  Sidling up beside Him, they hoped to entrap Christ by asking, "Who gives you your authority?"

Jesus, of course, has had much experience with snakes dating all the way back to the Garden of Eden.  His response was classic: sure, I'll drink with you, but you take a draft from your own elixir first.  Guess who slithered away to await another round.

In the end, Jesus drank their poison.  He drank deeply, swallowing every drop - knowingly, willingly, obediently.  The end, it turns out, was just the beginning.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  It isn't Christmas yet...

Christmas has become all about
shopping,
Santa,
cards,
food,
drinks,
Making Merry.

And when we try to bring Christmas back to the basic,
to the baby,
I realize it's so much more than the
babe in the manger.

Luke 19:45-48

This is the story of when Jesus went to the temple

and got so mad. 

He managed to get the big shots mad as well.
Jesus shook things up.

They started plotting how to have Jesus killed.

This wasn't the first time Jesus' life was in danger

The poor boy was still a toddler 

and Herod tried to have him killed.
Jesus shook things up.

Matthew 2:16, 

Herod orders the killing of all boys in
Bethlehem 2 years old and younger.

I pray for Jesus to shake things up today.

It's part of our Christmas story.
It's part of our Christ story.

Beasts of Burden

You can't read the Christmas story without noticing a donkey.  Mary, of course, being too pregnant to see her toes, much less walk, rode on the back of a beast of burden.  A donkey carried the King to His place of birth.  Not a gilded chariot, a thoroughbred, or even a plow horse, but a lowly donkey.  If your creche has more than just the Holy Family, a donkey is sure to be in attendance. It makes so sense, of course.  Joseph was not a wealthy man.  He used what he had and God blessed it.  God elevated the lowly donkey to the status of King carrier.






It wouldn't be the last time, either.  Luke 19:28-44 tells us how Jesus entered Jerusalem, no longer a babe in His mother's womb, but a man publicly and popularly recognized as King!  Men and women sang His praises spreading their coats before the donkey- riding Lord of the universe.  Children waved palm branches, also placing them on the ground with their parents' cloaks to prepare the way for a KING!  Riding on a donkey...

Jesus, all grown up now.

Jesus, stepping up to His rightful place as Deity.

Jesus, from humble beginnings to humble acceptance.

Jesus, rode a donkey to fulfill His Divine purpose - Twice.  

Beginning and End.  

Alpha and Omega.

The Crown And The Manger

Lory and I have a few traditions. 

Christmas Cookies

Margarita Fridays

and Christmas Blogs.

 Some may be more God honoring than others 

but I believe God blesses them all. 

After all, he joined the two of us at the hip. 

Further proving God likes a good time.

But I digress.

It's time for our Christmas 

Blog? 

Extravaganza?

Ramblings?

We shall see. 

Generally Lory and I have but the 

faintest of an idea of what our over-riding 

connection will be for the year.

Then we sit back and see where 

God takes it any given day.

This year I am challenging us to try to tie the 

Advent story

to the Easter story.

I love Christmas and the hope and promise

of that tiny baby sent to save us.

But every year I also try to remember 

what cost that precious child

will pay for my salvation.

Let's see where God takes us this year.

Huh.

I take pictures of my food. 

A lot.

I have no idea what those meatballs consist of.

That wedge of lemon kind of says greek, 

therefore lamb, to me.

Beyond that, I'm stumped. 

But somehow, I seem to think they were good.

I'll let you know

if I ever figure them out.

:)

Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade Pasta

How's this for a dinner on the fly?

This part was not on the fly.

Most decidedly not!

I found myself with an overabundance of cherry tomatoes.

I decided to dry them in the oven and worry 

about what to do with them later.

This picture is a bit deceiving because

after I set them out so nicely on the pan, 

I decided 

to squeeze the seeds out. 

All that wet was gonna take forever to dry out!

So, squeeze I did and then I tossed them with 

olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano.

I lined the pan with parchment paper and began roasting

away at 250 degrees for a couple of hours. 

But then I had to make dinner, so they finished 

up at 375 for about 15 minutes. 

They were beautiful.

Now for the pasta!

I cooked off 

1/2 pound of spaghetti 

to al dente and then tossed with about

 1/2 a 6 ounce jar of olive tapenade, 

1/2 of the dried (chopped) tomatoes,

1/2 a shake of red pepper flakes and

1/2 cup of shredded parmesan. 

Actually the name should be the 

half-a, half-a, half-a, half-a, half-a

pasta.

Kale with Roasted Beets and Bacon

Everything about this sounds and looks good.

Except the kale was not stellar.

I don't know if I just don't cook it enough or

if I am doomed to not like the 

texture of kale.

I also felt it could have used a little kick.

Maybe some garlic or pepper flakes?

I'm going to give it a try again with spinach.

Cause beets and bacon, 

Oh Yeah!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/kale-with-roasted-beets-and-bacon-recipe.html