Oct 27, 2013

Jesus Wept

Abigail and Dolley readers many of you know, John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the bible.  I have been contemplating this verse today and thought I might share a bit with you.  My pastor asked this morning, "Why did Jesus weep?"  I answered because He was fully man, he felt what we feel.  Someone else answered, "He had a family, too."  That got me to thinking.

Perhaps in those tears, were tears of pain for lost loved ones.  Jesus always submitted to the will of the Father and it stands to reason there were many whom he had lost to death.  Joseph immediately came to mind.  We know nothing of his teenage years or his twenties, there were certainly friends and family who died in those years.  It is entirely possible that Jesus himself had lost a brother to death.  We KNOW he had lost his Earthly father.

As they are walking to the grave, Jesus groaned.  In John 11:33 &38 the Greek word Embrimaomai is translated as groan but literally means to snort like a horse.  I think Jesus voice was cracking in pain as he listened to the sisters and the mourners cry.  Their mourning is described as klaio used 34 times in the New Testament.  It means bemoaning, wailing, weeping - klaio is loud and full of pain.  Then Jesus wept.  Literally, Jesus dakruo

If you look at the Greek, the word is Dakruo.  It is only used once in the Bible and it is here.  It means to begin to sob silently.  When the pain is so great, you can not even make a sound.  

We put ourselves in the midst of tragedy.  I do not think of death without feeling pain for my Father. I do not hear of anyone grieving without thinking of his passing. I have become well acquainted with dakruo and klaio in the 22 months since he went home.  I miss him.




Oct 9, 2013

"Chili-less" Cheeseburger

Abigail and Dolley readers I have previously written about Wednesday Night Cooking with my son.  These are always the best dinners of the week and the more we do it the more fun we have.  He has a great sense of flavor and I have let him get creative with several sauces that have knocked our socks off!  Tonight, we did something easy and I wanted to share the recipe with you.

He named it the Godzilla Burger, but since it was neither huge nor spicy, I thought the Chili-less Cheeseburger was a better title since the Cumin really is the star!  It tasted like a chili cheese burger without all the mess!

Chili-less Cheeseburger

Shredded Mexican Cheese
Soft Potato Rolls
Sliced Tomato

Burger:

1 lb of 80/20 Ground Beef (room temperature)
Salt
Pepper
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Mix all burger ingredients in a bowl and form into 4 x 4oz patties.


Sauce:

1/3 c mayo
1 tsp Taco Seasoning
1/4 tsp Cumin
About 5 Jalapenos minced + a little juice
Salt

Mix all in a bowl and spread on the top and bottom of a soft potato roll.

We love our George Foreman Grill - 5 minutes total cook time.  Take burgers off and top with cheese, let them rest a minute or two.  Add the burger to the bun with a tomato and enjoy!