Mom Recommends 2

This is really worth watching & sharing! It's really beautiful.

The Chosen: The Shepherd (Pilot Episode)

Mom Recommends

If you're looking for a funny comedian, I nominate John Crist. He is really, really funny, especially if you have an evangelical church background. I was introduced to him by my daughter (your sister) and as you know, she always enjoys a good laugh. I wish you many great laughs! 

John Crist's YouTube channel.

Listen to my words, my children.

My dear children,

I hope that you will indulge your mother by reading this to its end and promising to consider my words without prejudice [prejudice in this instance meaning preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience].

There are so many powers and voices vying for your hearts and minds but i want to remind each one of you that first and foremost you belong to your Creator, body and soul. This is the first and most important fact I am sharing with you. This fact includes a promise that there is absolutely nothing that can separate you from the love of Christ. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither your fears for today nor your worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate you from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate you from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39). He loves you that much, always has and always will.

This fact lies at the core of everything else and it is a fact - not an opinion or a belief. I want you to know and own this fact because we are standing at a pivot point in our history, not unlike the pivot points of the past that plunged nations of souls into terrible destruction. And for this reason i want you to know that no matter what happens to you or me; whether we live or die, suffer or prosper, we are never far from Him who made us.

I have no doubt that you have read historic accounts and asked yourself, as i have, how is it possible that so many people could be so easily brainwashed into doing something so horrible as going along with the Holocaust or permitting the murderous ideology of communism to continue to flourish, even when its victims number in the 100's of millions, including your great grandparents on Vanaisa's side - they were all executed. [fact]. How indeed?

The sad truth is that the mentality that permitted all this to take root over a hundred years ago is once again being stoked into catching fire and is already on fire. The political candidates, Hollywood sages, academics, & journalists are all following the gospel of Lenin, Marx, Saul Alinsky, et al to a T. You are the generation Lenin dreamed of: "Give me your four-year olds and in a generation I will build a socialist state."

I am seeing intellectual chaos taking hold and displacing common sense, morality, and virtue. [Just to prove how true this is - be honest, did the words "morality" and "virtue" jar your brain a little as concepts that are outmoded and stodgy? That's the success of brainwashing, my child.] Yet this new world ideology predates even your old mother. Lenin was successfully making the case in 1920 that anything that destroys the "old exploiting society" is good. Political correctness is the only virtue needed and morality must be subordinate to the higher good of ending the injustice of capitalism by supporting socialism at all costs and without question. Lenin's voice is as loud today as it ever was: "The newspaper (Press) is not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, but also a collective organizer of the masses."

The Nazi party was the National Worker's Socialist Party [fact]. They successfully framed the Jews as the enemy and the citizens, for the most part, went along with it all without question. Those who had some misgivings about any of it were quickly silenced through intimidation by aggressive mobs on the streets and in the universities (the brown shirts). "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, polarize it. Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. This is cruel but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism & ridicule works." (Saul Alinsky) - just pause and consider how gloriously all these directives have been implemented right now from the streets to university lecture halls, from the senate to late night TV. "We can and must write in a language that sows among the masses hate, revulsion, and scorn toward those who disagree with us." (Lenin)

It wasn't that long ago that we were all posting profile pictures in solidarity with ending bullying yet now it seems that bullying is encouraged and considered virtuous when the bullied is someone that the mob has deemed as worthy of hatred and contempt. Explain to me how this makes any sense with the pledge we all took to end bullying? It's not supposed to make sense because chaos and confusion are essential to a successful revolution. "You must have your heart on fire and your brain on ice." (Lenin)

Permit me to elaborate a little about the Nazi party. Though we all have been taught for reasons that should now become clearer, (Lenin again,"A lie told often enough becomes the truth") that they were a far-right political movement, Hitler himself declared in 1934 that they were neither right nor left but rather had opted to preserve the "purest" from both "camps": "From the camp of bourgeois tradition, it [Nazism] takes national resolve, and from the materialism of the Marxist dogma, living, creative Socialism". [fact]

The purity of Aryan nationalism of the socialists back then has been replaced with the purity of progressive-socialism today. Don't believe me? I challenge you to show me the Progressive tolerance for pro-life, pro-marriage, morality and faith-based ideals? Does the Democratic party celebrate & embrace pro-life members or Christians? (Better do some research before you answer that) The Republican party has a very vibrant and engaged gay constituency, along with members who are pro-choice and even atheist. [fact]

Another fact to note, the Nazis were able to seize power because they were clever enough to deny gun ownership of all the disfavored groups, especially the Jews. I personally do not like guns but i understand and appreciate the reasons why our founding fathers made the right to bear arms sacrosanct [meaning too valuable or important to be interfered with]. You must read their words and know the back-story that brought them to this conviction. The aggressive anti-gun agenda is adhering faithfully to good old Lenin's advice on how to win a revolution: "One man with a gun can control 100 without one" & Saul Alinsky: "They have the guns, therefore we are for peace and reformation through the ballot. When we have the guns, then it will be through the bullet."

As it pertains to socialism, the facts have been completely gutted from the rhetoric of those stumping for your votes. Contrary to popular belief, socialism does not lead to shared wealth, it leads to poverty. The fact is that the bottom four nations in the entire world for economic freedom & well-being of its citizens are all thoroughly and completely socialist. #177. The Republic of Congo - socialist; #178. Cuba - socialist; #179. Venezuela - socialist; and bottoming out at #180. North Korea - communist, which is the eventual & final stop of socialism. Lenin:"The goal of socialism is communism".

Why is it that socialism is being praised here in the US, yet thousands are fleeing here to escape it? It doesn't make any sense unless someone is lying.... but don't think, keep your brain on ice and just keep flaming the fires in your heart!

Before you align yourself with those calling for socialism, name one country where socialism has been successfully implemented, resulting in a wealthier, happier, and better citizenry than it was prior to socialism. You might be thinking that Sweden is a great example of socialist success and they are ranked even higher than the U.S. on the aforementioned list. You are half right! Sweden is ranked higher than the U.S. but that is because they have taken decisive steps away from socialism when they realized that it was hurting their country. Sweden cut public spending, privatized the national rail network, abolished certain government monopolies, eliminated inheritance taxes, sold state-owned businesses, and switched to a school voucher system. Sweden also lowered taxes and reformed the pension system. They never went along with the Euro but opted to keep their own currency, and Sweden's corporate tax is 15% compared to ours which was one of the highest in the world at 38.5% in 2017. It has now dropped to a more sensible 24.9% in 2018 but still quite a bit higher than Sweden's rate. Who would have guessed that we are more socialist than Sweden? And the left-leaning candidates are calling for a 40% hike in our corporate tax. I would like to see a real-world example of a place where high taxes and wealth distribution has worked for the benefit of its citizens before I would endorse such a campaign platform. It sounds nice in theory but i don't know of a single place where it has worked in reality.

Why did Sweden do an about face on socialism? Because they recognized, wisely, that you cannot turn your back on wealth creation. They do not take from the rich to give to the poor any longer because that will eventually put you at the bottom of the list [see above] and make the people you depend on to fund everything flee to the U.S.

Meanwhile, back in the States many are marching blindly toward the bottom of the list, cheerfully celebrating socialist candidates without a shred a evidence that socialism actually works the way they think it does. Organized mobs whip up hysteria and sow seeds of hatred and contempt toward anyone who dares to disagree or question the 'facts' (remember Lenin's words above?). 

I have presented you with some different facts but don't take my word for it. Do your own research, permit your mind to be challenged by those who offer opposing views. Read the words of the revolutionaries & radicals i have named. Challenge yourself to explain why you hold the beliefs you do and then test them for validity. Take a huge step back from all of this madness and reflect upon it in view of the past and against the words of those who set all this in motion. Be critical, listen carefully to the words, and demand proof - you wouldn't buy a car without test driving it first and certainly not before seeing that it actually exists as it has been described, ...or would you?

Anything that is authentically true does not need to suppress another's voice or opinion because nothing can threaten the Truth. Similarly, anything that is  fluffy fantasy and silly nonsense does not need to squashed at all costs. After all, it's not like there is a full out assault on muzzling the Easter Bunny or making sure that people who believe in fairies keep their fanciful notions to themselves. But if Christianity is just fairytales and a crutch for weak-minded people, why is there such revulsion and hatred toward it? Why is it the target of constant mockery and derision? Why are the socialists and atheists so threatened by it? It should bother them no more than the Easter Bunny.

Guard your souls, dear children, because you can permit yourself to become so poisoned by the lies that you will use your free will to separate yourself from God and unleash unimaginable horror on your neighbor. That is the terrible price of free will. And make no mistake, the enemy is a liar and a cheat. He hates God and has set his heart on nothing else but to separate His children from their Creator by any means necessary. The enemy has no love for us because we are the image bearers of our Father, therefore he is hellbent on taking us down and destroying us through hatred, fear, lies, and pride. "Atheism is a natural and inseparable part of Marxism, of the theory and practice of scientific socialism. Our program necessarily includes the propaganda of atheism." Lenin

This battle is not about which political party gets to rule the country or sit in the White House. This is a battle being fought in the spiritual realms for your eternal souls through your hearts and minds. The bottom line is that socialism hasn't worked and will not work. It is merely the vehicle that adherents of Marx, Lenin, Alinsky et al will use to usher in the world they want - one devoid of God, love, and hope. This is the enemy's ultimate goal and his lies have poisoned many hapless minds and hearts. This is not a political battle but a spiritual battle against principalities and powers of darkness. God will win and has already won - Even the enemy knows this but he absolutely does not want you to know or believe this. His complete and utter hatred of you (as God's image bearer) compels him to drag you down with him into destruction. Do not succumb to fear & hatred but be filled with love, my children. Seek after God and cherish wisdom. Read the Bible and pray. You are eternal souls and He will love you forever but He desires you to choose Him of your free will and not under compulsion. He has given you the possibility to reject Him, and there is someone working overtime who wishes that you would do just that. Don't be tricked! Think about my words and think carefully about what lies behind all of this, who is pulling the strings and why.

You are forever on my heart and in my prayers before your Creator Father.
I love you now and always!

"The Lord has shown you what is good. But what does He require of you but to do justice, to love kindness/mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

It's Advent Time!

It's Advent Time! The brief weeks before Christmas that as children, we would spend in giddy anticipation of the BIG DAY of presents. The days were marked down with calendars - chocolate filled or otherwise. Then, as we shifted from the role of being primary present receivers into the role of being the primary present givers, aka adults, this period became a challenging race against time to get all the shopping, decorating, card-writing, and baking done by the BIG DAY. At church, the weeks flew by in a flurry of angel's wings and shepherd's beards as everyone practiced and prepared for the Nativity play. The Advent season slipped so easily into a season of stress and impossible expectations. 




But did you know that Advent is actually intended to be a season not unlike Lent? A time set aside for quiet contemplation and self-examination. A time to stop and take stock of where we are on our journey. To assess whether we are on the right path or even moving forward. 

Are we even conscious of the journey or the destination? Perhaps we have allowed ourselves to get swept up in the norms and practices swirling around us without giving much thought to why we are doing it all and to what end? While it's true that Christmas is a season of giving and celebrating together with friends and family, let's delve a little deeper to find the eternal point of it all. The "reason for the season", if you will. But to do this, we have to permit ourselves to stop for a spell.  

The wise men or three kings of Orient set off, guided by a star. I wonder what they did on cloudy nights when the star was not visible. Do you suppose they just kept moving frantically in some vague direction that felt right? I doubt it. Or maybe they did and wasted time going in the wrong direction, only to double back and re-orient themselves. I'm pretty sure that they learned quickly that it was better to stop and wait out the clouds than blunder along in some aimless direction. Perhaps that's why they were called the wise men...



What about us? Can we still see the star? Have we ever seen the star or did we just find ourselves moving somewhere at some point along with everyone else, never wondering where we were headed or why?

There is a definite point to it all and there is a specific destination but even with our best intentions, we can miss it completely and end up someplace entirely different. 

Pick your head up, loved one, and look ahead. What do you see? What lies at the very end of your path? After all the frenzied striving, elaborate planning, and intense effort where will you end up? Is it just a grave you see or are you perceiving beyond it?


Maybe your path is just a circle of the same, repeated day after day, year after year. Pick up your head, loved one, and look for the star. It's there, just waiting to show you the way!


Or is everything around you dark? No stars, no paths, no destinations, nothing. Don't despair, loved one. You are not abandoned or forgotten. You are not invisible. He sees you right now, loved one!


Light the first Advent candle and spend a moment in a simple prayer - "Where am I? And where are You, Jesus?"

Jauhenlihakastike ja peruna (or Finnish ground-beef sauce and potatoes)

This is one of those comfort foods that can fix just about anything that ails the heart. It's quick to make and guaranteed to disappear even faster.

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:
1-2 Lbs. ground beef (buy the best you can afford, i use 80%)
2 Tblsp. - 1/3 cup of flour (reason for range explained later)
Beef and/or chicken bouillon cubes or powdered (1-2 cubes; 1-3 tsps.)
1-3 cups water
Just a dash of browning sauce (Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Master, or soy sauce works in a pinch)
Dash of Worcestershire
Salt & White Pepper to taste
Allspice or nutmeg (optional)

Mashed Potatoes:
Potatoes - as many as you need to feed everyone
Milk - eyeball it according to the amount of potatoes, 1/2 cup - 1 cup usually
Butter - 2-4 Tblsps.
1-2 cloves of garlic (peeled)
Salt to taste

Sides:
Sliced tomatoes and/or cucumbers
Steamed bag of veggies of choice


First peel the potatoes, rinse them and cut them up into smallish chunks (the larger they are the longer they take to cook). Put them in a large pot, fill with cold water until it just covers the potatoes, set on stove to high, add a generous amount of salt into the water, and the peeled garlic. Cover & bring to boil; then turn heat down so water doesn't boil over and make the sauce while the potatoes bubble away until soft (fork goes through easily).

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet. (If you are using super lean meat, you may need to add a little butter to the pan). Turn the heat down a bit and drain excess fat leaving just about 2-3 tablespoons of liquid in the pan. Push all the meat around to the sides of the pan so there is a little puddle of liquid (fat) in the middle of the pan. (If you accidentally drained too much off, you can melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in the middle of the pan). To this liquid, add your flour.
[Depending on how much gravy you want to make determines how much liquid and flour you will need. If you have very little meat but want to stretch it out, then make more gravy by starting out with more liquid and adding a generous amount of flour (1/4 - 1/3 cup). If you just want to make a little gravy with the ground beef, then only add a tablespoon or two of flour into less liquid.]

Stir the flour in until it is completely incorporated with the fat, mix it all into the meat. Now begin adding water and mixing it with the meat until you have the consistency of gravy you want. Be careful not to add too much water because it may end up being too runny and you can't walk it back once you've made soup of it all.

Add your bouillon and the browning sauce (sparingly - a little of this goes a long way!) until you have it the color you like. Check for salt and add according to taste along with white pepper. A little nutmeg or allspice add nice warmth to the gravy but don't add too much. 

Your potatoes should be well cooked by now - check them to make sure and then drain the water out of the pot. Heat the milk along with the butter in the microwave for about 1min. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or ricer - the garlic will add a nice flavor and will mash along with the potatoes. Add the heated milk & butter. Check for salt and add as needed.

Serve with sliced tomatoes and/or cucumbers. Happiness on a plate! 

[You don't have to mash the potatoes, just serve them boiled with butter and a little parsley. You can also serve this over macaroni or spaghetti if you don't have potatoes handy.]

Mummi's Voipulla Recipe (Finnish Butter Buns)

This is a simple and relatively quick version of the traditional Finnish pulla recipe. It uses very little sugar, minimal kneading (practically none), and is light on flour. Once you've done one batch, you will be doubling this recipe every time because these are irresistible.

INGREDIENTS & STEPS:

1 pouch active yeast

1 cup warm milk (don't let it get too hot or it will kill the yeast)

1 Tblsp. sugar

Put these three in a large bowl and let stand in a warmish place until the yeast has activated (surface will be covered in bubbles). Should take about 10 minutes.

1 stick butter, melted but not hot (gotta keep the yeast alive)

3 cups flour (bread flour or unbleached is best)

1 tsp. salt

(Keep a raw egg, 1/4 stick of butter and some sugar handy - raw sugar is great if you have it. You'll need these later!)

Mix the butter, flour & salt into the yeasty milk. If you can get it to stick together with less than 3 cups of flour, then leave it at that. The less flour you use, the lighter the pulla will be.

Now let the dough rise in a warmish place until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Take out two cookie sheets and cover in parchment paper.

Punch the dough down, give it a few happy rounds of kneading. Then take little chunks and roll into golf-ball sized buns, placing them at a generous distance from each other as these will double in the oven. Then let them rest for about 10 minutes.

Take a small teaspoon or espresso spoon (if you have it) and take a small nugget of butter and press it into the center of a bun. If you don't own a small teaspoon, flip it around and use the other end to press the butter into the bun. Once all the buns are "butter-eyed", crack the egg in a teacup and mix it up with a fork or whisk, then brush each bun with the egg. Finally sprinkle some sugar on top and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the buns are golden brown. 

Finns traditionally add cardamom to the dough but we grew up with non-cardamom pulla it so i left it off the recipe. Also, if you are able to obtain pearl-sugar, it will make your butter buns look fancy and more authentically Finnish than using regular, raw, or brown sugar. I have seen it sometimes at IKEA, of all places! But more often than not, i've made do with raw sugar.

 If you want to make Finnish korvapuusti (cinnamon rolls), go a little heavier on the flour and knead the dough more because it has to be rolled out into a rectangle. Spread butter over it, sprinkle sugar and cinnamon, and then roll it up from the long edge, cut into diagonal slices and stand them up on the baking sheet it the thinner end pointing up. Let rest, brush with egg, top with sugar and bake until golden brown. 



 Last words: It seems that every time i bake up a batch of these, there is at least one pan that ends up being buttered and sugared before the egg wash. You definitely do not want to do the egg wash before the butter-eye because the butter will just slide off the bun. However, it is possible to swipe some egg on a sugared bun if you accidentally go sprinkle-happy and forget the egg brush step...unless you've covered the bun in sugar, then you'll just have to settle for a matte bun. Finally, if you don't have any eggs, milk will do the trick in a pinch.

Happy Baking!!!

I Can't Believe It's Vegan Chili!!

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons vegetable or coconut oil
1 onion (medium or large)
1 red and/or green pepper (capsicum)
2 chipotle peppers (sold in small cans)
4 - 5 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

3/4 - 1 cup bulgur wheat

1 can crushed tomatoes 28-ounce

2 cups of water

1 can diced tomatoes 15 ounce

Salt to taste

2 cans favorite beans 15-ounce, rinsed and drained

Secret ingredients that add a twist: use beer instead of water; add a square of cooking chocolate or a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Topping suggestions: shredded cheese and/or sour cream - mind you, now it's no longer vegan...

Chop up the onion and green peppers as fine as you like it. Chop the chipotle peppers on a separate cutting board as fine as you can, (protect your hands and eyes). Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven and sauté the onions until tender. Add pepper, garlic, chipotle peppers, and seasonings - don't scorch 'em just heat them until fragrant. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the can of diced tomatoes; add bulgur wheat and water and bring just to a boil. Turn down the heat and let simmer covered, for about 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally, adding more water if needed - the bulgur likes to stick to the bottom of the pot so make sure you have enough liquid to keep things unstuck. Once bulgur wheat is soft, add the beans and heat up; salt & season to taste; serve.