Fearless............Part 4

FAITH:

Make sure the hull of your convictions can withstand the stress of collisions. Builders of the Titanic should have been so wise. The luxury liner sank because contractors settled for cheap rivets and suffered from poor planning. Rivets are the glue that hold the steel plates together. Facing a shortage of quality bolts, the builders used substandard ones that popped their heads upon impact with the iceberg.

How sturdy are the bolts of your belief? Reinforce them with daily Bible readings, regular worship, and earnest communion with God. “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”

And remember: “All these [challenging times] are the beginning of birth pains” (Matt. 24:8), and birth pangs aren’t all bad. (Easy for me to say.) Birth pains signal the onset of the final push. The pediatrician assures the mom-to-be, “It’s going to hurt for a time, but it’s going to get better.” Jesus assures us of the same. Global conflicts indicate our date on the maternity calendar. We are in the final hours, just a few pushes from delivery, a few brief ticks of eternity’s clock from the great crowning of creation. A whole new world is coming!

“These things must come to pass” (Matt. 24:6). Must is a welcome word that affirms that all events, even the most violent, are under a divine plan. Every trial and trouble has a place in God’s scheme. “The reason why we ought not be terrified is not because wars are not terrifying. Quite the contrary. It is because above all chaos reigns a divine plan.

All things, big and small, flow out of the purpose of God and serve his good will. When the world appears out of control, it isn’t. When warmongers appear to be in charge, they aren’t. When ecological catastrophes dominate the day, don’t let them dominate you.
Let’s trust our heavenly Father.
by Max Lucado from his book Fearless

FRIENDS:

Father, we want only to please you. We cherish your promise to take care of your children. And yet we often come to you with unreasonable fears because we forget that you are in charge, watching out for our best. We are unsure of what to do and instead of just trusting, we panic and frantically beat on Heaven's doors, crying out to you. We are uncertain of your will for our lives. Thank you Father for the assurance that our imperfect prayers cannot hinder your incredible power. In Jesus' name, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE CHALLENGE
19. JOHN 6: 16-24; 1 PETER 3:1-7; SONG OF S. 4:1-7; JEREMIAH 50
20. JOHN 6:25-40; 1 PETER 3:8-12; SONG OF S 4:8-16; JEREMIAH 51

FOOD:

There are a million recipes for GOULASH in the Naked City.

This can be done in the crock pot if you are sure yours will hold it. (Instructions at the end...with Bigos recipe [5*Variation.) Either way, it's nice centerpiece dish for a winter Holiday buffet. It's colorful & smells wonderful enough to get the guests to the table Serve a good sweet-rye bread & or Potato bread with this.
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ZZA'S ZZA'S* GOULASH ~ 8 Servings.

4 Thick Slices Bacon. [1*]
3 Lb. Boneless Beef Shank. Trim & cut into 2" cubes. [2*]
3 T. Flour.
2 T. Olive Oil or Butter--Or 1 T. of each.
1/2 tsp Salt.
2 Med. Onions--Chopped.
3 Garlic Cloves--Crushed & Minced.
2 Roasted Red Bell Peppers--Peeled & Sliced (If too expensive, use green.)
1 or 2 Lb. bulk Sauerkraut. (In Market Refrigerated in bags.)
3 T. Hungarian SWEET Paprika.
0 Black Pepper. [3*]
2 tsp. caraway Seed--Toasted & ground.
2 T. Red Wine Vinegar.
1 - 15 Oz Can whole, peeled Tomatoes. Crush between your fingers.
6 C. beef broth--Reg or low sodium.
4 Lg Russet Potatoes [4*]-- Peeled & thickly sliced.
1/2 C. Sour Cream
Chopped Fresh Parsley.
Snip a corner from the sauerkraut bag(s), hold over a sieve and squeeze out the liquid. Fill the bag with water, swish it around & squeeze it out. Open the bag fully & scrape out the sauerkraut, press out as much liquid as possible & pick the kraut apart. Let it stand & drain while you proceed with the recipe.

In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, fry bacon about 5 mins. Remove & drain on a wire rack while proceeding with the recipe.

Add the beef to the bacon fat. Season with S & P. and sprinkle with flour.
Brown it evenly on all sides while you stir to keep flour from lumping--Add a little oil if necessary to keep it from sticking.

Add the garlic & onion & cook & stir about 2 or 3 minutes.
Add the peppers & sauerkraut & cook & stir about 6 or 7 minutes.
Add the vinegar, tomatoes & broth, mix, add the paprika & caraway, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for an hour, covered, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes [4*] & CRUMBLED bacon [1*] & continue to cook, partially covered, for about 30 min's: until potatoes are tender.

Correct the seasonings & Remove from the heat.

Just before serving, Stir in the sour cream & garnish with parsley. Some prefer not to add the sour cream but serve it separately. We like to put a little more sour cream on top.

NOTES AND VARIATIONS:

[1*] You can omit the bacon and use butter instead of the bacon fat.

[2*] In place of shank, you can use meaty neck bones or lean, boneless Chuck if shanks or neck bones are too hard to find. Personally, I think neck bones have the best flavor. Use pork if you prefer or (Bohemian) chicken pieces. Brown them in sweet butter first.

[3*] Do not use Black pepper with Paprika. It changes the flavor: makes it unpleasant.
CHECK Paprika, in the palm of your hand, for weevils before adding it to food. Do it every time you use it. If you buy a new can; do this as soon as you arrive home: if you put it rightin your cupboard, and the bugs were in it at the store, they will be in everything in no time. Always do the same with chili powder.
Zza Zza kept these spices separate from food, I pooh-poohed the idea and had to feed a whole pot of chili to the neighbors Alsatian.(Never feed your own dog beans.)

[4*] If you prefer, you can omit the potatoes & serve boiled or mashed potatoes on the side. Or serve this over egg noodles.

[5*] If you add 1 Lb. of sliced mushrooms,
1-or-2 Lb. of Kielbasa sausage, sliced on an angle. (In addition to the other meat(s).)
half-a-cup of red wine.
half-a-head of shredded red cabbage
you will have Bigos, a Polish version of Goulash.
This can be made in a crock pot (As can the above Goulash.)
Meats should be browned before being laid atop everything else, then cooked on low for 7-to-9 hours.
Fifteen minutes before serving, stir in half-a-pint of (real) sour cream.
I'd make mine in quantity & use a ceramic-clad cast-Iron Dutch Oven--And do the slow cooking over over low heat (Back burner) or @ 225 in the (Regular) oven.

FUN:

Autumn is officially here...