January 31, 2004
Christmas in January
I thought I'd share a couple recipe ideas I've tried this week that were really good. I had some leftover goose in my freezer from Christmas dinner, and we enjoyed a really tasty "goose barbecue" the other night. I just shredded the leftover meat, added a couple cups of chicken broth, a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, and a little barbecue sauce, and threw it all in the crockpot. Served open faced over bread, this is really tasty, and it would work for pork or beef too. Another thing we've been enjoying for breakfast this week is a yeasted coffee cake. What makes this one interesting is that the dough is filled and layered with walnuts, butter, and sugar, then cut up and twisted into separate pieces. All the twists are placed in a tube pan together, and when baked the cake is beautifully marbled with the cinnamon filling. Check out the recipe in Martha Stewart's Christmas Cookbook.Posted by lhyink at 11:00 PM
Birthday Dinner
Last night my husband and I enjoyed a rather exotic dinner at a local fish and game restaurant, Saskatoon, here in Greenville. Definitely a meal to remember. It would be a tragedy to go to a place like that and order chicken. So we decided to go all out. For appetizers we ordered alligator tail and buffalo, elk, and venison sausages. I was a little disappointed that the alligator was batter fried just like chicken nuggets--it was hard to tell the difference between the seasoning and the true taste of the meat. But it was delicious just the same. The sausages were a little more gamey tasting with quite a kick to them (at least I thought so. What's spicy to me is nothing for my husband!). For our entrees we chose kangaroo and a mixed platter of quail, beef, and ostrich. Wow! We couldn't stop raving about the kangaroo. Just like a filet. It's melt-in-your-mouth tender and full of flavor. The interesting part about the quail was the presentation. They serve it whole, but this one was a tiny bird. The drumsticks and wings were only an inch or so long. Very delicate. I think the flavor was rather delicate also. Ostrich meat is 99% fat free, but you would never guess. It was absolutely delicious. What it lacks in tenderness it more than makes up for in flavor. I've heard that Fuddrucker's serves an ostrich burger. I'd love to try it. Ostrich is the perfect substitute for beef. The texture is just about identical, and you get more flavor and hardly any fat. We were very impressed with our choices and look forward to returning to try more new things.Posted by lhyink at 10:59 PM
January 30, 2004
The Theology of Deception
After reading James Jordan on the patriarchs, (Primeval Saints), I'm having second thoughts on what I've believed about Jacob all this time. Jordan argues that Jacob was always a righteous man, that his name "supplanter" was not bad at all, but instead a sign of his right standing with God. Here's the deal. There's theology behind his deception, as well as in other cases we see in Scripture like Rahab, the Hebrew midwives, and Abram and Sarai. Jordan says, "The basic means for dealing with tyrants in Genesis, and in the rest of Scripture, is through deception (86)." This all began in the garden with the serpent, a tyrant, deceiving Eve. Taking an eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth, means using deception to counter the deception of the serpent. This theme recurs numerous times throughout Genesis. See examples listed above. The ninth commandment does not forbid deception that is not against our neighbor. Used to protect the innocent and to keep sin from happening, deception is an act of righteousness. Jacob's deception was meant to protect God's covenant. The birthright had already been promised to him by God, though he was the younger of the two brothers. The theology of deception is not primarily Jordan's idea, but Luther's and Augustine's. Read what Jordan has to say. It's thought-provoking.Posted by lhyink at 10:57 PM
January 28, 2004
The significance of names
As you may already know, we're expecting a new baby at our house. Lately we've been thinking quite a bit about the significance of names. It seems that in today's culture, a name is a rather meaningless tag attached to a person, but it has no symbolism behind it. It may sound cool and catchy to the ear, which is fine. Please don't get me wrong. That's not inherently bad. But we've lost something which Scripture places a huge emphasis on. I did a little study recently on names in the Bible. Here's what I found. Much of the following is from The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible and The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. The most important event for a Hebrew newborn baby was receiving a name. A name was given to be a remembrance or a memorial to future generations. It may have been prophetic, as in the name of Jesus ("He will save His people from their sins," Matt. 1:21). It may have been given as a description of circumstances surrounding the birth, as in the case of Benjamin (originally Ben-oni, "son of my sorrow," Gen. 35:18). A name may also have been given to express the wishes of the parents (see Gen. 29-30). Just as God promises to make a good name a memorial in the earth (Ps. 72:17), He promises to wipe out the names of the wicked (see Deut. 9:14). A name is synonymous with existence (Num. 1:2, 26:53). God calls himself I AM; His name is His being (Ex. 3:14). To have your name "blotted out" obliterates all your reputation and makes you practically non-existent. Take, for example, God blotting out a name from the Lamb's book of life, the seal of eternal damnation. A name very often in Scripture reflects that person's reputation. Nabal means "foolish," and Abigail means "beautiful." Jacob lived up to his reputation as a "supplanter." However, God is merciful. He often changed names according to a person's character. God exchanged Jacob's bad name with a name signifying victory, "Israel" (Gen. 32:28, "You have striven with God and with men and have prevailed"). Other examples of changed names are Abram to Abraham, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul, and Jerusalem to "city of righteousness" (Is. 1:26). Naming things is a sign of dominion. At creation, God gave names to everything. He also gave Adam the command to take dominion by naming the animals. Adam gave Eve the name "woman," thus taking godly dominion over her as his wife. Parents exercise dominion over their children when they give them names. Proverbs 22:1 places the value of a name above great wealth. (See also Ecc. 7:1.) A child will carry his name with him all his life. He will be like his name. It's far more than an identity tag, but a sign of his reputation. Naming our children is serious business! I can't post this article without explaining the meanings of our own children's names. Our firstborn we named Benjamin, which means "son of my right hand." His middle name is Paton, after the Scottish Presbyterian missionary John Paton who went to the New Hebrides (islands off the coast of Australia) to preach to cannibals. Our second son, due the middle of March, we are naming Micah, "Who is like Yahweh." His middle name, Increase, comes from Isaiah 9:7, "There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore." This is the passion of our hearts, to see Christ's kingdom increasing more and more until the glory of the LORD fills the earth as the waters cover the sea. Our boys have names they ought never be ashamed of, for they express our desire for them to be conformed to the image of Christ. Naming our children has brought us much joy, as will watching them grow to live up to their names.Posted by lhyink at 10:53 PM
January 27, 2004
A little about me
Though most of you reading my blog know me personally, I'll say a little something about myself so those of you who don't know me will know a little about me and my family. I am a stay-at-home wife and mother from Simpsonville, South Carolina, married to Joseph, and mom to Benjamin Paton (14 months) and soon-to-be-born Micah Increase, due March 16. In my spare time I love to read. Right now I am working through a pretty massive book list--World Magazine's top 50 books of Western Civilization. I just began reading Blaise Pascal's Pensees. Interesting stuff. It really makes you think pretty hard. For those who aren't familiar with this book, it is an apologetic for Christianity composed of several hundred "fragments" of thought Pascal wrote down and then organized into various categories. It will be good to work through these and filter them through the light of Scripture. My other hobbies include classical music (at this moment my husband and I are listening to Evgeny Kissin playing Rachmaninoff's Etudes-Tableaux--absolutely breathtaking!), cooking and baking, and needlecrafts. I also love to play the piano. Right now I am working on several Rachmaninoff pieces and some Chopin, hopefully for a recital in the future. Since graduating from college with a degree in humanities in 2002, I feel like my education has just begun. Our world is so very big, and there's so much to learn. I have loved branching out and reading all sorts of different things, trying new hobbies, and in everything I do discovering the wonders of God's character and creation through the things He has made. My husband and I are members of Woodruff Road PCA here in Simpsonville. I look forward to sharing lots of good things here on my blog! By the way, the name "Blogos" is a combination of "blog" and "logos," the Greek word for "word." I chose this name for the linguistic and theological implications of words. Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh (John 1:1), God's messenger of salvation. God speaks to us primarily through the Word. And words are what we use to communicate with Him and with one another. Neil Postman addresses the superiority of a logocentric culture over a pictocentric one in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death. It's an enlightening read! Where would we be without words? More importantly, where would we be without the Word? Thank the LORD for His gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh who lived among us.Posted by lhyink at 10:50 PM
January 25, 2004
My New Blog
This is Laurie Hyink's new weblog.Posted by lhyink at 10:53 PM