Chasing Contentment?

I heard recently that contentment is not found ... it is learned.

I think that is probably true. Contentment is not one of those things that comes upon us naturally. Our human natures seem to trick us into believing that our current circumstances should be different, because, if things were different, we would surely be happier, and hence more content.

But, what is new under the sun? What new and shiny "thing" is going to sweep us off our feet, when our feet aren't where they're supposed to be in the first place? Paul told the Phillipians that he had "learned to be content whatever the circumstances." He told them that he knew what it was like to be in need, and he knew what it was like to have plenty, and, regardless, had concluded that he could do everything "through him who gives me strength."

We have been given this moment, this very moment, and we should cherish it, and enjoy it for what it is. "[F]or it is now that God favors what you do." Ecclesiastes 9:7.

Oh, Sweet Curd Cheese ...

Cottage Cheese. What more can one say? When you put those two words together, you have summed up the entirety of the discussion.

True, it's neither made in a "cottage," nor is it "cheese," at least in the traditional sense. Yet, our brains are able to fully comprehend the phraseology when we hear those sacred words. We may even have certain physical sensations when we hear those words, not all of which are desirable.

Regardless, I'm not sure wikipedia defines "cottage cheese" with sufficient clarity or forcefulness. "Cottage cheese is a cheese curd product with a mild flavor. It is drained, but not pressed so some whey remains. The curd is usually washed to remove acidity giving sweet curd cheese. It is not aged or colored."

Mmm ... sweet curd cheese. Who could resist this? Particularly with its interesting texture swashalling against your tongue and mouth.

Curd size

I actually prefer small curd, over large curd. You? I'm not sure the reason for the preference. Perhaps it's because the smaller curds are easily swallowed, whereas large curds are bulky and have more paste-like potential if chewn-up by the molars. I have learned that curd size is dependent on the enzyme "rennet." Rennet is an enzyme that speeds curdling and keeps the curd that forms from breaking up. Adding rennet shortens the cheesemaking process, resulting in lower acid and larger curds. Small curd, then, is made without rennet.

Mmm. In the near future, try to use the term "curd" in a sentence -- you're guaranteed to win friends.

Nutrition

When you were but a wee lad or lass, your mom may have encouraged you to eat boatloads of cottage cheese. She was a smart mom. Cottage cheese is low in fat and carbohydrates, and yet high in protein. Four ounces of the substance has approximately 116 calories and 5 grames of fat (3 saturated). Yet, it is high in sodium - 458 mg per 4 oz. serving. As you can see from the picture, the amounts vary between brands.

Giving it a Certain Something

By itself, cottage cheese is admittedly a bit bland. As mentioned above, it can be paste-like at times. So, the addition of fruit can give it a certain something -- a tasty quality, if you will. I have tried bananas, oranges, pineapples, and peaches. I suppose you could add any fruit. The fruit successfully masks the blandness. If you must eat it alone, you might sprinkle some salt and/or pepper on it -- to prevent gagging, if nothing else.

It is my understanding, from talking amongst friends, that some families view cottage cheese as part and parcel of any successful dessert offering. I have never viewed Cottage Cheese in such a light, and will probably not adopt that philosophy at this point. (Of course, I wouldn't disparage those who view cottage cheese in such a way, since dessert recipes -- such as Cottage Cheese Jello Dessert -- do exist.)

Make it at Home!

I'm not sure why anyone would be inclined to make Cottage Cheese at home, but it is a possiblity. There are several websites dedicated to informing the public about the benefits of homemade cottage cheese, learning their readers up on "how to make cottage cheese taste good," since it is "tasty, nutritious" and "easily-digested."

The Whang Factor

I buy cottage cheese on a regular basis, and often throw away most of it because of the "Whang Factor." The Whang Factor is a well-known, yet not well-researched, principle associated with the expiration date. It has unique applicability to cottage cheese. It can be stated thusly: "If one opens a container of cottage cheese and, upon smelling same, notices a strong whang emanating from the container, one must immediately dispose of the entire cottage cheese container."

There are no known exceptions to this principle.

On several occasions, I have plunged forward, and have consumed cottage cheese even in the presence of a slight whang. It did not result in a desirable outcome.

Good luck with your cottage cheese. Let me know if you have any good cottage cheese stories. Surely there are some out there.

I Might Need Some Keflex Soon.

I stumbled across this scary scene in my parking garage today.

As I was preparing to enter my vehicle, I looked down and saw this medicine box and this white, styrofoam cup. I initially ignored both ... but curiosity caused me to do a double take.

I looked down to examine more closely. For obvious reasons, I did not pick up the box to see if it was empty. But, I did look in the styrofoam cup. It was pretty disgusting. It had a wadded-up piece of paper or kleenex in it, along with several dark, seed-like structures. Did the two go together? Was Keflex in some manner responsible for this cup, laden with seeds and moist paper? Does Keflex cause a person to cough up dark seeds?

The whole scene sorta made me gag. Literally and figuratively. I got a bit queasy, as I realized I might have encountered a scene worthy of investigation by the Center for Disease Control. My only hope was that it was a non-communicable situation.

But, how was I to know?

So, I decided the obvious response was to take a picture of the situation. I did this for at least two reasons: (1) to inform the general public about the situation and (2) to research Keflex.

My research revealed that Kelfex is a drug used to fight infection:

Keflex is in a group of drugs called cephalosporin antibiotics. Keflex fights bacteria in the body. Keflex is used to treat infections caused by bacteria, including upper respiratory infections, ear infections, skin infections, and urinary tract infections.

Great! So putting 2 and 2 together, I deduced that some unknown person had an ear infection and/or urinary infection, and used the cup as a device to hold the offending substances. The origin of the seeds are unknown.

And perhaps it's better that way.

So, if I become violently ill, you will at least have a trail to follow. I will be the guy with the stuff leaking out of his ear. There might be some seeds laying next to my body. I'll have a styrofoam cup in my hand.

Just get me some Keflex. I'll be okay.

Quotes Worth Quoting

"It is the modest, not the presumptuous, inquirer who makes a real and safe progress in the discovery of divine truths."

--Henry St. John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke.

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

--Aristotle.

"To a monster the norm must seem monstrous, since everyone is normal to himself."

-- East of Eden, John Steinbeck.

"There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path. "

-- The Matrix (Morpheus)

"One of the principal functions of a friend is to suffer (in a milder and more symbolic form) the punishments that we should like, but are unable, to inflict upon our enemies."

-- Brave New World, Aldous Huxley.

"The Christian is in a different position from other people who are trying to be good. They hope, by being good, to please God if there is one; or — if they think there is not — at least they hope to deserve approval from good men. But the Christian thinks any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him. He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us; just as the roof of a greenhouse does not attract the sun because it is bright, but becomes bright because the sun shines on it. "

-- C.S. Lewis.

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. "

-- Hamlet, Shakespeare.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." -- Proverbs 1:7.

"It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong. "

-- Voltaire.

"Sarcasm and compassion are two of the qualities that make life on earth tolerable."

-- Nicholas Hornby.

"Be not afraid of greatness: some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them."

-- William Shakespeare.

"Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them. With Major Major it had been all three."

-- Catch-22, Joseph Heller.

Burnout

Overcoming Christian Burnout!

Isaiah 49:3-4
3 He said to me, "You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor."
4a But I said, "I have labored to no purpose;
I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.”

How often have I have found myself, while not necessarily uttering these words, finding this sentiment upon my heart? I realize that I am a servant of God and, even though I don’t feel comfortable with sitting back and doing nothing, a part of me always seeks a sense of fairness with those that I perceive are not carrying their own weight in the body. Often I feel like I have made a commitment to do God’s work and yet, even though I’ve put in several hours and have high expectations of others, I feel that the work I have put forth was in vain.

Unfortunately, we can’t always see the effects that we have upon someone else’s heart, and sometimes we are just planting seeds for someone else to harvest. The truth is that the only heart we are responsible for mobilizing into action is our own, and we know (and can be comforted by the fact) that God helps us with that task!
I really believe something I recently read and take comfort in it: “Just as a parent is pleased with the efforts of his little child to please him, though it be only by picking a daisy or walking across a room, so is our Father in heaven pleased with the poor performances of His believing children. He looks at the motive, principle, and intention of their actions, and not merely at their quantity and quality. He regards them as members of His own dear Son, and for His sake, wherever there is a single eye, He is well-pleased.” (J. C. Ryle). Maybe my actions don’t produce the results I wished for, or those that I anticipated, but as long as I’m producing good fruit, I believe God is pleased.

It struck me deep how the Lord responded to Isaiah:

Isaiah 49:6
"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." (Emphasis mine)

Whenever I get to a point where I feel that my labor is in vain, I need to realize that my reaction is the direct result of taking my focus off the goal (God and his Glory). I believe He would tell me I’m thinking too small, and not taking on enough. This isn’t something that is easy to come to grips with, and it really seems nonsensical -- but does it make any less sense than knowing that one must die before one can truly live? God often has us do things that are completely opposite of what our understanding would be on the same issue. (“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9). The next time I feel I have spent all my strength in vain, I need to look to Him who is able to give me His strength.

I’m not saying we don’t all need a rest, and rest is biblical (“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27). Taking breaks is good thing, but just like anything else in excess it can become an unhealthy habit if taken too far. Don’t let your break get to the point of being perpetual and you never do anything for God.

The question remains: what are you doing for God? Would God tell you the task you have taken on is too small?

God Bless,
JPH

Leadership at a Higher Level

The concept of servant leadership is written in scripture. In Mark 10:42-45, Jesus said:

"You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Servant leadership is persuasive for many reasons, but foremost (in my mind) because it shows (1) the leader has a personal stake and belief in the mission and (2) the mission itself is worth the sacrifice. It shows that the leader aspires to his role not simply to aggrandize his power, fame, wealth or fortune, but because the substantive work of the mission is worth it in the first place!

"Gates of Fire" is a book about servant leadership, in some ways. The book tracks the Battle of Thermopalye from the perspective of a lowly squire. He was drawn to follow his leaders, even though he was from a different background, because of the merits of Spartan leadership. In one part of the book, the squire says:

I will tell his Majesty what a king is. A king does not abide within his tent while his men bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand at watch upon the wall. A king does not command his men's loyalty through fear nor purchase it with gold; he earns their love by the sweat of his own back and the pains he endures for their sake. That which comprises the harshest burden, a king lifts first and sets down last. A king does not require service of those he leads but provides it to them. He serves them, not they him. . .

That is a king, Your Majesty. A king does not expend his substance to enslave men, but by his conduct and example makes them free. His Majesty may ask, as Rooster did, and the lady Arete, why one such as I whose station could most grandly be called service and most meanly slavery, why one of such condition would die for those not of his kin and country. The answer is, they were my kin and country. I set down my life with gladness, and would do it again a hundred times, for Leonidas, for Dienekes and Alexandros and Polynikes, for Rooster and Suicide, for Arete and Diomache, Bruxieus and my own mother and father, my wife and children. I and every man there were never more free than when we gave freely obedience to those harsh laws which take life and give it back again.

Persuasive stuff. Any ethical leader will see himself or herself as a servant.

Servant leadership is leadership at a much higher level.

Lactose Tolerant

Have you forgotten of your love for milk? I have. I consumed a glass of raw, untainted milk the other day and was, at once, jettisoned back to my childhood -- a time when milk was consumed in gallons and bones were thereby made solid and sturdy. It's difficult to forget the tasty combination of milk + PBJ sandwich.

I poured myself another glass. I raised it, and drank again of this savory nectar, my throat becoming glossy with protein and vitamin D. Who could've created such a delightful substance?

Yet, turmoil bubbled under the surface of my delight. I must confess that there have always been lingering doubts in my head about the origins of milk's central place in our dietary culture. Who was the first person to grab ahold of a female cow's teats, extract the milky substance, and thereafter conclude: "This white substance that I have squeezed would be good for me and my health. I should drink of this substance."

Does it not give rise to at lease an inkling of doubt in your head?

[Aside: The question is not unlike one associated with the egg. Who first saw an egg fall from a chicken? And who first said to themselves, "These white, orb-like structures, with this white and yellow gooey substance inside ... this thing that just popped out of that chicken ... will be good for me and my family to eat. Grab one."]

Oh well. Let's push those thoughts aside, far aside, and learn a little about milk. The formal definition of milk would include the fact that it is "an opaque white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals." It provides nutrition for newborn mammals before they are able to digest other foods.

Milk contains signficant amounts of satured fat, protein, calcium and vitamin C. Another website indicates that it also contains Vitamin A, Vitamin B-12, Potassium, Riboflavin, Niacin, and Phosphorus. Cow milk is one of the most popular animal milks, but people from around the world drink the milk of camels, goats, llamas, reindeer, sheep, and water buffalo. (Got llama milk?). Cats are not recommended. Whole milk apparently contains about 3.5% milk fat, but low fat milk is available also (2% and 1%). Nonfat or skim milk must contain less than .5% milk fat. Please drink pastuerized milk.

How long should keep milk past the expiration date? I know certain people that throw it away, strictly, on the date listed on the side of the milk container. But, that date has significant psychological effects on certain consumers. Science shows that milk does not necessarily transmogrify into cottage cheese or sour cream on the "sell-by" date. Rather, the "pour-down-the-sink" date depends on how adventurous you are. One website indicates you can keep it 3-5 days after the "sell-by" date.

Finally, how do we actually extract this milk for purposes of our consumption? Well, there are two ways: (1) by machine and (2) by hand. Milking a cow by machine is more straight-forward and takes less skill and tenderness than milking by hand. You simply secure the cow in position, clean the cow's teats, turn on the milking machine, hand-milk each teat a few times to let down the milk, and then place the suction device on each teat. You just have to wait until all the milk is out of the udder.

Milking by hand is much more complicated, and requires much more skill and attention. It is (at least) an eleven step process. Wikihow teaches us the following:

• Secure the cow in position.
• Clean the teats with soapy water or iodine. Warm, soapy water can help "bring down" the milk. Dry them, but don't rub or irritate the teats.
• Place a bucket underneath the udder.
• Sit or squat in a position that will allow you to move away quickly if the cow becomes uncooperative. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, for example, is not safe.
• Apply a lubricant such as vaseline to your hands to keep friction to a minimum.
• Wrap your hands around two of the four teats.
• Squeeze the base of the teat.
• Squeeze down to push out the milk, maintaining your grip on the base of the teat so that the milk doesn't flow back up into the udder. Do not jerk or yank the teats. Be gentle but firm. Keep your eyes peeled for mastitis.
• Repeat with your other hand. Most people prefer to alternate (right hand, left hand, right hand, etc.)
• Continue until the udder on the side that you're milking looks deflated. Experienced farmers can feel the udder to know exactly when all the milk has come down.
• Move on to milk the other two teats.

I think I've probably milked this for all it's worth. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

I am a CHAMPION!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stpQpmwJz8E

Every once in a while those of us who are competitive can get down on ourselves when miss a catch, tackle, swing, hit or putt...but, it's how you handle the next moment that is important. We all need a little motivational pick me up every now and then, and this video got me more excited than a firecracker in a hornet's nest. Upon hearing it, I want to engage in high-speed-low-drag-mass-times-velocity collisions! The next time I need to swing for fences, putt for a birdie, turn on the jets, or attempt to lift an unmoveable object over my head...you can be assured there will be bagpipes playing in my head!

JPH