Pound cake

I just got an email forward from Shari that’s basically an email ring thats supposed to hook everyone up with at least 36 new recipes.
I’m not to sure how it works – I didn’t see the logic in the setup – but none the less I got my first recipe today. I’ll share them here as they come in.

Pound Cake

2 sticks real butter
3C Sugar
6 eggs
3C Cake Flour
½ Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
2 teas. Vanilla

Beat butter and sugar until blended. Add eggs one at a time. Alternate Cake Flour with Whipping Cream until gone. Add vanilla.

Pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Put into COLD oven. Turn temp to 350 degrees. Bake for 1 ½ hours or until lightly brown and insert comes out clean.

10 ways to be a better listener

I shared this with our community 2.0 group leaders and thought it was worth sharing with everyone. We can probably all use a lesson in listening from time to time.

10 Ways to be a Better Listener

Listening is a crucial skill for small-group leaders to master. Here are ten practical tips for improving our listening habits.

1. Be quiet. This should be obvious, but it often is the biggest obstruction to listening. The leader should be part of a discussion without monopolizing it.

2. Try to understand. The goal of listening is to understand what the person is really saying.

3. Eliminate distractions. People feel comfortable sharing when they are not interrupted. Turn the ringer off on the phone. Make sure you have child care arranged. Don’t look at your watch or lesson plan when someone is speaking.

4. Empathize. Interject short statements to show you understand and accept what the person is saying. “That sounds exciting!” or “That must have been a hard decision to make” are good examples of how to show empathy.

5. Don’t judge. Especially when someone is already hurting, a judgmental attitude can do more harm than good. Don’t condone sin, of course, but recognize the difference between acceptance and approval.

6. Avoid advising. Unless they ask for it, people usually do not want or need you to try to solve their problem. They just need someone to listen.

7. Verify and clarify. If you don’t understand what someone is saying, ask. “Here’s what I hear you saying. Am I right?” is one good clarifier.

8. Listen for what is not said. Try to hear the meaning behind the words. Watch body language and listen to tone of voice. Sometimes what a person is saying is lost behind a clutter of words.

9. Watch body language. Sometimes a person’s posture or gestures can say more than words.

10. Affirm. “Thanks for sharing that. I’m sure it isn’t easy to talk about right now.” This builds acceptance for talking about difficult things and makes it easier for someone else to share.

Taken from Small Group Dynamics ezine article: “10 Ways to be a Better Listener,” August, 2007, by Michael Mack.

Fact checking Bush’s speech on Iraq

From NPR:

This week, President Bush and members of Congress have been focused on the war in Iraq and how well it is — or is not — succeeding. Both sides have made a lot of sometimes competing claims about the situation there. On Thursday night, it was President Bush’s turn, as he addressed the nation from the Oval Office. NPR has this analysis of some of the president’s assertions.

Read the analysis and listen to the story.
Think they were one sided? Think the missed something vital? Let me know.

Beef – it’s what I want for dinner (or How to Turn Cheap “Choice” Steaks into Gucci “Prime” Steaks)

Lifehacker posted a link to Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen and her tips on how to get a prime steak out of a choice steak.
Here’s the tip. Salt salt and more salt.

Read what she writes. Wonder if I can get some steak for dinner tonight.

A few words on self-control

I was really smacked around yesterday at church. Brian spoke right to me it seemed. We’re continuing to look at “add-i-tudes” and the things we should be adding to our faith as we grow as Christians. Yesterday Brian spoke on self-control.

Sure made sense to me.

He made the (maybe obvious) point that through self-control, we logically can’t do that on our own. It takes something outside ourselves to gain self-control.

He related it to a story about his beloved dog Ranger.
If Brian brings a plate of steaks outside and sets it by the grill and goes back inside, the dog will naturally do what they’ve always done – grab the steaks and eat them. Something outside of Ranger has to tell him not to do it.
It’s the same with us – if we are truly going to learn self-control – it will take a power greater than us to do it.

He took a close look at Colossians 3 and shared all the things we’re not supposed to do as Christians (Col 3:5-11). It’s easy to stop there at that list and simply check off the things we do or don’t do and compare ourselves to everyone else by that list.
And it’s easy to get in a cycle of temptation, sin, guilt and then promising not to do it again. Then being tempted, sinning, feeling guilty and promising not to do it again. We walk ourselves into a rut.

“Rules and laws will never break the power of sin.”

But if we keep looking at the passage (Col 3:12-17) we realize there are things we should do instead. And it makes perfect sense – if you focus on doing what’s right – you have a lot less time to do what’s wrong. I have several issues I have very little self-control on. Some of them I’ve been convicted of more than others.

But as I’ve mentioned before, let’s take my diet. If I walk into Chili’s and Laurie orders chips and salsa – if they’re sitting there – I’m going to eat them. But if I’ve already wet my appetite with something healthy before coming into the restaurant then I’m a lot less likely to reach for those chips. Or maybe if I pop a piece of Extra Sugar Free Gum (as seen on the Biggest Loser :-)) in my mouth I’ll avoid the chips all together. After all, who wants to mix mint gum with chips? Gross.

Brian pointed out that in Col 3, Paul lists 12 things that we should avoid. But then he lists 12 things we should be doing instead.
I love that they line up with each other. We should mortify or put to death the one and replace it with the other:

Sexual immorality Compassion
Impurity Kindness
Lust Humility
Evil Desires Gentleness
Greed Patience
Idolatry Bear with each other
Anger Forgive
Rage Love
Malice Peace
Slander Thankful
Filthy language Word of Christ
Lying Truth/Wisdom

I pray that I can put to death those areas I struggle with – not by making a promise to quit but by replacing it with the things of God.

The podcast will be posted in a couple minutes if you’d like to listen to the full message.