Faith

Great gift ideas for Christmas!

2 Comments

by Alfred Lamar Jackson

INTRO

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good morning! Yeah I switched it up on you. I couldn’t do the traditional thing. I also couldn’t bear the thought of posting a Christmas-y type message because I think that it’s expected on Christmas, naturally. So I wanted to come up with a topic completely unrelated to Christmas, however it is related to reason we celebrate Christmas. And the reason we celebrate class is, all together, “JESUS.” Very good.

Well here’s the result of my attempt: epic fail. I just couldn’t do it. I wanted to talk about gifts. More importantly I want to converse about the gifts that we give Jesus. I think most folks would jump to tithing, but I’m going to skip over to the spiritual gifts. Romans 12:1-2 is very “meaty” verse in my opinion, but I’m going to focus on a simple aspect.

“Therefore I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

So this is simply put, Jesus’ birthday wish list. He wants my body as a gift. I just wandered if I had ever really truly stopped to think about that? The same person who made me and gave me my body wants it back as a gift.

So what? Well I thought it over and asked myself about…. Myself. (Conundrum) Would I want my body in its current form as a gift? I mean don’t get me wrong, who wouldn’t want a six foot eight tower of lean chocolaty goodness? However, I continued to think about other things such as my heart health, my work ethic, my core values, and the things I’ve done and said or subjected my body to. Would I really want to give all of that to God? Eck!

Continue reading Great gift ideas for Christmas! →

Comments

comments

Man Cave

The Gifts That Keep On Giving

It’s Christmas Eve, but it’s not too late.  There’s still time to pick up a few things for your kids.  And no, I’m not talking about the Wii controller, the latest Xbox game, the flatscreen TV, or the new laptop.  I’m talking about the gifts that will make memories for years; the gifts your kids will really appreciate when they get older.

Memory Makers

My best presents weren’t the Legos or the Gameboy or the sweatshirt.  As I look back on my childhood Christmases, my favorite gifts were the ones that forced me outside.  I remember the Nerf football, spongy and shining out of the box, that survived hundreds of sessions of pick-up football in the cul-de-sac until finally it was nothing more than a bare block of foam.  It’s paint gone from all those incompletions scraping off the asphalt, it’s shape altered by the times the neighbor’s dog got a hold of it.

I remember the hockey sticks for my brother and the goalie pads for me.  Gifts that turned our driveway into an imaginary rink.  Gifts that transformed my brother into the overtime goal scorer, and me into the netminder who preserved a shutout with his spectacular glove save.  Believe it or not, that hockey gear is still in my parents’ garage, and still gets use from time to time.  Simple gifts that gave me my favorite times with my brother and inspired in me a love of hockey that I still possess today.

Continue reading The Gifts That Keep On Giving →

Comments

comments

Oklahoma culture

RDC Friday Morning Shout Out 12/24/10: The Red Andrews Christmas Dinner

Face-painted child digs in to a slice of pumpkin pie - image from NewsOk

Dear RDC community:

When I began thinking about a short little shout out for Christmas Eve morning, I didn’t have to work too long before I settled in on the Red Andrews Christmas Dinner (RACD).  I think the event needs an entry in Wikipedia if anyone is interested in beginning that task.

I first became aware of the RACD in 1984, while employed at William E. Davis and Sons – a local institutional food distributor named by the founder who deserves his own Friday morning shout out.  I first worked the 3-11 shift as a computer operator, but was soon moved to customer service where there was a great amount of logistical action. We helped the coordinator prepare and receive their order for the RACD every year.  If you can imagine what it takes to feed, every single Christmas, between 5-10 thousand guests when you have no idea how much money will come in or really how many to expect, or how many volunteers might show up, etc. etc.  Well, it’s interesting!

Continue reading RDC Friday Morning Shout Out 12/24/10: The Red Andrews Christmas Dinner →

Comments

comments

Relationships, Woman2Woman

Hot Diggity Dog, It’s Time For Some New Year’s Resolutions

8 Comments

Our little Scout, at 12 weeks

I’ve never been that crazy about dogs. But you’d never know this by listening to my parents run through the seemingly endless list of pets my brothers and I had growing up. I don’t remember what happened to most of them, so clearly I wasn’t attached enough to have traumatic memories of their demises. While I have an appreciation for cute little critters, for most of my life I could say that I’d never been head over heels in love with something furry (I could make a joke here about my husband’s back, but…..whoopsie, I guess I just did!). However, I recognize the importance of pet care in ensuring these animals are loved and well looked after, as responsible pet ownership not only enhances the quality of life for pets but also fosters a deeper bond between them and their families.

When Jason and I decided to get a puppy together at about the time we were engaged, my “dog hating” streak ended.  Scout, a black and white Springer Spaniel, was the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen but we learned quickly how hard it is to train a puppy.  In fact, our puppy experience was more like training for the impending trials of marriage and parenthood.  We joke that our marriage preparation course was administered by a 50 pound slobbering baby.

Scout was difficult from the beginning.  He scaled the puppy gate, ate Christmas bulbs like candy, and bloodied his paws trying to claw his way out of his kennel.  But he was ours and we loved him.

We had Scout for 9 years, during which we welcomed a new home and two new babies.  He played with the kids and delighted in daily runs with Jason.  Even though he was annoying at times and added a lot of “stink” to our lives, he was a beautiful and loving dog.  When he started having seizures and eventually passed away 2 summers ago, Jason and I realized how tied he was to virtually all of our early marriage and new parent memories.

Once we got over the loss, however, we quickly began enjoying the freedom of not having a dog in the house.  If we were gone for 15 hours straight, who cares?  There were no doggy considerations or repercussions.  Frankly, it was great. Continue reading Hot Diggity Dog, It’s Time For Some New Year’s Resolutions →

Comments

comments

Foodie Page, Stockyards City Cookbook

Stockyards City (+ Whitni’s) Holiday Snack Buffet

Spinach Dip served in Hawaiian Bread

What a week! I usually have some spare time to sit and be lazy on the couch at the end of the day but it seems as though I have lost some hours, if not days, lately!
I cannot believe that Christmas is this weekend!  I’m so-o-o ready for family time! And of course pretty much everything is centered around eating while we are hanging out.
I’ve been to quite a few holiday parties this year and sometimes get stuck on taking the same thing every time. It was nice to open up the Stockyards City cookbook and
find something I hadn’t made before. I chose to make a simple spinach dip since the party was at my house and well….I had to clean and make sure everything was just
so. It’s a super simple recipe that doesn’t cost much to make and can be served with crackers or in my case, Hawaiian bread. Yum!

Spinach Dip
by Jana Lowry

1 pkg. Dry onion soup mix
1 C. Sour Cream
1 C. Plain Yogurt
1/2 C. chopped green onion
1 pkg. Frozen chopped spinach
(thawed and well drained)

In a bowl, blend all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Enjoy!

Continue reading Stockyards City (+ Whitni’s) Holiday Snack Buffet →

Comments

comments

Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.