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“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.

As many of you know, Walter Wink passed away on May 10th.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I've put Wink's seminal work regarding the principalities and powers to good use. I've been deeply blessed, intellectually and spiritually by his work. Thank you Walter.

Another important contribution of Wink is his work in naming and analyzing the Myth of Redemptive Violence--the myth that violence can save us, the myth that sits behind our national mythologies. An essay by Wink regarding the Myth of Redemptive Violence can be read here. 

For those wanting more about Wink's life and work I commend this remembrance and reflection of Bill Wylie-Kellermann over at Sojourners.
Ephesians 6.10-12
Finally, my brothers and sisters, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

Note from PW: I continue to receive good feeback on the Apple version of my new cookbook, so by popular demand, I’m repeating the giveaway first held the week it launched!

THE CONTEST

If you are an iPad user, or are a soon-to-be iPad user, or you’re thinking of one day becoming an iPad user, or your mom’s sister’s husband’s brother’s wife is an iPad user, I am very happy to show you my new cookbook in ebook form.

Here are some features:

* You can easily swipe through the whole cookbook section by section, or page by page.

* The step-by-step photographic tutorials are included in a widget, which you can flip through with a simple swipe of your finger.

* You can also choose to enlarge the steps in the tutorial and see them each as a full-screen photo with the text for the step written below.

* You can tap on any photo in the book (food, family, cow, dog, or otherwise) and enlarge it to full screen mode.

* There are five cooking videos in the book.

* I also include a video of my favorite cooking tools.

* And a playlist of songs I like to listen to while I’m cooking. It’s weird, I’ll warn you.

* I also include a playlist of movies I like to watch while I’m cooking.

Here are some brief peeks.

 
Here’s the main recipe page. If you were to tap on the photo of the quiche, it would expand to full screen mode.

 
 
 
On the next page are the step-by-step photos, with the instructions below each one.

 
 
 
You just use your finger to swipe through each step.

 
 
 
You can keep the step-by-steps this size, which is definitely nice and readable.

 
 
 
Or you can tap it once to enlarge, then swipe through the full-screen photos and text one by one.

 
 
 
Here’s a screenshot of the full-screen mode with the instructions below.

 
 
 
And another…

 
 
 
And another. To flip through the steps, just swipe through the photos. Easy!

I am so excited about how the cookbook looks (and acts!) on the iBooks format. It’s totally interactive, incredibly user friendly, and I really do think it’ll make cooking fun for those of you who either prefer electronic devices to hardcover cookbooks OR who want to try your hand at the whole digital device realm.

 
 
Today, because it’s been a busy week on the ranch, and I love ya, I’m giving away three (3) new iPads (winner’s choice of black or white), along with the new ebook version of The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier.

 
 
 
I’ll also include a Smart Cover (color of winner’s choice), which not only protects the screen, but also doubles as a stand (it folds backwards into a triangle–awesome) so that you can pop the iPad right on your counter and start cooking.

 

TO ENTER

To enter the iPad and PW eCookbook giveaway, just answer the following questions in the Comments section of this post:

“What are your plans this weekend?”

Are you going over the river and through the woods to granmother’s house? Are you going to the beach? Are you gardening? Cleaning? Watching movies?

Just shout out your weekend plans and you’re automatically entered to win the iPad and ebook!

 

THE RULES

One entry per person, please.

Winners will be selected at random and posted Sunday night.

Good luck!

 

THE EBOOK

The Apple/ibook version of the cookbook (shown above) can be found here: Pioneer Woman on iTunes

Giveaway sponsored by Pioneer Woman.

If you were waiting for it, my second book The Authenticity of Faith is now available on the Kindle. You can also purchase the ebook from ACU Press on iTunes.

For those thinking about buying the book a selection from the concluding chapter:
...Freud’s criticism [of religious belief] seems reasonable. Freud, despite his militant atheism, is not just “criticizing” religion. He is describing a real phenomenon, one backed by laboratory research and easily recognized by both believers and non-believers. And while these psychologically-based criticisms of faith do not have any logical purchase upon the ultimate claim regarding God’s existence, they do alter the debate and place believers on the defensive. For if Freud is correct, if believers are using their faith as a means for existential consolation, why should we trust their appeals to “reason” and “evidence” when it is clear that they cannot be objective and fair conversation partners? In the end, the atheist will argue that you cannot dispassionately discuss hard questions when your conversation partner is afraid. As Freud noted, “The believer will not let his belief be torn from him, either by arguments or by prohibitions. And even if this did succeed with some it would be cruelty” (p. 62).

So we are left, then, in the wake of [Freud's argument in] The Future of an Illusion (along with other works of “suspicion”) with the analysis of Abraham Joshua Heschel (1955) from the quote that started this book:
It has long been known that need and desire play a part in the shaping of beliefs. But is it true, as modern psychology often claims, that our religious beliefs are nothing but attempts to satisfy subconscious wishes? That the conception of God is merely a projection of self-seeking emotions, an objectification of subjective needs, the self in disguise? Indeed, the tendency to question the genuineness of man’s concerns about God is a challenge no less serious than the tendency to question the existence of God. We are in greater need of a proof for the authenticity of faith than of a proof for the existence of God. (p. 35-36)This is the terrain for a new sort of apologetics. No longer are we seeking a proof for the existence of God. We are, rather, now sifting through psychological “need and desire” to determine how they “play a part in the shaping of beliefs.” For in light of the work of the masters of suspicion there is now a “tendency to question the genuineness of man’s concerns about God.” Thus we face a “greater need of a proof for the authenticity of faith than a proof for the existence of God.”

But is such a proof even possible? And what might it mean to say that faith is “authentic” and “genuine”?

Before I share my fourth and final grilling recipe, I’m busting at the seams to announce the winners of the Bush’s Grillin’ Beans/Pioneer Woman Recipe Contest! The following four winners and their guests will travel to the ranch next month for a big, bad cookout!

First, though, let me say that I was absolutely blown away by the recipe submissions.

Blown away.

Let me also say that I, Ree Drummond, being of sound mind and body (relatively speaking), read every single recipe. I’m not sure what the exact final tally was, but it was somewhere in the 1,300 or 1,400 range. I kept taking note of the recipes that caught my eye…and by the time I narrowed them down, I had no fewer than 250 more to go through.

The winners’ recipes were incredible, but I loved so many others. Wow. Such creativity! I can’t even begin to list all the ones that made me drool. Thank you to everyone who entered.

Here are the four winners!

BEEF WINNER: Renata

Summer Solstice T-bone Steaks with Peppercorn Butter and Strawberries
Served with Bush’s Grillin’ Beans Steakhouse Recipe

6 T-bone beef steaks (about 1-inch thick)
6 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
3 cups strawberries
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup chopped basil plus 6 small sprigs of basil for garnish
1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoons pickled green peppercorns
1 teaspoon coarse cracked black pepper

Preheat gas grill or prepare charcoal grill for direct heat grilling. Season steaks with salt and pepper
Grill steaks for 4-6 minutes per side or to your preferred doneness.
Meanwhile set 6 strawberries to the side for garnish and slice the rest. Combine sliced strawberries with balsamic vinegar, sugar and basil. Combine butter with green peppercorns and cracked black pepper.
Serve steaks hot from the grill. Top with peppercorn butter and strawberries. Garnish with reserved strawberry and basil.
Serve with Bush’s Best Grillin’Beans Steakhouse Recipe!

 
 

CHICKEN WINNER: Brian Murray

Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Chipotle Cream Sauce
Served with Bush’s Black Bean Fiesta Grillin’ Beans.

4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 Tablespoons taco seasoning
4 Tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, cut into large pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into large pieces
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/4 pound chorizo sausage, without casing
2 cups heavy cream

Pound the chicken breasts until approximately 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle on 2 Tablespoons of the taco seasoning and rub into the meat. Melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter, pour on chicken breasts, and mix together. Place in refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour. Grill chicken for 4 minutes on each side over high heat. Remove from grill and let rest.
Brown chorizo over medium heat and break into pieces. Remove chorizo from pan, but leave any remaining grease. Reduce heat to medium low and add 2 Tablespoons of butter. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to pan. Saute until translucent. Add chipotle pepper and 1 Tablespoon of adobo sauce to pan. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add cream and 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning to mixture and cook for another 5 minutes. Pour mixture into blender (or with immersion blender), blend until smooth. Transfer contents back into pan, add chorizo to mixture, and cook for additional 5 minutes.
Slice chicken into strips and pour 1/4 of sauce on each breast. Pair with Bush’s Black Bean Fiesta Grillin’ Beans. Serve and enjoy!

 
 

PORK WINNER: Naylet LaRochelle

On the Ranch Coffee-Rubbed Blueberry Thyme Pork Chops
Serve with Bush’s Grillin Beans Sweet Mesquite

2 tablespoons ground coffee beans (preferably a dark roast)
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
4 boneless pork loin chops, cut about 3/4 inch thick
3/4 cup blueberry preserves
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

In a small bowl, combine coffee, thyme, cocoa powder, coriander, and salt. Place pork chops on a work surface. Rub coffee mixture on both sides of pork chops. Transfer to a plate; cover until ready to grill.

In a medium bowl, stir together blueberry preserves, hoisin sauce, and red pepper. Reserve half of blueberry glaze for spooning over chops when serving.

Prepare a medium-high gas or charcoal grill. Grill chops until slightly pink in center (160 F), about 11-14 minutes. During last minutes of grilling, brush blueberry glaze over both sides of chops.

To serve, spoon reserved blueberry glaze over chops. Top with chives; serve with Bush’s Grillin Beans Sweet Mesquite.

 
 

WILD CARD WINNER: Jerilyn K!

Orange-Chipotle Salmon with Grilled Onions & Cilantro
Served with Bush’s Texas Ranchero Grillin’ Beans

Sweet, fresh orange juice and honey mixed with smoky chipotle, over a beautiful salmon filet – a main dish that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. Topped with a sliced grilled onion and fresh cilantro, this orange-chipotle salmon perfectly pairs with the kick from Bush’s Texas Ranchero Grillin’ Beans.

8 oz salmon filet (2-4 oz portions)
Juice of 2 oranges & zest of 1 orage
1 chipotle in adobo (canned) and 2 tsp chipotle adobo sauce
2 tbsp pure honey
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, chopped
2 slices of onion, 1/4” thick
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh cilantro

1. For the marinade, combine fresh orange juice, orange zest, chipotle and adobo sauce, honey and garlic in a small food processor or blender; process until smooth.
2. Add salt, pepper and marinade (reserving 1-2 tablespoons of marinade to brush on salmon while grilling) into a plastic zip top bag with salmon filets. Marinate salmon in refrigerator for about 2 hours (or your preference of time).
3. Preheat grill to medium high.
4. Remove salmon from marinade and slice two, 1/4-inch thick pieces of onion. Brush salmon and whole onion slices with olive oil and extra sprinkle of salt and pepper, on both sides. Place salmon and onion on the grill and cook 5-6 minutes per side, depending on thickness of salmon. As the salmon cooks, brush with reserved marinade.
5. To serve, top grilled salmon with 1 cooked onion slice and fresh cilantro. Salmon pairs great with Bush’s Texas Ranchero Grillin’ Beans.
Serves 2 – but easily doubled or tripled for a party
Wish we could have posted pics ~ I have a beautiful mug shot of this delicious dish!

Congratulations to all winners! Can’t wait to meet you…and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into your amazing recipes. I’ll be in touch right away to plan your trip to the ranch for an Oklahoma-style cookout on June 2nd!

Warning: there may be horses involved. Bring shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty.

I’ll be sure to post photos of the event and share the behind-the-scenes fun. And of course, I’ll post videos of each winner cooking his/her winning recipes on camera.

Here’s my fourth and final contribution:

 

MY GRILLING RECIPE #4: Tremendously Delicious Marinated Steak

 
This is a delicious, flavorful marinated steak that works great with ribeye, flank steak, skirt steak or hanger steak if you can find it. The flavors are a little off the beaten path. Love!

 
I’m serving it with these.

 
 
 
To make the marinade, combine the nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, chili powder, turmeric and garlic salt in a large plastic bag.

 
 
 
Drizzle in the olive oil, smooshing to combine.

 
 
 
Throw the steaks into the bag…

 
 
 
And smoosh it around to coat the steaks.

Throw these in the fridge and marinate for at least three hours; overnight is better!

 
 
 
When you’re ready to grill the steaks, remove them from the bag and grill them until they’re medium rare, just about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

 
 
 
Serve them with Bush’s Steakhouse Recipe Grillin’ Beans.

Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!

 
Recipe: Tremendously Delicious Marinated Steak

Prep Time: 10 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 5 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 4

Print Recipe 3"x5" Cards 4"x6" Cards Full Page Ingredients

• 4 whole Ribeye, Hanger, Flat Iron, Or Strip Steaks
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric
• 2 Tablespoons Garlic Salt
• 1 cup Olive Oil
• 2 cans Bush's Grillin Beans Steakhouse Recipe

Preparation Instructions

Mix all ingredients (except steak) in a large plastic bag and smoosh to combine. Add steaks to bag, seal tightly and marinate a few hours.

Grill until medium rare. Serve with Bush's Grillin' Beans Steakhouse Recipe!

Posted by Ree on May 17 2012

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Marlboro Man and our younger daughter took turns taking photos the other morning. I’m going to post them and attempt to tell the story of each photo without the benefit of having been there.

 
From this photo, I can deduce that my baby is riding a horse.

Boy, I’m good!

 
 
 
And from this photo, I can deduce that the guys were gathering cattle.

I’m awfully sharp today.

 
 
 
From looking at this photo, I can deduce that either:

a) One of these calves is confused
or
b) This cow had twins.

I’m going to have to find out the answer or it will bug me the rest of my life.

Or at least the rest of this five-minute period.

 
 
 
From this photo, it’s clear to me that some kind of confusion has occurred. Animals are going in different directions.

If I’d been there, this never would have happened!

 
 
 
Here, my deductive reasoning skills tell me that my baby is helping his dad sort cattle.

Look at all the twinkly little fairy bugs!

I mean flies.

 
 
 
From this photo, I can deduce that this cow is saying “Moooooooooooooo!”

Translation: “You have exactly twenty seconds to get out of my way.”

 
 
 
Here, it appears that my husband placed our baby up high on the fence because he realized that cow meant business.

Or maybe he was just tickling his ribs.

 
 
 
I’m not sure what I can deduce about this photo.

Someone accidentally snapped it while dangling the camera.
Or whoever took the photo is enamored with bumpers.
Or whoever took the photo was admiring the greenness and lushness of the grass.

I’m going to have to look into this one a little more.

 
 
 
From this photo, I can deduce that my girls have dirty jeans.

 
 
 
And look. Right again!

I tell you, I really should have been a detective.

This is an unusual recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks, in that the detailed step-by-step photos don’t begin until halfway through the recipe. But I have a very valid reason for this! A very, very, very valid reason. And here it is.

I didn’t start taking photos until halfway through the recipe.

I’m awesome that way.

Anyway, that doesn’t take away from the fact that these sandwiches were out-of-this-world good.

So I’ll catch you up on what happened before I decided to turn on my brain and take photos:

1. Heat a little vegetable oil in a heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat.
2. Season a whole cut up chicken (I usually buy the chickens already cut into pieces) with salt and pepper.
3. Throw the chicken into the pot and sear it on all sides, trying to get the skin as brown (and to render as much fat) as possible.
4. Remove the chicken from the pot and set on a plate for a minute.
5. Carefully pour off excess fat and oil into a metal bowl. Discard the fat once it cools.
6. Return the pot to the heat and add 1 whole sliced onion and 8-12 whole cloves of garlic. Don’t chop the garlic!
7. Pour in a large bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce.
8. Return the chicken to the sauce and mix in the chicken until it’s all coated.
9. Place the lid on the pot and put it in a 300 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or so, until the chicken is falling off the bone and the sauce is crazy flavorful and bubbly.

 
And that’s where we are now! Basically, I seared the chicken, poured off the fat, sauteed onion and garlic, poured in barbecue sauce, submerged the chicken, and cooked it low and slow in the oven. Because of the lighting, this looks a little dark, but it was absolutely perfect. Lots of lovely caramelization going on.

 
 
 
The first thing I did was remove the garlic cloves, which were still intact, and which were almost like candy at this point.

Goodness gracious.

 
 
 
Set the garlic cloves into a separate dish as you remove them.

 
 
 
Remove the chicken from the pot and set it on a board.

 
 
 
Then it’s all about removing the chicken from the bone, which is the fun part! You can use two forks to kind of pick away at it…or you can use a pair of latex kitchen cloves, which makes it really easy to do by hand. You’ll just need to let it cool enough to be able to handle it.

 
 
 
After that, just shred away! Go as fine as you want.

 
 
 
It’s amazing how much chicken (or pork…or beef) expands as you shred it. Goodness gracious.

 
 
 
Now, in the time it will take you to let the chicken cool, remove the chicken from the bone, and shred it up, enough fat will have risen to the top of the sauce for you to be able to easily skim it off.

fter that, you can throw in the chicken!

 
 
 
Then just stir it up, heat it up a bit if needed…and it’s ready to serve.

 
 
 
I used whole grain Kaiser rolls, because I’m all about healthy choices.

Ha.

Oh, and I spread butter on the rolls and grilled them before I added the chicken.

Okay, never mind.

 
 
 
Then I was extra naughty and added a couple of the whole garlic cloves, which by now were soft and flavorful and perfect.

 
 
 
Next came a big helping of cilantro slaw, which I use on everything these days.

 
 
 
And this was pretty much the perfect sandwich. So flavorful, so yummy, and the slaw gave it a nice coolness and crunch.

You’ll love this one, guys!

Here’s the handy dandy printable:

 
Recipe: Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches

Prep Time: 10 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 2 Hours  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 8

Print Recipe 3"x5" Cards 4"x6" Cards Full Page Ingredients

• 1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 1 bottle (large) Barbecue Sauce
• 1 whole Onion, Sliced
• 8 whole Cloves Garlic (more To Taste)
• Slaw:
• 1/2 head Cabbage, Sliced Thin
• 1/2 head Purple Cabbage, Sliced Thin
• 1/2 cup Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon White Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 bunch Cilantro, Roughly Chopped

Preparation Instructions

SLAW

Combine shredded cabbage and sliced jalapenos in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix milk, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Pour over cabbage. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate two hours.

Before serving, toss in cilantro leaves.

CHICKEN

Heat canola oil in a heavy pot over medium high heat. Season chicken, then sear on all sides until skin is golden brown and some fat is rendered. Remove chicken from pot and pour off excess grease.

Add sliced onions and whole garlic cloves to pot and stir around to cook for 2 minutes. Pour in barbecue sauce, add chicken to the sauce, and place lid on the pot.

Place in a 300 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until chicken is falling off the bone.

Remove the whole garlic cloves from the pot and set it aside. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool enough to handle. Using hands or two forks, remove the meat from the bones. Finely shred the chicken using your hands or two forks.

Carefully skim off the excess fat that has risen on top of the sauce. Return shredded chicken to the pot and stir into the sauce. Reheat so that it's warm.

Spread butter on kaiser rolls and toast on the griddle.

To serve, place a good amount of chicken on the bottom half of the roll. Top with one or two garlic cloves, then a good helping of slaw. Top with the other half of the bun and dig in!

Posted by Ree on May 17 2012

Community Question is a category inspired by you. Here and there readers write in with questions that are better served by the varied, experiential knowledge of those who read and contribute in the comments.

—————————————————–

The following question is from Kanecia J.

“My youngest daughter is behind, so I am going to do the 2nd grade with her again. I’ve narrowed it down to Oak Meadow or Horizon for her and my 4 year olds. Has anyone tried these or which one is better? What is a curriculum that is good for getting caught up?”

Do you have experience with the Oak Meadow or Horizon curricula? Any ideas for catching up?

Many think that in Jesus's first sermon he compares his life and ministry to the year of Jubilee.
Luke 4.16-19
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read,and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”Again, some think that the reference here in Isaiah to the "acceptable year of the Lord"--where the oppressed are set free and freedom is proclaimed to the prisoners--is an allusion to the year of Jubilee described in Leviticus 25.

The Jubilee was to be the Sabbath year of Sabbath years. Every seven days the Israelites were to celebrate a Sabbath day of rest. And every seven years they were to observe a Sabbath year of rest. And after seven Sabbath years--7 x 7--there was to be a super-duper Sabbath year, the year of Jubilee.

During the year of Jubilee the following was to happen:
Leviticus 24.39-41
If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves. They are to be treated as hired workers or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property of their ancestors.During the years in between each Jubilee various people, for whatever reason, would fall into debt and, as a consequence, they and their family would be sold into debt bondage. During the year of Jubilee these debt slaves--often entire families--were to be set free. More, the family land was to be given back to them. All was to be forgiven and fortunes restored.

In light of this, Jesus's allusion to the Jubilee in Luke 4 hints at the forgiveness that will be found in his life, death and resurrection. In the person of Jesus we experience the Jubilee of God. We are let out of the debtor's prison and our fortunes are restored.

And it might be even bigger than that.

Some at the time of Jesus were suggesting that there might be something on the horizon even bigger than the Jubilee. That God might be working up to Mega-Jubilee, a Jubilee of Jubilees. If the Jubilee was to be celebrated after 7 x 7 the Jubilee of Jubilees would go further, coming after 70 x 7 years.

Seventy times seven.

That sound familiar?

In the bible we first encounter this number--seventy times seven--in Daniel 9. In this text Daniel is in prayer about a prophecy made by Jeremiah that the Babylonian exile would last for seventy years:
Jeremiah 25.11-12
This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. “But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate forever." In Daniel 9 Daniel is in prayer wondering when the seventy years will be over. In answer to this prayer the angel Gabriel appears and tells Daniel that the exile will not be over in seventy years but in seventy times seven years:
Daniel 9.1-3, 20-24
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom—in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes...

While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill — while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:

“Seventy ‘sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.In one sense this is disappointing news. The end of the exile isn't going to be in 70 years. It's going to be in 70 x 7 (= 490) years.

But on the other hand the promise here is crackling with portent and theological significance. The end of the Great Exile is going to be the Jubilee to end all Jubilees.

So the Jews were expecting something really, really big. And a great deal of effort was expended in Jesus's day in trying to figure out just when the 490 years would be over. The main disagreements had to do with the starting point, when the 490-year clock started ticking.

But such calculations might have been a bit too literal. Seventy times seven may have been more theological than chronological. Seventy times seven may have been a way of saying that the end of exile would involve something apocalyptic in nature and scope. A Jubilee beyond imagining, the final and ultimate fulfillment of God's promises. The ending not just of exile but the inauguration of the New Heaven and New Earth.

With that background in place let's turn back to gospels. Does the seventy times seven prophecy in Daniel connect with Jesus in any way?

There are three connections.

First, the angel Gabriel appears only three times in the bible. The first appearance we've already noted. Gabriel is the one who tells Daniel about the seventy times seven years. The very next time we encounter Gabriel is in the gospel of Luke announcing the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. Gabriel's reappearance in the biblical story brings to mind our first encounter with the messenger in Daniel 9. Perhaps, with the birth of Jesus, the exile is over? Does the reappearance of Gabriel signal that the Jubilee of Jubilees is upon us?

Second, somes scholars argue that Matthew's genealogy in Matthew 1 is another attempt to connect Jesus with the sevens in Daniel. From Abraham to David to Exile to Jesus Matthew describes three sets of fourteen generations, six sets of sevens. Jesus comes at the end of this line, capping it off as the seventh seven, an allusion to the Jubilee.

But the most explicit connection in the gospels with the prophecy of seventy times seven comes from the gospel of Matthew:
Matthew 18:21-23
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." Peter's eyes must have gotten very, very big.

Because, as we've seen, this isn't just any random number. The number is large, yes, but it's much more than that. It's a number associated with the end of exile, the number of God's apocalyptic intervention. It's the number of the Jubilee of Jubilees.

You can make a pretty strong case that the central core of Jesus's ministry, the orbit of his life, was forgiveness. The examples here go on and on. "Love your enemies." "Turn the other cheek." "Neither do I condemn you." "Your sins are forgiven." "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." "Forgive and you will be forgiven." "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." "My son who was lost has been found." "The Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth." "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

All this makes sense if Jesus is, in his very person, the Jubilee. Forgiveness--releasing those in debt--is what the Jubilee was all about. To experience the Jubilee is to have your debts forgiven. And that's what Jesus did wherever he went. He brought the Jubilee. Jesus was the Jubilee.

And not just any Jubilee--it was and is the last, greatest and final Jubilee. The seventy times seven Jubilee.

And what is extraordinary about all this is that Jesus invites Peter--and you and I--to become the Jubilee as well.

It makes perfect sense that the seventy times seven number shows up in the middle of a question about forgiveness. If Peter is asking a forgiveness question he's asking a Jubilee question. How many times do I have to forgive my brother? Peter is thinking small, on the scale of the Sabbath week. Jesus goes further. Past the Sabbath year. Past even the Jubilee itself. Jesus goes big. He invokes the Jubilee of Jubilees.

And as should be obvious, by invoking seventy times seven Jesus isn't simply giving Peter a big number. Jesus isn't setting the bar higher, raising standards. Rather, Jesus is inviting Peter to become a different sort of person, to adopt a new sort identity. Simply, Jesus is asking Peter to become the Jubilee. Just as Jesus was the Jubilee. And if you are the Jubilee--if forgiveness is what defines you--then how could you ask the question "How many time do I have to forgive"?

If you embody the Jubilee--if the Jubilee is who you are--then the answer is obvious. You always forgive. You are the Jubilee.

That's what I think Jesus is saying to Peter when Peter asks about the limits of forgiveness. Jesus is inviting Peter, and all of us, to forgive as we have been forgiven. To become people of mercy and grace. To proclaim, in our own lives, the year of the Lord's favor so that we might become the Jubilee.

“[Doxology] Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

I love butter. This is a fact that is well established, well known, well proven, and well demonstrated. My fridge is filled with not sticks of butter, but pounds. As an ingredient, I believe in butter. Butter is a church of which I am a member. If butter ran for president, I would vote for it. It adds color, flavor, beauty, and joy to absolutely everything I cook.

It adds meaning to my days.

Purpose to my life.

What I’m trying to tell you is this, ladies and gentlemen: I wouldn’t want to live in a world in which butter didn’t exist.

Have I mentioned lately that I love butter?

 
Today I’m happy to announce that I have joined up with Land O’Lakes to help sing the praises of a brand new product they’re putting on the market, one that is currently rocking my world.

 
 
It’s called Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt.

I’ve tried it. I’ve cooked with it. I’ve smeared it on warm, crusty bread. And I can tell you without hesitation that I absolutely love it. It has a slightly lighter quality than regular butter, there’s just a hint of olive oil flavor…and the saltiness is just delish and really sets it apart.

 
 
Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing brand new recipes using this luscious new butter in cooking posts and videos over on landolakes.com. And if you watch Food Network and the Cooking Channel, you’ll see occasional spots featuring me, the new butter, and all the deliciously neato things you can do with it (as well as some wild floral shirt, my unruly cowlick, and a pair of large earrings. And my unruly cowlick. Wait, I already said that. Never mind.)

 
 
My fun with Land O’Lakes will begin later this month, and I’ll let you know whenever I post new recipes over on landolakes.com. TV spots will begin showing this fall, featuring back-to-school recipes and easy dishes made with fall ingredients.

 
 
As for me and Land O’Lakes, there’s hardly a more fitting partner for me to team up with. I’m proud to say that their butter has bulged out of my fridge for years and years, and I love them as a company. Land O’Lakes is a member-owned agricultural cooperative based in Minnesota with 3,200 producer-members, 1,000 member-cooperatives, and 9,000 employees. Though we’re on totally different ends of the bovine spectrum (ahem), I consider us to be agricultural friends.

I’m excited! We’re going to have lots of fun.

Love,
PW

 
 
(Oh, and one last thing: Yum.)

Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Land O’Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of new LAND O LAKES® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt. This blog post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes.

Be sure to follow Land O’Lakes on Facebook and Twitter (@landolakesktchn) as they’ll be sharing all the up-to-date scoop.

Read more about Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt here.

Post and photos by Marlboro Man.

We had to go to the farm in Waurika again last weekend to ship the last of the cattle we had down there. Our farm is on the southern end of the state, less than twenty miles from the Texas line. Our ranch in Osage County, is on the northern end of the state, about thirteen miles from the Kansas line. It’s about a four hour drive from our ranch to the farm, so when we go to the farm, we try to get as much done as possible.

The reason we call it “the farm” is that it is primarily a farming operation. We plant over 3,500 acres of wheat, then use it to graze cattle in the winter and spring. In the warmer climate of southern Oklahoma, the wheat will grow almost all winter long, providing an excellent source of pasture for grazing and fattening cattle.

Grazing cattle on wheat during the winter is common practice for many wheat farmers in this area, but most of them will pull the cattle off in February or March, then go ahead and let the wheat grow so they can harvest a crop. Our wheat farming operation is strictly for grazing cattle. In the spring, when the wheat really starts growing, we just add more cattle. In the fall, you can stock one steer per acre depending on the size of the cattle; that can increase to one-and-a-half to two steers per acre in the spring.

Steers can gain 2.5 to 3 pounds a day on good wheat pasture.

In an earlier post, I’d explained raising calves as part of the cow-calf operation. The farm, on the other hand, is used primarily as a yearling grazing operation, which is the next stage of the cattle cycle. Yearling or “stocker” operations will take calves that have been weaned from their mamas, then grow them. This is the stage where the calf will go from the 400/500 pound range to 700/800 pounds. This is a large part of the cattle business, and there are many ranchers and farmers that specialize in just this aspect. There are also ranchers and farmers like us that do both cow/calf and yearling operations.

We do yearlings both on the farm and on our home ranch. We use our own calves from our cow/calf operation and we will also buy calves from other ranchers. You can buy cattle at sale barns, through video auctions, internet auctions, order buyers or directly from other ranchers. Most of the calves are from spring cows and are weaned in the fall, so we buy and receive them in the fall. The hardest part of a yearling operation is receiving them—getting the calves in and keeping them healthy.

When they first arrive, we process them. This means we brand, worm and vaccinate them. Then they are kept in traps (smaller pastures) where they are trained to come to a feed truck and monitored every day to make sure they don’t get sick. (One of the many skills you need as a cowboy is the ability to identify sick cattle; the earlier you can identify and doctor one, the better it is for them.) Any sick cattle are gathered to the pens and doctored. If there are just a couple of sick animals, they’re roped and doctored (which just means given a shot of antibiotics) right on the spot. After a week or two, when the cattle have begun coming to a feed truck, they are moved to larger pastures. But they will still need to be monitored daily for a month or more to make sure they stay well.

The great part about a wheat-grazing operation is that the wheat is ready to graze in late November or early December. So as soon as the cattle are straightened up and ready to go, there is pasture ready for them. The hard part about a wheat grazing operation is stocking it right so that you don’t run out of pasture or let the wheat get too big. It’s a balancing act to keep the right number of cattle on the wheat. The hard part about the yearlings we run on our main ranch is that they have to be kept and fed through the winter until the grass starts growing in April. The good part is that they are usually sold in July or August, which is typically a good time to market cattle.

Personally, I like having the benefit of running yearlings on both wheat and grass. It provides a little financial diversity. The cattle on wheat will be sold from March through May, so it gives you come cash flow in the spring of the year when you can use it after a long winter of expenses. It also spreads out your marketing window to help weather any market blips that might otherwise hurt you.

The hardest part about running cattle for both types of operations is getting enough cattle in the fall and being able to afford buying the cattle. We will typically buy around ten thousand calves in the fall, and in today’s market that’s not cheap. As is the case with most ranchers, all of our equity is tied up in land, so we don’t have cash sitting in the bank at any given time. Fortunately, we have a good banker we have worked with for over twenty years. One of the first lessons my father taught me is that you need to have a good, longterm relationship with a lender who understands agriculture. Ranching is a capital-intensive business, and one of the keys to being able to make it in the long run is to have good banking relationships.

Most larger yearling operations, will borrow the money needed to buy their cattle. This introduces an element of risk. When you borrow money to buy cattle that you’re going to sell within 4 to 8 months, you take a risk that if the market goes down during that time, you can not only not make money, which is bad enough, but you could also lose money, which is much worse. The other side is that if the market goes up during that time, you can make really good money. The key, like any business, is that you have to be in it for the long haul. There will always be ups and downs, but if you’re in it for the long term, they will hopefully even themselves out.

Saturday was a good day. This year has been an up year in the market, which makes shipping much more fun. (We’ve had our share of years where shipping wasn’t as much fun.)

We shipped 1,564 steers Saturday.

 
We gathered them from two pastures. In this one, there were about 900 steers.

 
 
I know I’ve said it before, but early morning gatherings are the best.

 
 
One thing about shipping is that after you line up the buyer and the trucks, there is no calling it off. So even though it was supposed to rain that morning, we didn’t let it stop us.

 
 
See, here comes some more trucks. There’s no putting it off until tomorrow.

 
 
It wasn’t a hard rain, so it was actually kind of nice. It kept the morning cool and made it easier on the cattle. We had our usual crew of kids (Our younger daughter had a soccer game, so she got a pass for the day.)

 
 
We also had some day workers. A little extra help is always nice.

 
 Man, that pink jacket stands out. But she was quick to point out that “It took eight of them to watch the other side, but just me and my pink jacket to watch this side.” Here, we’re gathering them from a 640 acre pasture into a smaller trap that leads to the pens.

 
 
Once they’re in the trap, it gets a little easier.

 
 
They just follow the feed truck on to the pens.

 
 
Except this time, he got a little too far in front of us and because there were so many cattle, the front part made it to the pens and turned around before we could get the back part up there. Here, Miss Pink Jacket, Josh, and cowboy Todd are stopping them from running off.

 
 
We got them turned around now, back towards the pens.

 
 
Once in the pens, I usually weigh and Pa-Pa handles the loading of the scales, but I left him some of our very top hands.

 
 
After a while, some of them abandoned him—they wanted to go in the house and dry off. But these two stuck it out.

 
 
Actually, I told them they had to stay and help.

 
 
It doesn’t look like it bothered them much.

 
 
Todd, our cowboy at the farm, counted them off.

 
 
Tim helped Allen (the buyer rep) go through the cattle after we weighed them.

 
 
Oh, and while he usually stays on the ranch, we brought Josh to the farm on this trip. He and Colt loaded trucks after Tim and Allen had gone through them.

 
 
On they go.

 
 
We were finished by 11:00 AM. It was like a well-oiled machine…or trailer gate.

My Home and Garden section makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

Last week I wrote about a missing floor in an old building we’re working on.

Monday I posted about what’s growing in my raised beds.

Today, to follow the perfect trail of logic, I’m writing about mascara.

I know it must be nice to come to this section and always know what to expect.

Aside from a few other things I’ve had going on in my life for the past few months, I’ve been on a bit of an eyelash odyssey. I blogged several months ago about the whole subject of false eyelashes, and received many helpful information about what lashes are good, how many of you like to wear them, and how to learn how to put the suckers on.

I failed miserably at that last part. To this day, I can not put on a false eyelash to save my life. It’s comical. Glue winds up all over my face and the eyelash somehow winds up between my third and fourth toes.

Several months ago (I think that’s when it was) I decided to try eyelash extensions—individual eyelashes that are glued to one’s own lashes and that fall off naturally. Eyelash extensions are like acrylic nails in that you have the initial set applied, then you go back for “fills” every two or three weeks.

I really liked them at first, for one important reason: They eliminated the need for mascara. The lashes are already thick, as if they’re coated in mascara, so zero mascara is needed. This means I basically went months without wearing mascara, which was a major development in my life. It saved me scads of time, not to mention even when I woke up in the morning, I looked like I had mascara on. Only it wasn’t smudged all over my face.

I loved the lashes at first, but over time it became difficult for me to worry about getting them spruced up every two or three weeks—but if you don’t get them spruced up (filled), they can start to look a little crazy. So a few weeks ago, I had them removed thinking I’d get them put back on again soon…but I just haven’t gotten around to it.

So I’ve had to reenter the world of mascara.

Wasn’t that a compelling human interest story?

 
The point of today’s post is to tell you about this mascara. I had used it before, but got sidetracked…and have just recently started using it again.

 
 
 
It’s from Benefit and is called “They’re Real” because when you wear this mascara, people think you have on false eyelashes.

No, really! There’s something about it. It really, really makes for thick, vampy lashes.

 
 
 
I’m sure it’s partly to do with the formula of the mascara itself, but I also attribute it to this very fine-toothed (but still thick and substantial) brush, which keeps the lashes nice and separated as the mascara goes on. A tube has lasted me quite awhile, too, as somedays I use much less than others.

I realize I’ve sung the praises of mascaras before…but I really mean it this time! Ha.

Give it a try next time you need a new mascara. If you’re wanting the big eyelash look, this is probably the next best thing to false ones.

Love,
Pioneer Woman

Not a paid advertisement. I just love this mascara, man. Over and out.

By Kristen Chase.

As this school comes to an end, I’m looking forward to next year with great anticipation as I will have not one, but now two official homeschool students as my son officially enters his kindergarten year.

My husband and I have been trying to figure out our school plan for next year, which isn’t as cut and dry as I would like due to a myriad factors, namely our work schedules and our budget. And because we both really want our kids to have classroom experience outside of our own homeschool classroom, we’re having a hard time figuring out how to best incorporate that into our curriculum.

Our homeschool co-op has a variety of classes that are perfect for my oldest (soon-to-be 8), however they don’t offer as many options for my 5-year old other than one or two classes that aren’t necessarily in a row. And they do require a decent level of classroom etiquette, which is something he definitely needs a little work on.

So that’s when I started looking at Cordis Academy, which uses The Master’s Academy of Fine Arts approach.

(Don’t quote me on this! I’m still learning myself.)

I had read about it when I was researching homeschooling back when I started a couple of years ago, but recently, a friend of mine reminded me about it. Her kids are enrolled in it and she really enjoys it.

If you’re not familiar, the Cordis Academy uses a historical and biblical perspective to teach various subjects in a classroom setting. The kids are enrolled for two full days a week and have assignments that are to be completed at home.

This does sound a bit of what I’m looking for, however, there seem to be a few downsides, at least from our side:

1. The cost: It’s on the pricey side for two days a week (and I’d have 2 kids enrolled).
2. The perspective: While we are not averse to a Christian perspective, it’s not necessarily at the top of our list for how we want our children taught.
3. The work: Not only will we need to have our homeschool curriculum, but they’ll be coming home with, from what I hear, a fair amount of homework.

I realize that this is only based on my brief exploration of the few websites I’ve found, as well as talking with my friend. So, I’m hoping you might be able to assist me and share your experiences with Cordis/MAFA if you have any.

Feel free to share how you provide your homeschooled kids with classroom experiences. I’d love to hear your ideas.

 

Kristen Chase is a mom of 4, writer, and co-publisher of Cool Mom Picks and Cool Mom Tech, a popular shopping and trendspotting blog for moms, as well as 4 Kids or More, an online resource for the modern larger family. She’s a 2nd generation homeschooler, having been taught middle and high school by her own mother back when people were still using quills and ink wells, and is now a very well-adjusted and socialized homeschool mom herself.