Wednesday, March 31, 2004

10:01 PM Nice treat tonight after Bible study. I had finished teaching the final lesson of the “Ten Keys” series when Scott Mahlstedt gave me a flat slab covered with newspaper. The flat slab turned out to be frozen Brunswick stew. Regular readers of this weblog will recall a recent discussion about where to find the best barbecue. Somehow Brunswick stew came up, which led me to mention that I haven’t had any since I was growing up in Alabama. The first time I ever heard of Brunswick stew was when someone made a huge pot of it on an outdoor fire at the Woodland Hills swimming pool near our house. I think whoever made it used something like an enormous stewpot. I remember that it took hours to make the stew properly, although it seems like whoever did it–maybe Melvin Clark–didn’t exactly follow a recipe. It was more like “a little of this” and “a little of that.” I recall lots of adults hanging around, the fathers especially, offering commentary, telling jokes, and carrying on. The end result was always delicious. But that was probably forty years ago. I’m not sure I’ve had Brunswick stew since then … until tonight. Scott told me that he found a recipe on the Internet and followed. He commented that it took quite a while to put all the ingredients together. And when it done, he froze a slab, wrapped it in newspaper, and brought it to Bible study tonight. When I got home, Marlene put it in the microwave and heated it up. Then I stretched out in front of the TV and had Brunswick stew and a Coke. Here’s the amazing thing. It’s been forty years and it looked and tasted exactly as I remembered it. Good Brunswick stew has lots of ingredients and has a bit of a kick to it. Scott, you’re a good cook and a good friend. Thanks for the slab of stew–and thanks even more for stirring up so many good memories. 10:05 AM Today hundreds of Illinois citizens are gathering in Springfield for a rally to protect marriage. The legislature needs to pass an amendment to the Illinois constitution defining marriage as being between one man and one woman. Stephen Bennett, a former homosexual and now family man whose life is a powerful testimony of God’s grace and power, will speak at the rally. Lynette Hoy, head of Calvary’s LifeCare ministry, is at the rally today along with Betty Nelson and several others from our congregation. 10:04 AM Another new series on the website: Salvation. There are four sermons in the series: “Unworthy,” “Martin Luther’s Highway to Heaven,” “A Sit-Down Salvation,” and “By Faith Alone.”