Month: April 2011

Tomato Florentine Soup

The other day, I noticed that my local grocery store had cheese tortellini on sale at half price. Maybe they were hoping they’d be a popular item during Lent, but got stuck with excess stock.

Lately, I’ve been looking around for some simple recipes for some of the young people who follow Making All Things New and are getting ready for life on their own. Tomato Florentine Soup fits the bill. Easy and nutritious, the short list of ingredients will also keep the costs to a minimum. Cooking it in a crock pot makes it ideal for those with busy schedules.

If you’re wondering what makes it Florentine, it’s the addition of spinach. Legend has it that Catherine de Medici introduced spinach to the French Court. To honor her Italian roots, she dubbed anything containing spinach, a la Florentine. 🙂

Time Flies

The other day, I was talking to my mom about the rhythm of life, and how quickly time seems to go by. This is especially true as we get older. When I was in high school, our teachers seemed to be so old.

At dinner with some old friends when I was home in L.A. several weeks ago, we realized that those people we thought were so ancient were about our age now. Ouch…

Inspiration Mind Personal Development

Public Speaking

Do you have a fear of public speaking? I’m amazed at how many people do, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re one of them. In fact, three-quarters of Americans rate speaking in public as the thing they’re most fearful of. It even surpasses death.

After reading Dale Carnegie’s books, I realized that, although I’m not afraid to speak in public, I could do a much better job with it. I simply don’t spend enough time preparing, which sometimes leads to poorly executed presentations.

So, I went to a Toastmasters meeting tonight. This international group, which has been around since 1924, meets to help its members improve their speaking and leadership skills. The little chapter that meets in Westminster seemed nice enough, and I enjoyed listening to the various presenters give a talk, which was followed with a critique.

Blogging Inspiration

Changes Are Coming

Over the last few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of times with a small group of friends talking about the internet. We are trying to figure out how we can tap into this unbelievable market, make an income, and at the same time help people better their lives.

First sitting at a local restaurant, and then coming back together in my home office, we are moving forward, separately and together. Each of us has a story to tell, and we’re approaching things slightly differently, but we’re forging ahead, and its exciting. The potential reach is virtually unlimited.

Catholic Church Inspiration Prayer

Alleluia

The Resurrection by Piero della Francesca, 1460

A Very Blessed Easter To You And Yours

Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. (Luke 24:5-6)

Soup On Saturday Soups and Stews Vegetarian

Olive and Rice Soup

Well, Holy Saturday is upon us. Even though I’ve had to do quite a bit of running around this morning, the afternoon has been quiet and peaceful.

I’m putting this soup together today, so that some friends and I can have it as a first course tomorrow. It might not fit into your plans for this weekend, but give it a try sometime soon. It’s a nice spring soup, and I hope you enjoy it.

Inspiration Prayer Spirit

Good Friday

Although the entire movie is very powerful, there is a scene in The Passion of the Christ that had a great impact on me the first time I saw it. In fact, I use a clip of Jesus’ encounter with Mary in a talk I’ve given often over the years.

If you try to find the exact scene in Scripture, you won’t. Tradition holds that there was an encounter between Mother and Son sometime during Jesus’ long walk towards his cross. Since John’s Gospel puts Mary at actual crucifixion (John 19:26-27), there’s no reason to doubt that she would have followed along with the crowd.

Ignatian Spirituality Inspiration Prayer Spirit

Taking A Pause

As Christians move into the three most important days in our church life, its good to take a pause. This goes for you and me too. We all lead such busy lives, and it’s easy just keep running from thing to thing, place to place, each and every day.

When I met with a group of guys last Sunday night to talk about the formation of a men’s group, those with small children said that the only time they could consistently meet would be Sunday nights, because its one of the few free blocks on their calendars. That’s pretty much the same for the college students who want to join us. We’re busy, our kids our busy, our friends are busy.

Inspiration Mind

Focus

Post author By seedthrower1
Post date 04/20/2011
No Comments on Focus

Whew, I just wrapped up another crazy day. Sorry I haven’t been as consistent in my postings lately. 🙁 These days leading up to Easter are even busier for me than right before Christmas, but I enjoy every minute of it.

As with any busy time, a person can accomplish a lot if they focus on the task at hand. A friend just mentioned a tip that helps him keep on target and focused.

Inspiration Mind Prayer

Isolation

After being gone almost two weeks, the adjustment back to work has been tough. These days leading up to Easter are always busy for me, but at the same time filled with rich meaning.

On Saturday, we held a retreat for all those who will joining our church at Easter. During the course of the day, I had the chance to speak to a small group of guys about how to be a man in today’s society.

We all had similar experiences, and we agreed that it’s hard to be a man of faith today. With so many competing forces, most of us are pulled, almost to the breaking point. Some guys do break, falling into all kinds of difficulties.