Welcome to the 3rd Sunday in Lent

What a beautiful and glorious Sunday the Lord has made! Even when it’s raining, or foggy or too darn hot to go outside, every day the Lord saw fit to give me is a glorious day worthily of thanks. That’s just my option, what do I know?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this whole all inclusive world that is being thrust upon us. The idea has merit in certain situations. Take for example a Country Club. Once upon a time blacks were not allowed to join simply because of the color of their skins. Once upon a time in this country signs hung in businesses offering employment that Irish or Catholic or whoever else was deemed unworthy need not apply. Those were wrongs that needed to be corrected. Not all segregation is wrong. Boy Scouts is for boys, not girls. Girl Scouts is for girls. Women don’t belong in the priesthood, and men cannot be nuns. I don’t care what the liberals say, a biological male cannot conceive and give birth. Perhaps in the future they will come up with an artificial way to accomplish this, but not naturally. Nature has its rules.

Identity. That’s another word that is bantered about. As children we pretend to be something we aren’t. I’m a cat or a dog. There was a point in my life when I wanted very much to be a boy. Not that I identified as a boy, but I couldn’t understand why boys were allowed to throw off their shirts and jump in the creek while girls had to sit on the rocks and just dip their toes in the water. It just didn’t seem fair. Today girls will kick off their shoes and jump in the water and no body thinks twice about it because the rules have changed.

Everybody has a sense of identity and a need to belong. We just seem to have muddied things up. And in that comes confusion. I’m no doctor. I’m no expert on any of this, but it seems to me trans goes beyond an emotional or physical attraction to same-sex. (Attraction is a whole other subject, not for today). I don’t know anything about the trans community, and I’m not going to pass judgement. But from an outsider’s prespective, it appears that these are people with a great deal of anger and dislike of self, a rejection of their physical self. Part of this, in my opintion, is because for a very long time we have told men that masculinity is toxic. It’s not. Being a bully is toxic. Being a man isn’t.

Lent is a time of reflection and change. Perhaps we need to start loving one another just the way God made us and stop blurring the lines. That’s my thought for the day.

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Time to get in the kitchen. I gotta tell you, I’ve made roast chicken before and there was always some chicken left over. Not this time. Wow – best, most flavorful roast chicken supper ever. Have a wonderful Sunday. God loves you just the way you are.

Beer Braised Roast Chicken with Carrots
1 small White Onion
6 medium Carrots
1 (3 to 4 lb) Whole Chicken
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 cup Beer
1-1/2 cups Chicken Stock
2 teaspoons dried Crushed Rosemary
1 teaspoon dried Thyme

Heat the oven to 425-degrees.

Peel onion, cut in half, then into thick half-moon slices. Peel carrots, cut into long pieces, set aside

Pat chicken dry with paper towels; cut out backbone using kitchen shears (save backbone for stock or another use). Flip chicken, breast-side up, forcefully press chicken down to flatten; generously season with salt.

Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down; cook until golden, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, skin-side up.

Add onion to the same skillet; cook and stir until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beer; scrape the browned bits of food off the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking until most of the beer is reduced, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in chicken stock, carrots, rosemary, and thyme. Arrange chicken, skin-side up, over vegetables.

Roast in the heated oven until chicken is golden brown and crispy, about 50 minutes. Transfer chicken and vegetables to a large platter; rest, uncovered.

Place about a quarter cup of the juices in the skillet into a small bowl. Whisk in a tablespoon or so of flour to create a slurry. Bring remaining pan juices in the skillet to a boil; whisk in the slurry and reduce heat to low and cook until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Season sauce with salt just before serving.

Note: The flavors are intense – so delicious poured over the chicken tableside.

Roasted Rosemary-Garlic Red Potatoes
8 medium Red Potatoes
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
2 teaspoons dried Crushed Rosemary
Rosemary Sprigs for garnish if desired

Heat oven to 400-degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil; set aside.

Scrub potatoes, cut into quarters, place in a mixing bowl. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and set aside.

Peel and finely mince garlic, scatter over potatoes. Season with salt, pepper and crushed rosemary. Toss to coat well.

Transfer seasoned potatoes to baking sheet. Spread out evenly. Place in oven and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and tender. Shake potatoes about mid-way through for even browning.

Place potatoes in a shallow serving bowl or small rimmed platter. Garnish with fresh rosemary as desired and serve.

Give thanks to the Lord, and enjoy this beautiful supper.

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Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to Him.