This is the time of year when putting on a pot of homemade soup brings me good nourishment and good eats. How about you? What foods do you allow to simmer until perfectly done?
After pondering for a week on what soup to make, I pulled out a 1 lb bag of dry fordhook lima beans. The really large lima beans. I followed the directions: rinse- add to boiling water and let sit for an hour-drain. Begin again- bring salted water to boil with beans-then simmer for 1.5-2 hours, or until tender.
This seem like a less than tasty meal. So I improvise by adding more salt & pepper. Sometime later, I add the leftover rice from the refrigerator. Then, oh shoot- I need to add the meat. So I pulled a piece of left over meat from the deep freezer, dated 11/2023. An hour later- the taste test. Somethings missing. So I added some rosemary, crushed red chili peppers, a couple table spoons of butter. It was beginning to taste just right. But wait- I need to trim the meat off the bone and simmer until just right.
All in all, it was close to 5 hours of cooking and simmering what began as a dry bag of beans to a very tasty meal. One we will go back for throughout the week.
What is your go to winter cozy simmering meal?
Today, I woke up before the alarm and listened to a message from Romans 8:1-17. It reminds me of how warm and tasty it is to simmer on the word of God throughout the day. There is a course readily available on The Great Courses streaming by Dr. Andrew Newburg. The course is titled, The Spiritual Brain: Science and Religious Experience. In lecture 9: The Biology of Spiritual Practices, it has been proven through various brain scans that the longer we are in prayer, we progressively experience a deepening loss of self and an increasing bliss.
I have found in my prayer life, the longer I simmer with the Lord the more at peace I become. It may start out as this dry prayer of the basic ingredients of thank you for this day. Then I begin to add the seasoning of my worries- the regret of things I should have done or not done- then I add the meat- the real lack of faith I sometimes experience in the day to day.
What is your simmering prayer to lose yourself and gain increasing bliss?
Thank the Lord for the recipe of his word and his love. Thank the Lord for his grace to give us the time and space to seek him daily. For his love to be there always and to not lose any that call him Lord. For his willingness to pour of himself on this earth and go prepare a place for us, that we may be one with the father.
May this be a blissful winter of simmering in prayer with the Lord Jesus. And good soups:)
Always grateful,
Walking In Your Gifts 