Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.
1. Sous Vide
My friend, Nick, introduced me to this magical device some years ago. He brought a bag of raw steak and a weird cylindrical thing into my kitchen and proceeded to prepare some of the best steaks I had ever eaten. (Granted, he was also pretty adept with the spice rack and sticks of butter too.) A couple years later we gave one to my father-in-law, a man of many culinary talents, for Christmas. He loved it and has provided many a delightful filet for the family too. The sous vide allows you to prepare meat to the perfect temperature evenly throughout without losing any of the moisture. It is so simple you fear that you missed steps along the way. Then all you need is a hot cast iron (or Blackstone) to sear the steaks, and presto: perfection. You can prepare all sorts of meat, poultry, fish, or veggies with it if you are into those sorts of things too.
2. The Flannel Shirt
There are men, generally and somewhat pejoratively referred to as hipsters, who insist on adorning themselves like early 20th century lumberjacks. I am not one of them, if for no other reason than my genetic inability to grow facial hair. I do, however, love a flannel shirt. They pair with work boots, PF Flyers, Chuck Taylors, Jordans or dress shoes. You can layer them over a hoodie or wear them open with a t-shirt. They can be plain or patterned, bold or sedate. They are comfortable enough to be worn on a day off and sturdy enough to wear on a job site. You can find them for $30 or less or get the highest of quality for well over $100. (Trust me, those are the highest of quality.) I have worn them to parent-teacher conferences (the one time I went), to preach, on date night with my wife, and to split wood. The flannel shirt is practically perfect in every way.
3. Gratitude
It’s Thanksgiving week, which some of you insist on overlooking in a premature effort to kick start the already-too-long Christmas season. So most of us at least give a head nod to gratitude over a large meal on Thursday. I do love a large meal on Thursday, and every other day. I have also come to recognize that gratitude is more than a mere periodic reflective response. Several years ago when I was in a dark, cynical, doubting spiritual place a wise elder at my church assigned me to write down three things I am grateful for every day. It is a practice I have continued for nearly 15 years. All it takes is a few moments to reflect on and jot down evidences God’s goodness through salvation and grace, common grace like coffee and sunrises, daily gifts like family and friends, delights like food or drink or song, and so much more. Drip by drip my soul has been filled over the years with a perspective God’s ongoing kindness at the deepest and most mundane levels of life. I have learned that gratitude fights anxiety, idolatry, and even sexual temptation. Gratitude is worship, not merely a mood, and it is transformative.
