God What Every Catholic Should Know

 God: What Every Catholic Should Know - Bigger Than I Expected

Book Info

Title: God: What Every Catholic Should Know
Author: Elizabeth Klein
Genre: Catholic Theology / Christian Living

My Rating: 🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵

What's it about?

If you've ever found yourself asking, "Who is God, really?" this book is a wonderful place to begin. Elizabeth Klein has a gift for taking ideas that can feel overwhelming and explaining them in a way that just makes sense. She stays rooted in Scripture and Catholic teaching, but she never makes you feel like you're sitting through a theology class. Instead, it feels like someone is patiently walking beside you, helping you see God a little more clearly.

The Setting

The journey begins in Scripture and follows God's story from the Old Testament through the New, while weaving in the wisdom of the Catholic Church.

The Best Part

I liked that Klein writes like she's inviting you into a conversation instead of giving you a theology lecture. She asks really good questions. Then she takes the time to answer them. There were places where I stopped reading just to think about what I'd read. That's the kind of book I enjoy.

What could have been better

This isn't a book you'll race through over a weekend. Some chapters are pretty dense. I found it worked better when I read a chapter, closed the book, and meditate on it for a while If you're looking for something light, this probably isn't it. If you're willing to slow down, it's worth the effort.

A standout quote

"God is not one being among many beings. He is Being itself."

Final Verdict

I'd hand this book to anyone who wants to know why Catholics believe what they believe about God. It's a solid choice for someone in OCIA, someone coming back to the Church, or even a lifelong Catholic who wants to go deeper. You don't need a theology degree. Just bring your curiosity and an open Bible.

Some books give you information. This one gives you something to think about long after you've closed the cover. I have a feeling I'll come back to it more than once.

I Flamingo You Not

I came home yesterday after being away for one night. As I usually do, I wandered outside to check the garden, refill the bird feeders, and top off the bird bath.

That’s when I noticed something was wrong.

The pink flamingos were no longer standing where they belonged.

The gravel around them had been kicked and scattered, leaving bare patches across the yard. The flamingos were sprawled on the ground, casualties of what appeared to be a very personal attack. One of them had been partially chewed.

They had been flagellated flamingos.

They had been violated.

Then I noticed something else.

Just off to the left of the crime scene sat a massive pile of poop.

I kid you not.

I’m convinced it wasn’t an accident. It felt like a calling card, deliberately left behind by the culprit as if to say, “You’re welcome.”

This afternoon I gathered up the surviving flamingos and relocated them to what I hope is a safer neighborhood. They’re now tucked away in the tall grass, where they can recover in relative peace.

Although…

One of them is currently peeking through my bedroom window.

Frankly, it’s a little unsettling.

I may have solved one problem only to create another.

The River

 The River

By Jim Harrison

Yes, we'll gather by the river,

the beautiful, the beautiful river.

They say it runs by the throne of God.

This is where God invented fish.

Wherever, but then God's throne is as wide

as the universe. If you're attentive you'll

see the throne's borders in the stars. We're on this side

and when you get to the other side we don't know

what will happen if anything. If nothing happens

we won't know it, I said once. Is that cynical?

No, nothing is nothing, not upsetting just

nothing. Then again maybe we'll be cast

at the speed of light through the universe

to God's throne. His hair is bounteous.

All the 5,000 birds on earth were created there.

The firstborn cranes, herons, hawks, at the back

so as not to frighten the little ones.

Even now they remember this divine habitat.

Shall we gather at the river, this beautiful river?

We'll sing with the warblers perched on his eyelashes.

Copyright Credit: Jim Harrison, "The River" from Dead Man’s Float. Copyright © 2016 by Jim Harrison. Reprinted by permission of Copper Canyon Press, www.coppercanyonpress.org.

Source: Dead Man's Float (Copper Canyon Press, 2016)

Chicken Sweet Potato Bowls with Shawarma Seasoning

 This is so easy to make and so delicious!!!!!  🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵

Chicken Sweet Potato Bowls

Rating	Desert Verdict
🌵	Lost in the desert
🌵🌵	Barely took root
🌵🌵🌵	Blooming nicely
🌵🌵🌵🌵	Desert favorite
🌵🌵🌵🌵🌵	A true desert treasure

My Rating?

Chicken Sweet Potato Bowls with Shawarma Seasoning

Layers of flavor and textures come together into this hearty veggie-packed grain bowl that’s infinitely adaptable to what you have on hand.

Prep Time10minutes mins

Cook Time25minutes mins

Total Time35minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Entree, Entree/Poultry, Lunch

Cuisine: American/Mediterranean

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: 6

Author: Ivy Manning

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch wide strips
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Shawarma Seasoning Blend (or store-bought)
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
• 3 cups cooked farro, barley, freekeh, or quinoa
• 4 cups mixed baby salad greens
• 3/4 cup Pickled Red Onions
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted salted pistachios
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3/4 cup Green Goddess Tahini Dressing (optional)

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinse, and dried well
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon za'atar
• 1/2 teaspoon sumac
• 1/2 teaspoon Shawarma Seasoning Blend

Instructions

• Get ready. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Marinate the chicken. Combine the chicken, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, lemon juice, shawarma seasoning blend, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Toss to coat the meat and then set aside to marinate for 10 minutes or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
• Prepare the sweet potatoes. Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Cut into 1/2-inch thick half moon slices and mound on one of the prepared baking sheets. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and toss to combine. Arrange in an even layer.
• Prepare the chickpeas. Spread the chickpeas well on the second prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and season with kosher salt. Toss chickpeas and make sure they are well-coated with the olive oil. Spread them out well on the sheet.
• Roast the sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Roast the potatoes and chickpeas, stirring with a spatula once or twice, until the potatoes are tender and caramelized in places, 25 minutes, and the chickpeas are a deep golden brown, about 35 minutes. Once you take the chickpeas out of the oven, immediately season them with za'atar, sumac, and shawarma seasoning blend.
• Cook the chicken. Meanwhile, sauté the chicken. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken, reduce heat to medium, and cook without stirring until deeply browned on one side, 6 minutes. Flip with tongs and cook on the second side until no longer pink in the center, 3 to 5 minutes more. Set aside.
• Build the bowls. Put 1 cup of greens in each bowl, spreading them out to the sides of the bowl. Put 3/4 cup of farro in the center of each bowl. Add the chicken, chickpeas, red onions, pistachios, and feta cheese in small piles around the sides of the bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.

Notes

• Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 468.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 52.8g | Protein: 23.6g | Fat: 19.2g | Saturated Fat: 3.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10.4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 78.5mg | Sodium: 930.4mg | Potassium: 845.2mg | Fiber: 8.5g | Sugar: 7.2g | Vitamin A: 16488.6IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 96.8mg | Iron: 3.7mg

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