Bread Baking Class with Local Baker

 I took a bread class from local baker Don Guerrathis week.  It took place at the UA farms on Campbell.  He had us sit in groups of 3 and make dough together that we developed throughout the 4 hour class.  At the end of the class each group divided their dough into 3 parts and each person had a beautiful round to take home and bake off later that day.

Don is a very down to earth, friendly and joyful baker.  He did some lecturing, some demonstration and answered countless questions on bread baking.  The class had about 30 attendees.  Most were older and a varied level of baking experience was present.

Don provided us with a spread of bread he baked that morning, cheese, fruit and nuts to munch on during the class.  But the best thing he gave us (to my surprise)  was a big hunk of his unbelievably delicious smelling sourdough starter to take home and continue baking with.  His starter smelled so good I could have eaten it raw. 

 I have already baked with his starer this week and made the best tasting, most beautiful breads I have made to date.  And I discovered nothing goes better with a piece of sourdough bread than a glass of traditional method sparkling wine.  Oh all the bread, toast, and yeast!!!

Matt's Class

 

Matt is teaching his first adult education class at church right now on one of the greatest classics of all time, Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.  The class is 13 weeks long. He has spent hours and hours preparing for the class and is doing such an amazing job teaching it.  It is clear to see that God has gifted him in this area.  I am very proud of him.  Sandi and Arianna have been coming every week.  I wish I was able to record the classes and share them with my family in Minnesota.

The Big Day

Pictures cannot do justice to the Aria Casino & Hotel of Las Vegas where I took my level 2 sommelier exam last month. From the moment I walked in I  thought, "I do not belong in here!  This place must have a dress code- so fancy!"

I scouted out the convention center the night before the test, to make sure I would know where to go in the morning.  I wanted to give myself every advantage because I did not want to fail this exam for any reason, though I knew I had a decent chance of failing given the fact that I don't work in a restaurant and my blind tasting is hit and miss!  But I was running out of time to take the test, and since it wasn't coming to Phoenix I decided I would travel to Vegas to take it, which is an easy drive.

I left Sunday morning.  It took me about 6.5 hours to get to Vegas.  The drive is uneventful save for a beautiful stretch of Joshua Tree National forest about halfway between and the mountainous border crossing between Arizona and Nevada which is quite gorgeous. I felt comfortable going to Vegas since I have been there half a dozen times or so in the past, the last time being in 2006 for a class for work.  I decided to stay at the Excalibur because the price was right and it was within walking distance to Aria.  When I arrived in town the traffic was really bad.  At just a block or two from my hotel I found out the whole Las Vegas Blvd was shut down due to a marathon.  I could see my hotel but I could not get to it.  Already stressed out enough as it was this was not a welcome obstacle.  With the help of one local and Matt on the phone I was able to find my way around the south end of the strip through much traffic and pulled into my hotel about an hour and half later.  I checked in worn out and starving but I had a lot to do.  First I walked up to the Aria to find the testing site and then I got a bite to eat at a wonderful woodfire oven pizza place called 800 Degrees which I had passed on my walk to Aria.  I did make one little stop at the Bellagio to watch the water show which is the best thing in Las Vegas as far as I am concerned.  Then back to my hotel room to go through my flashcards one more time.  Exhausted, I went to bed around 9. 

I woke around 6 the next morning to get ready with plenty of time for breakfast and one last pass through flashcards which I did at Starbucks where I had a $4 plain croissant.  No coffee or tea to mess up my palate but I did swish with Cava right before I entered the exam room. 

The exam room was large and had about 100 people in it I would guess.  Less than 10 women.  There were 8 Master Somms there to proctor the exam.  I didn't know this at the time but later heard that Las Vegas has the largest concentration of Somms in one place (glad I didn't know that before, it would have made me even more nervous).  Each place setting had a red and white wine and the tasting grids and exam face down, as well as water and a pad of paper.  The exam started promptly at 8:20.  We had 45 minutes to complete the written exam of 45 questions and the deductive tasting of two wines.  I started with working through the white wine, which I thought was fairly obvious and then took a quick assessment of the red wine before moving on to the written exam.  I first answered all the questions I felt confident of and then went back and forth between the red wine and remaining questions.  I checked and rechecked the written.  I felt pretty good about the white wine and the written exam but had no idea what the red wine was.  I made my best guess and used the entire 45 minutes.

Upon arrival before the written I had been given my service exam time which was noon.  So now I had over 2 hours to wait.  I stayed at the Aria and went through more flashcards. I also got a bite to eat down in the casino and talked to some of the other candidates, some of whom were at the bar.  As candidates finished their service exam they came down to the bar and started drinking!  And some were so nervous about the service exam they had a drink or two before!  I knew a drink would not be a good idea for me but I did talk to a few people, one candidate in particular who worked as a server in Las Vegas at a high end restaurant.  He was there taking the exam for the second time, as he failed the blind tasting the first time.  He said he smoked the service portion the first time but he was still nervous this time!  Yikes!  I headed back up stairs and talked to  a few lady candidates who had just finished the service exam.  One of them had a real problem with the cork and had to take the cage off so she could get the cork out. Another lady, I learned, had to have 2 Master's help her get her sparkling open!  And another candidate was telling me the corks were really tough and to open the sparkling in the ice bucket but I had never done that before so I didn't think it was a good idea to start today! 

Finally my noon time service exam was here.  I was very nervous but also very anxious to get it over with and be free.  I wanted to pass so bad and be done with studying but I knew that even if I didn't pass this the first time around the exam would no longer be a mystery to me that I didn't know how to study for.  Now, I would know what to expect.  Even if I failed it and had to take it again the study time would be much diminished as I would know exactly at what level they were testing at.  But still I wanted to pass so bad and be done studying for good.  I was tired of flashcards, tired of drinking just the blind varietals, and most of all tired of this test hanging over my head!! 

I entered the mock restaurant room with 5 other candidates and a Master gave us the scenario.  Each of us was assigned a table with a Master seated at it (and 3 other imaginary guests).  We were told what Champagne was ordered and to go greet the table before we started our Champagne service.  One thing I didn't know until then was that the service exam is timed.  Twelve minutes is all you have to perform the Champagne service as well as answer all the Master's questions table side. I was given a very soft spoken gentleman.  I had to strain to hear him.  I had to pour wine for him and his table guests and was told 4 additional guests would be joining them later.  I performed the service with just a few small mistakes, although I was so nervous you could hear the glasses rattling on my tray as I brought them to the table (since I forgot to line the tray with a serviette!).  I had a little trouble opening the bottle and the Master who led us in gave me a tip for my stuck cork which worked.  My bottle did make a pop but it wasn't huge so I felt okay about it.  After pouring the extra glasses at the side station  I then had to clear the table to the Champagne and walk around the room with the full tray (here is where waitressing throughout high school and when I first moved to Tucson helped me albeit over 15 years ago now!).  I went back to the table where I was asked about a dozen or more questions about food and wine pairing, cocktails, aperitifs, cordials, sparkling wines, and spirits.  My service might have been just okay but I knew all the answers to each question the Master asked me so I felt like I performed well enough overall to pass the service exam.  Twelve minutes after walking into the room  I was done.  And hopefully done forever.

I left the Aria and went for a walk outside where I called Matt to tell him  about it.  Of course I did this in front of the Bellagio, just in case the water show was going to pop up.  I had 3 hours to burn til I would get my results.  At this point I felt like I passed all portions of the exam except for maybe the red wine.  I was afraid I had gotten that wrong and wrong enough to have to repeat the test.  I hoped and prayed not.  I ended up going back to the Aria and listened to my ipod while I waited.  But guess what I didn't listen to?  Not wine podcasts! 

The results were to be given out at 3:45.  We were back in the original large exam room.  They began by congratulating everyone for coming this far in the process.  Then they began to read off the names of the candidates who passed.  My name did not get read until about three quarters of the way through so I was really starting to lose hope.  But finally it was read. I thanked God as I sat back down with my certificate and pin.  I was so happy and relieved I could have cried right then and there.  As soon as the names were all announced every one proceeded to celebrate with a glass of bubbly- Blason Rose Perrier-Jouet.  Before I grabbed my glass I snapped a pic of my certificate and sent it to Matt and to all my friends and family members who had been praying for me to  let them know I had passed.  I stuck around for a little while talking joyfully with some of the other candidates and then headed back to my hotel to get changed so I could go get something to eat.  The stress of it all caused me to lay down for a while in my hotel room even though I was starving.  I went back to 800 Degrees for another pizza and thought about how I was in there just the night before wondering how this very day would go...

The next day I got up bright and early, eager to head back home.  The drive home was uneventful with a quick pit stop at my favorite place in Phoenix, Halfprice Books where I picked up some Peter Reinhart bread baking books.  What a great find on the heels of my exam, now that I am free to reading whatever I want again!

That evening Matt and I celebrated  with my favorite takeout- Indian Butter Chicken and also drank the special wine I bought for this occasion- Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d'Or Brut Champagne 1999.  And as far as opening it went, I had Matt do it! 

Last Day of Blind Tasting Practice with my Study Partner

My study partner Tali and I have been meeting once a week for the last 6 months practicing blind tasting together.  Usually it is just the two of us with Matt pouring four blind wines for us to deductively taste through.  Every so often her boyfriend Nathan joins us as well as Matt.  My last study night with her was about one week before the exam (which I was to take on November17th).  Nathan and Matt joined us that night as we worked through 8 wines.  I look pretty calm, don't I?  Ha!

Horton book "Where in the World is the Church?"

Michael Horton is my favorite writer and thinker.  I was first introduced to him in the magazine called  Modern Reformation, which he is the editor of and a main contributor to.  I have a few of his books.  This one, "Where in the World is the Church?" is the first one I am reading.  It is subtitled "a Christian view of culture and your role in it."  I love this topic and what Michael Horton says on it both challenges and encourages me to no end.  I highly recommend it and would love to read it with a group of people and discuss it.

Here is the description of it from the Ligonier Ministries website: Many believers have retreated into a Christian subculture where they read books published only by “Christian” publishers, listen only to “Christian” music, and generally stay away from anything that does not specifically call itself Christian. This book argues that such a withdrawal is not the biblical way to approach culture and shows why believers are free to enjoy truth and beauty wherever it is found.

A Life Changing Read

This book is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am just finishing up this book by Randy Alcorn.  I have never read anything by Alcorn and I have never read anything on heaven before.  I read this over the course of about 6 months and I am dying to read it again.  I am wondering if there is a study guide to go along with it so I can get the most of out of it.  I am also wondering what other books I can read on heaven.  

I have been thinking wrong about heaven my whole life.  I can't believe what God has in store for us!  This definitely changes the way I look at life, maybe the way I look at everything...

Learning Skills 101: Learning How to Learn

I have been listening to some great lectures on "The Life of the Mind" given by Presbyterian minister Kenneth Samples.  This is an eight part class he taught using Mortimer Adlers's book "How to Read a Book."  This class is right up my alley and I am hoping to get Adler's book soon so I can read it and further sharpen my reading skills.  If you love reading and learning I highly recommend this class which can be downloaded for free here  The Life of the Mind by Kenneth Samples

Class lectures are as follows:

Intelligent Reading - Introduction"

Intelligent Reading - The Academic 10 Commandments"

Intelligent Reading - The Renaissance Christian"

Intelligent Reading - IDEAS"

Intelligent Reading - Introduction to Logic"

Intelligent Reading - What Makes a Good Argument"

Intelligent Reading - Three Types of Arguments: Deductive, Inductive, and Abductive"

Intelligent Reading - Logical Fallacies"

Amil Study

RC Sproul is one of my favorite Bible teachers and something I really, really appreciate about him is that he is so fair when it comes to teaching on things he disagrees with.  What I mean is that he does not misrepresent systems, ideas, theologies or people he doesn't like or agree with.  I long to be this way myself and know I fail in it as it is so easy to let emotion take control over truth. God help me!

It wasn't until I joined a Presbyterian church that I first ran into people who do not like John MacArthur and do not think of him as a top Bible teacher.  This was shocking to me and confusing since MacArthur is usually a key note speaker at the Ligonier Ministries conferences (whose president and founder is a Reformed Presbyterian).  Some of the criticisms I heard regarding MacArthur usually had to do with him being a "dispensationalist" and him not being "reformed."  I learned the five points of Calvinism as a babe from MacArthur and so I could not understand why anyone would say he wasn't reformed- he loves the doctrines of God's sovereign grace!  My current eschatology study has taught me a lot not only about eschatology but also covenant theology, dispensationalism, and what it is to be reformed.  I now understand why someone would say MacArthur is not reformed as he does not subscribe to the whole system but I don't know why they give him so much grief for being a progressive dispensationalist- as if it makes him a heretic. Progressive dispensationalism and classical dispensationalism are significantly different.  After listening to hundreds of hours of his preaching over the past 10 years I can tell you he absolutley is not a classical dispensationalist but the critcisms I hear about him are always disinctives of classical dispensationalism.  Either his critics don't understand the difference between the two systems or they're misrepresenting the truth.

Unfortunately the misrepresenting of truth is not only a problem for us sheep but for all people, shepherds included.  Through my current eschatology study I have come to find out that I have been taught misrepresentations of amillenialism and covenant theology from MacArthur.  His teaching on these matters appear to be more emotionally driven than fact driven.  This is unfortunate and makes me very sad as I hold him in the highest esteem.

Anyway, I have been listening to a great study by Kim Riddlebarger on amillenialism which has started to make clear things that were so confusing to me before that I probably couldn't even formulate a coherent question regarding them.  Riddlebarger has been making clear to me how these different eschatological systems can each seem compelling.  It all has to do with your presupposed hermeneutic.  Riddlebarger believes that interpretation of Bible propehcy begins with identifying methodological presuppositions and that the way to determine the best eschatological system is to first identify and evaluate the underlying hermeneutic involved.  He then goes on to compare dispensational and reformed hermeneutics.

Dispensational hermeneutic:

1. Claims to hold to a literal interpretation of prophetic sections of the Bible

2. Recognition of distincitve programs between the Church and National Israel.

*This system of interpretation can be called an "Israel-centered hermeneutic."

Reformed hermeneutic:

Here is where Riddlebarger talks about the analogi fide idea which means "Scripture interprets Scripiure."  (I have heard "Scripture interprets Scripture" my whole Christian life from MacArthur).

1. New Testament interprets Old Testament.

2. Old Testament writers spoke in pre-Messianic terms describing the glories of the future in terms of the age they lived in.

3. New Testament always interprets Old Testament figures in light of their significance- especially in Christ.

*This system of interpretation can be called a "Christ-centered hermeneutic."

Riddlebarger teaches that Old Testament themes are types and shadows of glorious realities that are fulfilled in Christ.  The general thrust of redemptive history goes like this:

(1.) types and shadows to (2.) language used by the prophets describing the glories of the coming messianic age to (3.) the reality of that is found in Christ. This means Jesus is the true Israel, the true temple, the heir to David's throne, etc.

I am really enjoying Riddlebarger's series on amillenialism and considering it very seriously.  I really appreciate that Riddlebarger seems to be fairly representing the different systems and people he is talking about.  He displays great passion and humility in his teaching.  His series can be found on the right sidebar of his blog and is free for download.

The Rapture: History & Influence in America

The Rapture: History and Influence in America from Derrick Sims on Vimeo.

A Serious Sharpening...

This is one of the best sermons I have ever heard and because of it I may have entered the fold of covenant theology- which I have only flirted with in the past.  Ryan and Ben and Phil will be so proud of me...

"The Law, the Prophets and the Last Days" by Sinclair Ferguson

This sermon is from the study I am doing on eschatology- the fruit of which may not be a particular view of the millennium after all but may instead be  a serious sharpening or even a kind of  paradigm shift in my understanding of the Bible as a whole and God's plan of redemption.   I hope you will take the time to listen to this amazing sermon and at the end stand up in triumphalistic worship of Christ and God the Father, who is all in all.

For further information on covenant theology versus dispensationalism check out this helpful article by Ligon Duncan. Dispensationalism: A Reformed Evaluation

The Millenial Maze

I have been raised in the faith by the best Bible teacher in the world, John MacArthur,who has taught me to love truth, to love doctrine, to have the highest view of Scripture (which is all sufficient), to understand the biblical teachings of God's sovereign grace and many, many more things.  One thing he has also taught me is what can be called a dispensational premillenial view of eschatology.  As a new Christian I assumed all believers understood end times this way and was shocked when I heard another trusted and beloved Bible teacher, R.C. Sproul, criticize the rapture.  After this I thought more about the rapture and became suspicious of it myself due to the vagueness of the verses used to defend it.  For many years now my questions on eschatology have multiplied and I have wanted to study it more in depth.  I decided last week now was the time to start that study.

I am trying to give all the eschatological views an equal hearing.  This is hard on one hand because I am used to a form of premillenialism so this one sounds most familiar and normal to me.  But then on the other hand I know excellent Bible teachers in each camp so if Sproul claims that the Bible teaches  postmillenialism and Sinclair Ferguson teaches amillenialism and Francis Schaeffer holds to historic premillenialism  and John MacArthur to dispensational premillenialism how can I fail to look into these things?  And the scarier question is how do I expect to be able to figure this out if the greatest minds cannot agree?  Well, I am looking into it anyway because I long to know and so I must try.

Here are some of the resources I have been using so far:

Finding Hope in the Millenial Maze Conference (14 audio messages)
Wayne Grudem's "Biblical Doctrine" textbook
John MacArthur Study Bible
R.C. Sproul Reformation Study Bible
Eschatology comparison chart

There is a good chance I may end up a "pan-millenialist" as they say (it will all pan out in the end!) at the end of this study but I must try and make sense of it biblically.  I will let you know how it goes...

The Consequences of Non-Expository Preaching

Recently I listened to a great two part series by John MacArthur on the consequences of non-expository preaching.  In this series he unfolds these fifteen consequences

Failure to preach expositionally...

1.Usurps the authority of God over the mind and soul of the hearer.
2. Usurps the Lordship of Christ over His church.
3. Hinders the work of the Holy Spirit.
4. Manifests a lack of submission to Scripture.
5. Severs the preacher personally from the sanctifying grace of Scripture.
6. Removes spiritual depth and transcendence from the souls of the people, crippling worship.
7. Prevents the preacher for truly speaking fro Christ whom he serves.
8. Depreciates by example the spiritual duty and benefit of studying the Scripture.
9. Breeds a congregation that is weak and indifferent to the glory of God.
10. Robs people of their only true source of help.
11. Creates a destructive disconnect between sound doctrine and life.
12. Dishonors God by omitting these truths that trouble, offend, and terrify sinners.
13. Disconnects people from the legacy of the great theologians of the past.
14. Removes protection from error that is deadly to the church.
15. Deceives people that they have heard from God when they haven't.

I highly recommend this series.  You can read the text or download the audio here:  Part 1  Part 2

Advent Preaching Series- Take a Listen!

The Pastors at my church are currently preaching an Advent series for Advent season.  Last week our Associate Pastor, Luke, preached an awesome sermon on Isaiah 49 called Prophecy of a Savior.  Any pastor who can clearly explain Isaiah so that you can understand it is easily  worth his weight in gold!  The week before that our Senior Pastor, Phil, also preached a very good sermon to kick off the Advent series called Covenant Promises of a Savior.  These are both free for download.  I encourage you to take a listen!

On top of these great sermons there is also a fantastic Sunday school class that has just started this weekend called The Dirty Dozen.  This class will be 12 weeks of 12 different theologians from church history.  The first class yesterday was on Athanasius and the Arian controversy of his time.  I will post the link as soon as it comes up online.

Economist Jerry Robinson and "Follow the Money" Radio Show

A little over a year ago Matt and I were introduced to economist Jerry Robinson through a radio talk show we listen to where he was interviewed.  We liked what we heard and then found out that Jerry Robinson has his own weekly radio show where he discusses global economics, geopolitics, and culture.  We have been listening to him for the past year and have learned a lot from him.  His current radio show is called "Follow the Money Weekly"."  A typical show opens with Jerry commenting on the week's major news stories, followed by an interview with an financial expert of some kind and then ends with a short report on precious metals by Tom Cloud.
Jerry Robinson is of the Austrian school of economics. He is editor of the financial website FTMDaily.com, founder and CEO of Makers Group Financial, a columnist for WorldNetDaily, an international conference speaker, and author of a number books including "The Bankruptcy of Our Nation"  Along with his weekly radio show, which can be podcast from Itunes or more easily downloaded from his FTM website, he also teaches monthly educational webinars on different financial topics which can be live-streamed for free.  And don't miss his regularly updated blog. Jerry Robinson provides a wealth of information and has started me off on my economic education so I can better understand what is going on in the U.S. and the world.  I highly recommend his radio show, websites, blog, and resources to all of my friends out there.