A Temporal Blessing

This is a recent essay by Brandt, commemorating our First Amendment freedom of religion, given in the Bill of Rights. We're studying American history this year. It was a gratifying moment to see Brandt's knowledge of history, government, and his testimony of faith merge together. He's obviously listening and observing our lives all the time. What a humbling thought!

A Temporal Blessing
By Brandt Bergeron

During a 2007 survey, 42% of all Americans claimed to be “born-again” Christians. Of that dwindling number, a whopping 37% firmly stated that their personal belief was that their good works could get them into heaven (Barna Research Group)! Correspondingly, the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights grants Americans freedom the practice their unorthodox faith freely. Yet, according to the Bible, what is true religion?

I believe in a triune and perfect God, who created the universe. By his sovereign grace, He ordained that I would be His joyful servant. I believe that the three persons of this everlasting godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, exist in unchangeable unity of relationship. I hold it to be true that They desire to bring people into this relationship. I must praise God every moment of my life, because He commands, desires and owns this praise, for He created me. Because my praise is imperfect, by faith alone I must trust that Jesus makes the way for God to accept my worship. I pray each day to Jesus, who sacrificed His body for me on the cross like a meek lamb. I read the Bible, God’s holy word. I make it my aim not to be oppressed by servile trepidation of the Lord. On the contrary, I should bear nothing but filial affection and fear toward my Heavenly Father. God’s grace moves through me to bless others. His grace abounds incessantly. By dying on the cross, Jesus redeemed me from slavery to sin, in order to bring me and other sinners into eternal blessing. Undeniably, one of the temporal blessings He has given me, as an American, is my First Amendment freedom of faith. The numbers fight against biblical Christians. In fact, the whole world is licking its chops trying to catch Christians off-guard. However, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

Nana's Famous O-Bone Roast

We have a pretty incredible selection of pasture-raised beef in our part of the world. The Prather Ranch isn't far away and several of my friends in the community raise cattle for beef, nearly all of it organic--though not certified. Right now, our family has a freezer full of beef. Although we all tend to think of roasts as a special occasion or a Sunday meal, I love them for their hands-off nature. Once you've dredged the meat and seared it to get a good crust, the oven does the rest of the work for you. You need a roast with the bone in. This increases nutrition (think bone broth) and taste considerably. You’ll probably have to ask your butcher for a bone-in roast. Ask for an O-bone or a 7-bone roast.

This recipe belongs to my Nana, one of the best cooks I know.

Salt the roast well and dredge it in flour.
Preheat oven to 325 (do NOT use convection setting).
In a large Dutch oven, heat about 2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil or coconut oil (both have a high smoke point so will not produce free radicals when heated to high) to high heat.
Sear roast 4 minutes per side or until a light crust forms. This takes some wrestling with hands, spatula, and cooking fork.
Remove from heat and set in a large roasting pan.
Turn heat off.
Skin 4 cloves garlic and slice in half.
Pierce crust of roast with a knife and insert garlic cloves evenly throughout.
Slice 2 onions in halves and place in the bottom of the pan.
Prepare several whole carrots (washed, scrubbed).
Prepare several whole potatoes (washed, scrubbed, halved).
Place roast back in Dutch oven on top of onions.
Fill in empty spaces with potatoes and carrots.
Fill pan with about 1 inch of water.
Salt and pepper vegetables well.
Pop on the lid and place in oven.
Check after 1 1/2 hours to see if water level is adequate.
Return to oven for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until roast is tender. Remove from oven.
Remove vegetables from pan to a platter.
Slice roast into serving size pieces. Add to platter.
Add onions to platter.
Pour pan juices over and salt to taste.