Treasure from the Gulf

Shrimp is my favorite thing.  I've often said if I had a last meal request, it would be fried shrimp, hushpuppies, seasoned french fries and onion rings, macaroni and cheese, a slice or two of homemade pie (pecan, coconut cream, and chocolate meringue), and wash it all down with a root beer float.

We were talking about needing to buy some shrimp and put them in the freezer.  Well, last Saturday afternoon, we were sitting on the back patio relaxing after doing the chores and I received a text from a young man who attends our church.  He said, "Kyle, would you like some fresh shrimp?"  Now, what kind of a question is that?  Yes, I'd love some shrimp!  He told me that he had bought too much and has 50 pounds that he didn't know what to do with.  

In 20 minutes he was at the house unloading some beautiful head-on shrimp that were caught the night before in Vermilion Bay.  We often lament the fact that there is so much imported shrimp in all the restaurants when we have the best fresh shrimp not 40 miles from our doorstep.  I don't understand why you would purchase or eat imported shrimp.  We always ask when we order shrimp where it came from.  If it's imported, we'll have a burger.

Back to the shrimp.  The best part of the deal was the price.  The young man would not accept a penny for them.  He said, "They're yours for free."  Fifty pounds of shrimp is worth a lot of money.  We begged and pleaded to pay him.  Finally, he said, "I want to bless you with them.  If you want to pay something, put some money in the little church."

At our church we put together Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child Boxes.  We work on them all year long.  They are shipped to children all over the world.  We have a little church up in the front near the podium that people put money into.  The little church is emptied and the proceeds are used to pay the postage for the Operation Christmas Child boxes.  We'll be putting a nice donation into the little church for these wonderful shrimp!

I stood by the sink that night "heading" the shrimp.  I'd pull the heads off of the shrimp and toss the tails in a colander and the heads in another bag.  When we were done we had 16 quart bags filled full.  You couldn't fit another shrimp in them.  They all were stacked in the freezer.  Our cat, Ginger, got a special treat, too.  There was a pogey (little trash fish) in with the shrimp.  Tricia pan sautéed it in butter and fed it to the cat.   

The shrimp heads are ALMOST as good as the tails.  We save the heads and put them in a big gumbo pot and cook them down with water, making a good shrimp stock.  That shrimp stock will be the base for seafood gumbos, etouffee, shrimp stew, etc.  We love head-on shrimp for that reason.

Just this Sunday, Tricia cooked down a skillet of fresh picked tomatoes, garlic, onions, and peppers.  She added a bunch of fresh heavy cream from our cow, LuLu, and let it all simmer and reduce.  At the last minute, she added a quart of the shrimp!

In another pot, she had some bow tie pasta going.  Now I'd like to be able to share a finished photo of the meal all plated up, but I was so looking forward to eating it, I didn't get around to taking the photo until my plate was clean.  Fresh Gulf Shrimp.  What a blessing to receive!  We are so thankful.

Barns Filled With Plenty

Are your barns full?  Mine aren't filled at the moment.  I don't purchase hay to fill the loft for another month or two.  Some people may not even have barns, but this post is not about literal barns.  Consider this:

Proverbs 3:1-10

My son, do not forget my teaching,

But let your heart keep my commandments;

For length of days and years of life

And peace they will add to you.

Do not let kindness and truth leave you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will find favor and good repute

In the sight of God and man.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your body

And refreshment to your bones.

Honor the LORD from your wealth

And from the first of all your produce;

So your barns will be filled with plenty

And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Every so often, usually during my lunch break, I'll do some thinking. Time for some honesty and transparency.  Do you ever catch yourself comparing your present station in life with others?  Maybe with co-workers, friends, family members? I do.  It doesn't take long doing that to find yourself hosting your own pity party.  

Fact of the matter is "keeping up with the Joneses" seems like it is on steroids these days when used to be it was just your immediate next door neighbor you'd compare yourself with.  Social media has exacerbated this, and although I'm not on Facebook, I'm guilty of finding myself, from time to time, looking at other peoples' assets, free time, entertainment, discretionary income, health, youth, careers, family, etc. etc. and being covetous. There is a reason the Thou Shalt Not Covet is one of the 10 Commandments. Coveting your neighbors' stuff highlights our selfishness.  We make things all about ourselves.  When we become envious of others, we become increasingly discontented and miserable people.

So we try to look for things that will make us happy.  What can we buy to accomplish this?  The thing about it is, whatever we buy, we're not happy for long.  We keep seeking the next new toy or purchase that will bring satisfaction.  But none of this can ever make us happy.  We lose focus on the one thing that can keep us happy - God.

In the Proverb above, it states, "...so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine."  The word 'so' is a coordinating conjunction that links two clauses.  (Remember conjunction junction what's your function?)  In this case the second clause points back to the first.  The second clause is a consequence of doing the first.  Hmmm...

So the proverb tells us that in order for our barns to be filled with plenty and our vats filled with new wine, we should honor the LORD and give Him our first and best. That is so illogical in today's consumerist society isn't it?  How does giving away things increase our store?  I don't know.  God's math, I guess.  If we are a blessing to God (and our neighbors), God will in turn bless us.

That is a promise.  It seems God knew we'd scratch our heads about this and in the book of Malachi, He addressed it as a test!  In other words, He essentially said, "I know this sounds crazy, but I'm telling you, test me, see if I won't come through!":

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.  Malachi 3:10

So after reflection, I need to first ensure that I am a giving person - giving to God and others and NOT clinging tightly to things of this world.  I'll readily admit, that can be a high hurdle for me.  Then I need to realize that I shouldn't compare myself with others' and shouldn't covet material things since 'barns filled with plenty' doesn't necessarily mean tangible goods.  The Apostle Paul understood this all too well as Paul wrote the following while sitting in jail:   

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:12

After second thought, I realize that I need to strive, like Paul, to learn to be content despite whatever circumstance I might find myself in.  True contentment, true blessing, although it can be related to material goods can also be a state of mind, a peace that is lasting regardless of what this old world throws at you.