Category Archives: Resources

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Top Posts For April 2015

Right now, I am wondering just where the year is going to. 2015 is flying by, and things are hopping.

Top Posts: April 2015

April was a busy month around here. With several major events and services at our church to a few bigger items in our family, we had a busy month. In the midst of that, I was able to get several books read, and a few of them reviewed.

May holds a few more big ticket items. School ends, and my oldest daughter gets her driver’s license.

For the website, I should be able to maintain my pace, and even pick it up a little. That’s my plan, anyway.

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Making The Perfect Cup Of Coffee – French Press

Making the perfect cup of coffee isn’t nearly as difficult as many think it is. Sadly, there are too many people who settle for less than quality coffee, and too many mainstream coffee shop chains who cater to that mindset. A great cup of coffee is easy to make with a French Press.

Making the Perfect Cup of Coffee - French Press

Making your coffee using a French Press is easy, but there are several things to keep in mind as you do it.

First, however, let’s examine just what a French Press is. There are two main methods of brewing a great cup of coffee. There are several variations on each, and there are some more obscure methods that are possible, but most people use one of these two forms. There is the pour over, which we will look at next, and the press pot, commonly known as the French Press.

With a pour over, a filter is used, keeping the oils and sediment away from your coffee. This allows you to taste more of the notes hidden in the bean itself. A press, on the other hand, leaves the oils in the coffee as it is brewed, and gives more of a taste of the roast itself. Both methods have benefits, and I use each of them frequently.

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Top Posts For March 2015

Spring has sprung around here, and with it begins a very busy time of the year for us, both as a family and as a church.

Top Posts: March 2015

With Easter right around the corner, and several big events going on at our church, this month is going to be a crazy one. And with the addition of Mercy Dawn to our family in February, the home front is busy as well.

Easter is this weekend, and we have several key elements planned, including a Sunrise Service and an Easter Breakfast afterward. Our normal services will probably be more full than usual as well. We are looking forward to the opportunity to share the message of the Resurrection with all who come.

The following week, the Creation Truth Foundation will begin a five night series of presentations on Genesis and the creation-evolution debate. With the Mobile Museum of Earth History on our stage, this will be a huge draw for our community. You can check out their website here. And if you live close enough, consider yourself invited to attend.

On the other side of things, the end of school is drawing near, one daughter is weeks away from driving (and needing insurance!), the baby is adjusting well if not sleeping routinely, and the dogs are crazy. Not much out of the ordinary there.

In case you missed them, here are my top seven posts for the month of March:

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Top Posts For February 2015

February was a very busy month around our home. Our newest addition was due to be born sometime during February, but we had three different due dates. We were kind of unsure when she’d be here. And she arrived before any of them!

Top Posts: February 2015

I am pleased to state that my newest daughter, Mercy Dawn, was born healthy and strong on the twelfth of the month. She had a bit of a breathing issue right off the bat, but that has smoothed out and everything is good, for both baby and mom.

I’m not getting much sleep however.

Along with that, the past month has been pretty busy across the board. Several snow days kept the kids at home and the foyer wet. A special speaker and new series at church kept the research side of my ministry hopping.

And I tried, through it all, to maintain a steady schedule of writing. I did, though, skip the entire weekend that Mercy Dawn was born. And even though that drove me completely nuts, it is alright. I know that.

Looking forward into the coming weeks, the spring is shaping up to be pretty busy as well. We are interviewing for a new staff member, have a men’s retreat in a couple of weeks, and a major week-long event just after Easter. Things will be crazy for a while.

But when are they not?

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Top Posts For January 2015

The New Year has come and gone, and the first month of 2015 has drawn to a close. Time is flying by, and I am more convinced than ever before of the need to slow down and spend time doing the things that matter.

January 2015 Word Picture from Wordle.net

2015 has already brought several new and exciting things. Our church has hired a new Worship Minister, who is one of the students I had in my very first youth ministry. Steve and his wife have moved to town, are looking for a home, and will begin working with Cabool Christian Church on the 15th of February.

The search continues for a new youth minister. We have a couple of great prospects, and the interviews seem to be going well. However, we are expecting to receive a few more resumes in the next few days to look over as well.

And, on top of all that, our seventh child is due on the 20th of February. I think she will be here earlier than that, though. Her name is Mercy Dawn, drawn from the passing in Lamentations 3, where Jeremiah says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

I can’t wait to meet her face to face.

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Making The Perfect Cup Of Coffee – Water Quality

Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of making a great cup of coffee is the quality of your water. Simply put, your coffee will only be as good as the water that you use.

Making the Perfect Cup of Coffee - Water Quality

Most people tend to easily overlook this critical aspect to making the perfect cup of coffee. It’s true: the quality of your coffee depends heavily on the quality of the water that you use.

Coffee is 99 percent water, so the quality of the water you use will have a significant impact on the taste of your brew. A good rule of thumb to remember is to only use water that tastes good enough to drink plain. If the water tastes bad by itself, it will taste bad when brewed, too.

Because of this, the best coffee is created using water that has been filtered or purified. While most of the coffee shops worth their weight will have a filtration system built into their facility, the average coffee drinker does not have access to such resources at home. (And if your coffee shop does not filter their water, stop going there immediately.)

However, there is an easy fix to this. Many refrigerators have built in filters now, so water from that source should be pretty good. The drawback to this is that many people don’t remember to change those filters. A better option, and a cheaper one, is to use a filter pitcher, such as the Brita or Pur. These easily and quickly filter enough water for your needs, and can provide cleaner water for drinking as well.

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Making The Perfect Cup Of Coffee – The Grind

Most people don’t stop to consider just how important it is to grind your coffee properly before making coffee to ensure that you get the best possible extraction of the flavors.

Making the Perfect Cup of Coffee - The Grind

Most people take the grind for granted. As long as the coffee is ground, then it should work, right?

Well, that depends on several factors. What brew method are you using? How strong or weak do you like your coffee? How much do you need to grind at a time?

All of these factors and more contribute to getting the best grind. Coffee ground to the wrong size for the method you use to make your coffee will result in not getting the most from your coffee beans.

It’s worth doing right.