The Fruit From The Garden 8/27/2019 With a Recipe

Good Morning,

I just heard the sound of my Door County Mocha Mint Coffee brewing in the kitchen. I might indulge on a biscuit to go with the coffee.

The harvest has begun on our property and it is a joy to be eating tomatoes fresh from the vine as well as preserving some for this winter. Last night we dined on some smoked pork loin which was accompanied by some spaghetti squash.

Before eating as usual, we stopped to pray and be grateful for the bounty we were dining on. We gave praise to God for the squash and the marinated tomatoes we were eating because of the garden that He blessed. We gave thanks for our jobs that allowed us to smoke some pork. I must say that it was a dinner fit for a king. We topped it off with ice cold watermelon slices for dessert.

But later as I pondered the blessings of the garden I was humbled like I haven't been humbled in a long time. I did say to my wife that the meal was fit for a king. That statement haunted me all night. When you think about it, our meal was provided by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I felt blessed, humbled and I was in awe that My Lord would care about what Rene and I had to eat.  I thought to myself. "Who am I"? Then it went deeper and I asked out loud "who am I" to deserve a King who would die on the cross for me? I had to answer and say that all in all I should be the least of the least and don't deserve the blessings I have been given. I can never repay God for all He has done for me and all that He will do in the future. He will some day welcome me home to be with Him in heaven. It is a struggle for a prideful man to not be able to pay God back. I wouldn't know where to start. So I looked for the answer and found it within God's  Word.

Ephesians 2:8-9 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.

John 6:33 New International Version (NIV)

33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

In these passages I see the answer. God loves us and has a plan for us that goes beyond this worldly life.

Who am I? Who Are you?

Marty

ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SQUASH

INGREDIENTS

2 large spaghetti squash, halved

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 c. tomato sauce

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

COOKING DIRECTIONS

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean squash removing the pulp and seeds.Cut in half lengthwise  Rub the inside of the two pieces with olive oil. Salt and Pepper to tast.

2.    Bake until tender, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and heat broiler.

3.    Once cool enough to handle, shred spaghetti squash with a fork.

4.    Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage until browned.

5.    Divide tomato sauce and sausage among halves and top with cheese.

6.    Broil until cheese is browned and squash warmed through, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve hot.