Meditate on these words today and accept
the change that God can make in your life.
And I will give you a new heart, and I will
put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give
you a tender, responsive heart. Ezekiel 36:26
What a great promise! A new heart—tender,
responsive. A new heart would be like Christ’s heart. Loving, compassionate,
considerate. The new spirit will surely be an infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Read this text in context. God is talking
about when He will bring His people back into the land of Israel. That is what
has been happening for the last seventy years.
Therefore, give the people of Israel this
message from the Sovereign LORD: I am bringing you back, but not because you
deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame
while you were scattered among the nations. I will show how holy my great name
is--the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my
holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign LORD, then the
nations will know that I am the LORD. For I will gather you up from all the
nations and bring you home again to your land. Then I will sprinkle clean water
on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no
longer worship idols. Ezekiel 36:22-25.
This is exciting. We may all want “a new
heart” and that promise is given to us as we ask, like David did…Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a
loyal spirit within me. Psalm 51:10. This promise in Ezekiel is for the
Israelites who have been scattered around the world. Now they are coming back
to their homeland…back to the Promised Land of Israel…back to God. May He bless
them as they turn their hearts towards Him. Will you turn your heart totally to
God and return to Him along with the Jews?
A clean heart will renew our relationship
with the Lord…and with others around us. What a great “gift” at the beginning
of this Christmas season. Good relationships.
Prayer
~ Lord God, Bless Your people, Israel. We rejoice in their homecoming and the
fulfilling of Your prophesy. They are Your people.
Daily
Bible Reading: James
Friday’s Feast at the
King’s Table
Runzas
In honor of Barry on his birthday!
For the dough:
1 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar, plus a pinch
4 large eggs
3¾ cups bread flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) salted butter, softened, plus more
for the bowl
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
For the filling:
1 pound 85 to 90 percent lean ground beef
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (or 1½ teaspoons dried)
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (or 1½ teaspoons dried)
8 ounces baby spinach or 2 cups finely chopped cabbage
Make the dough: Combine 3/4 cup warm water (approximately 110 degrees F), the
yeast and a pinch of sugar in a large mixing bowl and let sit until foamy, about
10 minutes. Add 3 eggs, butter, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the salt whisk to
combine. Add half of the bread flour and beat with a wooden spoon for about 3
minutes. Add the remaining the remaining flour and mix well. The dough will be
a little sticky. Let rest 15 minutes. Knead the dough to develop the gluten
until it feels tight and smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a
lightly buttered bowl, cover and let it rise for 1 hour at room temperature.
Then chill in the refrigerator, 1 to 2 hours or overnight. Remove the dough
from the refrigerator and divide it into 8 or 16 even portions, depending on
the size of runzas you want to make. Roll each one into a ball and leave on the
counter, covered loosely, to warm up, about 30 minutes.
Make the filling: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef,
season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking up the
beef, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer
it to a bowl. Heat the olive oil in the skilled and cook the onion over medium
heat, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add
the garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook 3 minutes. Add the mixture to the bowl
containing the beef. Without cleaning the skillet, add another 1 tablespoon
olive oil. Saute the spinach or cabbage over medium high heat until wilted and
the excess liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. (You may just cook the
spinach or cabbage in the microwave briefly.) Chop or snip the spinach with
scissors, then add it to the beef mixture and set aside to cool. (The filling
can be done a day ahead of time. Refrigerate until ready to use.)
Roll out the dough: Flatten a dough ball on a heavily floured
surface and roll out into a 3-by-5-inch rectangle, or smaller if using 16
portions of dough. Fill the runzas: Spoon ½ cup (1/4 cup for smaller runzas) of
the beef filling into the center of the dough rectangle and wrap the flaps over
it, pinching to close. Flip the bundle over in your hands, gently forming the
runza into a fat football shape. Set the runza seam-side down on a parchment
lined baking sheet (or you can oil the sheet). Repeat with the remaining
filling and dough balls. Let the runzas rise about an inch, uncovered, about 45
minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk the remaining egg and 2
tablespoons water to make an egg wash and brush it thinly over the tops of the
runzas. Bake until golden brown, 25 minutes. Serve hot.
For a variation on the filling try minced steak, chopped
mushrooms and Swiss, cheddar or Monterey jack cheeses.
Happy Birthday, Barry!
© 2019 Text and
photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Follow And Like "Banquet With
The King" on Facebook. 👍
No comments:
Post a Comment