Special Features - Winter 2023
Slow-Cooker Marmalade-and-Vinegar Pork
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 8 hr. 20 min.
- 4 ½ pounds pork loin, excess fat trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
- Coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted
- ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- ¾ cup orange marmalade
- ¼ cup red-wine vinegar
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for serving
- 1 small orange, cut into wedges, for serving
- 1 bunch watercress (optional)
- Very generously season port with coarse salt and place in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix together fennel seeds, red-pepper flakes, marmalade, vinegar, rosemary, and garlic; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low until meat is pull-apart tender, about 8 hours.
- Transfer pork to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Strain Sauce through a fine sieve, discarding solids. Skim fat from the surface of the sauce.
- Spoon pork and sauce over your choice of starch (couscous, rice, quinoa, noodles) in serving bowls. Sprinkle flaky salt over pork, and top with watercress sprigs. Squeeze orange wedges over dish and serve immediately.
If you have leftovers, refrigerate the pork in the sauce – it will help keep the meat moist.
Daily Devotionals ~ Ana Avila
“Happy New Year” Springton Lake Church! This is the time that many of us think about setting some goals and praying for a renewed faith to follow the Lord. We praise Him for the many blessings in our lives, and we thank Him for His strength and mercy that carried us through the trials of the past year. Our desire in this new beginning is to seek Him, serve Him and glorify Him in what we say and do. We continually call on our gracious God for His help and He is always pleased to meet us in our need.
There are many good devotionals to add to our daily spiritual disciplines of prayer and Bible reading. I would highly recommend these three to you as each of them has deeply enriched my quiet times with the Lord:
God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs ~ Timothy Keller with Kathy Keller
What I like about this devotional is Keller’s exegetical mastery in his writing style. In unpacking Proverbs he touches on many of the struggles where we most need wisdom from God such as: Understanding Temptation, Friendship, Words and Gossip, Listening, Conflict, Planning and Decision Making, Marriage, Sex, Parenting, Money and Work -- Insights for Our Age – and much more! Each devotion ends with prayer.
In Psalm 90:12, Moses prays, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Wisdom is so important when we face relational, work, and financial problems as well as those big life decisions. It is how we get through life and it helps us do what is best rather than making things worse. It has nothing to do with our level of education as true wisdom comes from – and ends with -- God Himself. What better way to begin a new year than deep in the book of Proverbs? The Lord desires to give us His Wisdom as we seek Him and ask Him for it every day.
New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional ~ Paul David Tripp
Paul Tripp is a gifted writer, pastor and counselor. In this daily devotional he really gets to the depths of each verse giving practical application points to change us and mold us into a man or woman after God’s own heart. He ends each entry with a passage of scripture for further study and encouragement. I read this devotional for four consecutive years and it never ceased to amaze me how often a particular devotion touched on something very relevant to a struggle in my Christian walk at that specific time.
Truth for Life: 365 Daily Devotions ~ Alistair Begg
For those of us who would rather have a devotion on our phones, I would suggest a daily sermon from Alistair Begg -- a renowned Bible teacher. There are two devotionals to choose from – one from the late famed preacher Charles Spurgeon and one from Alistair Begg himself. --“We all need to be reminded of the truth that anchors our life and excites and equips us to live for Christ.”
May this be a year of spiritual growth beyond what we could think possible as we take the time to be refreshed by the Holy Spirit in reading and meditating on God’s Word, and finding inspiration in an added devotional to enhance our love for God and His ways.
Two Winter Crafts
Woven Paper Tree
Trees don’t have to just be for Christmas! This great activity combines painting, cutting and fine motor
skills to create evergreen trees. Bet you don’t make just one!
Materials Needed
- 2 sheets of white paper
- scissors
- water color paints -- different color greens and blues
- paint brush
Instructions
- Paint both sheets of white paper with different color greens and blues
- Let dry
- Cut one sheet into long strips
- Cut the other piece in one large triangle
- Using the triangle cut long slits top to bottom (be careful not to cut all the way to the ends)
- Weave the long strips of paper through the slits that were cut into the triangle
- Once strips completely fill up the triangle cut off the excess pieces on either side in at an angle to make it look like a tree.
Popsicle Stick Picture Sled
Creating picture keepsakes are always a great idea! These simple popsicle sleds will be a hit!
Materials Needed
- Popsicle sticks -- plain or already colored ones
- glue
- string or twine
- photos of children, friends, or family – use pictures that you are okay with cutting up—or scan and print copies of your favorites
- winter-themed stickers (optional)
Instructions
- Glue 3 popsicles sticks side by side and one across to create sled
- Let dry
- Tie string to sled
- Cut out picture of person -- try different angles such as sitting up, laying down whatever works with that particular picture
- Glue picture onto sled
- Optional -- add decorative winter themed-stickers to complete the look
- Enjoy a keepsake for years to come!
