I enjoyed the book primarily because of the historical and political information I gleaned from it. Did I know India was once ruled by Britain? I guess, but I had forgotten. Did I know Burma was next door to India? Probably not. Did I know when Ghandi lived? Nope. (Am I horribly under-informed? Yes.) I also enjoyed reading about the cultural and racial issues going on at the time. I learned a lot about Indian society and quite a few Hindustani words (I didn’t realize there was a glossary at the back of the book until I was two-thirds done!). The book starts off a little slow, but by halfway through, I got to the point where I couldn’t put it down.  There are several open-ended plot lines that frustrated me and others in my book club, but overall I still thought it was an enjoyable read.

So, if you’re looking to brush up on your knowledge of India, this would be an entertaining way to do it.

2 lbs southern style (square) frozen potatoes (thawed)

1/3 cup melted butter

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups sour cream

1 block grated Cracker Barrel cheese

Mix all but potatoes.  Fold in potatoes.  Bake in ungreased 9×13 pan or corning ware pan at 350 for one hour.

Mike told us that he’ll be preaching on 5 stories this advent season, the first of which was the story of Zechariah. I’ve heard it many times before, and as he was telling it yesterday, I was reminded of the movie The Nativity. Have you seen it? It’s a great movie to watch each Christmastime – pretty true to life and not too cheesy. The first time I saw it, a few years ago, it really made Christmas more meaningful to me, as I considered what everyday life was like back then, what God’s people were enduring under Harod’s rule, and the long, hard journey Mary and Joseph made together.

Mike made the point that after John the Baptist was circumcised and Zechariah received his voice back, Zechariah praised the Lord because he has rescued his people from three things: fear, death, and sin. The one that caught my attention most was sin. Over the past year especially, I’ve become discouraged at times because of what I see as a lack of progress in, or what seems to be a stalling of, my sanctification. I fall into the same old patterns of sinfulness, some of my sinful character traits (impatience and selfishness being two of the foremost) seem as dominant as ever, and I doubt that the Lord is good or cares about me. Surely if I were a true believer, these things would fade away, right? If I’m still struggling, sometimes feeling like I’m losing, does that mean I’m really not a believer after all? But I was reminded yesterday that no, the presence of such struggles does not mean that. Mike taught that being rescued from sin does not mean that we are rescued from the presence of sin in our lives, meaning that we are still going to sin. It also does not mean that we are rescued from the temporal consequences of sin. We still have to live with the effects of both our individual sinfulness and the fact that the world is broken – disease, poverty, abuse of all sorts, greed, financial turmoil, broken and strained relationships. But I like how Mike put it in a few different ways which meant a lot to me – he said that what Christ has rescued us from is the control and condemnation of sin, the power and penalty of sin, the ability of sin to define and damn us. Hallulujah! So, even if I’m still sinful, still struggling with these same old things for years and years and years, I am not defined by my sin. I am not ultimately controlled by it. It does not have absolute power over me. It does not condemn me, even if it feels like it does. I do not have to bear the final penalty, and I will not be damned by it. These words are a balm to my weary soul.

1 ¼ lb. boneless skinless chicken

2 (15 oz) can great northern beans or navy beans

1 (15 oz) can hominy or white corn

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies

1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

½ cup sour cream

Chopped green onion (optional)

Monterey jack cheese (optional)

Place chicken in crock pot and top with beans and corn.  Combine taco seasoning, chilies, condensed soup and chicken broth in a bowl.  Pour over chicken mixture.  Cover and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours.  Before serving, stir gently to break up chicken, and then stir in sour cream.  Served topped with onions and cheese if desired.

BlackFriday.info has a huge list of stores that have already released their Black Friday adds. Why wait until last minute to plan your morning of shopping when you can do it now.

Below is also a partial list of stores that will be closing down or closing stores after Christmas. If you buy or receive gift cards for any of these stores make sure you use them right away. You don’t want to be stuck with a gift card that can’t be used. If you’re not sure about the store you want to buy the gift card from always ask if they will be around for awhile.

Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine’s to close 150 stores nationwide
Eddie Bauer will close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down specialty stores
J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots)
Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots)
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores,more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Home Depot closing 15 store
Macys to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Lowes to close down some stores
Dillard’s to close some stores