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The picture below is of my Grandpa.  He turned 94 this year and we look forward to visiting him the weekend after Christmas in Iowa.

On this Throwback Thursday, I would like to honor him and share with you the blessing of his constant support and prayers over the years as God has called me to full-time ministry and missions.  Grandpa’s was the 1st pledge card Iron Rose Sister Ministries has received back after our recent newsletter.  The short note written in his unmistakable handwriting brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my heart.  Thank you, Grandpa.

Your legacy of faithfulness to family and church has been instrumental and I look forward to worshiping with Tent Chapel Church of Christ yet again this year.

May you be blessed with many smiles this holiday season like the one on your face here after receiving an instrument to crack the shells of the pecans you love so much.

P.S.  The blanket pictured on the back of the couch is the same one that covers my office chair in the basement.

“First you make a roux.”  That was the sentence that most defined my memory of the preparation of gumbo, a Louisiana soup/stew that warms the body and the soul.

This past week, with all of the sub-zero temperatures we had been having and a season in which we often remember those that we know and love, I made a pot of gumbo in honor of my Louisiana family and friends – and for my own tasty benefit!

For me, it was a venison and turkey gumbo and with every bite came the memory of gumbo lovingly made by others who even took my special diet restrictions into consideration.

While I could spark a debate about whose grandma (or grandpa) has the best gumbo recipe or what should or shouldn’t go into a true pot of gumbo, I will suffice it to say that gumbo is as much about family and tradition as it is about what goes in it.

What is one of your favorite winter-time meals that warms body and soul?