Recipe: Irish Potato Bread

Irish Potato Bread

One of the best things you can do with left over potatoes is make Irish potato bread. The great thing is, it’s real easy too.

• Add some salt and butter. Quantity will depend on how much potatoes you have, and your personal taste. I added a little salt and around 1/4 cup of salted butter.
• Mash up really good and smooth.
• Get some plain general purpose flour and add a little. Mix with in with your hands. Keep adding flour and kneading until you have a good dough. Don’t add too much flour or you’ll dry out the dough.
• Cut the dough into sections and roll out each part, one at a time. You should sprinkle some flour on the work surface before flattening them out. I didn’t use a rolling pin, but just used my hands.
• Heat up a skillet. No oil should be needed. Place in a few sections at a time and brown each side.

Serve hot with a little butter.  It also goes great served with egg and bacon…!

Left over spuds!

Mashed up with butter and salt.

Add flour and knead into dough.

Roll out and cut.

Place in hot skillet.

Brown both sides.

Irish Potato Bread

Video: Through Your Eyes

This is my most recent song this year. It captures honest feelings of how, in the past, I have perceived poverty in our city.  I still struggle with these suspicions and keeping my guard up.  I still rely on God to show me how I should and must react.

I read the sign that you’re holding
I’ve got a feeling its not the truth
My money stays in my pocket
I’m going to need to see some proof

I see you lying in the street corner
Are you pretending to be asleep?
Or maybe you just drank yourself silly
With the money you should have used to eat

Why am I at times so guarded?
Why am I afraid of being deceived?
What would love do in this situation Lord?
Its through Your eyes I need to see!

I feel the guilt and roll down my window
You cross some lanes to collect my change
You smile at me and say God bless you
I drive and contemplate the irony.

How can I be so cold hearted?
Not to hurt for those who are in need?
What would love do in this situation Lord?
It’s through Your eyes I need to see!

For God so loved the world
He sent his only son
For each and everyone
For each and everyone

Watch it over at YouTube.

Video: Your Love Is Unfailing

This is the first song I penned this year – after many years of not writing.  It reminds us that we’re only as close to God as we want to be.  He is there for us – we just need to put down the barriers and draw closer to Him.

I also wanted to highlight how God’s word will shine a light on our daily circumstances.  It’s amazing how God can speak through reading the bible.  It can bring clarity to any decision you may be facing.

I want to get close
Much closer than this
So help me lay down
All of my hindrances

Your word is a lamp
Helps me find my way
Clears clouds of confusion
Turns night into day

Jesus You rain all Your love down on me
Even though this heart is so unworthy
(Your love is unfailing)

You ransomed my heart
You paid a great cost
The pain You endured
Nailed there to that cross

The tomb could not hold
Your power and your might
This forever displayed
Your pure love divine

Its deeper than the deepest ocean
Its higher than the skies above
Its stronger than the strongest fortress
Is Your unfailing love
(Your love is unfailing)

Watch it over at YouTube.

Video: We Trust In Your Holy Name

This is a song I wrote sometime this year.  I meant to get it over to YouTube sooner after having posted it on Vimeo for some preliminary feedback.  I have more or less settled on the arrangement – so here it is.  Let me know what you think.

We trust in Your Holy name
Your greatness we will proclaim
Youre just and merciful Lord
Authority above all

Increase our faith and our hope in You
Reclaim our hearts and may You renew
Our desire to run after You
O Lord our God

You are our refuge from the winds
A stream of water through dry lands
Youre our shade from the midday sun
You hold our lives in Your hands

Lord teach us to act justly
Lord teach us to love mercy
Lord teach us to walk humbly
With You God

Watch it over at YouTube.

Remember Back When: I Like The Pit-Pit-Patter…

I like the pit-pit-patter of the rain drops
I like the buzz-buzz-buzzing of the bees
But the thing I like the best
The very very best
Is to know that God loves me

Did you sing this one?  This is all I can remember of it.  Are there more verses?

Sleep On It

I thought this was a great section from Job 33 (verses 14-18).  You’ve often heard this great advice when struggling with a decision – “sleep on it”.  Here Job is assured that God speaks to us – even in our sleep – to help keep us on track.  That is cool in my book.

14
“Indeed God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.

15
“In a dream, a vision of the night,
When sound sleep falls on men,
While they slumber in their beds,

16
Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction,

17
That He may turn man aside from his conduct,
And keep man from pride;

18
He keeps back his soul from the pit,
And his life from passing over into Sheol.

Remember Back When: Don’t Have A Face Like A Coffee Pot

The imagery in this song may be lost on some, especially if you are unfamiliar with a teapot!  I loved this song as a kid because you got to make funny faces.

Don’t have a face like a coffee pot
Coffee pots are long and thin
You must have a face like a teapot
Other souls to Jesus win!

Video: O Holy Night

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope your Christmas is special and filled with joy.  Real joy.  Remember the real meaning of Christmas.  God’s gift to mankind in Jesus.  Remember our actions, everything we do, can help open someone’s eyes to the real gift of Christmas too.

O Holy Night on YouTube

Set List – 20 Dec 2009 – Preview #4

• O Little Town Of Bethlehem
• O Holy Night
• Cannons
• O Come Let Us Adore Him
• Light Of The World
• O Come, O Come Emmanuel

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Lessons

That’s our last preview done and dusted.  If there’s anything I’ve learnt from these previews it’s this: expect the unexpected.  You’d think by the fourth time we’d have the process polished.  However, it’s pretty hard to pin that tail on the donkey when it keeps moving.  I guess that’s how it is with the mobile church.  You need to learn to be flexible, to adapt, and work around new hurdles each new week brings.

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Preparation

As far as preparation goes, I had the band organized early on.  I started off with a bass player, electric guitar and me on acoustic.  I always find drummers the most difficult people to find.  When I found out my electric guitar guy could play drums,  I switched him to drums and pulled in another electric guitar player.

I held a pre-rehearsal night (Tuesday) with the new electric guitar guy to go over arrangements.  Electric guitar guy tried to get me to play O Holy Night in 6/8, but I wanted to keep it in line with O Little Town Of Bethlehem and play it in 4/4.  Main rehearsal was on Friday that week.  I found out electric guitar guy couldn’t make rehearsal on Friday so was glad we’d met up earlier in the week.  We still had bass and drums for Friday, right?

On Thursday, my bass player let me know he couldn’t play.  My electric guitar guy also plays bass, but I couldn’t decide if what setup would be best – electric-bass-acoustic or bass-drums-acoustic.  In the end I opted for bass-drums-electric.

Friday rehearsal was previously-electric-now-drums-guy and me.  We had borrowed a drum kit, but stands were missing for the cymbals and we had no drum sticks.  A quick run to the music store sorted out our drum stick issue (thanks Dan!) and a baby chair was used as an improvised cymbal stand for the night.

Still with me?

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Preview Day

Preview day came.  We had a different sound desk this time. Different equipment = different problems!  It took longer than expected to set up.  By the time we got the soundcheck completed we quickly ran through 2-3 of the songs.  I think we will be buying a new sound desk before we launch.

We started on time and after two verses of O Little Town Of Bethlehem I invited people to stand up (if they wanted to).  We transitioned into O Holy Night and all was ok – until we hit the chorus.  It sounded like two songs playing at once.  It was scary bad.  Neither I or the drummer could recover from it.  It was grin and bear it time.

After the announcements we launched into Cannons, O Come Let Us Adore and Light Of The World.  This time was special.  I felt people entered into worship like never before since leading at Story Church.  This was a real breakthrough.  It nearly made the excruciating 3 minutes of O Holy Night worth it.

Jeremy spoke really well and then introduced the final song O Come O Come Emmanuel.  I think we did this song justice.

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Launch Day

Story Church launches on January 10, 2010.  We have lots of work to do to prepare for this.  Exciting times ahead.  We’d love for you to come visit us.  See the website for details.

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See what songs other churches used this weekend over at Sunday Setlists.

The Diversity Card

We got this email the other day from our kid’s classroom assistant.  Names have been changed to protect identities.

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Hi Parents of Mrs. Smith’s class,

Due to the diversity in our class I am not doing a class Christmas gift for Mrs. Smith.  So many people celebrate differently.  You are more than welcome to have your child send in something special for Mrs. Smith for whatever holiday your family celebrates.  We will be doing a gift for Mrs. Smith with the whole class in March for Teacher Appreciation and the end of the school year.  Have a wonderful holiday and enjoy the time with your kids.

Sandy Stingey-Bottom

Room Parent for Mrs. Smith

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This annoyed me somewhat.  Why bring diversity into this?  Is it against anyone’s religion to give or accept a gift?  Isn’t diversity about all of us having the freedom to celebrate our beliefs rather than feeling we need to suppress those beliefs for fear of insulting a particular ethnic/religious group?