Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Christmas Coconut Cake

I thought I would post a picture of this absolutely fabulous coconut cake I made for this Christmas' festivities. I think it will become a regular for years to come, in keeping with my grandmother's southern tradition of fluffy white icing, yellow cake, and coconut, of course!

Bacon and Pepper Jack Chicken

This chicken recipe was really good! Made it tonight and it looks just like the picture - easy as pie.

Take three large chicken breasts, divide in half, and pound out flat.

Mix half a bar of cream cheese and half a small block of pepper jack cheese, grated. Add one chopped scallion. Mix together and divide bw each breast.

Place mixture in middle of backside of each breast and roll up, wrapping each piece with one to two slices of bacon.

Place on sprayed casserole dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper,  and bake at 375 for 30 min. Turn oven to broiler and leave in till bacon is brown. Turn breasts and broil the opposite side. I then browned the original side a bit longer.

Really delicious! All family members loved it, which, in the Friday family, is a major accomplishment!

Happy New Year!

Friday, December 26, 2014

Ouija

The fascination with the occult in our society has prompted Hollywood to produce another  horror/thriller supernatural flick about the Ouija board. It was no surprise to see that this new rendition was number one at the box office this past weekend. To date, Internet Movie Database lists over 30 plus titles using the word Ouija, a clear indication that big money continues to be made off these types of stories.

I’ll confess that I haven’t seen the movie and don’t plan on watching it—ever. And I don’t recommend anyone else see it either. To some, that might seem unprofessional to critique a film I haven’t viewed, so let me just say, in all fairness, the script may be wonderfully crafted, the acting superb, and the directing and production quality top notch. In actuality, this isn’t a review per se, but more of a commentary on the dangers of the occult and a warning to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. My first-hand experience with the Ouija board is a testimony that something as seemingly benign as a board game can be very dangerous.

To many of us who grew up in the 70s, the Ouija board was a staple in most families, being one of many forms of entertainment before cable and Internet. It consists of a typical game board with letters and numbers, a few words, like “yes” and “no,” and a plastic dial called a planchette. To “play,” two or more people rest their fingers on the planchette and allow the spirits of the dead to move the dial around the board, spelling out answers to questions.

In all my years growing up, I never knew anyone who could get the thing to work. I remember sitting in darkened rooms, calling for the spirits of JFK and Abraham Lincoln to come and speak to us, but nothing ever happened. After a few tries, the box was put away and ended up on the bottom of the game stack until it was eventually thrown out. Most of the people in my sphere of existence, including my parents, minister, and fellow church-goers, were skeptics regarding the spirit world and all things supernatural. They believed in God and Jesus and maybe angels, but the devil and demons were considered poppycock. That never made sense to me, since the devil and demons are mentioned in both the Old and New Testament. Interestingly enough, those were the days of such movies as The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, and The Omen, all of which scared the daylights out of most of us. And yet we still didn’t believe in the supernatural. Sometimes we church people can be so thickheaded!

Well, all that changed for me in 1988. I was in my late twenties and was very happy, leading a normal, agnostic life, when I was confronted face to face with the dark side of the supernatural. My extended family was home for Christmas, and one member presented us with an old Ouija board she had found in the house she had been renting. After dusting it off, she and her friends had goofed around on it a bit, and lo and behold, a “friendly spirit” appeared on the board, sending the planchette figuratively flying all over the place, communicating mysteries and secrets that no human would know. Pretty soon, strange things started happening in her home—pots rattled in the kitchen and a spirit entity tried to push one of her friends down a flight of stairs. As expected, the friend immediately departed and never returned.

Like this family member, I was thrilled to learn that there really was a supernatural realm as espoused in the Bible even if it was inhabited by temperamental spirits. Before long, we had the whole family (other than my dad) gathered around the Ouija board, asking the spirits questions about our lives. The planchette moved on its own (our fingers were on the planchette, but no one claimed to be pushing) and answers were given that were very personal in nature. I remember my skin tingling at the notion that I was really communicating with a spirit from the other side who knew things about me that no one else could have ever known! My agnostic views slowly slipped away and my belief in the supernatural came alive.

But then confusion descended. The spirit told me to break up with my would-be-husband (who I was dating at the time) and renew a relationship with my old boyfriend. At that moment, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this spirit was not friendly. I knew God would never want me reunited with such a person. But the nail in the coffin was yet to come. My sweet mother got on the board with me and the planchette began spelling vile, curse words. I knew I wasn’t pushing the dial, and I knew my dear, Southern-belle mom would never use such language. The only conclusion was that there really was a spirit on the board and it was horribly demonic in nature. The games stopped, and my father ordered us to bed.

But I couldn’t sleep. I was freaked out and really afraid. The devil is really real, I thought to myself. And then I heard these words in my mind, “Yes. And if the devil is real, then God must be real too!” At that moment, I made a decision to begin a quest to discover who God truly was and to learn as much as I could about Jesus and the Bible. It is interesting how the Lord can use an occult game to draw someone in, even though this method is NOT recommended. But what was even more interesting, is that I was the only one in my family who got this revelation. To date, some of my family members are convinced that either I or my mom pushed the planchette that night.

“What’s the big deal with getting a little spooked on a harmless game?” many may ask. “Yes, the Old Testament forbids divination,” some Christians may say, “but we’re now under grace. And besides, I don’t believe in any of that stuff anyway!” Well, it doesn’t matter whether you believe in the dark forces of the supernatural or not, they are there, and they are subject to supernatural laws. Supernatural laws dictate that if a spiritual door is opened, these spirits will usher themselves into your life and wreak havoc.

Upon looking back, I can see that, after that night, a dark cloud of depression began to grow over me. It started out small, but then it expanded to a point where I felt the physical pressure of spiritual warfare, especially when I was asleep. During the day, my interests leaned toward occultic movies and books and the darkness grew like a storm cloud. Finally, after giving my life to the Lord, I was miraculously delivered in a dream by the Lord Jesus Himself. In one night, I was freed from the stronghold of depression and slowly made my way out. Through intense Bible Study and prayer, I began to get a revelation of what had happened to me. What started as an innocent infatuation could have turned into a potentially deadly situation.

I share this as a warning to denominational Christians in particular who are ignorant of the power of the occult even in what may seem like a benign setting. In the right situation, movies, television shows, games, and books can be the gateway for demonic forces to negatively affect our lives and the lives of our children. Just turn on the news and you can see how dark our nation and the world has grown in just one generation. This is not a surprise, considering the occultic entertainment that many of us feed upon, night after night. Our spirits and souls need God’s Word and the glory of His goodness, not the devil’s trash.

It takes effort to find wholesome entertainment in this day and age. I know, because I have the privilege of writing this column every month, and many times the Christian-friendly movies are slim pickings, as we say in the South. But God is faithful. Let’s stay away from this movie, Ouija, and keep praying that He will raise up more Christians in the industry who will make wonderful, high quality, Godly films that make Him proud!

Wonderful Christmas!

This Christmas was particularly wonderful because Mom and Dad were here from North Carolina and we all got along! Yay! We had so much fun cooking, shopping, eating, going to the movies and church, and engaging in riotous debates and discussions which are always the norm when my father is in the room. It's part of being a Willis. When you enter into this family, rather through birth or marriage, you get the good, the bad, and the ugly - but this Christmas it was all good.

Here are some pics I took on Christmas Eve with this samsung galaxy S5 which caused a bit of consternation. I have to say, I was seriously missing my iPhone when I looked at the quality of that blue flash. But you get the idea.

Merry Christmas to everyone. The season isn't over quite yet, so continue to keep Christ Jesus in the midst of your new year's festivities.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Merry Christmas, 2014! The Friday Christmas Card


The Fridays have had a fun, eventful year! Anna is a junior at UGA and studied in Oxford this summer, Braxton is a freshman at FSU but studying in the UK in their First Year Abroad Program, and Rachel is a busy senior at Walton High, cheering and tumbling. New things developing for mom and dad in the new year - more later. Love to all and have a great 2015! May God bless you!

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Oh, Christmas Tree! Part 2

The second tree is done and it is also loaded down with my 25 year collection of ornaments. Includes 2 birds nests, an Elvis (in commemoration of my grandmother who LOVED him!), my dad's old electric train, and my grandma and mom's old dolls. Love it! Getting into the Christmas spirit. Have a great holiday time, everyone!

Monday, December 1, 2014

Oh, Christmas Tree!

I have collected soooo many ornaments over the years that I've had to resort to two trees. This one is fully covered as you can see! 

The theme is more whimsical with a black haired angel on top, which I love since I have dark hair. Some of my favorite ornaments: a fluffy snowman from a 1970s church bazaar; fish made by Braxton with eye from a UK milk bottle; White House ornament collection with my favorite president, Abe Lincoln; Belkie bear with Tarheel hat; Aunt Melba' s antique child chair. Some of my favorite things!

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

More from Senior Night

Great pictures of a memorable evening taken by photographer, Bush Enos.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Million Dollar Arm

Sports enthusiasts will love this inspirational film based on a true story about a down-and-out sports agent who goes on an unusual search for fresh major league baseball talent. 

Jon Hamm stars as JB Bernstein who has just lost “the big client” that would have launched his sports management firm into the stratosphere. With no other prospects and his Chinese investor itching to pull the plug, he and his business partner get a hair-brained idea to scour India for a cricket bowler who could possibly become a major league baseball pitcher.  The Chinese investor signs on to their idea and agrees to launch a reality show in India titled “Million Dollar Arm,” where young cricket players compete for two coveted spots to travel to America. There, they will endure intensive training in hopes to be drafted onto major league teams.

The fun starts when Hamm travels to India to set up the reality show. Like most Type A Americans, he hopes to get things rolling quickly and efficiently in just a matter of weeks. But obstacles await him at every turn as he tries in vain to get production off the ground. India moves at a slower pace, and bureaucracy and strange business dealings tend to create bottlenecks which create long delays. As a result, Hamm is forced to be patient and methodical when his natural instinct is to be rash and impulsive—a great lesson that plays out nicely in his character arc.

With the help of an adorable and over-eager assistant, Amit (Pitobash), the kinks get worked out and the competition begins. Expecting to discover true cricket players who actually know how to throw a ball, Hamm and his recruiting team are stunned to find very little talent among the enormous turn-out of contenders. His professional scout, Ray (played by Alan Arkin – one of my favorite actors), sets up a folding chair and dozes through the entire try-out, offering a few witty quips here and there. The talent truly is atrocious, almost like round one of American Idol, which offers some expected, hearty laughs. Eventually, after much deliberation, two players emerge as possibilities: Dinesh (Madhur Mittal) and Rinku (Suraj Sharma).  The two Indian boys kiss their families good-bye and accompany Hamm back to the US.

As one would expect, an aggressive, success-driven sports agent and two uncultured foreigners living in a pristine bachelor pad causes a host of problems. First, the boys know very little English, they wake at the early hours to pray and burn incense, they experiment with beer, over-indulge on pizza and junk food, and generally wreak havoc in Hamm’s life. Being a confirmed bachelor with a structured schedule, he doesn’t take too kindly to his life being interrupted and digs being destroyed, and it isn’t long before his anger toward them takes its toll. As it turns out, they aren’t developing in their pitching skills as well as was hoped, and so Hamm starts to look for other options.

The boys quickly catch on that they have fallen out of favor with Hamm and make plans to return home. But before final decisions are made, they receive encouragement from Brenda (Lake Bell), an attractive doctor who rents Hamm’s pool house. Brenda is friendly and kind and convinces the boys to stick with it and not give up too quickly. At the same time, she and Hamm form an attraction which blossoms from romance into a deeper friendship. She confronts him with his selfishness and helps him realize how unfair he has been to these two young Indians. Convicted, Hamm decides to turn over a new leaf and nurture them – not as clients – but as sons, and the results are palpable. He gets personally involved in their training, and the boys start to improve. History is made and the two became the first Indians to secure major league contracts.

There are some good performances by Bill Paxton, the boys’ trainer, and of course, Alan Arkin, as mentioned earlier, who always makes me laugh. Jon Hamm is wonderful and reminded me of a young Harrison Ford and Aaron Eckhart all rolled into one. Since I’m not a Mad Men fan, I wasn’t familiar with Hamm’s work, but this performance convinced me he is a solid, Hollywood leading man. We will definitely be seeing more of him on the big screen.

Go see this film and be inspired. Stories about big, impossible dreams becoming a reality and faith against the odds are tales that live with many of us for years to come. I also like seeing the selfish, materialistic capitalist go from being greedy and self-centered to being loving, nurturing and sacrificial. That is always a nice touch. And of course, being based on a true story always makes a movie that much better!

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Senior Night

Last football game at Raider Valley celebrating Rachel 's senior year. It was a cold night but lots of fun even though the team lost. I've so enjoyed these many years of watching my baby cheer to enthusiastic fans. All started many years ago in elementary school. Can't believe how time flies!