I am rushing the Update this week because there is so much you need to know before the middle or even the end of the week!
Don't forget to make your March Madness picks! You have to have your bracket finished and submitted before Thursday. We have our very own competition for the International Friends. I promise that March will fly by and be so much more fun as a Hoosier if you join in the competition! You might want to try a Sports Bar over this great season because they show numerous games and events at the same time as well as offer delicious game day foods.
Saturday is St. Patrick's Day, but this fun holiday begins on Friday with events in downtown Indy.
Check out the event schedule here. Be sure to enjoy the fun at the local pubs: Claddagh, Brockway, Danny Boy, and Muldoons are all on the North side in Carmel, but any pub will be having a celebration! Remember to wear your green and that anyone under 21 may not be allowed in the beer tents.
Speaking of fun and too much fun: Because of the tournaments and St. Patrick's Day, Indiana State Police and the local police authorities are increasing patrols to watch for alcohol impaired and dangerous drivers. Hamilton County will conduct sobriety checkpoints Saturday, March 17 through early in the morning of March 18 to detect, prevent and arrest drivers who choose to drive impaired. At a sobriety checkpoint officers stop cars to evaluate drivers for signs of alcohol or drug intoxication at a specific point on the road. Vehicles are stopped based on a process (maybe several cars will be stopped at once, or maybe every three or four cars will be stopped). Officers will advise drivers that they have been stopped at a sobriety checkpoint and ask for the driver's license and vehicle's registration. If the officer detects that alcohol may be involved and that the driver may be impaired or some other issue arises the vehicle is directed to pull off for further investigation which may involve Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. If everything looks alright when the officer meets the driver when the vehicle is first stopped, the driver is sent on their way in less than two minutes.
Spring is here on March 20! Who could believe it with all the snow. Yet, the daffodils are well up and some are even budding! I saw something I had never seen before: a flock of buzzards migrating. There were more than 25 of these amazing birds cruising high above Carmel last Sunday. When the buzzards come North, it is a true sign of warmer weather. Fair warning, my magnolia hasn't even started to bud. Usually we have one more snow when my tree blooms!
There is so much happening this weekend
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, Room 100.
Today we read in Matthew 6 what Jesus says about the topic of fasting. Fasting is defined in Wikipedia as "a willing abstinence or reduction from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time." In Jesus' day, many Jews fasted for religious reasons, and when they did, it was customary to put ashes on their heads to show that they were fasting. Ashes were also used as a sign of repentance and sorrow. But in verses 17 and 18, Jesus turns that idea upside down when he encourages people who fast to put oil on their heads and to wash their faces, activities that were reserved for joyous occasions! As in previous passages from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is telling people to do good works, not to gain the approval of other people, but out of love for God. It's all about what is in your heart, where your focus is, and what your priorities are.
Jesus also warns people not to store up treasures here on earth, where things can rust, rot, quit working, break, or be stolen. His advice is to store up treasures in heaven, which will last forever. He wants us to use our eyes (and our hearts and minds) to focus on the important things in life that bring us true wisdom, goodness, and eternal salvation. People in our study group shared how violated they have felt when they have had things stolen, but how much more important their safety and security were than the "stuff" they lost.
March 20: The final passages of chapter 6 find Jesus telling his audience, "Do not worry about your life." Now that's a topic we can all relate to! We will discuss it more when we gather again. Join us!
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, Room 100.
We celebrated St. Patrick's Day and talked about our March Madness picks. We tasted corned beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread with Irish butter and had a sip of Guinness. We danced a reel and generally enjoyed some "craic" (Irish Gaelic for fun and pronounced "crack").
How to make corned beef and cabbage:
Buy a package of corned beef from the grocery. You will find it in the beef section or in a special display.
Open the package and dump the beef and juice into a large pot or crock pot. Open the little package of pickling spices and sprinkle that into the pot. Add cabbage cut into quarters (leave the core and the leaves hold together), carrots, potatoes (red skinned hold up better). Fill the pot with water. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for anywhere between one and three hours depending on the size of your corned beef. If you use a crock pot, start cooking in the morning on low and enjoy the day. That's it! It couldn't be simpler. Enjoy rye bread, yellow mustard, horseradish on the side. Have a nice cup of tea (with milk and sugar), a Guinness (famous Irish dark stout (beer)), or a refreshing glass of milk colored green (of course!).
March 20: In the spirit of March Madness, let's go on a field trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler Campus (and see some of the campus as time permits). Meet at the church to carpool to Butler or meet on campus in front of Scotty's Brewhouse around 11:00. We will park in the parking garage.
4600 Sunset Avenue, Indianapolis.
submitted: entered
pub: bar, tavern
Wikipedia: a people made dictionary; you can edit and write for Wikipedia!
abstinence: any self-denial, self-restraint, or forbearance
reduction: the act of reducing or bringing down to a smaller extent, size, amount, number, etc.
security: freedom from danger, risk, care or anxiety
alcohol impaired: drunk
impaired: in North America impaired means affected by alcohol or drugs to the extent of losing control; impaired can also mean damaged or weakened or having a disability of some kind (hearing impaired)
hold up: don't fall apart
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